Chapter 19

The two police officers, upon learning of the situation, had no choice but to turn and leave.

Lin Dawei sighed helplessly. He looked up at Lin Qian and said, “Qian Qian, come help us. Your mom doesn’t need to stay in the hospital like this, and we can’t afford it anyway. Let’s just take her home for now.”

Lin Qian reluctantly walked over to help.

While packing up their things, Lin Dawei kept sighing, “Our Lin family has really had a run of bad luck lately. Misfortunes never come singly. We’re already short on money, and now I even have to take a leave of absence for your mom.”

Lin Qian said calmly, “Once we get Mom home, I’ll go out and find a job.”

What she really thought was: No way I’m staying home to take care of Ma Guixin.

Lin Dawei thought to himself that Lin Qian was still a hardworking and sensible girl.

Lin Yuanyuan, standing off to the side, was pacing anxiously. She was terrified that the current situation at home would affect her marriage to Lu Zhanting.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. “Uncle, how about not taking leave for Aunt? Let her just rest at home for good. Why don’t you go sell her job instead?”

“No way!” Ma Guixin was the first to object.

Lin Yuanyuan glanced at Lin Qian and said, “Cousin, aren’t you planning to look for work outside anyway? Why don’t you go now? Uncle and I will take Aunt home.”

“Fine.”

Lin Qian knew Lin Yuanyuan must be trying to get rid of her so the family could discuss the marriage with the Lu family.

That was perfect. She was happy to see Lin Yuanyuan walk right into that trap.

She turned and left.

Not long after walking away, Lin Qian overheard Lin Yuanyuan whining.

“Mom, you’re my real mom! I’m about to marry Lu Zhanting—this is the most important event of my life. I need money right now!”

Lin Qian sneered. Go ahead and marry into the Lu family then. That family is a bottomless pit.

In her previous life, the Lu family had drained her dry—down to her very bones. This time, let Lin Yuanyuan be the one to feed that black hole.

“Ai, why are you so set on marrying into the Lu family anyway?” Ma Guixin complained, clutching her aching head.

In the end, neither she nor Lin Dawei could resist giving in to their beloved daughter.

Left with no choice, Ma Guixin, bandages still wrapped around her head, went to the factory personally to sell her job.

Ma Guixin had worked at the machinery factory for many years, and with Lin Dawei, a senior technician at the same plant, promising to personally train the new hire, her job sold for a high price—1,000 yuan.

Holding the money, Lin Yuanyuan beamed, “Mom, if I had known your job was worth this much, I’d have told you to retire early!”

Ma Guixin smacked her lips. “I still have decades to live. Am I supposed to just sew my mouth shut and stop spending money for the rest of my life?”

“Of course not! Dad is still working at the factory too, and you’re the one who handles his wages. Don’t worry—after I marry Lu Zhanting, life will only get better. He and I will take care of both of you when you’re old.”

As the mother and daughter reached the entrance of the factory’s residential complex, Ma Guixin was the first to spot Lu Zhanting. She quickly nudged her daughter.

Lin Yuanyuan looked up, spotted the man, and ran over to him joyfully. “Zhanting-ge, what are you doing here?”

Lu Zhanting smiled warmly. “Didn’t we agree yesterday? Today both sides’ families should meet and finalize the engagement.”

Lin Yuanyuan was relieved. She had just managed to scrape together the 666 yuan bride price that needed to be returned to the Lu family.

“Zhanting-ge, wait here a second.”

She ran over to get the money from her mother, then returned and handed it to him. “We talked about this yesterday—this is the bride price my cousin received from your family.”

Lu Zhanting was surprised. He hadn’t expected the Lin family to honestly return the money—he thought it would be a struggle.

It was probably because the Lin couple truly cherished Lin Yuanyuan. He had seen how close the two women were just now—like mother and daughter.

That made him even more confident. If Lin Yuanyuan, a child raised in a relative’s home, could get along so well with her aunt, then surely she’d be a better match for his family than Lin Qian.

He tucked the money away and said, “My father booked a table at Qingfeng Restaurant. At noon, bring your aunt and uncle so both families can discuss the engagement in detail.”

“Okay, Zhanting-ge, don’t worry!”

Lin Yuanyuan beamed like a blooming flower. She was finally going to be an army officer’s wife. Lu Zhanting’s career would only rise, and her life would only get better.

Lu Zhanting hadn’t expected her to be so happy. Compared to the always reserved Lin Qian, Lin Yuanyuan was like a sweet girl brimming with admiration for him.

When he realized how much he enjoyed the emotional satisfaction she gave him, his thoughts suddenly turned to his first love, Bai Aiyun.

Quickly, he shoved away the tangled emotions and turned to leave.

Lin Yuanyuan looked longingly at the tall but distant figure of the man walking away. She could only silently encourage herself: I must win over Lu Zhanting. Otherwise, my previous life would have been for nothing.

Ma Guixin came over with a displeased look. “You two are already talking about marriage, and he took the money without hesitation. And me—I’m his elder—he just greeted me and walked off without even a small gift.”

Lin Yuanyuan detected the bitterness in her voice and quickly tried to console her. “Aunt, don’t be like that. It’s not your first time dealing with the Lu family. He treated my cousin the same way before.”

Ma Guixin sighed. “You and your cousin are different. You’re my real daughter. Of course, your dad and I want you to marry into a good family.”

“Auntie, you’re overthinking it. Don’t worry.”

Lin Yuanyuan was confident. In her past life, even though Lin Qian didn’t give the Lu family any children, she still lived well—so the Lu family must be loyal and responsible. This time around, Lin Yuanyuan knew how to flatter and could give them children. She was sure she’d live even better.

Ma Guixin couldn’t bear to crush her daughter’s hopes. She knew her daughter was as clever as she was, so she said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian was out looking for a place to rent. Now that the market economy had opened up, she planned to rent a storefront and start a small business.

The machinery and textile factories were close to each other, with lots of workers. After work, they all gathered in the same nearby area.

Around noon, while Lin Qian was still standing in the street thinking, several mobile food stalls suddenly popped up from all directions.

As soon as the factories’ shifts ended, these stalls were instantly surrounded by crowds of people getting lunch.

This is business, Lin Qian thought. There’s nothing bigger than food. People need to eat, no matter how rich or poor they are.

A light bulb went off in her head. She would open a restaurant right here.