Chapter 34: Hearing Lin Wangsheng and His Wife Call Ye Bingyu

Uh…

It was just to coax him.

“Alright, I have to go.”

Lin Bingwei slung a large bag over her back and rode off on her bicycle.

When she reached the main road, she saw a bus ahead, and two familiar figures were getting on: Lin Wangsheng and Bihua.

They were dressed quite nicely, smiling broadly.

From Lin Bingwei’s understanding of them, these two wouldn’t go to the city without reason; they usually bought what they needed in the town.

Dressed so neatly to go to the city… it was strange.

Lin Bingwei pedaled harder to catch up with the bus.

The road was uneven at that time, and the bus was moving slowly, so if she pedaled a bit faster, she could barely keep up.

After a tiring chase, she finally reached the bus station.

Lin Bingwei jumped off her bicycle, her legs trembling.

She pulled her bike to the side, hiding, and watched as Lin Wangsheng and Bihua got off the bus and followed the crowd out of the station.

She pushed her bicycle, leisurely trailing behind them until they reached the post and telecommunications bureau.

She watched as they entered, negotiating with someone inside, then joined a long queue at the back.

They were going to make a phone call, but Lin Bingwei knew that in this era, long-distance calls had to be made at the post office, routed through an operator.

How could Lin Wangsheng and Bihua have any relatives that Lin Bingwei didn’t know about? Their circle was all in the nearby villages, and the farthest relative was no more than ten miles away; their social circle was even smaller, so what need was there for a long-distance call?

This call could only be related to Ye Bingyu.

Thinking of this, Lin Bingwei set her bicycle aside and locked it, then followed them inside.

There were only a few post offices capable of making long-distance calls, and it was so crowded it felt suffocating.

The New Year had just passed, and the weather was still quite chilly. Worried about riding in the cold wind, Lin Bingwei wrapped a scarf tightly around her head, blending into the crowd and standing in a line next to them, while Lin Wangsheng and his wife did not notice her.

After waiting for a long time, it was finally Lin Wangsheng and Bihua’s turn.

After some negotiations, the operator successfully connected the call, and a young woman’s voice came through on the other end.

Lin Wangsheng and Bihua were extremely excited, “Is it Bingyu? Can you hear us? It’s Bingyu.”

Lin Wangsheng said irritably, “Alright, I’m not deaf; I can hear you. Speak quickly; the phone bill is expensive.”

“Ah, right, right. Bingyu, it’s Mom; do you still remember me?”

The hall was noisy, but Lin Bingwei focused on listening to Lin Wangsheng and Bihua’s voices, and since they spoke very loudly, she could hear every word clearly.

On the other end, something was said, and Bihua became emotional, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly saying “good, good.”

“Mom knew you were filial; you’re much better than that ingrate. When are you coming back? I’ll go prepare some meat in advance and make your favorite braised pork.”

A few more words were exchanged on the other end, and Bihua nodded repeatedly, saying, “Good, everything’s fine.”

“Yes, yes, you have a younger brother. Mom had him three years after you left. He’s very obedient, always talking about you.”

“What sister? Don’t mention that ingrate; she could drive me crazy. Remember, you don’t have a sister, only a younger brother.”

“Yes, yes, she got married to a not-so-great family; that man is near death and is still lying in bed now.”

“Mm, that’s called retribution.”

“Alright, the call is expensive; let’s not talk anymore. We’ll talk more when you come back.”

Bihua quickly hung up the phone after finishing, and when they settled the bill, it came to over ten yuan, making both of them grimace in pain.

“Just a few words, how can it be so expensive? Did you miscalculate?”

At that moment, the operator was not to be trifled with and scolded them back in an even louder voice.

“Long-distance calls are this expensive; if you think it’s too costly, then don’t make the call. After you’re done, move aside quickly and don’t hold up the line for others.”

“Hey, you…”

Before they could finish, the operator impatiently shouted, “Guard, guard, come quickly, these two aren’t paying.”

Two uniformed guards immediately came over and roughly pulled them away.

The business was booming, and they had no time to waste on them.

It wasn’t just about feeling sorry for the long line; every minute of delay was money lost.

In the end, the two still paid, grumbling and cursing as they left the post office.

Lin Bingwei had heard enough and, from Bihua’s words, roughly understood what was going on.

The Ye family had made contact with them, and they were indeed coming.

After leaving the post office, Lin Bingwei glanced at her wristwatch and hurriedly rode her bike to a factory she had contacted earlier.

Actually, this factory was introduced by her mother-in-law, Li Yurong. The owners’ parents had some connections with Li Yurong’s family long ago.

After their family dwindled, they had stopped keeping in touch, but Li Yurong had used the little remaining goodwill to help Lin Bingwei make the connection.

If they helped her, it would be seen as a kindness; whether she could seize this opportunity depended on her own efforts.

Upon arriving, she took out the sample clothes. “Just these styles; how long do you think it will take to make them?”

The other party looked them over and said, “We work with one bolt of fabric at a time.”

“I understand; each style requires one bolt.”

The other party continued, “The fabric for the tops and pants is different. One bolt for the tops can make a hundred pieces, pants one hundred and fifty, and shirts around one hundred and fifty, but they won’t match.”

Lin Bingwei smiled lightly, “Thank you, I understand.”

“Good, as long as you understand, then come with me to choose the fabric.”

There was a fabric factory below this clothing factory, owned by the same boss.

The fabric produced by their own factory was more than enough for their clothing business, most of which was exported, so they had a wide variety of fabrics.

Lin Bingwei looked at a pile of fabrics, inquired about the prices, took out a pen and notebook to make notes, and quickly calculated, soon determining the fabric with the best cost-effectiveness.

The cost for a set would be around twenty to thirty yuan, with a selling price of fifty to eighty.

At that time, the price of suits was not cheap; price was one aspect, but the key was that these items were scarce. Manufacturers had no worries about finding business, and retailers had no worries about selling out, only about not being able to get the goods.

In other words, as long as you had the goods, it was equivalent to having money.

They were able to agree to help her largely thanks to her mother-in-law, Li Yurong.

After reaching an agreement, Lin Bingwei paid a deposit of two thousand yuan and then went to a tailor shop.

She had visited last year and found an old tailor shop for rent because the elderly couple didn’t plan to continue working and wanted to join their son’s family living in Kyoto.

Seeing Lin Bingwei arrive, the old lady warmly greeted her, “Girl, you’re here! Come in quickly; I’ll pour you some water.”

Lin Bingwei smiled and said, “Grandma, no need; I’m not thirsty. I came today to get the contract for this shop and pay the deposit.”