69 The poor have resolve

It took only seconds for the exceptionally smart Ning Lingyu to understand her brother's intentions from his gaze alone. At the very least, that was what she thought. She then took a quick look at Tang Meng who was trailing behind them.

Tang Meng's eyes wandered to the ceiling for a moment before looking at the floor. Next, he was glancing to his right and then left nonchalantly, acting as if he did not hear anything Ling Yun had said. This fella was indeed quick-witted and alert!

On the other hand, Ning Lingyu, whose heart was pure as the snow, was under the impression that her actions had embarrassed her brother in front of a rich brat like Tang Meng. But what she did not know was that all those had nothing to do with why Ling Yun was angry.

However, her mindset was still unchanged. Their mother was working hard, using what little money she earned from her small clinic to support the family and provide for their education and commodities. Life was surely tough!

With that said, how could they not save when they could?

"But, Brother…" Ning Lingyu, stuttered as she stared at Ling Yun with her doll-like eyes, hesitating to speak.

Furthermore, she was aware that her brother had on hand around twenty thousand dollars. Although that money was taken 'justly', she still felt that money that was not earned from their own effort did not belong to them.

As poor as they were, Ning Lingyu had her own boundaries and principles. It was true that she had failed to stop her brother from taking money that did not belong to him. However, that did not mean that she could now spend that money with a clear conscience. She was so determined that she even promised herself that once she graduated, she would find a job, work hard and secretly return what Ling Yun had taken from Tang Meng. She had absolutely no desire to accept or use money obtained from gambling. Such money was not dependable and held no meaning to her.

As a result, she was slightly frustrated with Ling Yun for spending all that money without even discussing with her. To make things worse, she could not bring herself blame him.

With her brother having regained his self-confidence and pride, all she hoped for now was for him to get into a slightly better university.

Such was Ning Lingyu's resolve! Even though she was poor, she still held firm to her beliefs!

"Lingyu, it's okay, you don't have to think too much about it. Just tell me what you need and I will choose for you, alright? Not this rubbish but the best of the best." Ling Yun replied, putting his index finger against her soft lips before she could speak.

"Have you forgotten? I still have ten thousand dollars left!" Ling Yun continued, his voice filled with warmth and care.

Upon hearing that, Tang Meng, who had been feigning oblivious all this time, gave Ling Yun a look of shock and uncertainty.

Ling Yun only had a total of twenty thousand dollars. After spending nine thousand dollars yesterday and buying so many branded goods today he should not have much left! Being from a wealthy family, Tang Meng was well versed in the prices of most branded goods. Thus, he was sure that what Ling Yun bought had to at least cost thirty thousand dollars!

So how did he have so much money still?! Unless he had really robbed a bank or stole it, it made no sense to Tang Meng.

Ning Lingyu was equally dumbfounded. She was confident that she had seen her brother entering school with a great pile of branded goods. Even though she seldom bought branded goods, she at least knew the prices of iPhone 5 and Nike products. That was why she secretly thought that her brother had finished spending every cent!

"But, Brother, this afternoon you…"

"Enough of that, let's hurry, finish our shopping, and go home. We wouldn't want to worry mum would we?" Ling Yun answered with a wide smile before she could finish.

Ning Lingyu nodded her head obediently before bringing Ling Yun further into the supermarket to continue their shopping. This time, Ling Yun was looking at the prices too, but now, he was looking for the best and the most expensive item of each type! Be it seasonings, fruits, vegetables or meat, he made sure he bought the most expensive item available for each product! In addition, he even ended up buying two large yellow croakers and over ten Chinese mitten crabs!

"How can a lobster get this ridiculously big? Give this to me!" Ling Yun exclaimed to the staff at the seafood section. He had seen the lobster by chance while roaming the seafood section. The lobster's body alone was almost a foot long! Upon seeing it in the water and the way it seemed to flaunt its size as it moves, Ling Yun could not hold back the urge and decided to buy it without hesitation.

Seeing Ling Yun's aggressive attitude, even Tang Meng was surprised. In his mind, he confused as to why Ling Yun was so excited. Perhaps he had finally lost his mind?

With this, Ling Yun had purchased a mountain of items and not just any items, but only the most expensive ones! He bought so much that they actually managed to fill up three shopping trolleys! In the end, the bill rounded up to a hefty sum of seven thousand and two hundred dollars!

Ling Yun then took out eight thousand dollars before passing it to Ning Lingyu to make the payment. With three thousand dollars left, Ling Yun calculated and was sure that with that money, he could probably rent a place outside the school for two months.

Now, his main priority was to undergo strength training while everyone in the hostel was focused on their exams. Therefore, in order to not disturb their rest when he returned late every night, Ling Yun decided that he would rent a place instead.

By renting his own place, he would be able to freely plan his own training and studying schedule. Similarly, he, too, would not be interrupted. At the same time, he would also able to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Even if the money ended up being insufficient, he still had ways to earn more. After all, he still had the four mobile numbers in his possession! Besides, he had already planned to sell off the wooden box and the jade box as soon as he was free. With that, for the time being, he would surely be rid of such trivial monetary worries.

As for the bigger financial issues… he had his amazing medical knowledge and techniques to save lives. Thus, he was not bothered in the least.

After footing the bill, the three of them placed the groceries into the van before leaving straight for home.

…

With the speedy rise in China's economic development, in each city, an affluent area and a low-income area came into existence. Being the capital city of the Jiangnan province, Qingshui city was no exception.

After exiting the outer ring of Qingshui City, it was a straight up bumpy ride in the hummer. Soon, they reached the most northeastern corner of Qingshui city. They were now in the low-income area located near the suburbs of the city. Ling Yun's house was located nearby.

