Throughout the entire discussion, Lin Wanqiu hadn’t said a single word.
Even with her eyes closed, she could have pictured everything that was happening. It was almost identical to her previous life.
The morning sunlight was the same, as were the greedy hands counting money, the wedding date being decided without her consent, and the complete disregard for her wishes.
There was only one difference.
This time, she felt no hurt or resentment. All that remained in her heart was a cold, unwavering determination.
Once the preliminary marriage arrangements were settled, Chen Zhigang and Auntie Liu rose to leave.
Wang Guihua enthusiastically escorted them to the courtyard gate, repeatedly urging them to visit again.
The moment the gate closed, Lin Wanqiu’s younger sister, Lin Zhaodi, rushed over to their mother.
“Mom! That’s a lot of money from Sister’s bride price! Can you make me a new outfit? I want one of those dark red Lenin suits they sell at the supply and marketing cooperative. They’re so pretty!”
Wang Guihua beamed with delight and affectionately pinched Lin Zhaodi’s cheek.
“Of course, of course! I’ll have one made for you! Our Zhaodi deserves the most fashionable outfit!”
“What about me?”
Lin Baogen, her younger brother, emerged from the inner room, still chewing on a leftover cornmeal bun from the previous night.
“You’ll get one too! Everyone will!” Wang Guihua declared with a generous wave of her hand. “We’ll get our Baogen a brand-new outfit to wear to work!”
“Oh, right, Sis.” Lin Baogen turned toward Lin Wanqiu, speaking as though the matter had already been settled. “When are you transferring your job to me? Mom already promised.”
Wang Guihua immediately chimed in.
“That’s right! Wanqiu, you should go to the factory in the next couple of days and get the paperwork done. You’re getting married soon anyway. Once you marry into the Chen family, what’s the point of continuing to work? Your proper duties will be looking after your in-laws and raising children.”
Lin Wanqiu finally raised her head.
She stood, walked over to Wang Guihua, and held out her hand.
“Give me fifty yuan.”
Wang Guihua froze.
A moment later, she bristled like an angry hen whose feathers had been ruffled.
“What do you need money for?”
“If you want me to transfer my job to Lin Baogen, I’ll need money to smooth things over with the people handling the transfer,” Lin Wanqiu replied, her voice perfectly calm. “Do you think a permanent factory position can be handed over just because you say so? There are factory supervisors, the personnel department, and the workers’ union to deal with. I’ll have to convince several people to approve the transfer.”
Wang Guihua was momentarily speechless.
Her eyes darted around as she considered the situation. Finally, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten-yuan note.
“It can’t possibly cost fifty yuan! Here, take ten. Figure out the rest yourself.”
Lin Wanqiu accepted the crumpled banknote without complaint.
“Fine. But don’t blame me if the transfer falls through.”
“You!”
Wang Guihua glared at her.
After a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly reached into her inner pocket and pulled out four more ten-yuan notes, looking as though every bill she surrendered caused her physical pain.
“Here! Take it! Fifty yuan! But listen carefully, Lin Wanqiu. If you don’t get this done, you’ll regret it!”
Lin Wanqiu took the money, turned around, and headed straight for the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Wang Guihua shouted after her.
“To the factory to ask about the job transfer.”
She didn’t even look back.
Once she left the house, however, Lin Wanqiu didn’t head toward the textile factory.
Instead, she turned onto a narrow path leading toward the mountain behind the town.
There was no chance she would give her job to Lin Baogen.
She intended to sell it.
And that wasn’t the only thing she needed to do.
She had to find a way to earn money.
Soon, she would have neither a family home to rely on nor a steady job. She couldn’t afford to sit around watching her savings slowly disappear.
Besides, she had already skimmed through the Compendium of a Hundred Herbs stored in her spiritual space.
The medicinal knowledge recorded in its pages had opened her eyes to an entirely new possibility.
Those wild plants growing unnoticed across the mountain might actually be worth a small fortune.
The mountain path was rugged, and vegetation grew thick on either side.
It was July, the height of summer, when plants flourished in abundance.
Following the illustrations and descriptions in the Compendium of a Hundred Herbs, Lin Wanqiu carefully examined the plants around her.
This was plantain, useful for clearing heat and promoting urination.
That was dandelion, known for its detoxifying properties and ability to reduce swelling.
And over there was a patch of motherwort, a medicinal herb particularly beneficial for women’s health.
She harvested each plant with care, following the instructions in the compendium.
After shaking off the soil and removing any dead leaves, she neatly stored the herbs in her spiritual space.
The deeper she ventured into the mountains, the more medicinal plants she discovered.
Eventually, she stumbled upon something that made her eyes light up.
A small patch of wild notoginseng!
Now this was a valuable find!
Her heart quickened with excitement.
She crouched down and carefully dug up several mature plants, making sure to preserve their roots. Then she wrapped the roots in damp soil to keep them from drying out.
