The Lin family arrived uninvited. This time, Lin Lao’er’s family didn’t come, but Lin Lao Si’s family, upon hearing there was meat, decided to tag along.
As soon as they appeared, the once joyful atmosphere darkened.
“What are you doing here?”
Old man Lin (Lin Zhen’s grand-uncle), leaning on his cane, glared at the group with a sour expression.
Old lady Lin, who had been chased and beaten before, was now slightly afraid of Old Man Lin and his cane.
“My grandson is getting engaged. As his grandparents, why can’t we come? What kind of logic is that?” Old lady Lin retorted, her eyes darting greedily toward the meat.
The group, including Deng Chunhua, shared the same hungry, avaricious glances.
Because Lin Lao’er had demanded to split the family assets and had grown lazy about earning work points, the grain and money allotted to them had diminished. Their year was bound to be bleak, and it had been ages since they’d eaten meat.
“That grandson of ours is ungrateful and disrespectful. For such an important occasion as his engagement, he didn’t even bother to inform his elders. But we’re not heartless like him; we came to add to the atmosphere.”
Although Old Man Lin and the other elders were visibly displeased, they couldn’t outright drive them away in such a situation.
Lin Zhen, however, had no such qualms. He cared little for reputation or others’ opinions.
“You’re not welcome here. Leave.”
His tall frame stood firmly in the doorway, blocking their way inside.
Old Lin’s face immediately soured.
He had swallowed his pride to attend his grandson’s engagement, only to be turned away at the door. Where would his dignity go now?
“Lin Zhen, I know you hold resentment in your heart. But no matter what, we share the same family name. You can’t just cut ties with your grandparents forever. How would that look to outsiders?”
Lin Zhen sneered. “When I chased you with a knife back then, I didn’t care what outsiders thought. Do you think I care now?”
Old Lin was so furious he couldn’t speak.
Old lady Lin chimed in angrily, “What? Are you really going to kick us out? Even if you don’t care, your fiancée surely does. What woman can endure such finger-pointing? Don’t be so unfilial-it’ll bring divine retribution!”
Song Wei walked up beside Lin Zhen, her tone gentle but her words cutting like a knife.
“You worry too much. After all, if someone like you-who drove your own son and daughter-in-law to death and tried to starve your grandson-hasn’t faced divine retribution, why would we?
God would not be so blind as to punish us. Otherwise, there must be people like you in the front to bear the brunt of it.”
“You… how dare you speak to me like that? I’m Lin Zhen’s grandmother!”
Song Wei replied with a calm smile, “I’ve already beaten you before. Do you think I care how I speak to you now?”
Deng Chunhua, seeing no other option, threw herself to the ground and began wailing, repeating the same accusations over and over until everyone was tired of hearing them.
“Enough! If we’re talking about unfilial behavior, no one compares to you lot!”
Old Man Lin stepped forward, raising his cane, ready to strike.
“Today was supposed to be a joyful occasion, but since you insist on making a scene, I won’t hold back!”
With a loud crack, his cane landed on Deng Chunhua, making her yelp in pain as she scrambled to hide behind old lady Lin.
Old lady Lin, unusually bold, grabbed the cane and shouted, “You’ve gone too far! Just because you’re the eldest doesn’t mean you can interfere in my family’s matters. Lin Zhen is my grandson-it’s only right that I discipline him! What gives you the right to meddle?”
Old Man Lin ( Lin Zhen’s grand-uncle), enraged, turned to old Lin (Lin Zhen’s grandfather). “Second Brother, are you just going to sit there smoking and let her cause trouble?”
Old Lin pretended not to hear, puffing away on his pipe like a turtle retreating into its shell.
Meanwhile, Lin Lao Si and his wife saw the chaos as an opportunity to grab some meat. But before they could, two wolf pups sprang out and clamped down on their pants with their sharp teeth.
“Let go, you little beasts! Let go!”
When the couple tried to kick the pups, Heidan and his friends became furious.
“They’re bad people! Thieves!” the children shouted, grabbing brooms and sticks to charge at the pair.
The kids whacked them with their makeshift weapons, making Lin Lao Si and his wife cry out in pain. Some of the more creative children even scooped water and dumped it over them, leaving the pair soaked and humiliated.
Song Wei picked up a stone and threw it at their knees, sending them sprawling to the ground.
The kids cheered and pounced, pulling their hair and scratching their faces.
Old lady Lin wasn’t faring any better-Old Man Lin’s wife joined in, whacking her with a broom.
The other women pretended to intervene but secretly helped escalate the situation.
“Slow down, Mother-in-law. Don’t hurt yourself!”
“Let me hold the broom for you-it’s heavy!”
“Second Aunt, why do you always upset my mother-in-law? She’s elderly and frail-what if she gets sick because of you?”
Old lady Lin was so angry that she was shaking all over, and her body and face were hurt by the beating.
Deng Chunhua and old lady Lin’s daughter tried to help, but Song Wei and Aunt Xinghua stopped them.
Song Wei dealt with Deng Chunhua first, picking her up like a sack and tossing her into a snowdrift outside. Ignoring the stunned onlookers, she then grabbed old lady Lin’s daughter and flung her out as well.
“You… you…” Old lady Lin stammered, pointing a trembling finger at Song Wei.
Song Wei smiled brightly. “Would you like to try next, Grandma? Don’t worry-l won’t throw you hard enough to kill you.”
Before old lady Lin could respond, Lin Zhen appeared with a knife in hand.
“Today is my engagement day. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, but you’ve ruined my mood. I see no reason to let you enjoy yourselves either.”
“You… you wouldn’t dare! Are you planning to kill us?” Old lady Lin and the others stared at him in terror.
“I wouldn’t kill anyone,” Lin Zhen said coldly. “But you won’t be taking anything home today.”
He turned and walked away, leaving them dumbfounded.
Old lady Lin and the others were stunned for a moment before they reacted, they scrambled after him, panic written all over their faces.
Leave a Reply