Chapter 96:

Lin Chuanbai received a phone call from Xu Haili.

On the other end of the line, Xu Haili’s voice was filled with indignation. “Chuanbai, you really need to have a serious talk with your wife. She’s already part of the Lin family, so why is she always favoring her own family? You’re not at home, so you don’t know how much money her family has made. Their new house is so grand—we all know what their situation was like before. She must have been secretly sending them money behind your back.”

Xu Haili was genuinely angry. “That’s the Lin family’s money, and now it’s all going to the Yu family!”

“Not everyone in the Lin family is living comfortably. This is outright betrayal! None of us relatives are well-off either. How can she only care about her own family and ignore her in-laws?”

Her meaning was clear.

Xu Haili continued on the phone, “Your wife’s business is doing so well. If she just lifted a finger to help us, we wouldn’t have to worry about food. Your younger brother and his family would remember your kindness forever. We’re all Lins, after all.”

Lin Chuanbai sighed helplessly. “Aunt, did you call just to say this? I know what she’s done—or rather, what she hasn’t done. She just made some introductions. Success still depends on individual effort.”

Xu Haili’s voice rose sharply. “What, you don’t want to hear this? Aren’t you a Lin? Seeing us struggle like this, and you won’t even lend a hand? Just because you married into the Yu family, you’re turning your back on us? We’re family!”

Lin Chuanbai exhaled. “Aunt, you’ve misunderstood. Xiang’an hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s their own hard work.”

Xu Haili pressed, “Give me a straight answer. Selling clothes is something anyone can do. Let us sell for you, and we’ll give you a cut later. You’re blood-related cousins—don’t let the years apart make you distant. He’s always remembered you. Your wife can’t just focus on her own family. And you should be careful—you don’t live together. I trust she wouldn’t do anything inappropriate, but appearances matter… You need to pay attention.”

Lin Chuanbai chuckled dryly. “I have things to do. I’m hanging up.”

After hanging up, he immediately forgot about the call.

Someone who hadn’t contacted him in ages suddenly called because they heard Yu Xiang’an was making money in the special economic zone—and then had the nerve to badmouth her and even imply she might be unfaithful? He’d be an idiot to entertain her. If they’d approached him politely, he might have considered helping. But like this? No way.

Helping them wouldn’t earn him any gratitude anyway.

Why bother with such thankless tasks?

Lin Nanxing, seeing her mother hang up, leaned in. “Mom, what did he say? Did he agree to let us sell clothes?”

Xu Haili’s expression darkened. “What do you think?”

Clearly, he hadn’t.

Lin Nanxing sighed. “Our request wasn’t even that high. Even if we couldn’t sell, we could at least wear the clothes ourselves.” She was itching with frustration.

She was a regular customer at Ye Qijia’s store. She’d bought plenty of clothes, watching her own money flow out while Ye Qijia’s profits soared. The imbalance gnawed at her. When she complained at home, Xu Haili—already resentful—joined in, and the two decided to call Lin Chuanbai, hoping to get a piece of the pie.

But the result…

Xu Haili’s face darkened further. “If he won’t agree, then I’ll call Grandpa. I refuse to believe he’ll ignore this. Even if his second son is slow, he’s still his own flesh and blood. He can’t just stand by!”

Xu Haili planned to complain to Lin Duzhong. She had two children—a son she favored more and a daughter she cared less about—but both were her own flesh and blood. If her son succeeded while her daughter struggled, she’d naturally expect her son to help.

Now, with her uncle holding a high-ranking position far away, they’d gotten no benefits due to the distance. But this nephew was closer now—surely he could lend a hand? Wasn’t it only natural?

She urged Lin Jiqing to make the call, thinking it’d be better coming from him. But when she explained her intentions, he hemmed and hawed, unable to articulate a clear thought. Clearly, he was unreliable.

Since he wouldn’t step up, she had no choice but to do it herself.

When Lin Duzhong answered Xu Haili’s call, he listened as she asked about everything under the sun—how was Lin Tiandong’s studies? How was Lin Houpu’s work? How was his health? What was he eating? Where was he sleeping? She covered every topic before finally circling to her real purpose.

Lin Duzhong, familiar with his daughter-in-law’s ways, stayed silent until she got to the point. If she was spending this much on a call, she definitely wanted something.

After a long preamble, Xu Haili finally said, “…But there’s something that’s been weighing on me. I don’t understand—we’ve done nothing wrong, so why has Chuanbai’s wife kept such a big secret from us? We’ve always gotten along peacefully.”

Lin Duzhong remained impassive. No conflicts?

If you really thought about it, there was no deep hatred, but there wasn’t much affection either.

