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

The holiday had just started in São Paulo, and Lin Ying hadn't even had time to put her schoolbag away before Lin Lanying directed her to go to Taikoo Shing to measure the curtains.

Lin Qian is also on vacation.

In the past, when Lin Qian came home for vacation, he would first rush to read comic books, then pester the adults to ask when they would buy roast goose, and then rack his brains to avoid doing his summer homework.

But this time is different.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Lin Lanying had just taken the old clothes out of the closet when Lin Qian was already standing at the door, holding a stack of cardboard boxes. "Mommy, where do we put this box?"

Lin Lanying was taken aback: "Why are you up so early today?"

"I can't sleep."

Lin Ying was sorting books nearby when she heard this and looked up at him. Lin Qian immediately put the cardboard box against the wall and turned to get some tape, his movements much more efficient than usual.

Lin Lanying looked at him suspiciously: "Did you get into trouble?"

"no."

"So, did you hide the exam paper and not give me your signature?"

"no."

"So, is there something you want to buy?"

"Mommy, I won't spend money recklessly anymore."

Upon hearing this, the three people in the room stopped what they were doing at the same time; He Dazhu was squatting on the ground dismantling an old wooden frame, and he almost dropped the screwdriver in his hand.

Lin Lanying sensed something was wrong: "Lin Qian, tell me honestly, are you running a fever?"

Lin Qian ignored her and carefully sealed the bottom of the cardboard box with tape: "Grandpa is right, money shouldn't be spent recklessly. Money should be turned into bricks, only then will the bricks be stable."

Looking at his serious face, Lin Ying thought of the Ding house incident. Lin Ying originally thought that she was the one who was greatly affected; after all, she had just earned money and wanted to build a new house for her grandparents in the New Territories, but the Ding right system directly blocked her.

But to her surprise, her younger brother reacted even more strongly!

From that day on, Lin Qian was like a different person.

He voluntarily sorted out his old textbooks, picked out the useless ones, bundled them into a stack, and prepared to sell them to the recycling center. When he went with his grandmother to clean the new house, he never complained of being tired. On the third day of his vacation, he even spread his summer homework on his small desk and wrote it for a long time.

Although he still made quite a few mistakes in math, he actually wrote it down.

After reading the two pages of crooked and messy equations, Lin Lanying asked Lin Ying beside her, "Ying, was your brother scared out of his wits by Ding Wu?"

Lin Ying watched as Lin Qian was engrossed in solving a word problem at the table.

"It's not that I've gone mad," Lin Ying said. "I guess I've finally realized that houses in Hong Kong don't just fall from the sky."

Lin Lanying rolled her eyes: "How old is he? And he's already worrying about housing?"

"People in Hong Kong will have to worry about housing sooner or later."

Lin Lanying couldn't refute this.

For five days, the Lin family was busy coming and going. Clothes and various documents and account books were all sorted out, and Lin Ying's books and manuscripts were packed into boxes. Old pots and bowls were discarded as they could be, and Lin Lanying only kept a few handy sewing tools.

Lin Fu, carrying a measuring tape and a small hammer, wandered around the new house in Taikoo Shing.

"This curtain rod needs to be installed securely. We'll need to add a shelf in the kitchen later so that spatulas and other utensils can't be left lying around."

Lin Lanying was extremely busy, dealing with the remaining orders from the tailor shop in Sai Wan while also arranging for her new house.

He Dazhu was in charge of the manual labor in the new house. After he and Lin Qian installed the curtain rods, they went to organize Lin Ying's books, arranging them neatly. Lin Ying noticed his sweaty hands and went over to help.

He Dazhu immediately waved his hand: "Sister, don't move it, it's heavy. Go read your book."

Lin Ying sighed: "Old Dou, I'm in good health."

"If you're healthy, you don't need to move all this," He Dazhu said with a simple smile. "Old Dou is strong."

Lin Qian peeked out from the side: "Old Dou, I'm strong too!"

He Dazhu glanced at him and said, "Then move your box of comics into the room."

Lin Qian immediately picked up the box: "Okay!"

