Chapter 31: Second Update

Around ten o'clock, the rain cleared and the sun emerged. The pale yellow light seared the earth, and within moments, the ground was dry, as if that downpour had never happened. Lin Xuexia’s mood brightened as well.

At noon, the place was as crowded as ever, and the three of them were kept busy. To Lin Xuexia’s mild surprise, many of today’s customers had come on the recommendation of Zhao Huiru.

"Sister Zhao, you were right, this really is delicious! It smells so good!"
"The price is such a bargain!"
"It’s surprisingly clean and hygienic, too."
...

Zhao Huiru had spent years in this market. Besides looking after her grandson, she was a regular “street lounger” who spent her days cracking sunflower seeds and chatting with people; she was well-acquainted with everyone in the area. When she returned home, she had told everyone that she had found a job helping someone sell braised meat rice. She raved about how delicious the food was and mentioned that the owner was a young girl who was exceptionally meticulous about hygiene. Hearing this, others grew curious and flocked over to try it for themselves. The effect was something Lin Xuexia had never anticipated.

She sold three types of rice today: braised beef, char siu, and braised pork belly, with options for add-ons like braised eggs, braised chicken feet, and fried eggs. The newly introduced braised pork belly rice was a huge hit and sold out first; it seemed that everyone’s common passion at this time was pork belly.

Gao Chunyan asked her, "The freezer was delivered yesterday, right?"

"It was. I let it sit for the night, and I’ll plug it in when I get home today." Lin Xuexia smiled. Freezers and refrigerators need to sit for a while after being moved to prevent damage to the cooling system.

"That’s great, it will be much more convenient for you!" Gao Chunyan thought of the landlady downstairs and her arrogance, thinking to herself that the woman would surely regret it. "She missed out on earning a free one-fifty; she really deserves it."

"Xuexia, now that you have your own freezer, you can buy more stock."

Lin Xuexia nodded. "I plan to buy more and store it."

Gao Chunyan said, "Your food is in such high demand every day that it sells out in an instant. Take this chance to earn more these next few days, before someone else tries to copy you."

Lin Xuexia replied, "I’m not afraid."

When soldiers come, use generals to block; when water comes, use earth to cover.

"You certainly have courage." Gao Chunyan gave her a thumbs-up.

After the food was sold out, Zhao Huiru cleaned everything up. Lin Xuexia paid her for the day, and Zhao Huiru left beaming, much to Gao Chunyan’s envy.

Gao Chunyan sighed with longing, "If only I were like her." Without having to worry about anything else, earning four yuan a day would be pure bliss.

Lin Xuexia said, "People envy you, too, Aunt Chunyan. You earn quite a lot yourself."

Hearing this, a look of pride appeared on Gao Chunyan’s face.

"I’m heading back a bit earlier today. I plan to buy some clothes this evening." Lin Xuexia looked down at her apron, looking forward to the shopping trip.

The joy on Gao Chunyan’s face faded. She hesitated, wanting to advise Lin Xuexia not to spend so extravagantly, but then thought: she is a young girl, why shouldn’t she buy pretty clothes? It’s not like she isn’t earning the money. Lin Xuexia made a good income every day; even if she bought a pair of thirty-yuan shoes, it was well within her means.

My daughter needs shoes, and Lin Xuexia needs shoes... Gao Chunyan felt a pang of longing herself. How long had it been since she bought new clothes?

No, no, no—she still needed to save money! But if she found a way to earn a little more, would she have extra money to buy clothes and shoes to dress herself up?

Gao Chunyan stared at her rice noodle stall. Suddenly, she felt she had been too conservative. She should find a way to make the noodles taste better to attract more customers. In the future, just as Lin Xuexia said, they might even be able to rent a shop at the street corner!

Rent a forty-square-meter or even an eighty-square-meter shop, where they wouldn't have to fear the wind or rain, hire a few employees, keep the recipes to herself, and just stand at the door collecting money during the day... Hehehe.

Heavens!

Coming back to her senses, Gao Chunyan’s eyes were wide with disbelief. What was she thinking about just now? She was actually thinking about opening a shop and hiring employees.

*

While things were clearing up for Lin Xuexia as she prepared to go shopping for clothes with Fu Wei, things were not going well for her former fiancé, Zheng Yukang. His world was shrouded in dark clouds and relentless rain.

After the incident, because of the severe negative impact, Zheng Yukang had received a major demerit from his school. All future honors and scholarships were now out of his reach. Even worse, Zhang Huiping stopped talking to him entirely, shifting all the blame onto him, calling him a treacherous, heartless hypocrite and claiming she had been deceived by him.

His classmates gave him strange looks and called him "Chen Shimei" behind his back.

"He had such a beautiful fiancée and didn't know how to cherish it; he deserves it."
"Two-timing and deceiving two women—it’s letting him off easy that he wasn't charged with hooliganism."
...

Zheng Yukang suppressed his fury and finally contacted his family. He ranted over the phone, "You’ve ruined me! Lin Xuexia is going to destroy me!"

"I want to break off the engagement with Lin Xuexia. Tell the Lin family that I, Zheng Yukang, would rather die than marry her!"

His heart pounded as he spoke. Although his words were harsh, his true intention was to pressure the Zheng family to put heat on the Lin family, forcing them to beg him—or rather, to make Lin Xuexia beg him.

Now that his reputation at school had plummeted and he and Zhang Huiping were finished, he had no chance of finding a good match with such a reputation.

There was only one way out now.

Only if Lin Xuexia "forgave" him, begged not to be separated from him, and had the audacity to remain his fiancée, speaking up for him in front of others. That way, those who were championing her cause would have nothing left to say.

Once Lin Xuexia came to beg him to take her back, he would definitely make this woman who ruined everything pay.

