Chapter 15

“Mom—”
Lin Yilan came running up to Wang Zixin, ready to take the basket of vegetables from her hands.

Seeing this, Wang Zixin handed over the basket. “Why did you come so fast?”

Lin Yilan took the bag. “I only had one class this afternoon, and our school is close by—not like my older siblings, who live much farther away.”

Noticing the sweat on her forehead, Wang Zixin took out a handkerchief and wiped it gently. “Did you run straight to the bus stop right after class?”

“Hehe, that’s exactly like Mom,” Lin Yilan tried to brush it off with a silly smile.

Wang Zixin couldn’t help scolding her a little. “It’s already October now, not summer anymore. The weather in Jing City is getting colder. If you sweat like that and then get hit by the cold wind, be careful not to catch a cold.”

Lin Yilan nodded vigorously, patting her chest confidently. “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly healthy.”

Seeing this, Wang Zixin felt a bit choked up.

Well, it’s not the old society anymore, and expectations for girls aren’t as strict. This will do.

As Wang Zixin led Lin Yilan upstairs, they ran into several neighbors.

“This is our youngest, Lin Yilan.”

“Xiao Lan, say hello to Aunt Sun.”

“Hello, Aunt Sun, I’m Lin Yilan.” She obediently followed behind, greeting them politely.

“Oh, Xiao Wang, is this your family’s...?”

“Teacher Wu, this is my youngest, Lin Yilan. She’s at the University of Technology, studying architecture.” Wang Zixin said proudly.

“That’s impressive! Your whole family is full of top students. You already had three university students before, and the eldest who recently helped you move in passed the graduate entrance exams. Now the youngest is a university student too. Xiao Wang, you must tell me and Teacher Lin how you raise such outstanding kids.”

“Teacher Wu, you flatter us.”

...

Lin Yilan watched as what should have taken five minutes to climb the stairs stretched to fifteen minutes and they still weren’t home. Her parents seemed to have a good relationship with the neighbors—otherwise, there wouldn’t be so much to chat about.

After finishing the last conversation at the doorstep, Lin Yilan finally entered the house.

She placed the basket by the sink and couldn’t help but collapse onto the sofa.

Lin Jiangang came out of his room and immediately saw his youngest daughter looking utterly exhausted. He pushed up his rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“Little Five’s back?”

“Judging by you, university doesn’t seem easy.”

Lin Yilan struggled to turn over and grabbed a pillow to place behind her head. “Dad, don’t say that. University assignments are even heavier than high school. What kind of justice is this...”

Lin Jiangang sat down on a small stool opposite her. “Who told you that university is easier than high school? Besides, you’re luckier than your three older siblings—they have to finish a year’s coursework in just half a year; they’re much more exhausted.”

“But I have to admit, your major might be even tougher. Although it’s different now compared to when I was in university.”

Lin Yilan tuned out her father’s nagging words. At first, she even complained to her siblings that their father was even more nagging than their mother, but eventually, they all accepted it.

After all, teachers are naturally talkative—they always have a set of principles ready when educating students.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Jiangang couldn’t help but flick Lin Yilan’s forehead playfully.

Caught off guard, Lin Yilan covered her forehead and shot him a glare full of silent reproach.

Lin Jiangang was about to laugh but quickly coughed to cover it up. “Alright, I won’t nag anymore. Just make sure you know what you’re doing with your studies.”

When Wang Zixin came out of the room, Lin Jiangang got up and put the stool back in place. “I’m going to help your mother cook for you little brats.”

“Lin Jiangang! Don’t use bad language around your daughter!” Wang Zixin called out loudly.

Lin Jiangang hurried over to her side. “I know, I won’t say it anymore, don’t worry.”

“Besides, are ‘little brats’ really bad language?” he muttered quietly.

Wang Zixin immediately turned and pinched Lin Jiangang’s ear.

Lin Yilan rolled over, not wanting to watch her parents’ lovey-dovey antics.

A sudden noisy commotion woke Lin Yilan from her drowsiness.

She opened her eyes and instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

When did she fall asleep?

How did she fall asleep?

She yawned, slowly threw back the covers, and sat up.

“Little Five, you’re awake?” Lin Ming handed her a washed apple.

Lin Yilan accepted the apple and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t even know when I fell asleep.”

“By the way, did Second Sister, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother come?”

Lin Ming nodded toward the door. “They’re outside helping Mom and Dad cook.”

Lin Yilan glanced toward the front door, then lazily leaned back against the sofa.

As an architecture student, she had previously studied the structure of the tube-shaped apartment buildings common in this area. There were subtle differences between each building, and the information she had gathered didn’t exactly match the apartment her parents were assigned at Shipin Middle School.