After taking a couple of steps, he stopped and asked, "Mommy, can I put these comics in my room?"

Lin Lanying was busy hanging up the gauze curtains: "Sure, if you dare to skip your homework because you're reading comics, I'll sell them all to a used bookstore."

Lin Qian hugged the box tightly: "I'll do my homework first before I look at it."

Lin Lanying looked down at Lin Ying, and Lin Ying looked back at her. Neither of them spoke; the impact was too great.

By the evening of the fifth day, their new home on the fifteenth floor of the Taikoo Shing Yinghu Terrace finally looked like a home.

A dark brown leather sofa sits in the center of the living room. A white tablecloth, hand-cut by Lin Lanying, covers the large coffee table, and a color television sits neatly on the TV cabinet.

In Lin Ying's master bedroom, a large Western-style desk was placed by the window, next to a bookcase and a large wardrobe. Lin Lanying and He Dazhu moved into the second bedroom. Lin Qian chose a room closer to the living room, and the remaining room was used as a temporary guest room and storage room.

The three balconies inside the house are also arranged in different ways. The spacious one is used for drying clothes, and a few potted plants brought by the old lady are placed on the side. The rest are temporarily empty.

Lin Qian squatted at the entrance of the small balcony and watched for a long time.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Ying asked.

Lin Qian said seriously, "I'm thinking, if I can't afford a house in the future, could I set up a bed on this balcony?"

Lin Ying: "...Mommy won't agree."

That's why I'm worried.

That evening was the first meal the Lin family had after officially moving into Taikoo Shing.

Lin Lanying specially went to the market to buy roast goose and poached chicken, which she paired with steamed fish and lobster. Li Yuzhen also cooked a pot of hot soup. Grandpa and Grandma were already sitting in the living room. Lin Fu looked at the bright living room and the buildings outside the window, a smile on his face.

"Good." The old man nodded. "It was a good purchase."

Li Yuzhen touched the sofa armrest: "I never dared to imagine before that my residence would have security guards, an elevator, and such a bright kitchen."

He Dazhu set out the bowls and chopsticks, grinning from ear to ear.

When the doorbell rang, Lin Ying went to open the door, and her uncle Lin Yaoying and his family arrived.

Lin Yaoying stood frozen in the entryway as soon as she entered the room.

"Wow." He looked at the living room. "Big sister, your house is really spacious."

Deng Hui, holding Lin Yue's hand, said enviously, "Not only is the decoration magnificent, but the lighting is also excellent."

Lin Yue ran straight to Lin Ying's side: "Big sister! Is this your house?"

Lin Ying nodded: "Mm."

"Big sister is amazing!" Lin Yue exclaimed, her face full of admiration. "I want to be as successful as big sister when I grow up!"

Lin Lanying beckoned them in: "Don't stand at the door, change your shoes and come in to prepare for dinner."

Lin Yaoying had just changed her shoes when she looked up and saw Lin Qian carrying a bowl of rice as he walked out of the kitchen.

Lin Qian placed the food in front of Lin Fu and said, "Grandpa, eat."

He then handed Li Yuzhen a bowl and told her to be careful as it was hot. After that, he ran back and forth, serving rice to all the elders and his sister in the room.

Lin Yaoying was completely stunned. He pointed at Lin Qian and asked, "Big sister, what happened to Qian?"

Lin Lanying suppressed a laugh: "Ask him."

After sitting down, Lin Yaoying still looked at her nephew: "Ah Qian, have you been through something traumatic at school lately?"

Lin Qian shook his head: "It's not school."

"What is that?" Lin Yaoying was even more confused.

Lin Qian feigned seriousness: "Uncle, the sky has fallen."

"Huh?" Lin Yaoying was puzzled.

"I don't have a Ding house," Lin Qian suddenly said.

The next second, Lin Lanying couldn't help but burst out laughing; He Dazhu followed suit, coughing with his head down, and Deng Hui covered her mouth.

Lin Yue looked blank: "What's Dingwu?"

