Chapter 18: A Change in Plans

It was past two in the afternoon on the second day when Lin Yu finally returned to the village.

The gale had passed.

The sunlight poured down without reservation; the sky looked like a vast sapphire polished to absolute clarity, devoid of even a shred of cloud to obscure it. The sun, like a waterfall, cascaded straight into this seaside village.

Wang Yufen was sitting on the threshold when she suddenly heard the sound of a donkey cart. Her hands unconsciously bunched up the corners of her shirt as she hurried to stand up to get a look. Because she rose too quickly, a wave of dizziness washed over her, but she paid it no mind. Hastily smoothing her sparse, graying hair and patting her patched clothes, she stepped outside.

Lin Yao also dropped the frog she had been holding and, shuffling in her worn-out cloth shoes, trotted after her mother.

"Mom, brother is back!" Lin Yao’s crisp voice was filled with irrepressible excitement. Her little face flushed red as she ran out of the courtyard with impatient haste.

Wang Yufen’s pace grew more urgent. The anxiety in her eyes was instantly replaced by joy the moment she saw her son’s silhouette, though her eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. She kept muttering, "As long as you're back, as long as you're back..."

Watching his mother and sister hurrying toward him, a wave of soreness washed over Lin Yu, and his own eyes grew slightly moist. He quickly drove the donkey cart into the courtyard, held his whip high, and shouted, "Mom, Yaoyao, I’m home!"

"How was it? Did anything happen?" Wang Yufen asked anxiously. After all, her son was only sixteen—still a child—and she had been worried sick about him going into the city alone.

"Mom, it’s fine, everything went smoothly. The fish and the crabs all sold out." Lin Yu glanced around, then, unable to suppress a smile, said in a low voice, "I sold them for over sixty yuan in total. Now our family won't have to go hungry."

"That much?" Wang Yufen was slightly stunned.

She hadn't seen that much money in years. If used only for food, it would last a year or two.

"That's right!" Lin Yu parked the cart, lifted the straw covering the load, and continued, "Mom, this is some cloth I bought for you. You can make yourself a new outfit."

As he spoke, he handed a bolt of deep blue fabric to his mother.

Wang Yufen’s calloused hands gently stroked the fabric, her fingers trembling slightly. Her eyes were filled with surprise and emotion, and her voice choked up. "Xiaoyu, this cloth is truly beautiful. I don't need new clothes; I'll make one for you and one for Yaoyao."

"Mom, there's enough fabric here. You must make one for yourself too. Look at the clothes you're wearing!"

Lin Yu felt a pang of heartache.

The garment Wang Yufen was wearing had long since lost its original color; time and poverty had painted it over, leaving only a mottled, dingy gray. The neckline hung loose and wide, its frayed edges jagged as if gnawed by the sharp teeth of time. The sleeves were too short, revealing her thin, vein-streaked wrists, where an old bracelet looked starkly out of place against the tattered fabric.

On the front of the shirt, patches were layered upon patches, with scraps of different colors and textures stitched together haphazardly; in some places, the seams had given way and were curled up. The hem was also torn, with a few threads fluttering weakly in the wind as if they might be ripped away at any moment. The fabric on the back, repeatedly soaked by sweat and dried again, had formed a thin layer of salt frost; it felt stiff to the touch and clung tightly to her thin back, outlining a frame slightly hunched under the heavy burden of life.

"Exactly, Mom should make one too, otherwise Yaoyao won't wear new clothes either," Lin Yao said, pulling at her mother's hand.

"Alright, alright, Mom will make one," Wang Yufen said, tears welling in her eyes.

Lin Yu then took out a large bag of cotton and said, "Mom, this cotton is so soft. You can make a thick quilt for the winter so you won't be cold at night."

Wang Yufen took the cotton and hugged it tightly to her chest, as if she could already feel the warmth. The wrinkles on her face smoothed out. "Good, good, this is wonderful. Our family will finally have a quilt."

Ever since the divorce and their return to this dilapidated house, they hadn't had a quilt. Their previous one had been left at their stepfather's house and wasn't allowed to be taken, leaving them to sleep on the hard, cold brick bed regardless of the weather.

Now, with the fabric and the cotton, their needs for clothing and bedding were met. His mother had a deft hand; she could easily handle both sewing clothes and making shoes, as she had always done for the family.

Of course, because cotton was expensive, Lin Yu hadn't dared to buy too much, so there certainly wasn't enough for padded coats and shoes. It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend the money, but he was thinking of repairing the house first; after all, he wasn't sure how much that would cost.

Next, Lin Yu brought out the cooking oil and said with a smile, "Mom, I also bought oil. From now on, our dishes won't be without flavor."

Wang Yufen carefully set the oil aside, her eyes crinkling into slits. "Oh my, with this oil, our meals will be fragrant for quite a while."

As if performing a magic trick, Lin Yu finally pulled a handful of White Rabbit Creamy Candies from his pocket and handed them to his sister. "Yaoyao, these are White Rabbit candies for you. They’re very sweet."

