Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

January 18th, sunny.

Lin Ying got up at seven o'clock in the morning; Lin Lanying had already ironed the clothes she was going to wear and hung them behind the door. It was a light apricot dress with the waist widened by two fingers, and she had made it herself with a short jacket of the same color.

"Wear flats today because there will be a lot of people," Lin Lanying instructed.

Lin Ying changed her clothes, looked at herself in the mirror, and since her belly wasn't showing yet, it wasn't noticeable from the outside: "Mommy, aren't you and Daddy going?"

"You can go. I have too many orders at my shop lately. We'll take a taxi there ourselves this afternoon."

The wedding was held at a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, while the bride picked up at Tang Shiya's home. Tang Shiya's parents lived on the third floor of an old-style tenement building in Kowloon Tong. The house was small, with three bedrooms and a living room, and was packed with relatives and sisters today.

When Lin Ying arrived at 8:30, several cars were already parked downstairs; she went upstairs with her bag, the door was open, and it was bustling inside.

Tang Shiya's cousin saw her first and called out to her, "Cousin, your classmate is here!"

Tang Shiya was putting on makeup in the inner room when she heard the voice and replied, "Lin Ying! You're up so early!"

"I promised to support you, so of course I came early." Lin Ying went into the inner room and put down her bag.

Tang Shiya looked at her in the mirror: "Have you had breakfast? There are sandwiches on the table."

"I've already eaten." Lin Ying pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Are you nervous?"

"I wasn't nervous at first," Tang Shiya said. "My mom started nagging me at six o'clock, and now I'm a little nervous."

At 9:30, the makeup artist finished work, and Tang Shiya changed into her wedding dress. It wasn't an expensive long train dress, but a well-fitting satin floor-length gown that made her look clean and neat.

As Lin Ying helped her adjust her veil, Tang Shiya looked at her and said, "Yingying, thank you for coming."

"No need to thank me. We've known each other since we were kids."

After a while, a car horn sounded downstairs, followed by the sound of firecrackers.

"They're here! They're here!" Tang Shiya's cousin rushed to the window and looked down. "The Su family's convoy! Six cars!"

The Tang family's relatives immediately sprang into action, some blocking the door, others hiding shoes, and the room erupted in laughter and chatter. Lin Ying was assigned to stand at the first line of defense inside the door, and her cousin handed her a piece of paper: "Sister Yingying, these are the questions. You're in charge of asking them later!"

Lin Ying looked down and saw several questions written on the paper: the bride's birthday, the location of their first date, and the bride's least favorite dish.

"Shall I ask that?" Lin Ying raised an eyebrow.

"You're the lady's VIP, so your question carries the most weight!"

Footsteps came up from downstairs, accompanied by Su Jun's loud voice: "Open the door! Open the door! The groom has arrived!"

The door opened a crack, and Su Cheng stood at the front, wearing a black suit and holding flowers. Su Jun and Su Wei followed behind, followed by Su Zhe and Su Zhi.

"Pass in the red envelope first," my cousin said, reaching out her hand.

Su Jun immediately slipped a stack of red envelopes through the crack in the door. The door opened, and Su Cheng looked up and saw Lin Ying standing inside. He was stunned for a moment.

"Ah Ying?"

"Brother Cheng," Lin Ying said, holding the piece of paper in her hand, "today I'm on the woman's side."

Su Jun peeked out from behind: "Sister Ying?! What are you doing here?"

"Shiya invited me to sit in the bride's VIP section." Lin Ying waved the paper in her hand. "So now, I'm going to test the groom on behalf of the bride."

Lin Ying asked three questions based on the paper, and Su Cheng answered two and a half correctly... He got the restaurant name right for their first date, but he got the date three days wrong.

A commotion erupted inside the gate.

"Wrong answer! You're punished!" my cousin shouted.

Su Jun immediately shoved Su Cheng forward: "Accept the punishment! Push-ups or singing?"

Finally, Su Cheng did twenty push-ups and was given another round of red envelopes before he was allowed into the inner room.

