Chapter 23

The Lin family was poor, but they had love.

Lin Qing had a whimsical idea of stuffing Wang Lanfeng and Lin Da Hua into her pocket and taking them with her.

The next day, before dawn, Wang Lanfeng woke Lin Qing up.

Lin Qing and Lin Da Hua ate sweet potato rice and set off for the county town.

The air was a little cool now, much fresher. Lin Da Hua felt energetic carrying his load.

Along the way, Lin Qing wanted to take turns carrying the load, but Lin Da Hua shook his head and said he wasn’t tired.

When they reached the county town, the two found a shady spot to rest for a while.

Lin Qing took out a handkerchief to wipe her father’s sweat.

She was getting stronger now, but her father didn’t believe it.

If she wasn’t afraid of scaring him, she would have done a chest-breaking stone-splitting demonstration right there. (Just saying.)

Looking at the bustling crowd, Lin Da Hua suddenly felt a surge of pride. His little San Ya would be a part of this place soon.

Lin Qing looked at the girls wearing dresses, thinking that they wouldn’t be able to wear pretty dresses for much longer.

In a couple of years, the streets would be filled with black, white, gray, and blue.

She could enjoy the sight while it lasted.

Southern rice was abundant, but the price was a penny cheaper than in the north.

Lin Qing still had a hundred catties of rice quota in her household registration, which was bought back at a price of one penny per catty.

Lin Da Hua directly stuffed eleven yuan into Lin Qing’s hand, asking her to keep it.

The two then went to the herbal medicine company with their herbs.

The herbs were generally bought back at a price of one to three cents per catty. Those that fetched five cents were herbs that grew on cliffs.

Lin Qing didn’t have that ability yet. She had only diligently earned twenty-one yuan in a month.

Not everyone could collect and sell herbs.

You needed a certificate issued by the herbal medicine company, and you had to pay a fixed annual fee.

Lin Da Hua, as a barefoot doctor, had a certain advantage.

Lin Qing thought the money was too little, but Lin Da Hua was quite proud, “Your second aunt said you were delicate. She doesn’t even make that much in a year.”

Lin Qing laughed, “Next time she says that, you can retort, we’re skilled workers.”

Lin Da Hua chuckled, he liked that saying.

He remembered it.

The two hurried to the hospital.

They went straight for a chest X-ray, and the doctor was quite puzzled.

Why did they want a chest X-ray right away?

Upon learning that Lin Qing had passed the college entrance exam, the doctor looked at her with admiration and specially wrote “urgent” on the form.

Lin Qing quickly expressed her gratitude. The doctor waved his hand and said to Lin Da Hua, “You’re lucky, you have a promising daughter.”

The doctor didn’t know how happy and bittersweet those words made Lin Da Hua feel.

No one had ever praised him before.

You’re lucky, you have a daughter.

People in the village had ridiculed him for not having a son for over a decade, but now he could stand tall and ask them, “Can your sons go to college?”

“Will they be able to eat public rations?”

Lin Qing looked back at her father and noticed that he seemed different.

The word “urgent” made a difference. They were supposed to wait a day for the results, but now they could get them in the afternoon.

The two found another shady spot, resting and eating sweet potatoes.

Lin Da Hua looked at the people in the county town, imagining his daughter’s future.

Lin Qing simply looked at the colorful clothes.

“Father, next time we come to the county town, your daughter will treat you to dinner at a state-owned restaurant.” Lin Qing knew that Lin Da Hua wouldn’t spend that kind of money now.

“Okay.” The simple farmer replied, a happy smile on his face.

He didn’t care about the meal, it was his daughter’s intention that mattered.

Even if they didn’t eat out, it would still be beautiful.

They had left early in the morning, so the villagers hadn’t seen them, but when they came back, people saw Lin Da Hua carrying his load.

The smarter ones figured out that he must have gone to sell herbs.

Some people were envious, but you needed a certificate to sell herbs, and there was an annual fee. They only recognized a few herbs.

The money they earned might not even cover the fees, and they could even lose money.

They were bitter and took it out on Zhao Lao Pozi,

“Old Zhao Pozi, did you see those two going to sell herbs? I say, it doesn’t matter if someone can do farm work or not, what matters is if they have the ability to make money.”

“We work our backsides all year, and we might not even earn as much as they do collecting herbs for a few months on the mountain.”

“You’re just short-sighted.”

Zhao Lao Pozi: …

You don’t know anything. My son married a daughter from a cadre family, and my whole family will be able to enjoy life in the city.

Marrying Lin Qing, she’ll still be stuck in this mountain.

Zhao Lao Pozi couldn’t say that, but she wasn’t a pushover either. She crossed her arms and started scolding.

The village head sighed.

The Zhao family was becoming increasingly disrespectful to him.

At the beginning of the year, Zhao Da Chun had been drinking and boasted that his son had become an official, so he should be the head of the commune. Lin Feng was quick-witted and quickly offered to give up the position.

Would a forty-something village head feel good about that?

Even if he retired, his son would still be there.

Why should the position of village head be given to the Zhao family?

This was Shanglin Village.

The village head wished something bad would happen to the Zhao family.

Lin Qing intended to use this to her advantage.

When night fell, the two of them went out again.

They walked to the village head’s house.

The village head’s wife was surprised when she saw them, “Oh, why are you two here? Come in, come in.”

Lin Feng was also surprised, “Da Hua, come in and sit down. Is there something you need?”

Lin Da Hua said with a smile, “My San Ya passed the college entrance exam, and she needs the village committee to issue a poor peasant certificate and stamp it.”

The village head and his wife were speechless in shock. Heavens, Lin Qing had accomplished something big without anyone knowing.

Old Zhao Pozi had pushed away a gold nugget.

Thinking about it, the village head’s wife couldn’t suppress her smile,

“Oh, this is truly great news. Our village has produced a college student.” The village head’s wife asked casually, “Where did she get in?”

“A college in the northeast.”

The village head and his wife both fell silent for a moment. Was she still holding onto Zhao Hui Zhou?

Their expressions almost collapsed. They felt a little uncomfortable. What kind of luck did the Zhao family have?

The village head’s wife still looked enthusiastic, “She’s going there for Hui Zhou, isn’t she?”

Lin Qing shook her head.

The village head’s wife was a little confused.

Seeing Lin Qing’s enigmatic expression, she started to have second thoughts. It seemed like there was still more drama to unfold.

They chatted for a while about inconsequential things, and the village head took the two to the village committee to get the certificate.

As they were leaving, the village head’s wife pulled Lin Qing aside, “San Ya, you’re like a child to Auntie, no different from my own. I saw your expression earlier, you don’t want to be with Hui Zhou anymore, do you?”

Lin Qing gave a self-deprecating smile, “Auntie, it’s not that I don’t want to.”

The village head’s wife was clearly excited, “Is it Zhao Hui Zhou who doesn’t want to?”

“Could it be that he has someone else?”

Lin Qing paused, “I’m not sure. I’ll see what’s going on when I get there. Anyway, I haven’t received a letter from him in a while.”

The village head’s wife’s mind immediately started racing, she was lost in thought.

Lin Qing tugged on her sleeve, bringing her back to reality.

“Auntie, please keep my passing the college entrance exam a secret. I’m afraid that if they know, they’ll be wary of me.”

The village head’s wife listened to this and her expression became animated, as if she understood.

She was just about to pat her chest and promise, “Don’t worry, Auntie’s mouth is the tightest. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Go ahead and do your best.