"You don't even have a house that a man in the New Territories can apply for once in his lifetime," Lin Qian said, looking at Lin Yue with pity.

"Oh." Lin Yue didn't understand.

Lin Qian continued, "I originally thought that since my surname is Lin, I would be able to own a house in the future. But my grandfather said that the government doesn't recognize me, so I have no house and no land, and I will have to buy a house myself in the future."

Hearing this, Lin Yaoying couldn't hold back any longer. "You brat, how old are you, and you're already thinking about houses?"

Lin Qian didn't find it funny at all: "Houses in Hong Kong are so expensive. A unit in Taikoo Shing costs a million. How will I ever be able to afford one?"

Lin Lanying laughed and scolded, "So you've suddenly become so diligent these past few days because you're afraid of not having a place to live later?"

"Of course I'm scared!" Lin Qian looked up. "I used to live in Yu Fat Building, and I thought everyone was pretty much the same. Now that I live in Taikoo Shing, I realize how different houses can be!"

He pointed to the living room, then to the window, "There's an elevator, security guards, a bathtub, a color TV, and three balconies. There are rats in the corridors of Yufa Building; you can hear them flushing the toilet upstairs from downstairs."

Lin Yaoying smiled and shook his head: "You certainly know how to make comparisons."

Lin Qian became more and more serious as he spoke: "I've done the math. I'm not as good at studying as my older sister, I can't write plays, I haven't learned jade carving, and I don't own a house. I'll try my best to buy a house in the future, but I don't think I can afford it."

"So I can only rely on working for my sister and my mom."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lanying laughed so hard she slammed her hand on the table: "You want to work for me? What can you do? You can't even sew a straight trouser leg!"

He Dazhu laughed and said, "Your sister earned her money by staying up all night writing, it didn't fall from the sky. If you want to work for her, you'll have to be capable."

Lin Yaoying laughed as she picked up some food, saying, "Ah Qian, your sense of crisis is stronger than that of all the apprentices in my shop."

"It's good to be aware of potential crises, but there's no need to be this afraid right now," Deng Hui advised.

Lin Fu looked at his eldest grandson, smiling but offering his support: "Knowing that houses are hard to come by and money is hard to earn is not a bad thing."

Lin Qian lowered his head: "But I really can't afford it."

Lin Ying remained silent, observing the changes in Lin Qian over the past few days. A child suddenly realizing that the future is not a given would naturally feel helpless.

In her previous life, she didn't have the opportunity to face such livelihood issues; in this life, she sits among her family, watching her younger brother worry about the Dingwu (a type of household property); these are the life troubles that only healthy people experience.

She put down her chopsticks and looked at Lin Qian. "Qian."

Lin Qian looked up: "Huh?"

"If you really want to buy a house, it's not like there's no way out."

"What road?" Lin Qian was instantly filled with hope.

Lin Lanying immediately became alert: "Aying, don't spoil him."

"It's not about spoiling him." Lin Ying looked at Lin Qian seriously and said, "If you can get into a university in the future, we can sell that old house in Yufa Building when the time is right, and I'll add some money to buy you a thousand-square-foot luxury house."

Lin Qian asked in disbelief, "This big?"

"At least it won't be too far off."

"real?"

"Really. But the prerequisite is that you have to get into university. An undergraduate degree, not just any school you can get into."

Lin Lanying immediately chimed in, "Did you hear that? Going to university!"

He Dazhu also became serious: "Qian, your older sister is giving you a chance. If you really have the ability to get into university, your father will do everything he can to support you."

Grandpa nodded: "It's not terrible for a boy to have no house; it's terrible to have no ambition."

Lin Yaoying, Lin Qian's uncle, patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Qian, a thousand-square-foot mansion! Even your uncle didn't dare to dream of such a thing when he was young. Why don't you eat a few more bites? School starts tomorrow!"

Lin Qian immediately asked, "Sister, is it difficult to get into university?"

"It's very difficult." Lin Ying didn't want to fool him; it was indeed very difficult to get into university in Hong Kong.

Lin Qian took a breath: "How much harder is it than an Olympiad math problem?"