"Our boss said—" Scarface forced a lewd smile and stepped forward, but was suddenly forced back by a flash of silver light.
Lin Yun suddenly had a pair of scissors in her hand, the blade pointed directly at his throat.
Sunlight danced across the blade's edge.
"Get out." She took half a step forward, the scissors remaining motionless. "Tell Wang Wu that I will personally come to return the money within three days."
Everyone was stunned.
It wasn't because of the scissors.
Scarface staggered backward. The woman in front of him was not a weak woman to be bullied, but... a sword that had been drawn from its sheath.
After the thugs fled in a panic, Lin Yun turned around and saw her mother already slumped on the doorstep.
She knelt down and tidied her mother's disheveled hair.
"Mother, don't be afraid." Lin Yun suddenly smiled. This smile was like ice thawing, and the spring-like ripples in her eyes finally made her look somewhat like a young girl.
"My poor Yun'er, it's all my fault..." Lin's mother hugged Lin Yun and cried bitterly.
"Don't cry, Mother, it's alright."
Lin Yun comforted her for a while, and Lin's mother also restrained her grief, picked up her basket and went out. She had finished crying, and after all, life had to go on.
Lin Yun returned to her room, which was as cold as an ice cellar, and even her breath condensed into white mist.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze sweeping across the simple room.
Her fingertips tapped unconsciously on the bed frame. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
“These coarse cloths are cheap, but if we can make some changes to the details…” Her fingers gently picked up a corner of the cloth, and countless modern clothing designs came to mind.
Her heartbeat quickened slightly, as if she had suddenly seen a ray of light in the darkness.
She walked quickly to the table, pulled out a yellowed piece of straw paper and a worn-out brush, dipped it in the dried ink, and began to sketch on the paper with difficulty.
Though the lines were rough, her thoughts were as delicate as silk. The outline of a traditional Chinese jacket gradually emerged.
A row of Chinese knot buttons was added to the front of the garment, the cuffs were narrowed, the waist was slightly cinched, and a few simple plum blossoms were embroidered on the collar...
"Such changes don't require much extra cost, yet they can be truly eye-catching." She gently bit her lower lip, her eyes gleaming with determination.
As dusk fell, Lin's mother dragged her weary body back, carrying only a few thin, bland sow thistles in her bamboo basket, their roots still covered in mud. Her fingers were red with cold, but she forced a smile.
"Yun'er, look, Mother has found some wild vegetables..." Her voice was light and airy, as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Looking at the woman's haggard face, Lin Yun felt a pang of pain in her heart.
"Mother, I have an idea..."
She unfolded the scrap paper in her hand, on which was a pattern of a garment, simple yet unique.
Lin's mother was stunned, and the weariness in her eyes was gradually replaced by surprise.
"This...this is..."
"Our family's new business," Lin Yun said softly, her eyes shining like stars.
The wind blew by, and the ink on the paper was still wet; Lin's mother hadn't had time to examine it closely.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the creaking sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open.
Lin's father walked in with a hunched back, his trouser legs covered in mud, and his face was ashen, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
He clutched a paper package in his hand and carefully handed it over: "Today... I only earned ten coins, which I used to buy a few steamed buns." He then gave the remaining coins to Lin's mother.
His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, and his lips were so dry and cracked that they bled.
Lin Yun took the steamed bun, her fingertips touching her father's cold hand, and her heart clenched—his hands were covered in cracks, and the calluses on his palms were hard and uncomfortable.
She suddenly realized that her father might not have drunk a drop of water all day.
"Father, please sit down." She quickly helped Lin's father to sit on the edge of the bed and turned to pour water.
The rough porcelain bowl contained clear water drawn from the well, which was slightly murky.
Lin Yun frowned and subconsciously stirred it with her fingers.
In that instant, a faint, almost imperceptible glow appeared on her fingertips, and the water in the bowl became clear and transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye, even faintly emitting a refreshing fragrance!
Lin Yun's pupils contracted sharply, and she nearly knocked over the bowl of water.
This is... a sacred spring?
Her heart pounded, and images of the cheat-like abilities from time-travel novels flashed through her mind…
"Yun'er?" Lin's father called out in confusion.
Lin Yunqiang suppressed her trembling hands and handed over the bowl of water: "Dad, please have some water."
Lin's father took the bowl, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
The next moment, his cloudy eyes suddenly widened, as if parched land had suddenly received sweet rain: "This water... how can it be so sweet?"
He smacked his lips, and the fatigue on his face seemed to fade a bit; he even unconsciously straightened his back a little.
Lin's mother also came over and took a bite, and was so surprised that she couldn't speak.
Lin Yun gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, looking at the radiant glow on her parents' faces. A bold idea grew wildly in her mind: If this spiritual spring could really strengthen the body and even prolong life, then...?
The night breeze seeped in through the cracks in the window and extinguished the flickering oil lamp.
In the darkness, some crazy thoughts formed in Lin Yun's mind.
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