Just as Lin Ran was busy focusing on the outcome of the emergency rescue, she suddenly heard someone mention her third brother.
“By the way, didn’t I hear that others were swept away by the river? How are they? Have they all been found?”
“They should be fine. The others were just playing by the river, so when the embankment collapsed, they all managed to run ashore.”
“Oh, right, I heard the brigade leader’s third son got injured. Talk about bad luck for Lin Lao’san—skipping work to sneak out and catch fish only to run into this. Fortunately, he was rescued.”
“You can say that again! Let’s see if he dares to slack off after this!”
“…”
The group eventually drifted off-topic, everyone venting about how Lin Lao’san was always playing tricks and dodging work during the day. As victims who had once been assigned to the same task group as him, they all cried out that they had suffered eight lifetimes of bad luck!
Lin Ran’s heart skipped a beat. What? Third Brother is injured?
At this point, she couldn’t care less about anyone else. She squeezed through the crowd with all her might, rushing to the edge of the reservoir to search everywhere for Lin Lao’san. Finally, she spotted Shen Wenfang and Lin Lao’san behind the crowd.
As Lin Ran walked over quickly, Shen Wenfang was in the middle of a verbal onslaught directed at Lin Lao’san.
“Did this family starve you, or did we not give you enough to eat? To think you’d go as far as skipping work just to sneak into the river and catch fish!”
“You don’t even value your life for a bit of food?”
“If Youth Shi hadn’t happened to pass by and pull you up this time, you would have been waiting to be swept away by the rapids! I guarantee we wouldn’t even have found your corpse!”
Lin Lao’san argued guiltily, “Mom, when I caught fish and brought them home before, you didn’t say that. You were praising me up and down back then!”
“You…”
Rendered speechless, Shen Wenfang’s embarrassment turned into rage. She promptly delivered a slap to Lin Lao’san’s back.
“Shut your mouth! Who gave you permission to speak? We are talking about today! In any case, you better watch yourself from now on. You are not allowed to go into the river for fish ever again!”
Seeing her brother getting hit, Lin Ran spoke up at the right moment to show her concern. “Mom, is Third Brother okay?”
Seeing Lin Ran arrive, Shen Wenfang finally pulled back the hand she had been readying for another blow. “He’s fine. He just got a gash on his leg from something in the river.”
Lin Ran saw that it was indeed just a small wound, and the heart she had been holding in her throat finally settled.
Lin Lao’san also had a grin on his face. “It’s just a minor injury; it’ll be better in a couple of days. Don’t worry, Little Sister.”
Then, thinking of something, he added with a look of regret, “Little Sister, you have no idea—I had actually caught a huge grass carp. It must have been at least two jin. But then I was suddenly knocked over, so the fish got away. It’s such a shame; a grass carp that big would have been enough for a great meal.”
Lin Ran watched Lin Lao’san. He had put himself in this state all for the sake of a single fish. Moreover, if it hadn’t been for his good luck in being rescued, whether he would even be standing here now would be a question. Yet, even now, all he could think about was a fish.
To be honest, at this moment, Lin Ran felt an immense sense of heartache. She thought of the dense, crowded schools of fish in the lower reaches of her Space’s spiritual spring, the vast numbers of chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep, not to mention the mountains of gold, silver, and jewels piled in the storage room.
She was clearly wealthy enough to rival a nation, yet her family members were risking their lives for a single fish. How ridiculous!
No, she couldn’t take it anymore. Even if she risked being suspected by her parents, she had to bring out more money to improve the family’s conditions.
Coming back to her senses after making up her mind, Lin Ran heard Lin Lao’san still incessantly regretting the “big fat fish” that got away. She suddenly realized something.
Perhaps the family’s poverty wasn’t entirely to blame—could it be that Third Brother was simply a glutton? Otherwise, why didn’t she see her eldest or second brothers acting this way?
Lin Lao’san didn’t notice Lin Ran’s face getting darker and darker; he was still rambling on like Auntie Xianglin.
