Public Revelation Part 3

After Lin Chengshan bought clothes and shoes for his daughter, he took her home and even made her a late-night snack.

Lin Chengshan specially bought coarse vermicelli, added some greens and meat to cook it. He first blanched the vermicelli, then fried it in an oil pan. Afterward, he fried some eggs.

“So many eggs,” Lin Qingqing thought she would have to eat two or three eggs a day.

There were fried eggs in the morning, boiled eggs at noon and in the afternoon, and fried eggs again with the noodles at night.

In the past, when Lin Qingqing was in the countryside, she didn’t have so many eggs to eat. The eggs were for her mother, and she couldn’t eat them freely.

“Mommy said… Aunt said that kids who eat too many eggs will become dumb,” Lin Qingqing said. “Dumb eggs.”

“You’re not eating too many,” Lin Chengshan said. “Eating five or six eggs a day would be too many. But occasionally eating five or six eggs at once isn’t a problem. Besides, you only eat a few eggs a day.”

Lin Chengshan wanted Lin Qingqing to get more nutrition, but since she was still young and couldn’t handle too much nourishment, he had to be careful. Food supplements were the best way, and Lin Chengshan thought he wasn’t doing enough.

“Eat, don’t believe what that aunt said,” Lin Chengshan said. “She just wanted to eat more herself. If you eat more, she eats less, so she doesn’t let you eat. Some people are very greedy and selfish. They only think about themselves.”

“If I eat, Daddy will eat less too,” Lin Qingqing understood.

“Daddy has food to eat, it’s not like he doesn’t. Daddy made extra,” Lin Chengshan said. “Look, Daddy has eggs in his bowl too.”

Lin Chengshan didn’t skimp on himself. He needed to stay healthy so he could work and earn more money to support his child.

“Tomorrow at noon and night, I have to go out and set up a stall,” Lin Chengshan said. “I have to go sell things.”

“Can I go?” Lin Qingqing asked.

“It’s very hot,” Lin Chengshan said. He was thinking about this. It would be fine in the evening, but at noon, the sun was too harsh, and he couldn’t bear to let his daughter be exposed to the sun.

He couldn’t stop working just because the sun was too harsh.

Yes, Lin Chengshan could wait another year or two to find ways to make more money, but he didn’t want to wait. He needed more money so he could invest.

If Lin Chengshan had no money and no background, people wouldn’t want to associate with him. Lin Chengshan thought that if he earned more money now, whether for investment or buying a house, it would be great.

“I’m not afraid,” Lin Qingqing said.

“Alright, you can come along first,” Lin Chengshan decided, thinking that he wouldn’t be comfortable leaving his daughter at home alone. The neighbors were all strangers, and they weren’t close enough to trust them with his child.

If Lin Chengshan went to ask them to look after his daughter, they might not agree. Even if he offered money, people might not need that little bit of money.

Early in the morning, Lin Chengshan woke up very early. He had to go buy ingredients early, and his cooking utensils were all ready. He had also arranged for a tricycle, through a friend he knew in Rongcheng City, someone he had served in the army with who now worked in the public security bureau.

Lin Chengshan didn’t ask for any special favors. He bought the tricycle at a cheaper price, and it was second-hand, making it even cheaper.

Around nine or ten in the morning, Lin Chengshan put a sun hat on his daughter and filled her small water bottle. After much consideration, he decided to make and sell pickled vegetable pancakes and egg burgers.

Being from the south, not the north, it would be a bit harder for Lin Chengshan to make egg pancakes. He had thought about making fast food, but Rongcheng University hadn’t started the semester yet, and there weren’t many people around. With limited funds, renting a shop wasn’t a good idea. It would be better to earn more money first and then consider renting a shop.

“Sit tight,” Lin Chengshan told his daughter, tying a strap to secure her. The seat next to him was welded on by the previous owner, so Lin Chengshan used it as it was.

“Okay,” Lin Qingqing quickly responded.

Lin Chengshan took Lin Qingqing to a busy area near a shopping mall. He unloaded some items from the tricycle and left others on it. The tricycle had a canopy, providing some shade. He set up a large umbrella to block the sun.

