Those words struck a chord with Old Madam Sun.
“Then… your father won’t beat me, will he?” she asked hesitantly.
She still had her reservations. Over the years, she had tried more than once to arrange a marriage for Zhang Tiezhu. But whenever she tried to find a bride for her son, people either cursed her or chased her away before she could even discuss a bride price.
“He won’t,” Lin Wanqiu assured her. “My father is the greediest person you’ll ever meet. More than half my monthly wages go straight into his pocket. As long as you offer him enough money, he’d gladly sell off a few more daughters.”
The words were harsh, but Old Madam Sun believed every one of them.
She rubbed her hands together, her eyes growing brighter by the second.
“Then… how much do you think I should offer?”
“At the very least, it has to be more than what they received for me,” Lin Wanqiu replied. “You know your son’s situation better than anyone. My mother won’t agree unless the price is high enough.”
“Four hundred yuan?” Old Madam Sun ventured.
“Or… are you saying it’ll take five hundred?”
Lin Wanqiu nodded. “Something around that amount.”
Old Madam Sun sucked in a sharp breath.
“That’s far too much!”
“Too much?” Lin Wanqiu looked at her steadily. “Tiezhu is already thirty. If you keep putting off his marriage, what family will still be willing to marry their daughter to him? My younger sister might have a terrible temper, but she’s young and pretty. Once she marries into your family, she can bear children and continue the Zhang family line. Five hundred yuan is a bargain when you think about it.”
The mention of carrying on the family bloodline struck Old Madam Sun right where it hurt.
Her greatest worry in life had always been her son, Zhang Tiezhu.
Her husband had died young, leaving her with only one child, a son who had never developed the mental abilities of an ordinary adult. Now, as the years passed and Tiezhu grew older, there was still no prospect of him finding a wife.
The villagers laughed at her behind her back, saying the Zhang family line would end with her son.
But if she could marry Lin Zhaodi into the family…
Old Madam Sun’s heart began to race.
Lin Zhaodi certainly had a nasty temper, but she was young, healthy, and pleasantly plump. Surely a girl like that could bear children!
If she gave birth to a grandson, the Zhang family would finally have an heir!
“Fine!”
Old Madam Sun slapped her thigh decisively.
“I can go as high as five hundred yuan, but there’s no need to offer that much right away. I’ll start with four hundred and see if Wang Guihua accepts. If she refuses, I can raise it to five hundred. I’ve been saving money all these years just to find Tiezhu a wife! I’ll visit your family in a couple of days and formally propose the marriage!”
“Good.” Lin Wanqiu rose to her feet. “I’ll be waiting.”
She couldn’t bear to stay in that courtyard another minute.
Every inch of the place was steeped in the blood and tears of her previous life.
“Wait, young lady!”
Old Madam Sun hurriedly called after her.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out two eggs, and pressed them into Lin Wanqiu’s hands.
“Here, take these! Thank you for helping our Tiezhu find a wife!”
Lin Wanqiu stared at the two filthy eggs in her palms.
Her stomach churned.
In her previous life, Old Madam Sun had tried to win her over in much the same way.
When Lin Wanqiu had first been sold into this household, the old woman had handed her a coarse black-flour steamed bun and told her, “From now on, we’re family.”
Back then, she had been foolish enough to believe those words.
She had thought Old Madam Sun was a reasonable woman, someone who might treat her with a little kindness.
What followed instead was an endless nightmare.
Lin Wanqiu quietly placed the eggs back on the stone table.
“No, thank you. Keep them for yourself. You need the nourishment more than I do.”
With that, she turned and hurried out of the courtyard.
Behind her came Old Madam Sun’s enthusiastic voice.
“Come visit us often, dear! Once the marriage is settled, we’ll all be one family!”
Then came Zhang Tiezhu’s slurred, childish calls.
“Sis… sister… hehe…”
Lin Wanqiu kept walking.
She didn’t stop until the house was far behind her.
Only then did she stagger toward a tree beside the road and brace herself against its trunk, struggling to catch her breath.
Cold sweat had soaked through the back of her clothes.
Her hands were still trembling.
Yet her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
The Lin family’s courtyard was lit when she returned.
Wang Guihua was busy cooking at the stove. Lin Baogen was sprawled across a chair in the main room, fast asleep. Lin Daqiang sat in the courtyard smoking his long-stemmed tobacco pipe, while Lin Zhaodi was washing vegetables nearby.
When Lin Wanqiu pushed open the gate and stepped inside, all four of them froze.
“What are you doing back here?”
Wang Guihua was the first to recover from her surprise. She was so startled that she forgot to put down the spatula in her hand.
Lin Wanqiu stood silently in the courtyard, her gaze sweeping over the place where she had spent twenty years of her life.
The low mud-brick house.
The roof that leaked whenever it rained.
The half-dead jujube tree struggling to survive in the courtyard.
Everything about the place spoke of poverty and neglect.
And yet, it was in this very home that she had given everything she had, only to receive not even the smallest trace of affection in return.
