Lin Zhao’s face instantly turned cold.
Outside the yard wall, Sun Erniu was unaware of the change in her expression and continued his relentless persuasion.
“Zhaodi, even if you won’t do it for yourself, think of the child. Xiaohua is a member of the Sun family. It’s not right for her to keep living with the Lins like this. It won’t sound good if word gets out.”
“Just come back with me. I promise I’ll be good to you from now on. I definitely won’t hit or scold you.”
Lin Zhao let out a cold laugh. “Go back with you to do what? Here, Xiaohua and I are well-fed and warm. We have eggs with every meal. Can we eat this well if we go back?”
Outside the wall, Sun Erniu’s face flushed a deep red. For a moment, he couldn’t even lift his head.
Lin Zhao continued, “Erniu, Xiaohua is your own biological daughter. Don’t you know exactly what kind of life she lived in the Sun house? Usually, she couldn’t even get a drop of rice water. If things had gone on like that, she would have starved to death.”
Sun Erniu muttered, “That wouldn’t happen. Mother said she’d definitely raise her well from now on.”
Lin Zhao’s tone became aggressive. “Then let me ask you: if we go back, will Xiaohua be allowed to sit at the table to eat? Will she get a share of the eggs on that table? Will she have new clothes in the winter?”
“This… she is a girl-child after all, my mother…” Sun Erniu knew the answer in his heart.
Lin Zhao sneered. “So, the answer is no. Sun Erniu, how old are you this year? Why is it ‘Mother said’ this and ‘Father said’ that every time you open your mouth? Are you a child who hasn’t been weaned yet?”
Sun Erniu was stunned.
In his memory, Lin Zhaodi had always been soft-tempered. Forget Old Lady Sun—even the other sisters-in-law could push her around. Similarly, behind closed doors, she had always been completely obedient to him. She had never shown such a foul temper before.
Mother was right, he thought. The Lins have money now, and Zhaodi has changed.
Sun Erniu said resentfully, “What kind of talk is that? I’m your man. How can you speak to me like that?”
“I’m telling the truth,” Lin Zhao snapped.
Sun Erniu’s face darkened. “Mother was right. Now that the Lin family is doing well, you look down on a man like me with no prospects. Zhaodi, do you really want a divorce?”
“Fine, if you want a divorce, give Xiaohua back to me. She is a daughter of the Sun family, not a member of your Lin family. You can’t take her away.”
Lin Zhao’s heart grew even colder.
Every step her father had predicted was correct, and that realization chilled her to the bone. She had originally hoped there might be some spark of husband-and-wife affection left between them; now she saw it was just her own delusion. Sun Erniu didn’t care about them at all.
Outside the wall, Sun Erniu saw her silence and thought he had gained the upper hand. He mentally praised his mother’s plan; this woman definitely couldn’t bear to part with her young daughter. As long as they had Xiaohua, Lin Zhaodi wouldn’t dare divorce. Sooner or later, she’d crawl back, and then his father-in-law would have to send gifts to their door just to beg them to be kinder to the pair.
Sun Erniu didn’t actually want a divorce, so he offered what he thought was an olive branch. “Zhaodi, I’ve already bowed my head and admitted I was wrong. Why can’t we just let this pass and live a harmonious life? It’s common for mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law to bicker; every household is like that. Why is it such a big deal to you? Are you really that heartless? Have you thought about what will happen to Xiaohua in the future?”
Lin Zhao gave a self-deprecating smile.
She had once thought Sun Erniu was just clumsy with words but kind-hearted—that he was ultimately good to her and their daughter. Now she knew better. Sun Erniu wasn’t clumsy with words at all; he was incredibly clever. He knew exactly where to stab her to cause the most pain.
“No!”
Once the word left Lin Zhao’s mouth, her heart actually felt settled. The worst that could happen by staying with the Lins was a bad reputation and her daughter struggling to marry later. But if they went back to the Suns, they would face hunger, cold, and abuse. Her daughter might not even survive to adulthood.
