In their view, sending her to university, letting their daughter succeed and gain leverage, would allow her to have better and higher choices in marriage in the future.
Back then, wasnāt it the same with her brother? Her brotherās marriage was entirely arranged by their parents, and he married the daughter of a leader in the military.
She was pampered since childhood, and her arrogance and domineering nature were expected; her brother suffered quite a bit in the marriage.
But he willingly accepted it because his father-in-lawās family indeed brought him many benefits, even to their own family, his father.
She didnāt want to end up like her brother with an arranged marriage by their parents, so stubbornly she didnāt join the military school and chose somewhere far away from home in the North.
Unexpectedly, it still turned out this way in the end.
Because of this, her mom angrily called her two uncles, blaming them for not taking good care of her daughter and allowing such an incident to occur.
The two uncles were speechless, knowing what kind of person their sister was, and didnāt want to argue too much with her; they hadnāt been silent about this all these years either.
The little sister-in-law questioned her brother so aggressively, the two sisters-in-law were unwilling to take it anymore.
She didnāt take care of her own daughter and instead blamed them.
They felt even more resentment towards this little sister-in-law. If it werenāt for the distance, the first and second sisters-in-law might really have gone to quarrel with her mom.
Lin Yinghui wasnāt as worried as Mu Qing; he felt if he performed well, worked steadily at his unit, he should be able to settle down within two years.
For a young person fresh out of school, the future is promising.
In his little sisterās words, heās a promising talent, although he didnāt fully understand, he knew he had potential.
By then, when he meets Mu Qingās parents, heād have some confidence.
"You havenāt eaten yet, right? Let me take you out to eat. Iāve been off these past few days, perfect for showing you around the city."
"Okay."
Lin Yinghui held Mu Qingās hand and opened one of the bags, which contained gifts prepared for Mu Qing. Clothes, food, and items to use. "These are prepared by my mom and little sister for you, not sure if youāll like them."
"Is Auntie not angry with me?" After all, she left without saying a word after graduation.
She thought Ah Huiās mom would disagree with them being together as well.
"No, my mom and little sister have always liked you. This time, they even thought about meeting your parents." Of course, he knew that meeting Mu Qingās parents was impossible.
"Ah Hui, Iām sorry."
"Letās not say sorry between us. My mom is very understanding."
Hearing this, Mu Qing chuckled and felt relieved. "Ah Hui, I really envy you for having such good family. I really want to marry into your family soon." She genuinely liked the atmosphere in Ah Huiās home.
"Letās work hard for it, Qingqing, I can hardly wait too," Lin Yinghui said teasingly, gently squeezing Mu Qingās hand.
Watching Han Yi with his little sister form such a warm family, he was envious. He too wanted to start a little family with his loved one soon.
Mu Qing felt a sudden warmth spread through her, her typically strong demeanor softening slightly. She looked forward to it.
Lin Yinghui wasnāt very familiar with the area, so he let Mu Qing lead the way.
When they went out, they refrained from being too intimate, only holding hands occasionally when no one was around.
They were afraid of gossip.
Mu Qing took him to a homestyle restaurant.
Z City, being part of the Central Plains, mainly served noodles and stir-fried dishes; rice was rarely eaten.
Fortunately, living in the North these past years, heād gotten used to eating noodles.
The two ordered a stir-fried dish and a big portion of noodles, plenty for the two of them.
Mu Qing skillfully requested a small bowl from the owner to divide the noodles.
Their intimate interaction made it clear to outsiders they were surely a newlywed couple. As for holding hands in such a restrained way, it was totally unnecessary.
Of course, the two were completely unaware.
"How about the food here, tastes good, right?"
"Yes, itās alright."
"Not as good as Aunt Liangās cooking, but in this area, itās already quite nice."
"Tomorrow Iāll take you to eat at our cafeteria, Chef Wangās cooking at our cafeteria isnāt bad either."
"Great, Iāll be here for a week, sticking with you all the time." Lin Yinghui lived with his little sister, and whenever Han Yi was home, he often saw them snuggling together, learning some of these behaviors naturally.
