Yao had been hiding in her room, weeping silently. When she heard her youngest son rush in to testify for Lin Xiaoman and her brother, her heart leapt into her throat. She was terrified that in the old woman’s rage, Lin Goudan’s life might be forfeit.
But when she saw Lin Goudan emerge holding He’s memorial tablet, a new thought took root in Yao’s mind: instead of living in constant fear in this household, why not split the family? That way, she wouldn’t have to force her eldest son to marry the Chen girl.
If they could secure some assets, she and her husband could work hard, maybe get some help from their eldest daughter, and perhaps still afford to keep their eldest son in school.
Once he earned a scholarly title, she wouldn’t have to live in such dread anymore.
Steeling herself, Yao nudged her husband Lin Laoda, who had been sighing miserably by her side. “Husband, things have come to this. I don’t want Wenyao’s studies to burden his grandparents any longer. Let’s split the family! From now on, we’ll support Wenyao’s education ourselves.”
(Laoda= Eldest)
Lin Laoda hung his head dejectedly. “Will they even agree? Father and Mother won’t give us much.”
“Then we’ll take nothing! We have hands and feet. We won’t starve!”
“But what can we do?”
Their youngest daughter, Lin Chunxia, who was hiding behind Yao, began to sob softly. “Father, let’s split up. I’m scared Grandmother will kill Third Brother. Waaah… Chunxia wants Third Brother…”
Yao pulled her six-year-old daughter into her arms and looked at Lin Laoda, tears welling in her eyes. “Husband…”
Moved by his young daughter’s cries and seeing Yao’s resolve to split the family, Lin Laoda was deeply stirred.
His eldest son had always been the best scholar; even the academy’s master praised him, saying he was the most likely candidate in Qingping County to earn a scholarly title. If he married such a woman, he’d be mocked and pointed at for the rest of his life.
Only by splitting the family could they truly make their own decisions.
“Then we’ll split?”
“We must!”
Tears glistened in Yao’s eyes, but at that moment, her heart was unshakably firm.
In the courtyard, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu were holding He’s memorial tablet, weeping as if their hearts would break. Their mother had been beautiful and skilled at earning money. She had always been generous, toiling selflessly for the family without ever disrespecting her in-laws. Why had Old Lady Lin been so cruel?
Not only had she caused her death, but she had also shamelessly taken her dowry and abused her children. If not for Goudan’s habit of eavesdropping, they might never have learned the truth.
Lin Youwang and Lin Daqiang had been standing nearby for some time, and now it was their turn to step in and seek justice.
Lin Daqiang walked into the courtyard and asked Old Lady Lin grimly, “Lin Fangshi, do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Old Lady Lin’s jowls twitched uncontrollably, and sweat dripped from her temples—clear signs of a guilty conscience. Yet she still tried to brazen it out. “I didn’t! Second Son’s wife ran under the beam herself! I didn’t push her!”
Seeing her still lying, Lin Erhu was furious and moved to kick her, but Lin Daqiang grabbed his arm. “Erhu, she’s your grandmother! If you lay a hand on her, you’ll carry the stigma of being unfilial for the rest of your life.”
“I don’t care!”
Seeing that Lin Erhu wouldn’t listen, Lin Daqiang shoved him toward Lin Xiaoman. “Keep your brother in check. Don’t let him do anything foolish.”
Lin Xiaoman wrapped her arms tightly around Lin Erhu, but the hatred in her eyes as she looked at Old Lady Lin was unmistakable.
She, too, wished she could kill the old woman. But as Lin Daqiang had said, if they laid a hand on her, they would forever be branded as unfilial.
Why did people here have to be so shackled by that single word—filial piety? Even if they went to the authorities to seek justice against an elder, they would be deemed unfilial and face harsher penalties than the accused.
Over there, everyone was equal. Those who took a life would be punished by the law.
She was bitter, but she couldn’t let Lin Erhu ruin his reputation.
Since the laws here couldn’t seek justice for her mother, she would use the methods from over there to make the old hag confess herself.
“Erhu, let’s go home.”
“But Mother…”
“I’ll make her admit it.”
Lin Erhu stared blankly at his sister. Seeing the calm in her eyes, which seemed to conceal a brewing storm, he nodded. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Lin Xiaoman put her arm around Lin Erhu’s shoulder and was about to leave when Yao rushed out of the house and knelt before Lin Youwang and his son. Tears streaming down her face, she pleaded, “Please, Second Uncle and Clan Elder, help us split the family! Wenyao has studied hard for so many years. I don’t want him to abandon his education. Since Father and Mother no longer want to support Wenyao’s studies, my husband and I don’t wish to be a burden to them either. From now on, we’ll support his education ourselves. If Wenyao achieves scholarly success in the future, he will never forget the clan’s great kindness.”
Lin Wenyao was deeply moved. “Mother…”
Yao glanced at him, tears flowing even more freely.
Lin Goudan seized the moment to join in. “Second Grandpa, please help us split the family! If we stay here any longer, I don’t know when Grandmother might kill me, just like she killed Second Aunt!”
Lin Chunxia knelt behind them, sobbing. “I don’t want Third Brother to die! Second Grandpa, please save my Third Brother!”
“You… all of you… Oh, why is my life so hard? Every last one of you is rebelling! You’re trying to wrong this old woman to death!”
Old Lady Lin slapped her thigh and wailed. Accustomed to having the final say in the household, she had never imagined the day would come when her family would turn against her. These people were no longer afraid of her.
In that moment, she felt her world collapse. The children she had raised—every one of them had become estranged from her.
Her finger trembled as she pointed at the crowd. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward, hitting the ground hard.
For a moment, everyone inside and outside the courtyard was stunned by the sudden turn of events. “Did Old Lady Lin just die?”
“Can’t be… Could He’s spirit be coming for her?”
“Heh, a clear conscience fears no ghosts. I think she’s done so many terrible things that she scared herself to death.”
“Sigh, who knows what really happened? Let’s get her inside and see if a doctor should be called.”
After a moment of chaos, Lin Laoda and Lin Wenyao carried Old Lady Lin into the house. Lin Laotou sat outside by the door, smoking his pipe. No one knew what was going through his mind.
The village doctor, who had been watching the commotion outside the courtyard, was called in reluctantly. “Treating a venomous woman like this—who knows how much good karma it’ll cost me. It’s only my healer’s heart that makes me do it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even want to look at her.”
Sighing, he made his way inside.
He examined her, prescribed medicine, and charged five times his usual consultation fee.
Lin Daqiang sighed at Yao. “Given the old lady’s condition, splitting the family will have to wait. If she actually dies, Wenyao’s future career as an official will be plagued by criticism.”
Yao covered her face, sobbing. Now that the old woman had fainted, would their family split still happen?
After the onlookers dispersed, Yao, Lin Wenyao, and Lin Goudan stood in the courtyard, dazed.
Lin Erhu tugged at Lin Goudan’s sleeve and pulled him over to Lin Xiaoman.
Puzzled, Lin Goudan wiped his tears and asked, “Second Sister, Second Brother, what do you want?”
Lin Xiaoman took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. “Goudan, thank you for today. Don’t worry—your Second Brother and I won’t forget this.”
But Lin Goudan didn’t cheer up. Instead, he cried even harder. “Second Sister, that’s easy for you to say. You and Second Brother have already split off. The rest of us still have to live with Grandfather and Grandmother. Now that Grandmother holds a grudge against me, Mother, my older brother, and my sister are all going to suffer. Boohoo… My brother won’t get to study anymore… Boohoo… And he has to marry that Miss Chen, playing cuckold…”
Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu exchanged a helpless glance. This kid sure thought far ahead.