She had been so foolish before, constantly fearing divorce and ending up hurting her father’s heart. If her father stopped caring for her, Lin Zhao couldn’t imagine what kind of life she and her daughter would have.
Sun Erniu’s heart skipped a beat. “Zhaodi, are you really this heartless?”
Lin Zhao sneered. “Who is the heartless one? Who was it that could sleep soundly while watching Xiaohua and me live a life worse than death? Father was right—you’re a coward, a spineless, ball-less thing!”
The curse words left Sun Erniu too stunned to speak.
Lin Zhao decided to let it all out. “Since the day I married into the Sun family, I haven’t had a single full meal! My poor daughter hasn’t been wanted since the day she was born—weaned at six months, and at two years old she still couldn’t walk! Sun Erniu, are you blind or just stupid? Your daughter was right in front of you and you couldn’t see her!”
“If you want to be a filial son, go be one yourself. I’m not sticking around for it! If you’re so capable, bring me a letter of divorce. I’ll just take my daughter and remarry. Remarrying anyone would be better than being with you!”
“From the oldest to the youngest, there isn’t a single good person in your Sun family. You treat people like dirt. Now that I have my father backing me, don’t you dare show your face unless you fulfill his three conditions. I am not going back with you!”
Sun Erniu was dumbstruck. He finally realized his wife was no longer that submissive, obedient person.
In a fit of shame and anger, he growled, “Mother was right, you really do look down on me! If you want to remarry, fine—but give me back my daughter!”
“Bah! You have the nerve to mention your daughter? Xiaohua eats well and sleeps soundly at the Lin house. Does she go back to the Sun house to find her death?”
Sun Erniu roared, “Xiaohua is surnamed Sun! She is a daughter of the Sun family!”
Lin Zhao was startled by his anger, but when she saw him still hunched over outside the wall, afraid to stand up, she knew he was more terrified of attracting her father than anything else.
She wasn’t afraid anymore. She put her hands on her hips and shouted back, “You know she’s surnamed Sun? Then show me you have the ability to raise a daughter! If you can’t even feed her, you have a lot of nerve coming here to demand her!”
Sun Erniu snapped, “Even if we divorce, Xiaohua should stay with me!”
“Then go ask the magistrate! See if the court favors the Lin family or your Sun family!” Lin Zhao shouted even louder than him.
Sun Erniu instantly shut up. Everyone knew Lin Yu had just received an award from the Prefect. If it came down to a legal battle, the court would naturally side with the Lins.
His face turned beet red, unable to find a single rebuttal. Finally, he began to stammer, his voice taking on a sob. “Zhaodi, we’ve been husband and wife for three years. One night as a couple brings a hundred nights of gratitude. Are you really going to be this cruel?”
Lin Zhao snorted. “Is it I who am cruel, or you who are heartless? My daughter and I have finally found a few days of comfort, yet you want to drag us back to a life of misery.”
“I told you, Mother said from now on…” Sun Erniu tried to argue.
Lin Zhao cut him off directly. “I don’t believe it.”
“Sun Erniu, I’m telling you: if you still care for us, then do exactly as my father said. Otherwise, I’ll listen to my father and divorce you. Whether I stay with my family to raise my daughter or remarry, it’ll be better than being at the Sun house!”
Sun Erniu grew frantic. “Zhaodi, you can’t do this!”
Lin Zhao glanced at him. “I can.”
“Go back and think it over carefully. Do you want me and your daughter, or do you want that bullshit Sun family of yours?”
With that, she turned and walked away, not listening to another word of his explanation.
Once back in the house, Lin Zhao’s body was shaking. This was the first time since her marriage that she had spoken so loudly to her husband. She knew that by saying these things, if Sun Erniu didn’t yield, they would truly be divorced.
