Chapter 198: Saving Her Daughter Late at Night
It would have been better if she hadn’t asked. The moment she did, the two younger children screwed up their faces and could no longer suppress their loud wailing.
“Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt came. They said Grandmother is sick and misses us, so they told us to go over.”
The more Xing’er spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. “When has Grandmother ever missed us? When Father passed away, they only cared about his money! They didn’t even leave us a single cooking pot!”
Back then, if Lin Sanniang hadn’t threatened to take her own life along with her three children, they likely wouldn’t have even been able to keep the house her husband and she had worked so hard to build.
Xing’er sobbed, “In recent years, whenever we went to wish them a Happy New Year, they wouldn’t even open the door, purely out of fear that we might eat a single bite of their food. These past two years, Grandmother’s health has declined, and she needs someone to carry away her waste and clean her up. They didn’t want to do it, so every few days they would claim Grandmother misses us. Not to mention Sister and me—even Brother Shu has gone over twice to empty her chamber pot!”
Brother Shu wasn’t even as tall as the handle of a commode! Because of this, Taoya didn’t let Xing’er or Brother Shu go; she went all by herself.
The joy Lin Sanniang had carried all the way home dissolved entirely into sorrow and fury upon hearing that her brother-in-law’s family had taken Taoya away again.
When she herself had been on the verge of death from illness, she had begged someone to summon Taoya’s grandmother, uncle, and aunt. A pity that Taoya and Xing’er went three times; the first two times, they were told the elders weren’t home, and they could only return after darkness fell. On their final attempt, they kept watch for a whole day and finally caught sight of them.
Yet the moment they opened the door and saw the two little beggars at the threshold, they slammed it shut immediately. They stated that since Taoya’s father was dead, they held zero relation to Taoya anymore.
Having swallowed that insult, Lin Sanniang never permitted Taoya and Xing’er to look for them again. Who would have thought that Lin Sanniang would survive, and the family’s days would grow better by the day? Not only did they not require anyone’s relief, but they could conversely repay Auntie Lin, Hehua, Yuxiang, and the others who had once assisted them.
Lin Sanniang hadn’t gone to demand justice from Taoya’s grandmother and uncle, yet she hadn’t expected them to come knocking at her door at this time instead.
Xing’er mentioned that when they went to fetch porridge at the city gates today, Sun Dade and Sun Zhang-shi had spotted them. Upon learning that Lin Sanniang hadn’t died from her severe cold and high fever, the two were highly surprised.
Taoya hadn’t wanted to say much. After fetching the porridge, she hurriedly brought Xing’er and Brother Shu straight home. Who knew that before long, Sun Dade and Sun Zhang-shi would track them down.
Xing’er wailed loudly, “Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt said we possess lowborn lives… to be able to survive even this. They said since we didn’t die, we must fulfill our filial duty and provide for Grandmother…”
Although Xing’er was quick-witted, she was ultimately just a child. She couldn’t bring herself to repeat the far viler words spoken by Sun Dade and Sun Zhang-shi. But from these few phrases alone, Lin Sanniang already knew exactly what manner of words would come out of her brother-in-law and his wife’s mouths, given their character.
She carefully hid the items she had obtained from Jian Xingxia. After exhorting Xing’er and Brother Shu to keep the door locked, she prepared to head to Taoya’s uncle’s house entirely alone.
With a swift rustle, Xing’er and Brother Shu vaulted up, each clutching one of Lin Sanniang’s legs.
“Mother, we want to go together with you!”
The two little ones had stayed home to guard the supplies and wait for their mother, just as Taoya had instructed. But the longer they waited, the more frantic their hearts became.
Xing’er was filled with immense regret. “I shouldn’t have let Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt drag Sister away!”
Brother Shu wailed loudly, “I want Sister, I want Sister…”
Lin Sanniang hardened her heart. She locked all the doors and windows of the house securely, and slipped a small blade into her tunic—it was a utility blade provided by the Owner, and she had wrapped one end with cloth scraps herself to serve as a makeshift dagger.
Without even carrying a lantern, the mother and her two children made their way toward Sun Dade’s house under the moonlight.
For Taoya’s family to own their own residence in the city meant their past days had been quite decent. Lin Sanniang had been considered a semi-respectable woman, which was why she could work as a laborer for wealthy households and know the stewards of various mansions. It was only after Taoya’s father met with an accidental demise that the family’s days gradually fell into difficulty.
The days of Taoya’s eldest uncle’s family had always been good. In the past when Taoya’s father was alive, the two households maintained a decent facade of harmony. The old matriarch lived with the eldest son, and the second son provided silver, rice, and grain monthly, keeping things passable on the surface.
But the moment Taoya’s father was gone, that family changed their faces completely. Not only did they plunder half a lifetime of savings from Lin Sanniang and her husband, but they also used filial piety as a pretext to cause difficulties for Taoya’s family at every turn, solely to drive them to their deaths so they could seize this residence.
Darkness had fallen, and while Sun Dade’s house had lights lit, the front gate stood wide open.
