Qualified Tour Guide, Qualified Parent (Bonus Update)

A lively dinner gathering lasted until nearly two o'clock.

Sister Chunxia's talkativeness left Lin Yu utterly amazed.

She truly was as she claimed—her mindset wasn't old at all.

No matter what topic came up, she could chime in with a few words.

And every time, she managed to hit the nail on the head.

Just like the easygoing vibe Brother Biao gave off, she was very approachable.

Apart from the little episode of appraising the treasure at the very beginning,

for the rest of the meal, there was hardly any unpleasantness.

It wasn't until near the very end

that Song Chunxia addressed the two of them again:

"Chatting with you two is such a delight. I invite you to my home next week."

"I'll have Biaozi wait at home too. You must come!"

"Neither of you is allowed to stand me up, haha."

With an invitation like that, there was simply no room for refusal.

The two could only nod in agreement.

They settled on next Monday to visit Sister Chunxia's home together.

...

After seeing Mao Ruirui back to her shop,

Lin Yu gave Wang Biao a call, briefly explaining how the dinner had gone.

Besides,

they were going to his home as guests the day after tomorrow; he couldn't let Brother Biao remain in the dark.

This was also a chance to learn more about Sister Chunxia through Brother Biao.

That way, next time they met, he'd at least have a better idea of what to say and what not to.

He couldn't just rely on guessing again!

As it turned out,

Sister Chunxia was truly open and aboveboard.

Lin Yu had definitely overthought it.

She knew nothing about antiques.

That jade pendant really was a gift from his sister-in-law, and Wang Biao knew it was a fake.

But since she was his elder brother's wife, he couldn't just expose it outright, hence the awkward moment that made Lin Yu chuckle.

With this information, Lin Yu felt much more at ease.

He now fully understood that Sister Chunxia and her husband were even more straightforward and unpretentious.

Dealing with her in the future wouldn't require so much overthinking.

With that matter settled,

Lin Yu turned to his own affairs.

Regarding tomorrow's birthday, almost the entire crew from that night's gathering would be coming to his place.

With so many people, he had to prepare proper hospitality.

Drinks, snacks, finger foods... these were absolutely essential.

He still had some at home, but it might not be enough for a whole day's consumption.

For this reason,

Lin Yu specially invited the apartment's "quartermaster" to help him with the shopping.

...

Pingchuan City Sky Amusement Park.

Maomao and Du Ruxue had just emerged from the roller coaster ride.

Maomao, experiencing a roller coaster for the first time, had an excited smile lighting up her face.

She pointed eagerly at the giant swing ride not far away, saying:

"Auntie Ruxue, I did my research. That giant swing over there is also one of the must-try rides!"

"Let's go line up for it later? At this time, the line must be short."

Du Ruxue nodded calmly, pointing towards a mobile vendor stall across from the crowd:

"Let's go buy some ice water. It's hot, we mustn't get heatstroke."

Maomao pulled out her phone and immediately said:

"Okay, I'll go right now. Auntie Ruxue, wait for me here."

Watching Maomao's figure disappear into the crowd,

Du Ruxue made her way to a trash can in the shade behind the ride...

After a round of "lunchtime food invalidation therapy," Du Ruxue finally felt alive again.

Right now,

it had only been a little over an hour since lunch.

And here was Maomao, dragging her to such an intense ride!

It was Maomao's first time on a roller coaster, true.

But it was Du Ruxue's first time too!

If she didn't have to keep up a strong front in front of Maomao, she would have been screaming her head off up there.

She never understood before

why people would scream so uncontrollably in amusement parks.

After experiencing it once, she completely understood.

In those moments of utter helplessness, besides screaming to vent the fear in your heart, there really was no other way.

For a few seconds there,

Du Ruxue even felt like she had blacked out!

By the time she came to, they had already gone over two hills.

Just what kind of life-questioning person designed this kind of amusement ride?

And what kind of life-questioning person finds joy in it?

And now they were going to challenge... the giant swing?!

Hah.

Du Ruxue deeply regretted it internally.

Why did she design such a test task for Maomao?

Just who was testing whom here?

At the mobile vendor stall.

Maomao, lining up to buy water, saw a message from Lin Yu on WeChat and replied with flying fingers.

「Lin Yu: How's the amusement park? Having fun?」

「Maomao: Yes, super fun!」

「Maomao: Yu, thanks for the recommendation. It's really fun and beautiful here.」

「Lin Yu: How's Auntie Ruxue holding up? Can she keep up with the young folks' pace?」

「Maomao: She seemed to fall asleep on the roller coaster just now. She thinks I didn't notice.」

「Lin Yu: (Laughing out loud emoji)」

「...」

Looking at her phone, Maomao smiled along.

Regardless,

Auntie Ruxue had been quite respectful of her decisions.

Having lived together for so long,

how could Maomao not notice Auntie Ruxue's discomfort?

Even though she was probably scared and didn't want to ride,

she still respected Maomao's choices and had accompanied her all this way.

Yu's suggestion was really good!

It perfectly hit the mark with what she had in mind.

...

Returning with the ice water, Maomao saw Auntie Ruxue sitting on the steps and felt a pang of softness in her heart.

"Auntie Ruxue, one is mineral water, the other is lemon water."

"You can pick which one you want first."

Seeing how considerate Maomao was, Du Ruxue felt all her discomfort melt away.

"I'll take the mineral water."

"Didn't realize you're quite good at taking care of others."

Du Ruxue gratefully took the water and drank it in big gulps, not caring about her image.

On such a hot day, with the rides and the lines,

it was hard to keep going without replenishing fluids.

Seeing how worn out Auntie Ruxue looked, and then glancing towards the giant swing,

Maomao took the initiative to say:

"Auntie Ruxue, let's go to the Magic Castle later."

"It has air conditioning inside, and no lines either."

"The giant swing... I think we should skip it."

Hearing this, Du Ruxue looked at Maomao with slight surprise.

Maomao understood her, and she understood Maomao just the same.

For Maomao to say something like this

could only mean she had noticed her discomfort.

To be worried about by a little kid...

"Maomao, are you scared?"

"I haven't had enough fun yet. I want to try some more thrilling rides."

"Your task today is to host me properly."

"If I don't have a great time, you're not doing a very good job as the host!"

...

(Extra update delivered! Will also try to maintain extra updates during this period. Without exposure, no new readers, can only rely on everyone's support to keep going. This little author will work hard to persevere!)