Chapter 7

Yu Min was the last to hear that Lin Baixin had returned to Siping. Zhou Jin and the others already knew; Lin Baixin had notified her family ahead of time. She hadn’t planned to come back for New Year’s and had intended to make a trip to Hai City instead, but her schedule changed at the last minute, so she ended up here after all.

Hai City was her mother’s hometown. Lin Baixin had grown up there, and when her parents moved to Jincheng for business, the whole family moved with them.

The Lin family still had relatives in Hai City, and Lin Baixin often went back to visit them. Even her parents’ ashes were brought back to Hai City for burial, and she regularly went to sweep their graves.

Aunt had booked a hotel restaurant. Ever since Lin Baixin went to university, she had practically stopped spending New Year’s with them. This year, with so few chances to gather, Uncle Xiao was delighted. As soon as Lichun arrived, he was already eager to start preparing for the holiday.

Lin Baixin was met at the restaurant straight from the airport. She looked travel-worn and hadn’t brought much luggage. She wore a dark gray overcoat, a camel-colored scarf, straight trousers, and a pair of fine high heels, her hair tied into a loose knot. Her face was bare of makeup; she hadn’t had time to put any on in her rush to get there, but even with fatigue in her features, it couldn’t hide her striking beauty. With her narrow face, high nose bridge, prominent brow bones, and deep-set eyes, her features were exquisitely defined. She was the brightest, most eye-catching person in any crowd.

The wind was strong. Yu Min went downstairs with Zhou Jin to meet her. When Lin Baixin got out of the car, Yu Min saw her first. Lin Baixin drew her coat tighter with both hands and walked toward them. Zhou Jin was the first to wave, shouting at the top of his lungs from far away, “Sis! Over here, we’re over here!”

When she came closer, Yu Min said softly, “Teacher Lin.”

The books she had borrowed earlier had finally been returned to the neighboring house. The next morning, Yu Min packed them up neatly and, at ten-thirty, figuring Lin Baixin was probably already awake, took them over.

The books were clean and tidy; they had been returned in exactly the same condition they’d been borrowed in.

Yu Min treasured books. She even wrapped each one in a book cover, and with so many books, not a single corner was bent.

She put them back one by one, then borrowed a few more.

Lin Baixin let her. This time, Yu Min only picked one.

“Not taking more?” Lin Baixin asked.

Yu Min flipped through the book and said, “I’ll get more after I finish this one.”

Lin Baixin stayed there for the entire holiday, and Yu Min borrowed books to read at night. During the day, she still went over to Lin Baixin’s place and sat in her study for at least a few hours at a time. Sometimes she even sat there from morning until evening.

Winter was the kind of season when people stayed home with a cat and didn’t go out. Lin Baixin found a cookbook. With short videos booming everywhere, she followed several food bloggers and, whenever she was bored and had nothing else to do, learned to cook.

Yu Min was often called in as a taste tester, trying all kinds of things Lin Baixin made—ordinary ones and bizarre ones alike.

Lin Baixin simply hadn’t been born with a talent for cooking. Her skills were honestly hard to praise. A lot of the dishes she made were bland, or just didn’t taste right. Yu Min ate slowly and carefully, and somehow she could finish anything, as if she’d lost her sense of taste and could no longer tell good food from bad.

“How is it?” Lin Baixin had just made a pot of nourishing fish soup, following a video tutorial. It looked decent enough.

Yu Min drank half a bowl in one go and nodded. “It’s good. Just right.”

Lin Baixin hadn’t tasted it while she was cooking. After Yu Min drank some, she filled a bowl for herself, blew on it, and took a sip.

The seasoning was fine, neither too salty nor too bland, but the fishy smell was a little strong. She frowned and thought about it for a long time. Lin Baixin usually wasn’t picky either, but seeing that Yu Min’s expression hadn’t changed at all made her doubt herself. “It isn’t fishy?”

“No, it’s fine,” Yu Min said, then gave her advice just as the video had shown. “If you think it’s fishy, you can add a couple more slices of ginger next time.”

Before New Year’s, the streets were strung with lanterns and decorations, and every household was busy and festive. The closer it got to New Year’s Eve, the harder it was to get anyone to come out. Lin Baixin’s friends, old classmates, and other acquaintances could only keep in touch online. Since she was alone, she stopped making plans with them anyway. Yu Min’s arrival made the empty house feel less cold and added a little warmth and life to it.

