Standing Next To You-Chapter 329: Fourth Branch’s changes

Night came.

In the fourth branch of the Lin mansion, Lin Sanju arrived home with a basket of egg tarts.

His friend had insisted on giving him the basket to share with his family.

Lin Sanju knew that these kinds of pastries were disliked by his family. However, recently, his mother, Li Mei, would take the initiative to eat them as long as he brought them. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

As he expected, Li Mei took the egg tarts and said they would eat them together.

Li Mei wanted to please Lin Sanju, so although she did not usually eat cheap pastries that could be bought from the market, she insisted on eating them.

She thought this was Lin Sanju’s way of wanting to get closer to them as a family, so she called her husband and Lin Sunji.

Nowadays, the atmosphere in the family was tense. Ever since Li Mei and Lin Ruo expressed their support for Lin Sanju, Lin Sunji took it hard and misunderstood that they had given up on her.

Li Mei wanted to explain, but every time she tried, their conversation turned into a fight. Her husband was useless in this matter and remained a bystander.

Li Mei was at a loss and could only let this wound fester.

She was skilled at scheming with others and laying out a path to certain victory, but when it came to parenting, she was clueless.

She couldn’t get close to the son she had neglected for so long, and she couldn’t appease the daughter she had hurt.

Li Mei could only rely on opportunities like this to bring the family together and try to mend their broken bonds.

Fortunately, despite the cold treatment, the two children still came home and obeyed her on the surface.

When Lin Sunji arrived downstairs, she saw her family around the table eating familiar-looking egg tarts.

Lin Sunji: "...." Why does the basket look familiar?

"Come here, Ji’er. Your brother brought us some food." Li Mei pushed down the egg tart in her throat with difficulty. She handed a big one to Lin Sunji with hopeful eyes. "Eat."

Lin Sunji: "...."

She wanted to reject it. She didn’t eat these kinds of cheap pastries. But everyone was already eating them.

Lin Sunji’s temper had calmed down a lot lately. She knew she could no longer be as unreasonable as before.

And...

She looked at the egg tart.

This familiar-looking egg tart somehow reminded her of the kindness she received from a random stranger.

She accepted the egg tart and took a bite out of it.

Li Mei, who expected her daughter to throw a tantrum, was taken aback. Her eyes then curved into a smile. It was the first time she saw her ill-tempered daughter eat the egg tart without complaint and with a peaceful look on her face.

Lin Sanju and Lin Ruo also paused, looking at Lin Sunji with surprise in their eyes.

Usually, when Lin Sanju brought food from his friend, Lin Sunji rejected it coldly and left the dining room in anger. On rare occasions, she would take one, albeit while grumbling and whining, and then leave the dining room with loud, angry steps.

However, this time Lin Sunji ate it peacefully. When she finished one, she even praised it.

"It’s good." Then she took another one to eat. She did not leave the table and ate with them in silence.

When Lin Sunji finished the second egg tart, she noticed the silence around her and looked up at them. She saw her mother, father, and her twin brother looking at her with complicated emotions in their eyes.

Lin Sunji was embarrassed. She took a drink and mumbled, "What are you staring at? Just eat."

Li Mei teared up. For some reason, this scene really moved her heart. She took another one and ate it. This time, she did not find it hard to swallow.

Lin Ruo, who also felt like this egg tart was something he would never eat again, found it looked so good in his eyes right now. He also took one and ate it with a smile.

Lin Sanju was the most surprised of all. He glanced at his sister, then at his mother and father. They were eating the cheap pastry that he never imagined they would eat in this lifetime, with a light smile on their face, as if it were a delicacy.

There was a harmonious atmosphere around them that Lin Sanju had not felt for ages. The scene before him somehow resembled what a family should be like.

He suddenly remembered what Xu Tian said.

Family is the same. It’s just the method that’s different. So the outcome is different.

Lin Sanju’s stomach was full, but he took another egg tart and ate it with complicated emotions. For the first time, he felt hope.

Perhaps there was still hope for this family.

****

The night deepened.

In the master bedroom of the Lin mansion’s fourth branch, Li Mei approached her husband, who was lying on the bed. She hugged his back, causing Lin Ruo to open his eyes and adjust his position to embrace her.

Lin Ruo might not have been perceived as a good person by others, but he was a good husband.

He gently patted Li Mei’s back. It had been a long time since his wife had been this intimate with him.

Because of the problems with their children, Li Mei had been on edge. She spent most of her time lost in thought and would sleep with her back to him.

"What’s wrong? Do you need something?" Lin Ruo felt a surge of happiness at this rare moment of intimacy and was prepared to grant Li Mei whatever she desired.

"...Laogong*, perhaps we are doing it wrong," Li Mei uttered, her voice tinged with rare fragility.

Lin Ruo paused, understanding what Li Mei was referring to.

****

A/n: Lǎogōng (老公): This term translates to "husband" or "hubby" and is commonly used by wives to address their husbands in a familiar and affectionate manner.