But the general idea was similar. For example, these tube-shaped apartments basically had no kitchens inside; cooking was done in outdoor kitchens built separately.

When she and her mother went upstairs earlier, Lin Yilan had seen the stoves outside each household.

Seeing her still lost in thought, Lin Ming got up and poured her a cup of warm water.

Since childhood, his little sister had always been like this—she needed a little time after waking up to fully come to her senses.

When he placed the warm water in front of her, she was finally fully awake.

Holding the cup, she took a light sip. “Big Brother, I’ll go help out. There’s nothing to do sitting here.”

Lin Ming finished the apple, leaving only a few seeds. “Alright, let’s go together.”

After tidying up the cups on the sofa and putting them aside, Lin Yilan followed Lin Ming out of the house.

As soon as the door opened, she saw her three older siblings. Third Brother was holding a shovel, Second Sister was directing nearby, and Fourth Brother seemed to be causing trouble. Meanwhile, her parents appeared to be chatting with neighbors.

“Is there anything you and Big Brother need help with?” Lin Yilan asked as she approached the stove.

Second Sister Wang Qichen looked back at her. “Little Five, you’re awake? Looks like you’ve really had a tough month.”

Lin Yilan glanced at her soft-spoken sister. Sure enough, Second Sister could maintain her refined demeanor when outsiders were around.

“I’m okay. It’s probably not as hard as what you all went through last semester.”

Fourth Brother Wang Xing ran up beside her, shaking his head thoughtfully. “Have you thought about changing your major? Third Brother and I asked an upperclassman in the architecture department about your program.”

“After hearing him out, it seems like the architecture department is full of either students who don’t really understand the field or those whose family elders work in it. He also said you need a strong drawing foundation and that after graduation, you might have to work on construction sites. Are you sure you can handle that?”

“Don’t push yourself too hard; it’s not necessary.”

Lin Yilan glanced at Fourth Brother standing nearby and patted his shoulder. “Fourth Brother, I’m surprised you’re suddenly so serious!”

Wang Xing rolled his eyes. “Little Five, who do you think you’re looking down on?!”

“I’m serious, I’m just trying to talk to you. No jokes.”

Lin Yilan grinned. “I know. But don’t worry, I think I’m adapting pretty well. If I really can’t keep up, I’ll find a way.”

“At least I can draw. Many of my classmates don’t even have a basic drawing foundation. If they can learn it, so can I.”

Besides, she had studied this before. It was just that all the assignments and hand-drawing various design plans were truly maddening.

She didn’t want to build a reputation at school for not studying well, so she worked hard when studying.

“Do you want me to help?” Lin Yilan asked, feeling a bit embarrassed as she saw her four older siblings busy at work.

All four turned around in unison with terrified expressions. “No need!”

Seeing their panicked faces, Lin Yilan gave them a deadpan stare. “Got it.”

They were just kitchen disasters, huh? Hmph...

She stared at her own hands. Who would have thought that after two generations, the thing she inherited wasn’t wealth or beauty, but the talent of being a kitchen disaster.

Everyone used the same methods—why did her cooking turn out so awful?!

Wang Zixin called Lin Yilan over.

“Teacher Wang, this must be your youngest daughter!” The elderly lady beside Wang Zixin smiled warmly at Lin Yilan.

Wang Zixin nodded and introduced her. “This is our Little Five, Lin Yilan. She just started university.”

“This is our next-door neighbor, Aunt Zou.”

Lin Yilan smiled and greeted her. “Hello, Aunt Zou, I’m Lin Yilan.”

Aunt Zou looked at the mother and daughter with affection and sighed. “No wonder they say Teacher Wang and Teacher Lin are the best educators in this neighborhood. Five university students in one family—that’s impressive.”

Wang Zixin modestly replied, “Oh, it’s nothing. The kids worked hard themselves. We’re just lucky we don’t have to worry too much.”

Lin Yilan noticed the smile on her mother’s face and the curve of her eyes, guessing her mother was very happy now.

Unlike many parents who like to belittle their children, her parents loved to praise them. So much so that the five siblings went from being happy at first, to indifferent later, and eventually a bit embarrassed by all their parents’ over-the-top compliments.

But thanks to their parents, they all grew up with overflowing self-confidence.

While Lin Yilan was daydreaming, Aunt Zou suddenly shifted the conversation to her.

“Xiao Lan, where do your siblings study? How are the schools? There’s a young girl in our village doing well and hoping to go to university. Her parents worry about her going far to study alone and hope she can get into a university here in Jing City. They’d like to ask you about your siblings’ schools.”

Lin Yilan straightened up. “Aunt Zou, we’re all at different schools. My eldest brother is at the Steel Institute, my second sister at Jing City University, my third and fourth brothers at Huaqing University, and I’m at the University of Technology.”