After dinner, the dishes were cleared away, and each household was getting ready to rest. But the old man and old lady remained seated in the courtyard, unmoving.
“What’s the rush? Sit down—your father has something to say.”
Under the night sky, stars flickered faintly. The bright moonlight wasn’t enough to make out everyone’s expressions, but they all knew what this was about: the scene Lin Erxia had caused at noon—and the tension at dinner. There had to be an explanation.
Lin Yongshun rubbed his chin, then pulled Zhao Lanhua along and sat down first. Lin Erxia and her three siblings sat beside them, and soon the eldest and second branches of the family also took their seats.
The old man didn’t waste words. Getting straight to the point, he said, “You all know why I’ve called you here—it’s about Fifth Girl going to high school. Third son, what do you think?”
His low voice carried through the yard. Lin Yongshun lowered his head, thought briefly, then said, “Dad, you’ve always been far-sighted. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have let us siblings and the younger generation go to school. Some of us made it through, some didn’t—but our family’s life today is still thanks to your vision.”
His tone was sincere, nothing like his usual careless demeanor. And his words struck right at the old man’s heart. Who in the production team didn’t admire him? He had foresight—he’d raised two workers.
The eldest grandson worked as a driver for the county transport team. The youngest daughter had married into the county and worked at a cannery—she’d even secured the job before marriage, which was why she could marry someone from the county in the first place.
Lin Yongshun continued, “Fifth Girl isn’t reconciled. If she hadn’t passed the high school exam, that’d be one thing. Or if she didn’t want to study—like us three brothers—that’d be another.”
But she did want to study—and strongly at that. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a scene.
“Back when our family was dirt poor, we even borrowed money to let little sister attend high school. Otherwise, how could she have the life everyone envies now? Fifth Girl just wants to follow her aunt’s example—so she can have the ability to support the family in the future.”
Hearing her third son mention her youngest daughter, Madam Chen couldn’t hide the pride on her face—even if others couldn’t see it clearly. Her youngest daughter not only had a job, but was also pretty, well-married, and filial. Every time she came back, she made the whole village envious. Within miles, no one could compare to her daughter.
But for Fifth Girl to think she could follow in her aunt’s footsteps? That was a gap of worlds apart.
Lin Erxia looked toward her father in surprise. She hadn’t expected that her usually carefree father could say something so insightful. He had even hit the old couple’s soft spot and given her a solid justification.
Though, one thing he said was true—every time her aunt came back carrying big bags, dressed in neat synthetic clothes and shiny little leather shoes, Erxia would practically drool with envy.
Lin Yongshun had made his stance clear: he supported Lin Erxia going to high school.
Lin Dayong lit a hand-rolled cigarette and exhaled slowly, lost in thought.
Beside him, Madam Chen grew restless. The cost of high school was no small matter. The entire Pingyao County had only one high school, located in the county town, so village students typically had to board there.
On top of that, tuition and lodging for a semester cost ten yuan. It was all expense with no return—and worse, spent on a granddaughter who angered her. Just thinking about it made her heart ache.
“How about asking your aunt to look around in the county and see if there’s a suitable job for Fifth Girl? After all, going to high school is for getting a job anyway.”
“Grandma, that’s not right,” Lin Erxia immediately retorted. “Why could my aunt become a worker? Wasn’t it because she graduated from high school? Is middle school the same as high school?”
She wasn’t buying it at all. Her grandmother’s words were pure deception. How could a rural girl with only a middle school education get a job in the county? Those jobs had long been snatched up. This was clearly just a delaying tactic.
“Fifth Girl, your ambitions are sky-high—and you think you can compare to your aunt? Take a look at yourself! You’re skinny as a stick, and your grades barely scrape by. Forget your aunt—you’re nowhere near Zhuer either!” Madam Chen snapped angrily.
Lin Erxia wasn’t afraid. Her grandmother had always been like this.
“Grandma, I’m not trying to compare with my aunt. I just want to go to high school.”
“High school, high school! I think you’ve gone mad from studying! In what family is it not enough for a girl just to recognize a few characters? Only you insist on causing chaos!
“Look at this family—your second brother needs to get married, your second and third sisters need matches. Which of these doesn’t cost money? Are you going to stop them all from marrying just so you can study? Open your eyes and see—can you really bear that?”
Madam Chen was practically jumping with rage, her voice rising sharply.
Hearing her fury, Lin Erxia was about to respond, but Zhao Lanhua tugged her arm and stopped her.
On the other side, Sun Xiaoyun spoke up, “Fifth Girl, don’t blame your grandmother for speaking harshly. Our family may look prosperous in the village, but we know our own situation.
“Your grandmother worries so much about your brothers and sisters that she can’t sleep at night—her hair is turning white. After dealing with their matters, there’s still you all to think about. In this family, she does the hardest, most worrying work, yet still gets blamed. She just wants everyone to live well.”
Sun Xiaoyun truly deserved to be Madam Chen’s favorite daughter-in-law—she understood her perfectly. Her words moved Madam Chen to the brink of tears, as if all her years of hardship were about to spill out.
Lin Erxia sighed inwardly. Her eldest aunt was no simple person. With just a few words, she not only fully supported the old lady but also added another layer of moral pressure on her.
At the same time, she highlighted the old lady’s sacrifices over the years, deepening her favor toward her—and almost wiping away what her father had just said. It was a masterstroke of emotional manipulation.
If only her own mother had half her eldest aunt’s eloquence, she wouldn’t be so invisible in this family. Then again, her second aunt Du Tao was the same—she and her mother were practically invisible sisters.
No one in the courtyard spoke for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Zhao Lanhua looked full of regret. It was her own fault—she couldn’t earn many work points, and she had given birth to three daughters in a row, earning her mother-in-law’s dislike for over a decade.
Lin Zhuer sat quietly. This matter both concerned her—and didn’t.
It didn’t, because it was about Lin Erxia going to high school. But it did, because both of them had been admitted—yet only she was allowed to go. If she were in Erxia’s place, she wouldn’t accept it either.
She had asked her mother why both of them couldn’t go. Her mother had simply patted her head and told her not to worry about things that didn’t concern her.
Listening to her mother and grandmother, and recalling what Third Uncle had said earlier, she felt something wasn’t quite right.
Resting her chin on her hand, Lin Zhuer stared blankly, deep in thought.
If Lin Erxia were just a child, she might have been fooled. But her eldest aunt had said so much, yet never addressed the real issue—that both girls had passed, but only one was allowed to attend. That was the real nonsense.
But Lin Erxia wasn’t so easy to fool.
If they wouldn’t let her have her way—she really might just turn the Lin family upside down.