The tea ceremony took place in the Tang family's living room; Mr. and Mrs. Tang sat on the sofa, while Su Cheng and Tang Shiya knelt on a red cushion to offer tea. When Mrs. Tang received the teacup, she held Tang Shiya's hand and spoke to her for a while.

Lin Ying stood by, watching, recalling what Tang Shiya had said: her family didn't understand why she studied computer science back then, thinking that a clerical job would be a stable one for a girl. Now, their daughter was wearing a wedding dress and marrying into the Su family, and the two elderly people's faces were filled with a mixture of pride and reluctance.

Hotel banquet hall.

Guests arrived one after another, including members of the Su family's main branch. Next to the registration table, Su Zhiming caught sight of Lin Ying standing at the guest guide area for the female guests and paused for a moment.

"Ah Ying? What are you doing here?"

"Uncle Su," Lin Ying greeted with a smile, "I'm Shi Ya's elementary school classmate. She asked me to sit on her side."

Chen Meishan walked over: "I was wondering why I hadn't seen you; turns out you're a VIP guest of the female side."

Su Zhi: "Sister Ying, you and the bride are classmates? What a small world!"

"St. Paul Primary School, Grade 4, Class 1," Lin Ying said.

Su Zhe: "Ah Ying, which table are you sitting at today?"

"The bride's VIP seating area."

"Aren't those all the woman's relatives at that table?" Chen Meishan said. "You're not familiar with them, it'll be awkward eating later. Why don't you sit at our table? Your uncle is sitting at the table next to the main family's table today, they're all family."

Before Lin Ying could answer, Tang Shiya, who had just come out of the lounge to touch up her makeup, heard this and came over.

"Ah Ying. Your aunt is right. The VIP seats for the bride are all my relatives. You're not familiar with them, so you'll feel awkward sitting there. You can eat at the same table as your uncle and the others; you'll have things to talk about."

Lin Ying looked at her: "Are you sure? I'm here today to support you."

"With you here, the atmosphere is all set." Tang Shiya laughed. "Besides, I still need to go to your table to toast later, I can't escape it."

Lin Ying nodded: "Okay, then I'll sit over with my uncle."

The wedding begins.

The emcee was hired from a TV station in Suzhou. The ceremony was lively yet efficient; once the ceremony was completed, the banquet officially began.

As the dishes were served one by one, Su Zhi poured Lin Ying a cup of hot tea: "Sister Ying, what have you been busy with lately? I haven't heard from you in a long time."

"Busy with work." Lin Ying picked up her teacup. "The factory business is still in its early stages, and there's a lot to do."

Before Su Zhi could say anything more, Su Zhiming spoke first: "Aying, your factory is doing quite well now. I saw it in the newspaper."

Chen Meishan immediately changed the subject: "By the way, Ying, did your mom make that coat you're wearing today? I could tell right away."

Lin Ying continued Chen Meishan's topic: "Auntie has a good eye, it was my mom who changed it."

"I knew it!" Chen Meishan exclaimed, intrigued. "Your mother's skills are unparalleled in Hong Kong. Look at this piping; machines can't do something this fine!"

Su Zhe and Xu Huilin ate quietly on the side, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones;

Su Wei focused on eating the whole time, only looking up when Chen Meishan asked him if the hospital was busy, and replied, "Busy, there are two more surgeries next week."

"Eat more." Chen Meishan placed a piece of roast pigeon on his plate. "You've lost weight from all the surgeries you've been performing."

During the meal, Su Zhiming asked about the situation at Lin Ying's factory: "Ying, are you recruiting security guards recently?"

"Yes, we recruited two hundred people," Lin Ying said. "There are many migrant workers in Shenzhen, so the factory's security needs to be adequate."

"Two hundred? That's quite a lot."

"The equipment and workers are all in the factory. If there is a safety issue, the losses will be even greater."

Su Zhe suddenly asked, "Ah Ying, do you need any film or television promotion in Shenzhen? Like, maybe filming a gay porn movie or something?"

