Kicking the door open was only the first step.
Lin Yu picked up the hoe leaning in the corner of the wall.
“You—what do you think you’re doing!” Lin Da usually loved bullying his younger brother, but seeing him now, hoe in hand and radiating murderous intent, he didn’t dare take a single step forward.
Lin Yu let out a cold laugh. With one swing of the hoe, the square Eight Immortals table was split in two.
“Someone stop him, quickly!” Grandma Lin began to wail.
But Lin Yu looked like he would kill anyone—god or buddha—who got in his way. Who could possibly stop that? The neighbors were all so terrified they hid by their doorways to watch the excitement, none daring to step forward.
The Village Chief managed to shout a couple of times: “Lin Er, let’s talk this out properly.”
Lin Yu’s answer was to continue his rampage, sparing nothing that met his eyes.
The eldest sister-in-law tentatively tried to block the hoe, but to her horror, Lin Yu didn’t even blink as he swung it down.
Scared out of her wits, she scrambled away, no longer daring to use her body to protect the furniture. She could only watch as the house was systematically demolished.
The long benches, the altar table, the chairs, the cabinets—even the two bowls of cold vegetables offered on the altar were smashed into pieces on the floor.
The kitchen wasn’t spared either. The rice crock, the cooking pot, and the basins were all smashed to smithereens.
“Heaven help us! Lin Yu has gone mad! Neighbors, please lend a hand, don’t let him keep smashing things!”
No matter how loud Grandma Lin cried, no one dared to face the power of that hoe.
Lin Da even shrank his head behind his wife and mother, fearing the next swing of the hoe would land right on his own skull.
Smashing the main hall and kitchen wasn’t enough; Lin Yu went straight into the bedroom. He broke the cabinets and tore the cotton quilts to shreds, tossing them outside.
Seeing that no one could stop him, Grandma Lin collapsed to the floor, howling and crying, “Stop smashing! I won’t dare order your daughter around ever again, alright? Just stop, I beg of you as your mother!”
“Yes, yes, yes! From now on, we’ll stay far away from Pandi and Laidi. Second Brother, please, stop now!” Lin Da followed suit, shouting.
Lin Yu acted as if he were deaf and continued until there was absolutely nothing left to break.
“Regretting it now? Too late.”
Lin Yu laughed coldly and raised the hoe. With a sudden surge of strength, he snapped the handle in two.
With a loud thud, the pieces hit the ground. Lin Yu looked at the three of them coldly. “From this day forward, our two families are finished. If there is a next time, I won’t be smashing things—I’ll be smashing your three heads.”
Lin Da pointed a trembling finger at him: “You…”
Before he could finish, Lin Yu sent a kick flying. A piece of the hoe flew out and struck the dried-up well. The solid well wall actually collapsed with a thunderous rumble, completely burying the well the Lin family had used for decades.
The three members of the Lin family were like ducks being squeezed by the neck; they couldn’t make a sound.
Lin Yu looked around. No one dared to meet his gaze.
The neighbors all felt that Lin Er had truly gone insane—and madmen were capable of murder and arson.
Lin Yu snorted coldly. “Everyone remember this: this is what happens to anyone who bullies my daughter.”
“We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare!” Anyone he looked at waved their hands frantically, terrified of being targeted.
Only then did Lin Yu stop, taking his daughter by the hand to go home.
As soon as he left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to gossip fervently.
“Has Lin Er really lost his mind?”
“I think he was just bullied too hard. When an honest man loses his temper, that’s when it’s truly terrifying.”
“He just smashed it all—didn’t even spare the rice crock. So scary.”
“We should stay away from him in the future. He’s not someone to provoke.”
Lin Da’s face was pale with fright. “Village Chief, Second Brother is going to kill someone. You have to do something about him!”
The Village Chief, who had been used as a shield this whole time, finally lost his temper. He cursed: “Why didn’t you ask me to do something when you were plotting against him? This is your Lin family’s private business. I’m not getting involved!”