Lin Duzhong felt a headache coming on. Back in Baishi County, whenever Chuanbai sent food, Xu Haili would demand a share. Petty grievances like these had eroded any familial warmth long ago.

Xu Haili pressed, “Dad, don’t tell me they’ve kept it from you too. If so, that’s just too much.”

Lin Duzhong coughed. “I know about it.”

Xu Haili’s words caught in her throat. Her tone sharpened. “So he wouldn’t hide it from you—his grandfather, his father. But his uncle? We’re just distant relatives now? We were the last to know. Was this to keep us from getting any advantage?”

Lin Duzhong frowned. “Did you think they’d grow this big from the start? From what I’ve heard, it’s been hard work. And this is their own life—they can live it as they please. You say you didn’t know, but did you even ask? If you had, they wouldn’t have deliberately hidden it from you.”

Xu Haili stiffened. She hadn’t asked. She’d been too jealous—why did they get to attend university in the capital and live such glamorous lives while her children were stuck in their mundane routines? Her daughter was even struggling with housing. She refused to ask, not wanting to see their smug faces.

Lin Duzhong sighed. So she hadn’t asked. What more was there to say? The family had split long ago—even Guangbai and Chuanbai, brothers, had divided their households. Separate families meant separate lives. If Chuanbai chose to share, fine. If not, he wasn’t wrong—it just showed how thin their bonds were.

Lin Duzhong wished his descendants were closer, but relationships required effort.

With Xu Haili’s attitude, it was a miracle she hadn’t alienated everyone already.

Xu Haili insisted, “Dad, you have to talk to Chuanbai and his wife.”

Lin Duzhong asked, “What do you want me to say?”

Xu Haili brightened. “The Yu family has profited so much from those clothes selling like hotcakes. Are we just going to watch her funnel money to her own family?”

Lin Duzhong understood—she was envious. “You want to sell clothes?”

Xu Haili answered eagerly, “Yes!”

Lin Duzhong asked, “Is this your idea alone, or does everyone know? Have you talked to Chuanbai?”

Xu Haili said, “The whole family knows and agrees. I called him, but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I figured since the others have jobs, it’d be better if I handled this to supplement our income.”

She had no job, just taking care of the kids and housework. Selling things wouldn’t interfere. If the others got involved, it might affect their work reputations.

Xu Haili privately thought Yu Xiang’an was a fool. Sure, business was profitable now, but what about later? Could she keep it up as she aged? And the more money she made, the riskier it became. In the past, people like her would’ve been labeled capitalists and denounced.

Lin Duzhong guessed her call to Chuanbai had been just as accusatory, hence his reaction. He couldn’t understand—if she wanted Yu Xiang’an’s help, why approach it like this?

Did Yu Xiang’an owe her something?

If she’d berated Chuanbai over the phone too, no wonder he’d brushed her off.

Lin Duzhong felt exhausted.

But this was just her nature. At her age, with grandchildren of her own, she wasn’t going to change.

He sighed. If only they’d been more careful when arranging his second son’s marriage.

Not that his second son’s family was doing poorly—his son had a job, his grandchildren and their spouses had jobs, and they had enough space. Nanxing’s husband’s family had housing issues, but Guangbai had let them stay in his place for a nominal rent of five yuan a year—essentially free.

By any standard, they were doing fine.

“Have Chuanqiong call me later,” Lin Duzhong said. If there was one sensible person in that household, it was him.

He doubted Xu Haili’s claim that “the whole family” supported her.

When Lin Chuanqiong heard what his mother had done, he pinched the bridge of his nose and drawled, “Mom, what are you trying to do?”

He genuinely couldn’t understand her logic.

“Mom, remember when you wanted Cousin’s help last time? You bought meat first, then asked him to make a cabinet. Now you want Second Brother and his wife to help, but you haven’t said a single kind word. Why would they help you?”

Xu Haili faltered, then smacked his arm. “How is that the same? That ‘cousin’ is barely related—just someone we call ‘uncle’ out of courtesy. But your second brother is family! You’re his younger brother—why shouldn’t he help you?”

Lin Chuanqiong’s wife remained silent, her expression subtle.

She couldn’t fathom her mother-in-law’s mindset. Her logic was twisted, yet none of their well-off relatives had a good relationship with her—except her own family, who were happy to take whatever she gave them. Had she ever wondered why she couldn’t get along with anyone in her husband’s family?

She only called them “family” when she wanted something. Otherwise, they were strangers.

Lin Chuanqiong sighed. “Mom, when you called Second Brother, did you say anything he’d want to hear? Anything reasonable? If you talk like that, why would he help you?”