“Little Sister, do you think if I had thrown the fish onto the bank the moment I caught it, it wouldn’t have escaped?”
“Sigh, I shouldn’t have gotten carried away back then. I was too busy showing off. What a huge loss!”
“…”
Lin Ran had never agreed with the ancestors’ educational methods more than she did at this very moment.
And so…
“Mom, I think Third Brother doesn’t seem to have learned his lesson at all.”
“Little Sister?”
Lin Lao’san turned pale with fright and turned to run. Shen Wenfang, who had been itching to move but had held back because of her daughter’s presence, finally couldn’t restrain herself anymore.
She immediately unleashed a series of “Iron Sand Palms” and “Shadowless Kicks.”
“I told you this brat wouldn’t learn his lesson without a beating! All day long it’s either slacking off or eating! Eat, eat, eat—eat your head! See if I don’t beat you to death today! Let’s see if you dare do it again!”
Lin Lao’san scurried away with one limping leg, his head tucked between his arms, pleading for mercy incessantly.
“Mom, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong this time! At least leave me some dignity out here in public!”
“Mom! Mom! You hit the wrong spot! You hit my face—don’t hit the face!”
“I promise I’ll never dare to do it again! Stop your hand, quickly!”
“…”
Lin Ran nodded with satisfaction at the sight. Truly, “to spoil a child is to ruin a child.” She shouldn’t have softened her heart just now to bail out her third brother. Fortunately, she had reined herself in just in time.
Only when Shen Wenfang was tired did she finally stop.
Lin Lao’san lay on the ground groaning like a salted fish. He felt like his whole body was in pain from the beating; not a single spot felt right. When he saw that Lin Ran didn’t come over to help him up, but instead went to massage Shen Wenfang’s wrists, his anger flared up.
“Little Sister, you’ve done well today! Hmph, from now on, Third Brother is never getting you any more fabric scraps!”
Seeing him act like a rogue, Lin Ran could only massage her forehead in exasperation, though this actually suited her plans perfectly.
“It’s just as well that you don’t. It saves us from any more trouble.”
Lin Ran had read the history books and, combined with the original owner’s memories, she knew that private buying and selling were not allowed right now. Regardless of whether those fabric scraps were bought or traded for by Lin Lao’san, there was a certain amount of risk involved. It was for the best if he didn’t do it!
In any case, she didn’t lack such things!
Shen Wenfang also gave Lin Lao’san a glare and nodded in agreement. “Listen to your little sister. You really are a source of worry!”
At this point, Lin Lao’san completely gave up struggling and could only wail toward the sky by himself.
Suddenly, Lin Ran remembered something. “By the way, Mom, Third Brother, we really need to properly thank Youth Shi this time!”
Shen Wenfang nodded repeatedly. “You’re absolutely right. It’s all thanks to Youth Shi; otherwise, your third brother would have been in a bad way!”
Speaking of this, Lin Lao’san stopped playing dead. He scrambled up nimbly and announced, “From now on, Youth Shi is my own brother. With me looking out for him, I guarantee no one in the Tashan Brigade will dare to bully him!”
Shen Wenfang completely ignored Lin Lao’san’s big talk.
“We need to invite him to the house for a proper thank-you when the time is right.”
“Sigh, but it certainly can’t be today. We don’t have any decent food at home, and with the dam at the reservoir collapsed, your father and the others have to rush repairs. I imagine they won’t have a moment of peace for the next few days.”
“In a bit, let’s at least thank him in person. It really was all thanks to him!”
Lin Ran comforted her from the side. “No rush. We’ll just keep it in mind. I see Youth Shi is still helping to save Jinbao.”
Speaking of this, Shen Wenfang sighed again. “Jinbao is only nine. I hope he’s alright.”
Although the relationship between the two families wasn’t very good and Jinbao wasn’t a particularly likable child, they had watched him grow up after all, so they naturally didn’t want anything to happen to him.
“He’s awake! Jinbao is awake!”
Just then, an excited shout suddenly erupted from the crowd.