Chapter 91: Throwing a Tantrum is an Essential Skill

Hu Meili had finally come for a visit, and Lin Xiangnan had managed to annoy her on the first day. He quickly tried to appease her with flattery and apologies.

“Don’t be mad at me. Tomorrow I’ll take you to get your picture taken. I won’t bring Xiaotian  along, okay?” Lin Xiangnan had already become familiar with the surroundings and could easily arrange fun activities.

Hu Meili looked at Lin Xiangnan with a sideways glance. “Who cares about playing with a dog?”

Hmm? Did that sound like a subtle dig? It must be my imagination.

Lin Xiangnan put his arm around Hu Meili’s and said with a grin, “I don’t care about playing with dogs, I just want to play with you. I’ve missed you so much.”

Sweet words work on women of all ages, and Hu Meili was soon appeased by the flattery. She took Lin Xiangnan’s arm and started complaining about her two sons.

“You’re the only one who gives me peace of mind. I’m tired of your brother and younger brother. They’re both idiots.”

“What’s wrong? Did your brother cause trouble again?”

“Your brother is okay. Sun Xiaodai wrote to him, saying she got remarried back home.” Hu Meili said, “When I found out, I felt such a huge weight lifted off my chest.”

She was a village beauty after all. Sun Xiaodai wasn’t bad looking, and if she wanted to, she could easily remarry.

Lin Xiangnan widened his eyes and asked curiously, “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me when she wrote before?”

“Just a few days before I arrived. Your brother even went through the trouble of asking some of the educated youths he was close with for information. Sun Xiaodai did remarry. The guy she married is from this brigade, and your brother knows him. They say he’s a good, honest guy. Sun Xiaodai probably remarried to have a good life.”

Sun Xiaodai’s family held some power in the local area, and with their support, she wouldn’t have a hard life.

Plus, the guy she remarried had liked her before.

Sun Xiaodai and Lin Xiangdong’s lives briefly intersected, but they eventually returned to their own paths.

However, the impact they had on each other wouldn’t fade so easily.

Lin Xiangnan asked curiously, “Does your brother still send money to Sun Xiaodai?”

Hu Meili’s face immediately fell at the mention of this.

“Sun Xiaodai wrote to him to tell him to stop sending money. Your brother was afraid of affecting the new couple’s relationship, so he stopped sending things. He’s just saving up the money. He wants to save up 200 yuan and send it to Sun Xiaodai all at once.”

“200 yuan! Does he think money grows on trees?”

200 yuan wasn’t a lot for Lin Xiangnan, but with Lin Xiangdong’s current salary, after paying for his living expenses, he would have to save for two or three years to reach that amount.

Lin Xiangnan could only comfort him, “Your brother will get a raise in a couple of years. He doesn’t have any burdens now, so he can save slowly. At least you don’t have to worry about Sun Xiaodai anymore.”

“But now that Sun Xiaodai is gone, there’s Zhou Kangmei.” Hu Meili said with a worried face, “I’m really worried that someone will report your brother for his behavior problems. That useless kid won’t listen to reason.”

“As long as your brother is honest and upright, what could possibly happen? You’re just too worried.”

There’s no such thing as a perfect person in this world.

Lin Xiangnan scratched his chin and asked with a tilted head, “When I’m not home, do you say things like this about me to your brother and younger brother?”

“Of course not!” Hu Meili nervously looked away and said with a defiant air, “I’m not sneaking around. I say it openly.”

Lin Xiangnan crossed his arms and warned, “Don’t let me catch you talking bad about me behind my back.”

“What do you mean talking bad? I’m just saying things as they are.” Hu Meili glared at Lin Xiangnan and said with disdain, “What’s the point of saying anything? You guys don’t change anyway. None of you three brats listen to me.”

Hu Meili had been retired from work for a few months now, and she was slowly getting used to her current lifestyle and accepting her changed identity.

She was no longer the pillar of the family, and she was happy to relax now.

But Lin Xiangnan didn’t know about Hu Meili’s change. The first thing he took Hu Meili to do the next day was visit a temple, hoping to calm her soul.

If she could be calm and peaceful, maybe she would nag less.

Hu Meili didn’t know about Lin Xiangnan’s little schemes. When they reached the temple, she asked curiously, “Didn’t they smash all the Buddhist statues during the Cultural Revolution?”

“No. They only smashed a few smaller statues. Then the monks from the temple stopped them and even called the central government. The central government said that these were important cultural relics that needed to be protected, so the temple was spared.”

Hu Meili asked expectantly, “Can I secretly burn incense and pray?”

Even in the 21st century, people still believe in the power of the occult. Hu Meili and her generation were no exception.

The campaign to eradicate feudal superstition had been conducted with great fanfare, and Hu Meili and the others said they believed in science. But deep down, Amitabha Buddha and the Daoist deity Wuliang Tianzun held an unshakable position in their hearts.

“You can’t burn incense. The heart is sincere, and that’s what matters. We don’t care about those formalities. Just pray secretly.”

The main hall’s statues had been spared, but the temple’s monks had all been forced to return to secular life. They couldn’t engage in religious activities, eat vegetarian food, pray, wear robes, or beg for alms. The former monks were now just like ordinary people, farming to support themselves.

The temple now grew vegetables and fruit and even raised pigs.

There were few people at the temple now, so Lin Xiangnan took Hu Meili around and even took pictures of her with his camera.

Although there were few places for entertainment in the area, Lin Xiangnan had been around and found quite a few interesting spots.

The first day he took Hu Meili to pray at the temple, and the next day he took her to a suspension bridge in the mountains.

Hu Meili stood on the suspension bridge, speechless.

“If I didn’t have a few bucks in my pocket, I’d think you were trying to kill me for my money.”

“I can’t take you to the department store, the park, or the movies. That would be so boring. Mom, relax your face. The pictures won’t look good if you keep making that face.”

Hu Meili lived in the city, so she was unlikely to be interested in these things. But she didn’t like hanging out in the city, and she didn’t like going around with Lin Xiangnan.

After two days of hanging out with Lin Xiangnan, Hu Meili was no longer interested.

“I’m not going. Let me rest. Not everyone can be a street urchin. I’ll make you a few pairs of thousand-layer soles when I get back. You’re wearing out your shoes running around like this.”

Going out with Lin Xiangnan was nowhere near as interesting as chatting with the other aunties in the family compound.

Within a few days, Hu Meili had become close with many of the aunties in the family compound. Her relationship with Luo Caixia next door was also visibly improving.

Seeing the two of them whispering behind the door, Lin Xiangnan couldn’t help but perk up his ears and sneak closer, trying to hear what they were plotting.

“You don’t even know how to throw a tantrum? You’re useless.” Hu Meili said with a disappointed tone, “Throwing a tantrum is an essential survival skill for women! You need to learn it.”

Hu Meili had been in a good mood these past few days and hadn’t been nagging anyone.

Lin Xiangnan thought she had calmed down after praying at the temple, but it turned out she had just decided to retire from nagging and was now teaching others how to throw a tantrum.