Xu Haili realized he was criticizing her tone. But she’d spoken the truth! And: “I’m his aunt—his own aunt! If he won’t help us, Grandpa won’t just stand by.”

Lin Chuanqiong asked, “Do you really believe that?”

When Xu Haili nodded, he just sighed again. “Why do you want to go into business? Do you even have a plan? What about a store?”

Xu Haili said, “Who needs a store? Others started with street stalls. I’ll just lay out a cloth. Save on rent.”

Lin Chuanqiong asked, “And where will you get the money to buy inventory?”

Xu Haili said, “Your brother and his wife are rich now. They can lend us some. We’ll pay them back later.”

Lin Chuanqiong felt utterly defeated. “Mom, where do you get this confidence? That he’ll help you? Even lend you money? I just… Never mind. Why do you even want this? We’re not struggling.”

Xu Haili said, “Your sister keeps buying clothes. I figured we could do it too. Not that we’re desperate, but extra income never hurts. I don’t have a job—this won’t affect you.”

Lin Chuanqiong shook his head. “Mom, listen. You say it won’t affect us, but if you’re busy, can we just stand by? If we don’t help, what will people say? Don’t stir up trouble. Actually, there’s something I wasn’t sure about before, but I might be getting a promotion soon. Let’s not rock the boat. If anything goes wrong, it could fall through.”

Xu Haili brightened. “Really? You’re not lying?”

Lin Chuanqiong nodded firmly. “It’s true. The news should come soon. Until then, don’t cause any drama. If there’s even a hint of trouble, it could ruin everything.”

Xu Haili nodded eagerly. “Of course, of course! I won’t make a peep. This is crucial. I know what’s important.”

Lin Chuanqiong: “…” Hopefully.

“Make sure you explain things clearly to my sister.”

Xu Haili assured him: “Don’t worry.” No one could stand in the way of her son’s promotion!

After dissuading Xu Haili, Lin Chuanqiong called Lin Chuanbo to apologize: “Second Brother, I just found out what my mom did. I’m sorry—I don’t even know what to say about her. Please don’t take it to heart.” He forced a bitter smile. “She was too impulsive this time. She didn’t think it through. This isn’t the right thing for her. With her temper, I’m afraid she’d end up fighting with people if she tried to run a business.”

Lin Chuanqiong had no intention of letting her sell clothes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t tempted by the potential earnings, but given his mother’s temperament, it wouldn’t be surprising if she caused trouble. He was worried they’d end up losing money and scrambling to clean up the mess. Better to stick with a steady job.

What he told his mother wasn’t a lie—he really might be getting a promotion.

Since transferring to the pharmaceutical factory, he had worked diligently, and his efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed. While many other factories were seeing declining profits, theirs was still growing because their medicine was good. With transportation becoming more convenient, their products were reaching farther markets.

If he got promoted, his salary would increase, and the family’s financial situation would improve. There was no need for his mother to insist on setting up a stall under these circumstances. If she got into a conflict with someone, things could get messy.

No matter how he looked at it, Lin Chuanqiong didn’t think letting his mother sell clothes would be easy.

Lin Chuanbo accepted his apology. He felt sorry for his cousin—having a mother like that couldn’t be easy. When he was younger, it wasn’t as bad, but after getting married and becoming an adult, every time Xu Haili got into a dispute, he was the one who had to smooth things over. His uncle barely spoke five words a day. It really wasn’t easy.

The matter was dropped there. Lin Chuanbo didn’t even mention it to Yu Xiang’an, seeing no reason to upset her with it.

Since he kept it quiet, Yu Xiang’an remained unaware of the whole incident.

—

Liu Mingyue called Yu Xiang’an to ask whether she should buy treasury bonds. Her own assigned quota wasn’t much, but her husband had been allocated a significant amount, leaving her conflicted about whether to spend so much money on what seemed like useless paper.

Yu Xiang’an had some recollection of treasury bonds.

Buy them, of course. Right now, people might think exchanging money for these slips of paper was pointless—they couldn’t be eaten or spent like cash, and there was fear they’d become worthless later. But in the future, these bonds would be quite valuable.

She couldn’t say that outright to Liu Mingyue, though. Instead, she suggested that if anyone was willing to sell them at a steep discount, she’d be interested in buying some. With the government backing them, she trusted that the state wouldn’t let people suffer losses.

That made sense.

Once she thought it through, Liu Mingyue felt reassured. Looking at it another way, if they bought more now, they might even catch the attention of higher-ups.

After hanging up, Yu Xiang’an fell into thought. She didn’t remember the exact timeline for when treasury bonds were sold at a discount or when their value skyrocketed later. Most of her past knowledge revolved around cooking—she didn’t have much understanding of this. Lin Chuanbo didn’t either, so even if they knew there was money to be made, they probably wouldn’t invest too much, fearing they’d get stuck with unsellable bonds.

