Siheyuan: Cooking journey

In fact, Lin Qingqing knew in her heart that her mother would definitely not believe the previous excuse.

After all, the person who knows her best is her mother.

When you see how helpless she was when she was sick, and then not long after, the money suddenly came, no one would believe such a change.

It's normal not to believe.

Therefore, Lin Qingqing thought of a new story in advance: she met a rich boyfriend in America. Of course, this boyfriend was fictitious, but in order to make the lie more realistic, Lin Qingqing also designed a series of details to enhance its credibility.

But when she thought that He Yuzhu was now in Hong Kong, Lin Qingqing suddenly had a new idea.

"If you don't believe me, he happens to be in Xiangdao. I'll take you to see him."

"Boy friend?"

Lin's mother was a little confused, but she seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

Although I still have doubts about my daughter's statement, if there really is such a person, it would be much better than going to find Boss Zhu.

Lin's mother was eager to accept this reality, thinking that her daughter was not only good-looking but also very smart, so it was entirely possible for her to find a rich boyfriend. Besides, there were many rich people in the world, not just Boss Zhu.

It may be that my preconceived prejudices led me astray earlier.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed right to her mother. She asked with anticipation, "You didn't go back to America. You've been running around these days and rarely come home. Is it because you're with him? Also, how old is he this year?"

Seeing her mother's attitude soften, Lin Qingqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and patiently explained: "I have transferred to Xiangdao University to study, and I will live here in the future."

"I've been busy with the transfer process recently, so I haven't had the chance to accompany him."

"He is very busy at work and often flies around the world. When I learned that you were not feeling well, I had no other choice but to contact him for help."

"After rushing over from Hong Kong Island to deliver some medical expenses, he left soon after."

"I just returned to Hong Kong Island these two days."

When talking about the other person's age, Lin Qingqing paused. In fact, she didn't know He Yuzhu's real age, but judging from his appearance, he should be around 30 years old, so she said, "He is 35 years old, a little older than me."

"Thirty-five?"

Lin's mother made a rough estimate and felt that a difference of ten years in age didn't matter. Sometimes it was even better if the man was a little older because he would be more considerate of others.

Compared to this information, Lin's mother wanted to know more, "Where is he from? Where does he live? Who are his family members? Which country is he from? And how did you meet? How long have you been together?"

Listening to this series of questions, Lin Qingqing almost rolled her eyes, and then sighed helplessly. In fact, even she was quite interested in these questions.

It was not until now that I realized how little I knew about the man I had devoted my whole heart to. Apart from knowing that he was married and his nationality, I knew nothing else.

"He is a Chinese American who has made great progress in the financial industry and has residences in both the United States and Hong Kong..."

At this point, Lin Qingqing's emotions became complicated. Because the only definite information was that he was Chinese and was married. If she told her mother this directly, given the common misunderstandings about inland areas in Hong Kong, it would be difficult for her to believe that he was willing to pay so much money; as for the fact that he was married, it was better to conceal it.

In contrast, it would be easier to convince his mother if he could weave a reasonable background story based on his limited understanding of He Yuzhu.

“The process of our meeting was actually quite simple.”

"I met him when I visited the New York Stock Exchange. After that, we met several more times and gradually we became familiar with each other..." Then, Lin Qingqing began a detailed description.

Mother Lin believed it, mainly because her daughter's tone was very firm when she talked about these things, and it didn't sound like she was lying at all. She asked with concern: "When are you going to get married?"

Get married? I want to, too!

Lin Qingqing felt a little sad and continued to weave lies: "He did mention marriage a few times."

"But I refused. After all, I am still studying. I will wait until I finish my studies."

"I have studied hard over the years, not just to get married, have children, and become someone's appendage after graduation."

"If that's the case, wouldn't all my efforts over the years have been in vain? I should at least wait until I graduate and have some achievements in my work before considering this matter." Mother Lin also thought it made sense. She knew best how hard her daughter worked.

But considering that the boy is already quite old, and that the situation might change if he waits a few more years, I can't help but ask worriedly: "He's this old too, is he willing to wait for you?"

"Whether he wants to or not is up to him."

Lin Qingqing raised her chin slightly and said with a little pride: "If he really loves me, he will definitely wait for me patiently. If he feels that he can't wait any longer, it means that his feelings for me are not deep enough, and there is no need for me to force myself."

"I will return the money to him bit by bit."

