Chapter 30: It Will Come, Sooner or Later

Lin Shi Sheng found it amusing, “How could I possibly guess?”

“But your expression…”

He paused, studying Lin Zhao’s face closely—beaming, happier than when she’d passed the high school entrance exam.

It’s definitely something great.

“Is your brother-in-law coming back?”

Lin Zhao shook her head, “He didn’t say he’s coming back.”

“Then what’s worth making you this happy?” Lin Shi Sheng was truly puzzled.

For a moment, he considered asking if it was about her job.

But.

Zhao Zhao had been hurt by work when she first graduated; since then, no one in the family ever mentioned the word “job.”

Also, jobs in the county are scarce—each position has one person, hard to get—so it’s unlikely.

At that moment, Chen Yu stepped out of the room.

The topic was temporarily halted.

Lin Zhao smiled and greeted, “Big sister-in-law.”

“Zhao Zhao, you’re back—why didn’t Da Zai and the others come with you?” Chen Yu asked with concern.

“I thought it’d be too much trouble bringing them, so I didn’t,” Lin Zhao replied, then turned to her mother: “Mom, put the watermelon in the well—it’ll be icy cold when we eat it, even better.”

Lin Mu said, “Already hung down.”

“Watermelon?” Lin Heling suddenly felt a headache, but the pain vanished instantly—he flashed on a strange yet familiar scene.

A boy in a small suit held a watermelon; beside him stood a girl in a dress, delicate and pretty.

Sunlight filtered through the camphor tree’s leaves, dancing on their hair.

They smiled at each other, radiant.

In an instant.

Those two smiling faces vanished as if in slow motion.

Lin Heling looked dazed.

Song Xi saw his oddness at once and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“A scene suddenly appeared in my mind,” Lin Heling said, “then vanished just as fast—just like before.”

“If you can’t remember, don’t force it—you’ll give yourself a headache,” Song Xi warned anxiously.

Lin Heling sighed, “I know.”

Lin Zhao’s eyes filled with worry, “Is Dad okay?”

“Old problem, nothing serious,” Lin Heling said.

He didn’t want Zhao Zhao asking about his past—based on his faint memories, his original family was extraordinary, and such extraordinariness was dangerous in today’s social climate.

Everyone knows he’s a poor man who lost his memories; let them think that—it’s better for this family, better for the children.

Lin Zhao knew how tight-lipped her father was; she didn’t press further, only said, “I only have one father—you must take care of your health, or I’ll be heartbroken.”

Lin Fu stroked her head, speaking gently, “Of course—I’m counting on you to take me to the capital.”

This was the dream Lin Zhao had painted for her parents since middle school.

“I remember,” Lin Zhao listed eagerly, eyes bright as lanterns, “I’ll take you to see the flag-raising, climb the Great Wall, visit Renmin Park (Yiheyuan), go to teahouses, theaters, eat roast duck… I’ll even buy a sihe courtyard in the capital and bring you and Mom there.”

Chen Yu was energized by her words, “What’s a sihe courtyard? A yard? Buying a yard under the imperial city—how expensive would that be?”

Lin Zhao couldn’t say the future would open up and society would change completely, that gold would be everywhere—she could only say vaguely, “Who knows? Maybe one day, everyone will be able to make big money.”

Lin Heling didn’t think Zhao Zhao was talking nonsense; after a few seconds of thought, he nodded slightly, “Zhao Zhao might be right. History repeats itself—it must develop, and it won’t stay like this forever.”

Time.

Needs time.

Lin Zhao thought her father was incredibly wise—if the novel’s version of her hadn’t died early, she’d have been among the first to get rich, with everything she wanted, endless blessings.

“Dad, you’re amazing—I love listening to you talk.”

Lin Heling’s pale, gentle eyes softened with a faint smile—his daughter’s words were always so sweet.

“Dad, I got a job,” Lin Zhao remembered her purpose for returning, her voice light and cheerful.

Her eyes curved slightly, her expression begging for praise, her tail almost wagging.

Lin Heling was glad for her, understandingly asking, “Did Chenghuai help you get it?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhao nodded.

Song Xi put down her winnowing basket, pulled over a stool, and sat across from Lin Zhao, her face unreadable: “Where’s the job?”

“Too tiring, shift work—you can’t handle it. You can’t endure that kind of hardship.”

That’s a mother.

She sees right through her daughter.

“Sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative—I can handle it,” Lin Zhao said.

Song Xi knew her daughter had always envied those sales clerks—this was her dream come true.

“Good job—easy and respectable. How much did it cost? I’ll give you the money.”

Hearing this, Chen Yu felt a strange pang but showed nothing—her mother-in-law would surely use her and the old man’s secret savings, none of it her business; she couldn’t say no.

