AYLS -Chapter 178

Bestie A: “Lin Qiao, what’s going on with you? Your dad’s too harsh—he kicked you out, and to such a remote place too?”

“It’s not about my dad. I wanted to be here myself. He didn’t kick me out.”

Bestie B: “You yourself… why did you come here?”

Lin Qiao said, “To start a business, of course. Come on, I’ll show you the progress I’ve made so far.”

She led her friends through her farm.

The delicate girls were all scared of the bugs in the grass, but Lin Qiao completely ignored them.

They stared at her in horror.

How much has Lin Qiao changed? She must have gone through a huge blow.

But Lin Qiao didn’t seem affected at all; in fact, she looked proud and confident.

She shared her dreams with them.

She talked at length because she wanted everyone to make money together. These friends were in situations similar to hers, some with even more complicated family backgrounds, but due to their upbringing, none of them had thought about earning for themselves—they were just waiting to inherit more of the family property.

Lin Qiao explained the benefits of starting a business and the prospects of this natural, organic farming approach.

“…”

Lin Qiao must be short on cash.

The girls didn’t say much and immediately offered to invest.

They came here essentially to hand over money.

Lin Qiao was delighted. Everyone had a good sense of initiative—they knew they needed to support themselves.

“Don’t worry. I’ll run the farm well. One day, we’ll definitely build a successful business.”

The girls came quickly and left quickly—they really couldn’t stay here. They had no idea how Lin Qiao managed to live in such a place.

After they returned, they told everyone about Lin Qiao’s hardships. It spread everywhere that after leaving the Lin family, she went to raise chickens.

“…”

Lin Dajin couldn’t believe the news.

He quickly called the housekeeper. “Didn’t you say Lin Qiao went to the countryside to relax?”

“…Miss Lin Qiao said so, and also mentioned that she rented a mountain.”

“She went to raise chickens!”

Impossible!

The housekeeper looked terrified, thinking the boss must be dreaming. Who was Miss Lin Qiao? Someone who couldn’t stand anything dirty or smelly.

Someone who wouldn’t even eat stinky tofu.

How could she possibly go raise chickens?

He hurriedly called the nanny and driver over there.

The nanny said, “You didn’t know?” She assumed everyone in the household already knew.

Who could control what their employer does?

The housekeeper immediately drove to the farm to find Lin Qiao.

Seeing Lin Qiao decked out in all that gear, his jaw nearly dropped.

Is this really Miss Lin Qiao?

How did she end up like this? Who would even recognize her as a wealthy young lady?

“Uncle Wu, you came too.”

“Miss Lin Qiao… how did you become—”

He couldn’t even bring himself to finish the sentence.

Lin Qiao said, “I’m starting a business. I want to run a natural farm. Look, we already have lots of chicks and ducklings, and we’ve got piglets too.

“Oh, Uncle Lin, did you know these droppings can be sold? There’s a fertilizer factory that even buys them. Another source of income for us.”

“…”

The housekeeper’s eyes welled with tears.

He had served the Lin family for many years. He had watched Miss Lin grow up delicate and pampered, and now she was talking about turning manure into money. Good heavens, how did Miss Lin Qiao transform right under his nose?!

He earnestly tried to persuade Lin Qiao to come home, insisting there was no need for her to stay here. The family would never lack for her share of food, and even when the inheritance was divided, she wouldn’t lose out.

This was one of the few times he had a say in the family affairs.

But he couldn’t bear to see the girl waste herself like this.

Yet Lin Qiao was resolute.

“Uncle Wu, I’ve never cared about the inheritance. This place is great. I’m here to start a business and provide jobs for many people. Eventually, I’ll expand my farm to multiple locations.”

The housekeeper fell silent.

Seeing her determination, he had no choice but to call Lin Dajin and explain the situation. Lin Dajin was so shocked he nearly needed medicine to calm down.

His pampered, delicate daughter had gone to run a farm.

Even though Lin Dajin had once carried bags and fed pigs himself, he couldn’t imagine his daughter running a farm.