Lin Ying: "Brother Zhe, the factory's publicity is handled by a dedicated marketing department, and there are no plans to shoot any adult films for the time being."

"Oh, I see." Su Zhe smiled. "Contact me anytime if you need anything."

"it is good."

Lin Ying knew perfectly well that Su Zhe was having trouble making a living and wanted to find projects through her.

When it came time for the toasting, Su Cheng and Tang Shiya came over with their glasses. Tang Shiya first toasted Su Zhiming and Chen Meishan, and then walked over to Lin Ying.

"Yingying, this glass is just for you." Tang Shiya poured her half a glass of juice. "You can just drink this."

------

After the wedding banquet, Lin Ying did not stay for the afternoon dinner. She had been up early and busy until 1:30 a.m., and was already quite tired.

Tang Shiya knew that Lin Ying was in a special period, so she didn't try to stop her. She just told Lin Ying to be careful. After saying goodbye to Tang Shiya, Lin Ying went to get her car.

Lin Ying first called Lin Lanying: "Mommy, you and Lao Dou don't need to wait for me tonight, I'm going home now."

Lin Lanying was chatting with Zhou Yawen at the hotel when she heard this and immediately asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm just a little sleepy and want to go back to sleep."

"Then you should go home and rest; we can go to the banquet tonight, you don't need to force yourself."

When she returned to the villa in Kadoorie Hill, Lin Ying went straight upstairs to wash her face. She originally just wanted to go back to bed and lie down for a while, but she quickly fell asleep.

--------

Time flies, and one thing after another happened around the Spring Festival; the fourth batch of production in Shenzhen officially started, and the software team also began to release job openings; Lin Ying spent all her time in Hong Kong, handling major company matters only by phone and fax.

By February, Lin Ying's belly was still not very noticeable, and her family had rearranged their lives according to the standards for pregnant women.

A week before the Lunar New Year, I received a call from my old house in the New Territories.

"Ah Ying, don't come back and crowd around this year," Lin Fu said on the phone. "You're pregnant now, and it's too much trouble for you to walk around with so many people in the house. We'll come to your place for the New Year."

Lin Ying was taken aback: "Grandpa, are you all coming over?"

"Your grandma, your uncle's family, and Lin Qian brought his girlfriend back; there weren't many people."

Lin Ying smiled and said, "I understand. I'll have my family prepare in advance."

"What are you preparing? It's just a meal, don't make it too complicated."

That's what they said, but on the morning of New Year's Eve, the Kadoorie Hill villa was still in a flurry of activity.

Lin Lanying and her Filipino maid prepared New Year's dishes, while He Dazhu went to buy the last batch of seafood; Lin Ying sat in the living room watching TV.

Not long after, Lin Yaoying's family, including Deng Hui's younger brother, arrived. Deng Hui carried a gift box into the house, followed by Lin Yue, who was wearing a light-colored coat and looked even more energetic than before the New Year.

Upon seeing her, Lin Ying asked, "How are the wedding preparations going?"

"It's almost done." Lin Yue sat down next to her. "March 26th, the hotel is booked, and I've tried on the wedding dress."

Just as Lin Ying was about to speak, Lin Qian arrived. It was the first time he had brought his female companion here.

As soon as Lin Qian entered the room, he immediately introduced his girlfriend: "Let me introduce you all, this is my girlfriend, Hu Min."

The girl wore a camel-colored wool coat, her hair tied back, and looked quiet and proper. She greeted the elders first, then sat back down next to Lin Qian somewhat reservedly.

Lin Lanying poured her a cup of tea and asked, "Minmin, what do you do for a living?"

"I work as a clerk in a trading company, mainly responsible for organizing contracts, following up on customer information, and some administrative work."

"That's great. How long have you known Ah Qian?"

"About a year." Lin Qian took over the conversation when he saw his girlfriend was a little reserved. "We met through a friend's introduction. Later, she came to our law firm for some business, and that's how we gradually got to know each other."