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

Late August, the last few days before the start of the new school term, passed both quickly and slowly. Lin Ying spent most of her time at home previewing the upcoming lessons.

During this time, because she was busy preparing stationery and materials for the start of school, Lin Ying took some time to visit the Su family in Central again.

That day, Su Zhi was slumped over his desk in the study, wailing over a stack of unfinished summer homework; Su Zhe sat next to him, flipping through his junior high physics textbook, occasionally looking up to check a wrong question for his younger brother.

Lin Ying skillfully pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up a pencil, and quickly helped Su Zhi clarify the solution strategies for the last few complex word problems. Then, she took out the two borrowed notebooks from her bag, neatly stacked them, and pushed them to the corner of the desk.

"School starts in September, and I definitely won't have as much freedom as I do now. Here's my notebook back to you," Lin Ying said.

Su Zhe looked up from his physics textbook: "It's okay. If you want to look at it later, just come over to my house on weekends to get a new one. I've finished my physics notes for next semester, you can borrow those too."

Lin Ying nodded in acceptance of the gesture; as she was leaving, Chen Meishan, as usual, came out of the kitchen with a big smile and stuffed a large box of freshly baked high-end pastries into Lin Ying's schoolbag.

In the last few days after returning from the Su family, Lin Ying went back to her hometown in the New Territories.

As soon as you enter the courtyard of the blue brick house, Li Yuzhen fusses over her granddaughter. The old lady goes to the market every day to buy fresh ingredients, and dishes such as poached chicken, steamed grouper, and pig's feet with ginger are served one after another, as if she wants to make up for the months of food her granddaughter will miss after school starts in a few days.

Grandpa Lin Fu still had that stern and unsmiling look; but on the evening Lin Ying was leaving to return to the city, he called his granddaughter to the main room by himself.

"Have you prepared your schoolbag, stationery, and enrollment documents?"

"Everyone's here, Grandpa." Lin Ying stood ramrod straight.

"Okay." Lin Fu picked up his teacup, gave her a deep look, and said, "Once you're there, study hard."

With just that simple sentence, without any further instructions, Lin Ying understood the weight of those words: the entire Lin family had done everything in its power to help her cross the threshold of social class, and all she had to do was stride forward.

------

September 1st.

Since last week, Lin Lanying has been working overtime at her shop to finish one thing: a St. Paul's school uniform. The school had issued a set two weeks ago, but Lin Lanying felt that the material was too stiff and the neckline didn't fit Lin Ying's neck very well.

"This kind of mass-produced fabric isn't suitable for children," Lin Lanying complained for a long time.

She simply went to the fabric store and bought the finest cotton fabric in the same color scheme, then cut one herself according to the school uniform pattern. From a distance, the color and style were no different from the original, but the comfort level was worlds apart.

Lin Ying stood in front of the small old mirror by the sink, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a dark blue pleated skirt newly made by Lin Lanying, and black leather shoes bought by her aunt Deng Hui.

Her hair was a short bob cut to ear length by her uncle Lin Yaoying last month. It had grown a little longer after more than a month, with her bangs falling softly over her eyebrows. Fang Linlanying walked over, squatted down, tucked the hem of her shirt into her skirt waistband, and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on her back.

"Spin around."

Lin Ying obediently turned around.

"Okay." Lin Lanying stood up, wiping her hands on her apron. "The neckline isn't too tight, is it?"

"No, it won't."

"Where's your sleeve? Try writing with your hand raised."

Lin Ying raised her arm and mimed holding a pen to write. Because of the adjustable pleats under her armpits, the cuffs felt completely unrestricted.

"Alright, you look great." Lin Lanying nodded in satisfaction, then turned and went to the kitchen to bring out a plate of soy sauce noodles. "Eat up, then you can catch the bus. Don't go hungry."

He Dazhu finished dressing and changing his shoes, but his eyes kept looking at his daughter, muttering, "Little sister, it's your first day of school, I'll take you to the station..."

"No need to see me off." Lin Lanying interrupted him bluntly. "Saint Paul's fares are so high, they all hire chauffeured cars for transportation! The school bus stop is only a hundred meters from our building, just a short walk away. Why would I need to see you off? You hurry up and get to work in Yau Ma Tei, don't be late for Master Su's!"

He Dazhu awkwardly shut up, but still lingered at the door, watching Lin Ying eat noodles.

After Lin Ying finished the last drop of soup in her bowl, He Dazhu was still standing there.

"Old Dou, aren't you in a hurry?" Lin Ying wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" He Dazhu picked up his tool bag and couldn't help but come in, pouring out all the instructions he'd been holding back all morning. "Little sister, the school is far from us. It'll take half an hour to walk there, but it's only a ten-minute bus ride. Don't wander off on your own. Also, the school has a big cafeteria. Eat lunch at school, make sure you're full, and then rest well in the classroom afterward."

"Understood, Lao Dou." Lin Ying nodded.

"If someone bullies you..."

"He Dazhu!" Lin Lanying's voice was filled with anger; she didn't like hearing discouraging words first thing in the morning.

He Dazhu then left the house, turning back every few steps.

------

After exiting the alleyway from Yufa Building, turn right and walk less than 100 meters to reach the designated stop for St. Paul's school buses.

Lin Ying stood quietly by the bus stop, carrying the schoolbag her aunt had bought for her; the schoolbag contained textbooks, exercise books, sharpened pencils, and erasers.

At 7:40 a.m., a white minibus school bus stopped on time; the side of the bus was printed with the school emblem and the full name in English, the windows were polished to a shine, and the folding doors slid open to both sides with a "whoosh".

The driver, a man in his forties, glanced at Lin Ying's new student ID pinned to her chest and nodded politely to her: "A freshman? Come on in, find an empty seat."

Lin Ying stepped onto the bus; there were already about a dozen students inside, ranging in age from six or seven to eleven or twelve, all wearing the same school uniform as Lin Ying. Some were eating bread with their heads down, some were dozing off by the window, and some were flipping through textbooks... Everyone was immersed in their own world, and no one paid any special attention to the girl who had just boarded the bus.

Lin Ying chose an empty seat by the window. The school bus continued on its way, stopping at another station along the way, where several more students boarded. Gradually, the bus filled with people, and the sounds of talking and laughter mingled together.

Just as He Dazhu said, the journey was extremely fast. In just ten minutes, the school bus crossed several main roads and came to a stop in front of the ornate iron gate of St. Paul's Private Elementary School.

------

The school gate on the first day of school was a hundred times more lively than during the summer exams.

The iron gate between the two pillars was wide open, and students in school uniforms walked in in twos and threes. Some were brought by their parents in person. Luxury cars were parked one after another on the roadside, and adults dressed in elegant cheongsams or custom-made suits bent down, said a few words to their children, and watched them go in.

There are also students like Lin Ying who get off the school bus and carry their own backpacks into the school. This obvious difference in transportation methods makes the class barriers tangible the moment they step into the school gate.