“Big Sister didn’t run away. She went to Uncle’s house to borrow money. She said she’d be back soon.”
Lin Tangtang was terrified, but she still refused to believe her eldest sister would abandon them.
The water dungeon was older than the ancestral house itself.
Rumor had it that an ancestor of the Lin family, who had once been an official during the feudal era, had built it.
It had originally been sealed off.
Later, during her great-grandfather’s generation, it was accidentally uncovered while digging a cellar and was subsequently used as one.
Because it had fallen into disrepair over the years, it eventually became the place where her grandmother raised ducks.
It also served another purpose.
Whenever any of the sisters disobeyed, their grandmother liked locking them inside.
After finishing her last handful of sunflower seeds, Granny Tan dusted off her hands.
“You can stay in there tonight. If your eldest sister doesn’t come back tomorrow, then get ready to be married off the day after.”
After delivering her threat, Granny Tan clasped her hands behind her back and walked away.
Hearing her footsteps fade into the distance, Lin Tangtang finally broke down and cried.
“Big Sister, please come back soon!”
“Little Bao has been sent away by Grandma, Third Sister is locked in the house… what am I supposed to do?”
Inside the house.
Old Man Lin took a puff from his pipe.
“That third girl is stubborn. Today she dared hit her aunt. Tomorrow she’ll dare hit the two of us old folks. She needs to learn a lesson.”
Beside him, Youngest Uncle Lin asked anxiously,
“Lin Qimo has been gone for three days. Will her rich uncle really lend her money?”
The matter had worried Granny Tan so much she could barely eat.
“He’ll probably give some. After all, the money you stole was public funds from the Pei family factory. If they investigate, you’ll end up in prison.”
Old Man Lin sighed.
“Fortunately, the children from the eldest branch are obedient. We told her it was debt left behind by her father before he died, and the eldest girl believed it. We’ll see whether she manages to borrow the money.”
Youngest Uncle Lin was as restless as an ant on a hot pan.
“No, Father. No matter how much money Lin Qimo brings back, we still have to send her to Young Master Pei. If Young Master Pei takes a liking to her, we’ll become relatives of the Pei family. A rich family like theirs could casually give us a factory, and we’d never spend all that money in our lifetime.”
He had long since planned to drug Lin Qimo and send her directly into Young Master Pei’s bed.
Once things were done, there would be no turning back.
Even if Young Master Pei refused to marry his niece, the information he possessed would still earn him considerable benefits.
He might even become a factory director.
The next day.
It was nearly noon when Lin Qimo finally returned to Shuanghe Village with Qin Wenying and Si Chongguang.
Their train had arrived at the county seat the previous night.
After resting at the station until dawn, they took transportation back toward the village.
However, the vehicle could only reach the riverside.
The remaining journey required over ten minutes of walking.
“Sister Ying, we’re almost there,” Lin Qimo said, leading the way.
Behind her followed Si Chongguang, carrying Qin Wenying on his back.
Qin Wenying had expected the village to be remote.
She had not expected it to be this remote.
The walk had rubbed blisters onto her feet.
Inwardly, she added another mark against Qin Wenqian’s name, but outwardly she smiled.
“The scenery here looks quite nice. I think I’ll stay for a while and cultivate my appreciation of nature.”
Lin Qimo didn’t try to persuade her otherwise.
She had already warned them several times during the journey.
But Qin Wenying had insisted on coming.
Since she seemed well-intentioned, Lin Qimo had not objected.
Along the way, they encountered no other villagers.
At first, Lin Qimo assumed everyone had gone home to prepare lunch.
But the farther she walked, the more uneasy she felt.
She quickened her pace.
Sure enough, before even reaching home, she saw a crowd gathered outside the Lin family’s old house.
“Is someone holding a wedding? Why are there so many people?” Qin Wenying asked as she patted Si Chongguang’s shoulder, signaling him to put her down.
When she looked up again, she saw Lin Qimo rushing toward the crowd.
“Move aside! Let me through!”
Lin Qimo pushed her way through the villagers.
The moment she saw what was happening in the courtyard, she trembled with rage.
“Move aside! The eldest Lin girl is back!”
“It won’t make any difference. Granny Tan scolds those girls like they’re chickens. The eldest one is too weak. Only the second girl inherited her mother’s backbone, but she’s still destined to be bullied.”
“Poor Second Girl. Just two days ago I saw her storming over here yelling at Granny Tan, saying she wasn’t human for forcing her sister into marriage. She was so full of energy then. How did she end up like this?”
“I saw Youngest Uncle Lin dragging her back on a tricycle. She’s in that condition and they still haven’t taken her to the clinic. What kind of family does that?”
The villagers’ discussions became nothing but noise to Lin Qimo.
She could barely hear them.
Step by step, she moved toward the center of the courtyard.
Only after confirming that her younger sister was still alive did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Lying on a straw mat, Lin Tangtang had blood covering half her face.
The sight was heartbreaking.
Lin Qimo suppressed the storm of emotions inside her and refused to let herself cry.
“She isn’t dead, is she? Why are you making such a miserable face?” Granny Tan snapped coldly.
“The eldest girl is back. Did you get the money? Hurry up and let your uncle see it,” Youngest Uncle Lin said, his eyes fixed on Lin Qimo’s backpack as he stepped forward to snatch it.
Instead, Lin Qimo slapped him across the face.
Smack!
“Who did this?”
Her voice shook with fury.
“Which one of you did this?”
Old Man Lin sat beneath the eaves, watching silently without saying a word.