GD (QT) Chapter 12

Lin Zhaodi froze. Go home?

The two sisters moved at once—one supporting their elder sister, the other taking the niece into her arms.

“Eldest Sister, listen to Father. Let’s go home. We won’t be their oxen and horses anymore.”

Lin Zhaodi’s heart leapt with joy at first, but then she shook her head again and again. “Father, I know you mean well, but I can’t bring trouble to you.”

She felt a bit better now, and her thoughts drifted back to the sweets. She figured she must not have gone home in a long time, so Father and her sisters worried and spent a lot of money to buy candy and bring it over.

She was deeply moved. And because of that, she felt even more that she couldn’t go home.

She knew her natal family’s situation—so poor it rattled. Now that she had already married into the Sun family, how could she add to her father’s burden?

Old Madam Sun had been worried when she first heard Lin Yu wanted to take the person back. Hearing this, she immediately felt reassured.

Thinking again of the Lin family’s circumstances, Old Madam Sun plopped down on the ground. “Washing a few clothes counts as being an ox or a horse now? Your girl is really precious. If I’d known, my family wouldn’t have dared marry her in back then. Married in for three years and only gave birth to a money-losing thing. She cries with a funeral face all day long—she’s cried away all our luck.”

“You call that just a few clothes? More than a dozen people in your family, and my sister washes all of them. You’ve got the nerve to say that?” Lin Lai snapped angrily.

Old Madam Sun snorted. “Those are the rules in our family.”

Even good-tempered Lin Pan couldn’t help herself. “What family’s rules have a daughter-in-law washing clothes for the whole household? Even other people’s underwear from the upper rooms.”

Lin Yu didn’t want to waste words. Lin Zhaodi’s condition looked very bad—though she’d caught her breath, cold sweat kept breaking out on her forehead, her face deathly pale and weak.

“Zhaodi, come home with Father first. I’ll find a doctor to take a look at you. Health isn’t something to be careless with.”

Lin Zhaodi lowered her head. “Father, I’m fine. I just stood up too fast. There’s no need to spend that wasted money.”

“Did you hear that? Your daughter thinks you’re meddling,” Old Madam Sun cursed.

“Father, that’s not what I meant,” Lin Zhaodi said hurriedly. “I’m just afraid of causing you trouble.”

“Silly child. You’re my own flesh and blood—how could you be trouble?” Lin Yu soothed.

Lin Pan leaned close to her eldest sister and whispered, telling her everything—how Father had been making money lately, even receiving a reward from the county magistrate.

“Elder Sister, don’t be afraid. Father can support us,” Lin Lai added.

Lin Zhaodi had wanted to go home all along, only fearing she’d burden the family. Hearing her sister’s almost fantastical account, her resolve wavered.

“Come home with Father first. I’ll explain everything slowly later,” Lin Yu said.

Afraid his eldest daughter still wouldn’t agree, he added, “Even if you won’t think of yourself, think of Xiaohua. What two-year-old still can’t walk? She’s eating too poorly.”

Lin Zhaodi’s head was still spinning. Looking at her youngest daughter, crumbs all over her mouth from the snacks, she thought of how the child had never properly eaten since birth. At two years old, she wasn’t even as sturdy as other people’s one-year-olds.

If this continued, her daughter might not survive.

Lin Zhaodi clenched her teeth. “Father, I’ll go home with you.”

“Then let’s go now.” Lin Yu signaled Lin Pan to help her sister outside.

Old Madam Sun blocked the door. “Once she married in, she’s a member of the Sun family. Alive, she’s our person; dead, she’s our ghost. You can’t just take her away because you want to.”

“Old hag, get out of the way! If you hadn’t trampled on my sister, would she be worked to this state?” Lin Lai cursed.

Seeing Lin Lai pointing at her nose, Old Madam Sun flew into a rage. “You little slut with a mother who gave birth to you but didn’t raise you—how dare you curse me!”

“So what if I curse you? Block us again and I’ll hit you.” Lin Lai waved her fist.

Lin Zhaodi stared, dumbfounded, gripping her sister’s hand. “Pandi, what’s wrong with Third Sister?”

Last year when she returned home, both sisters had been timid. Now the third sister was pointing at her mother-in-law’s nose and cursing—Lin Zhaodi couldn’t believe it.

Lin Pan said instead, “Third Sister’s cursing is well deserved. Elder Sister, you’re just too good-tempered. That old woman bullies you because of it.”

Seeing Lin Yu about to take his daughter-in-law away, Old Madam Sun began shouting loudly, “Someone come quick! The Lin family is here to snatch someone away! Are you two deaf? Hurry and call them back!”

Sun Eldest Sister-in-law and Sun Third Sister-in-law, who had been hiding inside slacking off, ran out only after being named.

Soon the men of the Sun family were called back, blocking the doorway tight.

Sun Erniu came running back in a hurry. Seeing his own mother sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum, he immediately shot a disapproving look at his wife.

“Zhaodi, how did you make Mother angry again? Hurry and apologize to her.”

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes.

The plotline said Sun Erniu was a “good man” who didn’t beat his wife. So this was what counted as a good man? The bar was really that low.

