Chapter 57: Definitely Soulmates

“Such a large pile of steel, even if it’s rusty, it’s still useful. You just stole it and sold it! This kind of wishful thinking is absolutely unacceptable! If there’s a second time, I’ll definitely tell your school and get you punished.”

“You should be grateful that you’re still students. Otherwise, I’d send you to a labor camp directly.”

After scolding them enough, the policeman asked loudly, “Why are you all looking down? Do you know you’re wrong? Will you do it again next time?”

“We know we’re wrong! We won’t do it again.” A group of teenagers answered promptly.

There was no way, their parents were watching them with fierce eyes, so they were intimidated.

Summer and winter vacations were peak seasons for these kids to make mistakes.

Stealing people’s steel to sell, stealing people’s door locks to sell, stealing their own books to sell, going to the suburbs together to steal people’s fruit, getting together to fight…

The adults at home had to work, so they had no idea what their children were doing during the day.

As long as the children didn’t go swimming in the river during the summer and didn’t play with their own lives, the elders at home wouldn’t care too much about what else they did.

They had been making small mistakes all the time, but this time they were caught by the police, making it a bit serious.

On the way back, Lin Xiangxi was also given a beating.

From the police station to their doorstep, Hu Meili would hit him with a stick whenever she thought about it, and her mouth never stopped.

“Are you lacking food or clothes at home? You actually went to steal things. Is that how I taught you?”

Lin Xiangxi explained softly, “It’s not really stealing. We didn’t go into someone’s house to take it. Who knew they would throw things they still needed in that broken place, and there was no one watching.”

When their house was built, someone would stay up at night to watch, just in case someone took a few bricks to use as a table leg or dug half a bucket of cement to use for plastering.

That pile of old steel was left there so casually, and naturally, the teenagers were tempted.

“Still trying to argue?” Hu Meili hit him again, “Do you think I don’t know what’s going on in your mind?”

Lin Xiangxi’s butt was burning with pain, and he felt ashamed and embarrassed. He walked forward with his head down, silent.

“Mom, don’t be angry. Little brother didn’t mean to. He knows he’s wrong now, and he won’t do it again.” Lin Xiangnan comforted her a few words, and wanted to take the stick from Hu Meili’s hand to prevent her from hitting him again.

But Hu Meili didn’t let go, glared at Lin Xiangnan, and started to scold her.

“You’re also a troublemaker. You’re talking about others.”

“He knows he’s wrong? I don’t think so. I have to beat him hard, otherwise, he won’t learn his lesson.”

“I must have done something terrible in my past life to meet you devils. For so many years, there’s never been a moment of peace. If I die one day, it’ll be because you guys drove me to it.”

Lin Xiangnan was blamed for no reason, and she couldn’t refute. After all, she was the one who argued with Hu Meili the most. Compared to her, Lin Xiangxi was already a good and honest kid.

Love is cultivated through interaction. At first, Lin Xiangnan had no feelings for Lin Xiangxi, and even thought Hu Meili was fierce and unreasonable. But now, after spending time together, she had integrated into this family and started to care about her little brother.

When Hu Meili finished scolding and her anger subsided, Lin Xiangnan quickly suggested, “Little brother is like this because he doesn’t have enough homework. Let me get him some test papers. If he’s busy studying, he won’t have time to go out and play.”

Hearing this vicious plan, Lin Xiangxi’s breath hitched.

“Sister~” Lin Xiangxi pleaded with his eyes.

“It’s for your own good that I’m making you study. Don’t be ungrateful.” Lin Xiangnan couldn’t help but pat him, and said with disdain, “Your grades are already terrible. If you don’t study hard, how will you get into high school?”

“It’s okay if I don’t get in. Anyway, you’re getting married.”

Lin Xiangdong went to the countryside to be a peasant, Lin Xiangnan got married, and Lin Xiangxi was the only child left with Hu Meili.

There was no reason for any policy to completely ruin someone’s child.

This only child who stayed in the city not only wouldn’t face the crisis of going to the countryside, but the organization would also try to arrange a job for him.

Moreover, even if Hu Meili managed to bring Lin Xiangdong back to the city, Lin Xiangxi wouldn’t be the only child left in the city anymore. Hu Meili wouldn’t ignore him, and if she couldn’t find a job, she would let him take over her job.

Lin Xiangxi understood these principles perfectly, so he had no motivation to study. He just wanted to graduate and start working.

Their family didn’t have connections to get into university, and Hu Meili didn’t really care about studying, but it was good to keep Lin Xiangxi at home for a while.

“Just listen to your sister. Read more books and cultivate some scholarly temperament. You look like a street thug right now.”

The two women in the family were united, so Lin Xiangxi could only hold back his dissatisfaction.

Lin Xiangnan directly bought a thick stack of test papers from the mall and stuffed them into Lin Xiangxi’s hands the next morning.

“Two test papers a day. If you don’t understand something, look it up in the book. You can’t leave it blank. I’ll check it when you come back from work at night.” Lin Xiangnan threatened, “If you dare to cheat me, I’ll eat alone and won’t play with you anymore.”

Lin Xiangxi took the test papers with a tragic expression. When he felt the weight of the stack, his hands trembled a little.

“If you do well, I’ll bring you the malt sugar that Uncle Pang simmered when you come back tonight.”

Lin Xiangnan drew a big picture and happily rode her bicycle to work.

Because Zhang Dapang was going to simmer malt sugar today, she went a little earlier.

Yesterday afternoon, Zhang Dapang had already mixed the crushed wheat sprouts and cooked glutinous rice together and sealed them for fermentation overnight. This morning, he could squeeze out the juice and start simmering the sugar.

As soon as Lin Xiangnan arrived at the restaurant, she went to join in the fun with Zhang Dapang.

When the amber-colored, viscous sugar syrup was simmered and before it was taken off the stove to be bottled, Zhang Dapang took two small sticks, stirred a large piece of sugar, and handed it to Lin Xiangnan.

“Stir the sugar and eat it for fun.”

The sweet and soft texture made Lin Xiangnan even more greedy, “I want to eat honey-glazed chicken wings. I also want to eat sweet and sour shrimp.”

Zhang Dapang smiled slightly, “I can make all those. If you can get chicken wings and shrimp, I’ll make them for you privately.”

“That’s a deal. Next time, if I happen to buy these things, I’ll bring them to you.”

“Don’t worry, my cooking is guaranteed to be delicious.” Zhang Dapang said, while also stirring a piece of sugar for himself to eat for fun, “I just want to keep making these delicious things. I don’t want to work and earn money at all.”

Lin Xiangnan looked at Zhang Dapang and said with certainty, “Soulmate! Definitely a soulmate! I think the same way, you see, great minds think alike.”

“I told you, I felt a connection with you the first time I saw you. Now I know why.”

While praising each other’s lofty aspirations, they both sighed and walked towards the kitchen.

It was time to go to the kitchen to work.

Just two days ago, Lin Xiangdong received a letter from home, telling him that they had bought a job for Lin Xiangnan and asked him to find a way to take leave and come back to the city to visit.

It would take at least half a month for Lin Xiangdong to receive the letter and find a way to go home. Lin Xiangnan had to hold on for a while longer.