「On the other side.」

Lin Feng drove, taking Second Uncle Lin Dahu and his wife home.

Lin Dahu owned two properties. One was his old family home, and the other was a two-bedroom apartment he had received as payment for a debt. The apartment was nearly renovated by the time of the babies' six-month celebration, but they only moved in after letting it air out for another half a year.

His wife, Second Aunt, was a bit of a coarse person, so the house wasn't particularly tidy, but it was acceptable.

Lin Dahu sat on the sofa. "Lin Feng, come over. How about a chat with your Second Uncle?"

Lin Feng sat down. "What would you like to talk about, Second Uncle?"

Lin Dahu smiled. "Just a casual chat. Don't worry, your Second Uncle isn't going to ask you for help. I know it's not easy for young people to make money these days, and you have your own life. I wouldn't have the heart to ask."

Second Aunt had already finished making the bed. "Stop talking. He has to go home and take care of his own children."

Lin Dahu glared at her. "You, shut your mouth. I'm just going to talk for half an hour." He turned to Lin Feng. "You have half an hour, right?"

"Yes."

Lin Dahu smiled with satisfaction. "You're a good kid, ten, even a hundred times better than your brother Rui. I might as well pretend I never had that son."

Lin Feng listened quietly as his uncle recounted the issues with the siblings, Lin Rui and Lin Xiaolan.

At the end of his rant, he slammed his hand on the dining table and pointed at it furiously. "That day, he sat right there and told me he wanted to disown me! Can you believe that? Is that something a human being does? It's his fault, yet he feels no remorse. Is he even human?"

Lin Dahu poured out all his grievances while Lin Feng listened in silence. Lin Feng figured that his uncle was just complaining and needed someone to confide in.

Half an hour later, Lin Dahu was lying on the sofa, completely drunk and still mumbling incoherently. "How did I father such a creature? Wants to disown me! As if I give a damn about a son like you!"

Lin Feng helped carry him into the bedroom.

"I'm heading out now, Second Aunt."

"Sorry you had to see that."

Lin Feng smiled. "Not at all."

Every family had its own troubles; he wasn't one to judge. Despite his Second Uncle's harsh words, he truly did care about his children. It was just a shame...

Lin Feng drove home and ran into a haggard-looking Lin Jie in the residential complex.

When Lin Jie saw him, his eyes lit up. "Brother, where were you?"

"Second Uncle had too much to drink, so I drove him home."

It was already half past ten, and Lin Jie still had to study. The national college entrance exam was getting closer and closer.

Back at the house, Lin Feng took off his shoes and said to Lin Jie, "Don't lock your door later. I need to come to your room to talk about something."

"Okay, bro."

"Go on, Mom left you some food in the kitchen."

Hearing the noise, Zhou Cuilan came downstairs. Her heart ached when she saw her son's gaunt face. "I left some food for you in the kitchen. Let me go heat it up."

Lin Jie dropped his heavy schoolbag and sat at the dining table, watching his mother's busy figure. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Seeing him sleeping so soundly, Zhou Cuilan couldn't bear to wake him.

"Jie, Lin Jie..."

Lin Jie slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them. The aroma of the food made him realize how hungry he was.

"Eat up. Make sure you get to bed early tonight."

Lin Jie shook his head. "I still haven't reviewed the key points the teacher went over today."

Zhou Cuilan frowned helplessly. "Then you'd better eat quickly."

Lin Jie nodded. He was already working as fast as he could, but he still ended up going to bed at two or three in the morning every night. My brother went through the same thing back then, he thought.

After Lin Jie finished his meal and Zhou Cuilan had washed the dishes, she started preparing fruit and a late-night snack for him.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about me. Please go to bed." They had guests today, and she must have been tired from entertaining them.

Zhou Cuilan smiled. "Don't you mind me. Go on back to your room."

