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

The next morning, before it was fully light, He Dazhu picked up his tool bag and went out.

He stayed in Guangzhou for a few days, and there was a lot of work piling up at the jade carving shop in Yau Ma Tei. Master Su had taken on several good pieces of jade for him to polish. After receiving a bonus of over two million yesterday, He Dazhu didn't sleep well. He didn't even eat breakfast this morning and rushed to the shop.

Lin Lanying didn't stop him. The sudden influx of such a large sum of money into the family made the honest and simple man a little flustered. But when he picked up a carving knife and did some practical work, he was able to calm down.

Lin Lanying carefully arranged the fabric, sausages, hair clips, and two boxes of Cantonese dim sum she had brought back from Guangzhou, and packed them into two thick cloth bags.

"Come on, Ah Ying." Lin Lanying carried the bag. "Let's go back to the New Territories to see your grandparents, and while we're at it, let's see what that good-for-nothing is up to."

The mother and daughter went downstairs and boarded a red-roofed minibus. The bus swayed and bumped as it drove out of the high-rise district of Hong Kong Island, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed to the green trees and low-rise village houses of the New Territories.

Lin Lanying held the cloth bag, her face tense the whole time.

"Is Mommy still angry?" Lin Ying glanced at her.

"Don't be angry, I'm scared." Lin Lanying sighed. "The promissory note you brought back yesterday was 2.65 million. You will become more and more outstanding and earn more and more. Aqian is just nine years old. If he knew that there was so much money in the family, he would feel that he had a share of it from a young age, and his life would be ruined."

Lin Ying did not respond.

"We need to squeeze the last drop of water out of his head now." Lin Lanying stared out the car window. "It's better to stop him now than to try and fix things after he's caused a huge disaster."

The minibus stopped at the village entrance. The mother and daughter walked along the cement road to the front of the Lin family's old house.

As soon as I stepped outside the courtyard, I heard Li Yuzhen's strong voice coming from the backyard.

"What are you doing, grabbing that broken ladle to steal the chicken feeder? Hurry up! After feeding the chickens, go to the main room and finish the remaining two pages of math problems!"

The two pushed open the half-closed wooden door and went inside. Lin Qian was squatting by the chicken coop, with two mud spots on his trouser legs, his hair was messy, and he was holding a half-broken gourd ladle in his hand.

He heard the noise, turned his head and saw Lin Lanying and Lin Ying. At first he was pleasantly surprised, but then he pouted and deliberately turned his face to the side.

"Hmph." Lin Qian glared at the chicken on the ground, getting angry.

Lin Lanying placed the cloth bag she was carrying on the octagonal table in the main room: "Is your breathing so heavy? Have you caught a cold?"

Lin Qian remained silent, his head bowed as he poked the ground with a ladle.

Lin Ying walked over, took out a beautifully packaged box of Cantonese dim sum from the paper bag, and handed it to him: "I brought this back from Guangzhou, it's for you."

Lin Qian stared at the box, his eyes gleaming with longing, but he stubbornly insisted, "I didn't say I wanted it."

"If you don't want it, just use it to mix with chicken feed and feed the chickens." Lin Lanying pulled out a long bench and sat down.

Lin Qian snatched the box into his arms and hugged it tightly, afraid that if he was a second too late, he would really be thrown into the chicken coop.

Hearing the commotion, Li Yuzhen came out of the kitchen, her hands still dripping wet: "Aying and Aying are back. Didn't Dazhu come with you?"

"His craftsmanship was put on hold for a few days, so he went to Yau Ma Tei early this morning." Lin Lanying stood up, opened the bag, and said, "Mom, these are gifts that Aying brought back for you from Guangzhou. There are also some fabrics that I will alter into clothes and then send to you; and these two boxes of sausages are for my younger brother's family."

Lin Fu came out of the house: "Have you finished the important business?"

"After taking care of Grandpa, the final draft of the subtitles has been sent to Beijing for approval, and Uncle Peng is overseeing it there," Lin Ying nodded.

"The money is settled." Lin Lanying walked to Lin Fu's side and gave him a precise amount.

Lin Fu simply nodded: "Lan Ying, now that the money's in, there are some things you need to make clear."

Lin Lanying turned around and looked at Lin Qian, who was still standing in the yard holding the box of pastries: "Lin Qian, come here."

Lin Qian slowly walked to the table.

"Are you still resentful?" Lin Lanying stared at her son. "Do you think I'm harming you by sending you back to the New Territories? Stay here and make sure you understand. If you can't figure it out, don't come back to Taikoo Shing for the summer."

Lin Qian was startled, his face clearly showing his grievance: "No."

"Nothing?"

"I just feel like... when my older sister went to Guangzhou to do something big, she took you guys with her but didn't take me with her at all," Lin Qian muttered under his breath. "She even brought me back to pull weeds and feed the chickens."