Aunt’s family was getting ready for an overseas trip to ring in the New Year. Lin Baixin wasn’t going with them, and Uncle Xiao and Zhou Jin took turns trying to persuade her to join, saying it would be lonely to stay home by herself.

Lin Baixin refused. To her, travel was nothing more than pointless running around; flying long distances and changing planes meant most of the trip would be spent suffering through the journey. It would be better to stay home and rest properly.

Anyone with sense understood that was just an excuse. In the past, Lin Baixin had been to many places in China and abroad; ever since her biological parents passed away, she had lost the urge to go out, especially to travel with another whole family.

Lin Baixin didn’t go with them, and Yu Min didn’t either—not because of Lin Baixin, but simply because she didn’t want to. Aunt’s family was harmonious and happy. What was she supposed to do by joining in on the excitement?

Besides, Yu Shengyu had come back too.

Yu Min didn’t know that either; she only heard it from Aunt. Her father had clearly returned to Siping, yet he still hadn’t come to take Yu Min away. He had promised to come see her “in a couple of days,” and now more than half a year had passed without even a shadow of him.

With the divorce crisis finally under control, Yu Shengyu was busy cleaning up the mess and taking care of the woman he had cheated with, along with the child still in her womb.

That child... the elders kept their mouths tightly shut in front of Yu Min and didn’t let a single hint slip. They were deliberately helping Yu Shengyu hide it.

Yu Min didn’t care. Those people were self-righteous; whether they truly meant it for her own good or were simply helping Yu Shengyu avoid trouble, she didn’t know.

If you counted the days, Yu Min would have a new sibling before she even finished middle school.

She didn’t know whether it would be a boy or a girl—probably a boy. Yu Shengyu liked sons. He had always forced Zheng Qing to have a second child, unwilling to be satisfied with only Yu Min, and that was a major reason the couple had ended up hating each other.

He didn’t come, and there were no calls or messages at all. At first, Yu Min would still sit by her phone, thinking that blood was thicker than water and that no matter what, she was still the daughter he’d raised for so many years. It was almost New Year’s, after all; surely he should at least show some basic concern.

But Yu Min had still overestimated Yu Shengyu. He was as if he’d vanished from the face of the earth, nowhere to be found.

Yu Shengyu hadn’t even gone back to that original house. Maybe he was afraid that if he showed himself, Yu Min would find him; or maybe there were other reasons. In any case, he was hiding. Most of the relatives at home knew where he was, and only Yu Min was kept in the dark.

Right after Spring Festival, Aunt’s family of three left with their suitcases packed full. Yu Min stayed behind to look after the house. She could cook; her skills were average, but still a little better than Lin Baixin’s.

She made two meat dishes and a steamed fish, then carried them over to the next door.

Lin Baixin was surprised. “You can cook?”

“Just a little,” Yu Min said.

“Incredible,” Lin Baixin said. After all, Zhou Jin, who was the same age as Yu Min, was a complete disaster in the kitchen; spoiled by his parents, he’d grown up to be someone who couldn’t even boil water. Yu Min was more capable than her own adult self.

Since the dishes had been brought over, there was no way she would be left to eat alone on that side. Lin Baixin was very used to this; she didn’t even ask whether Yu Min had already eaten. She simply fetched two bowls and set two cups of hot drinks on the table.

“Teacher Lin, I have a problem I can’t solve. If you’re free, could you help me take a look?” Yu Min studied hard. Other kids her age were desperate to play every day during the holidays, but she was the opposite; whenever she had free time, she followed Lin Baixin around and opened with a question.

Lin Baixin had cut her hair. Her long hair now reached her shoulders. For the New Year, she’d gone with a neat, capable short style; she looked like a TV commercial celebrity, cool and sharp.

As she explained the problem, the two of them sat close together. When Lin Baixin bent down, her hair fell forward naturally. Yu Min was sitting very close to her, and one strand almost brushed her face. She froze, not really used to it.

Lin Baixin soon noticed something was off. She moved a little farther away, tucked her hair behind her ear, and kept explaining.

Aunt’s family was away for more than ten days and came back just in time for the school deadline. By the time the trip ended, it was almost time to celebrate Lantern Festival.

During those more than ten days, surprisingly, even Yu Min hadn’t expected it, she actually felt very relaxed. The mess between Yu Shengyu and Zheng Qing didn’t affect her much, and that unborn child posed no threat to her at all. Maybe she had already accepted reality, so she wasn’t dragged down by those messy matters.

