Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties
Chapter 570 - 569: The Complexity of Familial Love

Chapter 570: Chapter 569: The Complexity of Familial Love

In the Chen Gang’s cosmetics shop, there were quite a few people gathered around the counter making purchases.

Behind the counter, not only was there a young female clerk, but also Chen Gang, his mother, and Lin Yu.

Lin Yu had specifically sent her child to Qian Chunli to be looked after, because she came to help with the sales.

However, even though the business seemed to be doing well and was booming, Mother Chen and Chen Gang both appeared somewhat worried and furrowed their brows.

It turns out that after Chen Gang saw the first batch of toys sold quickly, he made a special trip down south.

Considering the round trip was too exhausting and incurred various expenses, he didn’t skimp on buying stock.

As a result, the other stores in the city still had inventory on hand and hadn’t sold much.

He then went down to the various Forestry Bureaus, but was a step behind Lin Xia, and even with lower prices, it was no use.

Relying on retail sales alone, the turnover was too slow.

Chen Gang saw the huge stockpile of goods, which couldn’t be sold off, and the short few days of winter break after the New Year.

The Chen family was very anxious and worried, fearing that they would be stuck with the unsold inventory.

So, these past few days, the atmosphere in Chen Gang’s home was very oppressive, filled with gloom and despair.

And Lin Yu became the number one person Chen Gang found disagreeable.

Lin Yu was busy handling sales and dealing with customers, while also cautiously observing Chen Gang’s expression.

She was afraid of accidentally doing something wrong and giving Chen Gang an excuse to lose his temper, venting all his anger on her.

Being disrespected at home was one thing, but outside, she truly didn’t want to lose face in front of others.

Chen Gang detested Lin Yu’s sly and rat-like appearance, glaring at her dismissively.

But considering there were quite a few customers in the shop, he refrained from showing his displeasure or causing a scene that could affect the business.

Therefore, he swallowed his anger and directly went outside through the door.

Chen Gang lit a cigarette and took a couple of fierce drags, while looking over at Lin Xia’s shop.

He saw a constant stream of customers going in and out of Lin Xia’s shop, and the inside was crowded with people.

Seeing this, he felt particularly upset.

He couldn’t understand why their business was so thriving while his own always seemed to fall short.

What was the difference?

In terms of goods, they were nearly the same, yet his business could never catch up.

Chen Gang felt very frustrated, thinking that as a grown man conducting business, he couldn’t even compete with a woman like Lin Xia.

Then there was Lin Yu, helping out, who looked rather unattractive since giving birth, only adding to his annoyance.

If only Lin Yu had some of Lin Xia’s abilities, the charm and savvy to do business, would he be this troubled?

Time flew by, and soon it was New Year’s Eve.

Early in the morning, Lin Xia and Lin Chun didn’t hurry off after getting up and eating breakfast.

Lin Xia made some paste and had Lin Chun and Lin Dong hang up the couplets and banners.

Even though they weren’t spending New Year’s Eve at home, the necessary traditions couldn’t be neglected.

After finishing these, they put on brand-new clothes, locked the house, and headed straight to the station to catch a ride.

Of course, they couldn’t go back for the New Year empty-handed; Lin Chun and Lin Dong were carrying some New Year gifts.

Lin Xia and Lin Qiu walked arm in arm alongside them.

Lin Chun and the others were quite excited, after all, they hadn’t visited the new house even once.

Lin Chun asked curiously, "Xiaoxia! How’s Dad’s new house coming along? Is it bigger than the house we used to live in?"

"It’s alright! Should be about the same size!" The layout of the old house that Lin Xia’s family had, with bedrooms on the east and west sides and the kitchen in the middle, made it seem quite spacious.

The new house, with a living room, bedroom, and kitchen, totaled forty-two square meters and was also quite spacious.

"Big sister, can we all fit in there tonight with so many of us?" Lin Dong was more concerned about where they would sleep that night.

"We’ll see how we arrange it when the time comes," Lin Xia said indifferently.

She thought that since Lin Aiguo knew they were coming back for the New Year, he would have made preparations in advance, and certainly, they wouldn’t need to borrow a place to stay from someone else on New Year’s Eve.

Lin Qiu teased Lin Dong, "Dongzi! You sure have a lot of questions! Are you afraid you’ll have to sleep out in the open?"

Lin Dong grinned a toothy, chuckling smile.

For the rest of the journey after they got on the vehicle, Lin Xia hardly spoke at all.

She stared out the window at the swiftly passing scenery, lost in thought.

She had no fondness for that house at all.

If it weren’t for considering the feelings and thoughts of her older brother and her younger siblings, she would have really liked to spend the New Year just with the four of them.

In her heart, only the few of them were truly family.

But the three of them, unlike her, hadn’t experienced a past life and present life, hadn’t seen the malevolent faces of many people, hadn’t personally witnessed every individual’s hardships.

Often, blood is thicker than water, and the ties of kinship are just that complicated.

Actually, she could understand the feelings of Lin Chun and the others.

Firstly, none of them, including the elder brother, knew about the past life’s events.

In their memory, it was only the recent years that Lin Aiguo had been unkind to them and their mother.

Even if they once hated him to death and didn’t want such a father,

But when one day, they saw Lin Aiguo’s aged appearance, his hair touched by frost, and his body hunched over alarmingly, they couldn’t help but feel heartache.

Moreover, now that Lin Aiguo had come to his senses and no longer resorted to beating or scolding them, willing to speak kindly,

and occasionally offered them a bit of warmth, showing them goodwill, gradually nobody held onto their hatred for him anymore.

Instead, they were filled with a complex, unspeakable, and sour mix of emotions.

Of course, this didn’t include Lin Xia.

Because those unpleasant memories had fused into her own, even though there had been changes in this life, and the things that had happened before hadn’t occurred, she still couldn’t bring herself to let go or forgive.

All she could manage was to maintain an indifferent relationship, nothing more.

As Lin Xia and the others got off the vehicle and were approaching Lin Aiguo’s house, from a distance they saw Lin Fang in bright new red clothes, entertaining Lin Gang’s two children at the gate.

Lin Fang acted with exceptional enthusiasm, her solicitous demeanor a complete turnaround from before, "Lin Xia! Lin Chun! You’re here! You must be frozen! Hurry inside! Auntie and the rest arrived a while ago."

If Lin Xia and the others hadn’t already known what kind of person Lin Fang was, they might have been truly fooled by her.

Lin Xia and the four of them greeted Lin Fang and then followed her into the open gate.

In front of the doghouse next to the woodshed stood a glossy-haired big black dog, which, upon seeing the new faces of Lin Xia’s group enter, bared its teeth and barked excitedly.

If it hadn’t been for the chain, it might have actually lunged at someone.

"Behave yourself! Stop that senseless barking!" Lin Fang casually picked up a stick lying nearby and gestured threateningly at the big black dog.

The big black dog instantly subdued, switching to a low whining and sidelong glances, but its eyes still held a ferocious glare, staring intently at Lin Xia and the others.

Lin Gang’s two children were quite afraid of dogs, and they cautiously huddled close to Lin Xia’s group, following them towards the direction of the house.

Lin Chun, Lin Dong, and Lin Qiu, it being their first time at the new house, couldn’t help but look around curiously...