Lin Xiaowei sat in a room so poor it was practically empty and quickly sorted out the disastrous family situation they had ended up in after transmigrating.
“To sum it up: Grandmother is in the terminal stage of favoritism syndrome, the First Branch is a family of bloodsuckers, and we’re the blood bags—the kind that are about to be taken apart and sold for parts.” Lin Xiaowei was concise.
“The main conflict at present: the old lady wants to sell Xiaowei for money to fund Lin Minghai’s journey to take the imperial examinations.” Lin Changsong’s expression was grave.
“Solution one: physically send them to the next life. Illegal. Pass.” Lin Minghao raised his hand.
“Solution two: run away tonight. We don’t have a single penny, so we’d probably starve to death. Pass,” Wang Ya added.
“So, solution three…” Lin Changsong’s gaze hardened. “We can only confront them head-on—and we have to do it with reason and evidence, until they’re left speechless!”
Just as the family was rubbing their fists and preparing several battle plans involving “staging an incident,” “playing the misery card,” and “dragging the First Branch into the mess,” Old Madam Liu’s highly penetrating voice and that of an unfamiliar woman came from outside the courtyard gate.
“They’re here!” The four exchanged a look that said, “Act according to plan.”
Old Madam Liu pushed open the courtyard gate and entered with a gaudily dressed, sharp-eyed old woman named Wu. Her face was piled high with ingratiating smiles.
“Madam Wu, don’t worry. That girl will definitely behave herself. I starved her for several days, so she certainly won’t have the strength to make trouble… Take her home and nurse her for two days, and she’ll definitely bring good luck to your young master as a bride for the wedding ritual!”
Madam Wu’s hoarse voice rang out. “Hmph. If she weren’t cheap and you weren’t in such a hurry to use the money, who would want this sickly little thing… All right, all right. Three taels of silver. I’ll take her away right now!”
The two women walked along talking, but Old Madam Liu’s voice suddenly cut off.
She smelled cured meat in the air. Then she saw that the lock on the kitchen was gone—and that the door to the room was ajar!
“Damn you all! We’ve been robbed!” Old Madam Liu shrieked and rushed into the kitchen like a whirlwind. A moment later, an even more miserable howl came from inside.
“My flour! My meat! Which heartless bastard did this? You used up every last bit of it!”
That meat had been saved to nourish her eldest grandson before he took the examinations!
With bloodshot eyes, she charged toward the Second Branch’s room. There, she came face-to-face with four pairs of eyes that were… exceptionally clear-headed, and even held a hint of eager anticipation—as if to say, “You’re finally back.”
Old Madam Liu froze. This wasn’t right. Weren’t they supposed to be on the verge of death from hunger?
Wang Ya launched the first attack. She burst into loud sobs, her voice even louder and more anguished than Liu’s.
“Mother! You’re finally back! If you hadn’t come back, we would have starved to death! We had no choice—we couldn’t stand the hunger anymore, so we smashed down the door and got something to eat! Mother, if you want to hit someone or scold someone, take it out on me. Don’t blame the children! Boohoo…”
Lin Xiaowei immediately rushed over and hugged Wang Ya’s leg, crying with such heartfelt emotion that it was almost convincing.
“Mother! Don’t blame yourself! If anyone’s to blame, blame our miserable fate for making us be born into the Lin family! Grandmother wants to sell me to get money for my eldest cousin’s examinations. Don’t we even deserve one full meal? Boohoo…”
Lin Minghao wrapped his arms around Wang Ya’s other leg and wailed dryly, “Hungry… Grandmother… I’ve been hungry for five days. I’ve even started seeing stars…”
Lin Changsong looked at Old Madam Liu and Madam Wu with profound anguish.
“Mother! Look at what you’ve driven the children to! I know you dote on Eldest Brother and value Minghai’s future, but Erya is your own granddaughter too! You want to sell her to serve as a bridal sacrifice just to scrape together travel expenses? Your heart is far too cruel! How is that any different from forcing us to our deaths?”
Old Madam Liu was completely bewildered by the barrage of sobbing and accusations. For a moment, she even forgot to lose her temper.
Madam Wu’s brows drew tightly together as she looked at the chaotic scene with disgust.
