Because she had been staying up late these past few days, Lin Su had a slight dark circle under her eyes. Aside from that faint bruise, her skin was exceptionally soft and fair, with a natural blush showing through. Her oval face and slightly pointed chin made her look strikingly beautiful and radiant.
Lin Su felt both happy and a little complicated. She had been transported into a supporting female character with the same name, yet her face was still her own. It felt like some kind of fated connection.
She measured her height and realized even her body shape was very similar to her past life.
The oversized military uniforms she used to wear no longer fit. If she hadn’t quickly tied her pants with a rope earlier in the day, she would have definitely embarrassed herself with her pants slipping down.
It was a pity that this era only had snow cream and none of the skincare products from later generations. Otherwise, she would have properly taken care of her face.
That night, just before going to bed, Qin Zhoucheng saw her heating water, using a hot towel on her face, and then applying a thick layer of snow cream. Her face turned white, like she was wearing a mask.
He inhaled sharply. “What are you doing?”
Lin Su laughed. “A facial mask.”
She tied her fringe up into a little sprout ponytail with a rubber band. It looked cute, but Qin Zhoucheng couldn’t quite understand it.
“Oh right, the textbooks you wanted have been delivered.”
Qin Zhoucheng took out a newspaper-wrapped bundle. Inside were high school textbooks of the time.
“However, the fashion magazines you mentioned are hard to find. I’ll keep looking.”
Lin Su was already very grateful just to get the textbooks and thanked him repeatedly, but Qin Zhoucheng didn’t look particularly pleased.
Lin Su now had nearly 1,500 yuan, plus some grain and oil ration tickets. In this era, that was a huge amount of money. However, 1,000 yuan came from Qin Zhoucheng as so-called “bride price.” Lin Su accepted it only because she was afraid the Lin family would take it; otherwise, it would be like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone forever.
She absolutely would not spend that money. The remaining was 300 yuan from the Yu family and her own earnings from the past month.
Earning over 100 yuan in a month already exceeded factory workers in big cities by more than double, but Lin Su was still far from satisfied. A small tailoring workshop had no future. If she could gather enough money to open a small garment factory with stable sales channels, the income would definitely be much higher.
Now that reform and opening-up had just begun, Shenzhen near Hong Kong had the most opportunities. Haicheng, located inland, would only benefit later. She wanted to take the college entrance exam and go to Beijing—this era was full of opportunities.
She knew she had to take things step by step. Making money couldn’t be rushed.
Flipping through the textbooks, Chinese was manageable, but math, chemistry, and physics felt like reading a foreign language. After all, she hadn’t touched science subjects since entering university in her previous life. More than ten years had passed, and everything from high school was long forgotten.
Her strongest subjects—foreign languages like English and French—were completely irrelevant to the art academy she planned to apply for.
Lin Su refused to let Qin Zhoucheng continue sleeping on the makeshift wooden plank bed. It was supported by two stone blocks underneath, and even with two layers of bedding, it was still uncomfortable.
She forcefully moved his bedding onto the heated kang bed. The conditions were limited, so they had to sleep on the same kang, but one at the head and one at the foot, keeping a wide distance between them.
At night, they each did their own things. The room was filled with the rhythmic clattering sound of Lin Su’s sewing machine.
Tonight, she only altered a few clothes and then stopped, sitting instead at Qin Zhoucheng’s small desk made of rough wooden boards, reading a book.
She didn’t want to waste candles, and not every household in Yu Family Village had electricity. They used kerosene lamps instead.
Under the dim, flickering light, Lin Su read attentively, her profile appearing especially delicate and beautiful.
She didn’t notice that Qin Zhoucheng had already been quietly watching her for a long time, resting his chin on his hand.
“Yu Xiuli said you didn’t even go to primary school?”
He asked casually, without any mocking tone.
Lin Su nodded. “You’ve seen how the Lin family treated me. How could they possibly let me go to school?”
Once she went to the Yu family, she was expected to work in the production team. They would never spend money on her education.
She smiled self-deprecatingly.
The real daughter of the Lin family had returned to the city and was living a privileged life as a high-ranking cadre’s granddaughter. She went to university, studied foreign languages, and became a fashionable young woman admired by the sons of military families.
But what about her, the so-called “real daughter”?
The Lin family knew her situation but deliberately raised her poorly, even planning to sell her off as a child bride and take Qin Zhoucheng’s bride price, trying to profit twice. They had never treated her as a human being.
“Without a high school education, it will be difficult to take the university entrance exam,” Qin Zhoucheng said with a frown, thinking of the Lin family’s behavior and her situation.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He had never encountered parents like this—people who treated their own child so cruelly. In his compound, everyone came from influential military backgrounds, and sons and daughters were raised equally.
His own father, although he sent him to be raised by a comrade soon after birth, still provided everything that should be provided.
Flowers growing in the mud often wither early, yet she was like a little sun—optimistic, energetic, and resilient.
Very impressive.
Lin Su was also a little worried. It was only 1980, and the college entrance exam had been reinstated not long ago. Compared to her previous life’s acceptance rates, it was extremely competitive—only top elites could get in.
“Actually, if you have a skill that earns money, not going to university isn’t necessarily a problem.”
Her craftsmanship was excellent. Qin Zhoucheng couldn’t fully understand fashion, but the clothes she made looked beautiful—almost like those Hong Kong actresses. They were completely different from the ones sold at supply cooperatives.
He could see that clearly.
If he helped her set up a small garment factory and found sales channels, she could have a stable income.
As he thought about it, Qin Zhoucheng realized he was already considering using his connections—old classmates in the textile system, people he normally disliked troubling. Usually, others came to him for help, not the other way around.
Yet now, for Lin Su, he was unconsciously thinking about who he could ask.
And he didn’t even feel it was strange.
Lin Su sighed. “I want to earn money, but I also want to go to university.”
In this era, education mattered a lot. And it was also her obsession—only by getting into university could she truly break out of the fate of the supporting female character.
“Am I being too greedy?”
She felt she was constantly struggling with herself. All science subjects would basically require her to start from junior high level again.
She laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek.
Even though she knew it was difficult, she still wanted to face it head-on.
Qin Zhoucheng’s expression softened.
The slight irritation he had felt earlier from her overly polite thanks disappeared completely.
“If you have determination, it’s not impossible,” he said calmly. “You could start by getting a high school equivalency qualification. It’s still valid.”
Only… with her current workload—designing clothes and preparing for exams—did she really have enough energy?