Lin Yingxian stopped walking. "I didn't name any names. Why do you think I was talking about you?"
Zhong Hong was immediately choked with anger, viciously pointing her finger at Lin Yingxian but unable to speak.
"Comrade Zhong Hong, pointing your finger at me like this—if people see it, the director will soon know that you've been speaking ill of him and fellow workshop workers behind his back, undermining the harmonious and united atmosphere of the workshop, dampening the workers' production enthusiasm, and affecting the workshop's production efficiency."
With several accusations thrown at her, Zhong Hong lowered her hand and weakly defended herself, "I wasn't talking about anyone. You must have misheard."
Then Zhong Hong and her friend quickly pushed their bicycles away and left.
On Lin Yingxian's way back home by bicycle, it suddenly started pouring rain. Lin Yingxian took shelter under the eaves of the post office, taking a handkerchief from her crossbody bag to wipe the rainwater off her clothes.
Zhong Shucen had just come out of the post office when Lin Yingxian's gaze abruptly met his deep, unfathomable eyes.
Eyes are the windows to the soul—others can read a person's true thoughts through their eyes. Yet Lin Yingxian couldn't discern any emotion in Zhong Shucen's eyes. He seemed innately indifferent, his emotions elusive. The gentle politeness he displayed when coming to her home to break off the engagement was merely a facade.
Lin Yingxian had known what kind of person he was two years ago.
At that time, she had fled the hospital ward and was about to jump from the stairwell window when Zhong Shucen, passing by, saw her. He showed no intention of stopping her from committing suicide and simply walked away on his own. This had allowed Lin Yingxian to breathe a sigh of relief.
But as the hurried footsteps of a nurse approached, Zhong Shucen suddenly returned and, using his uninjured arm, lifted her down from the window. Zhong Shucen became the heroic good Samaritan in the nurse's account, who also told Lin Yingxian about how Zhong Shucen, during an earthquake, disregarded his own safety and risked his life to save others despite being injured and bleeding.
From that moment on, Lin Yingxian knew Zhong Shucen was a two-faced person.
The two nodded slightly in greeting but didn't speak, waiting together for the rain to ease.
Gradually, more people came to take shelter under the post office's eaves.
Lin Yingxian leaned her bicycle horizontally against the wall to make more space for others to come in and take shelter. Initially standing at the entrance of the post office, Lin Yingxian and Zhong Shucen were pushed into a corner by the crowd. Their elbows bumped, and they subtly moved apart, only to be squeezed together again.
Zhong Shucen apologized to Lin Yingxian.
Lin Yingxian said it was fine and asked him, "Why are you in Jiangcheng again? I remember the rural area you were sent to is quite far from Jiangcheng."
"I'm working in Jiangcheng now."
They exchanged a few words intermittently until the rain stopped, then bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.
When Lin Yingxian arrived downstairs at her home, she specifically checked the mailbox but found no letters addressed to her. She felt a slight disappointment. However, upon returning home, her disappointment vanished completely.
Mother Lin handed two letters to Lin Yingxian. "Two newspapers sent you letters. When did you start corresponding with newspapers?"
"I submitted articles to the newspapers. These are probably replies." Lin Yingxian took the envelopes and opened them. One was from Labor News, and the other was from Workers' Daily. Because Lin Yingxian disliked others meddling with her belongings, Mother Lin hadn't opened her letters.
The Labor News and Workers' Daily will publish Lin Yingxian's articles in the coming days. Lin Yingxian counted the money inside the envelope—the Labor News had given an eight-yuan reward, while the Workers' Daily had given ten yuan. In recent years, authors were not entitled to receive manuscript fees, though some newspapers would distribute the fees to authors under a different name. Lin Yingxian didn’t care about the name; what mattered most was that she got paid and her articles were published in the newspaper.
Mother Lin was pleasantly surprised to see the money in the envelope and finally understood why Lin Yingxian had spent all her free time reading books and newspapers and writing.
Seeing Father Lin walk in, Mother Lin happily told him, "Our Yingxian is promising—she even gets paid for writing articles."
Father Lin was also delighted when he saw the reply letter in Lin Yingxian’s hand. "It’s worth all the effort Yingxian has put in lately. Today, I brought back some newspapers from the office again. They were tucked away in a box, and Old Xu gave them to me when he was clearing out some clutter."
Lin Yingxian had asked Father Lin to help find some old books and newspapers, and his colleagues at the office all knew he was looking for newspapers lately. As soon as Old Xu saw the old newspapers, he asked Father Lin if he wanted them.
Lin Yingxian took the newspapers and thanked Father Lin. She gave both Father Lin and Mother Lin two yuan each, treating them equally. "This is my first time receiving a manuscript fee, so I’m giving you a little money as a token of my appreciation."
Father Lin said he would treasure the two yuan and frame it together with the published newspaper when it came out. Both Mother Lin and Lin Yingxian laughed at how exaggerated he was being.
Mother Lin refused to take the money from Lin Yingxian and pushed it back, telling her to save it for herself.
Zhou Donghong returned and helped Mother Lin prepare dinner, while Lin Yingxian and Father Lin sorted through the old newspapers.
Suddenly, Father Lin pointed to a photo in the newspaper and said, "Doesn’t this look a lot like Zhong Shucen?"
Lin Yingxian looked over and studied it for a moment. "It really does look like him."
The two of them read the content of the newspaper. Three months ago, an avian flu outbreak occurred in the county where Zhong Shucen was sent to work in the countryside. The method he proposed greatly alleviated the avian flu problem in the county, slowed the spread of the flu, and ensured the safety of both people and livestock. The method Zhong Shucen developed was promoted nationwide.
Lin Yingxian thought to herself that it might have been because of this incident that Zhong Shucen earned merit and was able to return to the city for work. She told Father Lin about her encounter with Zhong Shucen.
"When he came to our house last time, I already thought he was extraordinary, but circumstances can be cruel," Father Lin remarked with a sigh before putting the newspaper away and saying nothing more.
At the dinner table, Mother Lin announced to everyone, "Your aunt has invited us over for dinner tomorrow. She’s formally introducing Yan Qing to the relatives."
Lin Yingwei found the name unfamiliar. "Yan Qing? Is that the biological daughter who was found?"
Mother Lin replied, "Yes, that’s her. Originally named Li Qing, she’s changed her name now."
"What about our original cousin?" Lin Yingwan was curious about Yan Yingshu’s whereabouts. She thought that after the suicide incident, Yan Yingshu would likely stay with their aunt’s family. Yan Yingshu was a tough person.
"She’s still staying at home. Your aunt says she’ll treat it as if she gave birth to two daughters. She raised her like a precious gem for twenty years and can’t bear to let her leave and suffer in her original family. Yan Qing endured a lot of hardship in the Li family and was almost married off to a man as old as your uncle. If it weren’t for the Li family wanting to save a little face, Yan Qing might still be illiterate and unable to even attend primary school."
The matter of the daughter being swapped at the aunt's house had become a daily topic of conversation in the Lin Family recently. Because it was so dramatic and convoluted, and Mother Lin often had access to firsthand information.