Husband and Wife Discuss

"Oh child, why are you talking nonsense today? I am your mom, you don't need to say thank you to me." Mother Lin rolled her eyes playfully. "Your father and I work ourselves to the bone, isn't it all for you two siblings? As long as you two are doing well, your dad and I are doing well. If you two are not doing well, what would be the point even if we had mountains of gold and silver?"

Lin Xia scratched her head. "I was just too happy, it caught me off guard."

"Alright, don't let this upset you. I'll talk to your dad about it later when I take him his lunch." Mother Lin muttered under her breath, "She's only this young, yet she has so many little thoughts. When she grows up, she'll probably turn the world upside down!"

Lin Xia said solemnly, "Mom, you shouldn't underestimate students of our age. Although we are young and our thinking isn't entirely mature, we still have our own thoughts and opinions. Don't treat us like little kids."

"Alright, alright, I know. You're all grown up now."

"Mom, I know you and Dad are worried. You feel that our family already has some savings and life is getting better day by day, so why bother going through all this trouble? What if all the money gets swallowed up in the process?"

Knowing that her mother still regarded her as a child, Lin Xia had to speak her mind. She didn't really want to appear so mature in front of her mother.

However, this truly wasn't the time to play dumb or act naive.

"Or maybe you and Dad are worried that once we go to City B, where we know nobody, the whole family won't know how to make a living. I can't say much about these things right now, but I can only promise you that once we go to City B, our family's life will only be better than it is here in Rongcheng."

"This house has just been newly renovated, so you can rent it out. The location is good, and the annual rent will be quite a sum. Also, the spare apartment you prepared for Lin Hui can be rented out as well. Besides, I've already finished writing this book, which will bring another few hundred thousand into the family, followed by the semi-annual sales royalties. You really don't need to worry about money; I've already thought it all through. It will be completely fine for me to support the family's living expenses all by myself. When we get to City B, we can still open a supermarket or something around the residential complex or near a school just like we do here."

Mother Lin never expected her daughter to have thought of everything in such meticulous detail. She suddenly felt as though she couldn't quite see through the person sitting right in front of her.

Was this calm person speaking like an adult really the daughter she had carried in her womb for ten months and raised for over a decade?

At what exact moment had her daughter grown up to become like an adult?

"But our family doesn't have any acquaintances in City B, especially when it comes to buying a house. What if we run into bad people or get scammed? What should we do then? These days, bad people are as numerous as ox hairs. What's that saying again? As numerous as ox hairs."

Lin Xia was somewhat speechless at this metaphor.

"Mom, you can rest a hundred and twenty percent assured. I've asked Sister Qing for help with this. What haven't they seen in City B? Would they swallow up our little bit of money?"

Mother Lin, deeply rooted in a traditional farmer's mindset, still found it a bit unreliable and muttered softly, "This isn't just one or two hundred thousand, we're talking about one or two million."

Lin Xia was between laughter and tears, so she changed her approach and asked, "Mom, do you think the money I make from writing books is a lot?"

Mother Lin nodded. Of course it was a lot.

Their family had made their fortune and bought a house entirely on the money her daughter earned from writing books. Back in both the Lin and Xia extended families, which household didn't owe their family tens of thousands? Some even owed over a hundred thousand.

If not for her daughter, how could their family have easily pulled out hundreds of thousands of dollars?

As for the book *The World* that her daughter wrote recently, although it wasn't a one-time buyout like before, the semi-annual sales royalties were substantial. Just last year alone, it was close to a million, and she heard from her daughter that there would be royalties every half year moving forward.

"Then what are you still worrying about? The amount of money passing through their hands every single year is in the tens of millions. Any random hair plucked from those publishers would be more than our hard-earned royalties for a whole year. Why would they ever have their eyes on our tiny bit of royalties?"

"Ha, is there really that much?" Mother Lin asked in surprise.

Lin Xia had no idea whether there was actually that much money, but anyway, if saying this could dispel her mother's concerns, she would spare no effort.

"In our small place, you naturally think this amount of money is a lot. If you go and take a look outside, luxury cars are everywhere and wealthy people are all over the place. People truly don't pay attention to our small fortune. You didn't go to City B last time, but Dad went and saw it for himself. Dad knows about this; if you talk to Dad, he'll tell you."

Mother Lin fell into deep thought.

Seeing that her mother was somewhat persuaded, Lin Xia added fuel to the fire. "Don't you want Lin Hui to marry a wife from a big city in the future? Don't you want your own grandchildren to be city folk? Anyway, I want to move there. Even if you refuse to move, I'll still have Sister Qing keep an eye out for me so I can buy a house there myself and move away alone."

Hearing this, Mother Lin was amused. "Oh, you little girl, your feathers haven't even grown in yet, and you're already starting to threaten your old mom?"

"Hehe," Lin Xia chuckled awkwardly. "I was just showing my determination, purely showing my determination. Well, Mom, I'm full, I'm going to the study to do my homework now. Enjoy your meal."

