Chapter 33: She took out the most lightweight and sheer nightgown.

Chapter 33: She took out the most lightweight and sheer nightgown.

A car’s sound came from outside, and Lin Yufan saw a familiar face, almost calling out his name.

The young man who had just helped the older sister carry the box—Lin Yufan hadn’t seen his face earlier.

Now she could see it clearly.

It was Wang Muxun.

Yes, she couldn’t mistake him.

Wang Muxun was one of the three authors Lin Yufan had been responsible for when she worked as an editor—the one who had always held onto his ideals, persisted in writing, and eventually vanished.

When Lin Yufan was hospitalized and couldn’t afford treatment, Wang Muxun had initiated a donation during her most difficult time.

However, to her knowledge, Wang Muxun had only come to Hong Kong from Hangzhou in 1949. How could he already be in Hong Kong?

Was the information he provided incorrect?

Lin Yufan froze for a moment, but fortunately, Wang Muxun was focused on his work and didn’t glance her way, so she quickly looked away.

Wang Muxun seemed to work here, though he didn’t seem to be a writer.

Becoming colleagues first was fine.

For now, she needed to secure the job.

Lin Yufan found an empty seat, pulled a pen from her bag, and quickly filled out the form while watching Wang Muxun.

For her address, she wrote Sun Jingxi’s address.

For marital status, she truthfully marked “married.”

Other personal details were mostly filled out truthfully, though they were brief, as she had only studied at a private school as a child and later spent two years at a girls’ middle school.

After submitting the form to Director Chen, he noticed the “married” section and reminded her, “If you become pregnant and have a child, you can take 42 days of maternity leave, but there will be no salary during that period. Is that acceptable to you?”

Lin Yufan thought to herself that she was here to learn and wouldn’t stay long enough to get pregnant, so she nodded with a smile, “I can accept that.”

“Then come to work at 8:30 next Monday.”

And that was settled.

Lin Yufan showed a delighted smile, “Thank you, Director Chen.”

After bidding farewell to Director Chen, when Lin Yufan stepped out, Wang Muxun and the older sister were no longer in the main office.

As she walked out the door and headed toward the stairs, she heard a noise from the stairwell.

Thud!

The sound of something falling.

“Oh, Ah Xun, what happened? How did you drop it?” The voice of the middle-aged sister came from the stairs.

Lin Yufan hurried over and found books scattered all over the stairs.

They were freshly printed new books, and the scent of ink wafted over—it was her favorite smell.

Wang Muxun and Sister Hong were picking up the books, and Lin Yufan went over to help.

Sister Hong almost bumped into Lin Yufan as she stepped back. She glanced back and asked with a smile, "Are you here for the interview? Did you get the job?"

Lin Yufan replied while picking up the books, "I start next Monday."

Hearing her speak, Wang Muxun, who had been picking up books at the bottom without looking up, looked up and froze for a few seconds.

Sister Hong introduced herself, "We’ll be working together from now on. They call me Sister Hong. What’s your name?"

"My name is Lin Yufan, just call me Xiao Fan."

Sister Hong, seeing such a pretty, polite, and efficient girl, was about to say something when she noticed Wang Muxun staring at her.

"Ah Xun, hurry up, how much longer is this going to take?"

Wang Muxun seemed to snap back to reality and quickly put the picked-up books into the box.

After helping pick up the scattered books, Lin Yufan also helped carry them to the door before leaving.

When Lin Yufan had gone downstairs, Sister Hong smiled at Wang Muxun, "What, you like her?"

Wang Muxun was speechless, "Sister Hong, you really know how to joke. People have eyes, they can look. Does looking mean interest?"

Sister Hong was proud of her sharp eye, "The way you looked at her was different."

When Director Chen came out to pour tea, he overheard their conversation and chimed in, "She’s listed as married. No one needs to think about it."

Sister Hong was somewhat surprised, "She’s married and still working?"

Wang Muxun retorted, "Aren’t you married and still working?"

"I’m a widow; I have to support my family. If a man were supporting me, why would I go out looking for hardship?" Sister Hong complained and urged Wang Muxun, "Hurry up and get it inside."

As he lifted the box, Wang Muxun suddenly said, "What if she’s in the same situation?"

