Chapter 26: Making Money Makes Me Happy!

Lin Qingyue explained her ideas in detail to her father, Lin’s father. He found her plan audacious and novel.

He stared at his daughter, completely re-evaluating her.

Lin’s father, a factory owner who religiously read newspapers and kept abreast of national affairs, assumed Lin Qingyue’s progressive thinking stemmed from her marriage to Lu Siyi.

He turned to Lu Siyi and softly asked, “Siyi, what do you think?”

“Qingyue is in her prime. Keeping her at home as a housewife is a waste of her talent.”

Lin’s father nodded in satisfaction. “Later, have your mother prepare another passbook for you. Starting a business is tough; more money will ease the burden.”

“Thank you, Dad,” Lin Qingyue readily accepted. Lu Siyi frowned slightly, his eyes downcast, concealing his emotions.

Around noon, Lin Qingyue and Lu Siyi left the Lin family home. Lin Mu, her mother, feeling sorry for her daughter, secretly slipped her a red envelope before they left.

Lin Qingyue left feeling very accomplished.

In the car, Lu Siyi drove, his expression calm. He spoke quietly, “Next month, I’ll receive a bonus from my salary, about eight hundred yuan.”

“Huh? The army gives bonuses?” Lin Qingyue turned, surprised.

“Um, it’s actually back pay from several business trips,” Lu Siyi coughed, a hint of discomfort on his face.

“Are you… unhappy that I asked my family for money?” Lin Qingyue tentatively asked.

The car fell silent.

After a long pause, Lu Siyi broke the silence, “I’m not unhappy. I just wish you’d ask me directly next time you need money.”

Ask you directly? Will you always have it? My family is barely making ends meet.

Lin Qingyue sighed heavily.

“Also, I’m not a useless man,” he added.

Lin Qingyue paused, seeming to understand.

“This money isn’t just for nothing. My parents only have me and my brother. You’ve seen my brother’s condition. To support my parents in their old age, I have to work hard,” she explained. “Besides, money gives you confidence. Making money makes me happy!”

Lu Siyi looked at her, a smile playing on his lips, his usually serious face instantly brightening.

Seeing Lu Siyi’s relief, Lin Qingyue relaxed. She hadn’t expected him to be so independent, but his independence was reassuring, a solid kind of reassurance!

The car slowly pulled up to the Lu family home. Lu Yawen rushed out to greet them.

The three children, hearing the commotion, ran out happily. Lu Yicheng threw himself into Lu Siyi’s arms, excitedly saying, “Dad, I missed you so much!”

Si Xi also reached out for Lin Qingyue’s hug.

“Sister, when did you get back?” Lu Siyi softly asked. He and his sister rarely saw each other due to their long absences.

“Yesterday afternoon. I came back to see Grandpa,” Lu Yawen smiled, her smile as warm as the gentle breeze.

“You came back alone? What about the children?”

“Oh, I asked a neighbor to look after them for a day. I’ll go back tomorrow,” Lu Yawen explained.

Lu Siyi nodded, asking no further questions.

This was Lu Siyi’s older sister?

Lin Qingyue quickly added, “Hello, Sister.”

“This must be my sister-in-law,” Lu Yawen smiled warmly. “She seems sensible and capable.”

“Ah?” Lin Qingyue blushed, slightly embarrassed by the sudden praise.

She shyly glanced at Lu Siyi. “I’m not that great… Sister, you’re too kind.”

Old Master Lu, leaning on his cane, stood at the doorway and jokingly scolded, “Are you all planning to live outside? If you don’t come in, I’ll lock the door!”

Seeing them head inside, the old man proudly turned, returning to his recliner to drink tea and read the newspaper.

“Stay for lunch. It’s been a long time since our family has been this lively,” the old man said, a wide smile on his face.

“Okay, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it,” Lin Qingyue replied smiling.

“Forget it, I’m afraid you’ll waste Grandpa’s food,” Lu Yicheng made a face at her.

“Sister-in-law can’t cook?” Lu Yawen casually asked, trying to find a topic to connect with Lin Qingyue.

Unexpectedly, Lin Qingyue immediately became nervous. “I can cook edible food, but I can’t guarantee the taste.”

“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Lu Siyi put his arm around Lin Qingyue’s shoulders. “Her cooking is passable. Even if I’m not home, the children won’t go hungry.”

“Look at you protecting your wife! My sister just asked a question, and you’re already giving her multiple answers,” Old Master Lu chuckled. Since the whole family had returned, his smile hadn’t faded.

“It’s okay if women can’t cook nowadays. When I married your brother-in-law, I couldn’t even make porridge,” Lu Yawen said, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“Let’s not talk about this. The children are hungry,” Old Master Lu immediately changed the subject. “Today, you two will cook, and we’ll just wait to eat.”

He pointed to the kitchen. “The vegetables are all prepared in the kitchen. Make whatever you want, and we’ll eat it.”

“Okay.”

The couple went to the kitchen hand-in-hand. Old Master Lu smiled broadly, saying to Lu Yawen, “Look, what a good wife your brother found! They have such a good relationship. Soon, I’ll be holding my great-grandchild.”

Lu Yawen nodded. “Seeing is believing. She’s very different from what I heard, but I still feel that my sister-in-law is too smart.”

“Is your brother a fool?” Old Master Lu snorted. Lu Yawen remained silent. “To be honest, Qingyue’s reputation used to be quite bad.”

“A person’s reputation can change.”

Old Master Lu sighed, “Judging people shouldn’t be done with eyes or ears, but with the heart.”

“Look, since your brother took the three children back, Qingyue hasn’t had any arguments with him. That’s already rare.”

“Which girl nowadays would accept being a stepmother to three children right away?”

“If I had adopted the three children under my name back then, Siyi wouldn’t have to…”

Old Master Lu’s face turned cold. “Yawen, I’ve lived longer than you. In marriage, things like social status are meaningless. Only mutual affection matters most.”

“…” Lu Yawen looked like she was learning a lesson.

The adults’ conversation was overheard by Lu Yiming, who felt touched and liked Lin Qingyue even more.

Lu Yicheng, like a mischievous monkey, played wildly in the yard with Si Xi.