Now that they had money, everything from food to clothing was different, making them seem like entirely new people.
Especially seeing her sitting in the back of such a luxurious car—eyes were practically glued to her.
Everyone knew Lin Sisi's biological parents were wealthy, but no one expected them to be this rich.
In their village, owning just a bicycle or motorcycle was already considered impressive.
At this moment, everyone sighed in amazement, their gazes filled with envy as they all landed on Lin Sisi.
Lin Sisi basked in the admiration and jealousy, lifting her chin higher. She had deliberately rolled down the car window, making sure no one missed her newfound glory.
Her vanity was thoroughly satisfied.
Meanwhile, Si Nian and Zhou Yueshen had arrived at the Lin Family’s doorstep.
The Lin Family’s house was even more run-down—a yellow-earth tiled cottage with peeling walls and visible cracks. The roof tiles had yellowed, and many spots were broken, patched up with plastic bags weighed down by stones. It was clear just how poor this family was.
In the countryside, houses and clothes were the same—mended and patched for decades.
The front door didn’t even have a lock, just a wooden stick propped against it from the inside.
Having stayed at Zhou Yueshen’s spacious home and initially being part of the Si Family, Si Nian hadn’t felt the stark contrast of this era too strongly.
But seeing the Lin Family’s home, she finally understood the true reality of remote, underdeveloped rural areas.
She had grown up in the countryside herself, but never in conditions like this.
Zhou Yueshen, however, remained expressionless as he knocked on the door.
Soon, footsteps approached, and a woman’s voice called out, “Who is it?”
As the wooden door creaked open, a woman in a patched-up cotton-padded jacket appeared before them.
Her face was smudged with dirt, and she froze momentarily at the sight of them. When her eyes landed on Zhou Yueshen, her face paled, and she stammered, “C-Comrade Zhou.”
Zhou Yueshen gave a slight nod and asked in a deep voice, “Are Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin home?”
The woman shook her head. “My in-laws are out in the fields. I—I’ll go call them back right away.”
“Please, come in,” she added hastily, stepping aside to let them enter.
She didn’t dare ask questions, though her eyes lingered on Si Nian with confusion before she quickly looked away.
In a fluster, she called into the house, “Little Feng, Little Yu! Go to the fields and get Grandpa and Grandma back!”
Judging by her nervous demeanor, Si Nian guessed this must be her eldest brother’s wife, Zhou Suisui.
Though she had never met this family, she was familiar with the general plot and characters.
The Lin Family had four children—common in an era without contraception, where families had as many kids as they could, regardless of their financial situation.
In a couple of years, the government would enforce family planning, promoting late marriage, late childbirth, and fewer but better-raised children to control population growth.
The eldest brother, Lin Xiao, was only twenty-three, married but childless.
His wife, Zhou Suisui, was from the same village.
Next was Lin Sisi, who was the same age as Si Nian—just eighteen.
The two younger brothers were twins, born much later, only ten years old.
They were called Little Feng and Little Yu.
The boys had started first grade at nine and were now ten but still in second grade. Despite their poverty, the Lin Family had sent Lin Sisi to high school, showing how much they valued their daughter.
Yet, the moment Lin Sisi learned she wasn’t their biological child, she immediately left the Lin Family and returned to her wealthy birth parents.
Soon, Si Nian saw two grubby-faced, identical boys dart out of the house. They glanced curiously at the visitors before rushing outside.
The Lin Family’s genes were undeniably good—Si Nian herself was stunning, and the twins were already handsome at such a young age. But starting school so late had put them behind, making their future uncertain.
The Lin Family’s poverty wasn’t just due to their large size. The parents were also in poor health—Lin’s father had a lame leg, and Lin’s mother suffered from asthma, unable to do heavy labor.
All the work fell on Lin Xiao’s shoulders.
That was why he had married late, and even now, they had no children.
The family survived on a few acres of farmland. Lin Xiao couldn’t even leave to find work because if anything happened, there’d be no one to handle it.
Rumors swirled that the Lin Family had greedily taken the three thousand yuan in betrothal money. But if they had, they wouldn’t still be living in such misery.
Si Nian withdrew her assessing gaze as Zhou Suisui brought over two bowls of water, handing one to each of them.
Nervously wiping her hands on her pants, she seemed convinced Zhou Yueshen had come to demand repayment.
Truthfully, the Lin Family had been dealt a cruel blow.
They had just received the three thousand yuan in betrothal money when they discovered Lin Sisi wasn’t their biological daughter.
When they went to the city to find their real daughter, she refused to even see them.
By the time they returned home, they found the house ransacked—the three thousand yuan was gone.
No one believed their story. Everyone insisted they had made it up because they couldn’t bear to part with the money after failing to marry off their daughter.
After Lin Sisi left, they tried reaching out to their biological daughter several times, but she refused to meet them.
The Lin Family eventually accepted that she didn’t want to return to such hardship and stopped pushing.
Not only had they lost their child, but they were also saddled with a three-thousand-yuan debt.
The shame was unbearable, and they had been scrambling to gather the money to repay it.
The ordeal had aged Lin’s parents overnight.
Lin’s mother stopped taking her asthma medication, and her attacks grew more frequent.
Lin’s father, suffering from rheumatism due to his leg injury, spent sleepless nights in pain.
To repay the debt, Lin Xiao took up work as a porter in the city, walking three to four hours back home every night to help with chores.
The entire family had been shrouded in gloom, struggling silently without complaint.
And now, the inevitable had come.
“C-Comrade Zhou, we—we didn’t mean to delay repaying you. We’re doing everything we can to gather the money. We’ll definitely pay you back,” Zhou Suisui stammered.
Zhou Yueshen paused, glancing at Si Nian.
Si Nian, parched, gulped down the bowl of water. It tasted slightly sweet—probably a bit of sugar had been added.
Hearing this, she asked in confusion, “Sis, are you saying the three thousand yuan went missing?”
Zhou Suisui had assumed Si Nian was here with Zhou Yueshen to collect the debt. Since they hadn’t met their real sister during their trip to the city, she didn’t make the connection.
Her face flushed with shame. “You probably won’t believe us, but we truly didn’t keep that betrothal money. It was stolen, and we couldn’t recover it. We had no choice...”
