Hiss…
Song Wei’s words pierced through like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into Old Lady Lin’s heart.
“So, Old lady, you’re really not suited to raising children or being too close to them. For their sake, it’s better if you stay away from them.”
Everyone around widened their eyes.
Although Song Wei’s words seemed a bit harsh…
Upon closer thought, she wasn’t wrong!
“It really does seem like it. Isn’t Old lady Lin too partial to the eldest son’s family? Yet the closer someone is to her, the more unlucky they become. Both men in the eldest family were arrested. As for the second and fourth sons, their personalities are unpleasant, and they don’t seem likely to achieve much.”
“On the other hand, the third son’s family seems to be doing well. Even though Third Son Lin passed away, after leaving the Lin family and Old lady Lin, Lin Zhen joined the army and made something of himself. Even though he’s retired now, his life is thriving. And look at Heidan—he’s a clever boy.”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit eerie. Didn’t Old lady Lin used to claim that Hei Dan brought misfortune to his family? But look at him now, living perfectly fine with Lin Zhen. Meanwhile, her other sons and grandsons, the ones close to her, all ended up in trouble. Who’s the real bringer of bad luck here?”
Old lady Lin pointed at Song Wei, stammering in shock and anger, “You… you…!” her eyes rolled back, and she almost fainted.
At that moment, Dr. Ji suddenly stepped forward and gave Old lady Lin a few quick jabs with his fingers. She immediately regained consciousness and didn’t pass out.
“You haven’t been resting well these past few days. You mustn’t let your emotions fluctuate too much, or you’ll end up like old lady Niu.”
Old lady Niu had suffered a stroke and was now bedridden. The mere mention of her condition was enough to intimidate Old lady Lin. Fearing she might end up the same way, she hurriedly left before she lost control of her temper again.
Dr. Ji exchanged a look with Song Wei.
Song Wei smiled back at him.
“Sharp-tongued and trouble-stirring—marrying a woman like this would bring disaster to any family. She hasn’t even married in yet, and she’s already turning her future in-laws’ house upside down!”
Song Wei: …
Initially, she didn’t plan to argue with Third Granduncle, considering his advanced age. But now, why was he pushing his luck?
Lin Zhen, however, responded calmly and sincerely. “She’s going to marry me, and I like how she stirs things up.”
Pfft—
Song Wei couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Third Granduncle glared at her, his face twisted with anger. “You vixen! Look at what you’ve done to a decent man, turning him into this!”
Song Wei replied cheerfully, “Thank you for the compliment, Third Granduncle. Everyone says vixens are beautiful and can ruin nations, but unfortunately, Lin Zhen is just an ordinary man, and I don’t have the skills to ruin a country. That said, I do look quite good, don’t I?”
“You… you’re trying to drive me to my grave!”
Lin Zhen added calmly, “Since Dr. Ji is here, why not have him check your pulse?”
Dr. Ji, catching on quickly, grabbed Third Granduncle’s wrist and said, “At your age, you really shouldn’t get so worked up. You need to worry less for the sake of your health.”
Third Granduncle stomped his cane angrily. “Worry less? Look at all these people—how can I not worry? If I don’t, who will?”
Song Wei rolled her eyes.
Lin Zhen spoke firmly, “Do you have any other business, Third Granduncle? If not, you’re delaying me from going to work.”
Third Granduncle, enraged by Lin Zhen’s indifference, left muttering curses under his breath.
It happened to be lunchtime, and everyone had brought their meals. Lin Zhen and Song Wei invited Dr. Ji to join them.
“Why are you here today?”
Dr. Ji explained, “Someone got injured with a hoe, so I came to take a look.”
These days, he didn’t do much besides helping people in Ping’an Brigade with medical needs.
During winter, there were more illnesses, and during busy farming seasons, there were more injuries—whether from overexertion, accidents with tools, or back and leg pains.
Dr. Ji carried a medical kit with him, always ready to assist whenever something happened.
Just then, a few gossip-loving villagers approached Song Wei and began whispering, “Song Zhiqing, you’re quite bold to speak out against Third Granduncle Lin like that.”
Song Wei raised an eyebrow. “Why? Is he untouchable?”
The villagers chuckled softly. “Well, he’s old, so if he really got angry and something happened to him, wouldn’t it come back on us?”
Song Wei thought for a moment. “True. But he’s lived a life of farming, so he’s pretty sturdy. Otherwise, how could he still be wandering around meddling in everyone’s business?”
“You’re new, so you might not know—Third Granduncle Lin loves meddling. Being the eldest in the family, no one dares to oppose him.”
Song Wei turned and saw a familiar face—Aunt Ma’s neighbor, Yang Huniu, who had once held down her husband and beaten him.
Yang Huniu scoffed. “It’s better now, at least. He doesn’t go out as much as he used to. Back then, if there was any conflict in a household, he’d butt in and make it worse. He always took the elders’ side, leaving others feeling wronged while he thought he was doing good.”
“When I first got married, my husband acted up, so I gave him a beating. The whole brigade knew by the next day. My in-laws didn’t even say much about it, but this Third Granduncle came to my house, lecturing me about how women should stay in their place and that it was inappropriate to hit my husband. Listening to his nonsense gave me a headache.”
“If he weren’t so old, I might’ve beaten him too.”
Song Wei nodded in agreement.
Seeing her interest, Yang Huniu continued, “Let me tell you, Third Granduncle doesn’t just meddle in others’ business. He’s even worse with his own family.”
Song Wei perked up. “Tell me more.”
“Third Granduncle has two sons and two daughters. He personally arranged all their marriages. His eldest son already had someone he liked, but the old man wouldn’t allow it. All because a widow had once done him a favor, he forced his son to break up with the girl and marry the widow instead.”
Song Wei gasped. “Did his son agree to that?”
“Of course not at first. But the old man got sick from anger, claiming his son had upset him and calling him unfilial. In the end, he pressured his son into marrying the widow. He kept preaching about gratitude and repaying kindness—makes you sick, doesn’t it? Being born into that family is pure bad luck.”
Song Wei nodded. “No kidding!”
“If he wanted to repay her, why didn’t he marry the widow himself? Using his son to repay a debt—unbelievable.”
Yang Huniu nodded vigorously.
“And his second son wasn’t spared either. The couple had a decent relationship, but they couldn’t stand having such a controlling elder in the house. When their first son was born, the old man took him away and gave him to his own brother, who couldn’t have children.”
“What?” Song Wei’s eyes widened. “This old man is unbelievable!”
“And his eldest daughter? He married her off to a widower with several kids, all because the widower was related to his sister-in-law, who begged him for help. So, he sent his own daughter to suffer instead.”
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