Lin Meng reported himself to the authorities and told the police to leave his family alone so that they could go to the U.S. The police took the deal, and his family was allowed to leave China.
Lin Meng accepted his sentence of five years.
When Lin Hao heard about it, he was proud of his elder brother—not for what he had done, but for turning himself in to protect his family.
He visited his brother in prison to comfort him as family.
The two brothers sat across from each other in the visiting room. Lin Meng's face was hollow, his eyes tired.
"I'm sorry," Lin Meng said quietly. "I brought shame to the family."
Lin Hao looked at him for a long moment. Then he said, "You made your choices. But you're still my brother. And when your time is done, there will still be a place for you."
Lin Meng nodded, unable to speak.
---
Epilogue
By the end of 1991, the Lin Industries had recovered. Lin Yue's cooking school was thriving. The hotels and restaurants were full again. Trust had been restored.
Lin Yue stood at the window of her office one evening, looking out over the city. Zhao Chen came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"You did it," he said softly.
She smiled. "We did it."
In another life, she had been a chef in a modern world. In this life, she had become so much more.
A daughter. A
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