The Struggling Lin Family, Dad's Injury

Lin Xuan, who bore the label of a Premature Infant, had developed far faster than other babies his age. Yet in the eyes of others, he was still that frail little thing born with congenital deficiencies, pitiful no matter how one looked at him.

But for some reason, the Premature Infant label seemed not to exist at all for Lin Long.

In her eyes, her little brother Lin Xuan clearly looked much healthier than other babies. Where was this supposed congenital deficiency?

Until now, Lin Long had always been the youngest in the family.

Even Lin Wu, who had only been born a step before her, often put on the air of an eldest brother acting as a father, leaving her stifled for ages.

Now that the family had finally gained a younger new member, she naturally wanted to properly experience the joy of an older sister bullying her little brother.

Before Lin Xuan could come up with a countermeasure, she had already arrived in front of him and reached out to pinch his increasingly chubby little cheek.

Feeling the demonic claws of Lin Long, this female devil, Lin Xuan could only bring out his trump card—

"Yah!"

He pursed his lips toward his eldest sister Lin Rou, looking every bit as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

"Lin Long."

Lin Rou called Lin Long's name.

Hearing that, Lin Long hurriedly removed her hand from Lin Xuan's little cheek, then looked at Lin Rou resentfully.

"Big Sis~~~ I just wanted to play with Little Brother a little. It's not like I bullied him."

"Childish."

Lin Wu, his crew cut still neat, had changed his shoes and entered the house by then. He gave Lin Long a cool glance and delivered an eldest brother's verdict.

"You're the only one who's not childish, right?" Lin Long said irritably.

"The wisdom of mortals truly finds it difficult to understand the world of geniuses. But since you're my little sister, I won't give up on you," Lin Wu said blandly.

"Heh!"

Lin Long raised a middle finger at Lin Wu, a gesture universal across countless worlds.

"Lin Long!"

Lin Rou called Lin Long's name again, her voice slightly raised and her brows faintly furrowed.

This time, Lin Long realized that if she kept fooling around, she would likely face her eldest sister's judgment. She hurriedly lowered her hand.

"Alright, stop messing around. Come help me prepare the ingredients. We're having barbecue tonight," Ye Hongyu said with a smile.

"What day is it today? That's so extravagant."

Lin Long looked at her mother, Ye Hongyu, in surprise.

She was not the only one reacting that way. Even Lin Xuan was secretly surprised.

The family usually lived quite frugally. Ever since he had become aware, the number of times they had eaten out could be counted on one hand.

Lin Xuan naturally understood that this was due to the family's objective circumstances.

Although his father, Lin Hai, was an inspector with the Longjiang Public Security Bureau, he ultimately drew a fixed salary, while his mother, Ye Hongyu, had chosen to quit her job for the family.

That meant Lin Hai's salary alone had to support the family's five members, young and old.

Besides, the expenses of life had never been limited to food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

The tuition fees for the three children, along with all sorts of miscellaneous expenses, added up to no small sum.

Not to mention that Lin Xuan, this little ancestor, had unexpectedly joined the family. A newborn's expenses were no less than those of his older brothers and sister, especially since he was a Premature Infant. His costs would only be higher than those of other newborns.

If Ye Hongyu did not carefully calculate every penny, there simply would not be enough.

Lin Hai had been working overtime frequently lately because he wanted to earn more bonuses and improve the family's financial situation.

In fact, everyone understood the family's circumstances, which was why Lin Xuan and Lin Long were so surprised that their mother had taken the initiative to suggest such a barbecue feast.

Lin Rou and Lin Wu, however, did not seem particularly surprised. Lin Wu even looked directly at Lin Long and said blandly, "Today is Mom and Dad's twentieth wedding anniversary."

"You even remembered that?" Lin Long said in astonishment.

"Doesn't remembering dates just require having a brain?" Lin Wu looked at Lin Long with considerable surprise.

"..."

Both Ye Hongyu and Lin Rou had long since grown accustomed to this scene.

Even Lin Xuan barely reacted, because the siblings' bickering was simply part of the family's daily routine. There was nothing unusual about it.

Night fell.

Lin Hai did not return until much later, at least two hours later than his usual time off work.

In the living room, the family, led by Ye Hongyu, sat around the dining table. Even Lin Xuan had been placed in a baby chair in a proper manner.

"We've just been waiting for you. Come sit down."

Ye Hongyu smiled and beckoned to her husband.

"Why didn't you start eating first? You don't need to wait for me. Once I get busy, there's no telling when I'll be done," Lin Hai said somewhat sheepishly.

"Dad, did you forget what day it is today?" Lin Long asked Lin Hai with a beaming smile.

"What day... your birthday?"

Lin Hai had already sat down beside his wife and asked in surprise.

Lin Long wore an expression that said, You're done for.

Lin Hai was somewhat bewildered at the sight and immediately looked toward the others.

Unable to bear it, Lin Rou silently mouthed the words to her father. Only then did Lin Hai awaken as if from a dream, hurriedly taking his wife's hand.

"Honey, look at this brain of mine. I even forgot our wedding anniversary..."

Ye Hongyu smiled and was just about to speak when she suddenly noticed something. She abruptly pulled up her husband's right sleeve, her expression changing slightly.

"What happened to your arm?"

Following Ye Hongyu's movement, Lin Xuan and the others finally saw clearly that Lin Hai's right arm was wrapped in bandages from his forearm upward.

Lin Hai put on a casual smile. "It's nothing serious. When I was catching a criminal today, he scratched me. Just a minor injury..."

"Lin Rou—"

Ye Hongyu suddenly called out Lin Rou's name.

The instant Ye Hongyu called Lin Rou's name, Lin Rou raised a hand and grabbed for the arm her father had wrapped in bandages.

Lin Hai instinctively tried to rise and retreat, but Lin Rou casually pressed his shoulder down with her other hand, forcing him back into his seat.

"Lin Rou! You've got some nerve!" Lin Hai roared.

Lin Rou remained unmoved. After gripping Lin Hai's bandaged hand, she looked toward Lin Wu.

Lin Wu did not hesitate. He rubbed the metal ring on his right index finger with his left hand.

Immediately afterward, two tiny arcs of electricity, each as wide as a fingernail, sprang from the metal ring. Lin Wu then casually slid them down along the bandages on Lin Hai's arm from top to bottom—

In an instant, the bandages fell away completely.

"What the hell?!"

Lin Xuan, who was sitting in his baby chair sucking on a pacifier, widened his eyes at what had just happened in a flash of sparks and lightning.

At first, he had merely been watching with the mindset of enjoying the spectacle, looking on as the family bantered and bickered.

But this chain of events had allowed him, for the first time, to witness a side of his family he had never known!

His eldest sister Lin Rou, who usually seemed gentle and quiet, had actually pinned their father Lin Hai—a seasoned Public Security Bureau inspector—into his chair with one hand, leaving him unable to move!

Wasn't this way too absurd... Lin Xuan was stunned.