“The factory is undergoing equipment maintenance, so we finished work early,” Lin Wanqiu answered calmly.
Lin Daqiang tapped his pipe against the chair.
“We’ve already severed family ties. What are you doing coming back here?”
“Exactly!” Wang Guihua chimed in. “Even if you come back, there’s no place for you to stay!”
Her words were firm and absolute, leaving no room for discussion.
Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly.
“So you don’t want me to transfer my job anymore?”
The effect was immediate.
Wang Guihua’s expression changed in an instant.
She hurriedly set down her spatula, wiped her hands on her apron, and forced a smile onto her face.
“Come inside! Come inside, and we’ll talk!”
Once they were seated in the main room, Lin Baogen fixed his eyes on Lin Wanqiu.
“When can you transfer the job to me?”
Lin Wanqiu ignored him and sat down opposite Wang Guihua.
“Have you spoken to your supervisor about transferring your position?” Wang Guihua asked eagerly.
“I have,” Lin Wanqiu replied. “My supervisor said the transfer is possible, but there’s one condition. The person taking over must undergo a medical examination first. If he fails, the whole arrangement is off.”
“A medical examination?”
Wang Guihua stared at her.
“What kind of examination?”
“Liver function, lung function, eyesight, blood pressure, all of it,” Lin Wanqiu explained with a perfectly serious expression. “The textile factory is one of the county’s key enterprises, so its health requirements are strict. Anyone with an infectious disease or a chronic illness won’t be accepted.”
Wang Guihua immediately grew anxious.
“My son is healthy and well-fed! Just look at how strong and plump he is! How could he possibly fail?”
“You never know,” Lin Wanqiu replied indifferently. “Take him to the county hospital for a full examination within the next couple of days. Once you have his medical report, I can start processing the transfer paperwork.”
Lin Baogen suddenly interrupted.
“Doesn’t a medical examination cost money?”
“Of course it does.”
Lin Wanqiu glanced at him.
“What? You want a secure factory job, but you’re not even willing to spend a little money on the examination?”
Wang Guihua gritted her teeth.
“Fine! I’ll take him tomorrow! How much will it cost?”
“About five or six yuan for the complete examination,” Lin Wanqiu answered casually.
The thought of spending that much money made Wang Guihua’s heart ache, but she eventually nodded.
“Five or six yuan, then! Baogen, Mother will take you to the hospital tomorrow!”
Then she leaned forward, her eyes shining with anticipation.
“Once he finishes the examination, the job will belong to your brother, right?”
Lin Wanqiu nodded.
“Yes. Once the paperwork is completed, he’ll become an official employee of the textile factory, earning twenty-five yuan and fifty cents every month.”
Wang Guihua slapped her thigh in delight.
“Wonderful! You’ve finally managed to make yourself useful!”
She said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
As though Lin Wanqiu had been born for the sole purpose of sacrificing everything for her family.
Lin Wanqiu felt a deep chill settle over her heart.
But her expression remained perfectly composed.
When dinner was served, Wang Guihua brought out a pot of porridge so watery that a person could practically see their reflection in it.
There was no bread, no steamed buns, not even a small serving of the pickled vegetables stored in the courtyard.
“Hurry up and eat. Once you’re finished, go to bed early.”
Wang Guihua filled two bowls to the brim, one for Lin Baogen and the other for Lin Zhaodi.
But when it was Lin Wanqiu’s turn, she received less than half a bowl.
The porridge was so thin that she could clearly see the bottom.
Lin Wanqiu stared at the pitiful serving in front of her.
She didn’t touch it.
Instead, she stood up and walked straight toward the woodshed.
Behind her, Lin Daqiang’s angry voice rang out.
“Eat it or don’t! You’re already getting food for free, and you still have the nerve to be picky!”
Lin Wanqiu said nothing.
When she had first entered the courtyard, she had noticed cured meat hanging out to dry.
There were eggs sitting right there beside the kitchen stove, too.
The family wasn’t so poor that they had nothing else to eat.
They had simply seen her return and deliberately prepared nothing but watery porridge.
They were afraid she might eat some of their precious food.
The realization made her chest tighten.
Despite herself, tears began rolling down her cheeks.
She truly couldn’t understand it.
These people were her parents.
Her own flesh and blood.
Why did they have to treat her with such cruelty?
In her previous life, she had sacrificed practically everything for them.
And in this life, she had already handed over four years’ worth of wages.
Four whole years of hard work.
Yet even after taking so much from her, they still begrudged her a single decent meal.
They guarded their food against her as though she were some shameless outsider who had come to steal from them.
How could parents be so heartless toward their own daughter?
For a moment, the pain threatened to overwhelm her.
But Lin Wanqiu quickly wiped away her tears.
She had already made up her mind.
She would never again allow this family to trample on her dignity.
“Never mind,” she murmured to herself. “I don’t care anymore.”
Her lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
“Go ahead. Keep guarding your precious food from me.”
Her eyes gleamed with a cold, determined light.
“After all, in a little while, every last bit of it will belong to me!”