Chapter 36 Do You Think I Am Good?

Faced with Lin Lin's question, I didn't know how to respond for a moment and could only look at the culprit, Lin Xingfan. I gave him a wink; since he started the topic, he would have to be the one to resolve it.

Lin Xingfan cleared his throat. "Don't even mention her. She's a real vixen. Your brother Jiang Jian has had a rough love life and an unhappy marriage; he's in the middle of a divorce right now, so don't go poking at his wounds."

"Oh... so that's how it is." Lin Lin looked at me, seemingly questioning the credibility of Lin Xingfan's words.

I had no choice but to nod. "Yes, but in a sense, ending an unhappy marriage is a good thing." I then asked, "Lin Lin, you don't have a boyfriend yet?"

"Well, I don't want you to laugh at me, but I've never had a boyfriend."

If I remembered correctly, Lin Lin was three years younger than Lin Xingfan and me. Because girls develop earlier than boys, even though there was an age gap, she was a head taller than both of us back then. Now that I think about it, Lin Lin must be nearly thirty.

"Why not? You've grown up to be so beautiful; surely there hasn't been a shortage of suitors from university to the workplace?" Lin Xingfan asked curiously while eating an apple.

"I... I've had someone in my heart for many years, but we just never had the chance."

As she said this, Lin Lin’s gaze lingered on my face intentionally or otherwise before she looked away. I didn't think much of it, merely feeling curious about what kind of person she had been secretly in love with for so many years.

Having not seen each other for so many years, the three of us who grew up in Changshui Village had plenty to talk about now that we were reunited in a distant land. With Lin Xingfan keeping the atmosphere lively, Lin Lin and I became much less reserved and awkward.

Happy times always pass quickly. I glanced out at the balcony; the sky had already darkened. I took out my phone and tapped the screen—it was nearly eight o'clock. Thinking that Lin Lin’s injury made it difficult for her to move around and that she lived alone, I took the initiative to offer to cook.

However, when I walked into the kitchen, it was clean and tidy—or, to put it bluntly, completely empty. The refrigerator's freezer was packed with pre-made meal kits and semi-finished products, while the fridge compartment was as empty as if it had just been bought. A clever housewife cannot cook without rice; after rummaging through the fridge, I couldn't find anything to make a meal with. Holding a pre-made meal packet in each hand, the only consolation was that the ingredient lists met national food safety standards—at least better than the greasy takeout shops where cockroaches and rats ran rampant.

I sighed. "Maybe I should go out and buy some groceries."

"Lin Lin, you can't keep eating these things."

Lin Lin smiled apologetically. "I order takeout sometimes. The main thing is that I don't know how to cook..."

I realized that going out to buy groceries and cooking now would be more trouble than it was worth. "Is there a restaurant you'd like to go to? Your second brother and I drove here; we'll take you, and then drive you back after the meal."

"My leg makes it inconvenient to go up and down the stairs, so let's just forget it. Ordering takeout is fine."

"You're a guest at my place, and yet I can only offer you takeout. I feel really bad about that." I walked over to Lin Lin and crouched down. "I'll carry you up and down the stairs."

Lin Xingfan let out a "whoa." "I didn't think you were such a thoughtful guy, tsk tsk tsk."

"Since you, the second brother, aren't saying anything, I have to step in, don't I?"

Lin Lin hesitated, unsure whether to climb onto my back. As I remained crouched until my knees began to ache, I had to urge her. "If we don't go now, we won't find anywhere to eat."

Feeling the weight on my back, a pair of fair, lotus-root-like arms wrapped around my neck and rested on my shoulders. Because the knee with the injury could not be bent easily, I held her thighs to keep her from sliding off. I could feel her slightly rapid breathing against the back of my neck, which felt a bit ticklish. Lin Xingfan followed to help, and the three of us carefully navigated the stairs.

At that moment, Lin Lin felt my large, calloused hands pressed firmly against her thighs through the thin fabric of her dress. Her face instantly turned as red as if it were on fire, and she buried her face deeper into my shoulder.

When we reached the car, Lin Xingfan helped open the back door. As I placed Lin Lin inside, I saw the lingering flush on her bowed head, and I felt a strange, indescribable sensation in my heart.

"Lin Lin, where would you like to go?"

"I... I haven't been in Tianhai long, so I'm not very familiar with the area. I don't know, Brother Jiang Jian, you decide."

After some thought, I took Lin Xingfan and Lin Lin to a hot pot restaurant with good value and a decent atmosphere. After all, since I was treating Lin Lin to dinner, taking her to the stir-fry place from before didn't seem appropriate. For convenience, we found an empty table in a corner on the first floor. Since it was a weekday, the restaurant wasn't too crowded.

"They use QR code ordering here. Lin Lin, just choose whatever you like; your second brother is paying for this meal."

"Order the expensive stuff. If you can't finish it, we'll have it boiled and packed to take home. We haven't seen each other in so many years, so we should make your second brother bleed a little."

Lin Xingfan nudged me with his elbow. "You really have no shame!"

"Why would I stand on ceremony with you? Seriously!"

Lin Lin covered her mouth and laughed. "You two are just like you were when we were kids; you haven't changed at all."

"That's true. Of the three of us, you've changed the most. I can't even connect you to the tomboy you used to be."

Lin Lin rested her chin on one hand, her other hand tapping on the table. She leaned in closer, looking at me with eyes as shimmering as spring water. "Does Brother Jiang Jian like how I look now?"

I didn't expect her to say that, and I choked on the water I was drinking. "Cough, cough, it's very good. You could say you're graceful and elegant now; you don't look like a child from Changshui Village at all."

Lin Xingfan seemed to sense something, though he wasn't quite sure, so he took the opportunity to change the subject. "Lin Lin, where did you and Second Aunt go after leaving Changshui Village? How have you been? Is she doing well?"

"My mom took me to Hengzhou. She worked several jobs to put me through school, and later, through an introduction, she married my current stepfather."

"My stepfather is a high school Chinese teacher. His first wife passed away when he was young, and he had no children. He never remarried until he met my mom."

"He treats my mom very well, and he has always treated me as his own."

Lin Xingfan was deeply moved. I remembered her second uncle, nicknamed "Lin the Dim-witted," who was notorious in the village for his bad temper—he loved to drink heavily and would beat his wife and children afterward. Lin Lin's mother had given birth to two daughters for him; the eldest was Lin Xingfan's older sister, Lin Ping.

When the two of them divorced, Lin Ping was already seventeen, an age where she could be married off in the village. To secure a bride price, Lin the Dim-witted refused to let Lin Lin's mother take Lin Ping with her. In the end, only Lin Lin left. But a few months later, Lin Ping stole all the money in the house, left a note saying she was going to work in the south, and never returned. No one knew if she was alive or dead, and every time the villagers mentioned her, it was with a sigh.

"I wonder where Sister Pingping is now, and how she's doing."