Xie Yanzhou walked on in silence.
Lin Wan had no idea what he was thinking.
But whatever this man was thinking didn’t matter.
What mattered was that, in this life, the only people Lin Wan had to protect were her parents, her younger brother, and her younger sister.
Everyone else…
She didn’t care about anymore!
Including Xie Yanzhou!
So no matter how Xie Yanzhou had spoken up for Lin Shuhua just now, or how he’d said she’d had such a hard time, Lin Wan didn’t care anymore.
“Whatever the case, Sister-in-law thinks she used to be dependent on other people, so she’s very insecure.”
After he finished speaking, Xie Yanzhou turned to look at Lin Wan.
He truly hadn’t understood her tonight. Lin Wan’s eyes had been full of hatred for Lin Shuhua. She had tried her hardest to hide it, not wanting anyone to notice, but Xie Yanzhou had still seen it.
After only a few exchanges, he was even more certain: Lin Wan hated Lin Shuhua.
The discovery left Xie Yanzhou deeply conflicted.
On the one hand, there was his Sister-in-law.
Because he was so close to his Eldest Brother, Xie Yanzhou naturally felt close to his Sister-in-law, too, and treated her with great respect. He wanted her to be happy and well, so that his Eldest Brother could see her from the other world and rest easy.
“What are you treating me to?” Lin Wan didn’t want to keep discussing with Yanzhou how hard things had been for his Sister-in-law. She glanced down the street on East Street. Compared with the bustle it would have in the future, even the capital was bleak at this time.
Everyone was frugal and knew how to make ends meet.
Besides, the nighttime curfew was still in effect. Setting up a stall outdoors to sell late-night snacks wasn’t allowed; it counted as illegal business.
Still, a few shops did have things to eat.
“We’ve got stir-fried dishes and rice wine. Would you two like some wine with your food?” the restaurant owner came over to ask. Looking at Lin Wan, she couldn’t hide her envy. “You’re so pretty, Sister. Your skin is lovely!”
“Thank you,” Lin Wan replied politely.
“Oh, goodness—cough, cough. Um, young man, we have grilled lamb kidneys, spicy kidney stir-fry, and…” The owner had been looking at Lin Wan, and then she noticed the marks on her neck. She immediately clapped her hands and began recommending dishes to Xie Yanzhou.
Lin Wan understood what the owner was getting at and, speechless, tugged at the collar of her sweater.
Her skin was simply like that: fair and delicate, so even a bump or scrape left a dark mark.
“Just order whatever she likes. Don’t worry about me. I’ll have a serving of scrambled eggs,” Xie Yanzhou said.
“I’ll just have some vegetables. I can’t eat anything else,” Lin Wan said, ordering a few simple dishes.
They sat facing each other and ate, but neither said a word.
There were only a few occupied tables in the restaurant that evening, so their silence made the owner curious.
“You two came because you were hungry, right? Should I bring you some rice?” she asked, coming over to make conversation.
They were only drinking tea and eating, without saying a word.
“No, thank you, Sis. We just came out to sit for a while,” Lin Wan replied.
“All right. Just call if you need anything.” The owner walked off, still puzzled.
“Xie Yanzhou, let me ask you something. Do you know how much money Lin Shuhua has right now? Or how much your family gives her each month?” Lin Wan asked after a moment’s thought.
“…Why are you asking?” Xie Yanzhou asked, displeased. His gaze lowered to the dishes in front of him, and he answered in a low voice, “My monthly army allowance is ninety yuan. From now on, just leave me ten and keep the other eighty. I’ll give you my year-end bonus and benefits, too. I won’t keep any of it.”
“You think I’m a gold digger—that I married you for your ninety-yuan allowance?” Lin Wan asked.
“Whatever your reason, it’s only right that I let you handle my allowance,” Xie Yanzhou said.
“I only want to know how much money Lin Shuhua has,” Lin Wan pressed.
When the Xie family sent the betrothal gifts for Lin Shuhua, they gave two thousand yuan. Lin Wan’s father hadn’t kept a single cent; he’d put it all in red envelopes and given it to Lin Shuhua. After that, they had even paid out of their own pockets to prepare an especially lavish dowry for her.
Lin Wan remembered that the night before Lin Shuhua’s wedding, her Mom had joked with her, telling her to wait a little longer before getting married and give them more time to save up.
That was because they had given Lin Shuhua so many valuable things as her dowry.
They had even included a refrigerator—the most precious appliance at the time—which Factory Director Lin had arranged to have shipped back from Guangzhou.
It was a high-end imported model from Hong Kong.
It had cost a great deal of money and effort.
And yet…
A beast would always be a beast. You couldn’t tame one by feeding it!
“She doesn’t have any money of her own,” Xie Yanzhou said. Judging by Lin Wan’s expression, he felt the matter seemed to be getting serious.
Lin Wan nodded slowly.
So that was it!
It seemed quite possible that, in her previous life, Lin Shuhua had gotten her money from someone else.
So Lin Wan decided to keep a close eye on her. If that woman tried to raise money, Lin Wan could make arrangements and wait for the chance to expose her.
“Xie Yanzhou, I’ll say this one last time. I hope you’ll open your eyes and see Lin Shuhua for what she is—human or ghost!” Lin Wan said, then went back to eating on her own.
She’d ordered a bottle of soda and ate one bite of food, then took a sip. Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed.
Xie Yanzhou simply put down his chopsticks. Holding the soda bottle in one hand, he drank slowly as he watched the woman in front of him closely.
Was Lin Shuhua human or ghost?
Xie Yanzhou remembered that when he’d gone home on leave at the beginning of the year, his Dad and Mom had mentioned that the anniversary of the eldest Lin couple’s deaths was approaching. They said they planned to hold a memorial ceremony for the tenth anniversary.
But Lin Shuhua had immediately reacted with hysterical screams, refusing to hold it, saying she didn’t want it and they couldn’t even bring it up…
Later, Lin Shuhua had explained to his Dad and Mom and him that she was too grief-stricken. Whenever anyone mentioned her parents, she had nightmares every night about the fire from her childhood.
At the time, Lin Shuhua hadn’t had children yet, and his Eldest Brother had only just passed away, so everyone had immediately understood why her emotions were so volatile.
“Lin Wan…” Xie Yanzhou called.
Lin Wan raised her head from her plate, her cheeks still puffed out. She thought the stir-fried green beans tonight were especially delicious. They crunched as she chewed, giving her the feeling that she was truly experiencing being alive again.
In her previous life, how could she ever have afforded to eat like this? She could only dream of vegetables cooked in lard.
“Something’s wrong… Yanzhou, Yanzhou!” Nanny Wang hurried over, rushing up to Lin Yanzhou and saying, “Something’s happened at home!”
“What? What happened?” Xie Yanzhou immediately stood up.
“It’s Madam, Madam and Lin Shuhua!” Nanny Wang gasped, flustered and out of breath, struggling to get the words out.
“Lin Wan, settle the bill here. I’ll go back right away.” Xie Yanzhou took out his wallet and set it on the table, then turned and hurried out.
“Wanwan, I’m so sorry… for interrupting you two,” Nanny Wang said guiltily.