Lin Zhao didn’t regret it; she only felt a sense of relief. In the past, she had humbled herself and played the submissive wife, and Sun Erniu had only ever told her to “endure it.” But today, when she raised her voice and cursed him, he was the one who was afraid.
Kindness gets you bullied, Lin Zhao thought. I used to give the Sun family too much face.
…
While Sun Erniu returned empty-handed, terrified that Lin Zhao would truly divorce and remarry, Old Lady Sun saw him return alone and exploded in a fit of rage. She hit and cursed him: “You useless thing! If Lin Zhaodi wouldn’t come back, you should have at least brought that money-loser back first!”
Sun Erniu just hung his head. “Father-in-law was home. I didn’t dare.”
Old Lady Sun screamed, “You’re younger and stronger than him, what are you afraid of? You should have just burst in and grabbed the child! With the kid in our hands, we wouldn’t have to worry about Lin Zhaodi not returning!”
Sun Erniu felt a chill in his heart. When his father-in-law got angry, he could hang all the brothers up and whip them. His mother didn’t care about his life or death at all.
When Lin Yu learned of his eldest daughter’s actions, he let out a small laugh. At least she was finally “waking up” and wasn’t a total blockhead. If Lin Zhao had insisted on returning to the Sun family to live a miserable life, Lin Yu would have been fuming.
With his mood improved, Lin Yu’s research progressed faster.
Seeing him tinkering with things all day, the three daughters knew this was how their father earned rewards from the officials, so they didn’t dare disturb him.
Lin Yu took the initiative to call them over. “Watch and learn. It’s best if you can pick this up.”
After watching for a while, they were all confused. “Father, we should probably go do the laundry and cook.”
Lin Yu replied, “Anyone can do laundry and cook. But if you can learn a craft, you’ll have a way to make a living in the future.”
The three sisters looked at each other, thinking to themselves: What woman needs to earn a living?
Lin Zhao thought for a moment and asked tentatively, “Father, do you want one of my sisters to take a matrilocal husband to carry on the line?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
Lin Yu patiently explained his reasoning. “Think about it. If you have the ability to earn money and support a family, whether you stay home or marry out, having money in your pocket gives you confidence. Even your in-laws would have to respect you.”
This was simple and easy to understand.
Lin Pan added, “That’s true. There’s an auntie in our village who can do embroidery. She earns half a tael of silver a month. Now she doesn’t have to do any housework; she just does her embroidery every day.”
Lin Zhao couldn’t help but say, “With money in hand, no matter what kind of person you marry, life is a bit more free.”
The reason her life at the Sun house was so tragic was exactly because she didn’t have a single cent; she could only let the Suns mold her however they pleased.
Lin Yu smiled. “Exactly.”
“But how could we learn such things?” Lin Pan said hesitantly.
Lin Yu was very patient now. “If you don’t know, learn slowly. The skills I have will eventually be passed down to you.”
He thought to himself that it wasn’t easy for women to go out and work in this era, but having a skill would allow them to be “tougher” and have the means to survive.
As it turned out, after watching for a day, Lin Zhao and Lin Pan couldn’t keep it up. They simply couldn’t learn it; what Lin Yu taught seemed like something out of a fairy tale to them.
Lin Lai, however, managed to persevere. She was more flexible than her sisters and willing to put in the effort. Even when her fingers were rubbed raw, she didn’t complain. She applied medicine and continued learning the next day.
After a few days, Lin Lai became Lin Yu’s little assistant, helping him with small tasks.
Seeing this, Lin Yu decided to focus his teaching on his youngest daughter. As for the eldest and second daughters, since they truly had no talent for his crafts, he didn’t force them. Instead, he spent money to hire someone to teach them needlework.
Lin Zhao was very talented in this area. Lin Pan was slightly less so, but she picked it up quickly. Both of them regained the confidence they had lost.
Just as the Lin family’s life was getting better and better, Old Mother Lin started causing trouble again.
Maria Lian On CFRFGC Chapter 104