Chapter 62: Chapters 90, 91, 92, and 93 (Part 1) (Four-in-One)

Looking at Ji Xuecheng and Si Ping’s gloomy gazes, Lin Yilan felt absolutely nothing.

She knew her words were harsh, and since she had spoken harshly, those who heard them were bound to feel uncomfortable. If one was afraid of making listeners sad, then one simply should not speak.

Since she had said it herself, she would not waste any extra emotions on it.

Lin Yilan nodded at the two of them, glanced at the group of people gathered not far behind them, and said, "I have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now. Your friends are still waiting for you behind. Farewell."

With those words, she turned around without a single moment of hesitation and walked toward her grandfather's house.

Watching Lin Yilan’s departing back, the two men wore distinctly different expressions.

Ji Xuecheng watched for a moment before lowering his head, lost in thought.

As for Si Ping, clear dissatisfaction was evident on his face.

Meanwhile, Lin Yilan walked intently toward her grandfather's home. Standing at the threshold, she knocked on the door. The moment she heard her grandmother's voice, every prior annoyance vanished completely from her mind.

"I'm coming, who is it?"

She pressed her face against the crack of the door and called out, "Grandma, it's me, Xiaolan!"

Grandmother quickened her steps and said in a voice full of pleasant surprise, "Xiaolan, Xiaolan is back!"

"Old man, add another dish later, cook the pork ribs we bought yesterday, our little granddaughter is here." She chattered away as she hurried toward the door.

Seeing the door open, Lin Yilan stepped over the threshold in a single bound and stood right before her grandmother.

"Grandma, it's been so long since I last saw you and Grandpa. How are your healths? Have you been taking your calcium tablets?"

Grandmother pulled her close, looked her up and down, and then stroked her arms and shoulders, looking heartbroken as she said, "You've lost weight, you've lost weight. Those foreign devils' food really isn't good, look at how starved our little granddaughter has become."

Lin Yilan chuckled foolishly. She really had lost weight, mainly because the food abroad didn't suit her taste.

She shook the bag in her hand and quickly changed the subject before her grandmother could start lecturing her. "Grandma, look what I bought for you, Grandpa, Lingling, and Pingping!"

Grandmother took all the bags and grabbed Lin Yilan's hands. "Why did you buy so much stuff? Your palms are all red from the straps."

"Your grandfather and I are both getting old, where would we use so much stuff?" Though she said that, the expression on her face betrayed her true feelings.

Her granddaughter showing her filial piety meant that she kept her grandparents in mind even when she was far abroad, so her mood was naturally wonderful.

Seeing the wrinkles at the corners of her grandmother's eyes, Lin Yilan smiled and nodded obediently.

As the two of them walked into the house, they chatted about what had happened during the New Year.

"Oh, by the way, Lingling went to her maternal grandmother's house today. When she comes back later, I'll give her the gift you bought for her." Grandmother Lin also updated Lin Yilan on the situation of her eldest uncle's two children.

As soon as she entered the house, she caught the fragrant scent of meat, and she couldn't help but touch the corner of her mouth, feeling as though her saliva was about to flow out.

Sitting nearby, she teased little Pingping, who was running around the room, until it was time for dinner.

Grandfather, wearing an apron, carried a large bowl of stewed pork ribs and placed it right in the center of the dining table.

"The ribs are stewed and ready, time to eat~"

Lin Yilan washed her hands and took charge of setting out the bowls and chopsticks needed for dinner. Grandmother took little Pingping—who wasn't tall enough to reach the sink—to wash his hands.

When it was time to eat, she couldn't help but pick up a large pork rib with her chopsticks and started gnawing on it.

Because of the pressure cooker, the ribs were stewed until they were fall-apart tender, and even the green beans had absorbed the savory meaty flavor of the pork.

Grandfather looked at his little granddaughter gnawing on the rib, his eyes crinkling with smiles.

"Xiaolan, eat slowly. There's more in the bowl if that's not enough, and once the bowl is empty, there's still more in the pot."

Lin Yilan's mouth was stuffed full of meat, her cheeks bulging out as she tried her best to give her grandfather a big thumbs-up.

So delicious~

During the first half of the meal, the four of them kept their heads down and focused solely on eating. In the second half, once everyone's stomachs were slightly full, they began to chat.

After listening to Lin Yilan talk about her life in Denmark, Grandfather spoke up, "By the way, Xiaolan, do you remember Changxing, the older sister you used to play with when you were little?"

Lin Yilan nodded. "I still have some impression. Grandfather Fan's granddaughter, right?"

Changxing, whose full name was Fan Changxing, was, if she remembered correctly, the granddaughter of Political Commissar Fan. She had gotten to know Changxing back when she was in elementary school. The political situation had stabilized slightly at the time, and her parents had taken all five siblings to their grandfather's house for winter vacation. It was during that winter vacation that she met Fan Changxing, who was two years older than her.

Grandfather was genuinely surprised that she still remembered. He cast a sidelong glance at her, amused. "You have quite a good memory. I got in touch with Grandfather Fan a few days ago, and we just happened to chat about how all you kids are doing nowadays."

"Do you know what Changxing is up to?"

Lin Yilan shook her head; she didn't know. However, if she remembered correctly, Sister Changxing was exceptionally smart—completely incomparable to someone like herself who was just putting old wine into new bottles.