He was actually afraid that if Lin Er got worked up again, he’d charge into his house and start smashing things there, too.
Lin Da said with a bitter face, “He smashed my whole house! Is that just the end of it?”
“If you’re so capable, go settle the score with him yourself! Just now you didn’t even dare to let out a fart, and now you’re coming to me?” The Village Chief wasn’t about to indulge him.
Just then, an elderly man squeezed through the crowd, asking curiously, “What’s going on? What happened here?”
Those who recognized him had strange expressions. “Isn’t that Widower Qian? Why is he here?”
“After all that fuss, what Pandi said was true. Grandma Lin and the eldest sister-in-law were conspiring to sell their niece for money!”
“Old Man Qian already has one foot in the grave. What kind of grudge does he have with a child?”
“This man surnamed Qian even beats his wives. The previous one couldn’t take it and threw herself down a well.”
“No wonder Lin Er was so furious.”
Lin Da’s heart sank. If this continued, not only was the house ruined, but their reputation would be destroyed as well, affecting his two sons’ futures.
Thinking of his sons, he quickly chased the crowd away, grabbed Widower Qian, and slammed the door shut once they were inside.
Widower Qian was old and gaunt, and when he spoke, he revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth. “We agreed to hand over the person today. No matter what happened to your house, you have to let me take her away today.”
“Where is she? Where are you hiding her?”
Lin Da remained silent.
The eldest sister-in-law put on a fawning smile. “Big Brother Qian, give us a few more days. Look at this mess—Second Brother smashed our whole house just because of this marriage.”
“The girl was already here, and you could have taken her today, but he just took her back.”
“Bah! That’s your family’s problem!”
Widower Qian spat a glob of yellow phlegm right onto her face. “You’re the one who came to my door acting as the matchmaker, saying you’d marry your niece to me. You’ve already taken the matchmaking fee and the betrothal gift, so you have to give me the girl. Otherwise, we’ll go to the yamen and let the magistrate settle this.”
“Mother…” The eldest sister-in-law looked to Grandma Lin for help.
In the past, Grandma Lin could have settled this with a pat on her chest.
But who would have thought the second son would suddenly stop being obedient? Grandma Lin had no choice but to humble herself: “Wait a bit longer. Young girls have thin skin. I’ll go persuade her again later.”
“My second son listens to me most. He’s just having a momentary lapse in judgment. I’ll definitely send her to you later.”
“Forget it! I heard everything outside just now. The man wants to sever all ties with you!”
Widower Qian sneered. “Who do you think you are, making me wait? I’m putting it plainly today: either you bring the girl here for me to take, or you spit the money back out.”
Lin Da said in a heavy voice, “We have no money. Leave now, or don’t blame me for being impolite.”
He was fairly tall and looked quite fierce waving his fists.
But Widower Qian wasn’t afraid of him at all. “So you want to renege on the debt? Fine. I’ll go straight to the county yamen and ask my cousin, who is an official there, how this debt should be settled.”
“Don’t!” The eldest sister-in-law quickly stopped him. “We’ll pay! We’ll definitely pay back!”
“But you can see the state of our house. We can’t produce it all at once. Can you give us a few more days?”
Widower Qian glanced around and said indifferently, “Three days at most. If you don’t bring the money out, don’t blame me for turning heartless.”
Suddenly, Lin Da spoke up: “Would it work if we swapped the wife for a different one?”
Widower Qian glanced at him. “Only a virgin is worth this price. I wouldn’t even take this old thing of yours if you gave her to me for free.”
The eldest sister-in-law’s face flushed bright red from the humiliation.
“I think you’d better raise the money quickly and stop trying to shove trash into my house. I’m quite picky.”
Widower Qian walked straight out the door, and the crowd that had been lingering to watch the fun dispersed instantly.
