Chapter 303 - 301: Picked Up

Chapter 303: Chapter 301: Picked Up

After the Lin family assets were divided, Lin Fu’s parents, Liu Xiaoya and Lin Shouyi, had been living with their eldest son, Lin Ding. So, for this trip, Lin Fu and his wife went straight to Lin Ding’s home.

When Lin Fu reached the door, light was spilling from the window, and he could hear voices inside. He raised his hand to knock, but it froze mid-air. It felt impossibly heavy, and for a long moment, he couldn’t bring it down. A look of hesitation and fear crossed his face. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Lin Qiao’s mother, Yao Hui Chun, finally couldn’t take it anymore. She nudged him and whispered, "The children are waiting for us at home."

KNOCK, KNOCK KNOCK.

Lin Fu started, his thoughts flying to his youngest son. If he and his wife didn’t get back, and the baby woke up crying to be fed, the three other children at home would never be able to quiet him. The realization shook him as if from a dream. His hand no longer hesitated, and the sound of his knocking grew as steady as his own resolve.

"Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law."

When Lin Ding opened the door, he looked awkward to see the two of them, as if he already knew why they were there. He avoided their eyes. "Come in. Dad and Mom are in their room." Lin Fu nodded silently and led Yao Hui Chun to Liu Xiaoya and Lin Shouyi’s room.

Lin Ding followed behind them.

Liu Xiaoya and Lin Shouyi’s room was quite large, situated behind the main hall on the first floor and roughly the same size. When Lin Fu and Yao Hui Chun went inside, they found not only Liu Xiaoya and Lin Shouyi, but also Lin Fu’s sister-in-law, Shi Xiuhua.

"You’re here." Upon seeing Lin Fu and Yao Hui Chun, it was clear Lin Shouyi already knew why they had come. "Sit," he said, without even lifting his eyes.

"Dad, I need to know if what Yan Zi said is true," Lin Fu asked, his eyes fixed on Lin Shouyi’s face.

"Whether it’s true or not, you already know the answer in your heart, don’t you?" Lin Shouyi said flatly. "Since you know, there’s no reason for me to hide it anymore. You are indeed not our biological son. We found you on the road that year when we were fleeing the chaos. Your mother had just given birth to our second child. But those were hard times, rife with war and turmoil. That child... wasn’t blessed. He passed away not long after he was born. Right then, we came across you. Your mother was overcome with grief, and in a moment of weakness, she decided to keep you. You weren’t even a year old, just a tiny, scrawny thing. We all thought you wouldn’t survive, but you stubbornly pulled through. We figured you must be a fortunate one, so we named you Lin Fu."

"..." Lin Fu’s hands and mouth began to tremble. He opened his mouth to ask another question but found that no sound would come out. Finally, Yao Hui Chun took his hand firmly in hers and asked in his stead, "Dad, back then... was there any kind of note with Lin Fu? Or a blanket he was wrapped in?"

"What note?" Liu Xiaoya said, wiping away tears, her voice harsh as she stared at the floor. "The roads were flooded with refugees. Everyone could barely look after themselves, dressed in nothing but rags. Your father and I were running a small business out of town, but when we saw how bad things were getting, we rushed back home with your older brother. When we found this new ’second son,’ he wasn’t just so starved you could see his bones, he was wrapped in a filthy, torn burlap sack. He didn’t even have clothes. He was a child someone had thrown away. Who would waste a good piece of clothing on him?"

When she finished speaking, silence fell over the room. After a long moment, Lin Shouyi looked deeply at Lin Fu. "Second Son," he said, "even though you aren’t our real second son, and over the years your mother couldn’t help but treat you a little differently since you aren’t her own flesh and blood... if it hadn’t been for us, who knows what would have become of you. There’s a saying: the debt owed for being raised is greater than for being born. Now you know the truth. From now on, you can just do as your heart tells you."

"I would never dare forget the kindness you and Mom showed me by raising me," Lin Fu said. "Please, don’t worry. I will continue to fulfill my duty to provide for you, just as I always have. You won’t receive a penny less than before." With that, he knelt before them and kowtowed three times, the sound of his forehead hitting the floor echoing with three heavy thuds. Then he stood up.

"Now that you have your answers, you should go home. In the future... from now on, just do as you see fit. Your mother and I have no other demands..." Before Lin Shouyi could finish his sentence, Shi Xiuhua cut in anxiously, "Dad, what about Yan Zi’s job...?"

"Enough," Lin Shouyi said, shooting Shi Xiuhua a look of displeasure. "I told you all not to pressure your Second Brother about this, but you refused to listen."

"Dad, about Yan Zi’s job... I’ll go and try asking the Zhang family," Lin Fu bit out, his teeth clenched. "But I can’t guarantee they’ll agree."

"Why wouldn’t they agree if you’re the one asking?" Shi Xiuhua chimed in, beaming. "Second Uncle, it would be even better if you could put in a good word with the Zhang family and get our Yan Zi an easy job with a high salary." All her earlier anxiety about her daughter revealing the secret evaporated. ’Actually,’ she thought, ’that was a pretty smart move on her part. Otherwise, Lin Fu wouldn’t have caved so easily.’

Shi Xiuhua’s words drew no objections from Lin Shouyi, Liu Xiaoya, or Lin Ding. Though they remained silent, their faces all held the same look of eager anticipation.

Lin Fu could only force a bitter smile. Yao Hui Chun, her face a mask of indignation, secretly tugged at his sleeve. He ignored her. "Fine," he said, his smile still bitter. "I’ll do my best. But this is the first and the last time. The Zhang family are not our relatives. They owe us nothing. In fact, we are the ones who owe them a great debt of kindness. Making this request will likely burn through any favor we have with them. If another situation like this arises, it won’t matter if I ask again; it will be useless." Without waiting for anyone to respond, he grabbed Yao Hui Chun’s hand and strode out of the room.

"Hey—" Liu Xiaoya cried out anxiously, wanting to stop him, but Lin Fu was already gone. A moment later, they heard the sound of the outer gate shutting.

"Oh, no, this won’t do. I have to go talk to him. How can we waste this one-time favor on that girl, Yan Zi? We should at least save it until our Ah De is a little older and use it for him!" As she spoke, Liu Xiaoya started to get out of bed to put on her shoes and chase after him. The Ah De she spoke of was also Shi Xiuhua and Lin Ding’s son, a few years younger than Lin Yan and still in elementary school.

"Mom, don’t listen to him," Shi Xiuhua advised, not the least bit concerned compared to Liu Xiaoya’s panic. A smug, triumphant smile spread across her face. "He only dared to refuse you in the past because he didn’t know he wasn’t your biological son. Now that he knows, it’s even better. We can hold the great debt of his upbringing over his head. In the future, how could he dare to disobey you? Look at today. Didn’t he just obediently give in? Ah De is still little. Let’s give this favor to Yan Zi for now. When Ah De is older, you just have to ask again. We’ll see if he dares refuse to help then."

At her words, Liu Xiaoya hesitated. She kicked off her shoes, sat back down on the edge of the bed, and nodded. "You have a point."