Jiang Lin angrily knocked his hand with the chopsticks, “What are you doing?”

The person who came in was Qian Bo, the young intellectual who had secretly admired the original host for a long time.

He had made plans with the original host to meet in the county town, where they would pool their money and travel back to the city together.

He promised to use his connections before the introduction letter expired so she could stay in the city.

Qian Bo was also her classmate, of average height, gentle-looking, and somewhat talented.

He liked singing and writing poetry in his spare time and had often written love poems and letters to her over the years.

Though she didn’t like him romantically, being stuck in a remote village far from the provincial capital made her nostalgic for the past with Bian Haitao.

Sometimes she couldn’t help but entertain him a bit and reminisce about the old times.

However, their relationship was nothing more than normal interaction, but Qian Bo felt it was more than that.

She couldn’t easily define their relationship, but now that she had crossed over, she naturally had to stick to her rules and not let him get handsy.

Rubbing his hand, Qian Bo couldn’t stay angry seeing Jiang Lin’s lovely face.

They had agreed to go together, so why did she bring her two sons along? Wasn’t she supposed to dislike these kids the most?

He had thought that with perseverance, she would finally see his true feelings and be willing to be with him.

After all, she couldn’t be with Bian Haitao anymore, and she had no feelings for Cheng Rushan his husband.

They had only been married a few days before he was taken away.

She was as good as a widow.

He firmly believed that sincerity could move mountains, and she would surely be moved by him.

“Lilin, what… what’s going on? I’ve been waiting for you for half a day.” He gestured for Jiang Lin to go outside and talk.

Cheng Dabao and Cheng Xiaobao looked at him—one guarded and the other curious.

Jiang Lin wanted to refuse, but suddenly her head throbbed, damn it, is it that time already?

She stood up abruptly, startling Qian Bo.

Cheng Dabao nervously pulled his little brother away from them.

He was always anxious when they were away from home.

Jiang Lin glanced back at her two children, signaling them to wait for a moment, then went outside with Qian Bo to talk.

Leaving the restaurant, Qian Bo led her to a quiet corner. “Lilin, what’s going on? Didn’t we agree to meet at the guesthouse at noon? Why did you bring them along?”

Jiang Lin’s head was pounding, so she chose not to speak and let him ramble on.

Qian Bo reached out to hold Jiang Lin’s hand gently. “Lilin, don’t you miss them already?”

Jiang Lin immediately pulled away. “I warn you not to touch me.”

Embarrassed, he withdrew his hand. “I’m just concerned about you. Uh… did you bring the money?”

Jiang Lin thought, Damn, my head hurts so much, and you’re asking me for money? Damn you!

“Forget it, if you don’t have enough money, I can help out. You know… for you, I’m willing to do anything.” He lowered his voice, looking at her intensely.

Jiang Lin thought, I’m about to throw up. Get lost before I’m not too weak to kick your ass.

“What about those kids…” Qian Bo sounded displeased. “You can’t take them back. Even with connections, we can’t register them. If you want them, we… forget it. I’ll have someone send them back to the village.” He moved closer again, his tone ambiguous. “Lilin, how about we stay at the guesthouse tonight and leave tomorrow?”

He was visibly excited, his face turning red, heart pounding even louder.

“Cut the crap.” Jiang Lin was furious, no longer holding back.

She gave him a strong kick, despite her headache weakening her strength, it hit the spot.

“Ah—” Qian Bo doubled over, clutching the sensitive area, hopping in pain. “You, you…”

Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow, feeling no remorse. You think you can sleep with me just like that? Dream on.

Jiang Lin coldly retorted, “Don’t call me Lilin anymore. We’re not that familiar. If you say anything out of line again, I’ll beat you!”

Qian Bo looked at her angrily and sadly, “Jiang Lin, why are you doing this? Am I not looking out for your best interests? You, a talented and beautiful educated youth, how could you willingly marry a farmer? He’s not coming back, and you want to uphold some widow’s chastity for him?”

Driven by jealousy and anger, he spoke without restraint.

Jiang Lin lifted her foot and kicked him again, causing Qian Bo to hurriedly dodge.

“You’re the son of a bitch!” Suddenly, Cheng Dabao rushed over, kicking and punching Qian Bo.

Jiang Lin, being a modern person, didn’t immediately react to the term ” farmer,” but Cheng Dabao did.

He hated being called a farmer’s son more than anything. It was the worst insult at that time.

Qian Bo, who had a secret crush on Jiang Lin and particularly disliked her two children, raised his foot and kicked towards Cheng Dabao.

Jiang Lin quickly pulled Cheng Dabao behind her. “Bullying a child, are you still a man?”

Qian Bo, infuriated and ashamed, said, “Fine, I understand what you mean. You’re playing games with me! Are you really with that guy surnamed Sun? It seems what they said is true, you…”

“Shut up!” Jiang Lin stared at him coldly. “Let’s settle this at the police station.”

Disgusted that he accused her of moving on just because she didn’t want him, Jiang Lin was determined to end the conversation.

Qian Bo looked at her in a daze.

This fierce and aggressive woman in front of him was nothing like the disdainful Jiang Lin he knew.