The same what?

The same widow!

"Ah Xun, I didn’t expect you to be like this. Wishing her to be a widow."

Wang Muxun didn’t argue, and Director Chen spoke up for him, "Ah Xun didn’t curse her; he just said ‘what if’."

These days, with all the wars, many men have died, leaving many widows.

Director Chen suspected she might indeed be a widow. Otherwise, why didn’t she react at all to unpaid maternity leave?

Most people would ask questions or try to negotiate, right?

But she didn’t react at all.

*

When Lin Yufan returned home, she went upstairs to change and immediately picked up the phone to call Sun Jingxi.

Sun Jingxi was quite surprised to hear she had found a job at a publishing house, "Instead of being a lady of leisure, you’re going to work in an office? You must be really looking for something to do."

Lin Yufan was prepared for Xi Gu’s nagging and laughed, "I just gave it a shot; who knew I’d actually get it?"

Sun Jingxi, "I really don’t understand you young people’s thinking. So, are you going to work or not?"

Lin Yufan: "Of course I'm going. I passed the interview, so I'll give it a try. What if I'm more suited for working?"

When Sun Jingxi heard that the salary was only 90 yuan, she couldn't help but laugh at her: "You might as well stay home and play mahjong with the concubines. On a good day, you could make your month's salary in a single game."

"Only if you're lucky; otherwise, you might lose money," Lin Yufan thought that work and mahjong were not mutually exclusive. "Besides, I can work weekdays and still play mahjong on weekends."

Sun Jingxi was amused by her, "Does your husband okay you working?"

This was the headache for Lin Yufan: "I brought it up before, but he didn't seem to take it seriously. I'm thinking, if he says no and I push, won't that cause trouble?"

Sun Jingxi warned her: "Don't push it. Remember, he's a big deal in Hong Kong, and he has three concubines at home. If you, the main wife, work at a small publishing house instead of staying home, people might think you're having marital issues."

Lin Yufan didn't plan to work at that publishing house for long, she said: "I don't care what others think; it's his opinion that matters. I'm worried he'll try to control me. I haven't figured out how to tell him yet."

Sun Jingxi advised her: "If Zhi Ao really says no, don't push him. If it really doesn't work out, just quit. The allowance he gives you monthly, it would take two years of salary to match that."

It's not about the money.

Sun Jingxi gave her an idea: "Then be sweet, win him over in bed, and get him to do whatever you want."

Lin Yufan was speechless: "Xi Gu, you're unbelievable."

Sun Jingxi laughed: "You're newlyweds; he's still into you. If you keep him happy in bed, everything else will fall into place. Believe me, all men are like that."

Lin Yufan didn't want to continue: "Xi Gu, you and your crazy ideas."

Although she said that, after Lin Yufan hung up the phone, she really thought that maybe this path could work?

Lin Yufan fell asleep before Zhao Zhiao got home.

The next day, she saw him at breakfast with the whole family, Lin Yufan had no chance to discuss these matters with him in detail.

At the dining table, Wang Junyao was pushing Zhao Lixiang to take Ji Shuping out this weekend.

Zhao Lixiang asked: "Where to go?"

Wang Junyao was prepared: "The paper mentions a European royal circus is in town, why don't you take her to see the circus."

Qi Yunxin laughed: "Tickets are tough to get; it's all who you know. If Lixiang and Ji Shuping decide to go, I'll pull some strings for tickets."

Zhao Lixiang looked at them: "Just me and Ji Shuping? What about you?"

Wang Junyao: "Your sister-in-law's helping the He's move; the rest are coming with me to worship Buddha. I haven't worshipped Buddha since we got to Hong Kong; I need to pay my respects."

Zhao Lixiang knew what his mom was up to and didn't play along, instead he said to Lin Yufan: "Then I'll go help the He family move."

Wang Junyao was speechless.

Zhao Lixiang originally wanted to provoke Zhao Zhiao, but Zhao Zhiao was unusually agreeable today: "Fine, you help the He's move tomorrow. I'll take Yufan to the circus."

Everyone: "..."

The concubines wisely stayed silent, Zhao Lixiang was left with no chance to back out.

And Wang Junyao still didn't give up: "After you help Mrs. He move, you can go pick up Shuping to see the circus."