Lin Baixin naturally knew all this. The Yu family’s scandal had already spread, and plenty of people were gossiping behind their backs. Aside from running a furniture factory, the Yu family also had other local businesses. Zheng Qing had a sharp eye for investment; in years when certain trends were hot, she threw herself into all kinds of investments. Over the years, the assets she had accumulated were far beyond what ordinary people had.

Wealthy people made the easiest gossip. Those watching from the sidelines, those maliciously enjoying the spectacle—the rumors behind their backs were truly ugly.

Lin Baixin never mentioned anything she shouldn’t, as if she hadn’t heard a single whisper.

Yu Min didn’t think her family counted as truly rich. If the outside world’s stories were true, then why would Zheng Qing be thinking only about how to divide the assets? She would absolutely never divorce Yu Shengyu, not even if it killed her; she’d never make way for the woman outside.

The Yu family only looked glamorous on the surface. There wasn’t much oil to squeeze from inside. Business was slow to turn a profit, and losses were common. In the early years, the couple had indeed made quite a lot, but in recent years they’d expanded blindly, and very little of the money they’d thrown out had come back. They had been losing more than they earned.

This house seemed cut off from the outside world. As long as you were inside it, all trouble was automatically screened away.

Yu Min grew more and more fond of this place, but that feeling existed only in her heart; only she knew it. Facing Lin Baixin, she remained measured and proper as always. Every night, when it was time for her to leave, she didn’t need Lin Baixin to say a word. At ten o’clock on the dot, she would gather her bag on her own and go back.

Once, Lin Baixin suddenly called after her. “Living over there alone—aren’t you scared?”

Yu Min turned slightly, as if wondering what she meant, and looked at Lin Baixin in confusion. She didn’t understand why she should be afraid. When she was at home, the couple was often out socializing and didn’t come back much. She was used to that; how could she be scared of it?

Lin Baixin didn’t ask anything else. She walked Yu Min to the door. The streetlights between the two houses were bright, and Yu Min’s shadow stretched long across the ground. When she reached Aunt’s front door, she turned back and looked. Lin Baixin was still where she had been, not going inside yet, seeing her off all the way here.

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Min lifted her hand and gave a small wave.

They were too far apart to make out Lin Baixin’s expression, but Lin Baixin nodded in response. The night was too dark for Yu Min to see clearly.

Lin Baixin gave them red envelopes. Yu Min and Zhou Jin each got one, and they received them on New Year’s Eve. After taking hers, Yu Min didn’t open it, just tucked the envelope under her pillow.

Once opened, a red envelope was nothing more than more money or less money; if you didn’t open it, keeping it was more meaningful instead.

This year, Siping County had set the middle school entrance exam for mid-June. After winter vacation ended, less than four months remained on the countdown.

Yu Min added Lin Baixin on WeChat. Middle school students still used QQ more often, but Yu Min only asked for Lin Baixin’s WeChat. QQ accounts changed all the time; one person could have several. WeChat was different. A lot of people habitually kept just one WeChat account and rarely changed it.

Lin Baixin’s WeChat nickname was “LX,” with the “Bai” in her name removed. Her profile picture was a photo of the sky.

Yu Min added her and, whenever she ran into a problem she couldn’t solve, sent it over WeChat to ask for help.

If Lin Baixin had time, she would reply; she answered every question.

In May, pigs could fly: Yu Shengyu came to Yu Min’s school once. He finally remembered his duties as a father and even managed to attend one parent-teacher meeting before Yu Min’s middle school entrance exam.

After so many days without seeing him, Yu Shengyu looked haggard, with no trace of his old bearing left. There were even white hairs at his temples.

As if haunted by something, this time he also slipped a bank card to Yu Min. For once, he showed some concern for her, but in the end he still didn’t mention taking her back. He kept silent.

Yu Min didn’t ask either; she wasn’t going to humiliate herself.

Yu Shengyu’s dream of having a son had fallen through. The woman miscarried. Maybe it was divine retribution; the prenatal checkups had all been fine, but somehow the child was just gone.

The others still deliberately hid this from Yu Min, but there was no such thing as an airtight wall in this world. If Yu Min didn’t want to know, it was still hard to avoid hearing the gossip.

Before the entrance exam, Lin Baixin took the initiative to send a message. Yu Min had been offline for a week before the test. Only after the exam ended and she turned her phone back on did she see the WeChat message.

LX: -Good luck on the exam.

Yu Min waited until her scores came out before replying. She sent her report card to the other side and asked directly:

-When this holiday comes, will you be coming back?