After hearing this, Mother Lin became even more worried. After hesitating for a while, she asked in a low voice: "Qingqing, tell me the truth, how far has your relationship progressed? Are you living together?"

"Mom, why are you asking this?" Lin Qingqing was a little embarrassed to talk about this with her mother, so she quickly changed the subject, "Mom, pack a few changes of clothes and don't take anything else. We have to move now."

"Everything is ready at the new house, just go there directly."

Upon hearing this, Mother Lin immediately became anxious: "How can you not want all of them! Those pots, pans, and bowls were all bought and can still be used. There is no need to buy new ones. Besides, I still have a deposit for the handicrafts!"

"Mom..." Lin Qingqing looked at the old things in the house and said seriously, "My biggest wish in this life is to take you away from here to live a good life."

"Now that you are able to do it, just listen to me."

"There's nothing missing over there. If you take it there, it will just gather dust and be useless. Besides, you're not in good health, and you'll have to hire someone to help you move. It costs money to hire workers or a moving company, and the cost is much more expensive than these things."

Mother Lin was speechless for a moment. She knew her daughter was right, but she was reluctant to part with any item in the house.

Life was not easy, and saving had long become a habit. But she also knew that her daughter was a bold and decisive person, and it was difficult to change her decision.

"Let's just leave it at that. I'll go into the room and pack my luggage first, and you can start packing as well. We'll leave once we're ready." After saying that, Lin Qingqing went into the bedroom without waiting for an answer.

The so-called bedroom was just separated by wooden boards, and there was not even a door. There was only a curtain hanging to provide privacy.

The room was small, with a single bed taking up most of the space.

Lin Qingqing looked around and found that she didn't have much to pack. Most of the clothes had been taken away when she left the country, and there were only a few small items left.

She casually looked through her old things, sorted out some award certificates she brought back from school, and put the rest of her clothes in order, and she was almost done.

Thinking that my mother is not in good health, she must want to take a lot of things with her.

Just as I was about to help my mother sort out the things, I heard her voice, "Amei, we are moving, so I will give you these handicrafts at half price. There are some other things at home, if you find them useful, feel free to take them, the price is negotiable..."

It's really annoying. Lin Qingqing rubbed her forehead helplessly and hurried out the door.

In the narrow living room.

Next to Mother Lin stood a thin girl with long hair tied into a ponytail. She looked pretty and her fair cheeks were slightly flushed. She seemed a little shy, as if she didn't know how to respond to Mother Lin's enthusiastic proposal.

The girl's name was Ruan Mei, and she was an old acquaintance of Lin Qingqing. Five years ago, she and her grandmother moved next door, and she helped her family with handicrafts to earn money, and the two families gradually became familiar with each other.

"Amei..."

Lin Qingqing came over and said hello, glanced at her mother, and said helplessly: "Didn't I ask you to pack your things? Why did you call Ah Mei?"

"I want to pass these handicrafts on to Ah Mei..."

Mother Lin explained awkwardly, "It's a shame to just throw away all these things at home. Let Mei pick some out to see if they can be used."

Ruan Mei beside him said embarrassedly: "No, no."

"Why not..."

Mother Lin took Ruan Mei's hand and recommended enthusiastically, "Look, these pots and pans are all quite new, and the gas stove is also in good working order. It would be great if you could keep them as backup. Don't worry about the price, just give me five or ten yuan, and it's up to you to take as much as you want."

Ruan Mei became even more reserved and didn't know what to say.

At this time, Lin Qingqing realized that her mother didn't really want to sell these belongings, but wanted to give them to her. In order not to embarrass Ruan Mei, she acted out this drama.

If you really want to sell these things, you will definitely find a buyer who is willing to pay for them. But Lin Qingqing knew that Ruan Mei lived a very frugal life, much more frugal than her mother. She wished that one dollar could be used as ten dollars in her hand, and even had to calculate her daily food and drink. She saved all the money she earned, and it seemed that she had no clear purpose.

Such a frugal person would certainly not be an ideal buyer.

After watching for a while, Lin Qingqing did not interrupt. She was afraid that Ruan Mei would feel even more uncomfortable, so she went to her mother's room to help her pack up.

Mom didn't have many clothes, only a few for spring, summer, autumn and winter, and every piece had patches on it. Seeing all this, Lin Qingqing felt sad and felt that she owed her mother too much. She had to make sure that her mother lived a better life in the future.