The courtyard was eerily quiet.
The main room was dark; Old Man Lin and Old Mrs. Lin had taken Lin Xiaohua to the town to visit their younger son who was studying, and they hadn’t returned yet. The east wing was also dark; Lin Guozhong’s family had gone to his father-in-law’s house and said they would stay for a few days.
Lin Guozhu stood in the courtyard, dazed for a moment, always feeling that the courtyard was unusually quiet today. But he didn’t think too much about it and walked towards his own room.
As he passed the woodshed, his footsteps paused.
Inside the woodshed, it was pitch black, and he couldn’t see anything. He opened his mouth, wanting to call out, but then closed it again.
Forget it.
He lowered his head and entered his own room.
In the woodshed, Lin Yulong, hearing the footsteps outside, suddenly sat up.
“It’s Father coming back!”
He was covered in injuries, limping as he tried to rush out: “I’m going to tell on her! Let Father know what kind of vicious, evil woman he married!”
Lin Qianqian grabbed him tightly.
“Don’t be impulsive.”
“Sis!” Lin Yulong was so anxious his eyes turned red, “He’s my father! He has to take care of us!”
Lin Qianqian pushed him back onto the straw mat, her voice lowered: “Father’s temperament, did you just get to know him today?”
Lin Yulong froze.
“Even if he knows, what can he do?” Lin Qianqian looked at him, “Go argue with Ding? Fight? Or divorce her?”
Lin Yulong didn’t speak.
“He won’t do it.” Lin Qianqian said, “In the end, it’ll be the same as before—Ding will continue to beat and scold us, and he’ll continue to turn a blind eye. Maybe Ding will even become more severe, resenting us for telling on her and hitting us harder.”
Lin Yulong’s shoulders slumped.
He knew his older sister was right.
That father had never cared for them.
When their mother had just died, before Ding had entered the household, Father would still hold him and once bought him a piece of candy.
Later, when Ding brought Lin Yuanyuan, Father grew more and more distant, so distant that now, even when he saw them being beaten, he could turn his head and walk away.
“Sis, then what should we do?” Lin Yulong’s voice trembled, “Before, beating and scolding us, not giving us food to eat was one thing… but today she almost took your life! I can’t swallow this anger!”
He clenched his fists, his whole body shaking.
Lin Qianqian looked at this nine-year-old child before her—skin and bones, his face bruised blue and purple, his arms covered in pinch marks, yet still red-eyed, saying he wanted to stand up for her.
Her heart softened a little.
The original owner’s younger brother was not loved in vain.
“Sis knows A’long is wronged.” She reached out and patted his head, “But this matter needs careful planning. Even if we tell him, what then? Do you think Father can take care of us? He won’t.”
Lin Yulong looked up, doubt in his eyes.
He was afraid his older sister would be like before—shrinking back after being bullied, enduring it, and acting as if nothing happened.
He knew his older sister had a soft nature.
Lin Qianqian could guess what he was thinking.
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice: “A’long, let’s separate and live on our own.”
Lin Yulong was taken aback: “Separate from the family?”
“Yes.”
“Will Father agree?” Lin Yulong instinctively asked.
Lin Qianqian didn’t answer directly, instead asking him: “Does it matter whether Father agrees or not?”
Lin Yulong thought for a moment and shook his head.
That father, whether he agreed or not, it was all the same.
“As long as Ding wants us to leave, that’s enough.” Lin Qianqian said.
“How could Aunt Ding possibly agree?” Lin Yulong grew anxious. “She’s been itching to boss us around! Washing clothes, cooking, feeding the chickens and pigs, digging for wild vegetables—we do it all, while her own daughter does nothing! Would she ever willingly let us go?”
“Then we’ll force her to have no choice but to agree.”
Lin Yulong was stunned.
“We stop doing the work. Who can survive on two bowls of watery porridge a day? If we’re hungry, we’ll make a fuss. With Aunt’s temperament, she’d never agree to feed idle mouths. When that time comes…”
Lin Yulong’s eyes lit up. “When that time comes, they’ll be eager to kick us out!”
Lin Qianqian nodded.
Lin Yulong excitedly grabbed her hand. “Sis! You’re so smart!”
But after his excitement subsided, he calmed down again, his small face filled with worry. “But Sis, if we split off and live on our own, where would we stay? What would we eat? The beginning will definitely be very tough…”
“Tough,” Lin Qianqian didn’t lie to him. “It will definitely be tougher than now. No house, no land, no food, nothing at all.”
She paused, looking at him. “But A’Long, your sister promises—it won’t be long before we can make a good life for ourselves.”
Lin Yulong looked at her.
The woodshed was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight shining through the window, illuminating his sister’s face. Her eyes were bright, different from before. In the past, her eyes were always hazy, as if covered in a layer of dust. Now, her eyes seemed to have a light lit within them.
“Sis, I’m not afraid,” Lin Yulong said. “No matter how tough it is, it can’t be worse than now. As long as I’m with you, that’s home for A’Long.”
Lin Qianqian reached out and pulled him into her arms.
The nine-year-old child was so thin he felt bony to the touch. But she held him as if holding the most precious thing in this world.
“Alright.”