With that, she set down her bowl and chopsticks and scurried off toward the study like a puff of smoke.

"This unruly child." Mother Lin shook her head with a smile. Looking at the food before her, she lost her appetite for eating. She packed up the bowls and chopsticks, picked up the lunchbox filled with food in advance, and walked toward the small grocery store.

With the high school division's competitions taking place today and tomorrow, the junior high school students had no heart for classes either, so they were given a holiday.

The streets on both sides of the school were very quiet, with only three students walking on the road and just a couple of sparse stalls set up along the roadside, completely lacking the usual hustle and bustle.

Father Lin set up a simple small table, arranged the food, and ran into the school to call Lin Hui back from playing soccer on the playground to eat.

As for himself, he opened a bottle of iced beer, prepared a small saucer of spiced peanuts, paired it with Mother Lin's home-cooked dishes, and began to eat and drink happily.

"How much is this?"

"One yuan fifty."

"Here, take it." After giving change and sending off the last student, Mother Lin brought a small stool and sat down next to Father Lin.

"Hey, Old Lin, let me tell you something..." Mother Lin repeated everything Lin Xia had just said.

Housewives like her had no special skills, but their ability to spread gossip was even stronger than professional paparazzi.

Once she finished, Mother Lin summarized, "Hey, you tell me how this child's brain is wired. Why didn't we have so many thoughts when we were their age?"

Mother Lin genuinely couldn't fathom it. When on earth did her daughter become so mature?

Lin Hui interjected, "Mom, I have a grievance to voice. I don't want to move! I don't want to move!"

He had just made a few like-minded little buddies, and now they had to move again. What on earth was his older sister trying to pull? Did she have a grudge against him? The last time they moved here from Xishui Town, he had already shed tears bidding farewell to the partners in crime he had grown up with.

No, wait, he meant bidding tears farewell to his lifelong good friends.

Ptui, ptui, ptui! It was all his older sister's fault for always saying his friends were bad influences, which made him all confused.

Now that he had finally gotten used to this place and made a few friends, they had to change locations again. Was there something wrong?

"Eat your food! The adults are talking business; there's no place for a little kid like you to chime in." Mother Lin glared at him and scolded.

"Well, my older sister is only two years older than me, she's a kid too," Lin Hui pouted with dissatisfaction. "There's really no human rights."

"Oh, talking about human rights with your mom now! You're a student right now, so let's set everything else aside and just look at your academic performance. Whenever you can score better than your sister on exams, Mom will consider what you have to say in the future."

"Really?" Lin Hui jumped up from his small wooden stool. "Mom, you keep your word."

"When has your mom ever broken her word?"

"Alright then, I must surpass my older sister at least once!" Lin Hui clenched his small fist and declared with absolute certainty.

Lin Hui's little brain began to spin. His older sister had to do homework and write her books; if he could score better than her, it should be pretty easy.

Since his older sister was so smart, how could he not be smart himself? He was just a bit mischievous and couldn't sit still, that was all. If he put in a little effort, wouldn't surpassing his older sister be a piece of cake?

Seeing Lin Hui's smug little face, Father Lin didn't dampen his spirits. After all, his wife had said "if he scores better than his sister, she will consider what he says," but she never promised she would actually listen.

As expected, ginger gets spicier the older it is!

Pondering over what his daughter had said, Lin Jiagui fell deep into thought.

As a man, regardless of what age group he belonged to, it was impossible to be truly satisfied with the status quo and remain content.

What Lin Xia said touched him somewhat, but even more so, it stirred the ambition within his own heart. He had raised a good daughter, and since his children were so exceptional, they naturally deserved a broader horizon rather than wasting their youth cooped up here with two old folks.

"What Xiashia said makes sense. Although our shop can make a little money right now, compared to the money Xiashia makes, it really is just a drop in the bucket. If we refuse to leave, the kids will end up wasting their time here with us too. Sigh!" Lin Jiagui sighed.

"But if we go to City B where we don't know anyone, what are we two old folks going to do there?" Mother Lin still felt a bit insecure in her heart; she was illiterate and always deeply resistant to the outside world.

"A woman's narrow view," Father Lin shook his head. "Look at all the people leaving their hometowns every year—what do they do it all for? Isn't it just to earn a bit more money for their children and secure a future for them? If we aren't thinking of the children's well-being now and are instead holding them back, let alone Xiashia, Xiaohui going to City B will certainly be better than staying in Rongcheng. When the time comes for university, they'll have to step out of this place anyway. Even a child like Xiashia isn't afraid to venture out into the world, so why should we adults be afraid?"

"Even in the worst-case scenario, we'll just get cheated out of our money and come right back here to reopen our shop. If we succeed, our children and grandchildren will benefit for a lifetime." Father Lin took a sip of beer. "Besides, didn't Xiashia say it herself? Those people have seen everything; would they bother coveting our little bit of money?"

"Then... should we move?"