Even as an act of defiance, this was too much.

Lin Dajin wanted to go find her, but thinking about the future, he restrained himself.

He had always spoiled her to prevent her from suffering. But what if no one was there to pamper her in the future?

After some thought, he decided to go find his daughter.

It had been nearly two months since the “illegitimate child incident,” and they hadn’t seen each other.

Over the past two years in that other world, Lin Qiao had matured. She was no longer in the phase of sulking at her father.

She calmly called out, “Dad.”

Lin Dajin looked at his daughter, feeling both familiar and strange at the same time.

He glanced around at her surroundings and sighed. “Lin Qiao, come home with me. This isn’t how you start a business. If you want to, I can help you with other ventures. Whatever you choose, I’ll support you.”

“Dad, I just want to run a farm. This is temporary. Later, I’ll expand into a full-cycle production, processing, and sales business.”

Of course, that was far in the future.

Lin Dajin said, “Lin Qiao, listen to your father and come home.”

Hearing this, Lin Qiao’s nose tinged with emotion. “Dad, I don’t want to go back.”

“Is it because of that incident before?”

Lin Qiao didn’t know what to say. After having the illegitimate younger brother, her feelings for her father had changed—she felt betrayed.

Her calmness now came from the growth and maturity she had gained over the past two years.

But that didn’t mean she had accepted it.

Lin Dajin looked at her, then at what she was doing now, and sighed deeply.

“If you insist on staying here, then I won’t interfere anymore.”

He said it firmly and left. Once in the car, he asked his secretary, “How’s Lin Qiao? Did she cry?”

“No, she seems very happy, sir.”

Lin Dajin glanced back and saw his daughter cheerfully talking to the workers.

Of course, Lin Qiao was happy—she felt a sense of accomplishment. For once, she could face her father with confidence.

She was no longer someone relying on her family to live. She could proudly tell her father that she had her own career.

Lin Dajin looked at his daughter and couldn’t understand what had come over her.

The secretary asked, “Do you want to go find Miss Lin Qiao?”

“No, let her stay. Maybe something different will come out of this.”

Lin Qiao had previously secured investment from her sisters, so she immediately expanded production.

She also ramped up promotion, hiring a live-streamer to broadcast from her farm every day, showing the chickens and ducks throughout the process.

Unexpectedly, Lin Qiao appeared on camera herself, and viewers quickly focused on her.

“Who is this goddess of a young lady? I need her information immediately!”

“Ah! So pretty, even in work clothes!”

“She looks delicate, but works so hard. Totally unexpected for a farm!”

“…”

The streamer said, “…she’s the owner of our farm.”

“Ah! Is the farm hiring?”

“So beautiful, the farm owner!”

Before long, she earned the title of “Most Beautiful Farm Owner.” The stream became an instant hit. Lin Qiao was surprised—these days, even selling goods required a good appearance. Well, this was a good way to advertise. Still, she let the streamer handle the broadcasting while she focused on her daily work.

Though she agreed the streamer could occasionally film her at work.

As Lin Qiao gained fame, her farm attracted much attention. After all, the stream ran 24/7, effectively under constant supervision. People even came daily to see if she was truly running a natural farm.

Through the live stream, Lin Qiao also taught farming techniques, attracting many other farmers.

With popularity came sales, and orders from online viewers alone exceeded her supply.

After all, in this day and age, it’s really difficult for people in big cities to get a truly natural, free-range chicken or duck.

But chickens and ducks raised right under one’s own eyes? Eating them feels safe. Plus, they could even be selected online.

Seeing Lin Qiao’s farm thriving, those who had been following her all along were completely astonished.

She actually managed to stick with it for so long.

And in the videos, Lin Qiao was working alongside the workers every day, from morning till night—really doing the work, not slacking off.

Some people couldn’t bear it and went to Lin Dajin, saying, “Your daughter is really good. Don’t let her be treated badly just because of a child born out of wedlock.”

Lin Dajin: “……” He had made countless calls, yet the girl simply wouldn’t come back!

