CHAPTER 123: CHAPTER 123: HUANG YUEZHEN COLLECTS INVENTORY

Lin Qin shook her head speechlessly and said, "What I mean is that I can help you find a family to adopt the child. Once the child is adopted, they will have no relation to you or us. Please don’t regret it later and come looking for the child’s whereabouts, putting us in an awkward situation. After all, adopting families definitely don’t want the child to maintain contact with their biological parents. Do you understand?"

"Understand... Absolutely!" Zhu Fugen’s father expressed his agreement before Zhu Fugen and Li Lan could answer.

Lin Qin was also worried that Zhu Fugen and Li Lan might have second thoughts, so she immediately took out a notebook and a pen from the drawer and said, "Uncle, I’ll write a guarantee letter. Let Cousin and Cousin-in-law sign it, and I’ll sign it too, to avoid disputes in the future. With this guarantee, I can confidently help with this matter."

"Sure, sure, sure..." Zhu Fugen’s father smiled broadly. He only cared about whether Lin Qin agreed, and didn’t really care about anything else.

After all, he was determined to have a grandson, so why would he care about the whereabouts of a worthless girl!

Li Lan hesitated, but since her father-in-law had already agreed and her husband remained silent, she didn’t have the right to speak.

Thus, Lin Qin finished writing the guarantee letter, made two copies, and had the three members of the Zhu family sign it. Those who couldn’t sign provided their thumbprints, using the red ink pad that Chen Wenjun kept at home for business purposes.

The guarantee letter was signed.

Zhu Fugen’s father laughed awkwardly and said, "Well... Niece, I have to hurry back to the village to do some farming, and your cousin and cousin-in-law need to work too. We really can’t take care of this child. Since everything is settled, why not... just leave the child with you?"

Lin Qin made a gesture of reluctance.

Zhu Fugen’s father pleaded with both sympathy and request, and finally, Lin Qin reluctantly agreed to keep the child, though she didn’t look pleased.

Zhu Fugen’s father, fearing Lin Qin might change her mind, didn’t even drink tea and quickly left with his son and daughter-in-law.

Lin Qin followed them to the gap in the gate and watched as the boat fisherman sent them off before resolutely closing the courtyard gate and quickly returning inside the house.

Upon carefully checking the child, Lin Qin found that the diaper was soaked with urine and feces, obviously unchanged for a long time, and the child’s throat was hoarse from crying.

She cursed the entire Zhu Fugen family in her mind with a dark expression, and quickly went to the kitchen to prepare warm water to wash the child’s bottom and change the diaper.

Seeing that the child’s bottom was red, she applied some powder, carefully wrapped the baby again, and fetched warm goat’s milk.

The child was evidently starving and drank most of the bowl of goat’s milk.

Afterwards, the child fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Qin, as usual, carried the child in a back strap and brought along diapers and goat’s milk, heading to the senior college for classes.

She had been doing this for a while, as class time at the senior college was from eight to eleven. The administrator was accustomed to it and would allow Lin Qin to leave the child with her for assistance.

After all, it was only two hours. It wasn’t much trouble for the administrator, and of course, the child was well-behaved, usually sleeping during Lin Qin’s class, not causing any fuss.

After Lin Qin finished class, she would change the baby’s diaper, heat the goat’s milk, feed the child before going home.

At noon, Lin Yi picked up the two kids and learned that the Zhu family had brought the child over that morning. The three were thrilled and hurried inside to see the child.

Seeing the child back with their own eyes, the three were overjoyed.

Lin Qin told Lin Yi about the Zhu family’s request, and read the guarantee letter aloud to him.

Lin Yi nodded with satisfaction, "This is good! You’re smart to leave a safeguard. If it were me, I wouldn’t dare to bring up that request, and who knows, they might come looking for trouble. With this guarantee letter, whoever we give the child to, they can’t interfere, nor can they trouble us later!"

Lin Yi then looked at Lin Qin and tentatively asked, "Are you and Wenjun going to adopt?"

Lin Qin hesitated, then shook her head, "Uncle’s family isn’t going to stop visiting either. If we adopt, they’ll definitely know, so what’s the point of the guarantee letter?"

Lin Yi was speechless, then muttered, "Then let’s wait a bit, look after the child for now. The child’s still young, no rush to give away."

Lin Qin knew Lin Yi was reluctant, but she didn’t argue.

In the afternoon, Huang Yuezhen returned, and upon learning the child was back, she also breathed a sigh of relief, immediately volunteering to continue looking after the child that night.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was November and time to plant lotus roots. Lin Yi and Huang Yuezhen became busier than ever.

By the time they finished their fieldwork, it was already the twelfth lunar month.

Once in the twelfth lunar month, it was time to start the big clean-up and prepare for the Lunar New Year.

Lin Yi counted the days, and whenever it was a day to pay respects, he would dig some calla lilies a day in advance for Chen Wenjun to sell wholesale in South Port.

It was quite profitable; they were worth more than other vegetables, at least.

By this time, Lin Qin and the two children were off for winter vacation.

Lin Qin hurriedly took them for haircuts, shopped for New Year’s necessities, and picked New Year’s clothes for the two children.

The three planned well, but the city was so lively that Lin Qin, being pregnant, didn’t dare to push through the crowd, so she only took the two children to the barbershop before heading back.

When Lin Yi learned of the situation, he planned to ask Huang Yuezhen to go out with him.

Before they could set off, Gao Lei’s cargo ship returned.

Alongside, he also brought back lots of clothes, including children’s, adult’s, and elders’ apparel.

Upon receiving the news, Chen Wenjun decided to take the whole family to Gao Lei’s to select clothes so they could buy more.

Huang Yuezhen even considered wholesaling clothes to sell at a stall, carefully inspecting every piece, initially planning to pick and choose, but found them all so lovely, she wanted every piece.

So she gritted her teeth and borrowed five thousand from Lin Qin, using all of it to stock up.

She couldn’t take five thousand worth of goods all at once, so she had to take them in batches.

Gao Lei was accommodating, giving Huang Yuezhen his contact details and noting her address, offering to deliver goods if she ran out.

The most troublesome issue was resolved.

The next day, Huang Yuezhen asked Huang Wenlong for leave.

Huang Wenlong didn’t think much of it and was relieved, "Actually, if you didn’t ask for leave, I was about to tell you that we’re closing shop early this year."

"Why is that?" Huang Yuezhen was puzzled.

Huang Wenlong exhaled a puff of white smoke and said wistfully, "It’s gotten too cold too fast this year. Right now, nighttime temperatures drop to one or two degrees, and even during the day, the weather’s not good, either gloomy or raining, cold and freezing, with many tasks unfeasible, so let everyone take an early break. We’ll pick it up again after the New Year. When it’s time to start again, I’ll notify Wenjun and have him reach out to you."

"Okay, okay, okay..." Huang Yuezhen was inwardly delighted, thinking even heaven was on her side.

Once back in Nanyu, she immediately packed her bags to return.

Before leaving, Huang Yuezhen specifically told Lin Qin, "I’ll go back first to try and sell these clothes quickly to see if I can repay you before the New Year."

Having borrowed so much, she was uneasy; if it weren’t for the example of Xu Dahai, she wouldn’t dare to take such a risk.