Chapter 211: Shut Out
In the end, the siblings didn’t stay to eat at their uncle’s house. First, it was already late; second, they simply didn’t have the face to stay for dinner.
Lin Mo actually didn’t mind much — after all, those hundreds of cars weren’t there because of him, nor was it his choice of route. At most, he was just a bystander.
But it was different for his cousin, Su He. The Queen of Ideas had truly gone all out this ti — one move and it was a complete explosion. Half the sacks of rice and flour at her uncle’s house were gone, and the old couple had been worked half to death.
The only upside was that so of the more courteous drivers among the passing vehicles returned the favor — their house now lacked neither cigarettes nor liquor, tea nor candy, even receiving Huazi and Wuliangye.
From the west end of the village road, their car slowly pulled out onto the highway. This ti, the traffic was much smoother; though there were still plenty of cars coming and going, there was no congestion at all. Before long, the two of them returned to the city.
Neither spoke on the way — not because they were in a bad mood, but simply because they were too tired to talk.
Soon, the car stopped at the entrance of Lin Mo’s residential community. The two exchanged glances, and then burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, your sister really outdid herself this ti. I didn’t even expect I could pull off sothing this earth-shaking.”
“Oh, give a break. Luckily those drivers behind us were decent people. No matter how much they cursed in their hearts, they still kept polite faces.
What I want to know now is — next ti you go ho for the holidays, are you still going to drive? We set out at nine in the morning, and now it’s six-thirty in the evening. That’s longer than a workday. Only you, Cousin, could manage to give yourself an extra shift like that,” Lin Mo said, giving her a thumbs-up from the passenger seat in genuine admiration.
“Go to hell. I didn’t do it on purpose. Who knew even the side road would be so jamd? Otherwise, we’d have been ho ages ago. Forget it, I’m ntally exhausted. You’d better start thinking about how to face my Second Aunt when you get ho,” Su He said with a laugh, lightly punching him on the arm.
She had made one bad decision after another today — truly embarrassing. But her cousin wasn’t any better off; an even tougher hurdle awaited him.
Hearing that, Lin Mo felt a headache coming on. He had seen the expressions of his uncle and aunt — and precisely because of that, he felt even guiltier.
Dealing with relatives was manageable — you could always bluff your way through with excuses like “long ti no see, I just look different now.” But his mom wasn’t so easily fooled; she would definitely dig to the bottom of everything.
“She’s my own mom — she’s not going to lock out of the house, right?” Lin Mo said as he got out of the car, carrying all his things.
With his backpack on his back, large bags in both hands, and dust on his clothes, he looked decent but a bit disheveled.
“Then I wish you luck. Your cousin’s heading off — your Aunt’s already been calling ,” said Su He.
Lin Mo looked confused. “Calling you for what? Dinner? Even if it’s for a blind date, no need to rush that much, right?”
Su He replied, “Dinner with the blind date. I just found out too. I got seven days off, and your Aunt’s lined up seven matches — one for each day.”
Lin Mo: Σ(⊙▽⊙“a
“Wait, my Aunt’s got that many resources? Don’t tell she signed you up on so dating site?”
“No, not quite. I only just found out — your Aunt’s been bored lately, so she took a part-ti job at a matchmaking agency. She’s been waiting for to co ho for the National Day holiday, says she’ll quit only after I find soone.” Su He sighed helplessly.
Lin Mo: .
So this was cutting out the middleman’s profit, huh? Working at a matchmaking agency so she could pre-screen high-quality candidates for her own daughter — brilliant move! A true modern open sche!
“Ahem, well, Cousin… could you tell my Aunt to stick with that job for a couple more years? When I graduate, maybe she could set up too. Family connections, you know — no need to let the good stuff go to outsiders!” Lin Mo said shalessly.
Su He glared at him and spat, “Pfft! Go joke sowhere else. Your cousin’s in no mood. I’m off to et that date. Bye!”
With that, Su He’s car sped off and vanished from sight. Keep her at that job for two more years? Go get your Liu Rushuang!
Seeing this, Lin Mo sighed, slung on his backpack, and trudged through the community gates with his bags in hand.
South City — a county-level city, not very big, but economically okay since it wasn’t far from Jiangning. It didn’t have any major tourist attractions, but plenty of small scenic spots and a pleasant environnt. The city had been developing steadily, attracting nearby tourists during holidays.
Lin Mo’s ho was in an old residential complex. The environnt wasn’t great — the only redeeming quality was that it was relatively clean. As for greenery? Almost nonexistent.
Electric scooters parked everywhere, sedans lined neatly along the curbs — everything was so familiar.
Since the start of the new sester after the New Year, this was Lin Mo’s first ti back ho — the longest he had ever been away.
Luckily, as a senior in college now, he was used to living on campus. If this had been back in high school, such a long absence from ho would’ve been unbearable.
Returning to his familiar little county city, Lin Mo finally relaxed. Not that he had been nervous elsewhere, but once you returned to a familiar environnt, your body naturally let go — it just felt comfortable.
He didn’t run into anyone he knew in the community, and before long, he reached his building — third floor, not too bad.
Bang bang bang!
“Mom! Mom, I’m ho!”
As Lin Mo knocked on the door, he called out to announce himself. He wasn’t stupid enough to stay silent — as long as he could safely get through the door today, this ordeal would be over.
Soon, the door to the living room opened, revealing a woman in her forties.
She wasn’t short, slightly plump, but her features were fine and well-proportioned. Despite a few wrinkles, it was easy to tell she had been a beauty in her youth.
Her hair was cut short, she wore glasses, and her expression held equal parts scrutiny, authority, composure, and a hint of vigilance — the unmistakable aura of a star horoom teacher. This was his mother, Zhou Min.
That’s right — she was a middle school teacher in the city. Years in the profession had given her that unmistakable “teacher presence.”
Before college, Lin Mo had always found it unbearable — other kids faced teachers at school but relaxed at ho, while he faced teachers both at school and at ho. It felt like he never had a break, especially during junior high.
But after going to college, that feeling faded. Looking at his mother now, she almost seed kind and gentle.
Zhou Min glanced briefly at the health products in his hands and said coolly,
“You’ve got the wrong place. I don’t buy health supplents.”
Then she closed the door.
Lin Mo: .
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