In the Lin family, a daughter who marries isn’t like water spilled out.

“I have money,” Lin Zhao wouldn’t take her parents’ money—her husband-to-be was capable, and she was ready to start earning too.

“But…” Song Xi worried the Gu family would control Zhao Zhao.

“Mom, I’m not short on money—if I were, I’d tell you. If I have any trouble, I’ll come straight back to you and Dad—you’re my foundation. I’m not being polite for show,” Lin Zhao said seriously.

She wanted to care for her parents.

Her mother wouldn’t accept money—fine; she’d send grain, meat, sugar—whether accepted or not, they’d have to take it.

After all, her parents’ health was the most important thing.

“If you need anything, say so,” Song Xi repeated.

She hunted—she’d saved a lot of money over the years. During those special years, even money couldn’t buy food, which is why Zhao Zhao had thought of marriage early, becoming a Gu bride; after that, everything required coupons. Money was money, coupons were coupons—miss one, you couldn’t buy anything.

“Mm-hmm,” Lin Zhao nodded.

Lin Shi Sheng struggled to find his voice, still dazed, “Zhao Zhao—you really got a job at the supply and marketing cooperative? But I didn’t hear they were hiring.”

“Sales clerk positions are coveted—when one opens, everyone watches. Usually filled internally. Gu Chenghuai has a comrade working in the county government; his brother-in-law happens to be the director of the cooperative. Lucky break.”

Only now did Lin Zhao feel grateful—thank goodness she’d scribbled nonsense that night, or this job might never have come her way.

One step late, and you lose everything.

“It was a lucky break,” Lin Shi Sheng said, happy for his sister. “So you see—what’s yours will come, sooner or later.”

“I heard the supply and marketing cooperative gives defective goods as employee benefits—this job suits you well.”

Lin Zhao’s lips curled, “Does Big Brother need anything?”

Lin Shi Sheng didn’t play coy—he said, “Fabric and cotton—keep an eye out for me.”

“Okay.”

Lin Zhao turned her gaze to her silent older brother, “What does Big Brother’s room need?”

Lin Shi Chang’s dark face broke into a smile: “Thermos bottle. Boiling water in winter’s a hassle—having one’s convenient. By the time it gets cold, your sister-in-law’s belly will be big too.”

“Got it,” Lin Zhao replied.

“What about Big Sister-in-law?”

Chen Yu shook her head, “The thermos is enough. Thanks for thinking of me.”

“No trouble—it’s just a small thing.”

Chen Yu was nearly three months pregnant; sitting too long made her lower back ache. She quietly rubbed it, and Lin Shi Chang noticed—he told the family, then helped his wife back to their room to rest.

After they left, Lin Zhao rose, pulled over a stool, and sat beside Lin Shi Sheng, asking softly, “Where’s Second Sister-in-law?”

“...Went back to her parents’ home,” Lin Shi Sheng didn’t want to elaborate.

Alarm bells rang in Lin Zhao’s mind.

…Back to her parents’ home!?

She felt the green glow over Big Brother’s head intensify.

She struggled internally, unsure how to speak—she couldn’t scream at him, “Big Brother, you’re been cuckolded!”—she couldn’t say it.

Lin Zhao’s lips moved repeatedly, weighing every word.

“Big Brother, isn’t it bad for Second Sister-in-law to stay alone at her parents’?”

Lin Shi Sheng was surprised, “Alone? That’s her parents’ home—where she grew up.”

He smirked, a flicker of sarcasm in his eyes, “She’s close with her family. Let her stay as long as she wants.”

Lin Zhao’s head spun.

“….”

Big Brother didn’t understand her heart.

“Big…”

The word “brother” still on her tongue, Lin Shi Sheng smiled and cut her off, “I know what I’m doing.”

Know what? Know what?

You know nothing—you’re green as grass in the novel.

Lin Zhao felt utterly drained.

Seeing she was still uneasy, Lin Shi sheng could only sigh and say, “I’ve got someone keeping an eye on her—after all, she’s my wife, Xuanxuan and Zhengzheng’s mother. I wouldn’t abandon her.”

Ah, Zhaozhao’s heart is too kind. We’ll have to watch her even closer from now on.

“Who are you having watch her?” Lin Zhao asked anxiously, her eyes like a cat sensing danger.

Lin Shi sheng chuckled at her expression, roughing up her braids with both hands until her hair was a mess.

“Big brother!” Lin Zhao feigned anger.

Before she could land a punch, Lin Shi sheng bolted out the door.

“How childish,” Lin Zhao laughed in exasperation, plopping down with a huff. Then she remembered something and studied her father’s face closely—he looked a bit more spirited than the past few days. “Mama, have you been cooking him good meals lately?”

