“Sis, this clothes are so comfortable,” Lan Sinian said as he walked out from the inner room, touching his new outfit with delight.
“I’m glad you like it. I’ll make more for you in the future,” Lan Sisi said before turning back into the kitchen, patting her flushed face. What was she even thinking, she might as well focus on cooking.
The aroma of the mutton soup quickly spread through the air. Lan Sinian stood by the stove, practically drooling. Lan Sisi found it amusing and fished out a piece of meat from the pot, stuffing it into his mouth.
Lan Sinian felt his taste buds completely overtaken by the rich flavor of the mutton. Even with simple seasoning, there was no gamy smell at all, only a faint milky fragrance. The meat had been stewed until tender, so delicious he felt like he might swallow his tongue. After taking a sip of the soup, warmth spread through his entire body.
After a while longer, the soup had turned milky white, and the radish had fully absorbed the broth. With a final sprinkle of green scallions, the mutton soup was ready.
“Thank you for today,” Lan Sisi said to Lin Ruihai at the dining table.
“It’s nothing. Being able to protect you is my honor,” Lin Ruihai replied with a smile.
Lan Sisi inexplicably felt as though she had been teased, so she quickly picked up her bowl to hide her blushing face.
“When there’s time, I’ll put some broken glass on top of the courtyard wall,” Lin Ruihai said, his expression turning serious as he thought back to what had happened earlier. He did not dare imagine what might have happened if he had returned even a moment later and Lai Qiang had managed to climb in.
Lan Sisi nodded. She also felt lingering fear. Although she knew some self-defense and was stronger than an average woman, she still could not compare to a man.
After the meal, Lan Sinian took the initiative to handle the dishes. Lan Sisi went to the small plot behind the house to plant vegetables. Although she had produce from the farm, taking it out of nowhere would arouse suspicion. The small plot served as a good cover, and she had already taken out a few chickens from the farm to raise in the courtyard.
Lin Ruihai came to help as well. The two chatted casually, and the atmosphere was unusually harmonious.
At that moment, the courtyard gate was kicked open, and several people stormed in angrily.
“Lan Sisi! How can you be so vicious at such a young age? You don’t care about family at all. Your grandmother and Third Aunt only made a small mistake, and you had the police take them away. How could our Lan family produce someone as selfish as you?” The ones who came were Eldest Uncle Lan Jianshe, Eldest Aunt Fang Shi, Third Uncle Lan Aijun, and behind them stood Grandfather Lan Tianzhu.
Hearing the commotion, Lan Sisi came from the back and saw Lan Jianshe glaring angrily at Lan Sinian, who had just come out of the kitchen with wet hands. She stepped forward and shielded him. “Eldest Uncle, what are you doing? Bullying a child, is that impressive?”
Seeing her, Lan Jianshe reached out as if to grab her, but Lin Ruihai stepped in and blocked him.
Lin Ruihai moved both Lan Sisi and Lan Sinian behind him. “If there’s something to say, say it properly.”
“This has nothing to do with an outsider. This is our Lan family’s business,” Lan Aijun said with a frown.
“If you’re going to use force, then it concerns me,” Lin Ruihai said firmly, his sharp gaze making Lan Aijun unconsciously take a step back.
“This is all your doing! Go to the police station right now and say it was all a misunderstanding. Have them release your grandmother. She’s so old, how can she endure staying in a police station?” Lan Jianshe ordered arrogantly.
“Sisi, this matter really is your fault. We are family after all. What good does it do you to have them arrested? Everyone should take a step back. Tell the police to release your grandmother,” Lan Tianzhu said, smoking his pipe, appearing impartial.
“That’s right, Sisi, stop making trouble. Junsheng cannot have a grandmother who has been detained, it will ruin his future. And when you get married, won’t you still need your family to support you? If Junsheng does well, it benefits you too,” Fang Shi added.
“I’ll support my sister. She doesn’t need you,” Lan Sinian said. “I’ll work hard to become her support. No one will be allowed to bully her again!”
Lan Sisi gently patted his head. Looking at the people in front of her, she felt nothing but irony. When she and Sinian were bullied, when she was nearly sold to a thug, not a single one of them stood up. Now that she resisted, they all came out to accuse her.
Take a step back? The only one expected to step back was her. But this time, she refused.
“Why should I? When they sold me to Lai Qiang, why didn’t you tell them not to do it? Why didn’t you tell them to remember I am part of the Lan family? Why didn’t you tell them to treat me better? Grandfather, I call you Grandfather, but have you ever thought about what kind of life I would have if I really married Lai Qiang? Beaten once every three days, or three times a day? If I were beaten to death, what would happen to Sinian? I only resisted once for myself. How does that make me rebellious and selfish?”