Just after the call ended, Yu Mansheng showed up at her door, bringing someone with him.

The man was tall and burly, with a scar on his face that made him look intimidating. Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, his sheer presence was enough to make people uneasy.

Yu Mansheng explained, “This is the older brother of a kid who came to my place looking for work. The kid left home before he was sixteen—life was tough. I thought he was clever, so I took him in to help with odd jobs. His family situation wasn’t great. His brother joined the military and hadn’t been back in years. Now he’s been discharged and returned. Their parents fell ill and passed away, and after some conflict with their uncles, the kid ran away.”

“His brother here is capable. The kid never left an address, but somehow his brother tracked him down. He came to thank me for taking his brother in. I’d advanced some wages to the kid before, and he thought I was decent, so he tipped me off about something.”

Yu Xiang’an: “What kind of tip?”

Yu Mansheng: “He’s made a lot of money lately. Went back to his hometown, fixed up his parents’ graves, built a house—earned a fortune. He told me how he did it.” He lowered his voice. “He’s been trading goods with the Soviets. Takes daily necessities from here over there—they’re short on light industrial products.”

“But,” he added, “he also said the journey isn’t safe without some skills. Still, if you make it back in one piece, the profits are huge.”

Yu Xiang’an eyed him warily. “Don’t tell me you’re tempted to try it?”

Yu Mansheng rubbed his nose. “If I said I wasn’t, you wouldn’t believe me. But my kid’s still so young—how could I take that risk? I know my limits.”

Yu Xiang’an: “Good. Because if something happened… your child is still small. Let me be blunt—if your wife decided to remarry, no one could stop her. Most of the money you’ve earned would go to your daughter, and if she remarried and took your daughter with her… just think about it.”

Yu Mansheng’s face paled. He mentally crushed any lingering thoughts of adventure. “I get it, sis. No need to spell it out like that. Bad luck follows words like that—I’m not going to do anything stupid. Pah! Long life and safety!”

Yu Xiang’an gave him a sidelong glance. “If I didn’t make it clear, you might not have dropped the idea. Anyway, what exactly did you want to say?” It wasn’t like they were starting from scratch—with the foundation they had, there was no need to gamble with their lives.

Yu Mansheng: “Right. So, you know how the Soviets are built differently from us? The clothes we produce here—only the large and extra-large sizes would fit them properly for daily wear.”

He sounded a little envious.

He was decently built himself, but compared to them, he was nothing.

Yu Xiang’an began to understand. “You’re saying we should produce clothes tailored to their needs?”

Yu Mansheng: “Exactly. You’ve invested in two clothing factories, right? This shouldn’t be hard for you.”

It really wasn’t.

If he could sell them—and sell them in bulk—it would be mutually beneficial.

As for legality… she was just manufacturing clothes. If a fellow citizen came to buy them, she’d sell. What happened after delivery wasn’t her concern.

“How many does he want?”

Yu Mansheng: “The first batch is three thousand, but he wants samples first. Once he confirms, he’ll take the three thousand. If they’re accepted over there, the next order will be at least six thousand, maybe even ten thousand. The requirements are sizing and warmth—their winters are brutal.”

And so, Yu Xiang’an met the man named Lei Ming.

Since she already knew his purpose, negotiations went smoothly. Within two days, she brought over samples of heavy winter coats for Lei Ming to inspect.

Tall and sturdy, he tried one on and examined the stitching closely. “If the rest are like this, I’ll take them.”

“Good. Give me two days to have them packed for you.”

Lei Ming’s color choices were simple: black and gray.

Since he was buying three thousand pieces—and Yu Xiang’an saw potential—she threw in ten extra-large silk nightgowns, pullover sweaters, jackets, scarves, and shawls as free samples.

If he was satisfied, he could order them next time.

She also mentioned that her main business was food—restaurants, instant noodles, side sauces, and, as of this year, canned goods.

Lei Ming: “…”

At this time of year, the south was still sweltering under the autumn heat, with people in short sleeves, but the north was already cooling down—perfect timing for winter clothing.

Lei Ming and a few fellow veterans were in this trade together. His younger brother, who looked nothing like him—small and skinny—stayed behind to work odd jobs at Yu Mansheng’s construction site. With his comrades and a few hired hands, Lei Ming loaded the clothes onto a northbound train.

If this trip went well, they’d be able to breathe a little easier in the future.

The profits were huge—piles of U.S. dollars—but the risks were just as high. Last time, he’d come back with that scar.