Old Lady Yan stuck her hand inside her collar and took out an amulet. There was a little note attached to it.
She had purposely bought this prop from a wholesale merchandise store so that she could play the part properly. She never wore it usually.
Lin Chu took the piece of paper that was still warm. The address of a high-cla.s.s residential area was written on it.
Lin Chu returned the note to the old woman. She estimated the cab fare and guessed that it would probably cost less than fifty Yuan for the old woman to get home. However, she decided to give her one hundred Yuan instead as she was worried that the old woman would encounter more trouble on the way home.
"This money is for you. You should call a cab and get home," said Lin Chu.
The old woman did not look like a scammer to her. If she was wrong, Lin Chu would simply lose one hundred Yuan. However, she would be able to help the old woman if she was truly in trouble. Lin Chu did not want to wrongly accuse the old woman and forced her to wander beside the road all day. She found her very pitiful.
Old Lady Yan did not take the money from her. She held Lin Chu"s hand and said, "You"re a kind young woman. I begged so many people here to help me, but none of them were willing to lend me a hand. Meanwhile, you gave me one hundred Yuan at once. In that case, you should just follow me home. My family will return the money to you there. I"m really not a scammer."
"I know. Don"t worry, I believe you. But you don"t have to return the money to me," said Lin Chu as she held the old woman and led her to the roadside. She used an application on her phone to call for a cab. "Make sure that you keep this piece of paper with your address properly. Don"t lose it again."
Lin Chu had never expected that Old Lady Yan would grab her hand and refuse to let go. "I can"t do that. It"s not an easy task for young people like you to earn money. I can"t take a single cent from you."
Old Lady Yan"s impression of Lin Chu was better now. She dragged Lin Chu into the cab without allowing her to protest. "Please come with me. I"ll return your money to you."
Old Lady Yan would feel bad if she cheated such a kind-hearted young woman of her money.
Lin Chu could not refuse her even if she wanted to because the old woman had dragged her into the car and the driver started driving away. Lin Chu was surprised. Despite the elderly woman"s age, she was rather strong.
The car had only moved for a short while before Lin Chu received a phone call from the old princ.i.p.al. She asked Lin Chu whether she was done with her work and where was she now.
"I"ve finished my work, but I encountered an old woman. I"m currently sending her home." Lin Chu glanced in front at the digital clock below the fare meter. It was slightly past ten o"clock now. She added, "I"ll probably need about two more hours to get there. The children may get hungry."
"It"s fine. They"re very happy today. They would willingly go hungry and wait just so they can have pizza. The children refused to eat proper meals since this morning. They only ate a little bit. They were worried about overeating and being too full to eat their fill in the afternoon," said the old princ.i.p.al as she laughed.
Lin Chu heard the children yelling "Chu Chu" from the side all this while.
"I"ve prepared some fruits. They won"t be hungry if they eat the fruits," said the old princ.i.p.al.
Lin Chu smiled. A gentle look appeared on her face when she thought about the greedy children who were looking forward to the pizza.
Old Lady Yan s.h.i.+fted around in her seat in an embarra.s.sed manner when Lin Chu ended the call. "Young lady, am I delaying your plans?"
"No, there should be enough time," said Lin Chu as she smiled.
Old Lady Yan"s eyes darted around when Lin Chu was not looking. She asked, "Young lady, where are you going later?"
Lin Chu never liked talking about herself, but there was nothing to hide. She answered, "I"m going to the orphanage. I"ve made plans with the old princ.i.p.al and the children. We"re going to take the children out for a meal. After that, we"re taking them to the salon. Isn"t New Year"s right around the corner?"
She wanted to buy new clothes for the children at first, but the old princ.i.p.al told her that the children were reluctant to wear the clothes that she had previously given to them, and wanted to keep them to wear during the New Year"s celebrations. The old princ.i.p.al did not want Lin Chu to waste any more money.
