"Wanwan?!"
Xie Sui called out. The woman smiled and stepped forward, reaching to take his arm. Xie Sui dodged her, and a thought struck him: "You're not Wanwan!"
The woman exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you noticed! You're quite smart. My name is Lin Shishi, hello brother-in-law!"
She extended her hand, but Xie Sui didn't take it. "It's a small place, we don't do that here. Why aren't you going inside?"
"You live here? I heard you own a factory, and it's very profitable, right?"
Xie Sui calmly replied, "It is profitable. I owe two million, but I can pay it off in three to five years. It's just so-so."
Lin Shishi: "You owe so much money? How will you support my sister and the children?"
Xie Sui: "Owing money doesn't stop me from earning. It's not a contradiction. What about you? How did you find this place? Your sister and I were just planning to go back and see the elders. Are the elders at home doing well?"
"Mm, they're fine."
Lin Wanwan wasn't home, likely at the factory. Xie Sui invited his sister-in-law inside for some water and asked the nanny to go buy groceries. No matter what, a guest was a guest and deserved proper hospitality.
Lin Shishi was unlike Lin Wanwan in her demeanor. Lin Wanwan was gentle, dignified, and intelligent, embodying the kind of woman admired by many Chinese. Lin Shishi, on the other hand, was more outgoing, lively, even a bit vain and ostentatious, and more bold and open. Some men preferred that wild streak.
Despite looking identical, Xie Sui could see the difference between her and Wanwan at a glance.
After chatting for a while, he understood the Lin family's situation. Lin Wanwan's third brother, Lin Weiguo, was unmarried because he didn't have a house, and a potential marriage fell through.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers did odd jobs. Only Lin's father and mother were permanent workers, earning just enough to get by each month.
However, providing for their sons' marriages and buying them houses was a significant strain.
Only Lin Shishi was married, but she had since divorced and was currently living with her parents. She had no children and no job, but her attire suggested she wasn't lacking in money.
When Lin Wanwan returned, she was surprised to see her sister. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?"
Lin Shishi hugged her. Lin Wanwan resisted slightly. "Did you get into trouble?"
"No, sister, don't you wish anything good for me? I just missed you and came to see my nephew and niece. Twins, too! They must have inherited our family genes. If I have children, they'll definitely be twins.
They're so cute. Say hello to your auntie."
"Hello, Auntie."
"So good. Here are some candies, go play."
"Thank you, Auntie."
The two children were well-behaved. Xie Sui played with them, allowing Lin Wanwan to speak with her sister.
After they talked for half an hour, it was time for dinner. Xie Sui knocked on the door and invited his sister-in-law to eat. Lin Wanwan's expression was not pleasant.
Lin Shishi, however, was quite pleased and acted completely at home, as if it were her own.
The meal was naturally very lavish: braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, pork bone and radish soup, pickled fish, and two vegetable dishes. Lin Shishi's eyes lit up. "Your food is excellent!"
Xie Sui: "We specifically bought these to entertain you. It's not usually this abundant."
The two nannies also joined them at the table. Lin Shishi twirled her eyes. "You hired nannies? I heard nannies don't eat with the main family. You're even having your nannies sit at the table?"
The two women's expressions soured. They stood up and said, "We'll eat in the kitchen."
Xie Sui: "No need. Eat here. I come from humble beginnings, I don't have so many formalities. We hired you to take care of the children, like family. What era is this? Sister-in-law, that kind of thinking is unacceptable."
Lin Shishi smiled. "I was just saying. I've seen other families do it this way. Please don't mind, aunties."
Lin Wanwan: "Eat your food and say less. Can't your mouth be shut even when eating?"
Lin Shishi finally fell silent, eating voraciously. At the end, she even snatched ribs from the children. The children, being sensible, didn't argue with her, as she was a guest.
Xie Sui's eyes darkened. From this, he could tell that his sister-in-law was an extremely self-centered person, not suitable for interaction.
In the evening, she was settled into the guest room. She hadn't brought luggage and proceeded to rummage through Lin Wanwan's clothes, picking out the good ones to wear. Lin Wanwan said nothing.
Later that night, lying down, Xie Sui held Lin Wanwan. "Your sister must have bullied you quite a bit at home, right? Kind and good people always get taken advantage of. Just you wait, your husband will stand up for you."
Lin Wanwan felt a pang in her heart and hugged him. "No need. Just send her away as soon as possible. It's all in the past. Can I be bothered to argue with her?"
"Precisely because you don't argue, she thinks it's natural. People like this are the ones who push their luck. Your husband will teach her a lesson. Go to sleep, don't overthink it."
Lin Wanwan couldn't sleep. "Let's not go back. I'm worried about my family dragging you down."
Xie Sui: "Don't think like that. Anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. Your sister-in-law isn't great, but once married, she's no longer part of the immediate family. We can just interact as distant relatives. What are your brothers like? If they're like her, I won't be able to handle them."
Lin Wanwan said, "The brothers are all very sensible. One troublesome person in the family is enough. If they were all like her, my parents would be furious."
Indeed, a family usually had one standout individual, domineering and competitive, bullying their younger siblings. With her suppressing the others, the rest of the children were sensible.
Lin Wanwan's third brother and fourth brother were twenty years old this year, and her fifth and sixth brothers were seventeen. The family could only provide them with enough food to eat. Any family inquiring would likely back down upon hearing there were so many children.
Not to mention Lin Shishi, the troublesome eldest sister-in-law, who was divorced and living at home, delaying her brothers' marriages.
She had a perfectly fine name, but unfortunately, she didn't live up to it. It was perplexing how, being born of the same parents, their personalities could be so different.
The night passed without incident. The next day, Lin Shishi didn't wake up early. She was tired from the train journey and slept until noon.
She only got up for lunch and used Lin Wanwan's cosmetics, acting completely at home.
Lin Wanwan directly escorted her out. "When are you planning to leave?"
Lin Shishi looked displeased. "Sister, you're asking me to leave as soon as I arrive? Am I not your real sister? Do you have that many sisters? You're doing well now and don't want to help your family? You're quite heartless! I see that brother-in-law treats you very well. I'll stay here and help you with the children."
"I don't need it, and I can't afford it. I know what kind of person you are. Don't think you can disrupt the peace in my home. I'll buy you a ticket tomorrow, and you can go back. It's not convenient for you to stay here."
Lin Shishi was nonchalant. "I'll ask my brother-in-law. I think it's very convenient. There are so many empty rooms; it's more spacious here than at home. I'm tired of the whole family crowding together, ten people living in a house of a few dozen square meters. Just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated."
In the early years, Lin's paternal grandparents also lived there. Back then, the children were young, and it was barely manageable. Fortunately, the elders had passed away, otherwise, their home wouldn't have had space to stand.
They say many children bring blessings, but having many children also brings burdens. Lin Wanwan didn't need to think to know the pressure on her parents was immense.
Xie Sui entered, calling out, "Wanwan, I'm back. I bought two fish. Let's have pickled fish for lunch."
Lin Wanwan collected her thoughts and walked out. "Okay, save one for tonight. The children like fish too."
When Lin Wanwan went out, Lin Shishi immediately opened her drawers and even looked under the mattress, trying to find something valuable.