My College Teacher is My Children's Mom-Chapter 745: I’m scared of being all alone...

Chapter 745: Chapter 745: I’m scared of being all alone...

It was past four o’clock, and Lin Feng would soon have to drive to pick up his child.

Zhou Cuilan went to put on her shoes. "I’m going to buy groceries," she said. "What does everyone want for dinner tonight?"

Lin Dashan was fishing in the courtyard pond. "Anything is fine with me."

"Mom, are you walking there?"

"Yes, I’ll walk. It’s good exercise."

As she passed through the courtyard, Zhou Cuilan found herself thinking. I should plant this whole yard with vegetables. How nice it would be to eat what we grow ourselves.

Lin Feng used to have vegetables planted in the courtyard, but as fewer people lived at home, it gradually became overgrown, leaving only a few scallions.

After picking up Little Treasure, Lin Feng returned to find his parents tilling the vegetable garden.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I’m back!"

The two elders looked up, their faces breaking into smiles.

"Are you hungry? We have apples and milk at home. Do you want some?"

"Yes!"

"Come on, then! Grandma will get them for you!"

Lin Feng went inside to cook while his parents watched over Little Treasure as she did her homework.

"You just focus on your writing, Little Treasure," they said. "We promise we won’t disturb you."

For a while, the two of them fanned her and peeled her fruit. By the time she finished her homework, she was already almost full from all the snacks.

With the two elders at home, Lin Feng didn’t have to worry about Little Treasure.

After dinner, the grandparents took Little Treasure out for a walk. When they returned, she had bought quite a few things: a big bag of ice cream and popsicles, lots of pretty but impractical school supplies, and even a new backpack for the upcoming school holiday.

Without a doubt, her grandparents had bought it all for her.

The money belonged to his parents, so it wasn’t his place to dictate how they spent it. Besides, it was all a token of their love for their granddaughter, making it even less appropriate for him to comment.

Instead, it was Zhou Cuilan who worried her son might disapprove, so she took the initiative to explain. "Your dad and I haven’t bought anything for Little Treasure in a long time, so we just got her some snacks and school supplies."

"We’ll keep an eye on these snacks," she added. "We definitely won’t let her eat too much."

Seeing his cautious mother, Lin Feng felt a moment of disorientation. When did it start? he wondered. When did parents and children switch roles, with them becoming the cautious ones?

Lin Feng smiled slightly. "It’s okay, Mom. You can handle these things. You don’t need to report to me."

Seeing her son wasn’t upset, Zhou Cuilan immediately broke into a bright smile and replied crisply. She assured him again, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep an eye on Little Treasure and not let her eat too many cold things."

Previously, Lin Feng was the one who supervised Little Treasure’s washing up and made sure she went to bed. Now that his parents had taken over the task, he found himself with more free time.

Zhou Cuilan came downstairs to find her son busy in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m marinating the black-bone chicken for tomorrow’s stew. I’m going to take it over to Second Uncle."

"Mom, why aren’t you in bed yet?"

"I can’t sleep. Just came down for a little walk."

"Where’s Dad?"

At the mention of her husband, Zhou Cuilan grew annoyed. "Your dad is sleeping like a log, snoring his head off."

Lin Feng laughed. "Is his snoring keeping you up? I can get you a different room if you want."

Zhou Cuilan didn’t want to trouble her son. "No need. He just snores on and off; it’s not like he does it all night."

「The next day」

After dropping his daughter off at school, Lin Feng brought his parents over to Lin Daan’s house.

"This is the black-bone chicken soup I stewed for Second Uncle."

Second Aunt smiled as she accepted it. "Thank you. You’re so thoughtful."

Second Uncle was in good spirits, basking in the sun on the balcony. "You’re here. Your cousin Rui and his wife will be here in a bit."

Soon after, Cousin Rui and his wife, Yan, arrived, carrying fruit and vegetables. They were practical people; the elders didn’t much care for things like milk, as they had become lactose intolerant with age.

Lin Rui had slimmed down a bit and wasn’t as overweight as before.

Yan explained, "He signed up at a gym and hired a personal trainer. Whether he loses weight is secondary; the main thing is that he’s exercising."

Second Aunt laughed. "What do you need a gym for? Running and jumping rope are good exercise too."

Nowadays, no one had to worry about food or clothing, but the older generation still hoped the younger ones would be frugal. After all, money didn’t grow on trees. It was all hard-earned and shouldn’t be wasted.

Yan was five or six years older than Lin Feng. She had been receiving her pension for several months and was just waiting for her sons to get married so she could have grandchildren to dote on.

"I used to tell him to exercise, but he was never consistent with it—all fits and starts and no real commitment."

"We had no choice but to sign him up at the gym. The trainer supervises him daily, so he can’t slack off."

"Now, he exercises on his own without anyone needing to nag him."

"The money was well spent!" she declared. "It saves us so much worry!"

Second Aunt laughed. "That’s for the best. Otherwise, the money would have been wasted." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The house was lively and bustling, but Lin Daan confided in his younger brother. "Brother, I don’t want to die."

For a moment, Lin Dashan was at a loss for words. "Brother, death is an inevitable part of life. We all have to try to accept it."

Lin Daan feared death. He stared out at the bright sun. "I’m scared of being all alone..."

Lin Dashan gripped his hand. "Go on ahead and wait for me there."

Lin Daan’s eyes reddened. "Lately, whenever I have a spare moment, I think about the old days. I think about our parents, about the children..."

"Back when we were young, we did you wrong. I’m sorry, brother."

Lin Dashan smiled. "Brother, that was so many years ago. I let that go a long time ago, and you don’t need to feel sorry about anything."

Lin Daan seemed intent on fulfilling a last wish. "I have to say it. Otherwise, my heart won’t be at ease. I’ll be in torment when I go."

Lin Dashan smiled. "We’re family, brother."

They chatted for a while longer before Lin Jiajun came home. "Brother Rui, Director Lin! You’re here too!"

Lin Jiajun was busy running errands between two places and had only just returned from buying groceries.

Lin Daan called the three younger men over and spoke to them with great earnestness.

"You three cousins must remain united and love one another. No matter what you face in the future, you must always show brotherly respect and live in harmony!"

Lin Rui, Lin Jiajun, and Lin Feng all nodded.

Lin Daan continued, his gaze fixed on Lin Rui and Lin Jiajun. "Some things are unpleasant to hear, but I have to say them. The truth is, if Lin Feng hadn’t been there to give you a hand back then, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Am I right?"

"Yes," the two answered in unison.

Lin Daan’s expression grew more solemn. "Then I hope you always remember that bond. Don’t get arrogant with success and forget who your family is."

The two of them quickly promised they never would.

When Lin Dahu had passed away, he had said the very same things. They all knew that they owed their comfortable later years to Lin Feng’s good fortune, and they, too, hoped the younger generation would remain united and close.

Lin Daan turned to Lin Feng and said softly, "Our whole family has managed to get this far entirely because of your support. I know that, and I’m grateful to you."

"In the future, if those two ever treat you poorly or act like fools, don’t hold back. You set them straight!"

Lin Feng chuckled. "Second Uncle, that’s too formal. Brother Rui and Brother Jiajun have helped me a lot, too!"

"We’ll always be united and live in harmony. Please don’t worry."

Lin Daan seemed a bit weary. "That’s good. You all can chat; I’m a bit tired and need to go sleep."

Everyone sat for a while longer before leaving one after another.