Chapter 2

According to the book’s plot, at this point, Ling Chuxia’s biological parents, though indifferent toward her, maintained a semblance of normal family life out of respect for their blood ties.

However, the book’s Ling Chuxia had no desire to live with her impoverished biological parents. She spent her days in tears, constantly seeking opportunities to plead with Ling Haoran and Tian Yixiang, begging to return to their home.

Initially, Tian Yixiang, still clinging to the decade-long bond she’d shared with her first daughter, tried to persuade Ling Haoran to raise both children together. “We’re not short on money,” she argued.

But Ling Haoran replied, “Yixiang, I’ve considered letting Ling Chuxia return, but it’s impossible. Every time I see her face, I remember the hardships our Xiaoman endured! Ling Chuxia has usurped Xiaoman’s happiness for over a decade. If we let her back now, how would Xiaoman feel? It would break her heart!”

From that moment on, Tian Yixiang abandoned any hope of bringing Ling Chuxia back.

Meanwhile, Yang Yu grew increasingly resentful toward Ling Chuxia, who remained ungrateful no matter how she was raised. After all, Yang Yu had taken back her biological daughter. Regardless of whether Ling Chuxia was happy or not, Yang Yu had never withheld a meal from her and even paid her school fees. Yet, despite all this, Ling Chuxia had never shown them even a shred of gratitude during her time back with them.

Even a dog knows to wag its tail at its owner, but Ling Chuxia only knows how to cry, never once calling out “Mom” or “Dad.” It’s truly disheartening.

Just as Yang Yu’s third sister was bringing her child to seek medical treatment here and wanted to stay with the Ling family to save money, Yang Yu claimed there was no room and kicked Ling Chuxia and Grandma Ling out.

At the very back of Cotton Textile Mill No. 1 Residential Area stood a row of long-abandoned old houses. Even these dilapidated, dangerous structures were highly sought after; you couldn’t secure a place without pulling strings at the factory.

Yang Yu had her own scheme. She used the high-quality cigarettes Ling Haoran had given her to bribe the workshop director and secure the most rundown unit. She then forced Grandma Ling and the annoying Ling Chuxia into it, finally rid of them.

Ling Chuxia mentally reviewed the book’s plot, then returned to the kitchen to grab a bowl and serve herself some rice.

Whether the plot had become scrambled or not, her goals remained unchanged: to support herself and get into university.

Her current body was already seventeen, less than a year away from adulthood. It was simply unacceptable to keep relying on strangers to take care of her.

Ling Dajun lowered his head, remaining silent. Yang Yu shoved him forcefully. “Don’t play dead with me! My third sister and Xiaoyu have been staying at the guesthouse for days. The doctor said they need continuous acupuncture treatment—a single course lasts a month and a half, and they’ll need five or six courses in total. You know the state of my third sister’s family—how can they possibly afford to stay at the guesthouse?”

Seeing he couldn’t avoid it, Ling Dajun hesitated before suggesting, “Then let them stay at our place. They can stay until they’re fully recovered.”

“Our place? Ling Dajun, look around! Our tiny apartment is already crammed with six people, and you want to squeeze more in? Where would my third sister and Xiaoyu sleep? On your head?” Yang Yu’s face flushed crimson with anger as she dug her nails into Ling Dajun’s arm. He stood frozen, too afraid to move.

In the kitchen, Grandma Ling washed her hands with her head bowed. After drying them on her apron, she reached up to wipe her eyes.

Ling Chuxia clicked her tongue inwardly. This Ling Dajun is utterly despicable! He won’t even protect his own mother. What a disgraceful son!

Ling Chuxia moved behind Grandma Ling, gently placing her right hand on the old woman’s slender shoulder. “Grandma,” she said softly, “I heard from a neighbor that this house was originally allocated to you and Grandpa by the factory. You shouldn’t be forced out.”

She was an outsider, so being evicted made sense. But not Grandma Ling.

Grandma Ling turned around, her eyes red and her face etched with bitterness. “I’m old. It doesn’t matter where I live.”

Her words didn’t match her expression. Ling Chuxia could see how reluctant she was to leave. Unsure what to say, she simply patted Grandma Ling’s back.

In the living room, Yang Yu had escalated from pinching to full-blown hitting.

“Speak, Ling Dajun!” she wailed, her blows punctuating each word. “Speak! What are we going to do?”

Ling Dajun stammered, “We can squeeze. Let Sanmei and Xiaoyu sleep with you, and I’ll set up a makeshift bed in the living room…”

“Absolutely not! I won’t accept it!”

“Ling Yu… that’s my mother…” Ling Dajun’s voice trembled.

Yang Yu gasped. “Fine! That’s your mother! Wonderful! You can stay with her! I’ll divorce you! I’ll take Xiaoshuang and Yangyang back to my parents’ house, and we’ll each go our separate ways!”

Yang Yu kicked open the bedroom door and cried out, “Yangyang, wake up! Come with me!”

Ling Dajun panicked and quickly grabbed Yang Yu. “Let’s talk about this some more… we can still discuss…”

“There’s nothing to discuss! Even if my third sister wasn’t staying with us, this place would still be too cramped! Yangyang will be starting middle school next semester. No boy his age would want to share a room with his parents! The factory has already agreed to give us a small unit. Why won’t you let your mother move in?”

“That place is falling apart! It could collapse at any moment…”

“Other people live there! Why is your mother so special that she can’t live there?”

“Then… I’ll move in. I’m just one man. You two can squeeze together…”

Hearing this, Grandma Ling’s expression visibly softened. She wiped her eyes again, but Ling Chuxia could tell this time the tears weren’t from sadness, but from being moved by her son’s words.

