Lin Dani and Lin Chunlin caught the smell of meat wafting through the yard and dashed in like the wind.
Wang Erhua laughed and grabbed the two kids just as they nearly ran into the doorframe, closing the door behind them.
“Oh my gosh, it’s meat!” Lin Chunlin exclaimed when she spotted the shiny, glistening braised pork hocks on the table.
The next moment, Wang Daniu clamped her hand over her mouth.
“Quiet! We have to eat this secretly, don’t make a fuss!”
Wang Erhua chuckled and tickled Lin Chunlin’s nose. “This is from your sister Yinyin. Remember her kindness.”
“Mm-hmm!” Lin Chunlin nodded vigorously.
“Alright, this bowl is for you two to share. Half a bowl stays in the pot for your dad, and I’ll take a bowl to your grandma at my home.
Keep the door closed while you eat don’t let anyone see.”
“Got it, Mom!” the siblings chorused.
The two stared at the large bowl of braised hocks, grinning with delight.
Meanwhile, not far away at Old Man Lin’s house, the scene was very different.
The fire had been put out, but the yard was blackened, and the acrid smell of smoke lingered everywhere.
Old Man Lin sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), frowning so hard it could crush a mosquito.
Troubles had piled up in the household: his eldest son’s home had been robbed clean.
His nineteen-year-old grandson had assaulted a forty-year-old widow and insisted on marrying her.
And the eldest daughter-in-law outrageously climbed into the bed of the nineteen-year-old fool.
“What kind of nonsense is this!” Old Man Lin slammed the edge of the kang.
Old Lady Lin, wiping her tears, muttered to herself: could this really be karma?
If she had known Yinyin was such a “jinx,” she would never have let Lin Dayong marry her mother.
“Ahhh!!”
As another long sigh fell, a loud “thump thump” sounded at the door.
“Stop knocking! The door’s about to break!” Old Man Lin muttered impatiently as he went to open it.
The instant the door opened, he froze. “It’s you the jinx.”
Old Lady Lin, hearing the noise, came out and saw Lin Yinyin. She grabbed a fire poker and swung it at her. “I’ll beat you, you bringer of misfortune!”
Lin Yinyin ducked like an eel, twisting and sliding past, her feet moving fast toward the house.
She was nimble stepping over the threshold, she lifted her leg and slammed the door shut with a “clang.”
Old Man Lin and Old Lady Lin outside were dumbfounded.
This was their own house, and they’d been locked out!
Inside, Lin Yinyin saw the porridge pot, deftly scooped some phlegm, and stirred it into the porridge.
Then she grabbed a broken bowl, scooped some water, and pretended to drink it all.
The door opened, and Old Lady Lin pointed at her nose. “Get out of my house!”
“No!” Lin Yinyin said arrogantly. “You’re my grandparents. I’m hungry, so I get to eat!”
“You’ve gone mad! Who recognizes you as a jinx!”
Old Lady Lin stomped, furious. “You’re not related to us by blood get out!”
“Smack!” The crisp sound of a slap cut off her yelling.
Old Lady Lin clutched her face, stunned. She’d lived most of her life and had just been slapped by a little girl!
Lin Yinyin didn’t give her a chance to react. She spun and sprinted to the yard, then shouted at the top of her lungs in the center:
“You’re bullying me! Sticking needles in me, selling me to a fool, not even giving me a bowl of water! I’m cutting ties with you!”
She crouched, hitting her thighs and wailing, her voice pitiful:
“Wuuu… my dead parents, ancestors, watch how they abuse me!
You better come seek revenge in the dead of night! Make them trip and die, choke on water, choke on food, die on the toilet!”
“Crazy! Totally crazy!”
Old Man Lin, nearly boiling with rage, lifted his leg to kick her.
But before he could get close, Lin Yinyin flipped up, landed on her feet, and gave him two sharp punches.
“Smack! Smack!”
The blows made Old Man Lin’s head ring.
