Lin Youxi and Mei Fang got a chance to be alone. They kept a little distance between each other and walked one after the other on the street in the direction of Lin Youxi's home.
"We haven't been to this road for only half a year, and now there are so many more shops..."
"After all, it's close to the primary school, so business is easier to do."
As Lin Youxi spoke, he suddenly slowed down and waited for Mei Fang.
"When I was in elementary school, I would always take this road to go to your and Yuanyuan's house to play with you. Speaking of which, Yuanyuan's family was very strict and it was difficult for her to go out, so I would go to play with you more often."
Lin Youxi raised his head and imagined: "We will go on adventures in various places together, go to the game hall, go to the ice rink, and look for ponds in the suburbs..."
"Yeah, it was really easy back then."
In the unnarrated story, Mei Fang enjoyed a carefree childhood as a child.
The six years of companionship in elementary school formed the most solid emotional foundation for Mei Fang, Lin Youxi and Xia Yuan. This long-lasting childhood friendship made their relationship almost indestructible, and it was impossible for outsiders to pry them apart.
Just as Mei Fang was reminiscing about the past, Lin Youxi suddenly reached out and held Mei Fang's hand.
Because the incident happened suddenly, Mei Fang subconsciously turned his head to look at Lin Youxi, and Lin Youxi also looked at Mei Fang, with a look of no guilt at all:
"Why, are you sorry?"
"Not really..."
Mei Fang squeezed Lin Youxi's small hand and said, "It's cold in my hometown, and you didn't even know to wear gloves to keep warm. Your hands are almost freezing to death."
"Hmmmm... Just keep me warm."
Lin Youxi smiled at Mei Fang. Now that the two of them no longer lived in Baimei County for a long time, they didn't have to care about other people's eyes even if they were holding hands like this.
In this way, Mei Fang accompanied Lin Youxi all the way to her home before letting go. When Lin Youxi was about to take the key to open the door, sounds of quarreling were heard in the yard.
As the door opened, Lin Youxi's gentle expression gradually turned cold.
"My uncle is here."
"Oh, it's that guy... Is he still bothering your family?"
Lin Youxi nodded and said, “You should go back first. You are not good at our family’s affairs.”
"What are you talking about?"
Mei Fang patted Lin Youxi's shoulder and said, "I'll stay with you for a while."
Mei Fang still remembers things about Lin Youxi's uncle.
He is the only younger brother of Youxi's biological mother.
Youxi's grandparents died very early, and it was her mother who raised her and her younger brother.
After Youxi's mother passed away in a car accident, Lin Guochuan has been taking good care of his deceased wife's younger brother.
He is also the root of all evil that has prevented the Lin family's financial situation from improving.
When Lin Youxi opened the door, she saw her uncle tugging at Lin Guochuan's sleeve and saying:
"Brother-in-law, you don't need to talk to me about all this. I've been single for so many years, and now I'm finally getting married. Not only are you not happy for me, you're even unwilling to help me get together the 100,000 yuan betrothal gift. Is it because you have a new love that you don't take your promise to me seriously at all?"
"I didn't say I don't care about your betrothal money. I just said that Youxi is studying in Jiangcheng now, and we still need to save up for her college tuition. You suddenly told me that we need to help you raise 100,000 yuan. How can we raise it in such a short time?"
"Even if you don't have cash, you can mortgage the house, right? This house was rebuilt from my parents' ancestral house. You also promised in front of my sister's grave that you would help me get married and start a family. I remember that the land certificate is still in my father's name. You can mortgage 100,000 first and then pay it back slowly. Don't make a scene that embarrasses the whole family."
Liang Meijuan, who came with Lin Guochuan, showed an angry expression for the first time. "Xiao You, you should be reasonable when you speak. When your sister died in a car accident, you took away tens of thousands of dollars. You can't blame others for your business failure. It's been Lao Lin who has taken care of you and helped you for so many years. You don't know how to be grateful and come back to ask for money. Isn't that too much?"
"This is a private matter between our two families. You, a woman, have no right to butt in on it. Go away!"
Seeing Uncle Youxi speak rudely to Liang Meijuan, Lin Guochuan lost his temper. He shook off Uncle Youxi's hand and said:
"Zhibing, please be more respectful when you speak to me!"
"Fine... If you don't want to help, then don't help. I've known for a long time that you are a heartless person. It's a pity that our family took such good care of you..."
"Who is the heartless one? If you, uncle, had any humanity, you wouldn't say such a thing."