Lin Yao’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the candies, but she felt too shy to reach out and instead looked at her mother. Wang Yufen gave her a gentle nudge. "Silly girl, your brother gave them to you, take them."

Only then did Lin Yao happily accept the candies. She unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth; the sweet flavor spread across her tongue, and her face beamed with a happy smile. "Brother, this candy is so good! I’ve never eaten anything this sweet before."

Lin Yu patted her head and said with a chuckle, "I'm glad you like it, but you can't eat too many, or your teeth will fall out. Mom, I'm going to take the cart back to Grandpa Village Chief’s house in a bit to return it and mention buying some lumber. Could you fix me something to eat? I’m hungry."

"Yes, yes, I'll go cook for you right now," Wang Yufen said hurriedly.

Watching his mother busy herself in a flurry, Lin Yu unloaded the straw from the cart, cleaned it up, and fed the donkey before setting off to return the cart to the village chief's house.

At that moment, the village chief, Luo Quan, was in his yard, his brow furrowed as he surveyed the house ravaged by the strong winds.

The traces of the howling gale were clearly visible everywhere. A corner of the roof had been ripped away, the jagged gap resembling an open mouth. Much of the plaster on the walls had been scraped off, exposing the mottled brickwork beneath, with cracks snaking across the surface like small vipers, making one wonder how much longer the crumbling walls could hold up. The wooden door, which had always creaked, was now hanging crookedly on its frame, held in balance by only a single rusted hinge. Every time the wind blew, it emitted a distressing "creak."

Luo Quan sighed deeply, rolled up his frayed sleeves, and began to tidy up. He found an old ladder and carefully leaned it against the wall. Just as he was about to climb up, trembling, to put the blown-off roof tiles back in place, he heard Lin Yu calling from outside the yard, "Grandpa Luo, do you need any help?"

Seeing it was Lin Yu returning the cart, Luo Quan’s furrowed brow immediately relaxed, and he hurried out to meet him. "How did it go? Did you sell all the fish?"

Lin Yu nodded and replied, "I didn't make a huge fortune, but it's definitely enough to buy some lumber. Grandpa Luo, when are we going to buy it? Have you made the arrangements on your end?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Quan felt a surge of joy.

It wasn't just Lin Yu who was anxious; he was too.

Because he hadn't prepared for the gale, a corner of his roof had been torn off. With a pregnant woman in the house, could they really go on like this?

"The paperwork is easy enough. As long as you have the money, we can go to the forest farm in the mountains tomorrow. But how much are you planning to buy? If it’s too little, it won't be worth the trip, and the people at the forest farm won't bother with us." As he spoke, Village Chief Luo Quan lit his long tobacco pipe and puffed away.

"Grandpa Luo, I don't know much about this. Looking at both our houses, how much lumber would we need to renovate them? And how much would it cost?"

Luo Quan pondered for a moment, thinking carefully. "Although both our houses are dilapidated, the main structures are still intact. A lot of the wood can be reused, so we won't need much for a renovation. Probably just two trees' worth. But those two trees won't be cheap—one tree will likely cost between twenty and thirty yuan, depending on the size."

"That expensive?" Lin Yu was surprised.

"Nonsense. If it were cheap, would I have let my house go unrepaired for so long? It’s just how it is. Our village is a fishing village; any land we have is used for crops and vegetables. Where would we find the money to grow trees?"

Hearing this, Lin Yu hesitated.

Twenty yuan a tree meant forty yuan for two—that was far too expensive. He had only made sixty-odd yuan in total; if he spent it all on trees, what would be left?

He couldn't spend money like that!

"Grandpa Village Chief, you're talking about buying from a formal forest farm, right?" Lin Yu’s eyes darted as he asked.

"What else would I be talking about?" No sooner had Luo Quan finished speaking than he saw the cunning look in Lin Yu’s eyes and paused. He looked around and then whispered, "You rascal, you aren't thinking of pulling something, are you?"

Lin Yu gave a sly grin. "Grandpa, it's only two trees. What if we talk to some farmers in the mountains? I bet we could buy one for ten yuan, maybe even five."

Upon hearing this, Luo Quan burst into laughter. "I knew you were a crafty one. But this won't be easy. Trees in front of or behind a house are one thing, but if they're from the mountains... even if someone is willing to take the risk, I can't go with you. I can't be involved in things that aren't by the book."

Lin Yu understood Luo Quan's concerns. He was the village chief; if he were caught engaging in speculation or illegal trade, his position would be in jeopardy. However, he didn't oppose the idea, and it was clear that he inwardly agreed with Lin Yu’s plan.

After all, rules were rigid, but people were flexible. Wouldn't it be better to use the saved money to buy rice?

"Grandpa, how about this: I’ll go into the mountains myself to make the arrangements, so you won't have to take any risks. If I find someone willing to sell, great. If not, I'll come back and go to the forest farm with you. But, could I trouble you to let me use the donkey cart for another two days?" Lin Yu said apologetically.

"That's fine. Just make sure to feed it at regular times and groom it every now and then. We don't have much work for it lately anyway."

With the village chief's consent, Lin Yu drove the donkey cart back home.