Grandfather said with considerable emotion, "Changxing went to study in the United States around the middle of last year, studying something like computer science, I think. But I really don't recall the exact major."

"Time really flies. All of you young ones are becoming so capable, one by one."

Lin Yilan opened her mouth in shock. Anyone able to go abroad to study at this time was a government-sponsored international student, and furthermore, the cream of the crop at top-tier universities—the top of the tops.

Truly amazing!

"As expected of my discerning eye, out of so many people, I just happened to find Sister Changxing." Thinking back to the experiences of when the two of them used to hang out, Lin Yilan grew rather proud of herself.

To have unintentionally become good friends with a future tycoon during childhood—now that was truly an indescribably wonderful bond of fate.

Grandfather and Grandmother looked speechlessly at their self-absorbed little granddaughter, wondering how she could always manage to turn serious moments unserious in an instant.

Sometimes they couldn't help but wonder if the Lin Yilan whom teachers and classmates at school praised as exceptionally talented was really the same little granddaughter standing right before their eyes!

After dinner, Lin Yilan chatted with her grandparents a bit longer before preparing to leave.

After announcing her departure and going through a round of polite tug-of-war with her grandmother, she walked out of her grandparents' house carrying a bag of fruit.

According to the school schedule, shortly after the Lantern Festival, the winter vacation would come to an end.

Consequently, Lin Yilan's time became extremely tight.

Having completed the most important itinerary of visiting family on her very first day back in the country, she now had to tackle the final piece of work for the sailor center project.

——Find the Beijing Furniture Factory.

She left her second older sister's house carrying the patent receipt copy, the furniture purchase contract given to her by SJT, and her cooperation contract with SJT.

Walking along the street, she reminisced about the plans she had refined in Denmark.

After securing the interior design job, she had told Aaron that she had applied for a patent and signed a cooperation contract with the Beijing Furniture Factory.

First of all, she had not signed any contract with the Beijing Furniture Factory, and to this day, she didn't even know a single worker from the factory.

Secondly, her reason for telling that lie was simple: to establish a connection with the Beijing Furniture Factory.

The reason was straightforward. Aside from making money, the most crucial motive was to prepare in advance for a future showdown with her mother's ex-husband's family.

If she remembered correctly, the time when her mother's ex-husband's family would start investing domestically was around the time when the return of Hong Kong was confirmed and Britain suffered complete defeat, prompting them to slowly prepare for entering the mainland market.

If she—long before her mother's ex-husband's family began investing in the mainland—had already established close cooperation with mainland factories, helped those factories generate profits and revenue as a partner, and even earned foreign exchange...

When the two sides eventually clashed, Lin Yilan could rally even more supporters for her family, thereby safeguarding the safety of everyone in her household.

Strengthening one's own forces was one of the best ways to defeat the enemy.

Fortunately, she still knew at least one person connected to the furniture factory—or to be precise, someone whose relative worked there.

Arriving at the familiar Beijing alleyway, Lin Yilan got off her bicycle and walked into the large shared courtyard.

Entering the yard, the residents were still the same people, and the atmosphere remained just as lively.

"Yo, Comrade Lin, are you here to see Uncle Zhao again today?" A male comrade casually strolled over and blocked her path.

She laughed awkwardly, nodded, and walked toward Uncle Zhao's door, shouting loudly as she approached, "Uncle Zhao! Uncle Zhao! Aunt Liu~"

Hearing the familiar voice, Liu Xiaohua thought she was experiencing auditory hallucinations.

"Is that Xiaolin? It's been so long since Xiaolin came by, I wonder what she's been up to."

Immediately after, hearing the voice a second time, she realized she hadn't misheard and hurried out of her room in quick steps.

"Xiaolin, Xiaolin, I'm coming."

Her family's god of wealth was here again; no wonder she heard magpies chirping this morning.

Liu Xiaohua eagerly trotted over, stopped in front of Lin Yilan, and said, "Come, come, Xiaolin, long time no see, you've gotten even prettier."

She even snatched the bicycle right out of Lin Yilan's hands and helped park it next to her own family's bike.

Squatting down to lock the bicycle, she shouted loudly toward the house, "Old Zhao, get out here quickly, Xiaolin is here to see you!" Hearing no response, she increased her volume, "Zhao Sanli!"

"Hey, wife, what do you need me for?" Uncle Zhao quickly scurried out from who knows where and appeared right in front of Liu Xiaohua.

Liu Xiaohua shot him a look and jerked her chin in Lin Yilan's direction. "Xiaolin is here. Day in and day out, all you do is hole up in the room, acting like you're completely deaf."

Zhao Sanli rubbed the back of his head and walked over to Lin Yilan with a foolish, honest smile. "Comrade Lin, you're here. Is there some work you need me to do?"

Lin Yilan smiled awkwardly. With all the unemployed neighbors in the yard standing behind her, what could she possibly say?

"Uncle Zhao, shall we go inside to talk?"

Only then did Zhao Sanli realize the situation. He quickly stepped aside to invite her in.

Once inside, the two of them sat down at the same table where they had previously discussed cooperation.

Without Liu Xiaohua to kick off the conversation, neither of them knew what to say. The two stared at each other in silence as an awkward atmosphere gradually filled the room.

Under Uncle Zhao's expectant gaze, Lin Yilan remained silent for a moment before speaking up, "Uncle Zhao, I came to see you today because I want to discuss something with you."