That day, Lin Shu was consumed by sorrow.
The light in her eyes had completely dimmed.
“Ever since Tiantian’s death, Lin Shu has been devastated…”
It was as if her soul had been ripped away—she spent her days in a daze.
Because of this, she endured endless abuse from the Li family.
Especially the old Li matriarch, whose words were particularly venomous.
What did she say?
“That little girl shouldn’t have been born in the first place. Three years of life was enough for her.”
“Girls like her ought to be taken by the heavens early.”
“Who knows? Maybe she ran out on her own because she wanted to play.”
“She said she wanted to find you. I told her not to leave the house, but she insisted. What could I do?”
“Lin Shu, I don’t care how you feel. The housework still needs to be done—don’t think you can slack off because of this.”
These words from the old Li matriarch finally ignited Lin Shu’s rage.
For the first time, this gentle, obedient, and even somewhat timid woman fought back, screaming and clawing at her mother-in-law.
It was during this struggle that the old woman accidentally let slip the truth—that she had deliberately led Tiantian to the seaside that day.
But after the outburst, realizing she’d said too much, the old woman immediately clammed up.
She even claimed it was all just angry nonsense.
But Lin Shu remembered.
From then on, Lin Shu began seeking answers from the villagers.
When she noticed some hesitating or hiding the truth, she fell to her knees and begged.
Perhaps out of pity for Lin Shu’s unbearable grief, or because Tiantian’s death was too unjust—or maybe simply because the old Li woman was too despicable—
Eventually, Lin Shu pieced together the truth from the villagers’ accounts.
That day, during the typhoon, Lin Shu was out working, leaving only the old Li woman and Tiantian at home.
The old woman had lured Tiantian out—straight to the seaside.
Then, she pushed the little girl into the sea.
After that, she simply returned home.
Several people had witnessed the old woman taking Tiantian out, though they hadn’t realized her intentions at the time.
They’d been preoccupied with their own tasks and didn’t dwell on it.
As for the act itself, one villager had seen someone pushing something into the sea from afar.
But the heavy rain and distance obscured the details—he couldn’t make out what, or who, it was.
Only when the old lady Li passed by did he recognize her.
She had seemed flustered at the sight of him and hurried away.
At the time, he assumed she’d just been dumping trash into the ocean—a common enough sight.
“If I’d known she was pushing Tiantian into the sea, I would’ve rushed to save her immediately,” the villager lamented, filled with regret.
Had he realized then, perhaps Tiantian could have been saved.
But there are no “ifs” in life…
When Lin Shu learned the truth, she nearly lost her mind.
She never imagined her daughter hadn’t drowned because she’d wandered out to play.
She had been led out by her own grandmother—pushed into the sea and left to die.
Lin Shu knew that her in-laws, including her husband, disliked both her and Tiantian.
But she never imagined her mother-in-law could be so heartless—
Taking advantage of her absence to lure Tiantian out and push her into the sea to drown.
Lin Shu nearly lost her mind.
She rushed back to the Li household, grabbed a knife, and tried to kill the old woman.
“In the end, the villagers stopped her, but the police were called.”
“Later… old lady Li was arrested for intentional homicide, and the rest of the Li family were also taken in for questioning.”
“But the truth uncovered during the investigation was even more horrifying.”
Tiantian’s death wasn’t just the old woman’s idea.
It was also the doing of Li family’s eldest son—Tiantian’s own father.
That mother and son had resented Tiantian’s very existence.
Or rather, they had wished for both Lin Shu and the unborn child to die back then.
But not only was Tiantian born—Lin Shu survived, and worse (in their eyes), she could no longer bear children.
Yet, the Li family wanted a son to carry on their lineage.
Unless they divorced, or Lin Shu died, that was impossible.
Divorce was an option, but they didn’t want to lose the free labor Lin Shu provided—waiting on them hand and foot.
As for killing her outright, they didn’t quite dare.
Of course, it would’ve been perfect if Lin Shu had taken Tiantian and committed suicide.
So for three years, they tormented Lin Shu and Tiantian, hoping to drive them to that end.
But Tiantian’s presence gave Lin Shu the strength to endure.
So they realized—for Lin Shu to die, Tiantian had to die first.
And soon, the typhoon gave them the perfect opportunity.
That day, the eldest Li son deliberately called Lin Shu away.
Before leaving, he instructed his mother to take Tiantian to the shore and push her into the sea.
They could then claim the child had wandered out and drowned on her own.
With Tiantian gone, Lin Shu would lose all hope and waste away.
And in a way, their plan worked.
Tiantian was murdered.
But witnesses came forward, the police got involved, and under interrogation, the old woman and her son quickly cracked.
“Lin Shu never expected…”
“That besides her mother-in-law, her own husband also wanted Tiantian dead—and that it was his idea in the first place.”
Gu Jianing listened, her heart heavy. Even Xingxing and Yueyue had tears in their eyes.
“They say even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs, but that eldest son of the Li family is truly a beast,” Gu Jianing said.
“Exactly. The whole Li family is a den of monsters.”
Later, old lady Li and her son were sentenced.
But…
“After suffering blow after blow, Lin Shu lost her mind, ending up in the state you see now.”
After what the Li family had done, the villagers of Qianye couldn’t bear to leave Lin Shu there.
They helped her divorce and brought her back to Qianye Village.
Her parents’ old house still stood, and the villagers took turns feeding her—
Partly out of gratitude for her parents’ kindness, partly out of pity for her suffering.
“Actually, Lin Shu is quite stable most of the time. She’s gentle, wanders the village, and plays well with the children.”
“Except… she sometimes goes to the shore, searching for Tiantian.”
“Just now, it must’ve been because your daughter’s eyes look so much like Tiantian’s.”
“I’ve seen Tiantian—they really do resemble each other. That’s why Lin Shu reacted that way. Please… don’t blame her.” Auntie Zhao’s eyes held a plea for understanding.
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