When Lin Jie returned to his room, the sight of his bed made him want to dive right in. He was exhausted. He patted his cheeks to wake himself up and sat down to organize his textbooks and homework. He needed to review the key points the teacher had covered that day to reinforce his understanding.

Zhou Cuilan tiptoed into the room, carrying a plate of fruit and some snacks. "Jie, I'll leave this here for you. You need to get some rest soon, too."

"Okay, Mom. You go get some sleep."

Zhou Cuilan slipped out of the room quietly, letting out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi were helping the babies pee and poop before bed. As they did, he told her about what had happened at his Second Uncle's house.

After listening, Zhang Yuxi clicked her tongue twice. "Rui's and Xiaolan's personalities are inseparable from their upbringing. I heard that when your Second Uncle was young, he was even more of a playboy. It's perfectly normal for a son to learn from his father's example... It's easy to see reflections of the parents in their children. But Rui and Xiaolan aren't kids anymore. Even if their environment was a factor," she continued, "after all these years, they should have matured a bit, changed, and reflected on themselves."

Lin Feng smiled. "You don't have to sugarcoat it. I know exactly what kind of person Rui is. He and his sister inherited all of their parents' worst traits. They haven't changed one bit over the years, and I doubt they ever will." After speaking, Lin Feng wiped the fourth baby's bottom, washed it, and put on a fresh diaper.

Zhang Yuxi handed the fourth baby to Lin Feng and immediately went to get some water. "I always had a good impression of Sister Yan," she said with a sigh of regret. "It's a shame she ended up with someone like Rui. She used to be in sales, and she did so much for him after they got married. She finally made it through all that hardship..."

At the mention of Du Yan, Lin Feng couldn't help but sigh as well.

Zhang Yuxi gently pinched the fourth baby's chubby cheeks. "It's the child who suffers the most from their divorce." As a parent herself, she felt the most for their child.

Lin Feng picked up the fourth baby and settled him into his sleeping bag. "That's something we can't control..."

The eldest, of course, wanted to play for a while. To avoid disturbing his younger siblings, he always played by himself on the bed before sleeping.

Suddenly, Lin Feng remembered their early education class the next day. "I'll go with you."

The eldest crawled onto Lin Feng's chest and started playfully gnawing on his daddy's face.

Lin Feng stopped him. "Hey, little man, that's your dad's face! It's not for eating."

The eldest sat on Lin Feng's stomach, bouncing up and down.

Lin Feng rolled over onto his hands and knees. "Here, want to play horsey?"

The eldest was delighted and giggled uncontrollably. After about ten minutes of playing, he started to yawn. Lin Feng held him in his arms, and he was asleep in less than a minute.

After getting the eldest settled, Lin Feng said he was going downstairs to check on Lin Jie. "Honey, you go to sleep first. Don't wait up for me."

"Okay."

Lin Feng went downstairs and took out a Dragon Phoenix Rejuvenation Pill. He broke it in half, planning to have Lin Jie take it in portions. He dissolved one of the halves in hot water, and as he sniffed it, a thought struck him. This smells a bit like... milk tea?!

Holding the small bowl, Lin Feng knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Lin Feng entered the room and saw Lin Jie still writing furiously. A sense of relief washed over him. He hasn't slacked off just because he has an older brother to rely on.

"Here, drink this."

"What is it?"

"Drink it, and I'll tell you."

Lin Jie glanced at it and drank it down without a second thought. Afterward, he smacked his lips, finding the taste a bit strange.

"It's a new drink I'm thinking of adding to the store's menu. Summer is coming, and lots of people like milk tea, right? So I mixed some up for you to try."

Lin Jie answered honestly, "Bro, I can't help you with this. I don't like milk tea. You should ask sister-in-law and her friends; girls love that stuff."

"Oh," Lin Feng said. "How much homework do you have left?"

"This, this, and this..."

Lin Feng asked, "Need your big brother's help?"

"No need, bro. I can handle it myself. You should go get some sleep."

Lin Feng didn't press the matter. "Alright. Finish up your homework and get some rest."

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