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

Lin Lanying walked ahead, carrying red and white plastic bags in both hands, her fingers turning slightly white from the tightness. Lin Qian, carrying a small backpack, followed behind, holding Lin Ying's hand.

As Lin Ying walked, she silently calculated the time in her mind; from leaving Yu Fat Building in Sai Wan, walking to the street corner to wait for the red-topped minibus, and then driving shakily all the way to the village entrance in the New Territories, it should have taken more than two hours.

As you walk along the village road, you'll see villagers carrying farm tools or vegetable baskets passing by from time to time.

"Lan Ying, are you bringing the kids back to visit your grandparents?" An old man sitting at the doorway smoking greeted her with a smile.

"Yes, Uncle Qi, it's the weekend today." Lin Lanying nodded in response with a smile.

Lin Ying looked around and noticed that the villages in the New Territories were much better off than those in the city. There weren't many tall buildings around, and the views were very open. The air was filled with the smell of earth and the fragrance of grass and trees.

Lin Lanying stopped after walking around a feng shui pond with gentle ripples.

"arrive."

Lin Ying followed her mother's gaze and looked up. In the open space in front of her, two connected brick and tile houses stood in a staggered arrangement.

The walls are made of blue bricks, and the eaves are covered with gray tiles. In the middle is the main hall, with side rooms on both sides, and in front there is a small courtyard and corridors on both sides.

In local architecture, this is called a three-room, two-corridor layout.

Moreover, they were two neat, adjacent buildings. One on the left, one on the right, separated only by a concrete floor of about three meters. The facades were spacious, and the roof ridges were high, exuding the air of a well-to-do family.

Lin Lanying pointed to the building on the left and said to Lin Ying, "The building on the left belongs to your uncle Lin Yaoying; the building on the right belongs to my grandparents and our family. When your father married into the family, my grandfather said that this house would always be reserved for us."

Lin Ying nodded. Her father, who had married into the family, didn't actually have much status in the village; the house and the foundation all belonged to her mother's Lin family.

Lin Lanying stepped up the stone steps, crossed the threshold, and shouted, "Dad, Mom! I've brought my sister and brother back!"

Immediately afterwards, the wooden door on the right was pushed open. A thin old man strode out, wearing a traditional Chinese jacket. He held a bamboo root-carved pipe in his hand, wore reading glasses on his nose, and his brows were habitually furrowed.

This is Lin Ying's grandfather, Lin Fu.

"What are you yelling for? I could hear you from far away." Lin Fu scolded him with a stern face, but his gaze passed over Lin Lanying and landed directly on Lin Ying, who was being led by Lin Qian behind them.

At the same time, hurried footsteps came from the kitchen. An old woman wearing a blue apron came running out.

Grandma Li Yuzhen didn't even bother to wipe her hands as she observed Lin Ying.

Lin Ying did not avoid the gazes of the two elderly people; she stood still, her eyes, which were usually unfocused, were now clear and bright; she looked at her grandfather, and then at her grandmother.

The memories of her elders were very clear in the original owner's remaining senses; for the past nine years, no matter how busy her parents were with work, there were always a few days each month when the two elderly people would take a car to the city, stroke her head, and feed her sesame paste bite by bite.

Lin Ying immediately opened her mouth and called out, "Grandpa. Grandma."

"Sister..." Li Yuzhen took two steps forward, her steps faltering slightly.

Li Yuzhen pushed her daughter's hand away, walked up to Lin Ying, and gently cupped Lin Ying's face in her hands.

"You...you recognize Grandma? What did you just call me?"

"Grandma," Lin Ying called out again, looking at her; then she turned to the old man who was still in a daze beside her, "Grandpa."

"Oh! Oh!" Li Yuzhen hugged Lin Ying tightly. "Thank God! Granny Wu wasn't exaggerating. Our little sister's soul has really been found! My darling!"

"Good, good, good!" Lin Fu said several times.

Lin Lanying stood beside her, also wiping away tears.

It took a while for my emotions to calm down a little.

Li Yuzhen stood up, hastily wiping her tears on her apron, and snatched the plastic bag from Lin Lanying's hand: "Why did you buy so much stuff! Come inside, Grandma's going to kill a chicken! Grandma's making you poached chicken and stuffed tofu today!"

Lin Fu strode into the main room, opened a drawer, took out a red paper packet, and forced it into Lin Ying's pocket.

"Here you go! Grandpa, take this and buy some sweets!"

Lin Ying didn't refuse and obediently accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa."

Li Yuzhen went to the kitchen to get busy, and Lin Lanying washed her hands and went in to help.

Lin Fu was going to the next village to pick up the fish he had asked someone to leave for him. Before leaving, he told Lin Qian, "Take your sister to the next village to play with A-Yue."

Once the adults leave, only the children are left.

