Chapter 150: My Thoughtful Little Sister

Liao Shuxia chased after him until she could run no further, finally coming to a halt. She gasped for air, watching as Lin Hongda’s figure gradually faded into the distance.

Lin Sangqian and the others caught up. Seeing Liao Shuxia swaying on her feet, Lin Wenyan rushed over to steady her. "Mother! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." After a moment to catch her breath, Liao Shuxia looked up to see everyone gazing at her with concern, especially Lin Sangqian, whose eyes were welling up with tears.

She wiped her face and smiled. "Alright now! Your father has left, and who knows when he’ll be back? Am I not allowed to be sad for a moment? He’s gone now, and I’ll be over this soon enough. Don't worry about me."

"Mother," Lin Sangqian said, taking her hand. "Let's go home."

"Alright."

Once home, everyone soon regained their spirits. They all believed that Lin Hongda would return safely, so they had to continue living their lives well.

Lin Sangqian and Zhao Lan'er had just finished counting the prepared chicken feet and were getting ready to deliver them to the Fuman Restaurant. At that moment, Xiao Yawen walked over, took Lin Sangqian’s hand, and asked, "Sister Sangqian, can I go to the shop to help you today?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lan'er immediately grew vigilant. This little "green tea" was trying to get close to Lin Sangqian again!

"Of course you can. But why the sudden desire to go to the shop?" Lin Sangqian asked. For the past few days, Xiao Yawen had been staying home, supervising the work with Zhao Lan'er and helping with the chicken feet.

Xiao Yawen sighed. "Sister Lan'er and everyone else in the family are so capable. I feel like I'm not really helping at all, just eating for free every day. I feel so embarrassed, so I’d rather go to the shop to help out." She then added in a sweet voice, "Besides, I want to spend more time with you, sister."

Zhao Lan'er felt like screaming. Xiao Yawen was clearly a year older than Lin Sangqian; how did she manage to say "sister" so naturally?

"Alright, you can come with me to the fried chicken shop today," Lin Sangqian said. "It works out well, actually. I was planning to go look at a new storefront with my eldest brother, so you can help my third brother."

"Yes!" Xiao Yawen nodded vigorously.

Zhao Lan'er’s mouth twitched, yet Xiao Yawen continued in a soft, delicate tone, "Sister Lan'er, what’s wrong? Are you unhappy? If I’ve done something wrong, just tell me directly, and I’ll change."

Zhao Lan'er: "..." She wasn't just angry; she wanted to hit someone. This little "green tea"!

***

Lin Sangqian and Lin Wenyan had found a new shop. The space was large and not too far from the fried chicken and milk tea shops, so they were quite satisfied.

Lin Sangqian bought it immediately. The asking price was 150 taels of silver, but when the seller heard it was for her, he knocked 10 taels off the price. She then hired a few workers to install several baking ovens. That’s right—this time, she was planning to open a bakery.

After leaving the shop, Lin Sangqian noticed Lin Wenyan looking troubled. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Eldest brother, the truth is, you wanted to go with Father, didn't you?"

Lin Wenyan was startled. "Little sister... how did you know?"

"I could tell," Lin Sangqian replied.

Lin Wenyan was silent for a moment before saying, "A man should fight on the battlefield to protect his home and country. I’ve learned quite a bit of martial arts from Father, and I feel I’m capable. But now that Father has already left, if I go too... I truly can't rest easy leaving you all behind." Before leaving, Lin Hongda had specifically told him that as the eldest son, he must take good care of the family.

"Eldest brother, you are still young; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future," Lin Sangqian said. "Besides, I wouldn't be at ease with you going to the front lines right now." Lin Wenyan had great talent for martial arts, but he hadn't been practicing for very long, and compared to Lin Hongda, he still had a long way to go.

Hearing this, Lin Wenyan nodded and sighed silently.

At the fried chicken shop, Xiao Yawen was learning to fry chicken from Lin Beitao. Lin Beitao had become quite skilled; he controlled the heat perfectly and could sprinkle chili and cumin exactly to the customers' requests. He also had a sharp mind, instantly calculating the cost and change.

After watching Lin Beitao fry several chicken wings and legs, Xiao Yawen volunteered to try. It was lunch hour, and there weren't many customers, so Lin Beitao let her attempt to fry a chicken leg. Everything went well at first, but somehow, a drop of oil splashed out, landing right on Xiao Yawen’s hand.

"Ouch!" she cried out instinctively.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Beitao ran over, saw that the chicken leg had been fried too long, and frowned. "I’ve told you how to do it several times, how can you still not get it? Look, you’ve wasted a chicken leg."

"You... I’ve been burned, and you’re still scolding me!" Xiao Yawen felt deeply wronged. "It’s my first time! Was yours perfect the first time you did it?" *Wuwuwu*, Sister Sangqian was better! She missed Lin Sangqian so much!

Lin Beitao: "...You were burned? I didn't know..."

"Hmph!" Xiao Yawen huffed, fished out the ruined chicken leg, and ate it herself.

Lin Beitao wanted to say something, but just then, more customers arrived, so he had to keep working. Xiao Yawen turned away, refusing to acknowledge him.

Lin Beitao felt miserable inside. He really didn't know how to interact with girls! Growing up, other than his little sister, he hadn't had any contact with others. Later, Zhao Lan'er came, but she clearly preferred talking to his eldest brother, and he hadn't exchanged more than a few words with her. Now, he sensed he had angered Xiao Yawen, but he didn't know how to fix it.

Fortunately, Lin Wenyan and Lin Sangqian returned shortly after.

"Little sister, you’re finally back!" Lin Beitao said excitedly.

Lin Sangqian looked confused. "Third brother, what’s wrong with you?" They had only been apart for a morning; did he miss her that much?

"Sister Sangqian!" Before Lin Beitao could speak, Xiao Yawen rushed over, sobbing.

"What happened to you?" As soon as Lin Sangqian asked, she saw the red patch on the back of Xiao Yawen’s hand and asked with concern, "What is this? How did this happen?"

"I accidentally burned myself just now," Xiao Yawen said.

Fortunately, the shop kept ointment on hand. Lin Sangqian took it out and applied it for her. "Third brother, Yawen was burned. Why didn't you apply medicine for her sooner?" Lin Sangqian asked with a frown.

"I... there were customers, you see..." Lin Beitao stammered.

"Sister, don't blame Brother Beitao. It was my fault for not being able to learn how to fry chicken and burning myself. Brother Beitao was busy with so many customers, so he didn't notice," Xiao Yawen said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Lin Beitao: "..." This little girl had two faces! And his little sister, too—she was clearly quite intelligent, so how could she be so bewitched by this little "green tea"? But then he realized there was no help for it. Since the "green tea" had set her sights on her, to Lin Sangqian, this wasn't a "green tea" at all—she was clearly her sweet, thoughtful little sister!

Lin Beitao felt utterly dejected.