Chapter 94: Chapter 92: Joining the McKinley Family

Aliya’s due date is at the end of February next year.

After dinner that evening, the two of them snuggled on the sofa, watching a documentary on TV about the magnificent snow scenery of Montana.

“Honey… can we go back to Montana for the delivery?”

Aliya gently stroked her swollen belly, feeling the strong fetal movements inside, and spoke softly.

“Honey, you don’t need to worry. Although we are a Mormon family, we are not the extreme kind of Mormon…”

Lin Yu’an was stunned for a moment, then said: “Of course, we can!”

“I understand, Aliya, you don’t need to worry about me. I can cope well with the pressure from your family.”

“We can go back to the place where you grew up, where there is more open space, and most importantly, your family is there.”

Aliya knew that Lin Yu’an made this decision with great courage.

This means he will, for the first time, officially face her large and special family.

A week later.

Lin Yu’an was driving his reliable Ford pickup, carrying Aliya on their journey back to Montana.

After days of long travel, when the pickup left the highway and entered the vast hills covered in white snow.

Aliya’s face showed childlike excitement; she seemed to love the snow, getting particularly excited upon seeing it.

Finally, the pickup stopped in front of a massive, Western log-style mansion.

This is the McKinley family’s frontier farm, also the core of the entire family.

As soon as the car stopped, Lin Yu’an saw a rather shocking scene.

The porch of the mansion was already crowded with people.

At the forefront was a burly man as big as a brown bear with a thick beard; he was Aliya’s father, Robert.

Behind him stood four charming ladies with varying temperaments. They smiled at him, their eyes full of affection.

And more conspicuously, beside the main house, several heavy pickups covered in mud and snow were parked.

Indeed, as Lin Yu’an helped Aliya out of the car, a large group of people emerged from both sides of the main house and the direction of the pickup trucks!

They were Aliya’s four brothers—Wyatt, Garrett, Bo, and Kley.

Each of them was as tall and sturdy as their father, Robert.

And they didn’t come alone; behind each of them were two or three wives, along with a multitude of chattering children of different ages!

It turned out that hearing the most beloved youngest sister Aliya was finally coming home for delivery.

The four brothers, who have long established their own households and businesses in the surrounding areas, specifically brought all their families over today.

In an instant, the entire front yard of the farm became bustling, and dozens of people formed a large welcoming group.

“Oh! My little sweetheart!”

Robert spread his arms wide, giving Aliya an extremely cautious hug, afraid of touching her belly.

“Dad! Moms!”

Aliya also eagerly embraced her father and the four mothers respectively.

Then, the four brothers and their families gathered around.

“Aliya, you look glowing!”

Big brother Wyatt said deeply, and the two wives behind him also smiled and greeted Aliya.

“Was the journey tiring?”

Second brother Garrett directly took the luggage down from Lin Yu’an’s pickup, while his three wives held Aliya’s hand, showing their concern.

Third brother Bo and fourth brother Kley, along with their families, expressed their care in many voices.

Lin Yu’an stood calmly on the side, watching the large yet joyous family scene, though he had seen it in his past life, feeling a trace of strangeness at this moment.

This is the environment Aliya grew up in.

A closely connected Mormon family comprised of multiple small households centered around a strong patriarchy.

Here, the family members are numerous, but filled with sincere care and strong cohesion.

When Aliya officially introduced Lin Yu’an to her family, dozens of eyes instantly focused on him.

Robert and the four brothers gazed with scrutiny, curiosity, and even a hint of protective vigilance over their sister.

Meanwhile, the female family members looked at him with gentle and kind eyes.

At dinner time, the huge oak long dining table, enough for more than thirty people was completely filled.

Roast beef, various vegetable salads, and freshly baked bread, the food was as lavish as a festival.

The whole family, dozens of them, sat around together, while the children bickered at another small table, and the adults talked and laughed loudly, the atmosphere was extraordinarily lively.

Lin Yu’an was seated next to Robert, the four brothers sat opposite, forming an invisible “court.”

They took turns questioning Lin Yu’an, from his family background, his experience in “Alone in the Wilderness,” to his plans for the future.

Lin Yu’an maintained a calm and humble demeanor, answering each question with composure.

When asked how he would support Aliya and the two unborn children, he calmly talked about his current savings and future plans to establish a new home in Alaska.

