Chapter 65: Zhang Tingyuan Calls

The young man thought for a moment and said, “Here’s what you should do—first, sign up for the elementary-to-junior-high entrance exam this year. At the same time, register for the junior-high-to-high-school entrance exam too. The elementary exam comes first, so if you pass, you’ll still make it in time. As for university, you won’t make it this year. Aim for next year instead.”

“But I don’t even have an elementary school diploma. Will they even let me sign up for the high school exam?”

“Heh, that depends on your skills. Be smart about it—if you need to give gifts, give gifts. Spending a little money to grease the wheels is worth it. If that doesn’t work, just follow the rules—take the junior high exam this year, then the high school one next year. Worst case, you’re delayed by a year.”

Yeah, that made sense.

Since it wasn’t time for work yet, Lin Bingwei went to the shop next door and bought a pound of peanut brittle for the young man.

“Brother, have some peanut brittle on me. Help me figure out a concrete plan—how exactly should I go about this?”

With peanut brittle in his mouth, the young man softened up immediately and happily helped her out.

He pulled out a notebook and wrote down step-by-step instructions: what to do first, what to do next, whom to approach, and so on—everything was laid out clearly.

Expertise really did make a difference. That pound of peanut brittle was well worth it. Following his plan would save her a lot of trouble.

After handling this, Lin Bingwei returned to her shop to get her bicycle. Just as she arrived, she saw someone waiting at the door, dressed in a postal worker’s uniform.

Seeing her take out her keys to open the door, the man quickly called out, “Are you Comrade Zhang Tingyuan’s wife?”

Lin Bingwei nodded. “Yes, that’s me. What’s the matter?”

The man smiled and said, “That’s perfect. I was thinking that if I couldn’t find you here, I’d have to go to your village. Comrade Zhang Tingyuan called for you. If you’re available, give him a call back today around three in the afternoon. Here’s the phone number.”

He handed her a piece of paper with a number written on it.

Lin Bingwei checked the time—three o’clock was approaching fast.

“It’s almost three, isn’t it?”

The man glanced at his watch and said, “Yeah, about half an hour left.”

“Thank you.”

There was a public phone nearby. Before heading there, she took a look around her shop, considering how to renovate it.

The biggest issue with this narrow shop was the poor lighting. The best way to fix it would be to install more skylights and open some windows above—this would improve both lighting and ventilation.

The slanted roof was about three meters high at its lowest and over six meters at its highest. The taller section could easily be converted into a second floor.

As for the lower section, adding glass windows could also improve lighting and airflow.

She had the ideas, but the only problem was that she didn’t own the building—this was a major concern.

Checking the time, she saw it was almost three and headed to the public phone.

Long-distance calls required an operator to connect them, and they weren’t cheap.

She handed the number to the attendant. After a moment, the operator passed her the receiver. “Here, it’ll connect in a moment.”

“Thank you, comrade.”

The call went through, and Zhang Tingyuan’s voice came from the other end.

“Hello.”

“Zhang Tingyuan, why are you calling me?”

“Weiwei, my wife.” His voice carried a hint of excitement upon hearing hers.

“I called you, you know. It’s been so long—do you miss me?”

Lin Bingwei: “…” Hadn’t it only been a few days?

“Long-distance calls are expensive. If you’ve got something to say, hurry up and say it,” she said impatiently.

“Alright, alright. It’s like this—last time you mentioned your biological parents, right? I asked around for you. Even if Lin Wangsheng and his wife refuse to admit it, there’s a way to prove it—you can do something called a paternity test.”

Lin Bingwei’s eyes lit up. “Paternity testing already exists in China?”

Zhang Tingyuan paused for a moment before asking, “How do you know about paternity testing?”

Since the call was expensive, Lin Bingwei kept it brief. She quickly explained that Ye Junsheng and his wife had already arrived, suspected that she and Ye Bingyu had been switched at birth, and planned to send blood samples abroad for a paternity test.

After hearing this, Zhang Tingyuan sighed, “That timing is too much of a coincidence. I leave, and they show up. So, are you planning to do the test domestically or abroad?”

“I’ll see what they decide. This kind of thing isn’t cheap, and I can’t afford it.”

“I can pull some strings for you. It won’t cost much.”

Lin Bingwei thought about it and said, “Let’s wait and see what they do first. If needed, I’ll let you know. By the way, how do I contact you in the future? Do I call this number or the one you gave me last time?”

“Just use this one. I’m half a cripple now and can’t do intense training anymore—I’ve been reassigned.”

Lin Bingwei: “…” There he went again, calling himself half a cripple.

“What time should I call you?”

“After three in the afternoon. I’m usually busy in the morning—I’m doing clerical work now.”

“Got it. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

“Hey, wait! There’s one more thing.”

“What now? Hurry up. Every extra minute costs money.”

Zhang Tingyuan said, “I’m on paid leave for the next few months, so I’ll still be receiving my salary. I’ve sent this month’s wages and some industrial ration tickets home. Be sure to pick them up in a few days.”

Oh, her pay had come through.

“How much are you making a month now?”

“Eighty-eight yuan.”

“That’s quite a bit. A few years ago, conscripts only made a few yuan a month, right?”

“When I first joined, it really was just a few yuan. But things are different now. Plus, I got injured, so I receive additional compensation for nutritional needs. Over here—”

“Alright, got it. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

Before he could continue talking, she directly hung up the phone.

A quick check showed the call had lasted six minutes. Long-distance for six minutes—painful.

In terms of purchasing power, in a few decades, that could’ve bought her a cellphone.

It was getting late. Lin Bingwei hopped on her bicycle and rushed back—to the elementary school she had attended as a child.

Classes had just let out, and the teachers were about to leave.

She hurriedly placed a bag of peanut brittle on a desk.

“Teacher Zhao, I want to sign up for the junior high entrance exam. And the high school entrance exam too. Can I do that?”

The teacher was stunned. He adjusted his glasses and asked, “How old are you?”

Lin Bingwei grinned. “Teacher Zhao, my name is Lin Bingwei. Back when I was your student, you were still young.”

The teacher thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, “Oh, it’s you! You were serious in class, but you never did your homework. You skipped it on purpose, didn’t you?”

She let out a long sigh, putting on a pitiful expression before explaining why she never did her homework.

She told him everything—how she wasn’t her parents’ biological child, how Ye Bingyu was the real daughter, and all the tangled family drama.

In short, she was a child who had been swapped at birth and lost years of her life because of it. But she refused to accept her fate—she wanted to fight back.

Her tearful story moved Teacher Zhao.

As he wiped his eyes, he sighed, “I always wondered how parents could be so heartless, so biased. Now I understand. I believed your sister back then—I thought you were just being lazy. I should’ve been more observant and visited your home more often.”