Chapter 15: Broad Daylight

"Why are you both staring at me like that?"

After leaving the acquisition station, Lin Heng asked his father and wife, who had been staring at him ever since they stepped out.

"Is everything you said to Manager Jin true?"

Lin Fu couldn't help but ask.

"It's all stuff I read in books, just made up." Lin Heng casually replied.

Hearing this, Lin Fu believed him. No wonder he couldn't understand earlier—it was all made up.

"To be able to make up something like that, your studies weren't wasted." Lin Fu nodded. "Why didn't you do this before?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Heng smiled slightly, "I didn't understand before, but now I do."

In the past, he had been aimless and clueless. These skills were learned during the long, lonely days after his wife passed away, filled with regret and guilt.

"Now you believe Liu Qicheng is really a swindler, huh?" Lin Heng turned to his wife and looked at his father.

"He's a real crook, I didn't know how bad he was until we came to town." Lin Fu nodded vigorously. He thought Lin Heng had been exaggerating, but it turned out Lin Heng was actually understating things.

It wasn't 700, it was 900—400 more than what he was offered, enough to equal an entire year's income. He mentally cursed Liu Qicheng and his entire family. On the surface, he appeared friendly, but his heart was black.

Xiong Ba: "Woof?"

"You need to be brave and accept new things." Lin Heng smiled. His parents were too conservative, unwilling to engage with the outside world.

Chen Xiulan, holding Lin Heng's hand, felt her heart racing. She had noticed that her husband had grown more confident and calm in the past three days, giving her a sense of security she never felt before.

"With so much money, we can buy more tools, and this time we can build a better house." Lin Fu was excited. A thousand yuan could already buy bricks for a house.

"Dad, can you lend me 200 yuan? I'll pay you back 250 yuan in six months." Lin Heng asked his father.

If this had been before, Lin Fu would have scolded him and even slapped him, but now he hesitated and asked, "What do you need it for?"

"I'm planning to collect mulberry mushrooms." Lin Heng answered without giving too much explanation.

Lin Fu looked at Lin Heng for a moment, then thought for two seconds. "If you promise to stay home and be serious for a year, I'll lend it to you."

"Okay, I promise," Lin Heng quickly agreed.

"It won't be immediate, at least you need to stay home for a month before I lend it to you, and I want to see how you spend it." Lin Fu stared at him, clearly still not fully trusting him.

"No problem," Lin Heng replied, feeling that his earlier conversation with Jin Fuqiang had made an impression.

"Now, let's go to the wholesale market to buy tools. I've heard it's cheap there." Lin Fu asked again.

"We're not going to the wholesale market. I'll take you to a place that's even cheaper." Lin Heng smiled. "But first, let's grab something to eat."

"Alright, let's have some buns." Lin Fu said, worried that his son might spend too much money. He was being specific about the food to keep the spending down.

Lin Heng understood and led them into the bun shop. Each bun cost two cents, and Lin Fu felt a bit heartbroken, thinking it was so expensive.

After eating, Lin Heng led his wife, Xiulan, and father to a narrow alley and arrived at a large courtyard.

There were people standing at the entrance, but they didn't stop Lin Heng from entering, as they were already used to seeing him.

"Why are there so many goods here?" Xiulan asked curiously. This didn't look like a shopping mall or wholesale market.

"This place is a transit center. Some people buy goods from other provinces or cities and resell them here. Prices vary by location, so they can make a profit." Lin Heng explained, then took his father to the tools section. The area was filled with a variety of tools: hatchets, axes, planers, saws, tape measures, and more.

"How much is this axe?" Lin Heng asked a vendor nearby.

"Everything here costs 80 cents, big saws cost 1.5 yuan." The vendor yawned casually.

Lin Fu's eyes widened. He thought it was very cheap. In Huangtan town, an axe like that cost 2 yuan and was non-negotiable. This place was really cheap.

"Do you have any chainsaws?" Lin Heng looked around and asked.

"We do, the cheapest one is 80 yuan, and it comes with two chains. Do you want one?" The vendor became more alert when he saw Lin Heng.

"Why buy that? You can use a hand saw." Lin Fu immediately rejected.

Lin Heng didn't respond much; he was just inquiring about the price. He would buy a chainsaw later when he started his farming business.

Soon, Lin Fu bought the tools, including a tape measure, axe, saw, and others for building houses. All together, it cost 15 yuan.

"Dad, take a look. I'll take Xiulan to buy some things." Lin Heng said.

"Go ahead. I'll buy some gifts for others at home. Here's 10 yuan for pocket money." Lin Fu said, rare for him to be so generous.

Lin Heng took Xiulan straight to the clothing area, where clothes were scattered on stands in a colorful heap. These clothes were cheap, meant for farmers at the bottom of the social ladder.

Since Lin Heng didn't have much money, he had to buy from here.

"I told you I have clothes, no need to buy." Xiulan stopped walking and tried to pull Lin Heng away.

"No!" Lin Heng immediately pulled her back and collided with her, then let go.

"I'll buy it for you, so just pick a set you like." Lin Heng looked her in the eyes seriously.

Chen Xiulan: "..."

"If you keep doing this, I'll just sleep on the floor at home. I've told you I have clothes. Save the money for emergencies, okay?" Xiulan looked at him, half threatening, half pleading.

"No need. I'll earn lots of money hunting in the future." Lin Heng shook his head firmly.

What woman doesn't like new clothes? It's just that in rural life, she never dared to think about it.

Lin Heng then chose a set for Xiulan: a floral short-sleeve shirt, a light yellow knitted sweater, blue denim pants, and a pair of black rubber hiking shoes.

Clothing styles in this era were not as diverse as in the 21st century, so Lin Heng picked more appropriate clothes that wouldn't be ridiculed in the countryside.

"Let's go, let's try it on. I'm sure you'll look beautiful in it. I want to see." Lin Heng didn't give her a chance to refuse and pulled her to the fitting room.

"You..." Unable to resist Lin Heng, Xiulan reluctantly took the clothes and changed.

"Don't worry, these clothes are very cheap, just a few cents each. Much cheaper than in Huangtan town." Lin Heng smiled.

Watching his wife change clothes was a delightful experience. Xiulan's body was flawless from years of hard work, no excess fat, just the right curves.

Seeing her like this in broad daylight was a first for Lin Heng, and he couldn't help but be captivated. He reached out instinctively.

"Slap!"

"Stop moving!" Xiulan's face turned as red as an apple. Though they were married, this was the first time she was changing clothes in front of him under bright lights, and Lin Heng's eyes were full of desire.

"How do I look?"

After changing, Xiulan checked herself in the mirror, then turned around to face Lin Heng.

Lin Heng was stunned. Normally, his wife wore loose, dull-colored clothes, but today, in the floral shirt and blue jeans, she looked like a completely different person.

Her stunning figure was fully on display, and although her hair was simply tied, she radiated a natural, unadorned beauty.

"My god, you look beautiful!" Lin Heng couldn't resist picking her up in his arms, completely amazed.

Clothes truly make the person. The old saying was spot on.

"Ah, put me down!!" Feeling Lin Heng's body against hers, Xiulan was startled and quickly struggled to get out of his embrace.

(End of Chapter)