Thinking that one hardship was enough, Zhao Lixiang, who didn't want to endure two, immediately refused: "Moving will take all day, and they'll want me to stay for dinner. I can't just bail, right?"

Wang Junyao: "..."

And Lin Yufan speculated that since Zhao Ziao believed Ji Shukuan was not on the same wavelength as him, he surely wouldn't want his younger brother to marry the other's sister.

Unfortunately, Wang Junyao seemed unable to see through it.

Zhao Ziao didn't clarify either. Or perhaps he couldn't? If word got out, the relationship between the two families could crumble.

Lin Yufan always felt that there must be a reason why Zhao Ziao was unwilling to break ties with the Ji family.

After breakfast, those who had work went to their jobs, and those who wanted to play mahjong headed for their games.

In the morning, after playing mahjong, Lin Yufan and Kang Nian went to check on the renovation progress at Yaohui Shoe Factory’s dormitory building.

At the construction site, only a few workers were working on the plumbing and electrical systems; there was no progress on the interior or exterior walls, and the glass windows hadn't been replaced. The progress was rather slow.

Tielong had other matters to attend to and couldn't be on-site all the time, but he usually came twice a day. Over the past few days, he hadn't seen the foreman of the renovation team even once.

Kang Nian was even more annoyed than Lin Yufan upon hearing this.

He had recommended the foreman, who had done well in previous renovations. He never expected such unreliability this time.

On the spot, he told Lin Yufan, "I happen to have some free time these days. I'll stay here and supervise. If he doesn't show up today, I'll replace the renovation team tomorrow and kick him out."

Kang Nian also had his temper.

Lin Yufan said, "You know the people and the situation better, Brother Nian. It's a bother, but thank you."

"It's no trouble. It's what I should do." After all, he was paid by Zhao Ziao, and in terms of work, Lin Yufan was his boss.

Leaving Yaohui Shoe Factory, Lin Yufan got into the car. Today, Tielong had arranged a meeting with Boss Zhou from Guibeishan.

Since it was still early, Lin Yufan first went to the Ji family next to Guibei Mountain.

As it was just the start of the school term, the two younger members of the Ji family had gone to school, leaving only Sun Jingxi at home with He Xiaoqing and two helpers packing things up, preparing to move the next day.

Seeing Lin Yufan come in, Sun Jingxi couldn’t help but complain to her: "We’ve only been here for such a short time, and we’ve already accumulated a house full of things, making it troublesome to move. And we have to climb up to the third floor over there."

Lin Yufan pulled out a chair and sat down: "I’ve arranged for a driver and four or five helpers to come help you move tomorrow. You can leave it to them. Zhao Lixiang will also come to help."

"Ah? Zhao Lixiang is coming? How can we let him help?" Sun Jingxi was very surprised.

Lin Yufan took the teacup handed by the helper and explained to Xi Gu with a smile that Zhao Lixiang chose to help with the move to avoid going on a date with the third daughter of the Ji family.

Sun Jingxi couldn’t resist whispering and asking for details.

He Xiaoqing, who was tidying up the bookshelf nearby, had no interest in these gossips. She was more curious about Lin Yufan’s decision to start working.

"Yufan, how did you come up with the idea to work at a publishing house?"

Lin Yufan spoke seriously about the process: "You probably won’t believe this, but Gui Xiang and I went out for wonton noodles, passed by a bookstore, and saw the word 'Hiring' written on a blackboard there. A publishing house was hiring an office assistant. I was tired of playing mahjong at home all day, so I thought I’d give it a try, and who knew I actually succeeded."

Lin Yufan concealed the fact that the publishing house was hiring a typist and that she knew how to type.

It was hard to explain, so she simply didn’t mention it.

He Xiaoqing was quite surprised, "Just like that, you got the job? Is it because you’re pretty?"

Lin Yufan shook her head: "Because I know English."

He Xiaoqing sighed, "The thought of English gives me a headache. I’m a proud Chinese person, why should I know English?"

Her mother scolded her: "Knowing English is like having a skill; you can never have too many, got it? You’re just drifting through life, not thinking straight."

