Looking for a High Note
So, the three Lin brothers became the unlucky victims of their own desire for a “little niece,” spending the entire morning being chased and beaten by their furious mother. Su Su only found out about it later when she noticed the marks on Lin Hai’s neck after returning home.
She didn’t ask for details but could guess that Mother Lin had become extra cautious because she suspected Su Su might be pregnant. This misunderstanding needed to be cleared up.
But how should she explain it?
After some thought, she decided to be honest. Taking the opportunity, she explained that during their wedding, her period had arrived, and Lin Chuan, being considerate, hadn’t done anything before he had to leave.
Mother Lin was utterly disheartened, sympathizing with her poor, unlucky son. But then she quickly decided there was plenty of time ahead and began pushing Su Su to prepare for a visit after the New Year. She even started gathering items for the trip.
Su Su didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she wrote about it in her next letter to Lin Chuan.
When Lin Chuan received the letter, he was momentarily stunned.
A “little niece”? Wasn’t that his daughter?
The thought of having a delicate little girl who looked like Su Su immediately made him join his brothers’ team.
In his reply, he wrote:
“Comrade Su Su, given everyone’s expectations, I hereby approve your visit after the New Year. Then, please quickly produce a little daughter for them to spoil.”
When Su Su read his reply, she rolled her eyes so hard they practically turned over. She was certain Lin Chuan was flirting, though she had no concrete proof.
Still, she understood that he too wanted a little girl, just as she had hoped for.
She had often thought before that if she ever had a child, it would be nice to have a daughter. She imagined them wearing matching outfits, going out together, and looking like friends while shopping or eating.
But now, she had no time for such thoughts. Widow Qiao was proving to be a real challenge. While most of the other women had been persuaded, Widow Qiao had stubbornly refused four or five times, citing all kinds of strange reasons.
Lying on her warm kang bed, Su Su thought hard about how to resolve this. Finally, she opened her large backpack, hoping for inspiration.
Unexpectedly, she found a red scarf. She had brought it along for the cold weather but had never worn it because she preferred another colour. It wasn’t particularly expensive, but she had liked the Chinese embroidery on it, so she had brought it along.
Since she wasn’t using it, why not give it away? Maybe it could help sway Widow Qiao.
Although this matter didn’t personally affect her much, Su Su liked things to be as close to perfect as possible.
She quietly carried the scarf to Widow Qiao’s house. Today, the widow was home alone, sitting on her kang and stitching shoes.
Widow Qiao, as it turned out, looked quite good for her age—at least much younger than Mother Lin.
When she saw Su Su, she said, “You wouldn’t stay with us when I offered before, but now you’re visiting often. If you’d stayed, you wouldn’t have let the Lin family take advantage of you.”
“I’m already married to Lin Chuan, so there’s no question of who’s taking advantage of whom. I came today to ask you again to help us out. I know it’s cold and everyone wants to stay home, so I brought you this scarf to help keep you warm.” Su Su was good at giving gifts. Even though she hadn’t been in the workforce long, she had picked up some useful social skills from part-time jobs.
Widow Qiao’s eyes lit up when she saw the scarf. She knew Su Su was from the city and likely wealthy, so anything she brought would be top-notch. She touched the scarf, her face softening with a smile. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept this…”
“Well, with your voice, everyone loves hearing you sing. But this gift is just between us—I can’t afford to give one to everyone else,” Su Su said with a bit of shyness.
“Alright, alright. This will stay between us,” Widow Qiao said. She unfolded the scarf and discovered it was made of wool. It was wonderfully warm. “How much did this cost?” she asked.
“About ten yuan, I think. I don’t really remember.” In truth, it had cost over a hundred, but all the items Su Su brought were meant to last her a year, so none were cheap.
“Ten yuan? That’s enough to feed us for almost a year!” Widow Qiao exclaimed, cherishing the scarf even more.
Su Su smiled. “As long as you like it. So, how about we start practicing the song tomorrow?”
“Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do,” Widow Qiao agreed easily, having been won over by the gift.
Relieved, Su Su stood up to leave, and Widow Qiao got off the kang to walk her out. Just as they opened the door, Widow Qiao’s son sauntered in lazily. He froze when he saw Su Su and said, “Oh, it’s Comrade Su. Why don’t you stay a bit longer?”
Su Su shook her head. “No, I have to get back for dinner.”
“Zhen Zhiqiang, you little rascal! Where have you been loafing around?” Widow Qiao yelled, glaring at him.
“Wait, what’s his name?” Su Su asked, startled.
“Zhen Zhiqiang. Why?” Widow Qiao replied.
Su Su’s eyes widened in recognition. According to the book, when the female lead later started her business, she had been helped by a former acquaintance from her days as an educated youth. That person owned two jewellery stores and was a classic nouveau riche. He had pursued the female lead by showering her with money, flowers, cars, and branded goods.
The female lead rejected him repeatedly, and eventually, he married her classmate instead. The classmate often flaunted her wealth in front of the female lead until the male lead drove her away.
Later, that classmate’s husband sought revenge on the male lead but ended up losing everything, and the classmate betrayed him and left.
At that point, the female lead remembered Zhen Zhiqiang’s past help and gave him money to restart his business. From then on, he became completely devoted to her.
This person standing before Su Su was none other than *that* Zhen Zhiqiang, the future jewellery tycoon.
“Is something wrong?” Widow Qiao asked.
“What a well-chosen name,” Su Su said, genuinely impressed.
Widow Qiao, surprisingly bashful, replied, “His father picked it. When we were young and in love, I married him, but he was killed by the enemy during those turbulent years. I’ve never remarried, but to raise my son, I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”
Su Su nodded at Zhen Zhiqiang before leaving. As she walked home, she couldn’t help but think how many talented individuals this village produced. She would have to tread carefully in the future.
Offending the male lead was one thing, but she couldn’t afford to alienate hidden tycoons either.
As she pondered this, she came across another of the book’s future wealthy characters, Song Laosan, being beaten up by a group of unknown thugs near the village edge.
Should she call the police? But when she reached for her phone, she remembered it had been lost in the mountains.
What to do? Just as she was thinking, she saw a figure rushing forward, shouting, “Stop it! Don’t hit him anymore!”
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