"Okay, Lin Youxi, you're so arrogant now, how did you talk to your uncle? You're so uneducated. In our Baimei County, the world is so big, but I don't think anyone has taught you the most important truth about your uncle, right?"
"Indeed, no one teaches, because there is no need to educate those who are uneducated."
Lin Youxi fought back against her uncle without changing her expression or heartbeat. You Zhibing was immediately furious and wanted to step forward, but Mei Fang also stood in front of Youxi at this time, cutting off his thoughts of getting close to Youxi, so he had to give up.
"Okay, since your family is so heartless, I'll find a way myself... I just regret that my sister passed away too early. She should have seen what you guys are like now."
"Zhibing, please don't say such hurtful things. I didn't say I won't help you. What I meant was—"
Lin Guochuan insisted on chasing You Zhibing to continue discussing the bride price, and Lin Youxi couldn't stop him and could only watch the two of them walk away.
It was a rare sight for Mei Fang to see Lin Youxi stamping her feet in anger.
After she heaved a sigh of relief, she started to complain to Mei Fang:
"My dad is good in every way except that he is too honest. I don't know why he always defends that vampire."
Aunt Liang said, "Youxi, don't blame your father... The land certificate of our house is indeed owned by Youxi's grandfather, and we haven't handled the inheritance since he passed away."
"The land certificate is useless, Aunt Liang."
Mei Fang reminded, "Property rights are greater than land use rights. As long as the house is in Uncle Lin's name, there will be no problem."
The two-in-one real estate certificate and land certificate was not implemented until 2015. Before that, the procedures for handling various certificates in small counties were very complicated, and many times the processing of certificates did not follow the procedures, resulting in many legacy issues.
But most of the problems are caused by relatives after all, so it usually won’t get ugly, and everyone will resolve it through internal negotiations.
"It's not mainly about the ID. The main problem is on my dad's side."
Lin Youxi explained, "You heard what I said just now. He swore in front of my mother. He is the kind of person who is stubborn and it is difficult for him to change his mind. I will definitely help him get married in the end."
Mei Fang whispered to Lin Youxi, "If you need help with money, I can—"
Lin Youxi shook her head. "This has nothing to do with you, Fang. You should never help without authorization. And it's not just about money. If we don't make things clear and cut off contact with this kind of person, he will definitely haunt us for the rest of our lives—cough, cough cough…"
As Lin Youxi was talking, she suddenly started coughing due to her excitement. Mei Fang quickly patted Lin Youxi on the back to comfort her.
"Okay, okay, I won't be angry anymore... There's no need to be angry about this kind of person, and you too, Aunt Liang."
Liang Meijuan waved her hands and said, "I'm fine. I just feel sorry for Youxi's father because he's working so hard. Alas..."
Mei Fang felt a bit overwhelmed when he heard about these family disputes. The living conditions of the Xia and Mei families were improving steadily, but the Lin family had been stagnant. This was inseparable from Lin Guochuan's honesty and cowardice.
You can say he is a good man, but it is also a fact that he did not bring Youxi a happy life.
Of course, these problems are all about money. If we can solve the problems this time and fulfill Lin Guochuan's promise, that would be great.
But what Lin Youxi was worried about was indeed possible. With such a troublesome relative, who knew if he would always be entangled with her, especially when Youxi became successful in the future, he would always come to her door.
However, Mei Fang had actually seen many people like Lin Guochuan, so he was not worried that he would suck blood from people endlessly.
An honest man's patience is limited. He cannot tolerate others infinitely. Moreover, he still has a sense of responsibility for his family. The reason why he is unwilling to let go is because of the promise he made to his deceased wife. As long as there is an opportunity that makes him unbearable, there will always be a day when he will let go of his obsession.
Mei Fang chatted with Lin Youxi for a long time before bidding her farewell.
"After I finish my meal, I'll come to see you with Yuanyuan in the afternoon, and we'll go to the bank to withdraw some money."
"Withdraw money? What do you want to withdraw money for?" Lin Youxi tilted his head in confusion.
"It's the end of the year, let's hold a small annual meeting for the people in our Ximilu studio and give out year-end bonuses."
"Is it to invite everyone to have a party together?"
"Yeah... yes, that's about right." Mei Fang nodded with a smile.
I wish you all a happy new year! Today is guaranteed to be four updates.
There is another chapter in 1 minute, and two chapters will be updated first.
(End of this chapter)