Inside the house, the eldest sister-in-law shoved her husband. “What did you mean just now? Were you really thinking of selling me?”
Lin Da pushed her away impatiently. “What nonsense are you talking? Our sons, Guangzong and Yaozu, are going to take the imperial examinations in the future. How could I sell you?”
Grandma Lin glared at her daughter-in-law. “Then what did you mean? Looking at the way the second son acted, we can’t touch Pandi or Laidi anymore.”
“Second Brother’s daughters won’t work, but doesn’t your maiden family have two nieces? They’re about the same age.” Lin Da began plotting against his nieces-in-law.
The eldest sister-in-law shook her head repeatedly. “No, no. That man Qian is not only an old widower, but he also loves to beat people. My family would never agree.”
Lin Da spread his hands. “The money has already been spent by our sons. You tell me what to do then.”
Grandma Lin added, “What? If a girl surnamed Lin can be sold, why can’t one surnamed Wang? This is all for the sake of your own sons.”
…
After smashing everything in the Eldest Lin’s house, Lin Yu led his daughter back home.
Fearing she had been frightened, he comforted her in a low voice: “From now on, no one can bully you. Your father will protect you.”
Lin Pan, however, was no longer afraid.
While Lin Yu was inside smashing things, the young girl had been watching from outside. Not only was she not scared, but her eyes were sparkling.
Her cheeks were flushed—not from fear, but from excitement. “Dad, that felt so good just now.”
Sensing her mood, Lin Yu smiled. “The bully fears the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don’t value their lives. I want everyone in the village to know that for the sake of my daughter, I’m willing to risk my life.”
Lin Pan couldn’t help but laugh.
But as she laughed, her eyes began to sting.
In the past, when the Eldest Uncle’s family bullied them, her father and mother would only tell them to endure it, not to talk back to their elders, to speak less, and work more.
For the first time in her life, her father said he was willing to risk his life for her.
“Second Sister!”
Lin Lai was cooking at home. When she heard the commotion, she ran out and was startled by what she saw.
“Sister, what’s wrong? Why are your eyes red? Did Grandma bully you again?”
Lin Pan sniffled. “Dad smashed Eldest Uncle’s house.”
“Huh?” Lin Lai was dumbfounded.
Lin Yu coughed. “Take your sister inside and change her clothes. Laidi, check if A-Pan has any injuries on her body.”
Realizing something, Lin Lai hurriedly pulled her sister toward the house.
“Wait.” Lin Yu remembered something and pulled two silk flowers from his robe.
“I bought these at the market today. Take them and play.”
Lin Lai joyfully took the silk flowers and followed her sister inside. As soon as they entered, she couldn’t stop asking: “Second Sister, what on earth happened? Why are your clothes so dirty? Why did Dad smash Eldest Uncle’s house? Didn’t they say anything?”
Lin Pan didn’t want to worry her younger sister, but she was afraid she might fall for a similar trap in the future, so she told her everything in detail.
When she got to the part where Lin Yu showed his great power and no one dared to stop him, the girl’s voice was filled with excitement.
Lin Lai clapped her hands repeatedly. “Good! Smash them to pieces! Let’s see if they ever dare to bully our family again.”
Then she asked with concern, “Second Sister, are you okay? Were you scared?”
“I was very scared at first, but now I’m not,” Lin Pan said with a smile.
Lin Lai understood what she meant. It was because their father was there to protect them.
She busied herself helping her sister change clothes and re-comb her hair, pinning a silk flower onto her head. “My sister is so beautiful.”
Lin Pan pinned the other one on her younger sister. “My sister is beautiful too.”
The two sisters looked at each other and smiled. Although they had been frightened earlier, their hearts felt more secure than ever before.
Soon, the aroma of meat drifted in from outside. Lin Yu called out toward the room: “Are you two ready? Come out and eat once you’re done. We’re having meat for lunch!”
Maria Lian On CFRFGC Chapter 104