Chapter Nine: The Audacity to Do Wrong

After handing the cup back to Lin Xiang, Lin Yun realized he was still holding the compressed ration biscuit he had taken only one bite of.

He hesitated for a long moment before, with an expression as if he were facing his own execution, handed the biscuit over. "Here, you eat it."

Lin Xiang shook her head. "Forget it, I don't really like this."

The texture of those compressed biscuits—ugh!

"Then, are you still going to eat this cornmeal bun?" Lin Xiang took out the two buns Lin Yun had left over from the night before, along with a portion of stir-fried shredded cabbage.

Food in the house was pitifully scarce; she had to make the most of the limited ingredients to satisfy her palate.

Looking at the bun Lin Xiang offered, Lin Yun was reminded of the sweet taste from the night before. He frowned and asked, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Yesterday, she had broken her usual routine of bringing food to Wen Siyuan and brought it to him instead. Although he hadn't eaten it because he was sick, the event had indeed occurred. Last night and again this noon, she had brought him food.

Lin Yun knew his sister's character too well and feared that this show of kindness hid some greater scheme.

Watching his expression, Lin Xiang knew exactly what he was thinking. Unfortunately, she couldn't explain; the original owner had done too much evil. Having transmigrated into her body, she had to bear the weight of that karma.

"Brother, you might not believe this, but I had a dream last night. I dreamt that I married Wen Siyuan, but he turned out to be a complete scumbag. After we were married, he couldn't stay faithful, flirting with other women outside, and whenever something didn't go his way, he would come home and beat me."

"In the dream, every time I was bullied by Wen Siyuan, you were the one who stood up for me, beating that scumbag until he was submissive and didn't dare bully me again."

Lin Xiang paused, looking up at Lin Yun, tears welling in her eyes.

"After I woke up, I realized I was wrong. It wasn't that you didn't want to help me by refusing to set me up with Wen Siyuan, it was that you saw through his true nature. You were afraid that I, your beloved sister, wouldn't have a good ending with him, and you were worried I’d suffer, right?"

Lin Yun watched her in silence, not saying a word.

She certainly knew how to flatter herself. When had he ever admitted she was his "beloved sister"?

Lin Xiang continued to pinch her thigh hard, the pain causing tears to roll from the corners of her eyes to her lips.

"Brother, ever since we were young, you’ve always humored me. Even when I made huge mistakes, you were the one to cover for me. You were the foundation of my recklessness. Relying on your indulgence, I developed this lawless personality. But this dream made me realize that what I’ve been doing is wrong. I can't just rely on your unconditional love to disregard your feelings and bully you."

Lin Xiang was almost moved to tears by her own performance. Look at that little brain of hers—she had come up with such a perfect explanation.

She had reframed the original owner's arrogance and lack of upbringing as the image of a girl unconditionally spoiled by her brother.

Could Lin Yun refute it?

He couldn't! Because the way the original owner and their mother acted was, in fact, something he had enabled. This, too, was Lin Yun's karma.

"Brother, I know I was wrong. I truly want to repent now. Can you give me another chance?"

Lin Yun stared into Lin Xiang’s eyes, trying to catch any sign of lying in her expression or gaze. But after staring for a long time, he couldn't find any trace of guilt; instead, he was moved by the sincerity in her eyes.

"Even if I’m here to back you up, you can't just go around acting lawlessly."

Lin Xiang nodded vigorously. "Brother is right. I know I was wrong, and I will definitely change in the future. Brother, are you going to eat the bun?"

Lin Yun found it hard to refuse the bun held out by her two hands, so he took it and took a bite.

Mm, it was sweet.

After finishing the bun, it was almost time to head out to the fields. Lin Xiang worried about his health and tried to persuade him to take a day off, but Lin Yun shook his head. "The weather is starting to turn cold. Once the farm work stops, there won't be any work points to earn. I have to earn as much as I can now."

He was the only laborer for a family of three; his mother and sister were both lazy and gluttonous. If he didn't earn enough points, they would end up in debt to the brigade by the end of the year.

Unable to persuade him, Lin Xiang had no choice but to head back home.

Lying on the bed, she forced herself to rest. Lin Yun had clearly shifted his attitude toward her; the task of building goodwill was on track! She needed to verify if she could return to her own time.

However, before she could fall asleep, she was interrupted by her mother.

"Niu-zi, someone is here to see you!"

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, but they’re dressed quite impressively. You can tell at a glance they’re from the city. When did you get to know city people?"

Lin Xiang didn't know if the original owner knew anyone from the city, but she only knew Chef Shen from the state-run restaurant. But it was still days away from their agreed-upon time, and it was unlikely he would be looking for her.

Lin Xiang didn't dawdle; she put on her jacket and went out. She spotted the waiter from the state-run restaurant immediately.

"Comrade Lin Xiang, I’ve finally found you!"

The person who had been so arrogant yesterday had done a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn in attitude, becoming so enthusiastic that Lin Xiang felt a bit awkward.

"Are you looking for me, Brother Shen?"

"Yes, yes, there’s an urgent matter. Are you free right now?"

"Wait for me just a moment!"

Lin Xiang pulled her curious mother to the side. "Mom, I have to go out for a bit. I might be back late today. If I’m not back by dark, could you walk a bit further toward the village entrance to meet me? It doesn't have to be far, just two or three hundred meters!"

Lin Xiang wasn't afraid of the dark, but she was afraid of gossip. If the village busybodies saw her coming home alone in the dead of night, there was no telling what kind of rumors they would spread.

"Niu-zi, tell me, why are you going out in the middle of the day?"

"Mom, you might not believe this, but I found myself a job. I’m doing Western-style cooking at the state-run restaurant. Even though I might only work a few days a year, I earn a yuan for every day I work. The big meat buns and meat soup you ate yesterday weren't sent by that educated youth Liu; I brought them from the state-run restaurant!"

Lin Mother’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Lin Xiang for a long time. "Niu-zi, when did you learn to cook Western food?"

Lin Xiang glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before lowering her voice to tell her mother, "Do you remember those people who were sent down earlier? One of them was a descendant of an imperial chef, and that’s who I learned my cooking skills from. I didn't dare say anything before because I was afraid of scaring you, but now, I can earn money with this skill, and you can enjoy the benefits too, right?"

Everyone who had been sent down to the Pear Blossom Brigade had already returned home, so Lin Xiang’s story couldn't be verified, and she wasn't afraid of being exposed.

Knowing that Lin Xiang was earning clean money, Lin Mother was only happy—she had no room for complaints.

"Then, when you come back today, can you bring me another big meat bun? I don't need much, just one!"

"Alright, I promise. I’m leaving now!"