Lin Xiang didn’t take Chen Miaoying’s appearance seriously. After spending over a hundred and sixty yuan on that expensive dress, she picked out a few less expensive but stylish coats that her mother, Mrs. Lin, could wear at the shop. That way, even if they got a bit of a greasy sll, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Lin Xiang didn’t neglect herself either.
The clothes in the departnt store were a bit flashy for her taste, so Lin Xiang carefully chose two warm but not too eye-catching outfits. She also bought herself two pairs of comfortable shoes.
As she passed by the n’s section, Lin Xiang instinctively picked up a jacket, but then she rembered that she and Cheng Jinyun were just siblings with no blood relation.
It felt a bit inappropriate for an adult sister to buy clothes for her brother, so she dismissed the idea entirely.
Cheng Jinyun didn’t mind, following closely behind Lin Xiang.
With her mind preoccupied, Lin Xiang didn’t go to Xingfu Restaurant; she went straight ho instead.
After placing the clothes she bought for Mrs. Lin in her bedroom, Lin Xiang headed straight upstairs to her own room without even greeting Cheng Jinyun.
An hour later, Mrs. Lin ca ho.
Seeing Cheng Jinyun cooking in the kitchen, she asked in surprise, "Where’s the girl?"
"She spent the whole day in Qi State and got a bit tired, so she’s upstairs resting."
"Are you cooking?"
"Yes, she only had a bun for breakfast and hasn’t eaten lunch yet."
Hearing this, Mrs. Lin imdiately chased Cheng Jinyun out of the kitchen, "You hardly ever cook. I don’t want you setting the kitchen on fire!"
Cheng Jinyun had already cleaned and prepped the ingredients, so Mrs. Lin only needed to stir-fry them.
In no ti, Mrs. Lin had cooked two dishes and made so egg drop soup for Lin Xiang.
"Go upstairs and call the girl down for dinner. I have sothing to discuss with both of you."
Cheng Jinyun agreed, went upstairs, and knocked on the door, "Girl, it’s ti to eat."
At this mont, Lin Xiang was lying on her bed, bored and pondering life.
In that short period, instead of sorting out her thoughts, her mind beca more chaotic.
Hearing Cheng Jinyun’s voice, she responded vaguely, slowly got out of bed, and went out wearing slippers.
There was food on the table, but Lin Xiang found it tasteless, barely picking up any dishes, just mulling over her rice.
Mrs. Lin naturally noticed Lin Xiang’s unusual behavior.
"What’s wrong with the girl?"
Cheng Jinyun said helplessly, "I don’t know either. She was like this when we left this morning, not sure if sothing upset her."
"Could she be sick?" Mrs. Lin touched Lin Xiang’s forehead, her temperature was normal, "No fever."
"I’m done eating."
Lin Xiang put down her chopsticks, "Mom, when I ca back today, I passed by the departnt store, walked around, and saw so nice clothes. I bought them for you, try them on later. If they don’t fit, I can exchange them."
Mrs. Lin was more concerned about Lin Xiang going upstairs, so she quickly said, "I plan to arrange a marriage for Ah Yun. Since you two are here, you can listen in."
Lin Xiang paused and looked at Mrs. Lin with Cheng Jinyun, "Mom, what did you just say? I must have misheard."
"Mom, I didn’t hear clearly either."
"Oh, it’s Sister Wang, who we often call, she found a match for Ah Yun. I think it’s pretty good, and arranged to et after closing at Xingfu Restaurant tomorrow afternoon."
"Ah Yun still has a few days off; eting isn’t a problem. Girl, if you finish school early tomorrow, you should co and take a look for your brother."
"No!" Lin Xiang returned to the table and sat down, "Mom, how could you not tell about sothing as important as arranging a marriage? How can you make decisions without consulting us?"
Mrs. Lin was taken aback and instinctively said, "Why would I need to tell you about finding Ah Yun a match? It’s not like you’re marrying them."
Lin Xiang: Is that the point?
The point should be why Mrs. Lin didn’t ask for Cheng Jinyun’s opinion before agreeing?
She instinctively looked back at Cheng Jinyun, signaling him to refuse.
Cheng Jinyun understood and explained to Mrs. Lin, "Mom, I don’t have any plans to date right now. I want..."
"I say you do, and you do!" Mrs. Lin slapped the table, "You don’t even see how old you are? In our Li Hua Team, people your age already have kids!"
"But this is Beijing, and people tend to marry later here." Cheng Jinyun justified, "Brother An is a year older than , and he hasn’t found a partner either."
"Moreover, I’m not even an officer yet, just a regular soldier. How can I ensure a secure future for anyone?"
The concerns Cheng Jinyun had, Mrs. Lin had considered long ago and even discussed with Aunt Wang, who said not to underestimate a young man’s potential.
He might be just a soldier now, but he could be promoted! She fancied Cheng Jinyun and wanted to set him up with her daughter.
Cheng Jinyun tried to salvage the situation, but Mrs. Lin glared, "Now that you’ve found your blood relatives, are you ignoring as your mother?"
"Or since you’ve moved your residence, you think you’ve grown independent? Do you rember what you promised before?"
Cheng Jinyun feared this aspect of Mrs. Lin the most. Even though he was still resistant to the idea of matchmaking, he agreed.
"I have to go to Qi State tomorrow and will et her in the afternoon as planned."
Cheng Jinyun said, "But Mom, let’s be clear; marriage is a significant life event, and I can’t be coerced."
"Don’t worry; I’m not an unreasonable person. Just go et them first."
With that, the matchmaking was decided. Lin Xiang felt powerless to change anything, so she took her new clothes and returned to the dormitory.
Her heart was in turmoil.
Lin Xiang wasn’t a naive girl; she realized she had unconsciously developed feelings for Cheng Jinyun during their ti together.
If they weren’t siblings, she would have confessed long ago without hesitation.
All those concepts about being in different spaces or girls not being too forward were irrelevant to Lin Xiang.
Life is only thirty thousand days long, and she wanted to find happiness.
But the problem was, she and Cheng Jinyun were siblings.
Even without a biological tie, they had shared the sa household, and Mrs. Lin was counting on Cheng Jinyun to care for her in old age.
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