Old lady Lin’s expression turned vicious as she shouted back,
“Why? Because his father is my son, and he’s my grandson! I’m his grandmother, and I’ll do whatever I please! Are you, as a daughter-in-law, trying to tell me what to do? Hah! You’ve given birth to three kids, and don’t you dote on that youngest boy? You’re no better than me, and yet you think you can lecture me!”
She spat on the ground and continued venomously,
“You’re a shameless troublemaker! You’ve already caused Lao’er to want to separate from me and break up the family. I’ll make sure he divorces you!”
Hearing the word “divorce,” Lin Lao’er’s wife turned pale.
Although the country now permitted divorces, few women dared to pursue them, especially in rural areas. With outdated, feudal mindsets still pervasive, divorce was seen as a disgrace. A divorced woman would bring shame not just upon herself but also upon her family, often finding herself unwelcome back at her parents’ home.
Lin Lao’er’s wife’s fear showed in her trembling voice as she argued,
“I’ve borne three children for Lin Dahu! Why should I be divorced?”
Old lady Lin sneered,
“Two of them are worthless girls, and you dare brag about that?”
On the loft, the spectators shook their heads at the scene below.
Song Wei casually cracked a melon seed and remarked,
“This old lady Lin is the real troublemaker. With her around, this family is bound to fall apart.”
The older women on the loft nodded in agreement.
“Old age usually softens people, but old lady Lin hasn’t mellowed a bit. Her face just screams mean-spiritedness, and her actions back it up.”
As the commotion in the yard grew, more members of the Lin family began trickling in.
Lin Laotou, the patriarch, glanced at the chaos but, as always, did nothing. He simply retreated to his room, pretending none of it concerned him.
Old lady Lin’s youngest son and his family pretended to mediate but were clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Deng Chunhua, however, seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, still holding a grudge for being struck earlier. With old lady Lin backing her, she physically attacked Lin Lao’er’s wife, escalating the situation further.
Screams and curses filled the yard as Lin Xiaocao was inevitably dragged into the fray. Seeing his sister and mother being attacked, Lin Youcai roared in anger and joined the melee.
Lin Youfu, unwilling to be left out, jumped in to fight Lin Youcai. Soon after, someone accidentally knocked into old lady Lin, and she too joined the fight.
In the end, everyone in the Lin family, except for Lin Laotou, was involved in a full-blown brawl.
On the loft, the spectators watched in stunned amazement.
“Did old lady Lin just get trampled?” someone asked, barely suppressing laughter.
“Serves her right! She started this whole mess and couldn’t escape when it spiraled out of control. When people get into a heated fight, who cares about her?”
Sure enough, old lady Lin bore the brunt of the chaos. Trampled underfoot, she nearly fainted from the pain, her cries for help drowned out by the yelling and screaming around her.
Song Wei abandoned her melon seeds, leaning over the loft railing to watch the drama unfold with unblinking intensity.
The Lin family’s chaos quickly became the talk of the village, drawing a crowd. People gathered outside the Lin household, craning their necks to see the action but making no move to intervene.
Even children perched on the walls, cheering and jeering at the spectacle.
Finally, the village head—who had already dealt with one family drama that day—arrived alongside a breathless village doctor. His face was dark, and his exhaustion was evident.
“Do they think I don’t deserve a break?” he muttered.
He barked orders:
“Get a few strong men to separate them!”
His authority was enough to mobilize some young men and sturdy women, who waded into the chaos to forcibly pull the combatants apart.
Old lady Lin lay sprawled on the ground, alternating between groaning and cursing. The village head ignored her entirely.
Meanwhile, Lin Lao’er arrived with the village doctor, who knelt to examine old lady Lin.
After a few minutes, the doctor announced grimly,
“Her tailbone may be fractured, and her foot, which was already injured, has been dislocated again. She’s also likely bruised all over. The bruises can be treated with ointment, but the tailbone needs to be examined at the county hospital.”
At the mention of a hospital, the Lin family collectively tensed.
“How much will it cost?” someone asked nervously.
The doctor, used to this reaction, sighed.
“We won’t know until she’s examined.”
Deng Chunhua protested,
“You’re a doctor, aren’t you? Can’t you treat her here? Why send her so far? She’s already in pain; don’t make it worse.”
But old lady Lin, fearing she might lose her authority if she didn’t recover properly, insisted:
“I’m going to the county hospital! I have to get better!”
Her demand that all her sons contribute to the medical expenses caused an uproar among the daughters-in-law.
“We don’t have any money!” one shouted.
“All the household funds are with you, Mother.”
Deng Chunhua added bluntly,
“Don’t look at me. If you want money, ask your sons.”
Lin Lao’er also chimed in,
“We don’t have any money, Mother.”
Enraged, old lady Lin screamed,
“I don’t care! You must pay! If you don’t, I’ll die right here and let everyone know what unfilial brats you are!”
But her tantrum backfired when Lin Lao’er’s wife snapped, her voice sharp with resentment:
“Mother! You’ve hoarded all the family money and even kept the allowance Lin Zhen sent back every month! You’ve never spent a penny on this family, and now you expect us to pay for your treatment?”
Her words stunned the onlookers. While many had suspected old lady Lin of hoarding money, this was the first time it had been openly confirmed.
The crowd erupted into whispers.
“That old woman is heartless! She took every penny of Lin Zhen’s money, didn’t spend a cent on Heidan, and still abused the poor kid!”
“She’s a monster. Heidan is her own grandson, but she treats him worse than an animal.”
“Poor Heidan… What a miserable life.”
On the loft, the spectators sighed in unison, their sympathy firmly with Heidan.
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