Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

After that meal, Chen Meishan frequently called the tailor shop in Yufa Building.

Every time the call connected, it was the same script: "Lan Ying, is A Ying free tomorrow? Have her come to our house in Central! I'll have our housekeeper make her the best milk pudding; she can order whatever she wants!"

Lin Lanying was initially hesitant, since they were not related and she felt embarrassed to keep bothering them at their mansion, but Chen Meishan's attitude was very firm.

"Sister, you're being too polite! Your daughter is so bright; she should interact with older, outstanding children more often. It will broaden her learning horizons. My sons often lack peers with whom they can learn and exchange ideas, so please don't stop them."

Once those words were spoken, Lin Lanying could no longer refuse.

Lin Ying sat at a small square table to the side, secretly calculating. The heat in Hong Kong in August was unbearable. There was only one creaking fan in the Yu Fat Building, and even the air it blew out was mixed with heat waves. There were advantages to going to Su Zhiming's house. The air conditioning was on full 24 hours a day, and she could get the study notes that Su Zhe had brought back from junior high school, as well as a complete set of textbooks.

The next morning, Lin Ying carried the leather bag her aunt had bought for her. Before leaving home, she made a point of buying two bottles of high-quality milk from the corner store. She knew very well that one shouldn't visit someone's home empty-handed.

Before leaving home in the morning, He Dazhu took out a few coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Lin Ying's hand: "This is for the fare. Don't be shy. If you get hungry when you come back, buy something to eat. Have some money on hand."

Lin Ying responded and, following the address given by Chen Meishan, took the tram all the way to Central.

The modern apartment building was quite tall, with marble-tiled lobby reflecting clearly. Security guards in navy blue uniforms stood ramrod straight. Lin Ying entered, and the elevator ascended smoothly.

Su Zhiming's home is on the 20th floor.

When the elevator doors opened, Chen Meishan was already waiting in the entryway. She was wearing a light blue silk loungewear set, and her hair was styled in freshly permed big waves, making her look very relaxed.

"Oh, you're here!" Chen Meishan smiled as soon as she saw Lin Ying and quickly opened the door. "Come in quickly, the air conditioning is on full blast today."

The cool air from the air conditioner hit her face, making Lin Ying shiver, but also feel completely refreshed. The living room was very bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows that directly faced the sea view. The buildings opposite were densely packed but arranged in a pleasing manner, offering a wide and unobstructed view. The floor was covered with wooden flooring, and a genuine leather sofa sat in the middle of the room, with a few foreign magazines scattered on the coffee table.

"Zhe and the others are doing their homework in their room." Chen Meishan took the milk from Lin Ying's hand, her tone affectionate. "Oh, you even brought something? You're so thoughtful. Your aunt has everything, just come next time, don't be shy."

She called out into the inner room, "Zhe, Zhi, Wei! Your little sister is here!"

Su Zhe was the first to push open the door and come out, followed by Su Zhi and Su Wei. When the three boys saw Lin Ying, their eyes lit up with smiles, and the arrogant young masters they had shown at the dinner table the night before were nowhere to be seen.

"Ying's here!" Su Zhi, a fifth-grader, walked straight over, grabbed her arm, and led her into the inner room. "I've got a problem on my head today, and I haven't been able to figure it out all morning. I thought I'd ask you!"

Su Zhe adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and pointed towards the study: "I've found all my junior high math and physics notes for you. Since this summer vacation, I've been organizing problem-solving methodologies every week. They're all on the table. You can take a look at the problem-solving approaches for later grades."

Su Wei, the youngest, stood next to Lin Ying and looked up to ask, "Sister, will you teach me English words again today?"

"Okay, one at a time." Lin Ying followed them into the study.

Lin Ying looked around. One entire wall was lined with bookshelves, neatly stacked with private textbooks from elementary to middle school. Below them was a row of notebooks categorized by folders, each labeled with the subject and grade in colored pens. This kind of resource was something you couldn't buy even with money in a tailor shop in the Yufa Building.

Several people sat down at the desk. Su Zhi eagerly opened his exercise book and pointed to one of the problems: "Look at this one, it's about two people walking towards each other. The distance between them is 120 kilometers. Person A's speed is 1.5 times that of Person B. They meet after 3 hours. Find the speeds of Person A and Person B."

Lin Ying picked up a pen and quickly wrote down the equations on the draft paper.

她用笔敲了敲纸面，继续说道：「但这样想也可以，你直接用总距离120除以总时间3，得到他们合併的速度是40公里每小时。然后根据速度比例1:1.5，也就是2:3的比例去分配这40公里。」

Su Zhi stared wide-eyed at the draft paper: "You can divide it like this?"

"Hmm. Sometimes the answer is the same whether you calculate it forwards or backwards, but calculating backwards avoids solving equations, saving you a couple of steps." Lin Ying turned to Su Zhe, who was flipping through a book beside her, "Does Brother Zhe have any examples of this kind of reverse-thinking algebraic problem in his notes?"

Su Zhe smiled and pulled out a notebook marked with red pen: "Yes, page seven; it was the final question at the end of last year's semester, and the teacher mentioned this line of thinking when explaining it."

In the time that followed, the study maintained a highly efficient pace of learning. Whenever Su Zhi got stuck on a problem, Lin Ying would ask about his thought process and point out any flaws. Su Zhe would supplement his understanding with middle school-level mathematical application principles as needed. The slightly younger Su Wei quietly drew a number line with crayons.

