Chapter 88 - 30: "It Will Come Sooner or Later

Chapter 88: Chapter 30: "It Will Come Sooner or Later

Hearing this, her sister-in-law, Chen Yu, felt a pang of unease, but she didn’t let it show. Her mother-in-law was offering to pay, and the money would surely come from her and her father-in-law’s private savings. It had nothing to do with her, so she couldn’t say a word against it.

The Lin Family didn’t subscribe to the saying that a married daughter was like spilled water.

"I have money." Of course, Lin Zhao wouldn’t take her parents’ money. Father was very capable, and she was about to start earning her own money too.

"But..." Song Xiwei was worried the Gu Family would use it to hold something over Zhaozhao.

"Mom, I’m not short on money. If I were, I’d definitely tell you. If I ever run into trouble, you and Dad are the first people I’ll come to. You’re my rock. I’m not just being polite," Lin Zhao said with a serious expression.

’Besides, she wanted to be the one treating her parents.’

’Her mother would surely refuse, but that didn’t matter. She’d just send them grain, meat, and sugar. They’d have to accept it, whether they wanted to or not.’

’After all, her parents’ health was what mattered most.’

"If you need anything, just ask," Song Xiwei repeated.

’She knew how to hunt and had saved up a lot of money over the years. But during those difficult years, you couldn’t buy grain even if you had money. That’s what led Zhaozhao to marry so young and become a daughter-in-law of the Gu Family. Then came the era of ration tickets for everything. Money was one thing, tickets were another; you couldn’t buy anything if you were missing either.’

"Mm-hmm." Lin Zhao nodded.

Lin Shisheng finally found his voice, his mind still reeling. "Zhaozhao, you really became a clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative? But I haven’t heard anything about them hiring."

"A clerk’s job is a plum position. As soon as one opens up, tons of people have their eyes on it, and it’s almost always filled internally. One of Gu Chenghuai’s army buddies works for the county government, and his wife’s older brother happens to be the director of the cooperative. It was just a lucky coincidence."

At this, Lin Zhao felt a surge of relief. ’Thank goodness I had that moment of madness and scribbled all that nonsense that night. Otherwise, this job might not have been mine.’

’After all, a single step too late can mean a world of missed opportunities.’

"That really was a lucky coincidence. It just goes to show, what’s meant for you will find you eventually." Lin Shisheng was happy for his sister.

"I heard the cooperative offers flawed goods as an employee perk. That’s a great job, perfect for you."

A smile played on Lin Zhao’s lips. "Second Brother, is there anything you need?"

Lin Shisheng didn’t hesitate. "Fabric and cotton. Help me keep an eye out."

"Okay."

Lin Zhao then turned to her quiet eldest brother. "Eldest Brother, is there anything your house needs?"

A smile broke across Lin Shichang’s tanned face. "A thermos, maybe. Boiling water is a pain in the winter, so a thermos would be handy. And by the time it gets cold, your sister-in-law’s belly will be even bigger."

"Okay, I’ll keep that in mind," Lin Zhao agreed.

"Anything you need, Sister-in-law?"

Chen Yu shook her head. "The thermos is more than enough. Thank you."

"It’s no trouble at all. I’ll be there anyway."

Chen Yu was nearly three months pregnant, and sitting for too long made her back ache. She quietly reached up to rub it, and when Lin Shichang noticed, he said a quick word to the family and helped his wife back to their room to rest.

After they left, Lin Zhao stood up, dragged her stool over next to Lin Shisheng, and asked quietly, "Where’s Second Sister-in-law?"

"...She went back to her parents’ house." Lin Shisheng didn’t seem to want to elaborate.

Alarm bells went off in Lin Zhao’s head.

’...Back to her parents’ house!?’

’Her poor brother was looking greener and greener.’

She was torn. She didn’t know how to bring it up. She couldn’t just scream in his ear, ’Second Brother, she’s cheating on you!’ She just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Lin Zhao’s lips parted and closed as she carefully weighed her words.

"Second Brother, isn’t it a bit strange for Second Sister-in-law to be staying at her parents’ house all by herself?"

Lin Shisheng looked surprised. "How is she by herself? It’s her parents’ home, the place where she grew up."

He gave a slight, sarcastic smile. "She’s very close with her family. Let her stay. She can stay as long as she wants."

Lin Zhao’s head was starting to throb.

"..."

’He wasn’t getting it.’

"Second—"

Before the "Brother" could leave her lips, Lin Shisheng cut her off with a smile. "I’ve got it under control."

’Under control? What’s under control?’

’If you had it under control, you wouldn’t have been so thoroughly cuckolded in the book!’

Lin Zhao practically wilted with worry.

Seeing how worried she was, Lin Shisheng could only say with a sigh, "I have someone keeping an eye on her. She’s my wife, after all, and the mother of Xuanyuan and Zhengzheng. I can’t just ignore it."

’Sigh, Zhaozhao is too soft-hearted. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on her from now on.’

"Who did you get to watch her?" Lin Zhao asked nervously, her eyes like a cat sensing danger.

Her expression made Lin Shisheng laugh. He reached out and playfully messed up his sister’s braids until her hair was a mess.

"Second Brother!" Lin Zhao feigned anger.

Lin Shisheng scurried out the door just before she could take a swing at him.

"So childish," Lin Zhao said, laughing in spite of herself. She sat down, grumbling, then remembered something. She studied her father’s face and saw he looked a bit more spirited than he had the last couple of days. "Mom, have you been making Dad anything special to eat lately?"

"When have I ever neglected your father?" Mrs. Lin said in a huff. ’He’s my handsome old man. Of course I take good care of him!’