Frankly, the old princ.i.p.al wanted Lin Chu to save her own money because she did not earn a lot from her job. Once she had taken out her daily expenses, she spent the rest of her money on the children and she even provided Mo Jinxi with financial aid. Lin Chu would certainly be left with almost nothing after that.
"Young lady, you"re so kind," said Old Lady Yan as she beamed. She warmly pulled Lin Chu"s hands over and held them. "Young lady, you were the only person who helped me among all those people earlier. I knew that you are a kind-hearted person."
Lin Chu merely smiled, but she did not say anything.
Old Lady Yan could not think of a subtle way to ask Lin Chu about herself.
After some time, she asked, "Why are you so keen to visit the children in the orphanage? It"s very rare to see people who are concerned about them now."
The Yan Family would also donate to charities. The Eight Dominant Families had set up a foundation together. The money that was donated to the foundation every year would be used to provide support to various parties and the orphanage was definitely part of their quota.
They merely did this because they knew that they were capable. It was not a big deal for them to help out. After all, the money that they donated was considered nothing to them, and by helping people with their money, good karma would return to them. They believed that they could only earn money if they used it. It was not a good thing to guard money like a stingy person.
It was only natural for them to repay society once they had gotten to this stage and achieved this status.
On the contrary, Lin Chu clearly did not earn a lot of money, hence it was very exhausting for her to help the orphanage.
Young people like herself who desired to do better in life would always exert themselves to the fullest. They wanted to constantly improve their lives. The kind-hearted ones felt that they would only do charitable works in the future once their lives were better. However, when would they finally consider their lives to be "better"?
Unfortunately, the young people who were from affluent families rarely had the same mindset as Lin Chu.
Lin Chu was momentarily stunned. She had never expected that Old Lady Yan would continue asking her about this matter. As she did not want to seem rude, she simply said, "I grew up in that orphanage until I was seven years old. The old princ.i.p.al is always extremely kind to the children because she treated us like her relatives. Although I can"t give her much, I want to help the old princ.i.p.al as much as I can because I"m earning my own money now. Those adorable children are also very obedient. I want to do my best to take care of them and make them happy."
Old Lady Yan nodded and stopped asking further.
However, Old Lady Yan did not just sit there either. She continued engaging in small talk with Lin Chu. She did not ask her about personal matters, but they chatted about other things such as Lin Chu"s job, interests, and hobbies.
"That"s right, I rambled on but I forgot to ask you for your name," said Old Lady Yan.
Lin Chu smiled and said, "My name is Lin Chu."
The cab traveled according to the address given and stopped in front of the Yan Family Mansion without them noticing it.
Lin Chu was stunned to see the grand and magnificent mansion. She thought to herself that the old woman truly did not look like someone who lived here from her appearance.
Lin Chu had no choice but to follow her out of the car because the old woman insisted on it. She remembered that she needed to go to the orphanage in a while. However, it seemed like it would be difficult to get a cab from this place. She asked the driver to wait for her because she would need a ride soon.
She had only taken a few steps before she saw Yan Ningbai running toward them. He was holding a Transformers toy that he had already turned into an airplane, and making the "vroom vroom" noises of the engine with his mouth.
Yan Ningbai stopped in shock when he saw Old Lady Yan and Lin Chu walking together. His black pupils contrasted the white sclera of his big eyes. His gaze was filled with surprise as it s.h.i.+fted back and forth from Old Lady Yan to Lin Chu.
His mouth was gaping open because he was about to greet her, but Old Lady Yan glared at him. Yan Ningbai immediately shut his mouth. He was so stunned that he nearly dropped his Transformers toy and broke it into pieces.
"Ningbai? Why are you here?" Lin Chu asked in a surprised tone. She had never expected to see this little boy here.
She missed this weird little boy because she had not seen him for a long time.
Old Lady Yan took a small step backward before she pointed at herself and waved her hand.
Lin Chu found it strange when Yan Ningbai nodded at Old Lady Yan.
Old Lady Yan hoped that Yan Ningbai would be intelligent enough to get the hint.