Then, Lin Chengshan brought out a small stool for his daughter to sit on.

Lin Chengshan started making small steamed buns, having already prepared the filling and dough. He had also mixed the batter for the egg burgers.

Most of the surrounding vendors were locals, and they liked to speak the local dialect. Having spent many years in Rongcheng City in his past life, Lin Chengshan understood their conversations.

“Another food vendor has shown up.”

“There are more and more people setting up stalls now.”

“A young man like him, why is he setting up a stall here?”

…

At this time, people still valued jobs in factories or related units more.

“Divorced, with a child, no other way to make a living but to set up a stall,” Lin Chengshan said directly.

The nearby people initially thought Lin Chengshan was an outsider, as he spoke his hometown dialect with Lin Qingqing. They assumed Lin Chengshan wouldn’t understand their conversation, but to their surprise, he did.

Hearing his words, they felt awkward and didn’t know what to say.

“Why did you get divorced?” an older woman asked.

“I have no diploma, low education, and am not a match for her,” Lin Chengshan said. “She deserves a better family.”

Knowing that he was not a local, Lin Chengshan was aware that some places discriminated against outsiders. Locals would band together, making it difficult for outsiders to set up stalls. He kept his explanation brief, avoiding too much self-pity. As a man, continuously seeking sympathy would seem insincere, and others wouldn’t continuously sympathize with him.

However, Lin Chengshan mentioned that he originally lived in the countryside and had retired from the army, selling his job to come here. Although he had a place to live, he needed more money for his child’s education.

This explanation garnered sympathy from the surrounding people, who didn’t object to Lin Chengshan setting up a stall.

“Never thought about sending your child to someone else?” an older woman asked. “Is this your only child?”

“Yes, my only child. I don’t plan to remarry. I just want to take care of her and see her grow up,” Lin Chengshan said.

Women are often more easily moved by such stories, and the older woman sighed repeatedly after hearing it.

“Where is your mother?” someone asked Lin Qingqing.

“No mother, it’s aunt,” Lin Qingqing said.

“Aunt?” the older woman was puzzled.

“Dad and Aunt got divorced. I can’t call her mom anymore. Aunt is going to be someone else’s mom,” Lin Qingqing said.

Lin Qingqing spoke the truth, unaware of how to beautify the situation at her young age.

The older woman initially thought Lin Qingqing referred to a stepmother, but was surprised to learn that the child was talking about her biological mother. It was clear the biological mother didn’t want the child to affect her chances of remarrying, thus not acknowledging the child and making her call her aunt.

What a shocking revelation! Such gossip!

The tragic story of Lin Chengshan and his daughter made others feel they were pitiful. Everyone was suffering in their own ways, so they didn’t want to make things harder for them.

“Setting up a stall here is a good idea. There’s a shopping mall, a cinema nearby, and a park close by. Lots of people,” another vendor said. “This spot was empty, so you can set up here. Don’t worry, no one will chase you away.”

They didn’t doubt Lin Chengshan’s story. His hands had calluses, and he had served in the military. Seeing him work so hard for his child, they couldn’t bring themselves to make things difficult for him.

This place had a lot of foot traffic, and whether people bought food depended on how good it was. Frankly, a single stall couldn’t produce a huge amount of food, so customers buying from Lin Chengshan didn’t mean they wouldn’t buy from others.

Meanwhile, Old Lady Lin and Lin Chenghai were still at their residence, waiting for the Ji family to arrange a job for Lin Chenghai. Old Lady Lin wanted to see her biological son but was afraid of arousing suspicion if she acted now, so she decided to wait a bit longer.

A few days ago, the Ji family didn’t arrange work for them but instead had someone take Old Lady Lin and Lin Chenghai around to sightsee and buy them some things. Old Madam Ji arranged this on purpose to let the Lin family see the benefits of living in Rongcheng City, making them determined to stay in the city.

“Isn’t it just arranging a job? Why is it so difficult?” Old Lady Lin complained, sitting in the living room. “It’s been several days already. Their family is so powerful, it should only take a minute to arrange a job, why is it taking so long?”

“…” Lin Chenghai was also anxious, but getting a job wasn’t something that could happen just because he wanted it to.