What mattered to Lin Xiang wasn’t the money.
She could earn a lot herself.
But after Cheng Jinyun got so money, he registered all the assets under her na. This care, this concern, how could it not move her?
Having been single all her life, suddenly being loved so intently by soone, Lin Xiang couldn’t quite describe the feeling, only that her heart felt full, overflowing with happiness.
In the blink of an eye, it was the fifth day of the new year.
The night before, Mrs. Lin had already prepared everything needed for the morial service. As soon as dawn broke, she woke Lin Xiang and Cheng Jinyun.
"We’re going to your father’s grave first; when we get back, we need to hurry to the train station. Ti is tight, we can’t afford any delays."
Mr. Lin was buried on the hillside out back. In those days, elaborate graves weren’t common, so there was just a mound of earth.
Mrs. Lin laid out the offerings, poured a cup of white wine, and sprinkled it on the ground, talking to Mr. Lin in a rambling manner.
"The children have grown up now, got into Huaqing University, even opened a fast-food restaurant for . We’ve bought houses in the town and in Beijing, our lives are getting better and better, so you don’t have to worry."
"Ah Yun has found his family too. Even though his father is worthless, his uncle treats him sincerely, so he has so blood relatives now."
"The most important thing is that our two kids are seeing soone. Who would have thought when you took Ah Yun in, you’d find a match for our daughter, right then and there..."
The more Mrs. Lin talked, the more far-fetched she beca. Lin Xiang was already blushing with embarrassnt.
Cheng Jinyun suddenly reached out and took hold of Lin Xiang’s dangling right hand.
He looked down at her, eyes full of tenderness.
When Mrs. Lin finished saying what she wanted, she dabbed at her moist eyes with a handkerchief and said to Cheng Jinyun and Lin Xiang, "You should talk to your father too. He misses you."
Cheng Jinyun knelt in front of the grave, burned incense and paper for Mr. Lin, and said, "Dad, thank you for picking up back then and giving a second life, so I could grow up smoothly."
"My sincerity to the girl can be witnessed by heaven and earth, and it’s not because I want to repay the kindness of you and mom raising . I want to take care of her all my life, and be good to her forever. Rest assured, I will definitely look after mom and the girl, and won’t let them suffer any grievance."
Cheng Jinyun’s words were not skillful, but they were all full of emotion.
When it was Lin Xiang’s turn, on the surface, she only said a few words of conventionality, but in her heart, she thought, "I don’t know if you and Lin Xiang have t down there. I have taken over Lin Xiang’s body and will definitely take care of mom until the end, so you can rest assured."
As Lin Xiang’s heartfelt words ended, a sudden breeze blew. It wasn’t strong, but it made the paper money on the ground flutter up.
Lin Xiang looked up at the climbing paper money and thought that Mr. Lin must have heard her and was responding.
After tidying the grave, they returned ho; Mrs. Lin wasn’t very spirited, sullenly packing the luggage, then set off with Lin Xiang and Cheng Jinyun for the town.
Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt had already gone to town yesterday. They had visited important relatives in the past few days and were waiting to open the shop.
Even though business over the new year wouldn’t be as good as usual, every extra day the shop was open ant earning a bit more.
"Xiuli, girl, wait up!"
The trio had just walked a little way from the house when they saw Uncle Lin and his wife running up to catch them.
"How could you all, during the New Year, not co by for a visit? And now you’re leaving without saying goodbye. Don’t you care for your big brother anymore at all?"
Uncle Lin grumbled a couple of tis, then snatched the basket from his wife’s hands and thrust it into Mrs. Lin’s, "Your sister-in-law made so food for you to take on the road."
"Beijing is not like ho, unfamiliar with people and places. Don’t bear up against things if they go wrong. If it doesn’t work out, just co back, okay?"
His few words made Mrs. Lin, whose emotions had been down all day, break down in tears once again.
She nodded, unable to speak with a choked throat, only waving repeatedly at Uncle Lin.
"Uncle, we need to hurry to town, or we’ll miss the train."
"Alright, take care for safety on the road, and make sure to call ho once you’re settled."
Lin Xiang and Cheng Jinyun waved to Uncle Lin and his wife, then turned and left.
They didn’t feel much attachnt to Uncle Lin, but since he was Mrs. Lin’s blood brother, his coming to see them off was enough to warm Mrs. Lin’s heart.
"Things aren’t easy for your uncle’s family either, with several sons and daughters-in-law who aren’t easy to deal with. As he and your aunt get older, if they don’t work hard now, they really won’t be able to earn a living. Then, relying on those sons to support them, they might starve in thatched huts!"
Mrs. Lin’s words were a bit exaggerated because from the few interactions Lin Xiang had had with her cousins and their spouses, they seed hard to get along with but not to the extent that Mrs. Lin suggested.
But in those tis, no matter which province, having sons was seen as a blessing, much like the Wang Family in Lihua, who were dominant in the Li Hua Team because they had more male heirs.
Having many sons brought a lot of issues, which Uncle Lin was beginning to truly experience.
"If Uncle does face so real trouble later, we should lend a hand where we can. Don’t think of things so pessimistically."
At the train station, the Lin family of three t up with the Ge family of three.
The train tickets were secured by Cheng Jinyun through connections, all six being sleeper tickets.
Upon boarding, Aunt Ge tried to give the money for the train tickets to Lin Xiang, and Lin Xiang didn’t refuse, accepting the money.
From Ji Province to Beijing wasn’t far, basically a day and a night ride.
It was Aunt Ge’s first ti on a train, and she was quite amazed, with Ge Yuanyi happily explaining things to her.
With many people together, it didn’t feel hard to bear at all, and the day and night passed quickly.
Upon reaching Beijing and exiting the train station, Lin Xiang hailed three rickshaws: she and Ge Yuanyi in one, Mrs. Lin and Aunt Ge in another, and Cheng Jinyun and Ge Yuanxin in the third.
Fortunately, the train station wasn’t far from Huaqing University, and about twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Lin ho.
"There are still so days before the sester starts, Aunt Ge, Brother Ge, you should stay at my place for now. Take the ti to have Yuanyi show you around Beijing. Since you’re here, you must visit those historical sites to avoid any regrets."
Ge Yuanxin had no interest in sightseeing; his only concern was whether his leg could stand again.
"Tomorrow, I am going to the affiliated hospital of Beijing dical College to see if the professor is at work."
User Comments
0 comments from readers