Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 112 The Confidence Given by My Maternal Family
Lin Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Originally, I planned to let Aqin choose two shops or old houses in the city, and you two sisters would each get one. Now I will give you the money for the house directly, and give your sister an additional three thousand. You don't need to pay this money back."

"Dad! Where did you get so much money?" Lin Ying's mind went blank for a moment, and she almost didn't recognize her own father.

Lin Yi proudly recounted how he made money growing vegetables, saying, "Qin and her husband are very honest, and Wenjun treats me like his own father. He gives me half of everything he grows and raises in Nanyu. This year, the lotus root sold for over 10,000 yuan, and I received a large share of the profits."

There were also taro, which Wenjun harvested quite a bit of. Apart from keeping some for his own family, he sent all of them to Nangang for wholesale. They sold for a smaller amount, only a little over three thousand. There were also some green vegetables. He sent the excess to Nangang because people living by the sea don't eat as many vegetables as we do here, so many vegetables sell quite well.

In short, Dad is doing well with your sister, and there aren't many expenses. You can take this. Next year, I'll save up some more money, and then I'll have Qin find you a house—one for each of you sisters.

Lin Ying was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back and said, "Dad! I'm so sorry to have troubled you!"

Lin Yi waved his hand, "What's there to worry about! As long as you two sisters are doing well, that's better than anything else. I'm not too worried about Aqin's side, it's just a matter of your side. This three thousand yuan should be enough to build the house. Whether or not to renovate it is a matter for later."

Let me tell you something. Your cousin and his wife have been here for over half a year. Their combined monthly salary is over a hundred yuan. They don't have to pay for food or lodging themselves. By the end of the year, saving over a thousand yuan to go back home shouldn't be a problem. If all else fails, you could let Dahai come out and work hard. Earning sixty or seventy yuan a month is possible. You can stay home, farm, raise chickens and pigs, and take care of the children. That's not bad either.”

Lin Ying was increasingly surprised, and even her voice became more excited, "Dad! Are there really jobs in the city that pay this well?"

Lin Yi simply explained Huang Yuezhen and Hong Weimin's situation to her in detail, letting her figure it out herself.

The father and daughter cooked the meal together and served it out.

Lin Qin, who was talking to the children upstairs, also came down.

After Chen Wenjun arrived home, everyone chatted for a while before having dinner.

Lin Ying asked, "Where's my cousin-in-law? Hasn't she gotten off work yet?"

Lin Qin nodded. "Her job is to cook lunch for the construction workers. After the workers finish eating, she has to clean up. She gets home around 1 p.m. or a little after 1 p.m. I always save a portion of her food for her to reheat when she gets back."

Lin Ying nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After dinner, Chen Wenjun and Lin Yi went to sleep.

Lin Qin went back inside for a while, and when she came out again, she had two thousand yuan in her hand. "Sister, I just heard what A-Jian and A-Kang said. You're borrowing money everywhere and getting bullied while building your house. Here's two thousand yuan for you. If it's not enough, we can talk about it."

Lin Ying refused to accept the money no matter what. When pushed too far, she told him about the three thousand yuan Lin Yi had given her. "Little sister, don't blame Dad. He said this money is for me to buy a house in the city. This time, I'll buy yours, not mine."

Seeing Lin Ying's tense and worried expression, Lin Qin couldn't help but smile. "I know, Dad asked me to help look at the house. Besides, this money is his, he can use it however he wants. I've already said I won't interfere."

"Take the three thousand Dad gave you, and take my two thousand too. Consider it a loan. If you have enough to build the house, use it to pay back what you owe or for renovations."

Lin Qin knew the situation in the village all too well. If you don't pay back the money you owe, people will talk behind your back and look down on you. If you pay back those debts, you can hold your head high when you speak and act.

Lin Ying held the money for a while before finally making up her mind. She gritted her teeth and said, "Okay! Then consider it a loan from you. I'll definitely pay you back as soon as possible."

Seeing that she had accepted the offer, Lin Qin immediately smiled and said, "That's a matter for later. Let's go, I'll take you to the bus station by bike."

As she spoke, Lin Qin packed the prepared seafood for Lin Ying, and just as she reached the gap, she saw Huang Yuezhen return.

"Oh! My cousin's here!" Huang Yuezhen was clearly pleasantly surprised. Lin Ying quickly explained.

When Huang Yuezhen learned that she was going to catch a bus, she immediately said, "I'll take you there. Aqin, just stay home and rest. Don't go out in this heat. I'm all sweaty, so it's no big deal for me to make the trip."

Lin Ying wanted to refuse, but Huang Yuezhen didn't give her the chance.

Along the way, Lin Ying inquired a lot about Huang Yuezhen and her husband, and was extremely envious.

After paying two yuan for the ticket, the bus swayed and bumped its way to the county town.

Lin Ying was carrying a huge sum of five thousand yuan in her arms. She looked at everyone as a thief and kept the bundle tightly locked in her arms, with the seafood at her feet.

After more than two hours, the bus finally arrived at Xujia Village.

Lin Ying didn't dare to delay after getting off the bus. She hurriedly returned home with her things, just as Xu Dahai had finished his work and returned.

She quickly gave Xu Dahai a meaningful look, signaling him to come back to the room with her.

When Zhang Guizhi from the third wife saw Lin Ying carrying a bunch of things back to the house, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes, and she angrily made the things clang noisily.

Lin Ying and her husband were used to it and didn't pay any attention to her.

Xu Dahai entered shirtless, panting heavily, and said, "I went to the new house today and discussed it with the contractor. It'll cost about two thousand yuan to fully build the house so it's habitable. We already owe eighteen thousand yuan in debt, so borrowing more money is out of the question."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lin Ying pull out stacks of money from her bundle, all of them were ten-yuan bills.

Xu Dahai was instantly stunned, "Where did this come from?"

Lin Ying rolled her eyes at him. "Where else could it be? My dad and my sister gave it to me! I haven't enjoyed any happiness since I married into your Xu family, but I've received so much help from my own family. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

My dad gave me 3,000 yuan, and my sister gave me 2,000 yuan. The 3,000 yuan was originally meant for me to buy a house. My dad said I don't need to pay it back. He said my sister's money is for our emergency use, and we'll have to pay it back slowly.

"Take the money now and pay off your debts first, then find a contractor to buy materials and continue construction. Take advantage of the good weather these next few days to finish the roof. You can also order the doors and windows. Once the house is finished, install everything and you can move in immediately."

Xu Dahai smiled broadly, showing no temper in the face of his wife's complaints. Instead, he nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, you're right. I'll take care of things first, and once the house is built, I'll go earn money to pay off the debts."

After Xu Dahai left with the money, Lin Ying immediately put away the remaining money and took the seafood to the kitchen.

She wouldn't want to give seafood to others if it weren't for the fact that it doesn't keep out of season.

When Lin Ying's mother-in-law, Wang Ximei, returned home that evening, she found a table full of seafood and immediately complained, "How could you be so wasteful? Who bought all this good stuff?"

Zhang Guizhi, who had gotten the better deal, said with a look of anticipation, "It was brought back by my second sister-in-law, and it was also made by my second sister-in-law."

Just as Wang Ximei was about to scold Lin Ying, Xu Dahai stepped in to defend her, saying, "My wife can do whatever she wants with the things her family gave her. You can't shut her up with food!"

(End of this chapter)