The aunt hurriedly stood up from the ground, walked to Lin Xiaoyan’s side, and pulled her into the house.
"Just now I was asking your mom if you were coming back or not. Your mom said she didn’t know if your work was too busy for you to come back..."
Lin Mu looked at her daughter with delight, "Our girl, every time she comes back, she never tells us. We don’t even know when she’s home!"
"Hahaha, she’s trying to give you guys a surprise!"
"Exactly, every time she gives her dad and me a scare..."
Lin Xiaoyan smiled embarrassingly, seeing the others, she greeted them warmly.
"Grandma, Auntie, when did you come back?" Lin Xiaoyan walked over to her grandma and aunt and asked.
The eldest aunt married far away and rarely comes back; she must be here for the cousin’s wedding.
"I came back a few days ago, come sit, are you tired? When did you come back?"
Eldest aunt, having lived away for decades, now spoke with a bit of dialect from that region.
Lin Xiaoyan replied with a smile, "Not tired, I came by plane, it was pretty fast."
"Flying is good, flying is fast, not tiring..."
"Yes..."
In the evening, after dinner at her aunt’s, Lin Xiaoyan went home with her parents.
Seeing their daughter back, Lin Fu and Lin Mu were overjoyed.
"You, really. Coming back without a word, let your dad go pick you up at the airport..." Lin Mu gently tapped her daughter’s head in mock anger.
Lin Fu also said, "Yeah, it would be much easier if I went to get you, I’m not doing anything at home anyway."
Listening to her parents’ voices, Lin Xiaoyan felt warm inside, "It was a sudden decision, I forgot, hehe..."
"Why did you suddenly decide to come back?" Lin Mu sensed there must be something up with her daughter’s return this time.
"Nothing, just missed you guys. Someone’s watching the store, so I came back when I felt like it."
Hearing this, Lin Fu and Lin Mu looked at their daughter’s dark rings under her eyes, said nothing, but their gaze was filled with concern.
Even though their daughter was now well-off, working at a national institution, they felt it might be better to be an ordinary person.
Like last time, it was too scary!
They feared prolonged exposure to such negativity would affect her...
All they wanted was for their daughter to be happy.
That night, Lin Xiaoyan had nightmares again, dreaming of being chased endlessly...
"Keep your voice down, Yanyan’s still sleeping!"
"Okay, okay, I’ll keep it down, I’ll go buy some buns for Yanyan..."
"Alright then, I still have to go to the younger sister’s place later too, pick up some ribs on the way, buy more, and send some to Lanlan for lunch..."
"Got it..."
Lying in bed, Lin Xiaoyan gazed at the ceiling, listening to her parents’ conversation outside, exhaling deeply, she got up.
"Tss~"
As soon as Lin Xiaoyan sat up, her whole body felt sore, a night of nightmares was more exhausting than a day’s work.
Suddenly, she remembered the talisman paper from Xuan Wu!
She immediately got up, fetched her backpack and rummaged through it, finding only one Clear Heart Talisman left.
She took it out, planning to wear it. If she could sleep without nightmares tonight, she’d ask Xuan Wu to buy a few more...
Today, Lin Xiaoyan didn’t join the fun at her aunt’s house, instead, delivering lunch to her sister-in-law at noon.
"Yanyan?!"
Fan Lalan opened the door and was surprised to see Lin Xiaoyan.
"Come in quick, when did you come back?" Fan Lalan smiled and let Lin Xiaoyan in, taking the lunch bucket from her hand.
"Sis-in-law, I came back yesterday."
"Yanyan?"
As Lin Xiaoyan walked in, she saw her brother emerging from the room.
"Bro? You’re not at work?" Lin Xiaoyan looked at her brother in surprise.
Seeing him in loungewear, it didn’t seem like he was home for a lunch break.
Lin Hao looked awkward at his sister’s question, "I... I didn’t go to work..."
Noticing her brother’s uneasy expression, Lin Xiaoyan didn’t press further, pointing to the food bucket, "Dad cooked rib soup, for sis-in-law to eat, but there’s plenty, enough for both of you."
Her sister-in-law took out two sets of dishes and utensils from the kitchen, smiling as she said, "Mom told me this morning, so I didn’t cook lunch today."
Lin Xiaoyan nodded with a smile, glancing at her sister-in-law’s slightly protruding belly, "Sis-in-law, how far along are you now?"
"Over five months."
"So fast, and you haven’t gained much weight." Lin Xiaoyan observed her sister-in-law, she really hadn’t gained much.
Hearing she hadn’t gained weight, Fan Lalan was quite happy, "Uh-huh, I’ve been having reactions in the early stages, couldn’t eat anything without throwing up. It’s only this month I’ve been able to eat, so I haven’t gained much weight..."
Lin Xiaoyan nodded, seeing her brother and sister-in-law already serving the food into bowls, she got up and poured the remaining ribs into another bowl.
"Sis-in-law, bro, you guys eat up, I’ll head back to eat too."
"Huh? You haven’t eaten yet?" Fan Lalan grabbed Lin Xiaoyan, "Why don’t you eat here, and let your brother make himself some instant noodles."
"No need, dad’s waiting at home, and after the meal, I’ll head over to Auntie’s to see if there’s anything I can help with." Lin Xiaoyan refused with a smile.
"Alright then, after lunch, I’ll take your sister-in-law over there too." Lin Hao said.
"Okay, I’m off then."
Lin Xiaoyan bid farewell to her brother and sister-in-law, and took the lunch bucket home.
After Lin Xiaoyan left, Fan Lalan sighed while eating, "Yanyan’s changed a lot since she came back this time. She seems more confident and composed, it’s nice."
Lin Hao eating ribs, replied with a "Hmm."
Fan Lalan looked at her husband and sighed, "Maybe you should ask Yanyan about job opportunities in Sea City, perhaps you should look for work there?"
Lin Hao was silent for a moment before saying, "I’ll ask Yanyan tonight."
"Alright, if you can find work in Sea City, you should go. With mom and dad at home, and I’m not too far along, I can manage myself..."
"Once the baby arrives, we can have mom and dad stay over, or my mom can come over too..."
Listening to his wife’s words, Lin Hao felt heavy-hearted.
Due to past online gambling, he owed a lot, as the payments were initially impossible to meet.
The debt collectors even called his coworkers. Now, although the debt was paid, everyone at work knew about his situation.
No one talked to him, they all avoided him as if he would borrow money, discussing him behind his back. In a fit of anger, he resigned.
Alas, after resigning, he regretted it.
The child would be born soon, he still owed his sister money, not working wasn’t an option. Pride wasn’t that important...
But it was too late. After resigning, he searched for many jobs, but none were satisfactory, and he was on the verge of panic these past few days.
That evening, Lin Xiaoyan and her parents once again came back home after dining at her aunt’s.
Upon returning, they found her brother and sister-in-law waiting at home.
"Did you two eat?" Lin Mu asked the daughter-in-law.
"Yes, we came over after eating." Fan Lalan replied.