“Look, Dajun is still filial,” Grandma Ling said, glancing up at Ling Chuxia and speaking softly. “Your father is a good man. Don’t… don’t despise him. Your mother isn’t a bad person either, it’s just that our life is so hard, it’s not easy for anyone. I know you’re used to a better life and find it hard to adjust now that you’re back, but no matter what, as long as I have a bite to eat, so will you.”

Ling Chuxia couldn’t bear to see Grandma Ling’s expression. She hugged her grandmother’s arm and turned her head to say, “I know. Thank you, Grandma.”

The living room fell silent for a minute or two. Yang Yu neither shouted nor moved.

Concerned, Grandma Ling took Ling Chuxia’s hand and went to check on the situation. They saw Yang Yu suddenly scream, throwing herself against Ling Dajun’s chest. “Ling Dajun, how dare you move out! I’m divorcing you right now!”

After roaring these words, Yang Yu’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed stiffly to the ground.

The day’s drama came to an abrupt end with Yang Yu’s collapse, but Ling Chuxia knew this couldn’t be postponed for long.

Ling Dajun borrowed a three-wheeled scooter from a neighbor and rushed Yang Yu to the nearest hospital in a fluster. Grandma Ling and Ling Chuxia were also called along.

After a thorough examination, Yang Yu regained consciousness. The doctor diagnosed her condition as a sudden surge of anger combined with mild heatstroke, which had caused her to faint. There were no major concerns; she just needed to stay in the hospital for observation for a day before being released.

Ling Dajun rushed back and forth to complete the admission procedures, while Yang Yu lay weakly in bed, completely ignoring Grandma Ling and Ling Chuxia as if they weren’t even there.

Grandma Ling took Ling Chuxia into the hallway and whispered, “Chuxia, it seems we can’t leave her alone here. Could you go home and bring back some breakfast? The doctor said your mother needs to eat something.”

What could be easier? Ling Chuxia was eager to move around and immediately nodded. “Sure, I’ll go home and pack breakfast. Should I bring anything else, like towels, a basin, or toothbrushes?”

Though she’d never packed these things herself, her mother always meticulously prepared a large bag of hospital supplies for her during previous stays. Even though Yang Yu would only be staying overnight, she still needed to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Grandma Ling smiled kindly. “What a thoughtful child! Thank you. Please bring your parents’ toothbrushes, towels, and water cups too. I don’t need anything; I’ll be going home tonight to keep an eye on you all.”

“Alright.” Ling Chuxia turned and headed downstairs.

Savoring the joy of her healthy limbs, Ling Chuxia bounced down to the first-floor hallway, only to be suddenly called out to.

“Ling Chuxia? What are you doing here?” A voice, carrying memories, rang out.

Ling Chuxia turned around to face several fashionably dressed high school students. Leading the group was a girl in a beautiful navy blue dress. Her left wrist was wrapped in white bandages, and she carried a stylish small leather bag. She stared at Ling Chuxia with surprise.

The stored memories in her mind told her these were her classmates, and they used to be quite friendly. But after the “daughter swap” incident, they had stopped wanting to hang out with her.

After all, their families were all quite well-off, and they couldn’t really hang out with someone who was too poor.

Ling Chuxia felt nothing towards these people. They were the original owner’s friends, not hers.

“I’m here with my family,” Ling Chuxia said matter-of-factly. “I have things to do, so I’ll be going now.”

She turned to leave.

“Wait!” The girl in the navy blue dress ran over and grabbed Ling Chuxia’s arm with her right hand.

Ling Chuxia paused, a little confused. “Did you need something?”

“Uh… no, it’s nothing… I just… are you okay?” The girl in the dark blue dress looked somewhat uneasy. She hesitated, glancing at the tall boy standing at the back of the group a short distance away, before whispering, “He Tianyu and the others just happened to run into me. They saw my injured wrist and kindly brought me to the hospital. Chuxia, don’t… don’t misunderstand.”

Misunderstand what? Ling Chuxia was puzzled. It took her a few seconds to remember that He Tianyu had always had an ambiguous relationship with the original owner of this body. The class had tacitly assumed they were a couple.

Later, He Tianyu had distanced himself from her and, after getting accepted into university, fallen for Ling Xiaoman, becoming the devoted male supporting character.

But what did this have to do with Ling Chuxia? She wasn’t interested in He Tianyu at all.

“Oh, I see. I have something else to do, so I’ll be heading out now. Luo Meili, stay safe.” With that, Ling Chuxia yanked her arm free, flashed a quick smile at the group, and walked away.

The classmates remained standing, their expressions varying.

Luo Meili covered her face with her right hand, sounding distressed. “Chuxia must have misunderstood. What do we do? He Tianyu, you should go after her and explain.”

He Tianyu watched Ling Chuxia walk away, his expression impassive. Then he said coldly, “Ling Chuxia and I aren’t that kind of relationship. There’s nothing to explain.”

Luo Meili finally lowered her right hand, her face still showing lingering fear. “That’s a relief. I was so worried I’d ruin your relationship. Chuxia has such a fiery temper—if she ended up arguing with you, I’d feel terrible.”

He Tianyu didn’t elaborate. He simply said, “Let’s go. We’ll see you home.”

Meanwhile, Ling Chuxia was walking down the main road under the blazing sun, her steps lightening as she grew happier with each step.

“The market is so lively! So many stalls!” Ling Chuxia paused to observe the bustling market.

With the emergence of the “ten-thousand-yuan household” phenomenon, individual entrepreneurship, a profession once looked down upon, began to gain respect. However, those who actually ventured into small business remained a minority; most still coveted the security of a government job.

Ling Chuxia’s original father had been a businessman, so she had no aversion to small business. On the contrary, she planned to use it as a path to wealth.

The 1990s were the golden age of economic takeoff. Anyone who caught this fast train could make money, no matter how clumsy they were.