Why had she become so vulgar? Could it be that her maternal instincts had suddenly kicked in, and she suddenly want her two sons?

He felt deeply disappointed and angry. “You’ve really fallen! You’ll regret this when I get back to the city!” With a cold snort, he turned and left without looking back.

After Qian Bo left, Jiang Lin sighed in relief.

She checked on Cheng Dabao. “Did he hurt you?”

Cheng Dabao, with a dark face, remained silent and sullen.

Cheng Xiaobao ran over, hugging Jiang Lin’s leg with tears in his eyes. “Mom, don’t go. Don’t go with him.”

Though not as mature as his brother, Cheng Xiaobao could sense that Qian Bo wanted their mom to leave them and go with him.

Jiang Lin rubbed his head gently. “Let’s go home. Where else would we go? That Qian Bo wanted to take Mom’s money. Mom won’t give him any.”

Children are easily reassured, as long as they hear that she won’t leave them behind, the reason doesn’t matter.

Cheng Dabao kept his lips tightly pursed, too shocked to speak.

His heart was in turmoil.

……

Jiang Lin smiled and continued her story, “The little rabbit was clever. It saw a boat by the riverbank and quickly jumped on it. The big lion roared angrily, but it couldn’t swim, so it had to give up chasing the little rabbit.”

Cheng Xiaobao listened intently, his eyes wide with curiosity. “Then what happened?”

Jiang Lin chuckled softly, enjoying his eagerness. “Well, the little rabbit sailed across the river safely and found a cozy burrow on the other side. It lived happily ever after.”

Cheng Xiaobao clapped his hands joyfully. “That’s great! The little rabbit was smart!”

Jiang Lin nodded, pleased to see him smiling again.

She glanced at Cheng Dabao, who was still sulking. “Dabao, aren’t you curious about what happened to the lion?”

Cheng Dabao hesitated but finally muttered, “What happened to the lion?”

Jiang Lin grinned mischievously. “Hmm, do you want to know?”

Cheng Dabao nodded reluctantly. “Tell me.”

Jiang Lin leaned closer and whispered dramatically, “The lion, unable to catch the rabbit, went back to its cave and had a good nap.”

Cheng Dabao blinked, unsure if that was the end. “That’s it?”

Jiang Lin nodded. “Yep! Sometimes, things don’t have to be complicated to be good.”

Cheng Dabao thought for a moment, then cracked a small smile. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Jiang Lin patted his shoulder gently. “Exactly. Life can be simple and still be wonderful.”

As the truck rumbled along the dusty road, Jiang Lin continued to tell stories to her sons, creating a brief moment of peace and joy amidst the challenges they faced.

Jiang Lin: “Let me tell you something quietly.” She whispered to Cheng Xiaobao.

Cheng Xiaobao burst into laughter, “That’s funny.”

Beside them, Cheng Dabao was sulking but trying to eavesdrop, unfortunately unable to hear anything.

Seeing his brother laughing so hard, he became curious but didn’t ask.

Jiang Lin smirked at Cheng Dabao, “Do you want to listen too?”

Cheng Dabao turned away, “Hmph! I’m not listening.”

However, his mind was filled with thoughts of lions, rabbits, and rivers, and he was too preoccupied to stay angry.

Leaning against Jiang Lin, Cheng Xiaobao yawned, “Mom, I’m sleepy.”

Jiang Lin said gently, “Hang in there, we’ll sleep more at home.”

Cheng Xiaobao never expected his mom to be so gentle; he wanted to cling to her and act cute endlessly.

Testing her patience daily was his habit, and as long as she didn’t shoo him away, he would find ways to stay close until she grew tired of him.

Today was unexpectedly different, making him happily foolish and pushing boundaries.

Jiang Lin didn’t mind as long as the kids weren’t causing trouble; in fact, she found them adorable compared to some mischievous children – these two were like little angels.

At the village entrance, Jiang Lin and the children got off the vehicle and bid farewell to the driver.

The days were long at the end of June, with daylight still bright even as the sun set, some villagers working in the fields while others were heading home.

As she was about to lead the two children back to the village, she saw a girl with two short braids running towards them – it was Meng Yiyi.

“Linlin, why are you back?” Meng Yiyi looked at them in surprise, as if she didn’t recognize them.

Though not as pretty as Jiang Lin, Meng Yiyi had a pleasant face with smiling eyes and a gentle, sweet voice that made people feel warmly welcomed.

Meng Yiyi was Jiang Lin’s neighbor from their hometown in the provincial capital; their fathers worked together in an auto parts factory.

They had grown up together since kindergarten and had a bond deeper than sisters.

Especially after Jiang Lin cut ties with her family, she considered Meng Yiyi as part of her own family.

Meng Yiyi often said things like “my Linlin” and “it’s for your own good,” treating Jiang Lin like a sister.

When Jiang Lin got involved with Bian Haitao back then, Meng Yiyi had encouraged her to marry Cheng Rushan to improve her situation.

This time, it was also Meng Yiyi who brought back news about Bian Haitao and encouraged Jiang Lin to return to the city with Qianbo…

“Oh wow, what a coincidence,” Jiang Lin smiled at her, “Yiyi, I urgently need 200 yuan, can you lend it to me?”