Lin Lanying laughed in exasperation: "Mommy, I also have a younger brother, your uncle. Look at me these past few years, I've been earning money by sewing, and your older sister has been earning money by writing plays. We even bought a house in Taikoo Shing. Have I shared any of that money with your uncle?"

Lin Qian was stunned. He thought for a moment and then shook his head: "No."

Why not?

"Because... that's what you earned yourselves."

"Yes," Lin Lanying continued, "Your uncle and I are siblings. We ate from the same pot and grew up under the same roof when we were little. But I got married and he got married, and we each have our own families. When he encounters difficulties, his grandparents and I will lend him a hand. But in our daily lives, we each take care of our own families."

Lin Qian looked at his mother, only half understanding what she was saying, and a hint of fear appeared on his face.

"You and your older sister are the same," Lin Lanying said bluntly. "You are siblings, not one person. When you grow up and have your own families, you'll both have to take care of your own families. Nobody has time to revolve around you every day."

Lin Qian lowered his head, on the verge of tears, after being told that.

Lin Fu, who had been silent all along, pulled Lin Qian in front of him: "Qian."

"Grandpa." Lin Qian lowered his head.

"Your mother's words may be harsh, but that's the truth." Lin Fu looked at his eldest grandson. "Brothers and sisters are like hands and feet, bound by blood for life. If you can't get through a critical moment, your sister will never watch you die; she will help you."

"But you have to be strong yourself to succeed! If you don't have the ability, even if your own sister gives you a mountain of gold, you won't be able to handle it. Your sister and you will always be two different people."

Lin Ying stood up, walked to Lin Qian, and looked at this younger brother who was almost two years younger than her but nearly as tall as her, saying, "Little brother."

"Sister." Lin Qian sniffed.

"I won't abandon you." Lin Ying looked at him. "I told you before that as long as you get into university, I'll sell our apartment in Yufa Building and add the money to buy you a 1,000-square-foot luxury apartment. I'm saying it again today in front of your grandparents. I can do it."

"But what happens after I give it to you?"

Lin Qian was stunned: "What?"

"You've been living in Taikoo Shing for a while now; let me ask you, do you know how much your monthly utility bills—water, electricity, property management fees, gas, and wages—are going to cost?" Lin Ying explained the expenses to him one by one. "Buying a house is a one-time thing, but maintaining it is a lifelong commitment. Can an ordinary person afford those hundreds or thousands of dollars in fixed expenses?"

Lin Qian's face turned a little pale.

"I hope you can stand on your own two feet, have a skill that can earn you a living, or a bachelor's degree that can pay you a salary." Lin Ying looked at him, "Because your older sister can't take care of you forever."

Lin Qian's eyes welled up with tears. His sister's money wasn't raining down from the sky; he couldn't possibly fill a basin with it.

Lin Ying took out a pack of tissues from her pocket, pulled out one, and handed it to him.

"During the years when I was unconscious, my mind was unclear, and I couldn't remember many things," Lin Ying said softly. "But I vaguely remember that you were very kind to my sister. When the neighborhood kids called me a stupid girl, you stood in front of them and fought back. When you had candy, you would secretly slip it into my hand."

Lin Qian's tears fell.

"Little brother, you have your own strengths and your own path to success." Lin Ying reached out and patted his shoulder. "Don't let my current achievements affect you; I'll walk my own path, and you'll walk yours. As long as you get stronger every day, you won't be any worse than anyone else."

Lin Qian wiped away his tears and nodded vigorously.

"I'm going back to do my math; I'm sure I got everything right today." He put the snack box on the table, turned around, and ran to the backyard.

Li Yuzhen watched her grandson's retreating figure and sighed, "This time he really listened. He was still full of resentment when he was pulling weeds."

At noon, Li Yuzhen sliced ​​the sausages she brought back from Guangzhou, steamed a sea fish, and chopped up a poached chicken.

The atmosphere at the dinner table returned to warmth. Lin Qian didn't say much, but quietly ate his rice. After finishing, he took the initiative to clear the table and go to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Lin Fu sat at the table, took a sip of tea, and looked at Lin Ying.

"Sister, having too much money can easily make you feel unsettled," the old man reminded her.

"Don't worry, Grandpa, I know what I'm doing." Lin Ying put down her chopsticks. "I just happen to have something to discuss with you and Mom. Now that we've settled the accounts, I'm planning to buy a computer and a printer."

The old woman stopped wiping the table: "Why are you buying that?"

"Writing scripts entirely by hand is exhausting for the wrist, and revising is a hassle. Buying a computer with word processing software can double the efficiency," Lin Ying explained. "A complete set costs about HK$50,000."

"Buy it." Lin Fu didn't hesitate. He didn't understand computers, but he knew that "farmers buy good plows for planting, jade carvers buy good carving knives; and for Ah Ying writing plays, these are her tools for making a living. This money is well spent."