Time passed unnoticed.
The sun climbed from the eastern horizon to its highest point before gradually beginning its descent.
By then, Lin Wanqiu’s bamboo basket was full, and several thin scratches marked her palms where sharp leaves had cut her skin.
Yet despite her exhaustion, she felt a sense of satisfaction she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Once these herbs were properly processed, she could sell them on the black market.
They might become her first real source of independent income.
It wasn’t until the sky began to darken that Lin Wanqiu finally made her way down the mountain, carrying her heavy basket.
She didn’t return to the family home.
Instead, she went straight back to the textile factory’s workers’ dormitory.
The following day, during her lunch break, Lin Wanqiu visited the supply and marketing cooperative.
She spent part of the fifty yuan Wang Guihua had given her on two jin of eggs, roughly one kilogram, and half a jin of tea leaves, roughly 250 grams.
After carefully wrapping everything in newspaper, she carried the gifts to the factory’s administration building.
The office of the deputy director of the textile factory’s personnel department was located at the eastern end of the second floor.
Lin Wanqiu stopped outside the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
“Come in.”
She pushed open the door.
Behind a desk sat a woman in her forties wearing black-rimmed glasses.
This was Zhou Yun, the deputy director responsible for personnel affairs at the factory.
She was also the woman whose daughter Lin Wanqiu had once saved.
In gratitude, Zhou Yun had helped Lin Wanqiu secure the opportunity to sit for the factory recruitment exam.
“Director Zhou,” Lin Wanqiu greeted softly.
Zhou Yun looked up.
When she recognized her visitor, a faint smile softened her usually stern expression.
“Xiao Lin? What brings you here?”
Lin Wanqiu placed the eggs and tea leaves on the desk before bowing deeply.
“Director, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
Zhou Yun glanced at the gifts, her brows drawing together.
“What’s all this? Take these things back.”
“Director, please hear me out first.”
Lin Wanqiu raised her head.
Her eyes were already turning red.
“I want to… I want to transfer my factory position to someone else.”
Zhou Yun stared at her in disbelief.
She removed her glasses and studied Lin Wanqiu carefully.
“Xiao Lin, do you understand what you’re saying? Do you have any idea how difficult it was to secure your permanent position? When our factory recruited workers last year, more than three hundred people took the examination, and only eight were accepted!”
Her voice grew more serious.
“How can you talk about giving up a position like that so casually?”
“I…”
Tears spilled down Lin Wanqiu’s cheeks.
“Director, my mother is forcing me. She wants me to give my job to my younger brother. She said that if I refuse, she’ll come to the factory and make a scene.”
Zhou Yun’s expression darkened.
Lin Wanqiu continued, her voice trembling.
“All these years, I’ve handed almost my entire salary over to my family every month. I only kept enough to cover my basic living expenses.”
She lowered her head, struggling to continue.
“But now that I’m getting married, they aren’t satisfied with taking all the bride price money. They want my job too.”
“Director, I just… I feel so disappointed in them.”
She wiped at her tears.
“Rather than let my brother have the position for nothing, I thought… I thought I might as well sell it.”
“If I can keep the money from the sale, at least I’ll have something to fall back on.”
The office fell silent.
Zhou Yun slowly put her glasses back on.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the desk as she considered what she had heard.
After a long while, she let out a sigh.
“Your parents really are terribly biased toward your brother.”
She shook her head.
“All right. I understand your situation now.”
“If you’ve truly made up your mind, I can help you with the transfer procedures. But you’ll have to find a buyer yourself. Whoever takes the position must also pass the medical examination and meet the required background qualifications.”
Lin Wanqiu nodded repeatedly, her face filled with gratitude.
“Thank you, Director! Thank you so much!”
“Now, take these things back with you.”
Zhou Yun pushed the eggs and tea leaves across the desk.
“My family doesn’t need them. Keep them and eat them yourself. It’s not easy for a young woman to save a little money, especially in your circumstances.”
“Director, I bought these especially for you. Please accept them.”
Lin Wanqiu firmly pushed the gifts back toward her.
“You’ve helped me so much. I really don’t know how else to thank you.”
The two women went back and forth several times, each insisting that the other keep the gifts.
In the end, Zhou Yun reluctantly accepted them.
She looked at Lin Wanqiu, her expression gentler than before.
“Xiao Lin, if you ever run into difficulties in the future, you can still come to me.”
Her voice softened.
“You’re a good girl. I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked all these years. You don’t deserve to be treated this way.”
Lin Wanqiu lowered her eyes and nodded.
After leaving the administration building, she quietly wiped the corners of her eyes.
The tears she had shed in the office had been partly genuine and partly calculated.
But Director Zhou’s concern for her had been entirely sincere.
And that small act of kindness brought a touch of warmth to her heart, which had grown so cold.