Her words struck like slaps across Lan Tianzhu’s face. He suddenly thought of his honest and quiet second son. If he knew his children were treated like this by their so-called family, how heartbroken would he be? He took a drag from his pipe and sighed deeply.
“This time, your grandmother did go too far, but she is still your grandmother…”
“Yes. Precisely because she is my grandmother, not kicking her while she’s down is already my step back,” Lan Sisi said.
Lan Sinian stepped forward and held her hand.
For a moment, everyone fell silent. It was as if they suddenly realized that the once quiet and withdrawn girl had changed.
“But you didn’t actually marry him, did you? Your assumptions don’t count. You weren’t truly harmed. Stop talking nonsense. If your father were still alive, he would have chosen to save your grandmother,” Lan Jianshe said.
“If my father were alive, would he allow you to bully us like this? And who do you think I am? Do you think the police listen to me? Instead of shouting at me, why not go to the police station yourselves?” Lan Sisi said coldly. “If you come here again to make trouble, don’t blame me for calling the police. Then you can all go keep Grandmother and Third Aunt company. Wouldn’t that be perfect? A family should stay together.”
The coldness in her eyes was chilling. Lan Jianshe was stunned into silence.
“Enough. Let’s go,” Lan Tianzhu said, knocking his pipe and turning away.
“Dad, how can we just leave? Mother and Yu Juan are still inside,” Lan Aijun asked anxiously.
“Yes, Dad, if they’re sentenced, it’ll be too late,” Fang Shi added.
Their voices gradually faded as they left. Lan Jianshe glanced back at Lan Sisi before finally leaving.
“Are you alright?” Lin Ruihai asked, patting her shoulder.
“I’m fine. I stopped treating them as family long ago,” Lan Sisi said.
“Sis, you still have me,” Lan Sinian said seriously.
“I know. I’ll rely on you in the future, so you better work hard,” Lan Sisi said with a smile.
Lin Ruihai wanted to say something but hesitated. In truth, he could also take care of them.
The next day, Aunt Sun brought news. Lai Qiang was sentenced to three years for illegal trespassing and attempted assault. As for human trafficking, there was no concrete evidence, and both sides insisted it was a bride price, so Liu Guihua and Yu Shi were only detained for a week and fined one thousand yuan.
Hearing this, Lan Sisi was not disappointed. It was exactly what she expected.
At the Lan family house, Lan Jianshe and Fang Shi were relieved to hear it would not go on record. Lan Tianzhu, however, continued to sit silently, smoking his pipe.
When they heard about the fine, Fang Shi nudged Lan Jianshe.
“Dad, Junsheng’s schooling has already cost a lot. We don’t have much money left,” Lan Jianshe said reluctantly.
“We have even less. Mother kept all the money. And we never even saw a single coin from Lai Qiang’s five hundred,” Lan Aijun complained, holding Lan Guangming.
Lan Tianzhu tapped his pipe against the bed and said, “Enough. I’ll pay it.”
He then left, hands behind his back, his emotions unclear.
A week later, Liu Guihua returned, clutching her now-empty money box and wailing loudly, though that was another story.
Taking advantage of the holiday, Lan Sisi brought Lan Sinian and Lin Ruihai to see the new house she had bought in town. Lan Sinian loved the cherry tree in the courtyard and ran around it several times, his smile never fading.
“Sis, is this really our house? Can I live here in the future? When are we moving?”
“When you start middle school, we’ll move here,” Lan Sisi said. Before that, she still needed to make some new furniture.
“I…” Lin Ruihai hesitated, unable to speak. He had already stayed here for so long. Now that they were moving, would he follow them as well? That felt too shameless. But the thought of leaving this home made his heart restless.
“You can stay in the room next to Sinian. That one has good lighting, better than the countryside,” Lan Sisi said.
He suddenly looked up. Her smiling face filled his vision. The walls he had built around his heart because of past betrayal seemed to collapse in that moment. His heart softened in a way he had never experienced. He was not ignorant about relationships. He knew that he had fallen for this girl.
“Alright.”
That night, after Lan Sinian had fallen asleep, Lin Ruihai brought Lan Sisi into the courtyard. They sat facing each other on two stools.
“Sisi, I want to tell you about my family,” Lin Ruihai said in a low voice. “My parents did pass away, but I still have a second uncle, my father’s younger brother.”
At this point, his brows furrowed tightly, as if he did not want to recall those memories.
“My second uncle treated me very well. After my parents passed away, he took the initiative to care for me and helped me gradually come out of my grief. During that time, I truly regarded him as the person I trusted most. You have probably guessed that my family background is quite good. After my father passed away, he left behind a large inheritance, and I am his only son.”