Disappointment flickered in Lin Yehan’s face, but it quickly disappeared and his usual gentleness surfaced.
“I understand,” he sighed. “I know that not many approve of guns especially in this country, so you don’t have to worry about offending me. It’s just that as a former pro shooter athlete, I get excited whenever I meet skilled shooters like you.”
Iris was relieved hearing his words. “Sorry, Eldest Brother.”
“It’s fine. Don’t apologize,” Lin Yehan said, a gentle smile on his face. “But you’re not against shooting with me here at the range, right? Just for fun. Nothing too serious. You’ll visit my farm villa again, won’t you?”
“Of course,” she replied. If it was just for fun and she didn’t need to shoot all the time, she didn’t mind. Then she remembered something and turned to Lin Yehan. “But only at the shooting range. No hunting…”
Her eyes momentarily glazed over as memories of the pitiful, bloody animals she failed to kill in one shot flashed in her mind. She remembered that their wails of terror and agony gave her nightmares for many nights. Everything was for the sake of “correcting” her soft-heartedness, according to her mother.
She shuddered.
Jin Liwei rubbed her back when he felt her tremble in his arms. He assumed that she must be really against and scared of hunting wildlife.
Lin Yehan chuckled sadly but still nodded.
The group spent more than an hour shooting the targets at the range. Lin Yehan was indeed a former pro shooter athlete. Although he couldn’t achieve Iris’ abnormally perfect accuracy, he was still the best among the brothers. As for the others, they were all decent shots.
Lin Yehan: “Hai. It would have been better if Fifth Brother was here, too.”
Iris tilted her head. Hm? Fifth Brother? There was still one more that she hadn’t met yet?
Wang Yingjie: “True. I hope he’s feeling better now and return to the country soon. It has been a long time since all five of us were together.”
Yu Mo: “I talked to him on the phone a couple of days ago and he said that he’s recovered now. He’s still not sure when he’ll be permitted to return to the country, though. He’s still waiting for his doctor’s approval. Let’s call him later and tell him that Third Bro finally got himself a girlfriend. He’ll be shook! Ahahaha!”
Jin Liwei: “No need. I’ll tell him myself. I’ll visit him in Toronto during my business trip to Canada this week.”
Iris: “You’ll be away this week?”
Yu Mo: “Uh oh. Someone’s in trouble.”
Jin Liwei glared at his annoying Fourth Brother. He turned to his baby girl and tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear. “Yes, I was going to let you know later but I’ll tell you now. I have to go on a business trip to Canada. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll be back by next weekend.”
She felt a little disappointed that she wouldn’t be seeing him for many days. “Oh, okay.”
She nodded.
“Will you miss me?” he asked.
She nodded again.
“Tell me.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“Miss me what?”
She hesitated for a few seconds before whispering, “I’ll miss you, darling.”
He grinned. “I’ll miss you too, baby girl. So much.”
Yu Mo: “Okay, okay. That’s enough lovey-dovey. It’s too much for our currently single hearts. Are you really our Third Bro? Maybe you’re an impostor! How can our Third Bro say such mushy things? Ah, I’m shivering!”
Lin Yehan and Wang Yingjie snickered.
After chatting a bit more, Jin Liwei announced that he and his girlfriend were leaving. The others tried to persuade them not to leave yet, with Yu Mo directly protesting and Lin Yehan inviting them to stay over for dinner. However, nobody could stop Jin Liwei once he made up his mind. In the end, the brothers walked the couple to the parked car outside the mansion after exchanging phone numbers with Iris.
Wang Yingjie: “Xiulan, it’s such a pleasure to have met you today. I hope that we see you soon again.”
Iris: “Thank you, Second Brother. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”
Yu Mo: “Ahaha! Well, I’ll be seeing our Third Sister-in-law tomorrow for our Systema class. See you tomorrow, Xiao Xiu.”
Iris frowned when he referred to her again as sister-in-law, but she didn’t want to argue so she just ignored it. “See you, Teacher Yu. Dom and I are looking forward to tomorrow’s class.”
Jin Liwei’s mouth curved into a slight smile when his baby girl didn’t protest hearing sister-in-law.
Lin Yehan: “Xiulan, you’re welcome to visit my farm villa again anytime, even if you’re not with Third Brother. Just give me a call. Let’s shoot again at the range sometime. I’ll make sure that the moving targets are set up the next time you’re here.”
Iris: “Thank you for having us today, Eldest Brother. Your farm villa is such a beautiful place. I would love to visit here again.”
Jin Liwei: “Eldest Brother, thanks again for having us. Second Brother, Fourth Brother, it’s also…nice to see you two. I originally planned to have a date with my girlfriend with only the two of us but since Xiulan enjoyed your company, I’ll forgive all of you for disturbing us.”
The brothers smiled wryly.
Yu Mo: “Hey, Third Bro!”
Iris: “Please don’t listen to him, big brothers. I’m glad that I met all of you today and spent the day with us. Thank you very much.”
They said their goodbyes. The brothers placed the baskets of vegetables they harvested earlier in the trunk. Jin Liwei and Iris climbed into the car and the couple drove away.