"What? She actually went to your school to cause a scene? God-damn her, she’s so vicious..."

Regardless of what actually happened, upon hearing that Lin Xuexia had almost caused Zheng Yukang to be expelled, the Zheng family was in an uproar. He was the only college student in their family! They had to go to the Lin family to demand an explanation.

Meanwhile, the Lin family was still peaceful. It was almost time for Lin Xuexia to send money home again. Her parents, Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin, were walking with their heads held high every day.

Lin Yongfu carried his hoe on his shoulder, humming a little tune. Today, he wasn't smoking his usual cheap tobacco, but boxed cigarettes that cost two yuan a pack. He felt triumphant; he wanted to smoke that cigarette from one end of the village to the other, circling around several times before heading home.

His eldest daughter, Lin Xuexia, had a college-student fiancé, could make her own money, and sent home one hundred yuan every month. This was incredible. Word was that she was the most outstanding female worker in her group and sent the most money! It was a great honor for her parents.

Because Lin Xuexia sent so much money, even his elder brother, Lin Fujia, was green with envy. He had three sons, and none of them could earn money like Lin Xuexia. If it weren't for the fact that Guangdong only recruited female workers, he would have tried to shove his sons into jobs there. Lin Fujia’s eldest daughter, Lin Yanqiu, had already married into town, and his younger daughter, Lin Qingxue, was preparing to be sent to Guangdong to work just like Lin Xuexia.

Seeing this, Lin Yongfu knew he had outshone his elder brother, and his ego soared to the heavens. After so many years, he had finally vented his frustration. He wanted to see if his mother would still favor the eldest son; he wanted the old woman to know that this family still relied on him, the second son.

Lin Yongfu lingered outside, unwilling to go home. His wife, Zhang Yuqin, was also different. Previously, apart from burying herself in housework, she used to hide in the dark room, unwilling to come out to see people. These past two days, she was happy to be seen. She wandered in front of the house and then behind the house, terrified that people wouldn't notice her.

Lin Xuexia’s aunt, Zheng Qiaoli, wearing an orange-red jacket and black trousers, pursed her lips in disgust, looking down on the second brother and his wife for their showy behavior.

Zheng Qiaoli returned inside and complained to her husband, Lin Fujia, about it. "They’re acting as if they’ve birthed a son just because she’s a factory girl."

Lin Fujia said, "Let them show off. Both of them are idiots."

"Three daughters, each one stupider than the last. No wonder they couldn't produce a single son." Lin Fujia was deeply agitated. For so many years, the old woman had always favored him and looked down on the second brother’s family. Now, the second brother’s family had produced a successful eldest daughter—not only was she beautiful, but she had also found a repeat-student fiancé who had miraculously made it into university, and now she was working in the south, sending back so much money every month.

Lin Fujia was accustomed to crushing his unsuccessful younger brother at home, and his family enjoyed a superior status. Now that the younger brother’s family showed signs of improvement, he felt deeply uncomfortable.

Lin Fujia’s eyes darted around. "Just humor them for now. In the end, all the benefits will be ours."

He gave Zheng Qiaoli a look, and she understood, smiling along with him. Yes, in the end, all the benefits would be theirs. As brothers who grew up together, Lin Fujia knew his brother’s flaws: he was spineless, couldn't have a son, and yet always wanted to outshine him, despite lacking the ability to do so.

The old woman had favored Lin Fujia since childhood and looked down on Lin Yongfu. After Lin Yongfu had three daughters, she treated their family like grass, disliking the second daughter-in-law and the three granddaughters. But Lin Yongfu was just pathetic; the more his mother looked down on him, the more he wanted to earn her approval.

"Your brother is still dreaming. He thinks he’ll have a college-student son-in-law. Does he really think Zheng Yukang will marry Lin Xuexia after he graduates?" Zheng Qiaoli sat with her legs crossed, smirking.

Just as the couple was winking and laughing in the room, shouting erupted outside. The Zheng family parents had come with a group of brothers to make a scene. They arrived aggressively, but the people in the village weren't to be trifled with. Seeing the situation, everyone grabbed sticks and hoes and came over. No matter what happened, and regardless of who was right or wrong, the village was united when facing outsiders. If you dare to come to our village to cause trouble, you have to be beaten out, otherwise, people will think you're easy to bully and everyone will come to dump their trash here.

The Zheng family didn't actually come for a fight; they came to make a scene, to embarrass the Lin family, to force Lin Xuexia to admit fault, and to make the Lin family grovel. They were certain the Lin family wouldn't dare to break off the engagement.

"Break it off! My son wants to break off the engagement with Lin Xuexia! We can't afford to marry a girl like that from your village."
"She actually went to Yukang’s school to make a scene! She’s trying to kill my son!"
...

Zheng Yukang’s mother was crying and screaming at the entrance of the Lin house. Coincidentally, Lin Yongfu had gone out to smoke and show off, and Zhang Yuqin was off somewhere enjoying her own vanity; neither of them were home.

Lin Yongfu and Zhang Yuqin had hoped to run into people on the road, but the further they walked, the fewer people they saw, unaware that the whole village had run to their house.

"Break... break off the engagement?" Zheng Qiaoli came out to see the scene, unable to hide her smile. She knew this day would come eventually. She knew the Zheng family would eventually find an excuse to break the engagement, even if they had to fabricate one. Lin Xuexia caused a scene? As if.

Zheng Qiaoli didn't care what was happening; she feigned regret and said, "Since things have reached this point, it’s just as well. Since all the village elders are here, let them be witnesses. The engagement between our Xuexia and Zheng Yukang is hereby canceled. From now on, everyone can marry whomever they please."

With that, she gave a wink to Zheng Yukang’s mother, Meng Juan, telling her to climb down the ladder while she could.

Zheng Yukang’s mother stood frozen in place.