"Eldest…" Yan Ningbai dragged his words. Old Lady Yan was standing a few steps behind Lin Chu now. Yan Ningbai narrowed his eyes and smiled when he noticed that the old woman had immediately become anxious. He continued, "Niece-in-law, I came to my eldest… My eldest auntie"s house to play. What about you?"
Old Lady Yan sighed in relief before she glared at the little brat.
"This old woman"s wallet was s.n.a.t.c.hed so I sent her home. This is such a coincidence. I didn"t know that you lived nearby too," Lin Chu said to Yan Ningbai with a gentle look in her eyes.
"Oh, is that so?" Yan Ningbai stressed the last syllable. His suspicious little gaze landed on Old Lady Yan who was several steps behind Lin Chu.
Old Lady Yan s.h.i.+fted her gaze away guiltily, she did not even dare to look at Yan Ningbai.
Old Lady Yan was worried that the little brat Yan Ningbai would say something else. She frantically said, "I live around here. I wanted to treat you to a meal at first, but I won"t force you to stay because I know that you"re busy. Please come with me first. I"d like to return your money to you."
Old Lady Yan insisted that she wanted to give Lin Chu her money back. The younger woman did not reject her offer because she wanted her to feel at ease.
She was about to speak to Yan Ningbai before a little boy ran over to speak to him. The child was holding an Optimus Prime toy. The lively children ran away while chasing each other.
Lin Chu and Old Lady Yan entered the courtyard together. Old Lady Yan held Lin Chu"s hand as they walked to the entrance of her home. She enthusiastically dragged Lin Chu inside. "Please come in. I won"t make you stay for a meal, but I"m sure you can spare some time for a cup of tea. I would need to go get your money too, no?"
Lin Chu could not resist Old Lady Yan"s enthusiasm. She followed Old Lady Yan inside before the elderly woman led her into the hall and asked her to sit down in a friendly manner.
"Lil" Chen, hurry up and pour a cup of tea for Lin Chu to warm her up. The weather is so cold today," said Old Lady Yan. "Lin Chu, please wait for a while. I"m going to get the money now."
As soon as Old Lady Yan left, Aunt Chen appeared while carrying a cup of hot Pu-erh tea. She gave it to Lin Chu so that she could hold it and warm her hands.
When Old Lady Yan limped out of the hall, she saw Old Master Yan sneakily climbing on the foot of the wall. He was secretly peeping at Lin Chu.
"Tch!" Old Lady Yan briefly sneered.
How shameful!
Old Master Yan had laughed at her when she told him that she was going to hide her ident.i.ty when she went to find Lin Chu today. He chided her for being unable to stay calm. He wondered why she was not worried about upsetting Yan Beicheng if he found out about this.
That man had no right to sneak glances at her if he thought that he was so capable!
Old Lady Yan rolled her eyes at Old Master Yan. She limped into the bedroom alone and took her wallet out of her handbag. She took two hundred Yuan out.
Lin Chu took a sip of the steaming tea before she saw Old Lady Yan walking out with a smile on her face. "Here, young lady. This is your money. I"m giving you an additional hundred Yuan for your cab fare."
Lin Chu was unwilling to accept it. However, Old Lady Yan said, "You can"t say that. You wouldn"t have wasted your time if you hadn"t sent me home. You were even forced to go on such a long journey. You"re going to have to spend more money to get to the orphanage later. It"s not an easy task for young people to earn money. You had to waste your money because of me, so it"s only natural that I compensate you in return."
Lin Chu persistently refused her offer. "Madam, that"s not what I meant. I…"
The old woman took another red-colored note from her pocket and placed it on Lin Chu"s palm before Lin Chu had even finished speaking. "I"ll give you another hundred Yuan if you refuse the money again."
"No, you…"
Old Lady Yan did not argue with her. She simply remained quiet and placed another hundred Yuan note on her palm within an instant.