His confidence and financial strength gradually won the recognition of Robert and the brothers.

Although they are traditional, they hold the utmost respect for true strength and responsible men.

At night, in the guest room prepared for them.

Aliya nestled in Lin Yu’an’s arms, softly asked, “Darling, are you okay today? Did my family scare you?”

Lin Yu’an honestly replied, “Your family… is very powerful.”

Aliya giggled softly, “They’re just worried about me. But, it’s obvious, they really admire you. Especially when you talked about future plans.”

She paused, suddenly raised her head, her light green eyes looking seriously at Lin Yu’an, and said something completely unexpected.

She whispered, “Darling, we are a Mormon family. Look at my father, and my brothers, they all have the ability to love and support a large family.”

“In our belief, the stronger a man’s ability, the greater the responsibility he takes on, and the larger the family he can protect.”

“I grew up in such a family environment, very aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of family, so…”

Lin Yu’an was stunned, not understanding why she suddenly brought this up.

Aliya’s cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes were unusually sincere: “So, darling, I hope our future children can also grow up in such a family atmosphere.”

“I hope our two children about to be born, and perhaps even more in the future, can receive more care and love!”

“So, I want to tell you, I… I don’t mind if you look for other wives in the future to build our family together.”

“I would even… look forward to other women joining us, understanding our philosophy, respecting our beliefs.”

“As long as you always have a place for me and the children in your heart, that’s enough.”

Lin Yu’an was completely shocked by Aliya’s words.

He never expected Aliya to take the initiative to say such things to him.

This was a view on family and marriage that transcended secular ideas, stemming from her unique upbringing.

“Aliya, I respect your beliefs, if… I mean if, that day ever comes, no one could ever replace your place in my heart.”

In this week after arriving at the farm, the eldest brother Wyatt returned to the farm with his family first.

The other three brothers-in-law were still helping Robert with work.

Lin Yu’an did not see himself as a guest who needed to be taken care of.

He got up early every day, starting to help his father-in-law Robert with farm work while Aliya was still sleeping.

The Chinese characteristic of diligence and hard work quickly earned the initial recognition of this traditional family’s in-laws.

He would go to the wood shed, use an axe to chop and stack enough firewood for a day’s burn.

“Dad, is this oak more durable than pine wood?”

After receiving an affirmative response, he continued to chop along the wood grain, whether in China or the United States, always showing what he’s done while at his father-in-law’s.

Whatever you do, you must show it to others, don’t just work silently, or else no one may know it’s you who did it.

Lin Yu’an used this little trick just right, did he really not know that oak burns longer than pine?

Robert took notice, nodding silently in approval at this modest and eager future son-in-law.

Soon after, he was given another chance to prove himself.

The farm’s small diesel generator malfunctioned, frequently stalling and the sound was intermittent.

The mothers-in-law gathered together, and the brothers-in-law checked for a long time but couldn’t find the problem, ready to call in a town repairman.

Lin Yu’an listened for a while, then stepped forward.

He didn’t start directly but first listened closely to the irregular rumbling of the generator, mixed with a subtle “gasping” sensation.

“Listening to this sound, it seems like the fuel supply is unstable; the diesel filter might be clogged.”

With his professional knowledge in mechanical engineering, Lin Yu’an made an initial diagnosis.

With Robert’s consent, he got the toolbox, expertly closed the fuel line, and disassembled the fuel pipe line.

Since there was no replaceable filter, he carefully dismantled it and, using kerosene often used on the farm for cleaning mechanical parts, repeatedly flushed the inside of the filter.

He tried to remove the accumulated black sludge and impurities as cleanly as possible.

Then used an air pump to dry the filter, ensuring no kerosene residue, before reinstalling it.

When the generator was restarted, the old diesel generator emitted a completely different powerful rumbling than before.

This professional repair skill left several mothers-in-law even more satisfied with him as the “mechanical engineer” son-in-law.

Meanwhile, Aliya stayed with her “mothers”.

In the warm living room, they knitted sweaters for the soon-to-be-born babies, discussing parenting experiences, in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

The four mothers, looking at their daughter’s chosen Chinese husband, liked him more the more they saw him.

However, this peaceful rural life was completely interrupted by an urgent phone call on the seventh evening.

——————

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