Chapter 3: The Fiancé:

Back in the famine years, when food was scarce in her hometown and they couldn’t afford to raise another mouth, seven-year-old Lin Yingxian was sent back to live with her biological parents.

Neither Lin Yingwei nor Lin Yingwan liked this sudden addition to their home. They looked down on Lin Yingxian and constantly picked on her, mocking her with sharp words and deliberately making things difficult. They even mimicked her flustered reactions in front of the neighbor’s kids, acting like it was the funniest thing.

Lin Yingxian endured their bullying for a long time before finally gathering the courage to tell their parents. But her parents just brushed it off as harmless sibling teasing. They gave Lin Yingwei and Lin Yingwan a light scolding and told Lin Yingxian, “Your brother is just immature, don’t hold it against him. As for your sister, she’s younger—let her have her way.”

No one ever considered how uneasy and anxious Lin Yingxian must have felt returning to a home she barely remembered. She needed love and reassurance. Instead, the bullying continued.

Eventually, Lin Yingwei matured and grew out of his childish games. He stopped bothering her. Without a partner in crime, Lin Yingwan also eased up. While she didn’t completely stop, she became more subtle in her bullying.

Then came the day when the current Lin Yingxian transmigrated into this body—and ever since, no one in the family dared to bully or belittle her again.

No one in the family had ever mentioned any engagement to Lin Yingxian, and she had no memory of it either. She had no idea she even had a fiancé. So when Lin Yingwan brought it up, Lin Yingxian paused mid-action as she locked her bike but quickly regained her composure.

“This kind of thing isn’t up to you. Mom and Dad won’t listen to you, and you can’t interfere with the engagement. So you’ve got no bargaining power. No, you can’t borrow the bike.”

“I already told my classmates I’d ride with them on the spring outing! If I don’t go on a bike, I’ll be humiliated. I won’t borrow it for a whole month—just one day. That should be enough to count as helping you ruin the engagement, right?” Lin Yingwan backed down surprisingly fast.

Lin Yingxian stood up and tucked her keys into the inner pocket of her army-green crossbody bag. “Come get the key from me tomorrow. Take a good look at my bike now—if you return it with even one scratch, you’ll pay for it. Deal?”

“Deal, you cheapskate.” Lin Yingwan muttered. It used to be her bullying Lin Yingxian, but somehow the tables had turned—and for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out how Lin Yingxian always had the upper hand.

“You’re asking me for a favor. Try a better attitude.”

Lin Yingwan instantly switched tones. “Yes, Second Sister.”

They went upstairs together and returned home. When Lin Yingxian opened the door, the dim and cramped living room held five people. One man sat alone across from her parents and older brother and sister-in-law. A mesh bag of fruit sat atop the cabinet.

Her sister-in-law, Zhou Donghong, was the first to speak. “Second Sister is back.”

The man stood up and looked at Lin Yingxian. Only then did she get a good look at his face. He was handsome, wearing clothes that were old and faded, but he looked clean and proper. His gaze was direct but respectful—no wandering eyes, no nervousness. This wasn’t their first meeting. Two years ago, they’d been patients in neighboring hospital rooms. But the rest of the Lin family didn’t know him.

Mother Lin stepped up beside her. “This is Zhong Shucen. Your grandmother arranged an engagement for you two. He’s your fiancé…” As she spoke, her voice faltered. Guilt welled up in her heart—Yingxian had always been the most obedient of the three children, but she’d also suffered the most.

“Comrade Lin, nice to meet you.”

Lin Yingxian nodded politely. “Hello, Comrade Zhong.”

Zhou Donghong stood up and tried to usher Lin Yingxian into a seat beside Zhong Shucen, but one cold glance from Lin Yingxian stopped her in her tracks. She returned to her original seat, not daring to push it. In this household, she feared only two people—Father Lin and Lin Yingxian.

Father Lin and Lin Yingwei sat next to Zhong Shucen. Father Lin poured him a cup of tea. “Comrade Zhong, have some tea. Now that Yingxian’s back, if there’s anything you’d like to say, just speak freely—we’re all family here.”

Zhong Shucen reached into his yellow crossbody bag, embroidered with the words “Serve the People,” and took out a letter and half of a jade pendant.

“This is the new society, not the old days. We believe in freedom in marriage now. Though the elders meant well in arranging this engagement, such well-meaning arrangements are no longer suitable. Matchmaking by family is a thing of the past. I came today to dissolve the engagement with Comrade Yingxian. I wish her well, and hope we can part on good terms. Only you folks know about this engagement, so if we call it off, it won’t affect Comrade Yingxian’s reputation.”

He placed the letter and the jade on the table and looked at Lin Yingxian. “The letter and the pendant are yours to handle as you see fit.”

“Thank you,” Lin Yingxian replied simply.

Everyone—except for Lin Yingwan and Zhou Donghong—visibly relaxed after hearing his words.

No one in the family wanted Lin Yingxian to marry a man with a questionable political background. Associating with Zhong Shucen might get them investigated by the local revolutionary committee.

Before Lin Yingxian came back, Father and Mother Lin had subtly probed into Zhong Shucen’s background. His now-deceased grandmother had been the only daughter of a wealthy capitalist family. His grandfather was missing, and both of his parents had moved abroad in the early 1950s. Zhong Shucen had been “sent down” to the countryside five years ago as part of the movement.

There was also a practical issue—if Lin Yingxian married Zhong Shucen, where would they live? Likely in this already-cramped home. The government didn’t allow private housing rentals, and there was no space to spare. Otherwise, they’d be sleeping on the streets.

Lin Yingwan felt bitter—she hadn’t even gotten the chance to mess with the engagement before it was dissolved. That meant her deal with Lin Yingxian was off, and she wouldn’t get to ride the bike tomorrow.

As for Zhou Donghong, she desperately wanted the two sisters-in-law to hurry up and get married so she could have more space. She hadn’t even considered that if Lin Yingxian married Zhong Shucen, they’d probably move in. Ironically, she had become the most enthusiastic supporter of the marriage.

Father Lin looked noticeably more relaxed. When Zhong Shucen said he was leaving, Father Lin even tried to keep him for dinner. But Zhong Shucen declined, saying he had urgent matters to attend to, so Father Lin didn’t insist.

He did, however, slip Zhong Shucen two food ration tickets. “Eat something in the city before heading back to the countryside.”

Regardless of what he truly felt, Father Lin always maintained a courteous front, never giving others a reason to find fault.

Outside, their neighbor Granny Liu spotted the open door and saw Father Lin and Mother Lin sending off a stranger. “Wenyue, who was that guest at your place?”

“Oh, just a distant relative from my mother’s side,” Mother Lin replied with a warm smile. “He was in Jiangcheng on business and made a point to come see me first. Such a polite and reliable boy.”

She made it sound like Zhong Shucen really was a beloved family member.

Auntie Liu believed Lin Mother’s explanation and, feeling it wasn’t worth pressing further, didn’t ask any more questions.

Once Lin Mother shut the door behind her, her smile vanished instantly.

Lin Yingwei sliced up the oranges Zhong Shucen had brought. “At least the guy knows what’s what and took the initiative to break off the engagement. Mom, I told you we should’ve just tossed that keepsake into the incinerator and let it burn to ashes with Grandma. She’s dead anyway—she wouldn’t have known a thing.”