“You old coot, you’re no better!” Lin Yinyin spat and ran, her steps like the wind.
From the door opening to Lin Yinyin disappearing, it barely took five minutes.
Old Man Lin held his face, Old Lady Lin frozen in place, staring at the empty doorway in shock.
Lin Yinyin’s next target was Lin Xiulan, hiding at the brigade leader’s house.
Inside, it was quiet.
Lin Xiulan lay on the east room’s kang, nursing her injury. The brigade leader’s wife sat nearby. Lin Zhaodi, in her own room, quietly scolded Lin Xiulan for being shameless.
Suddenly, a faint crying sound came from the next yard.
“That’s Lin Yinyin’s voice!”
Lin Xiulan jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Her house had been robbed, she had no money for bride price, Lin Baogui was in the hospital, Lin Dayong only cared about his son, and Old Lady Lin refused to let her in. She had no choice but to come to the brigade leader’s house. This distant cousin had been overstaying her welcome.
Hearing Lin Yinyin’s voice, she forgot her pain and rushed out.
Just as she crossed the threshold, she ran straight into Lin Yinyin entering.
Lin Yinyin eyed Lin Xiulan’s swollen, pig-like face with satisfaction. “Ah, so this is the old hussy obsessed with a nineteen-year-old boy?”
“Ahhh! Lin Yinyin! You framed me! I’ll kill you!” Lin Xiulan shouted, rolling up her sleeves to attack.
Lin Yinyin sidestepped. “Big silly daughter-in-law, don’t get excited!”
Not at home with your little husband, and you come here?
Unhappy with your wedding night? Looking for a new flavor at the brigade leader’s house?”
“Ahhh!” Lin Xiulan trembled with rage. “I’ll tear your mouth apart, Lin Yinyin!”
Lin Yinyin remained calm.
She lightly pivoted, lifted her leg using the spin, and kicked Lin Xiulan’s knee joint precisely.
“Thud!” Lin Xiulan lost balance and fell hard on her backside.
Lin Zhaodi and the brigade leader’s wife rushed out, arms outstretched to block Lin Yinyin.
“Move!”
Lin Yinyin’s eyes sharpened. Before they could approach, she grabbed their wrists, twisted them slightly, and tripped them with her foot.
“Ouch!”
They fell backward with two loud thuds.
Lin Yinyin didn’t give them a chance to get up. She sprinted inside and slammed the door.
The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, all in a few seconds.
Outside, Lin Xiulan, Lin Zhaodi, and the brigade leader’s wife gawked at each other, dumbfounded.
Lin Yinyin’s agility was astonishing.
Inside, she went straight for the water jar in the corner.
She quickly poured in the phlegm, stirred it thoroughly with a ladle to mix it evenly.
When she opened the door, she saw the three furious women blocking it.
“Where’s the brigade leader? I need to see him!” Lin Yinyin said arrogantly.
Lin Zhaodi, holding her backside, met Lin Yinyin’s sharp gaze and hesitated. “My dad’s in a meeting next door.”
She thought Lin Yinyin wouldn’t dare enter the brigade office even in her madness.
“Oh, then I’ll go next door to settle this,” Lin Yinyin said, heading out.
“You’re not going!” Lin Xiulan, eyes red, tried to block her.
“Oh? Big silly daughter-in-law dares to stop me?”
“Stop you? I’ll beat you to death!” Lin Xiulan raised her hand.
“Such a mouthful of nonsense!”
“Smack! Smack!” Lin Yinyin slapped Lin Xiulan twice first. Then she leaned in and kicked her in the lower abdomen.
“Bang!”
Lin Xiulan lost balance and slammed her back against the door.
Lin Yinyin glanced at the water jar nearby, deciding to go easy this time.
She stepped over and pressed on Lin Xiulan’s hand.
“Ahhh! Lin Yinyin, I’m your stepmother!”
“Stepmother, my ass!”
Lin Yinyin looked down at her, condescending. “I’m your ancestor!”
Then she crouched and delivered two more solid punches.