Rebirth: Daily Face Slaps - Chapter 111

One day, Lin Mengting received another call from Yu Fengqing.

“Tingting, have you seen Qin Mei and Qin Dong recently?”

Without thinking, Lin Mengting replied, “Your daughter has been so busy! I work during the day, take classes at the Continuing Education College in the evening, go to the Youth Palace to learn dance on weekends, teach kids painting occasionally, and participate in calligraphy association events. I don’t have time to get involved with Qin Mei and Qin Dong.”

In other words, she had no interest in dealing with those two shameless siblings.

However, when Yu Fengqing mentioned it, Lin Mengting realized she hadn’t noticed that nearly a month had passed since the “confession” incident in the residential compound. The siblings, who usually made their presence felt every day, had become unusually quiet.

Even in the Continuing Education College, Qin Dong just gave her pitiful looks but hadn’t approached her to “pour out his heart.”

Even Qin Mei, who used to call her frequently, hadn’t called once in nearly a month.

Rather than thinking that Wang Qin’s warnings had taught them the meaning of “retreat,” it was more likely that they were preparing to “explode in silence.”

…

Sure enough, while Lin Mengting was thinking this, Yu Fengqing asked again, “Tingting, be honest with me. Did you really buy all those things you sent home yourself over the past few months? Without your fourth uncle’s help?”

“Of course!” Lin Mengting answered without hesitation, quickly understanding why Yu Fengqing was calling and guessing what Qin Mei and Qin Dong were planning. She chuckled, “Mom, Qin Mei also called me about this recently.”

There was no need to mention Qin Dong’s “failed confession” and disrupt Yu Fengqing’s judgment.

It wasn’t that Lin Mengting didn’t trust her mother, but the situation was complicated. A small mistake could lead to Yu Fengqing and Lin Yimin falling into someone else’s trap.

Otherwise, how could Qin Dong have found the exact place she was staying without any prior knowledge? The residential compound, though called a “government compound” due to the many city employees living there, wasn’t a place outsiders could easily access. Lin Mengting didn’t believe they found her without inside help.

“No wonder,” Yu Fengqing muttered, recalling the rumors that spread like wildfire throughout the town in just a few days. She thought of the probing questions from colleagues and relatives and the conversation with Wang Qin before making this call. Yu Fengqing was furious.

What were those siblings up to?

No, what was their whole family up to?!

“Mom, what did they do this time?” Lin Mengting asked, thinking of how Lin Yian and Wang Qin had been acting lately, looking like they had something to say but holding back. She had a bad feeling.

“What else?” Yu Fengqing said angrily. “Rumor has it that your fourth uncle helped you buy lots of great stuff from those foreign exchange-earning factories at dirt-cheap prices.”

Why mention “foreign exchange-earning” specifically? Because in any era, exported goods were the best quality and highest price. The idea that Lin Mengting had such connections, no, that Lin Yian’s family had such connections, but never mentioned it before, made people suspicious.

From the finer clothes and goods the Lin family used without any hesitation, it seemed true. Soon, everyone, especially Lin Yian’s siblings, were constantly questioned about this.

And Lin Mengting was pushed into the spotlight.

Before she stayed with Lin Yian’s family, this rumor didn’t exist. Now that she had moved in, the rumor spread quickly. What else could people think?

Even though Yu Fengqing hadn’t spelled it out, Lin Mengting understood immediately. She cursed, “Those lunatics!”

“But Mom, do people actually believe such rumors?” Lin Mengting laughed coldly, surprised by Qin Mei and Qin Dong’s tactics.

“Debts of gratitude are hard to repay. Why would I use up my fourth uncle’s favors to save a little money?”

This wasn’t a one-time deal but something that happened every month for four months. Who would waste favors on such trivial things?

“People believe that you had your fourth uncle buy lots of items and sent them back home in parts to avoid suspicion,” Yu Fengqing sighed. Everyone understood the concept of debts of gratitude, but some people were jealous and loved to spread rumors. In such an environment, even sensible people wouldn’t waste their breath defending Yu Fengqing and Lin Yian.

“If that’s the case, Mom, tell anyone who asks that I can help them buy things from the wholesale market and get receipts from the shop owners. They just need to pay for shipping.”

Compared to M City, surrounded by mountains and with expensive living costs, S City, near Hong Kong, had many factories and low-cost workers. It was a great place for buying goods cheaply and reselling them for profit.

Before online shopping became popular, many shop owners bought goods from places like S City and sold them back home at double or triple the price, becoming a different type of “profiteer.”