Chapter 52: Looking Back, It Feels Like a Lifetime Ago

Morning light filtered through the sparse clouds, casting a gentle glow on the ancient locust tree at the entrance of the village.

Lin Junsheng leisurely carried a bamboo basket as he walked toward Li Yonggang’s small courtyard.

The two of them had already made arrangements the previous night.

Li Yonggang was going to ride his bicycle and take him to the neighboring village today, where there was a direct bus to the county seat.

Lin Junsheng intended to withdraw the money and give his mother a genuine surprise.

In his mother's eyes, those cold numbers on the remittance slip could never compare to the warmth of crisp, brand-new hundred-dollar bills.

As he stepped into the courtyard, a faint fragrance of eggs drifted over.

Li Yonggang was meticulously peeling an egg for Lin Junwan, his tender gaze filled with pampering affection.

Seeing this brought comfort to Lin Junsheng; ensuring his younger sister could find someone who cared for her deeply was his greatest wish.

Lin Junwan looked up, smiling like a blooming flower, "Brother, you're here."

It was a simple greeting, yet it contained boundless familial love.

Li Yonggang stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and smiled, "Xiaowan, I'll take your brother to catch the bus first. You be a good girl and wait for us to come back."

Lin Junwan nodded in agreement, "Mm-hm, be careful on the road."

Li Yonggang pedaled his bicycle, the wheels turning cheerfully along the rural path, producing a creaking sound.

The scenery along the way unfolded like a scroll—lush green wheat fields and curls of cooking smoke rising from the distance, everything appearing so peaceful and serene.

Not far from the village entrance, Li Yonggang suddenly braked. Carefully retrieving a neat stack of cash from his inner pocket, he held out five hundred yuan—not a small sum for this modest family.

"What are you doing?" Lin Junsheng asked, puzzled.

Determination filled Yonggang's eyes. "I heard from people in the village that someone came to your house demanding money. Xiaowan and I discussed it, and we feel this money should be returned to you."

Hearing this, Lin Junsheng frowned slightly before his expression relaxed. He patted Li Yonggang on the shoulder, his tone mixed with a trace of reproach and warmth.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I gave this money to the two of you to use yourselves. Although I, Lin Junsheng, am not wealthy, how could I ever take back a dowry given to my sister?"

Looking somewhat awkward, Li Yonggang clutched the banknotes tightly as if they represented a heavy responsibility. "But we really can't use this much. After the wedding, I still had over two hundred yuan left."

Lin Junsheng smiled, his expression conveying approval of his brother-in-law. "Don't you have over seven hundred now? Take this money to build a pigsty and raise pigs properly. Pork prices are good right now, so you can make a profit. As for the family's debts, don't you worry about them; I have a way."

At the mention of the Lin family's debts, a trace of worry flashed in Li Yonggang's eyes.

He had learned from Lin Junwan that the Lin family had accumulated considerable external debt because of Lin Junsheng's leg injury.

To heal it completely would require tens of thousands of yuan in medical expenses.

In this isolated village, that was practically an astronomical figure.

Most people would choose to give up treatment and pay off their immediate debts first.

Yet, Lin Junsheng's attitude was unusually firm. "You take the money to do proper business. My family's debts do not require you, my son-in-law, to shoulder them. I am not a cripple; I can always earn money."

With that, Lin Junsheng patted the bicycle seat, signaling Li Yonggang to get back on.

"Alright then!"

Li Yonggang let out a somewhat helpless sigh.

As the wheels turned, they grew closer and closer to the neighboring village.

Arriving at the entrance of the neighboring village, the two dismounted.

Lin Junsheng looked around; he was very familiar with this village.

He had lost count of how many times he had been here in his past life.

"Brother, if you need any help, just say the word," Li Yonggang broke the silence, his voice full of sincerity.

"I'll work hard to make money and help Xiaowan share the burden, so we can live a lively and prosperous life."

The corners of Lin Junsheng's mouth curved into a smile as he looked at Li Yonggang. "With those words from you, I can rest easy."

Lin Junsheng told Li Yonggang to head back quickly, as the water in the irrigation ditch still needed to be drained after the rain.

After bidding farewell, Li Yonggang pedaled away, the bicycle chain emitting a faint creak.

At the village entrance, the crowd bustled, bustling like a routine Sunday morning gathering.

Villagers carried parcels in their hands or shoulder-poles laden with baskets filled with fresh vegetables, preparing to board the upcoming bus to town in order to trade them for their family's daily necessities.

As dust rose in the distance, an old bus slowly came into view, its mottled body bearing witness to the vicissitudes of time.

The bus door creaked open, and a mixed scent of diesel and earth rushed over them. The crowd began to surge forward, scrambling to secure a good spot.

Crammed in the middle of the crowd, Lin Junsheng found his limp a genuine inconvenience.

In the past, he surely would have been the first to grab a seat.

Having finally squeezed onto the bus, he managed to steady himself.

Just then, a familiar yet slightly spoiled voice pierced through the noise, brushing across Lin Junsheng's heart like a breeze in summer.

"Ah, please don't push, you're stepping on my feet."

He knew this voice all too well. It belonged to Zheng Qiushui, the girl who, through a marriage exchange in his past life, had become his wife.

Lin Junsheng's heart trembled violently. He forcefully shoved through the crowd, his gaze cutting across layers of shoulders until he finally caught sight of that delicate figure.

At eighteen years old, Zheng Qiushui was in the prime of her youth. Her two braids swayed gently with her movements. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt paired with black straight-leg trousers, simple yet exuding pure loveliness.

Her face was like a newly blossomed flower, an oval contour paired with expressive, lively eyes that were unforgettable at a glance.

Despite the passage of time, her image in his heart had never changed.

Zheng Qiushui's family background was much better than Lin Junsheng's, but the twists of fate were often unpredictable.

Her older brother was already twenty-eight, considered an older unmarried man in this small village, which subjected him to gossiping tongues locally.

For the sake of the family's reputation, the two families decided on a marriage exchange, thus intertwining the destinies of Lin Junsheng and Zheng Qiushui tightly together.

At this moment, Zheng Qiushui was squeezed so tightly by two burly men that she could barely breathe. Her face was written with pain and helplessness, yet she still maintained the modesty proper to a young girl without shouting out complaints.

Seeing this, a surge of protectiveness welled up within Lin Junsheng.

"Make way, let me through!"

Shouting as he went, Lin Junsheng used all his strength to push forward.

Though someone muttered in dissatisfaction, he had no time to care, his mind possessed by a single thought:

To reach Zheng Qiushui's side and clear a little space for her.

Finally, he squeezed up beside Zheng Qiushui, using his body to shield her from the surging crowd.

With one hand, he held the bamboo basket filled with luggage, while his other hand gripped the bus seat tightly to avoid being separated by the throng.

As the bus traveled along the bumpy road, every jolt caused a sharp pain in Lin Junsheng's leg, but he did not slacken in the slightest, silently enduring it all.

"Thud!"

With a sudden brake, Lin Junsheng and Zheng Qiushui collided into each other's arms.

"I'm sorry."