Less than two minutes later, the door to the next room opened. A little girl with pigtails peeked in, wearing a red plaid dress. She looked about the same age as Lin Qian, her eyes darting around, and she was holding half an apple in her hand.

This is Lin Yue, the daughter of Lin Yaoying's younger brother and the younger sister of Lin Ying.

"Big sister!" Lin Yue rushed over, circled Lin Ying twice, her face full of curiosity. "Grandma said you're better now, you won't drool over the wall anymore, is that true?"

Lin Qian was displeased and glared at Lin Yue: "You're the one drooling! My sister is perfectly fine!"

Lin Ying watched the two little ones bickering and smiled slightly. She took out the egg roll box that Lin Lanying had bought from the bag and opened the lid. A fragrant aroma of butter and eggs wafted out.

"Have some egg rolls." Lin Ying handed the box over.

Lin Yue immediately threw away the apple core, wiped her hands on her clothes, grabbed an egg roll, and took a big bite.

Lin Yue is a natural chatterbox; even eating can't shut her up.

"You guys can come back to play on the weekend, but I'm doomed," Lin Yue complained unhappily. "My dad and mom went to open the shop early this morning. There are so many people getting haircuts on the weekend, they're so busy they don't even have time to eat."

Lin Ying turned her head to look at her and followed up with a question: "Is your uncle and aunt's shop doing very well?"

"Of course!" Lin Yue proudly raised her chin. "My dad runs a hair salon in Mong Kok, and his skills are the best in the whole street! My mom set up a beauty salon next door, specializing in perming and eyebrow shaping for rich ladies; they think I'm in the way, so they leave me at home every weekend, I'm so bored."

Lin Ying listened quietly, nodding occasionally, her mind quickly processing the information.

My mother, Lin Lanying, has a small tailor shop of about ten square meters in the city, where she takes on jobs with just one sewing machine.

My uncle, Lam Yiu-ying, runs a barbershop in Mong Kok and makes a living by scissors.

My aunt-in-law gets her hair and hair permed.

Let's take another look at these two large brick houses with three rooms and two corridors in my old home in the New Territories.

Lin Ying quickly came to a conclusion: her family had never struggled to make ends meet.

In Hong Kong society, owning permanent property (a mansion in the New Territories), a storefront (even if it's rented), and having a family member with a reliable skill to earn a living—this kind of setup represents a comfortable entry into the working class of Hong Kong, and can be considered a nascent middle class.

They sell technology and services; these artisan families, as long as the times don't experience drastic upheavals, have a considerable cash flow.

No wonder my mom, Lin Lanying, speaks with such confidence at home, and my dad doesn't even dare to talk back when he's scolded! Economic base determines superstructure, and my mom has a family system where everyone can make money.

Thinking about this, Lin Ying felt that since her children could learn this craft and establish themselves, her grandfather Lin Fu, as the head of the family, must have been a remarkable person in the past; in this era, someone who could accumulate such a family fortune must have had considerable planning ability and methods.

With such a family to support her, she will face much less resistance when she wants to do something in this era.

Noon.

The octagonal table in the main hall was piled high with food: a large plate of fragrant poached chicken, a bowl of sizzling Hakka stuffed tofu, and a dish of bok choy.

He Dazhu didn't come today because he had to do painting work, so there were only two elderly people, Lin Lanying, and three children at the table.

"Eat." Lin Fu picked up his chopsticks, first taking the largest chicken leg, and instead of giving it to the smallest Lin Qian, he put it directly into Lin Ying's bowl.

"Grandpa gave it to you, eat it." Lin Fu looked at her.

"Thank you, Grandpa." Lin Ying lowered her head and took a bite of chicken; the meat was firm, and the ginger flavor was just right, very fresh.

Halfway through the meal, no one at the table spoke; clearly, this family had a rule against talking while eating.

Lin Fu put down the half-cup of rice wine in his hand, took a towel to wipe his hands, and said, "A-Ying."

"Yes, Grandpa." Lin Ying put down her chopsticks and sat up straight.

Looking into his granddaughter's bright eyes, Lin Fu felt more and more that the past nine years had been like a dream! He asked in a deep voice, "Grandma Wu said your soul has returned. You're completely healed now. Grandpa is asking you, what do you want to be in the future?"

Upon hearing this question, Lin Qian, who was gnawing on a chicken wing, stopped eating, and Lin Lanying, who was holding a spoon, was also stunned. A nine-year-old child, who had just woken up, was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. Most younger people would probably say they wanted to eat candy, play games, or simply not know.

Lin Fu simply wanted to see just how lucid his granddaughter, who had regained her soul, really was.

Lin Ying did not hesitate. In her previous life, she was a genius who was confined to the hospital by illness. Her mind was full of knowledge, but she had no chance to use it. In this life, since God has given her a healthy body, she is not willing to live a muddled life.

Grandpa, I want to study.