Chapter 127: Lin Family’s Xuelin

Before dawn, the military compound was already echoing with shouts of “One, two, three, four! Two, two, three, four!” and the sound of whistles, accompanied by the rhythmic thumping of running feet.

As time passed and the sky gradually brightened, children from the family quarters started coming out to exercise, trailing behind the adults. In the small garden not far away, a few spirited old soldiers could be seen stretching and stomping their feet, occasionally calling out to each other and exchanging jokes.

Old Master Lin had just stepped outside and hadn’t yet reached the garden when he heard the voices of his old friends.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted him and immediately called out, “Old Lin, you’re finally out! How was your trip over there? Is everyone settled?”

The others turned around and, seeing him, burst into laughter, teasing, “Old Lin used to be the boss over there. Who would dare not put on a show for him? Careful not to get him riled up—he’s got quite the temper! Did they try to butter you up with sweet talk?”

“Bet he just drank and chatted the whole time, didn’t do any real work.”

Old Master Lin just laughed cheerfully, ignoring their teasing as he did his warm-up exercises. After a while, he said, “I met a few old subordinates this time. Everyone’s doing well. Our comrades are still the best. The work down there is being handled excellently. Once you’re back at work, take a look at the documents and see if there’s anything that needs to be added.”

Grandpa Fang remembered what his grandson had told him the night before and gave Old Lin a few extra glances. The old fellow didn’t mention his granddaughter at all and was secretly pleased with himself—how sneaky! With his personality, let’s see how long he can hold it in! With so many people around, he’d probably start bragging to his close friends soon enough.

After half an hour, most people had left. Seeing that there weren’t many left in the park, Old Master Lin quickly stopped his in-laws, Old Master Jiang and the others, as they were about to leave, complaining, “Why are you all leaving? Aren’t you coming to my place for a sit-down? There’s still time before work.”

Old Master Fang laughed and wagged his finger at him, saying, “Can’t hold it in anymore, can you? We all know you’ve got a wonderful granddaughter and a great grandson-in-law. But we really can’t today—everyone has to get breakfast and then head to work. Tonight, we’ll come over to your place and listen to you show off. You’d better prepare good food and wine!”

Old Master Lin grinned from ear to ear. “Alright, everyone has to come tonight! Let’s have a proper get-together. You all must come!” After seeing them nod, he watched them leave.

Old Master Cheng and Old Master Jiang paused and looked at Old Master Fang.

Old Master Fang waved his hand mysteriously and said, “Don’t ask now—you’ll find out tonight. It won’t be any fun if I tell you now. Let’s just go early and listen to him brag.”

The group didn’t ask further, laughing as they each headed home.

When the morning bugle sounded, Old Master Lin glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law, who was eating at the table. He hesitated, then finally asked, “Xiaoling still isn’t up? Why is she still sleeping? Young people shouldn’t be so lazy! And don’t let Auntie prepare her breakfast—she’s getting more and more out of hand.”

Seeing her mother-in-law put down her chopsticks and get up to wake her daughter, Old Master Lin stopped her, his face stern. “No need for elders to go wake her up. She’s a grown girl now—she needs to fix her bad habits. She’s not getting any younger; you should arrange some blind dates for her soon, or all the good families will be taken.”

Lin Liying couldn’t help but snicker, winking at her mother and earning herself a slap, after which she quieted down, her eyes darting around the room.

Just as everyone was finishing up breakfast, Lin Liying said, “Sister-in-law, didn’t Xiaoling tell you she’s seeing Director Yang’s eldest son? They seem pretty close. Our colleagues at the hospital keep asking me when we’ll be handing out wedding candies.”

The old folks all turned to look at Chen Jingru. Their family hadn’t heard a word about this—marriage was a big deal, not something to be taken lightly.

Chen Jingru frowned. Her daughter hadn’t mentioned anything to her. She asked quietly, “Director Yang’s son? The one in your hospital’s general affairs department, Yang Liqun? The short, chubby one?”

“Yeah, I didn’t notice at first either. It was only after someone else asked me that I started paying attention. You should ask her today and see what’s going on. If she’s not planning to marry him, she should keep her distance. Rumors are already spreading.”

Chen Jingru frowned deeper and shook her head. “Last week, a colleague wanted to introduce her to someone, but she refused. Maybe she really does have someone. I’ve only met Yang Liqun once—not impressive at all. Why would Xiaoling like him? Does Director Yang know about this?”

“I’m not sure. Even if I ran into him, I wouldn’t bring it up. I wanted to ask Xiaoling myself, but figured it’s better if you do it. Yang Liqun only has his father’s position and a bit of family money—he’s not very capable. He’s the only son, but he has several older sisters. If Xiaoling marries him, she’ll have to live with three generations under one roof and deal with all those sisters-in-law. It won’t be easy.”