Just then, Xiao Liushi of the First Branch returned from wherever she had been idly gossiping. Lin Daya of the First Branch was following behind her, and both mother and daughter wore expressions of schadenfreude.
The neighbors had already been drawn over by the crying, and children were even hanging from the trees outside.
“Oh my, they really went five days without food?”
“Look at what hunger has done to those children…”
“Old Madam Liu is far too heartless. She’s actually capable of selling her own granddaughter.”
Only then did Old Madam Liu realize that the four people from the Second Branch had been far too eloquent today. She stamped her feet in fury.
“Bullshit! You little wretches stole food and still think you’re in the right! Madam Wu, don’t listen to their nonsense. Take the girl away, quickly!”
Madam Wu, however, hesitated. With this family making such a commotion, and the girl looking anything but docile, what if something happened after she bought her?
Seeing that the moment was ripe, Lin Xiaowei suddenly raised her head and looked toward Xiao Liushi and Lin Daya, who were standing off to the side as though the matter had nothing to do with them. What she said was shocking.
“Grandmother! If you really need money to send my eldest cousin to take the examinations, and you absolutely have to sell someone, then… then why don’t you sell Sister Daya?”
“Pfft—” Someone among the onlookers failed to hold back a laugh.
With an expression of “innocent ignorance,” Lin Xiaowei continued pouring out her words.
“Sister Daya is a year older than me! She was also born to my eldest aunt. She and my eldest cousin have the same parents, so their blood relationship is closer!
“Shouldn’t sacrificing herself for her own elder brother’s future be even more natural—and sound better when word gets out?
“‘The eldest son of the Lin family is taking the examinations, and his biological younger sister willingly sells herself to help her brother.’ How touching would that sound? Tutor at the private school would definitely praise my eldest cousin for having such deep sibling affection and say that the Lin family has a simple, honest family tradition!”
Xiao Liushi and Lin Daya’s faces went white in an instant!
Xiao Liushi screamed, “You little slut, what nonsense are you spouting?”
Lin Daya was so frightened that she retreated several steps.
Lin Xiaowei immediately hid behind Wang Ya and muttered quietly, “Did I say something wrong…? Obviously, selling your own daughter is more proper and justified… Unless my eldest cousin’s future is worth only a niece from another branch, but not his own younger sister?”
Those words were vicious beyond measure! They had directly placed the First Branch over a fire.
Old Madam Liu was dumbfounded too. She had never once considered selling the First Branch’s granddaughter!
As more and more people gathered, Lin Changsong raised his voice to address the watching villagers and clan elders.
“Fellow villagers and clan elders, you’ve all seen it! It’s not that we’re being unfilial—we truly can’t go on living like this!
“You can sell my daughter, but I demand fairness! Either sell Daya from the First Branch as well and raise twice the travel expenses, so it’s clear that Eldest Brother’s family has contributed more! Or don’t sell anyone! Our Second Branch starving to death would be a minor matter, but ruining the Lin family’s reputation for ‘fairness and benevolence’ and delaying Minghai’s future would be a major one!”
Good heavens! He had switched the concept outright, turning “opposing the sale of a granddaughter” into “demanding that the sale be carried out more fairly”!
Old Madam Liu trembled with rage, but for a moment she couldn’t find anything to say in rebuttal. If she admitted that she didn’t want to sell Daya, then she would be showing favoritism all the way up to her armpits! She was indeed biased, but she still cared about her reputation in front of outsiders. Yet if she admitted that selling Erya was wrong, then the entire plan would be ruined!
Madam Wu was staring in utter astonishment. This family… their methods were far too wild!
She had no desire to get dragged into a family ethics drama like this, so she hurriedly waved her hands.
“That’s enough, that’s enough! I haven’t even figured out who I’m supposed to be taking. I’m not buying her anymore! Settle your own family matters before you talk to me again!”
With that, she fled.
Madam Wu had originally thought that Lin Erya would be cheaper than the other girls, allowing her to pocket the difference as a middleman. But now that things had blown up like this, it would be difficult to smooth them over, so she decided to find someone else.
A blackish, yellow, shriveled girl like Lin Erya could be found everywhere outside.
Lin Xiaowei… seriously, where were your manners?!