“Are you blind? Your mother abuses my daughter every day. A perfectly good person married in here for just three years and look at her now. If I hadn’t come today, Zhaodi could’ve worked herself to death at home and no one would even know.”

Lin Yu shouted, his voice instantly overwhelming Old Madam Sun’s wailing.

“She married into your family, she wasn’t sold to you. Busy from morning till night without a single break—she even has to wash the underwear of the whole household, including the sister-in-law next door. Let me ask you: are the men of the Sun family missing arms or legs, or are you all dead? Otherwise why is my daughter the only one working?”

The villagers who gathered immediately understood what was going on.

Everyone knew Old Madam Sun treated her daughter-in-law harshly. They often heard her scolding at home. Now the daughter-in-law’s natal family had come knocking.

Only then did Sun Erniu realize his father-in-law was present. He stammered, unable to speak.

Old Madam Sun slapped her thigh. “What daughter-in-law doesn’t work? Everyone else can do it—only your precious girl can’t? What, is she more valuable than others?”

Lin Yu sneered. “This isn’t work. It’s abuse. Even penal labor isn’t this harsh.”

“Sun Erniu, you’ve seen Zhaodi’s condition. Today I’m taking her home to recuperate. Do you agree or not?”

Sun Erniu looked at his wife. Seeing her pale face and cold sweat, it was clear she wasn’t well.

He froze, thinking she’d been fine that morning—how had she become like this so quickly?

His father-in-law wanting to take her back for a few days seemed reasonable to him.

“I don’t agree! Once she married in, she’s our Sun family’s person. Why should you take her back? Who knows what you’ll do with her,” Old Madam Sun shouted.

“We paid bride price to marry her. Alive or dead, it’s our Sun family’s call.”

Sun Erniu immediately lowered his head, not daring to look at his wife or father-in-law.

Lin Yu’s expression turned cold. “Then we’ll divorce.”

“What?!”

The word “divorce” terrified Sun Erniu out of his wits. Lin Zhaodi was equally incredulous and hurriedly grabbed her father’s sleeve, shaking her head.

“Father, don’t say that out of anger. We already have a child—how can we divorce?” Sun Erniu said dully.

Seeing this, Old Madam Sun sneered. “You really dare say it. Fine—divorce then. If you’ve got the ability, return the bride price.”

Lin Yu didn’t want to waste time. He considered returning the bride price and taking his daughter away, to avoid entanglement with such a family.

But Lin Zhaodi refused, shaking her head again and again. “Father, I won’t divorce. I won’t divorce.”

If she divorced, what would she do? What about her daughter?

That only made Old Madam Sun more smug. She shouted loudly, “I don’t know if you love your daughter or are ruining her. Leave the Sun family and who would want you, you worn-out shoe? Return the bride price and Erniu can remarry easily. Who would want you, you jinx?”

Clutching her daughter, Lin Zhaodi grew even more afraid, nearly dropping to her knees.

The scene reached a stalemate.

Lin Yu’s face darkened. “I’m taking her away today no matter what. Since you don’t want a divorce, move aside.”

Sun Erniu instinctively stepped to the side.

Old Madam Sun immediately slapped him. “Don’t you dare move! Lin, I’m telling you—either you return the bride price, or don’t even think about taking her away.”

“Father, maybe you should all go back. It’s just washing clothes and cooking—I can do it,” Lin Zhaodi said, terrified at the word “divorce.”

“Father, I don’t want a divorce,” Lin Zhaodi cried.

“Fine. No divorce. Leave it to Father,” Lin Yu sighed.

He handed his daughter to Lin Pan and Lin Lai to watch over, then stepped forward.

“This is the bride price. From today on, my daughter owes your family nothing.”

Old Madam Sun hadn’t expected him to actually produce silver. Her eyes lit up as she grabbed the copper coins and stuffed them into her clothes.

Lin Yu sneered and turned toward Sun Erniu.

Before anyone could react, Lin Yu bound him in a few swift moves and hoisted him up into a tree.

“My perfectly good daughter married into your family, and you abused her. It’s because you, the man, are useless—can’t even take care of your wife and child.”

As he spoke, he picked up a branch and lashed out hard.

Sun Erniu’s howling cries spread, and only then did the onlookers realize what was happening.

“What are you doing?”

“Let my brother go!”

“Release my son!”

“Lin, stop right now, or we won’t be polite!”

Several Sun family men rushed forward to stop him. Lin Yu didn’t waste words—he bound them all and hung them in the trees too, beating them together.

A willow switch whistled through the air. Old Madam Sun tried to rush over but was pinned down by Lin Lai.

The young girl was surprisingly strong. Holding her down, she shouted, “You watch carefully—this is the end for bullying my sister!”

She even threatened the two daughters-in-law. “You dare make a move and I’ll beat you too.”

The two sisters-in-law retreated repeatedly. They didn’t dare.

Lin Yu continued his lesson. From old to young, not a single one escaped.

“You old man—rotten to the core. You indulged them in bullying my daughter. You deserve to be beaten.”

“You, the elder brother, failed to discipline your younger brother. You deserve to be beaten.”

“You, the younger brother, disrespected your sister-in-law. You deserve to be beaten.”

“And the one who deserves it most is you, Sun Erniu. Day after day you watched your wife being bullied and never said a word. You call yourself a man?”