As it was the low-income area, the roads were small, narrow, and uneven. Telephone poles lined the roadside and most houses were old and small. From the looks of it, it seemed the aged buildings had been constructed seventy to eighty years ago. Most of the residents seemed to be people who had come from the countryside in search of work.

This low-income area was very far from Qingshui high. Even by bus, it would have taken at least two hours. That was why Ning Lingyu's mother, Qin Qiuyue, gritted her teeth and worked hard to allow them to stay in the hostel. This was to help them save time since they would not have to travel to and fro.

"Every house has the phrase 'to be demolished' sprayed on to the walls. So I guess this place will be going down soon?" Tang Meng asked curiously.

Throughout the journey, Tang Meng had not posed any questions to Ling Yun, focusing solely on driving. Only upon nearing his house did he start speaking.

Ling Yun nodded his head before replying, "The declaration of demolition came in September. But the remuneration provided by the developers was just too little. Thus, most residents refused to accept the offer. And since both were not able to reach an amicable agreement so far, the demolition was not carried out."

"Do you know the name of the developer?" Tang Meng asked with a cheeky smile. Of course, they were never gonna reach an agreement! After all, any big scale demolition always involves coercion so as to minimize cost and maximize profits. Harming a few rebellious residents in the process matters not.

"I'm not sure, mum told me not to worry and focus on my studies instead…" Ning Lingyu replied with a shake of her head.

Another few minutes passed before Ning Lingyu finally told Tang Meng to stop the car by the side. Once done, she pointed to the south of the road before speaking.

"That's our house. Brother, let's alight."

Ling Yun looked towards the south of the road. Yet, all he saw was a dim road lamp and a tattered two-story building right after it. Many brightly lit small shops and eateries lined the building.

This is it? Ling Yun thought as he surveyed the place. At the same time, he was reminded of the place where Old Man Xue and Xue Meining lived. The vast contrast caused Ling Yun to let out a silent groan under his breath.

However, he then gave his sister an indifferent smile and they alighted together.

Once she alighted, Ning Lingyu immediately started running towards a small clinic south of the road. Before she even entered the clinic, she was already shouting, "Mum, Brother and I are back!"

"Oh, our little scholar's back?!"

Qin Qiuyue's clinic's name was exceptionally ordinary. It was called 'The People's Clinic'. Just west of the clinic was a small shop selling daily necessities. In the north was a small family eatery.

The person that replied to Ning Lingyu's voice was none other than the small groceries store owner, Mrs. Li Hongmei. She was in her mid-forties. She was plump and her body was slightly out of shape. However, she carried herself with a kind demeanor.

Li Hongmei and Ning Lingyu's family went way back. Li Hongmei and Ning Lingyu's mother, Qin Qiuyue, were close friends. Whenever anyone in Li Hongmei's family felt sick, they would always go over to Qin Qiuyue's clinic. Similarly, whenever Qin Qiuyue required any daily groceries, naturally, she would visit Li Hongmei's store.

With both businesses helping each other out, their relationship naturally became close.

As Li Hongmei was a warm-hearted person, the moment she heard Ning Lingyu's voice, she left her store immediately to greet her.

"Hi, Auntie Li." Ning Lingyu replied politely with a nod of her head. With that, she then went into 'The People's Clinic'.

With Tang Meng's Hummer parked at the roadside, it immediately became the center of much attention from residents. After all, it was not common for one to see such a nice car in the low-income area.

"Hey, isn't this Ling Yun? What came over you, visiting all of a sudden? I've never seen u since you left after the new year!" Li Hongmei asked in a hard, taunting tone, without a trace of the warmth she had shown Ning Lingyu.

In this area, almost everyone knew Ling Yun. They were all also aware that he was not Qin Qiuyue's real son. He had been picked up and raised by her.

That being said, the reason behind Li Hongmei's attitude towards Ling Yun had nothing to do with his bloodline. The main reason was that the Ling Yun of the past was just too unbearable for people to see him in a positive light.

Besides eating, the past Ling Yun was always being beaten and bullied. In addition, he was often quiet and spoke little, never greeting anyone he saw. He was never at home to help lessen his mother's burden. Also, his terrible grades did little to help. As a result, it was natural that no one was willing to give him any respect.

As for the current Ling Yun, he was unloading the groceries from the car when he heard her cold voice. Seemingly unfazed by Li Hongmei's uncaring tone, Ling Yun replied nonchalantly, "Yep, I'm back."

Seeing Ling Yun's apathetic attitude, Li Hongmei felt slightly angered as she took a deep breath before going back to her store. At that moment, she also felt curious. This was because the siblings had always taken the bus when they returned, but this time, they actually came in a nice car. What had happened?

Thus, she could not help but take a peek from the shop at the two who were busy unloading.

"What? Not only did they come back in a nice car, they even bought so many items. Don't tell me that boy is some rich relative of theirs? But his about the same age as Ling Yun…" Li Hongmei mumbled to herself in her store.

Squeezing the wooden box under his armpit, Ling Yun took out his iPhone 5 with his left hand. On his right hand, he was carrying the large lobster which was still alive and moving. With a smile, he spoke to Tang Meng.

"Now, I'll be going ahead, you can take your time and move everything in."

Tang Meng stared at all the bags of groceries on the floor and was flabbergasted for a moment.

"Come on, boss. Give me a break. How is it possible for me to move so many things alone?" Tang Meng replied with a weary face.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, my friend. Take your time, worker ant. Once you finish, a superb reward will be waiting for you. Now get to work!" Ling Yun answered with a wink at Tang Meng before walking with wide strides towards the clinic.

"Mother, I'm back!"