Old Master Lin glared at her. “You’re an adult—watch your mouth! Having siblings is normal—how can you complain about too many people? But if the guy isn’t capable, then forget it.

“The Yang family—Old Yang is a pen-pusher, always smiling but full of tricks! He still has his first wife and two kids back in his hometown. Director Yang is decent, but the family situation is too messy. If that Yang kid isn’t capable and is the only son, Old Yang might bring his two sons from his first marriage to the capital. His first wife never remarried, and every year when he goes home, he only brings his son and grandson, never anyone else. The family’s too complicated—there’ll be plenty of trouble in the future. Even if the Yang family has money, how much can they really spare? That Yang kid and Xiaoling together couldn’t even outsmart a child, let alone those two brothers from the hometown. Better to break it off early and find someone else!”

Chen Jingru looked even more flustered, staring at the old couple.

Old Madam Lin glanced at the clock. “Go wake Xiaolin and tell her we want to ask her about something. Tell her to get up quickly, or her grandpa might just take a whip to her. Liying, tell us more—how close are they? Did the man have a girlfriend before? How old is he?”

As Chen Jingru hurried out, Lin Liying regretfully slapped her own mouth and looked at her mother, aggrieved. “Mom, Xiaoling’s going to hate me for this. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut?”

Old Madam Lin rolled her eyes and chuckled. “It’s fine. You held back for days, didn’t you? Why would she hate you? The whole hospital knows, but the family doesn’t have a clue. If someone asks me, I’d have to hide at home and not dare go out.”

Old Master Lin glared at Lin Liying, signaling her to keep talking.

Lin Liying glanced helplessly at her husband and slowly said, “That guy probably dated before, but he’s single now. I don’t really know how far things have gone between him and Xiaolin. They haven’t filed a dating report yet. A few days ago, I waited outside the cafeteria and saw that when they ate, it was always him getting the food, and the two of them would sit together in the corner, laughing and chatting. Xiaolin is usually cold to others, but she always smiles at him, sometimes whispering together. I heard that for the past two weeks, he’s been dropping her off at the compound gate. He even bought her gifts, and she didn’t refuse. They even went to the movies together. Everyone says they’re dating.”

“Hmph, no need to ask—if that’s not dating, what is? A young man and woman always together. I thought she’d find someone better. The Yang family just has a bit of money. Is our family short on money or food? I don’t agree with this. She didn’t even consult her elders first?” Old Master Lin was getting angrier as he spoke.

Old Madam Lin looked at her husband helplessly. “You’re so hot-tempered—what’s there to be angry about? Let’s find out the truth first. Maybe the boy has a good character. Besides, they’re our grandchildren—we can’t interfere too much or they’ll resent us. The Yang family’s background is decent; if the boy is upright, so what if he’s not capable? Who do you expect Xiaoling to marry? All these years, she’s neither aimed high nor low. She’s already 22—if she waits any longer, she’ll end up with a divorcee.”

Lin Liying covered her mouth, giggling, and secretly winked at Li Jianjun, thinking about how her husband always said Xiaoling’s standards were too high, even though he himself wasn’t much. If she doesn’t find someone soon, she might end up single for life or become a stepmother, just like her mom said. Her niece really does have high standards—she claims not to care about family background, but none of the matches she introduced ever worked out. Either the guy wasn’t interested, or Xiaoling wasn’t.

Li Jianjun tugged at his wife’s sleeve, enjoying the drama. He got up and said, “Dad, I’m heading to work. I’ll get off early this afternoon to pick up big sis.”

Old Master Lin shook his head. “Let Xiao Zhou drive over—you don’t need to go. Their family is very hospitable, and they’ve prepared a lot. Didn’t they say 500 jin? Probably even more. You can’t carry that much on your bike. Remember to come for dinner tonight—they probably have gifts for you too.”

“Wow, even for us? That’s possible—with 500 jin, it’s a lot. That’s a big favor to repay.” Li Jianjun said, full of surprise and delight. He wasn’t after the gifts, just happy that they considered him family and hadn’t forgotten their brother-in-law.

Old Master Lin laughed. “What’s there to repay? They’re your niece and nephew-in-law. When you meet them, you’ll get along for sure. Xiao Wu is a great kid—he and Xiao Fei became sworn brothers in just a few days. With Xiao Zhou too, they all looked after Xiao Wu in the provincial capital.”

“Haha, that’s great—another youngster in the family. When they come to Beijing, we’ll have to prepare a big red envelope as a welcome gift. Dad, Mom, I’m off. We’ll talk more tonight.” With that, he saw his parents nod, checked if his wife had anything else to say, and left with a smile."