Chapter 132

Chapter 132: Co-renting Plan

The matter of whether the three children should live together in rented accommodation was finally settled with the appearance of Lin’s family.

Seeing that both sides were at an impasse, Lin You Xi’s stepmother, Liang Meijuan, proposed a new plan.

She planned to resign from her job as a salesperson at the White Plum Elementary School canteen and rent a house in Jiangcheng with the three children.

Liang Meijuan’s original salary was not high, and she was originally a contract worker, so quitting her job was not a heavy burden;

By taking care of Mei Youyuan and the three children, she could save the money that would have been paid to the cook, and

Furthermore, although she wasn’t their biological mother, everyone had seen how attentive Liang Meijuan was to You Xi, so they naturally trusted her to take good care of the three of them.

After discussion among the three families, it was decided that the Mei family and the Xia family would share the rental costs, and each month they would give Liang Meijuan an additional 4000 yuan.

This salary included laundry, cooking, cleaning, and emergency expenses for daily life; however, the three children’s tuition fees and living expenses were to be paid separately by themselves.

Essentially, the Xia and Mei families would cover the costs, while the Lin family would contribute labor.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yuan was so excited that she couldn’t sleep well all night.

With the summer camp for Jiangcheng No. 1 High School approaching, the three of them came to Jiangcheng with their respective families. The parents first looked around for houses nearby, while the children went sightseeing in Jiangcheng in Xia Xun’s car.

“Wow! Jiangcheng is much more fun than Baizhou!”

Mei Ya, who is already eight years old and in the third grade of elementary school, was seeing the scenery of a big city for the first time.

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi had taken Mei Ya to various scenic spots these past few days, since they would see less of her in the future.

“Do you feel sad about moving to Baizhou to study?”

“Of course I do… I’ll miss my friends.”

Mei Ya lowered her head in thought, “But… Dad promised to buy me a telescope. Then I’ll have my own room, so I can still accept it.”

“A telescope?”

Xia Yuan said in surprise, “Do you like studying stars?”

“Yes!” Mei Ya said with her hands on her hips, “I plan to become an astronaut in the future, and exploring the sky is a necessary part of that.”

Mei Ya smiled happily, “Did you know? The stars we see now are actually light emitted by them a very long time ago, thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago!”

“Oh wow! You’re amazing…”

Xia Yuan stroked Mei Ya’s head, smiling as she listened to her speak, while Lin You Xi talked to Mei Fang about the latest news on C Station.

After Yue Xinyi learned about C Station from Mei Fang and Lin You Xi, she was assigned to handle website operations, similar to what Mei Fang had done before by pretending to be Lin You Xi to interact on the forum.

However, Mei Fang had Yue Xinyi register a new administrator account, and she called herself ‘Yue Xi Group Leader’. She had already become close with the forum members.

Lin You Xi still had some concerns about this, “Is it okay to entrust this to the forum friends? Xinyi has to study, wouldn’t giving her such tasks interfere with her studies? She seems very enthusiastic about it.”

“But besides online friends, we also need some trustworthy real-life friends to help with simple but important tasks.”

“As for studying… Xinyi should understand that we will set a KPI for her, and if her grades drop too much, she won’t be able to continue helping us.”

“Okay…” Lin You Xi nodded, “Since Fang said so, then let’s do it this way.”

Mei Fang patted Lin You Xi’s shoulder, “If you have any opinions, tell me. Don’t keep them inside.”

“I don’t have any opinions.”

Lin You Xi fell silent for a moment, then looked at Mei Fang again, “I just… don’t like too many people knowing about what we’re doing, especially regarding the website. It feels complicated to explain.”

“What are you talking about?”

Xia Yuan suddenly leaned over, curiously looking at Mei Fang, “Tell me quickly!”

“We were discussing the arrangements for C Station earlier… Why are you getting so excited?”

Xia Yuan stuck out her tongue at Mei Fang, “I’m just curious!”

When Xia Yuan said this, she glanced at Lin You Xi, and they both laughed unconsciously.

Their relationship had become somewhat delicate after that argument, especially when it came to Mei Fang, and they started to guard against each other.

Overall, their feelings were still very strong, and they valued their relationship deeply.

The three families spent a week in Jiangcheng, and the three-bedroom apartment they rented was cleaned up.

The house was located opposite the Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, where many students lived nearby to attend classes. Although the apartment was only 90 square meters, it was fully furnished and ready for occupancy.

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi shared the main bedroom, while Mei Fang and Liang Xiajuan each had their own separate bedrooms. Mei Fang’s room was the closest to the living room, which provided some distance between them.

“All right… I’ve made your bed. Tomorrow is the start of the summer camp, so get a good rest tonight… Look, you’ve buttoned your shirt crookedly.”

“It’s fine, I can fix it myself, Mom…”

Just as Mei Fang was speaking, he noticed his mother, Xiang Xiaoxia, starting to well up.

“Look at you, child… How can I feel at ease leaving you to study alone.”

A mother worries when her child leaves home, an age-old truth.

Even though Mei Fang didn’t think it was a big deal, seeing his mother’s expression moved him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not alone. Aunt Liang will take care of me, and besides, Yuan Yuan and You Xi are here too, right?”

“Mm… That makes me a bit worried.”

Xiang Xiaoxia rubbed her temples, “Your mother has always opposed renting a place. What are you afraid of? Don’t you understand?”

Mei Fang scratched his head, “Don’t say that. Haven’t I proven to you before that I wouldn’t do anything inappropriate?”

“Now I have to worry about more than just you…”

Xiang Xiaoxia whispered to her son, “I’ve noticed that Yuan Yuan doesn’t seem to have much distance when she’s with you recently. She’s so cute now, you must be careful, got it?”

“This isn’t just for you, but also for Yuan Yuan’s future.”

“Alright, I understand.”

It seemed that Xiang Xiaoxia wasn’t worried at all about You Xi doing anything inappropriate. She must have been putting on a good act.

The children bid farewell to their parents one by one. Xia Yuan hugged Teacher Yu, and Mei Fang hugged his mother, Xiang Xiaoxia.

“Oh, my dear son, our little man in the Mei family, you’re almost taller than your father now.”

Xiang Xiaoxia pinched Mei Fang’s shoulder a few times. As they were chatting, Lin You Xi suddenly came forward and hugged Xiang Xiaoxia.

“Ah… You Xi, what’s wrong?”

Lin You Xi shook her head, “I just want to hug you more.”

“You child…”

“You, Yuan Yuan, and Aunt Liang will take good care of Mei Fang. You can trust us.”

“How could I not trust you all?”

Xiang Xiaoxia stroked Lin You Xi’s head. At this moment, Xia Yuan suddenly ran over to hug Xiang Xiaoxia too, making Teacher Yu quite awkward.

“Oh my… You two like me so much… Are you craving my cooking?”

Xia Yuan nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes! But, we probably won’t get to eat your cooking much anymore… It’s so sad.”

“Well, feel free to come visit us in Baizhou anytime!”

Xiang Xiaoxia held both of them, smiling politely, but inwardly, she was troubled—

Both sides are flesh and blood, how can a mother choose?

She wondered how things were going between her piglet and the two big cabbages…

Her condition wasn’t great, so her update might be delayed.