Sun Jingxi then turned to Lin Yufan and continued, "The youngest son of your uncle’s hospital’s vice-president is 22 years old, just graduated from university, working at a transportation company. He’s a good guy and decent-looking, just a little on the short side. The vice-president’s wife really likes Xiaoqing and arranged for them to meet, but during the meeting, she completely ignored him… He Xiaoqing, tell your sister what’s going on."

He Xiaoqing pouted slightly, "He’s so short, he’s not even as tall as me. Seeing him ruined my appetite."

"It’s not that bad! Fortunately, I was there too. I saw him; the guy has good features and a good personality, and he’s actually a bit taller than you. Don’t think your high heels make you taller than him. Stop twisting the facts."

Listening to the mother and daughter bickering, Lin Yufan couldn’t help but laugh, "Let me, the judge, handle this."

Sun Jingxi sat down next to Lin Yufan, fanning herself and Lin Yufan, "How will you judge?"

"Xiaoqing won’t turn eighteen until next month, so there’s no rush. There are plenty of good families and great guys in Hong Kong. Why not let her choose someone she likes?"

He Xiaoqing immediately flattered, "See, the judge knows what’s up. Fair and reasonable."

Sun Jingxi said, "I’m not saying she has to marry the vice-president’s son, but her attitude is too easy to offend people. Who would dare introduce a good husband to you in the future?"

Lin Yufan didn’t want to push too hard, just said, "Growing up means learning to be more tactful."

Sun Jingxi: "Right. He Xiaoqing, listen to your sister, be more tactful in life and work. You’ve been spoiled your whole life, lacking a competitive spirit, not knowing how to hide or flatter. You talk about working, but you’ll always be the one left holding the bag."

He Xiaoqing knew they were right, but she didn’t want to admit it, "I’m not an idiot."

After a while, He Xiaoqing came to coax Lin Yufan again, "Sister Fan, if your publishing house is hiring, let me know, I’ll apply."

Lin Yufan immediately agreed, but Sun Jingxi didn’t take it seriously. She thought anyone hiring her clueless daughter was a sucker.

The maid brought out a plate of watermelon, and in the scorching heat, they sat on the balcony, munching on watermelon.

Sun Jingxi said, "Recently, when I went shopping, I noticed a lot of people from the mainland. I just gave up my lease and haven’t moved yet, but the landlady already brought two groups to see the place, and it was quickly rented out for more money. Oh, I see the trend, more and more wealthy people are coming here from the mainland."

He Xiaoqing spat watermelon seeds into the flowerpot beside her and added, "The two wealthiest girls in our class have both moved to Hong Kong…"

Sun Jingxi remembered Lin Yufan’s earlier advice, "If your uncle would just sell the house in Haicheng, that would be great. Sell there, buy here, and we wouldn’t have to rent. Unfortunately, he’s still not listening."

Lin Yufan suggested, "Let uncle listen to more radio and read more newspapers, maybe he’ll change his mind."

"He’s so stubborn," Sun Jingxi shook her head and thought, "I’ll try again someday."

*

After leaving the He family, Lin Yufan and Tielong drove around Guibei Mountain and finally got out in front of a teahouse on the other side of the mountain.

After entering the teahouse, the owner heard they were here to see Boss Zhou and directly led them to the Taishan private room.

Inside the room, the air was thick with smoke, the stench of cigarettes overwhelming, and the sound of mahjong tiles clattered.

Lin Yufan glanced at the four men at the mahjong table and quickly identified them by their voices—

The loudest one, a fifty-year-old with a big gold ring, was probably Boss Zhou.

The man turned to her and asked, "You’re Mrs. Zhao? You want to buy the mountain?"

Lin Yufan: "Yes. You’re Boss Zhou, right?"

Seeing that the buyer was such a young lady, Boss Zhou felt the deal was unlikely and remained as indifferent as ever, "Wait till I’m done with this round."

There were indeed still ten minutes before the agreed time, so Lin Yufan stood by and waited.

She glanced at Boss Zhou’s tiles; the new round had just started, and his hand was a complete mess, not even a pair, let alone a sequence.

There’s one each of East, South, West, North, Red, Green, and White, and the rest are just random tiles.

"What terrible luck! I’m cursed from head to toe," Boss Zhou said impatiently.

He’d been on a losing streak all day and was already down thirty rounds.

