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

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the tailor shop in Yufa Building was already lit up.

Lin Ying sat at the folding table. At the bottom of the form, Lin Lanying's signature was written with great force, so strong it seemed to penetrate the paper. The boxes next to the four options, 【Computer Cognition Class】, 【Olympiad Math Class】, 【Swimming】, and 【Dance】, were all marked with solid black checkmarks.

Lin Lanying came out of the inner room, holding a thick kraft paper envelope. She had gone to the bank yesterday afternoon to withdraw the money; it contained ten brand-new HK$100 bills.

"Here you go." Lin Lanying stuffed the envelope into the innermost layer of Lin Ying's leather schoolbag, zipped it up, and pressed it down heavily with her palm. "Just hand it in at school. Don't find it on the way, understand?"

"Yes, Mommy." Lin Ying slung her schoolbag over her shoulder.

Upon hearing this, He Dazhu couldn't help but say, "There are too many people on the street, otherwise I would just take A-mei to school to pay the fees."

"No need." Lin Lanying glared at him. "You can't even get through the big iron gate of the school. Are you going to follow her into the finance office? You should hurry up and get to Master Su's place in Yau Ma Tei to start working. Don't give people something to talk about when you've just become an apprentice."

He Dazhu touched his nose and stopped arguing.

Lin Qian, who was munching on a steamed bun next to Lin Ying, stared longingly at her schoolbag and said enviously, "Sister, isn't a thousand yuan a lot? I've never even touched a hundred-yuan bill in my entire life."

"Study hard and earn your own money in the future!" Lin Lanying raised her hand and patted Lin Qian on the back of the head.

"I want to take a computer class too!" Lin Qian muttered, covering his head.

"Your school can't even afford to replace that creaky, broken fan overhead, so what's the point of having computer classes?" Lin Lanying said irritably. "Hurry up and memorize your multiplication tables."

As Lin Ying picked up her schoolbag and walked to the alley entrance to wait for the school bus, He Dazhu still chased after her for a couple of steps.

"Sister."

Lin Ying turned around.

He Dazhu pulled a crumpled little paper packet from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand: "There are two egg tarts inside. Old Dou just bought them at the street corner. If you're tired from school and get hungry after class, sneak a bite to tide you over."

Lin Ying looked down at the still-warm paper package in her hand, then looked up and said, "Thank you, Lao Dou."

He Dazhu laughed and said, "Hurry up and get in the car, and watch your step."

Upon arriving at St. Paul's Private Elementary School, Lin Ying's first action was to go to the teachers' office.

Inspector Luo sat behind his desk, took the fully filled form, and glanced at the four black checkmarks: "Has everything been discussed at home?"

"It's settled. My mom said we can't waste the opportunity the school is giving us."

Mr. Luo smiled. In his many years of teaching, he had seen too many wealthy parents in São Paulo who couldn't bear to see their children study hard; he had also seen parents from ordinary families whose children, despite their talent, were deterred by the high tuition fees for extracurricular classes. Lin Ying's family was a different story.

"Okay." Officer Luo tucked the registration form into a red folder. "I've personally registered you for the math Olympiad; the free spot doesn't require any further procedures. Swimming and dance fees are payable monthly; the school will issue a separate notice later. As for the computer literacy class fee, take it to the finance office at the end of the first floor to pay it today."

After he finished speaking, he added, "You don't need to worry about the number of spots for the computer class. You're first in the grade, so you'll definitely be admitted with priority. But remember, this class starts next Wednesday in a special classroom on the third floor of the west wing. You must change into shoe covers before entering, and you can't bring water bottles or touch the machines. You are absolutely not allowed to press the power button yourself unless the teacher tells you to turn it on. Computers are extremely expensive; the school only got this batch this year. If even one breaks down, the board of directors will be heartbroken. The rules are very strict."

"I understand, thank you, Officer Luo." Lin Ying nodded earnestly.

After retrieving a payment slip issued by the finance office, Lin Ying returned to the classroom of Class 1, Grade 4.

She had just sat down in her seat when her deskmate, Tang Shiya, immediately leaned over and asked, "Lin Ying, did you really sign up for a computer literacy course?"

"Yes, I've registered." Lin Ying opened her textbook.

Tang Shiya's eyes widened slightly: "60 yuan per class?" She had just said it when she realized it was impolite: "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

"It's okay. It is indeed very expensive."

Tang Shiya held a short pencil and said somewhat dejectedly, "My mom said at home yesterday that this kind of class will definitely be very useful in the future, and it's the trend. But... but I bombed my general knowledge exam, and my score wasn't high enough to rank in the top ten in my class; even if I did, my family might not be willing to let me enroll in that tuition which costs several thousand yuan a year."

Lin Ying understood that Tang Shiya's family was in a middle-class position in São Paulo, good enough to get into a private primary school, but unable to afford any extra benefits.

"Let's focus on doing well on the next monthly exam first." Lin Ying pulled out the general knowledge test paper that had been handed out a couple of days ago from the drawer and pushed it into the gap between the two of them.

"Your Chinese and English foundations aren't bad. Your problem is that you didn't manage your time well in the general knowledge section." Lin Ying picked up her pencil and pointed to the last big question on the back of the test paper. "Look at this graph question. It's not that you don't know how to do it, but that you spent too much time on the multiple-choice questions and wrote too slowly. Next time, flip to the back and finish the big questions first, then go back and work on the details at the beginning."

Tang Shiya looked down at the exam paper covered in analyses and annotations, and asked softly, "You...you're willing to teach me these?"

"Just doing it on the spur of the moment." Lin Ying turned a page of her book. "I don't charge you."

Tang Shiya couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.

During the long break, Lin Ying followed the signs and went to the finance office at the end of the first-floor administration corridor.

Behind the glass window sat a female office worker wearing thick reading glasses; on the table were piles of receipt books, a black wooden abacus, and a heavy typewriter.

Lin Ying handed the payment slip and the manila envelope through the window: "Teacher, I'm here to pay the full year's fee for the computer literacy course."

The female employee adjusted her reading glasses, picked up the form, and glanced at it: "Fourth grade, Class 1, Lin Ying?"

"Yes."

The female employee looked up and sized Lin Ying up through the glass. Her previously stern face softened slightly, even showing a hint of a smile: "You're the one who got the top score in the grade this month, the one who scored 398?"

"Yes."

"No wonder." The female employee smiled as she opened the envelope, spread out the ten one-hundred-yuan bills, and ran them through the money counting machine. "This is a special subsidy of one thousand yuan, paid in full for the entire year's classes. I'll give you a receipt right away. Be sure to keep the receipt safe and give it to your homeroom teacher to register the class list in the computer room."

Lin Ying asked, "Does the top student in every grade receive the same subsidy?"

"This rule starts from fourth grade; students below fourth grade can't take computer classes," the female employee explained while writing on the receipt book. "Computer machines are extremely scarce, and spots are very limited. External tutors are expensive. The school board has a strict rule: the student with the highest overall score in each grade gets the majority of the tuition paid by the school, only a symbolic fee of one thousand dollars. Students ranked second to tenth are charged the standard subsidized price of sixty dollars per class. For those ranked tenth and below, even if their families brought a mountain of gold, they still couldn't get a spot."

She handed the receipt stamped with a red seal to Lin Ying and added quietly, "So, your ranking is very valuable. The principal personally called the finance office yesterday to tell you to hurry up with the payment process so you don't have to run back and forth."

Lin Ying accepted the receipt with both hands and politely thanked them.

She liked the word "valuable".