Chapter 13: Zhang Tingyuan is Coming Back

The village now had a new topic of conversation, with everyone guessing whether Lin Bingwei was really the biological child of Lin Wangsheng and his wife.

Some said she was, while others disagreed. With nothing else to do, they brought it up for discussion whenever it came to mind.

What Lin Bingwei wanted was exactly this effect; when the Ye couple returned to Linjia Village, they would hear that people from ten miles around were talking about it.

…

“I didn’t expect them to be like this. Weiwei, don’t be sad; you’ve married into our family, and we consider you our own daughter,” said Zhang Yuanxiu.

Zhang Yuanxiu and Li Yurong absolutely believed in Lin Bingwei. Seeing her silent throughout the journey, Li Yurong comforted her.

Lin Bingwei said, “I won’t be sad because of them. Dad, Mom, don’t take their words to heart. Bihua is very sharp-tongued and loves to expose others’ shortcomings. You must remember not to get angry, especially you, Dad.”

Zhang Yuanxiu replied, “Me?”

“Yes, look at how your face changed when she scolded you earlier. What if you get so angry that you can’t catch your breath?”

Li Yurong was startled when she heard this, “Old man, you need to be careful! Don’t forget what the doctor said when Tingyi passed away.”

Zhang Yuanxiu felt a bit apprehensive, “Okay, I’ll be careful.”

After this incident, Zhang Yuanxiu and Li Yurong felt even more pity for Lin Bingwei.

Li Yurong even picked a market day and took Lin Bingwei to buy a complete set of clothes, saying it was for the New Year.

They weren’t short on money, but cloth tickets were very precious. This entire outfit used up all the cloth tickets she had saved for a long time.

…

The work for the production team ended after half a month; the grain was harvested, and they were waiting to settle the work points, after which they would be idle until the New Year.

This half month had been quiet. Although Lin Wangsheng and his wife were reluctant to part with the 888 yuan, they were even more afraid of their child-swapping secret being exposed. Feeling guilty, they didn’t dare to cause trouble for Lin Bingwei.

As the weather turned cold, elderly people with poor health couldn’t withstand the winter. Zhang Yuanxiu entered the peak business season of the year.

In their line of work, the busy season was generally in December and January, as well as July and August.

One day, Zhang Yuanxiu left home with a set of equipment, and Li Yurong asked him, “Is it far? Will you be back tonight?”

“Not far; I’ll be back.”

“Okay, should I save you some food?”

“Don’t save any; there’s a ceremony tonight.”

He was helping people with their ancestral graves and providing a complete service for the ceremony.

He also had two apprentices in their thirties, but Li Yurong said these two didn’t know how to use a compass to locate graves; they only knew how to make noise and sing along.

Though they were called apprentices, they were more like assistants doing odd jobs.

A ceremony usually lasted between two to five days, depending on the circumstances surrounding the deceased.

After singing for two days, Zhang Yuanxiu said his throat felt a bit uncomfortable. It wasn’t serious, but the family had made spicy food.

Lin Bingwei even went to buy some herbal tea to send him.

Zhang Yuanxiu was writing a mourning couplet when Lin Bingwei handed him the herbal tea, saying, “Dad, soak this in your teacup; it will help your throat.”

Zhang Yuanxiu didn’t know what it was, but he trusted Lin Bingwei and happily accepted it.

People around teased him, “Zhang Daoist, this is your daughter-in-law, right? She’s really filial.”

“Hehe, filial, very filial.”

Lin Bingwei looked at the mourning couplet he was writing and realized that Zhang Yuanxiu’s calligraphy was exceptionally good; he could easily participate in competitions in this field.

After a ceremony, after deducting the fees for his two apprentices, he still brought home nearly fifty yuan.

At that time, ordinary workers earned only about thirty to forty yuan a month, so earning this much after four days of work was quite impressive.

After resting at home for just a couple of days, another business opportunity came up.

Lin Bingwei asked, “Dad, your throat just got better; why are you going again?”

Mother-in-law Li Yurong said, “It’s nothing; he’s used to it. He has to keep busy until the New Year.”

Alright.

During these days, Lin Bingwei wasn’t idle either. Whenever she had free time, she rode her bicycle to the city to explore.

By this time, the south had already seen spontaneous market gatherings, forming the earliest wholesale markets.

Some business-minded people would go to the wholesale market to buy goods and then resell them in the big cities nearby.

Lin Bingwei sourced her goods from them, purchasing socks, underwear, and shorts to sell in the town, aiming to make a profit.

With a capital of a few dozen yuan, she doubled her money in just over a month, but it wasn’t a lot.

This way of making money was too slow and too labor-intensive; it was manageable for a while but couldn’t last long.

So she started inquiring about fabric factories in the city and actually found two. After some negotiations, she managed to get some samples.

In her past life, she had studied fashion design, and now the opportunity had come.

While buying goods at the market, she scheduled the pickup times with the suppliers. During her free time, she sketched designs in Zhang Tingyuan’s study.

After finishing her drawings, she went to borrow her mother-in-law’s sewing machine. “Mom, do you use the sewing machine? If not, I’d like to borrow it for a bit.”

Li Yurong replied, “I was going to buy you one, but you didn’t want it. Now you need it?”

Lin Bingwei smiled and said, “I thought we already had one at home, so buying another would be a waste.”

Li Yurong sighed, “Originally, this machine was for your sister-in-law, but since she ran away, it’s no longer needed. I don’t use it either; you can take it.”

She generously gave her the sewing machine.

Li Yurong was a very considerate mother-in-law. Knowing Lin Bingwei was busy making clothes, she took the initiative to handle the household chores. In the evenings, when she saw Lin Bingwei working late, she would come in to chat and ask if she was hungry.

It was frustrating; she hadn’t even set her sights on Zhang Tingyuan yet, but she was already fond of his parents.

They were so kind; no wonder the original owner would rather be burdened for a lifetime than leave.

One day, while she was sewing clothes inside, she heard a knock at the door.

Her mother-in-law had gone visiting relatives with Zhang Jianguo, and her father-in-law was at a ceremony. Since the family lived a bit far away, he wouldn’t be back that night.

So who could it be?

She opened the courtyard door and saw a young man she recognized.

Wasn’t this the person who came on the night of their wedding? A colleague from the post office.

“You must be Comrade Zhang Tingyuan’s wife?”

Lin Bingwei nodded, “Yes, do you have Zhang Tingyuan’s phone number?”

The man replied, “Yes, the army called and said Comrade Zhang Tingyuan was injured and needs to return home to recuperate.”

Lin Bingwei’s heart sank; it had really happened.

Wait, injured?

Since they said he was injured, did that mean he was still alive?

“Is it… serious?”

“I don’t know. They said they had already sent someone to bring him back, and he should arrive at the train station around two o’clock tomorrow afternoon. I just came to relay the message; do you want to go pick him up?”

If they could bring him home, the situation should be alright; otherwise, he would be in the hospital now.

“Thank you, I understand.”

He wouldn’t arrive until two o’clock tomorrow afternoon. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet, but she felt this wait would be unbearable.

Because for her, this was not just about changing Zhang Tingyuan’s fate and that of the Zhang family; it was also about her own destiny.