Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband

Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Return to 20 Years Ago (8)

Ji Lanyue hastily jumped off Zhao Jiayan and then hid behind his back, “Shhh, don’t talk, cover for me, if my big brother sees me, I’m going to die a horrible death.”

Zhao Jiayan nodded, quickly spreading his arms, covering her body as if turning a deaf ear.

“Stop hiding, I’ve already seen you,” Ji Tingyang mercilessly exposed her.

“…..”

“If you don’t come out now, you’ll be punished by father tonight, and I won’t help you,” Ji Tingyang added.

As soon as Ji Lanyue heard this, she immediately came out from behind Zhao Jiayan and threw herself onto Ji Tingyang, “Big brother, could you keep the climbing tree thing a secret, I’ll give you a massage tonight.”

“It’s already not bad that I’m not doing your homework for you,” Ji Tingyang said coldly.

Ji Lanyue had been playing wildly outside these past few days, always feeling drowsy when it came to doing homework at night, even resorting to bribing Ji Zeqiu with her pocket money to help with her homework.

However, Ji Zeqiu took her pocket money and ran off to snitch to their mother.

Their mother got so angry that she slapped Lanyue’s bottom twice and confiscated all her pocket money.

“Second brother is a villain, I’m never going to be good with second brother again!” Ji Lanyue cried, swinging her fists, beating him nonstop.

Ji Zeqiu dodged with a playful laugh.

One would have thought Ji Lanyue would become well-behaved after that, but in the blink of an eye, she set her sights on Ji Tingyang.

Hearing his words, Ji Lanyue’s cheeks turned red for a moment, and she muttered softly, “In the end, it was I who didn’t let you write it, overall, I still finished it myself.”

“Stop arguing, let’s go back,” Ji Tingyang said, expertly grabbing the back of her collar, taking her back home.

Ji Lanyue struggled, turning around to wave goodbye to Zhao Jiayan, “I’m going home first, I’ll come find you tomorrow.”

“If you dare to climb trees again tomorrow, I’ll let mother slap your bottom twice more.”

Ji Lanyue, frightened, touched her bottom, shaking her head vigorously, “I won’t climb anymore, don’t tell mom.”

Never mind climbing trees tomorrow, she could just go to the riverbank and catch fish instead.

She muttered to herself in her heart.

Ji Tingyang had originally planned to bring Ji Lanyue home before Ji Yanli returned, but unexpectedly, Ji Yanli was already home before their return.

Ji Lanyue nervously moved closer to Ji Tingyang’s side, raising her head with a pitiful look, “Big brother, if father gets angry later, you have to speak up for me.”

“Now you realize you’re scared? You weren’t afraid when you were out there having so much fun that you forgot home,” Ji Tingyang said, flicking her forehead.

Ji Lanyue pouted, following him into the house.

Upon entering, she saw Ji Yanli’s face, emotionless and cold, his usually lazy and casual demeanor becoming rigid as the atmosphere around him grew even heavier.

That look was too familiar, it was clearly the face of an enraged father.

Ji Lanyue grew even more afraid, grasping Ji Tingyang’s hand tremulously, her voice tinged with a quiver, “Big… big brother…”

Ji Tingyang was also startled by Ji Yanli, thinking that father was angry because of his sister and started to speak in hopes of covering for her, “Father, my sister, she…”

However, he was barely able to speak before Ji Yanli interrupted him, “You take Lanyue back to her room; I have something to discuss with your aunt.”

Auntie?

Ji Tingyang turned his head and only then saw a woman caked in heavy makeup sitting beside the sofa, and he instantly understood.

His aunt had visited their home a few times before, and each time she came, his father’s face was always icy cold, shrouded in a layer of chill.

It was only when he grew up that he realized—his father probably didn’t like this aunt, which was why she was always greeted with a cold reception.

At this time, Lin Xu also came out from the kitchen, holding two cups of tea, and said to Ji Tingyang, “You two go back to your room and wait there. I’ll come up and call you when it’s time to come down.”

Ji Tingyang nodded, leading Ji Lanyue upstairs.

Seeing them disappear at the staircase, Lin Xu let out a sigh of relief and sat down beside the sofa.

“The sister-in-law is really polite, even pouring tea for me.” The woman smiled and reached for the cup.

Lin Xu dodged the hand that stretched out, placed one cup in front of Ji Yanli, and brought the other to her lips for a sip.

“I’m sorry, but I only have two hands and couldn’t carry an extra cup of tea. However, you said yourself that you’re not an outsider, so please, help yourself to a cup,” Lin Xu said with a smile curving her eyes.

The woman’s hand stiffened in the air for a moment before awkwardly retracting it, “No problem, I’m not thirsty right now.”

“Then what brings you to us this time, sister?” Lin Xu asked.

Even though the woman hadn’t said why she was there, Lin Xu could guess that it was most likely about money.

Sure enough.

The woman’s previously smiling face instantly turned sorrowful as she sighed heavily, “Actually, I didn’t want to come to you, but you know what your brother-in-law is like…”

“What happened to my brother-in-law?” Lin Xu inquired, playing along.

“We had saved up some money, thinking of starting a small factory. It wouldn’t make us rich, but we hoped to live a better life. But your brother-in-law is clueless about business. In less than two months, the factory is almost bankrupt, and all our money’s gone down the drain. How are we supposed to live now?” The woman dabbed at her eyes, sobbing quietly.

However, a few minutes of her crying brought no words of comfort. She sneakily glanced at Ji Yanli, only to find him expressionlessly sipping his tea, showing no response.

The woman’s crying gradually subsided as she hesitated before getting to the point, “I heard that Ji’s company is doing very well and has made quite a bit of money over the years. Could you lend us some to get through this?”

Lin Xu looked down at her teacup, saying nothing.

Ji Yanli’s cold gaze swept over, causing the woman’s heart to tremble with an eerie fear.

“People say, ‘Lend and it will be returned, making future loans doable.’ Why don’t you repay the one million I lent you two years ago, and then we’ll talk,” Ji Yanli said indifferently.

“All the money for the factory is gone; we really can’t afford to pay you back. Besides, you make so much money every month, do you really care about that one million?” the woman replied nonchalantly.

“And when our parents died during my childhood, it was I who toiled to raise you. Now you won’t even lend me a small sum of money when I ask, truly raising an ingrate,” she began to complain again.

Lin Xu had heard this same refrain over and over again for more than a decade—always the same few lines with no novelty.