Chapter 87 - 30: It Will Come Sooner or Later

Chapter 87: Chapter 30: It Will Come Sooner or Later

Lin Shisheng found it amusing. "How could I possibly guess?"

"But the look on your face..."

He paused, studying Lin Zhao’s expression. She was beaming, looking happier than when she’d gotten into high school back in the day.

’It must be great news.’

"Is your husband coming back?"

Lin Zhao shook her head. "He didn’t say he was coming back."

"Then what else could make you this happy?" Lin Shisheng was genuinely confused.

For a split second, he wanted to ask if it was about a job.

But Zhaozhao had been burned by the job hunt right after graduation, and ever since, no one in the family dared to mention the word "job."

Besides, jobs in the county were a "one radish, one hole" situation—incredibly hard to come by—so it was probably impossible.

Just then, Chen Yu came out of her room.

The topic was temporarily dropped.

Lin Zhao smiled and greeted her, "Sister-in-law."

"Zhaozhao, you’re back. Why didn’t you bring Da Zai and the others?" Chen Yu asked with concern.

"It’s a hassle to bring them, so I didn’t," Lin Zhao replied, then turned to Mrs. Lin. "Mom, put the watermelon in the well. It’ll be nice and cold when we eat it later, much tastier that way."

Mrs. Lin said, "I’ve already lowered it down."

"There’s watermelon?" Lin Heling suddenly felt a twinge of pain in his head. The ache vanished in an instant, but a strange yet familiar image flashed through his mind.

A little boy in a small suit was holding a watermelon, and next to him stood a pretty, delicate-featured girl in a dress.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the camphor trees, dancing on their hair.

They looked at each other and smiled, their expressions radiant.

An instant later, the two smiling faces dissolved, like a slow-motion shot in a movie fading away.

Lin Heling was in a daze.

Song Xiwei noticed at a glance that something was wrong with him and asked, "What is it?"

"An image suddenly appeared in my mind," Lin Heling said. "Then it was gone just as quickly, same as before."

"If you can’t remember, then don’t try. Don’t force yourself, or you’ll get a headache," Song Xiwei urged, still worried.

Lin Heling sighed helplessly. "I know."

Lin Zhao’s eyes were filled with worry. "Dad, are you okay?"

"It’s the same old problem, I’m fine," Lin Heling said.

He didn’t want Zhaozhao to ask about his past. After all, based on the fragmented memories he could recall, his original family was quite extraordinary. And in the current social climate, being "extraordinary" in that way was not a good thing.

Everyone knew him as a pitiful man who had lost his past memories. ’It’s better to let them keep thinking that,’ he thought. ’It’s for the good of this family, and the children.’

Lin Zhao knew how tight-lipped her father could be, so she didn’t press him. Instead, she just said, "I only have one dad in this life. You have to take good care of yourself, Dad. Otherwise, I’ll be really sad."

Father Lin patted her head and said gently, "Of course I will. I’m still waiting for you to take me to the Capital."

This was a grand promise Lin Zhao had been making to her parents since she was in middle school.

"I remember! Dad, you just focus on getting healthy, and I’ll take you there. We’ll watch the flag-raising ceremony, climb the Great Wall, go to the People’s Park (Summer Palace), visit the teahouses and theaters, eat roast duck..." Lin Zhao listed them off one by one, her eyes as bright as lamps. "I’m even going to buy a siheyuan in the Capital and have you and Mom move in with me."

Even Chen Yu was stirred by her words. "What’s a siheyuan? A courtyard home? Buying a house with a courtyard in the imperial capital must be incredibly expensive."

Lin Zhao couldn’t just say that the country would open up in the future, that the whole of society would change, and that there would be ’gold’ everywhere for the taking. She could only say vaguely, "Well, maybe someday in the future, everyone will be able to make a lot of money."

Lin Heling didn’t think Zhaozhao was just talking big. He pondered it for a few seconds and said with some agreement, "What Zhaozhao said is possible. History is a cycle. For there to be progress, things can’t—and won’t—stay like this forever."

Time.

It needs time.

’Dad is so wise,’ Lin Zhao thought. ’If the ’her’ from the book hadn’t died so early, she definitely would have been among the first to get rich. She’d have had everything she ever wanted, enjoying endless fortune.’

"Dad, you’re amazing! I just love listening to you talk."

A faint smile bloomed in Lin Heling’s gentle, light-colored eyes. ’My daughter really knows how to sweet-talk,’ he thought.

"Dad, I got a job," Lin Zhao said, remembering the real reason she had come home. Her voice was cheerful and lilting.

Her eyes curved into crescents, her expression begging for praise, as if she were about to wag her tail.

Lin Heling was happy for her and asked knowingly, "Did Chenghuai help you find it?"

"Yes," Lin Zhao nodded.

Song Xiwei put down the dustpan in her hands, pulled over a stool, and sat down across from Lin Zhao. Her face was unreadable. "What kind of job?"

"If it’s too tiring, or if it has rotating shifts, you won’t be able to handle it. You can’t take that kind of hardship."

’That’s my mom for you.’

’She sees right through me.’

"It’s a salesclerk position at the supply and marketing co-op. I can handle it," Lin Zhao said.

Song Xiwei knew that her daughter had always been most envious of the salesclerks. This was a dream come true for her.

"That’s a good job. It’s easy and respectable. How much did it cost to get? Mom will give you the money."