He called Lin Qiao again, hoping she would come home so they could talk. But Lin Qiao had gone out to inspect again, this time scouting a place to raise pigs.

“……”

Running the farm had boosted the local township’s economy and provided jobs for many young people in the area.

So by the end of the year, the county even awarded Lin Qiao a certificate of recognition.

Looking at the certificate, Lin Qiao remembered the awards she had received in her other world and smiled absentmindedly. She really wished Gu Huayuan could see her certificate.

In this world, she had worked hard and lived well. She hadn’t wasted her time; while supporting herself, she had also helped others.

Since the New Year was approaching, Lin Qiao decided to go home.

Her father had a child out of wedlock, but he hadn’t kicked her out. She couldn’t leave him alone at home either. Besides, the housekeeper said the illegitimate child hadn’t even entered the house yet. So why shouldn’t she go home?

Knowing Lin Qiao was coming back, Lin Dajin didn’t go to work and came home early, even earlier than Lin Qiao.

So when he saw her returning with bags in hand, his feelings were a complex mix.

He had been paying attention to his daughter, aware of her hard work and achievements.

Although her path was different from the so-called elites, he saw in his daughter a quality others didn’t have.

Lin Dajin even reflected that he had never really understood his child. Over the years, it had been all about work and giving money—anything she wanted, he provided. But he had never really talked to her from the heart.

He hadn’t understood what she truly needed. Some things couldn’t be satisfied with material wealth.

Lin Qiao happily took out the chickens and ducks she had brought back and mentioned that tomorrow they would have fresh pork. They had been raised for years before being ready for market.

The housekeeper’s eyes turned red with emotion.

Though he felt a bit heartbroken, he also felt a unique sense of accomplishment. These were raised by Miss Lin Qiao herself! He hurriedly instructed the chefs to prepare them properly in the kitchen.

The chefs had had a year off while Lin Qiao was away, so their skills might have dulled. He had to remind them to take care in cooking.

After giving her instructions, Lin Qiao went to find Lin Dajin.

“Dad, Happy New Year.”

Lin Dajin smiled. “It’s been a busy year, hasn’t it? You barely came home.”

“I’ve been busy with work. It’s the first year of my business, lots of things to handle. Next year will be busy too—raising pigs. The county even said they’d give us some policy support.”

Listening to Lin Qiao speak so confidently about her business, Lin Dajin felt dazed.

The child had really grown up. He couldn’t even imagine what had happened under his own nose that he didn’t know about. How had she become like this?

Was it really just the shock of an illegitimate child? No matter what, things were fine now. Lin Qiao could support herself in the future.

“Lin Qiao, come home. I want to find teachers to teach you even more.”

Lin Qiao shook her head. “Dad, I really don’t want to go home.”

“Why don’t you want to go home? You’re going to inherit the family business!”

Lin Qiao looked at him. “Dad, what about the other person?”

Lin Dajin: “……What other person?”

“You said before that the inheritance would go to the other person.”

Lin Dajin was about to explain that he didn’t actually have an illegitimate child, that it was just meant to motivate her. But before he could, his daughter sighed, “Dad, I’m actually very satisfied with my life now. Someone taught me that people have to rely on themselves. You can’t depend on others. That way, in any situation, we won’t feel fear.”

Lin Dajin was instantly unsettled.

Not because of what she said, but by the expression on her face. That expression—it was too familiar. His late wife had that same look when she spoke about herself. So who was it? Which brat had taken his daughter?

“Daughter, have you found a boyfriend?”

“No,” Lin Qiao shook her head. She was already married.

But nobody would believe that.

Liar! Lin Dajin’s first reaction was that his daughter was lying. She must be afraid he’d interfere with her relationship.

Immediately, he had a bad impression of this kid he had never met.

As a father, he wanted his daughter to be able to support herself and protect herself, to grow properly. But what kind of person was this guy? Since he became her partner, shouldn’t he protect her too instead of letting her fend for herself?

Lin Dajin instantly started showing double standards.