As Boss Zhou drew and played a tile, just about to play a "South," Lin Yufan suggested, "Why not go all in?"

With his current tiles, he could aim for Thirteen Orphans.

Boss Zhou paused slightly, "My luck isn’t good today. Hitting Thirteen Orphans is just a pipe dream."

With that, he played the "South" tile.

Since he ignored her advice, Lin Yufan kept quiet.

After a while, a staff member came to call Boss Zhou out to answer a phone call.

He couldn’t ignore the call, so Boss Zhou had to turn to Lin Yufan, "You know how to play mahjong, right? Take over for me. If we lose, I’ll cover it."

Lin Yufan, who had her eye on his mountain, reluctantly agreed to step in.

Now, there were two pairs on the table, a slight improvement from the initial chaos.

But as the game went on, she drew a One Bamboo, then a Nine Bamboo—both duds.

Lin Yufan went with her gut and played the pairs, sensing the tiles were leaning toward Thirteen Orphans.

The other players, sharp as ever, saw Lin Yufan discard Boss Zhou’s hard-earned pairs and teased, "Madam, are you seriously aiming for Thirteen Orphans?"

Thirteen Orphans is a self-drawn hand, and Lin Yufan didn’t hold back, admitting, "Yes, I’m just three tiles short of Thirteen Orphans."

In reality, those three tiles were ones Boss Zhou had previously held and then discarded.

A Green Dragon, a Red Dragon, and a South Wind.

As soon as Lin Yufan finished speaking, she drew a Green Dragon. Tielong, standing behind her, grew tense.

When her turn came again, she drew a Red Dragon!

"Whoa!" Tielong’s eyebrows shot up in excitement.

The others glanced over, and one ventured, "Looks like trouble’s brewing. Could she actually pull off Thirteen Orphans?"

Lin Yufan was getting nervous. In all her years of playing mahjong, she’d never come this close to Thirteen Orphans.

Just then, Boss Zhou returned and saw Lin Yufan’s hand—Thirteen Orphans, just one South Wind short!

He smacked his thigh in frustration, "Damn it!"

If only he’d held onto that South Wind.

"That’s why I’m cursed with bad luck! I’m just not cut out for windfalls."

Lin Yufan glanced at Boss Zhou. He really was unlucky—in her past life, when two tycoons battled over Turtleback Mountain with fortunes, the owner wasn’t Zhou, but Cai.

Clearly, Boss Zhou had sold the mountain to a businessman named Cai.

When Boss Zhou returned, Lin Yufan handed the seat back to him.

There weren’t many tiles left in the wall, and Boss Zhou likely had two more draws left. Three "South" tiles had already been played, and the last "South" tile must still be in the wall.

So, Boss Zhou still had a shot at winning.

When it was Boss Zhou’s turn to draw, his bony hand trembled slightly.

The others teased him, "Boss Zhou, steady your hand."

It was an Eight of Bamboo!

Boss Zhou sighed in disappointment and tossed it out.

As the game was nearing a draw, with only four tiles left, it was Boss Zhou’s turn again, and he hesitated.

The others were also nervous. If it was the "South" tile, it would mean an 88-point penalty!

Boss Zhou hesitated to draw. He stood up and wanted to give up his seat, "Mrs. Zhao, why don’t you take over? You’ve got better luck than me."

Lin Yufan thought her luck was better. She smiled and said, "No need to move. I’ll draw for you."

As she spoke, her delicate, pale hand hovered over the tile, and everyone held their breath.

The tile was flipped with a flourish—

Tielong was the first to shout, "It’s the South tile! It’s the South tile! First Madam, your luck is unstoppable!"

Wow!

Although it wasn’t her own money, Lin Yufan was also happy to have won a Thirteen Orphans.

Boss Zhou nearly fainted in disbelief, "Oh my! Thirteen Orphans!"

He shouted again, "Thirteen Orphans! An 88-point win!"

This was the first time in his life he had drawn a Thirteen Orphans.

The other players were slightly displeased, "You didn’t draw it yourself—you rode on her luck."

Boss Zhou, of course, knew that this Thirteen Orphans wasn’t due to his own luck, "But you’ve got to be able to ride it. This lady brings me luck. Come on, pay up!"