“Do you think I’d neglect your father?” Lin Mu snapped. He was her handsome old man—how could she not care?

“Not necessarily,” Lin Zhao muttered under her breath. “I’m just afraid you’ll hold back again.”

Lin Mu, with sharp ears, caught her words. “When it comes to your father, when have I ever held back?”

Lin Zhao fell silent.

Full.

She swallowed a gulp of water and changed the subject. “Father, Mother, once the double harvest is over, I plan to build a brick-and-tile house.”

Lin Fu immediately asked, “Can you get bricks and tiles?”

“I asked Gu Chenghuai—he arranged it for me,” Lin Zhao said with a smile.

“Then build it,” Lin Fu supported her. His pale eyes settled on her face, and he couldn’t help smiling. “It’s been hard on you living in that dusty house for years.”

When his daughter lived at home, the walls couldn’t even shed dust—she’d make a fuss.

He didn’t know how she’d managed these past years.

Lin Zhao nodded. Yes, it had been terribly hard on her.

“Have your brothers help out,” Lin Mu said, effectively assigning Lin Shichang and Lin Shisheng to labor for a month.

“Fine, I won’t let my brothers down,” Lin Zhao said.

Lin Fu chuckled softly. “What’s this about ‘not letting them down’? An elder brother helping his younger sister is only natural.”

He didn’t care about other families. In his mind, girls needed more tender care than boys.

Lin Zhao wasn’t the little girl who understood nothing anymore. She knew that in some households, girls were tools—worse than oxen or horses.

“It’s good to be a daughter to your parents.”

When Lin Dadan and the others heard their aunt had returned to her natal home, they sprinted back from all corners of the village, faces lit with excitement.

The village children knew right away they’d get tasty food—smart ones had already learned to stay on good terms.

A boy, about ten, in patched black clothes, his skin gleaming dark, his teeth startlingly white, said with open envy: “Big Dan, your aunt must’ve brought you something delicious—I saw her carrying a basket. I don’t know what’s inside. Can you share some? I want to see what it is.”

Another boy, slinging an arm around Big Dan’s shoulders, sighed, “It’s great to have an aunt.”

Big Dan looked utterly unimpressed. “You’ve got an aunt too—more than one.”

The boy looked even more miserable, gazing at him with a wounded stare.

Big Er laughed. “Your grandma treated your aunt badly, so of course she doesn’t feel close to your side of the family. My grandma always said, even after marriage, an aunt is still family—good things should always be shared with her. So my aunt remembers us. My grandpa said, feelings are mutual—you can’t just take. Taking means only knowing how to benefit yourself.”

To make sure his friend understood, he explained further.

The boy hung his head, listless. “My grandma doesn’t listen to me.”

Big Er thought hard, then came up with a solution: “...Then grow up fast. When you become someone important, your grandma will listen to you.”

After speaking, he pulled Da Dan and ran home.

Leaving behind the dark-skinned boy, lost in thought.

If you become someone important, your family will listen to you. The words left a deep impression on him.

Lin Xibao led Lin Xuan and Lin Zheng back home. As soon as they returned, the courtyard came alive.

“Auntie!”

“Auntie, you’re back!”

The three girls cried out happily.

Lin Zhao noticed her brother’s two daughters had neatly styled hair and smiled. “Who did your hair? You look so lively.”

Far more thoughtful than that woman Qiu Lian ever was.

“Big Aunt did it,” Lin Zheng said openly, her eyes bright and clear.

Lin Zhao beckoned her closer, wiped the sweat from the girl’s face, and asked gently, “Where did you go?”

Her aunt’s voice was so gentle—Lin Zheng felt dizzy with delight. “We went out to play—with the other girls.”

Lin Zhao glanced at the restless Lin Xibao beside her and smiled. “Did Xibao take you?”

She knew Xibao was the village’s little tyrant, the ringleader everyone followed.

Lin Xibao pouted and stomped her foot. “I did!”

Her aunt was wiping Zhengzheng’s sweat—now she was finally looking at her? Did she think she smelled bad?

No choice—Xibao had to fend for herself and went to wash up.

Her back looked so forlorn—Lin Zhao could feel it even from a few steps away.

She walked over and slipped a candy into the mouth of the girl who never held grudges but always counted every slight.

“Sweet?”

The girl’s eyes lit up instantly, her smile radiant as the sun. “So sweet! The candy from Auntie is the sweetest!”

She greedily sucked on the sweetness, trying to cling to Lin Zhao, who rejected her with a grimace.

“Wash up first. You stink. Covered in sweat.”

“Don’t go out without a hat—you’ll turn into a black coal ball.”