Every now and then, when speaking, heād touch Mu Qingās hand. Of course, he quickly retracted it.
"Alright," Mu Qing lowered her head with amusement, wondering when Lin Yinghui learned to be so flirty.
He was unexpectedly bold in touching her.
When they returned to the lodging, Lin Yinghui couldnāt bear to let her leave.
They lingered together until it was dark. Only after dinner did he let Mu Qing go back.
Over the next two days, Mu Qing took Lin Yinghui around the city.
Aside from buying Mu Qing a watch, they mostly browsed without buying, focusing mainly on eating.
Because Mu Qing lived in the barracks, there wasnāt much room for items, except food and clothes.
With what Liang Hongmei and Lin Wan prepared for her, it was already a lot; she didnāt let Lin Yinghui buy more. At the barracks, she mostly wore military uniforms.
"Donāt waste money, I have everything I need. Buying more would be wasteful; better to save the money for our future, when weāll need it." Mu Qing glanced at the items in their hands, smiling wryly.
Growing up, even her mom hadnāt bought her so many things.
"Our family has plenty of money. Look at how youāve gotten thinner since joining the army; if it goes on, youāll fly away someday. These milk powders and malt extracts are for you to drink regularly, to replenish yourself. Qingqing, donāt make me worry," Lin Yinghui said, making it hard for Mu Qing to argue. She knew this man was one who cherished his wife; otherwise, she wouldnāt have fallen for him in the first place.
She was lucky to have met him in this life. Fortunately, she didnāt miss out.
"If the next time you visit, Iāve eaten myself fat, will you dislike it?"
"Plump is good, I like it."
Lin Yinghuiās words made Mu Qing want to roll her eyes, playfully glaring at him. The thought of being plump sent a shiver through her; she couldnāt guarantee Lin Yinghui would still be interested in her if she became like that. Not mentioning Lin Yinghui, sheād dislike herself.
....
These days, busy with business matters, Little Star was taken care of by the grandmother alone, usually nourished with formula.
In just a few days, the milk powder canister was almost empty. Department store milk powder was limited and expensive, and when Lin Wan went to buy some, the expiration date was near; she didnāt bother buying.
Knowing Wu Liu dealt in imports, she took the time to call him.
"I do have some milk powder here. Iām currently at the department store on South Street."
"Brother Wu, Iām nearby, can you wait a few minutes? Weāre out of baby formula and need it today."
"Sure, come over."
When Lin Wan arrived by bike, Wu Liu was discussing prices at Yang Erniās stall.
"Young lady, Iāll buy all these clothes from you, but your pricing is too high. The other places Iāve bought from were asking this much," Wu Liu said, holding a red down jacket and showing a number.
"Brother, you know how scarce this clothing is. I can sell them individually in no time and earn even more money," Yang Erni frankly felt it was not worthwhile.
Currently, supply was tight on Lin Wanās side; even in half a month, not once did they come. If she sold everything to him at once, Iād lose quite a few tens of bucks.
"Brother Wu."
Wu Liu turned around, smiling at Lin Wan, "Lin sister, please wait a moment, Iāll get it for you now," then resumed talking to Yang Erni, "Iāll add twenty overall, howās that?"
"Oh, brother, the main person is here; go ask Lin sister for the goods," Yang Erni said, turning to Lin Wan, "Lin sister, this brother wants your goods. Since youāre here, you two should discuss."
Wu Liu, surprised, turned to Lin Wan, "Lin sister, youāre producing these clothes?"
Seeing Wu Liuās expression, Lin Wan realized he didnāt know, "Brother Wu, are you looking for goods?"
"This is great, Iāve been looking around the market for days, asking many places, and finally heard about this place. Iāve been here waiting for two days, didnāt even see your shop open," Wu Liu said, pointing to her store. Lin Wan looked at her storeās door in confusion, noticing the contact number she posted had been torn off.
"Brother Wu, there was a phone number here; not sure why itās gone," Lin Wan said, opening the door.
Inside was empty, not a single piece of clothing remained, Wu Liu frowned, "Lin sister, are you out of stock?"