Published at 2nd of January 2026 7:35 am

Chapter 3266: Complicated Emotions

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Seeing the two, the woman slowed her pace.

She seemed to recognize them as well.

"Little Yue, Lin Yi?"

The woman’s words confirmed her identity to Lin Yi and Wu Feiyue.

Her name was Zhang Dan, and she was also from the orphanage.

She was older than Wu Feiyue, and when they were young, she was the one who took care of them.

But when Lin Yi went to college, she got married.

Since then, she never came back.

Not even for holidays.

So much so that their impression of her faded over time, and even today, they had to confirm for a long while.

"You two know each other?"

The owner of the fireworks stand glanced at Zhang Dan.

Zhang Dan’s expression was a bit uneasy, seemingly reluctant to bring it up, but helpless.

"We used to be in the orphanage together."

Upon knowing their identity, the owner’s face showed a trace of disdain.

"I knew it, coming here and having so much to say about a 2000-yuan firework—turns out you’re from the same place."

The owner impatiently waved his hand, "Quickly, let them stand aside.

They have trouble even affording a meal, so they shouldn’t be here looking at stuff."

Upon hearing his words, Lin Yi and Wu Feiyue understood what was going on.

They must be a couple.

It’s just that when they got married, Lin Yi was in college, and Wu Feiyue was locked up,

so neither of them attended.

Even Wang Cuiping and Zhao Quanfu only made a brief appearance at the wedding and never saw Zhang Dan again.

Zhang Dan pulled them aside.

"How come you two are here?"

"It’s almost New Year, so we came to buy some fireworks for the kids," Lin Yi said.

"How are Mother Wang and the others? Are they doing well?"

"They’re all right."

Zhang Dan walked to the stand and picked up a small firecracker, "Take this back for the kids to play with.

We need to do our business, so you should look around elsewhere and give my regards to Mother Wang."

Looking at the firecracker Zhang Dan handed over, neither Lin Yi nor Wu Feiyue made a move to take it.

They both felt it was quite ironic.

And that irony was mixed with even more complex emotions.

"You also need to make a profit, so you should keep it to sell. We won’t take advantage of it. You go ahead and get busy."

Lin Yi pulled Wu Feiyue, and they turned to leave, walking toward a neighboring stand.

"Why are you still in touch with these poor relatives from the orphanage?" The owner said impatiently.

"We’re not in contact. We just happened to run into each other," Zhang Dan said casually.

She seemed to be avoiding that relationship too.

"Be mindful. You know the situation with the orphanage. Once they go back, they might try to contact you, borrowing money or something." The stand owner said:

"I’m telling you, the orphanage is a bottomless pit; not a penny can be lent."

"I know, you don’t need to say it." Zhang Dan said with a stern face.

On the other side, the two were looking at fireworks.

But because of Zhang Dan, their moods were significantly impacted.

Even Lin Yi felt somewhat affected in his heart.

After all, they grew up together, and she often played with them.

Now, they’re like strangers, which doesn’t feel quite right inside.

"Boss, how much are these fireworks?" Lin Yi asked.

The female vendor was clearly more patient.

"Young man, which one do you want?"

"All of them."

"Huh? All of them?" The female vendor said in surprise.

"Yes, everything at the stand. How much in total?"

The female vendor was stunned, as were Zhang Dan and her husband; they all looked at Lin Yi in unison.

"Young man, are you joking with me? This whole stand costs over 70,000."

"Then make it 70,000 even. I’ll take all of it. Is that okay?" Lin Yi said.

"Of course!"

The vendor was excited, "Did you drive here? I’ll have someone help you load it."

Lin Yi pointed to the truck not far away, "Just load it there."

"Okay."

While speaking, Lin Yi transferred 70,000 yuan, "Check if you’ve received it."

"Received, received. I’ll have someone help you move it."

Seeing that Lin Yi had cleared the place, the other vendors also got envious and approached excitedly.

"Young man, look at our stuff, all from major manufacturers with guaranteed quality."

"All ours are newly dated, no old stock at all. Come check it out."

The other vendors all clamored together.

Hoping Lin Yi would patronize them as well.

"How much for everything?"

"If you take it all, 50,000 will do."

"Alright, load them up." Lin Yi scanned the code accordingly, but the shopping wasn’t over yet.

At the remaining eight or nine stands, Lin Yi cleared them all; in the end, the truck couldn’t hold anymore,

but the vendors happily agreed to delivery.

Altogether, he spent over 700,000 yuan on these fireworks—a pretty extravagant purchase.

For Lin Yi, it was just a drop in the bucket.

This showed everyone at the market how the rich spend money.

"Big brother, let’s go."

"That doesn’t seem right," Wu Feiyue said:

"You bought from everyone else, leaving only them. We grew up together; you should save them some face."

"We were shooed away when we went to buy. How thick-skinned could I get?"

"Sigh..."

Wu Feiyue sighed and said nothing else.

"Lin Yi, why did you buy so much at once?" Zhang Dan walked over and asked, still surprised.

"There are many children at the orphanage. Buying just a little wouldn’t be enough," Lin Yi said with a smile:

"The orphanage’s life is better now, not as poor as when we were kids. It’s New Year; let them have fun."

"In just a few minutes, you spent hundreds of thousands. You’ve really made it big."

Zhang Dan’s expression was awkward and uneasy, unsure what to say for a moment.

"Just messing around," Lin Yi said:

"We should get going now, don’t disturb your business."

Lin Yi greeted and got in the car with Wu Feiyue.

At the market, all the firework stands were empty except for Zhang Dan’s.

Though without competitors, they might sell more, but it felt exceptionally awkward.

"Ah, I never thought we would meet in a place like this."

Wu Feiyue mused while driving.

"She’s so different now, completely unlike before."

"A long journey tests a horse’s strength, and enduring time reveals someone’s heart." Lin Yi chuckled, saying:

"After all, coming from the orphanage isn’t exactly honorable, and our place is poor;

everyone’s afraid of getting stuck with poor relatives."

"Don’t tell Mom about this when we get back," Wu Feiyue said:

"If she knows, she’ll end up in tears."

"I know, she seemed to worry quite a bit about her back then."

Sighing, Wu Feiyue lamented:

"That’s why we shouldn’t say anything, just pretend she doesn’t exist."

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