At noon, Chen Meishan came in carrying a large tray.

On the tray were several ham sandwiches, next to several glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, and near the outer edge was a bowl of clear fish maw soup that the aunt had specially stewed early in the morning.

"Eat, eat. You've been studying for so long, your brains need to be full too." Chen Meishan placed the tray on the small coffee table in the study, pulled over a chair, sat down, and watched the four children eat together, her hands supporting her chin.

Looking at this harmonious atmosphere, her eyes unconsciously welled up with tears.

This scene had always been her dream. Her husband, Su Zhiming, was always busy with his career, leaving the entire burden of the family's education on her shoulders. Their eldest son, Su Zhe, was studious but had a quiet personality. Their second son, Su Zhi, always followed his older brother and was easily discouraged when faced with setbacks. Their youngest son was too young. Now, with Lin Ying's arrival, the brothers naturally complemented each other and engaged in lively discussions.

After lunch, Su Zhi felt sleepy and curled up on the sofa next to him, falling asleep. Su Wei was also taken to his room for a nap by the nanny.

The air conditioning was still blowing coolly, and the study became quiet. Su Zhe sat back down at his desk and flipped through a car magazine, while Lin Ying sat on the single sofa in the lounge area drinking juice.

Chen Meishan sat down next to Lin Ying, just about to start a casual chat, when Lin Ying casually threw out a question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time.

"Auntie, I heard you chatting at the dinner table yesterday, but I didn't see any of their second aunts?" Lin Ying added, "The mothers of the two kids from Uncle's family, Su Cheng and Su Jun."

Chen Meishan blurted out, "Where is there any second aunt?"

Before Lin Ying could reply, Su Zhe, who had been sitting at his desk reading a magazine, immediately put down his book. He quickly moved closer to the sofa and whispered, "I've been wanting to ask you this, Mom! You never talk about it at home, what's the real reason?"

Even the usually composed and academically gifted Su Zhe came over to listen to the gossip.

Chen Meishan glanced at Su Zhi, who was still fast asleep, and then looked out of the study door to make sure no one else was there before mysteriously moving closer to the two children.

"I'm telling you, you absolutely mustn't tell your father, your grandparents, or anyone else, understand?" Chen Meishan solemnly instructed.

Lin Ying and Su Zhe nodded without hesitation.

"Your second uncle, Su Zhihao, is always messing around outside." Chen Meishan sighed. "When he was young, he fell for a woman. I heard she used to be a singer in a nightclub, not a respectable person at all. Back then, your second uncle hadn't made a name for himself in Kowloon City and didn't have much money. That woman followed him and had two sons for him without any status or recognition. They are now Ah Cheng and Ah Jun."

"And then?" Su Zhe pressed.

"Later, when that woman realized her second uncle couldn't give her the wealth and status she wanted, she turned her attention to someone in the industry who was better off and richer." Chen Meishan curled her lip. "She didn't even hesitate; she went abroad with that rich old man, leaving her two sons behind!"

"Are you sure you don't want it anymore?" Lin Ying asked.

"What do you want! They're living the high life abroad." Chen Meishan shook her head and continued, "So what can your second uncle do? A few years ago, when these two boys were still young, we had to leave them in our old home in Yau Ma Tei, relying entirely on their grandparents to take care of them; but then Grandma got seriously ill and never recovered, so she couldn't take care of them anymore. Since then, your second uncle has been taking care of the children himself."

Chen Meishan made a helpless gesture: "He's a big man who hangs out on the streets, how would he know how to raise kids? He's both father and mother to them, always acting like a big shot outside, but when he comes home he's just a hapless loser! That's why Ah Jun and Ah Cheng have developed their arrogant and fearless personalities."

Lin Ying sat on the sofa, listened to this long-forgotten story, and nodded thoughtfully.

Recalling how Su Jun recklessly exposed his shortcomings at the dinner table yesterday, Su Zhihao, although he hit his son, did not go too far... Behind this wealthy family, there is also a lot of trivial and messy life.

"So that's how it is..." Su Zhe sighed, shook his head and walked back to his desk. "No wonder every time A-Cheng came to my house and saw my mom making desserts, he would rush to eat them. It turns out there was no one at home to make them for him."

Just then, Su Zhi rolled over on the sofa, yawned widely, and woke up. He rubbed his eyes, completely unaware of what secret past he had just missed.

"I'm awake." Su Zhi stretched. "Aying, shall we continue with the problems? I want to finish this whole math test."

Chen Meishan suppressed her gossipy expression and revealed the gentle gaze of an elder: "Okay, Zhizai, remember to straighten your back while doing your homework. Auntie will go cut some more fruit for you."

Lin Ying spent the entire afternoon in the Su family's study, explaining problems to the two brothers while flipping through Su Zhe's detailed junior high school notes.

As dusk approached, Lin Ying packed her purse and prepared to go home.

Before parting, Chen Meishan took out an exquisite food box from the kitchen and insisted on stuffing it into Lin Ying's hands.

"Inside are lotus leaf-wrapped sticky rice chicken and some pastries that Auntie just made. Take them home for your parents to try." Chen Meishan held Lin Ying's hand. "From now on, come over to our house whenever you have a holiday. You guys are all around the same age, you know?"

"Okay, thank you, Auntie." Lin Ying nodded earnestly.

When she stepped out of the apartment elevator, the two brothers, Su Zhe and Su Zhi, escorted her all the way to the lobby downstairs, waving goodbye to her through the glass door.