Who is Lin from Women of the Silk and what is their importance?

Lin was Pei's best friend. When Pei's father dropped her off at the girls' house, she had no one and felt utterly alone and unloved. Lin was older than Pei and took a sisterly approach with her. Lin had been working in the silk trade for many years. Her father had been a controversial politician in Canton. He believed in China but recognized that there were lessons to be learned from the western world. Some of his fellow workers considered him a traitor and he was murdered. Losing her father at a young age changed the course of Lin's life.