Chapter 35: Spending Money Like Water

The old lady smiled and said, “Alright, just wait a moment; my husband will come over to fix this qipao once he’s done.”

While she busily got her a chair, she continued, “I can’t recognize many characters and don’t know how to do these things, but my husband is skilled; he can.”

This couple specialized in making qipaos, an old craft from a century-old shop.

It used to be quite popular, but not anymore; there aren’t many people who like qipaos now, so they only have a few regular old customers.

Their clients knew they were closing down, so they ordered a few more pieces, and they had been quite busy recently.

The shop was small, a narrow strip like an alley. It was about ten meters long but at most three meters wide, and the height was at least five meters, with a tiled roof.

It was a typical old street house from that era.

The old street houses were dilapidated, but the advantage was that they had a lot of foot traffic.

The front was a business shop, and inside was a small bedroom with just a bed, no windows, and the door was always open with the light on. Further inside was a small storage room for fabrics, and beyond that was the kitchen and bathroom, which led to a small courtyard. The courtyard wasn’t big, with an orange tree planted in it and a stone table underneath.

The elderly couple quoted twenty-two yuan a month, and she wanted to negotiate it down to twenty-one, but they firmly refused to budge, insisting on the full price.

“Girl, we heard you’re a tailor too, which is why we’re renting this shop to you. Our family has run a tailor shop here for over a hundred years; we don’t want to change to something else. Otherwise, I would have given it to that couple who wanted to open a noodle shop for twenty-five yuan a few days ago.”

Hearing this, Lin Bingwei had no choice but to agree, signed the contract, noted the handover date, and paid the deposit.

The old man adjusted his glasses and said, “Girl, you must come on the third of next month to pick up the keys. We have tickets for the fourth, already bought, remember?”

The elderly man had a poor memory and liked to remind others repeatedly.

Lin Bingwei smiled and replied, “Grandpa, I’ll remember.”

The two old folks, hunched over, escorted Lin Bingwei out.

After that, she went to the industrial and commercial bureau to submit the application materials for the business license, and then she inquired about college entrance examination matters.

By the time she finished these tasks, it was already dark.

She had eaten a bun for lunch and bought another bun for dinner, which gave her enough energy to ride back.

By the time she reached the village entrance, it was completely dark. From a distance, she saw a figure standing by the roadside, and as she got closer, she realized it was Zhang Tingyuan wearing a military coat.

Lin Bingwei got off her bicycle and said, “It’s so cold at this hour; why did you come here? You should go back.”

Zhang Tingyuan didn’t say a word and pulled her into his arms.

Lin Bingwei was afraid of touching his wound and didn’t dare to move.

“What’s wrong?”

His chin rubbed against the top of her head as he said, “How can you even ask what’s wrong? Why did you come back so late? It’s already dark; do you know how worried I was about you?”

Lin Bingwei felt a bit guilty, “Didn’t I say I had a lot to do and would be late?”

“But you also said you’d be back before dark. Look at how long it’s been dark now.”

It had already been dark when she left the city, and after riding for nearly an hour, it was indeed late.

Lin Bingwei knew she was in the wrong and didn’t argue, saying, “It won’t happen again.”

“You still think there will be a next time?”

“Uh…”

“Do you know how dangerous it is for a young woman to be out on the road this late? If you were caught by human traffickers and sold into the mountains, the chances of being rescued would be very low.”

Seeing that he was genuinely worried, Lin Bingwei quickly comforted him, assuring him, “Comrade Zhang Tingyuan, Lin Bingwei solemnly promises you that this kind of thing won’t happen again.”

Only then did Zhang Tingyuan pat her forehead and let her go.

“Let’s go back; the whole family is waiting for you to come home for dinner.”

When Li Yurong saw her return, she hurried over to take her hand and rub it.

“Good to be back, good to be back. Your hands are so cold; quickly sit down and eat, have some hot soup.”

She didn’t blame her for coming back so late, and Lin Bingwei felt very touched.

“Mom, I’ll try to come back earlier in the future. I was delayed today because I ran into Lin Wangsheng and Bihua.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

Lin Bingwei said, “Lin Wangsheng and Bihua went to the post office to make a long-distance call to Ye Bingyu. They might really be coming back soon.”

Zhang Yuanxiu said, “So your biological parents are coming?”

Lin Bingwei nodded.

Li Yurong smiled and said, “That’s great! You’ve suffered so much; I can’t imagine how they must feel about it.”

Lin Bingwei said, “I still don’t know what they think. Lin Wangsheng and Bihua refuse to admit they switched the children, and I don’t know if anyone believes them.”

Hearing her say this, Li Yurong’s smile stiffened again.

“Well… that’s indeed difficult. Let’s see; maybe you and your parents look alike, and they’ll recognize you as their biological child at first sight.”

Zhang Yuanxiu also said, “Yes, yes! Don’t worry if they don’t admit it; the truth can’t be hidden. Besides, you definitely look nothing like Lin Wangsheng and Bihua.”

The book only described them in words and didn’t mention if they looked alike.

Let’s hope they do look alike; that would save a lot of trouble.

“Did they say when they would come?” Zhang Yuanxiu asked again.

Lin Bingwei frowned and shook her head, “I don’t know. There were too many people at the post office, and it was too noisy; I didn’t hear clearly.”

Li Yurong said, “I’ll keep an eye out for you. If they come, I’ll let you know right away.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

After dinner, Lin Bingwei returned to her room, looking at the little money left and feeling distressed, sighing repeatedly.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Bingwei said, “I went to the factory to place an order today and spent two thousand all at once. The three thousand you gave me plus the betrothal gift of 888 and some money I saved before only adds up to a little over four thousand, and now half of that is gone.”

Zhang Tingyuan said, “Well, in business, you definitely need capital.”

“Do you know how big the business I did is?”

“How big?”

Lin Bingwei said, “Five styles, each made from one bolt of fabric. All together, the cost comes to about fifteen thousand; two thousand is the deposit.”

Zhang Tingyuan: “…”

He really didn’t expect her to be so bold in business, using four thousand to handle a fifteen-thousand business.

“Are you sure you won’t be cheated?”

Lin Bingwei: “…”

“No, that factory was introduced by Mom, and the owner’s parents have connections with my grandparents.”

“Oh, so it’s someone you know; that should be fine. Can the final payment be delayed? If not, I’ll have to ask my parents for money; I gave them all the money I had before my wedding.”

“No need; they won’t all come out at once. I’ll pay for one style first, and only after I receive the goods will I settle the account. The next style will come later.”

Zhang Tingyuan calculated; five styles cost fifteen thousand, so one style would be three thousand.

“That sounds reasonable.”

“I rented a place; it’s twenty-two a month.”

Zhang Tingyuan: “Huh?”

“I need a shop for business. Not only did I rent a room, but I also took the rental contract to apply for a business license.”