After finishing their meal and resting a bit, Qin Yang and Lin Chuxia were about to leave.
Qin Yang had to catch an early train the next morning, and Lin Chuxia wanted to help him pack some of his belongings.
Hearing that Qin Yang was leaving tomorrow comforted Lin Jiayi somewhat.
When everyone left, she pulled Mother Lin to their original room.
This time, she didn’t just come back for a visit; she needed capital to do business. She thought she had two hundred yuan and the Li Family could contribute a little, enough to start the business. However, she didn’t expect that a marriage would only bring eighty yuan as a dowry, leaving the Li Family emptied out.
But then again, thinking about the famine debts at the Qin Family’s side, Lin Jiayi didn’t feel much anymore.
As soon as she heard more money was needed, Mother Lin frowned, “You’ve already taken two hundred, where would I get more money?”
“Mom, why do you still keep things from me like this? Didn’t the Qin Family give three hundred yuan as a dowry? I’m not asking for all of it, just give me another two hundred.”
“Two hundred,” upon hearing this, Mother Lin’s voice escalated, “What do you need so much money for? We still need to save that money for your younger brother’s future marriage.”
Lin Jiayi hugged Mother Lin’s arm and acted spoiled, “I’m doing legitimate business, we want to do business but the capital is still short. Just give me another two hundred, once we make money from the business, let alone the capital, I can even provide for my younger brother’s dowry. Mom, please help me, you wouldn’t bear to see Guangyuan’s potential in business go to waste, right?”
Mother Lin had heard more than once from Lin Jiayi that Li Guangyuan had a knack for business, though she didn’t know where she heard it from, but her daughter always had grand ideas, choosing the Li Family over the Qin Family Village’s advantages must also have seen Li Guangyuan’s capabilities.
“Alright then, it’s agreed. When your younger brother gets married, regardless of how much the dowry costs, you need to help.”
“Don’t worry, Mom, I keep my word. He’s my younger brother; if I don’t help him, who would?”
Once their business grows, not to mention a matter of a hundred and eighty yuan for dowry, even building a house and acquiring land for the younger brother wouldn’t be a problem.
It would also let the villagers see how successful Lin Jiayi is.
Not like how stingy Lin Chuxia is, living in a villa, driving a car, but disregarding her own family’s plight.
Comforted by these words, Mother Lin went to get the money.
At noon, the men had quite a bit to drink, Li Guangyuan was taken by Lin Jiadong to his room to sleep, and Mr. Lin was also snoring on the heated brick bed.
Mother Lin moved the cabinet at the head of the bed, lifted the bed mat, and when she removed the clay block, she couldn’t help but shout, “Where’s the money, my money?”
Lin Jiayi too hurriedly climbed onto the bed, grabbed the small cloth bag from Mother Lin’s hand and turned it inside out, finding nothing.
“Mom, are you sure you put the money here?”
“I put it here, all of it here, I personally placed it the day before your wedding,” Mother Lin frantically searched.
Lin Jiayi narrowed her eyes, “Could it be that dead girl Chuxia stole the money?”
“That’s impossible,” Mother Lin said without hesitation, “The second one, that coward, dare to steal money? Even if I throw the money in front of her, she would obediently pick it up and give it to me. Even with three times the courage, she wouldn’t dare.”
It wasn’t just Mother Lin being confident; she knew best what the second daughter’s temper was like; this household didn’t have a spot for her to flare up, she’d rather starve than eat without permission.
Not to mention that this hiding spot was unknown to the second daughter.
“I think it must be your younger brother, that little wretched fellow, really needs a beating every three days, even daring to steal your mother’s money.”
While speaking, Mother Lin climbed off the bed, and Lin Jiayi ominously added, “Mom, you’re not unwilling to lend me money and pretending that it’s lost, are you?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” Mother Lin, already heartbroken over the lost money, put aside everything else, “If I was stingy with money, would I give you two hundred yuan as dowry while the Li Family only gave eighty yuan as a bride price? If you talk like that, I think your conscience has been eaten by dogs.”
Lin Jiayi saw her mother was really anxious, so she quickly changed her tone, “Mom, I was just saying, no need to get so worked up. Let’s quickly go and ask my little brother.”
…
Lin Chuxia was unaware of the chaos in the Lin Family.
Qin Yang was going to buy train tickets, so Chuxia asked him to drop her off in front of the supply and marketing co-op.
After he left, Lin Chuxia went straight into the supply and marketing co-op, to the grocery counter and pointed at the candies inside, “Comrade, please weigh three pounds of fruit candies and two pounds of milk candies for me.”
Seeing that beef was available nearby, she also bought one pound of beef and two pounds of yellow bean paste. She bought some snacks as well, and by the time Qin Yang came back from purchasing the train tickets, she was already waiting at the entrance of the co-op with two big mesh bags.
This was even more exaggerated than the items they had brought with them.
“What is this…”
An idea crossed his mind, but Qin Yang was not sure.
Lin Chuxia directly tied the mesh bags to the bicycle handle, “Take these back to your unit. I bought two kinds of candies, five pounds in total, you can distribute them to your colleagues. The snacks are for eating on the way. Tomorrow, I will steam some meat buns for you to take, eating only sweet things is too greasy. Oh right, if it’s not enough, we can buy more.”
A softness flashed through her cool eyes, making her chest flutter.
Qin Yang took the items, listening to her who was even more naggy than his mother, suddenly wanted to touch her.
His hand lifted up, hovering briefly over her head, he mustered the courage to press down, but just then Lin Chuxia looked up in confusion, “What’s wrong? Not enough?”
Qin Yang quickly withdrew his hand behind his back as she looked up, standing rigidly, he shook his head, “Enough, more than enough.”
After saying that, he anxiously glanced around, his fingers unconsciously fidgeting behind his back.
“That’s good, let’s go then,” Lin Chuxia saw that the mesh bags were tightly tied and she held the heavier one in her arms.
Qin Yang came back to his senses, “Don’t you need to buy anything?”
He thought she must need some daily necessaries, since she had just gotten married.
Indeed Lin Chuxia needed a few things, but it wasn’t urgent, “No, let’s head back early so you can spend more time with mom and dad.”
Seeing him still dazed in place, she urged with her eyes, “Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes,” Qin Yang pushed the bicycle and was about to pedal forward, but it didn’t move. He then saw Lin Chuxia dragging the back seat, her face full of speechlessness.
“I’m holding so many heavy things, I can’t jump on. You stabilize the bicycle, I’ll get on first.”
Did he really think she could catch up and jump with all these items, with his long legs pedaling the bicycle?
This person was too slow!
Lin Chuxia didn’t know how to describe Qin Yang anymore. At the Lin Family, she saw him talking intelligently with her father and uncle, but he seemed so silly in little things.
Could this be what they call being intelligently naive?
After Qin Yang steadied the bicycle with his long legs, Lin Chuxia sat down. Feeling that holding the big mesh bag was still unsafe, she directly clutched Qin Yang’s clothes.
Aside from the main roads in town which were tar-paved, other places were either brick or dirt roads, especially the rough dirt section approaching Qin Family Village, it was very bumpy, she didn’t want to be thrown off.
Qin Yang felt a tug on his shirt at the back, and his entire spine tightened…