The players reluctantly each gave him 88 Hong Kong dollars.

It was a classic case of one winner and three losers.

The players didn’t let Boss Zhou, who had won money, leave. Boss Zhou loudly said, "I’ll be back. Let’s see who bails first. Mrs. Zhao, this way, please, this way, please."

They moved to another room to talk business, and Boss Zhou kept thanking Lin Yufan for bringing him good luck along the way.

After sitting down, Boss Zhou splurged on the finest Longjing tea, then divided the money earned from the Thirteen Orphans in half. He handed one half to Lin Yufan, "This is for you. You helped me win this Thirteen Orphans. Let’s split it 50-50."

Lin Yufan refused to accept it, "I just helped you play. You said if we lost, it was on you, so if we win, it should also be yours."

She wasn’t here today for this small amount of money.

Seeing Lin Yufan firmly refuse, Boss Zhou didn’t push further. He said, "To be honest with you, my Turtleback Mountain was eyed by a big boss yesterday. He wanted to buy it, but we couldn’t agree on the price. He offered 240,000, but I insisted on 250,000. He said he would think about it."

So she had come at the right time. If the deal hadn’t been settled, there was still a chance.

Lin Yufan asked, "Boss Zhou, can’t you budge on the 250,000?"

Boss Zhou truthfully said, "The area of this mountain is not small, and on average, it's quite profitable. At most, I can reduce the price by two thousand. I've had it on the market for a long time, and there are two main reasons why it hasn't sold. One is that there are many graves on the mountain, as you can see, and the second reason is that... a murder took place on this mountain, and many people find it inauspicious."

Lin Yufan didn't know about the murder on Turtleback Mountain, so she was taken aback when Boss Zhou mentioned it.

Tie Long thought Lin Yufan was hesitating and quickly advised, "Madam, would you like to reconsider?"

After all, with a murder and so many graves, it's unclear what use it would be after buying.

Boss Zhou said, "Mrs. Zhao, I'm being honest with you. Please consider carefully what you want to do with it after buying. I don't want you to suffer a loss."

Actually, whether a murder had occurred or not wouldn't affect Lin Yufan's decision because the mountain was to be leveled next year to make way for a commercial district.

She immediately made up her mind, "Boss Zhou, I won't negotiate the 250,000, but I only have 200,000 on hand now. Can I pay 200,000 first and give you the remaining 50,000 by the end of the year?"

Boss Zhou shook his head, "That's not acceptable. Our brewery is expanding and urgently needs funds. Even if you split the payment into two, you must give me the remaining 50,000 by the end of this month at the latest. Otherwise, I'll have to sell Turtleback Mountain to someone else."

Lin Yufan was someone who acted decisively once she made up her mind, especially now with competitors, she was afraid of missing out.

Being 50,000 short wasn't a problem; she could mortgage her villa in Repulse Bay to the bank.

"Alright, it's settled then. I'll give you the remaining 50,000 by the end of the month."

Boss Zhou didn't expect this young lady to be so decisive. While he was happy that the mountain was finally sold, he also felt inferior, "Mrs. Zhao, I see you're a big deal maker. Only someone like you can win at Thirteen Wonders, not me."

Lin Yufan modestly smiled, "You need the right cards and a bit of luck to win."

"Right, the most important things in life are luck and choices. When luck is on your side, nothing can stop it."

Tie Long immediately called Lawyer Yan, but since Lawyer Yan was unavailable, he sent another lawyer to help with the signing.

After signing, both parties agreed that the next morning Boss Zhou would bring the deed, and Lin Yufan would bring the money, and they would finalize the contract at Guozheng Law Firm, and then proceed with the transfer the following workweek.

After settling everything and returning home, Lin Yufan started to wonder how to tell Zhao Zhiao that she couldn't accompany him to the circus the next morning because she had to go to the law firm.

And she hadn't yet mentioned that she would be starting work next Monday.

Remembering what Xi Gu had said, to win him over in bed first, then talk about these things.

Maybe this approach would cause the least harm and have the best chance of success.

Thinking this, Lin Yufan immediately went into the walk-in closet and opened the wardrobe, taking out the thinnest and most transparent nightgown.

At worst, tonight, she would give in to whatever he wanted.