Lin Chu was stunned. She was too afraid to say anything else.
In any case, she refused to accept the money. She hurriedly thought this over to herself before she swiftly placed three hundred Yuan on the tea table. She frantically stood up and said, "Madam, I must leave now."
"Oh, please hold on for a moment." Old Lady Yan dragged Lin Chu along.
Lin Chu was too afraid to forcefully shrug her off because it was rude. She was also worried about hurting Old Lady Yan.
She watched as Old Lady Yan took the three hundred Yuan from earlier and added another two hundred Yuan. She said, "I can"t go with you because I"m busy in the afternoon. Please accept these five hundred Yuan. If you don"t want to use it as your cab fare, you can consider it as a present from me to treat the children to a meal. Weren"t you taking them to Pizza Hut? You can use this money to pay for their meal. You can think of it as a little gift from me. Why should you reject it now?"
Lin Chu certainly could not argue with her when she used this reason.
She could only accept the money. "On behalf of the children, thank you very much. They will be grateful when they find out about this. Do you mind if I ask them to send you a greeting card? Every year, the children will write greeting cards for the kind people who provide them with financial aid. Although the cards aren"t worth much, they"re a token of the children"s grat.i.tude. The old princ.i.p.al has always taught them that they must always be thankful as well."
"Of course I don"t mind. That"s wonderful!" Old Lady Yan hurriedly went to find some paper and a pencil so she could write down her address and phone number for Lin Chu. She happily said, "I… I"ll be waiting to receive the greeting cards then!"
Lin Chu kept the address properly before she left.
She saw Yan Ningbai crouching at the doorway just as she exited the main door. He had turned his airplane toy back into its normal Transformers form.
"Ningbai? Why are you here alone? Where"s your friend?" Lin Chu walked toward Yan Ningbai.
Yan Ningbai raised his head and looked at her. He said, "He went home to eat!"
He stood up but nearly fell as his feet were slightly numb from crouching for some time and could not stand steadily.
Lin Chu hurriedly held him. "Are your legs numb?"
Yan Ningbai"s handsome little round face reddened as he nodded.
Lin Chu stroked his soft hair. She kneeled so that he could sit on her thighs. She ma.s.saged his legs to improve blood circulation. As the blood gradually flowed there, the numbness in his legs became worse as he had regained the sensations there.
"Bear with it for a while. Try your best to stomp your feet on the ground a few times," said Lin Chu.
Yan Ningbai held Lin Chu"s shoulders and climbed down from her legs. He was still holding his Transformers toy as he endured the pain. He gritted his teeth while he stomped his feet several times. As expected, the pain disappeared after a few moments.
"Eldest niece-in-law, have you eaten yet?" Yan Ningbai lifted his head and asked.
Lin Chu shook her head. "Not yet. I"m going to the orphanage now to take the children out for a meal. After that, I"m taking them to the salon."
When Yan Ningbai heard this, he raised his chubby little arms immediately. "I… I want to go too!"
"You can"t do that. Aren"t your family members at home?" said Lin Chu as she shook her head.
She recalled that Yan Ningbai had mentioned his elder brother"s wife earlier. She had not thought about it earlier, but she was stunned now after saying it. She considered how the members of the Yan Family were related. If Yan Ningbai was Yan Beicheng"s uncle, his eldest uncle and eldest auntie were none other than Yan Beicheng"s grandfather and grandmother.
Lin Chu was unable to connect the dots earlier because Yan Ningbai was still young.
Did it that mean that Yan Beicheng"s grandparents lived here too?
Lin Chu became nervous at once. She watched as Yan Ningbai took his cell phone out of his pocket and made a phone call. "Father, I met eldest niece-in-law. Please let eldest auntie know that I"m going out to have lunch with her."
"Why don"t you tell her yourself?" Yan Huaian asked curiously.
