After speaking, Lin Xiyue turned and left. Lu Yanqiu didn’t know what was going on inside, so he went to help Liu Ruyun chop firewood.
Lin Xiyue had grown fond of the Lu household’s atmosphere. Lu Ruyun was a good and even remarkable mother, and the three brothers were close and respectful to each other. While their temperaments varied, their values and conduct were upright, which was why Lin Xiyue was willing to temporarily stay there.
“Lin Yue, you little brat! Come out! We’re here to take you home!”
Just as Lin Xiyue stepped out, she heard shouting from the courtyard. She realized it was the original owner’s unscrupulous grandmother. If she hadn’t called “Lin Yue,” Lin Xiyue might have forgotten—the original name was Lin Yue, differing from hers by only one character.
The grandmother hadn’t come alone. She brought along the original owner’s young uncle, Lin Yougui, and her cousin, Lin Baozhu. Judging by their aggressive demeanor, they were clearly up to no good.
“Who are you? What are you doing at my house?” Lu Yanqiu asked, unfamiliar with them. Seeing their hostile looks, he immediately dropped his work and stepped forward.
“I’m Lin Yue’s grandmother, and these are her uncle and cousin. We’re here to take Lin Yue home,” the old woman said, her sharp, downward-slanting eyes betraying her bad intentions.
Lu Yanqiu didn’t think highly of Lin Xiyue’s family. After all, they had sold their granddaughter before—how good could they be?
“Xiaoyue is now part of our family. She’s not someone you can take away. Once you took the silver, she was no longer connected to you,” he said firmly.
The grandmother didn’t care.
“My granddaughter was meant to marry into your family, not be sold. Two taels of silver to buy her? That’s laughable. We’re here to take Lin Yue home for a short stay. Will you stop us?”
She wasn’t stupid—she wasn’t going to return the two taels. She just wanted to see if Lin Yue could really hunt. If so, she might consider keeping her; if not, maybe she could get a bit more silver from the Lu family.
“Xiaoyue is our daughter-in-law. Whether she goes back is up to her,” Liu Ruyun said. As she spoke, Lin Xiyue walked up.
“What are you here for? Not satisfied with selling your granddaughter once, so you want to try again?” Lin Xiyue mocked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. The grandmother had never taken her seriously before, seeing her as timid and submissive.
“Lin Yue, your uncle and I are here to take you home. Your parents and brother miss you, so we’ve come to bring you back for a few days,” Lin Old Lady said, hoping mentioning her parents would soften her.
Lin Xiyue was unmoved.
“If they miss me, they can come see me. Going home isn’t necessary. After all, I was sold; this is now my home,” she said, calm and distant, as if the Lin family’s threats were irrelevant.
Seeing Lin Yue refuse, the grandmother’s face twisted in anger.
“You brat! You don’t get to decide! If you dare refuse, your parents and brother won’t have an easy time!”
She thought threatening Lin Xiyue with her family would work, but the girl standing before her was no longer the obedient Lin Yue.
The original Lin Yue’s father was honest and filial; her mother soft and easily influenced. Her brother Lin Feng, though stubborn, was only fifteen and had no real authority in the household. They could not use them to control Lin Xiyue.
“You think I’m still the obedient Lin Yue you can bully?” Lin Xiyue stepped forward and kicked the old woman. The grandmother rolled across the ground twice before collapsing.
“Ahh—”
Lin Yougui cried out, and Lin Baozhu shouted “Grandma!” as they hurried to help her. The grandmother grimaced in pain.
“Lin Yue! You unfilial girl! You dare hit your own grandmother?” Lin Yougui was shocked. Lin Xiyue was no longer timid; she had the audacity to act against the elderly.
“Hmph! I don’t need to take exams, so I don’t fear being called unfilial. Dare to cause trouble? Don’t blame me for showing no mercy. Try to threaten my parents or brother, and I’ll make your whole Lin family pay!” Lin Xiyue declared, her tone commanding, no trace of her former timidity.
“You damned idiots! I’ll kill you! You sold my sister, and now you harass her? I’ll chop you all down!”
Suddenly, a figure ran toward the Lin elders, wielding a kitchen knife. Lin Xiyue immediately recognized him—Lin Feng, the original owner’s brother. Protective of his sister, he had come in a frenzy.
“Lin Feng! You’re crazy! I’m your uncle! Stop!” Lin Yougui shouted, instinctively dodging. If not for Lin Baozhu’s quick reaction, the knife would have struck the grandmother.
“I just want to kill you! You sold my sister! She’s finally settling down, and you come harass her? Die, all of you!” Lin Feng swung wildly, though Lu Yanqiu tried to intervene. Lin Xiyue stopped him.
“If someone dies, your brother will pay with his life,” Lu Yanqiu warned, seeing Lin Feng’s loyalty but fearing he would go too far.
“Wait,” Lin Xiyue said, observing his erratic but precise movements. The boy’s strikes were aimed at superficial wounds—at worst, they would cause minor cuts. She recognized his cleverness.
“Lin Feng, don’t be foolish,” Zhao Hongying and Lin Youcheng ran up, seeing their son swinging at the elders. Lin Xiyue noticed Lin Feng’s knife had already torn the grandmother’s clothes and drawn blood from Lin Yougui’s arm. She stepped forward and held him tight.
“Lin Feng, it’s okay. She’s fine. These scum aren’t worth your life,” Lin Xiyue said, hugging her somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar brother. Lin Feng finally dropped the knife.
“Sis, I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you. If they ever bully you again, I’ll fight them,” he said.
Lin Feng’s clothes were ill-fitting, shoes tattered, but seeing his sister well-dressed, he realized the Lu family treated her well. Perhaps staying here was better than returning to the Lin family, where he feared she might be sold again.
Lin Xiyue looked at his frail figure, feeling a pang in her chest. This is sibling love.
“She’s fine. They’re not worth your life,” Lin Xiyue reassured him, glancing at the grandmother, now lying helplessly.
Seeing the eldest son and his wife present, Lin Old Lady began to wail.
“You unfilial child! This is the son you raised, chasing his own grandmother with a knife?”
Lin Youcheng clenched his fists silently, while Zhao Hongying’s eyes welled with tears. She had endured oppression her whole life, but the outcome was her daughter being sold. Today, she finally stood up for her child.
“Mother, it’s not that we’re unfilial. You’ve gone too far! You sold my daughter once and now harass her again. Do you want to ruin our whole family?”
Zhao Hongying’s voice trembled with emotion. Lin Old Lady, unaccustomed to resistance from the eldest son’s family, saw that her authority crumbled.
“You’ve grown bold. If you have such power, move out and never take a single grain from our Lin household. Eldest son, if you still recognize me as your mother, divorce this woman, or you’ll never enter our home again!”
She looked at Lin Youcheng. Zhao Hongying watched him, curious whether he would obey. Lin Youcheng hesitated, then quietly said,
“Mother, this was wrong. Xiaoyue is my daughter. You shouldn’t…”
Though quiet, Lin Old Lady heard him. Unable to beat them or scold them, she left in frustration, leaving behind a final warning:
“Don’t ever step foot in the Lin household again!”
Once they were gone, Lin Youcheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. A lifetime of passivity had left him unable to protect his wife and daughter properly. Though he loved them, his soft nature prevented him from defending them fully.
“Xiaoyue, father is sorry. I failed to give you a good life and watched as your grandmother sold you. I…” Lin Youcheng’s eyes glistened with tears. It wasn’t lack of love, just weakness.
Lin Xiyue sighed. She couldn’t fault him; after all, these were experiences of the original owner. But she would not forgive on her behalf—the original Lin Yue was gone.