Arriving at the Sun residence, Lin Sanniang immediately witnessed a scene where Taoya was clawing at the main gate, attempting to sprint outward, while Sun Zhang-shi yanked her back by her hair. As she tugged, she cursed Taoya without the slightest restraint: “Bah! What manner of creature are you to compare yourself to my Baojin and Baoyin? Their hands are meant for studying, writing characters, playing the qin, and painting. Can they perform this filthy labor?”
“What’s wrong with having you carry away her waste and clean her up? You possess the exact fate for handling filth! A whole family of jinxes with harsh fates—you jinxed your own father to death, and now you’re jinxing your grandmother. If we don’t have you handle the filth, who should we call?”
“Besides, what is so good about returning to that destitute home of yours! It’s only because you’re older and can perform labor that we out of a good heart let you stay.” Sun Zhang-shi’s words were sharp and venomous to the extreme. “For performing this tiny bit of labor, our family provides you with food. If you follow that jinx of a mother who jinxed her husband, even if you went out to sell yourself, you wouldn’t manage to eat a single full meal!”
Lin Sanniang felt a surge of rage rush to her head. Stuffing Brother Shu into Xing’er’s arms, she charged forward and delivered a stinging slap directly across Sun Zhang-shi’s face.
“Do you still count as human! What manner of words are you speaking to my daughter!”
Suddenly struck by a fierce slap, Sun Zhang-shi raised her head. Seeing it was Lin Sanniang, she froze for a long time, unable to utter a word. It wasn’t that she feared Lin Sanniang; it was because Lin Sanniang had standardly always possessed a mild disposition—a soft piece of dough who wouldn’t utter a peep even when bullied to her face. To think she dared strike her today!
Sun Zhang-shi hopped on her feet and screamed toward the house, “Sun Dade! Someone is beating your wife! Someone is being beaten to death!”
Lin Sanniang’s tears fell in torrents. She carefully pinched Taoya’s hair bun, prying her hair out from Sun Zhang-shi’s grip. Sun Zhang-shi refused to loosen her hold, so in her frantic anxiety, Lin Sanniang directly yanked out her blade. “Let go!”
Sun Zhang-shi caught a fright, and only then did she loosen her grip, fleeing back into the courtyard.
Taoya turned and plunged into Lin Sanniang’s embrace, thoroughly startled and terrified, her entire body shivering. Lin Sanniang’s heart wrenched into a tight knot. She pulled Taoya up, inspecting her thoroughly; finding no other injuries, her suspended heart finally settled slightly.
“Don’t fear, don’t fear. Mother is here, Mother is right here,” Lin Sanniang coaxed her, gently patting Taoya’s back.
Feeling the warmth of her mother’s embrace, Taoya finally recovered her wits and immediately burst into tears.
Hearing the commotion, Sun Dade emerged with his children. Upon seeing it was Lin Sanniang, Sun Dade conversely let out a laugh.
“I wondered what manner of person had come to cause trouble at my door; turns out it’s my sister-in-law. A misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding.” Sun Dade cast a glance at Taoya, his gaze terrifyingly cold. “Sister-in-law, it’s not that I want to find fault, but Taoya is no longer that young, yet she still understands rules so poorly.”
“Having her keep watch through the night for her grandmother and pour tea or water—what is wrong with that? She’s already such a large person, yet when given a few words of correction, she actually talks back and even wants to strike your eldest sister-in-law. See for yourself if this is proper!”
Huddled in Lin Sanniang’s embrace, Taoya heard these words and hurriedly broke free, wanting to defend herself. “I didn’t! It was Eldest Aunt who said… I, I wanted to go home, but Eldest Aunt blocked me and wouldn’t let me leave. She yanked my hair, and only then did I push her…”
Taoya felt absolute terror in her heart. On one hand, she feared Sun Dade and Sun Zhang-shi; on the other hand, she also feared disappointing Lin Sanniang. In the past, her mother always taught her to be sensible and polite, show filial piety to her elders, and never talk back to her seniors… Taoya stammered as she spoke, but she truly couldn’t bring herself to utter those words her aunt had spoken.
Just as Taoya was gripped by anxiety and fear, Lin Sanniang’s hand gently pressed against her back, pulling her back into her embrace.
“It’s fine. Don’t fear. Mother knows. You did exceptionally well.”
“The next time someone curses at you, you curse right back. If someone yanks your hair again, you bite them, you kick them… Rest assured and return it in full! With Mother here, if you don’t return it, Mother will return it for you.”
As Lin Sanniang spoke to Taoya, her eyes remained fixed on Sun Dade and Sun Zhang-shi.
Sun Zhang-shi inexplicably felt a trace of chill, shrinking her body slightly. How did this sister-in-law grow so unyielding after a bout of illness?
Cradled in Lin Sanniang’s embrace, Taoya froze as well. The words at the edge of her mouth ceased. She had pushed her aunt, yet her mother not only wasn’t angry, but conversely praised her for doing well.
Mother… seemed entirely different.