"Aren"t eldest auntie and eldest niece-in-law going to be in-laws in the future? As eldest niece-in-law is right here, I"m worried that she"ll get anxious if I call eldest auntie right in front of her. When the time comes, how am I going to explain to eldest auntie that I want to have a meal with eldest niece-in-law? Eldest auntie will insist on speaking to eldest niece-in-law on the phone. That… That"s terrible! It would be more suitable for eldest nephew and eldest niece-in-law to speak to her when they"re together." Yan Ningbai twisted his waist. His little cheeks were rosy as he raised his double chin. "I… I"m so considerate!"
"Good boy." Yan Huaian openly praised his son. He decided to let him do as he pleased because he was proud of him. "I"d expect nothing less from my son."
"Father, when you call eldest auntie later, tell her to buy me a Gundam model as well. I want the biggest one!" Yan Ningbai added.
"Don"t worry, eldest auntie will definitely agree." Yan Ningbai glanced at Lin Chu and giggled. "She loves me so much. I have something else to tell you when I get home. It"s so interesting!"
Lin Chu did not know what else Yan Huaian said during the call, but Yan Ningbai pa.s.sed the phone to her after that.
"Niece-in-law, I"ll leave Ningbai to you. This boy is quite naughty. I"m sorry to inconvenience you," said Yan Huaian.
"It"s alright, I like Ningbai very much," replied Lin Chu.
Yan Huaian said a few more things before he asked to speak to Yan Ningbai. He instructed his son to be obedient and not to get into trouble. He put down the phone after that.
Yan Huaian immediately called Old Lady Yan right after he ended the previous call. When Old Lady Yan heard that Yan Ningbai wanted a Gundam model, she realized that the little brat was threatening her by taking matters into his own hands.
When she looked through the gaps between the curtains earlier, she saw Yan Ningbai chatting with Lin Chu at the doorway.
Old Lady Yan was forced to agree to his request.
Once Lin Chu had gotten Yan Huaian"s permission, she brought Yan Ningbai along and got in the cab with her.
When Old Lady Yan ended the call, she turned around and saw Old Master Yan on the other side. He was sneakily peeping outside through the slits between the curtains.
Old Lady Yan sneered again. As he grew older, this old man looked more perverted when he did sneaky things like this.
Old Master Yan only stood upright as soon as Lin Chu and Yan Ningbai had entered the cab. The old man"s face reddened when he immediately saw the pleased expression on Old Lady Yan"s face. He huffed before he took his watering can to go and water the flowers.
"What do you think? What do you think? Don"t you think that our granddaughter-in-law is excellent?" Old Lady Yan asked excitedly.
Old Master Yan sighed twice. "She seems fine, but I"m not sure because I haven"t spoken to her yet. Weren"t you extremely worried that she wouldn"t meet the mark at first? Why do you like her so much now despite only spending such a short time with her? I can"t believe that you even called her your granddaughter-in-law."
"Oh no, I was certainly worried about her in the beginning, but now I think that Lin Chu is a fine person." Old Lady Yan explained the entire incident in detail.
"Just think about it. Everyone else thought that I was a scammer. Although some of them might have hesitated at first, they decided to a.s.sume that I was a scammer in the end. They couldn"t even bear to lose a few ten Yuan. Lin Chu was the only person who was willing to help me. She"s also a thrifty person who wanted to help the children in the orphanage. She"s so kind! She left the orphanage when she was seven years old, but she cares so much for the old princ.i.p.al and she pities the orphans. If the Lin Family had brought her up kindly, I doubt that she would have been ungrateful toward them," said Old Lady Yan as she shook her head.
"Did you ask her about what happened between her and the Lin Family?" Old Master Yan raised his head as he stopped watering the plants.
"No. Did you forget that this was just our first meeting? She merely thinks that we"re strangers who met by chance. She doesn"t know that we"ll meet again in the future. How could I ask her such a personal question? She would refuse to tell me. Wouldn"t she get suspicious if I asked her for such details?" said Old Lady Yan as she rolled her eyes. It seemed as though she was belittling Old Master Yan"s intelligence.