Chapter 18

“Sister, do you know how to say ‘hello’ in Mongolian?” Lin Jian she asked with a grin.

They had been together in the womb, so Lin Shu Yin knew what he was thinking. She asked, “What, you know?”

Lin Jian she was a little smug, “Of course I know. It’s ‘samban nu’.”

Lin Shu Yin, “Qiseyin bainu.” It means “hello”.

Lin Jian she was surprised, “Sister, you learned so quickly. You even know how to say ‘you’?”

Then he thought, “No, Sa Ren must have taught you.”

Lin Shu Yin didn’t say anything.

Lin Jian she continued, “If I stay here long enough, I’ll learn Mongolian too. Even the villagers here who aren’t Mongolian can speak Mongolian. They speak two languages.”

“Isn’t that amazing?”

Lin Shu Yin, “Amazing!”

Since ancient times, people living on the border between two ethnicities or countries have spoken two languages. It’s a habit and a necessity of life.

“Gao lao, have some tea first, the meat will be ready soon.”

Sa Ren’s mother brought over two cups of hot tea.

The siblings got up, “Thank you, Aunt.”

“You’re welcome.” Sa Ren’s mother smiled kindly.

Lin Jian she, being his usual mischievous self, asked about Mongolian again.

“Sister, do you know what ‘gao lao’ means?”

Lin Shu Yin, “It means ‘cute’, ‘darling’.”

Lin Jian she, “Ah, you know that too. Sister, let me tell you…”

When he first came here, the villagers all called him “gao lao”. At first, he thought it was a Mongolian term for addressing a young man. Later, he realized it meant “cute” or “darling”.

How to put it, the uncles and aunts in the village calling him that made him feel very close to them.

Lin Shu Yin, “That’s how they are here. Sa Ren used to call me that too.”

Sa Ren heard that she was one year younger than her, and she called her “gao lao” at first. Later, when they got to know each other better, she changed it to calling her by her name directly.

Lin Jian she, “That’s interesting. Sister, I’ve decided, I’m going to learn some Mongolian in my spare time. Then when I go back to the city someday, I’ll show off to them.”

Just thinking about it, Lin Jian she felt like he was so cool and amazing.

Lin Shu Yin, “Good luck.”

If there’s no news from their parents, Lin Jian she will probably have to stay in the countryside until the college entrance exams resume.

“This is my brother, Aodun. It means ‘star’.”

His brother came back. Sa Ren pulled her brother over to introduce him to Lin Shu Yin and her brother.

“She’s my sister’s colleague.”

Sa Ren spoke to her brother in a mix of Mongolian and Mandarin.

“Call her Sister Shu Yin.”

“This is her brother, called…”

“I know, he’s called Lin Jian she.”

“We met as soon as he came.” Sa Ren’s brother, Aodun, said.

Sa Ren, “That’s good, I don’t need to introduce you.”

The group chatted, and Sa Ren’s father came in. Now everyone was here, it was time to eat.

There was stewed mutton, lamb chops, mutton, and lamb backbone.

Sa Ren’s mother made round pancakes, stacked on a plate.

Sa Ren, “Shu Yin, Jian she, don’t be polite.”

She said as she gave each of them a lamb chop, “Our mutton doesn’t have a gamey taste, it’s very fragrant. Try it.”

“Okay.”

Sa Ren’s father, “Eat it with this chives and chili sauce.”

“Okay, Uncle.”

They had come after eating three buns, so Lin Shu Yin was okay, she wasn’t very hungry. She only ate one pancake and three lamb chops. Lin Jian she was hungry, but he couldn’t eat like he was at home, he was at someone else’s house.

He also ate three lamb chops and two pancakes, just like Lin Shu Yin.

Then the siblings each drank two bowls of mutton soup.

Sa Ren was right, the mutton soup was really delicious!

Lin Shu Yin thought, if they added some coriander, it would be even more delicious.

After eating and drinking their fill, they chatted with Sa Ren’s parents for a while. Before leaving, Lin Shu Yin took out a two-pound grain ticket and gave it to Sa Ren, “Sa Ren, give this to your mother for me.”

Sa Ren, “What are you doing? Take it back.”

Lin Shu Yin, “Sa Ren, listen to me. I came in a hurry this time and didn’t bring anything. And I even had a meal. Give this ticket to your mother.”

Sa Ren, “It’s nothing. You’re my friend, why would you bring anything? It’s enough for you to come. Besides, I promised to treat you to mutton.”

“Oh, Sa Ren, that’s different. Give this grain ticket to your mother, otherwise, I won’t come next time.”

Nowadays, everyone had a limited amount of grain. She came over, and Sa Ren’s mother made pancakes, white flour pancakes, and stewed mutton to entertain her. Fine grains and meat were precious things.

Sa Ren, “Okay, okay.”

Sa Ren took it and gave it to her mother. She came out, “Let’s go, I gave the ticket to my mother. You’re really too polite to me. Do you even consider me a friend?”

Lin Shu Yin explained, “Sa Ren, it’s not being polite. I’m your friend, I can’t just eat your food.”

She found four milk powder tickets for Sa Ren, but Sa Ren used grain tickets to exchange for the first two. Sa Ren bought her milk candy today.

They were indeed friends. Although they had only known each other for half a year, Lin Shu Yin had already considered Sa Ren as a close friend.

It was precisely because she was a close friend that she didn’t want her to suffer any loss.

Love, friendship, family, all emotions are the same.

In love, if you love someone, you wouldn’t let them suffer any loss. Parents who love their children wouldn’t let their children suffer any loss.

Friendship is the same.

Sa Ren, “Okay, I didn’t think about it that way. I just thought you liked mutton, and I wanted to eat mutton, so I asked my mother to stew it for you.”

Lin Shu Yin linked her arm with hers, “Sa Ren, you’re so good. How about this, I won’t get married in the future, I’ll live with you, how about that?”

“Ew, I don’t want to. I have a boyfriend.” Sa Ren snorted.

Then she asked her brother, “By the way, where’s Baiyin Talar? Why didn’t I see him today?”

Her brother, Aodun, touched his nose, “Sister, you should break up with him. He has another girlfriend.”

Sa Ren, “What?”

Her brother, “Yeah, he’s not here today. He went to the girl’s house to propose!”

Sa Ren, “He went to another family to propose? Why didn’t Mom and Dad tell me?”

Her brother, “Your friend came, how could Mom and Dad tell you.” He said this in Mongolian.

“Damn it.” Sa Ren cursed.

“If we’re not together, we’re not together. He could have just told me, I wouldn’t have clung to him.”

Sa Ren was furious.

What kind of person is he? If you’re not together, you’re not together. He could have just told her. It’s just a breakup. When she came back for the New Year, they were still good. How come he changed in just half a month?

He was moving so fast, he even went to the other family’s house to propose.

Aodun, “Sister, don’t be angry. Maybe his parents told him, saying that you joined the art troupe, and you wouldn’t marry him in the future…”

Sa Ren, “That’s ridiculous. When he comes, you tell him, I know about it, we’re breaking up.”

At this moment, Sa Ren was especially angry. It wasn’t anger about the relationship, but about his actions that made her angry. Everyone in the village knew they were dating.

But he went to another family to propose behind her back, he was playing both sides!