Lin Yi was beautiful and usually quiet. But whenever she did speak, she went straight for the heart of the matter, striking where it hurt most—like grabbing a snake by its weak spot and killing it with a single bite.
While everyone else was arguing over whether the bride price should be returned to the Niu family, Lin Yi was the one who suggested calling the police.
The Niu brothers immediately caved.
She hardly said a word throughout the entire ordeal, yet every sentence she spoke landed like a crushing blow to the Niu family.
Niu Laoliu had seen it at a glance.
This young woman was formidable.
Liu Dalong shot him a glare.
“Lin Yi is one of the few educated people in our village. She’s also the wife of a serviceman…”
It was just a pity…
He left the rest unsaid.
Niu Laoliu didn’t press the matter any further. With a little asking around, he could easily find out the rest.
After this incident, it was impossible for Lin Yi to remain unknown.
News of Niu Lidong’s fraudulent marriage and abuse of his wife, along with Zhao Lanfen’s relentless mistreatment of her daughter-in-law, spread rapidly through the surrounding villages and towns.
At first, many people had thought Lin Yi was meddling in other people’s family affairs.
After all, what married couple got divorced every time they had a fight?
But once the stories from Niu Village spread, everyone fell silent.
Who would willingly send their daughter into a family like that just to be abused?
Looking at it that way, Lin Yi had done a truly good deed.
Wasn’t she just like one of those legendary heroines from ancient times?
Back then there was Hua Mulan, who joined the army in her father’s place.
Lin Yi wasn’t any less impressive.
Even someone as crafty, vicious, and shameless as Zhao Lanfen hadn’t managed to gain the upper hand against her.
People even began to feel a measure of admiration for Lin Yi.
Although there had been rumors not long ago that she had an improper relationship with an educated youth and intended to remarry while taking the Zhou family’s martyr’s pension with her, most people now believed that Lin Yi was a righteous person.
Whenever someone gained praise, someone else inevitably had to bear the consequences.
After the incident, Matchmaker Liu was so frightened that she didn’t dare leave her house.
The uproar over arranging Wu Sanni’er daughter’s marriage hadn’t even died down yet, and now Bai Feng’er’s case had exploded as well.
How could she not be anxious?
She might have stayed indoors, but trouble came looking for her.
Someone began walking through the village, beating a bronze gong and shouting.
“Folks! I’ve been wronged! I’m a widowed mother raising my child alone, and I’m being bullied to death! Everyone, please help me seek justice!”
Wu Sanni’er beat the gong as she shouted.
Gone was the lifeless, half-dead woman from a few days ago.
Now she was bursting with energy, her voice louder and more powerful than ever.
“Uncles, aunties, grandpas, grandmas, just look at how pitiful I am! I worked so hard to raise my daughter, and when it came time to find her a husband, Matchmaker Liu introduced her to a fool and claimed he was a fine young man! After I exposed the truth, they even wanted to hold a meeting to criticize me!”
The entire Xiao Guan Village instantly erupted.
Who didn’t enjoy watching a spectacle?
Even those who didn’t were willing to come out and lend their support.
Before long, people poured out from every corner of the village—from east to west, from north to south.
Some carried their rice bowls, others brought little stools, and some even came out still holding the soles of the shoes they had been repairing.
Yingzi came running over.
“Sister-in-law, want to go watch the excitement?”
“Let’s go.”
Lin Yi didn’t hesitate for a second.
Why not? It sounded fun.
“Sister-in-law, here.”
Yingzi handed her a handful of dried sweet potato strips.
They had been dried during the winter and stored away, ready to be eaten whenever someone wanted a snack.
The problem was that they had been dried for so long they were harder than roasted broad beans.
Anyone with weak teeth wouldn’t be able to chew them.
But in Yingzi’s eyes, they were a rare treat that most families couldn’t bear to share.
Lin Yi frowned as she looked at them.
Yingzi grinned.
“They’re delicious! This is enough for the two of us to snack on all afternoon.”
“All right.”
The two sisters-in-law set off together, munching on dried sweet potatoes while going to watch the commotion.
It really was lively.
This time, Wu Sanni’er had finally washed away her humiliation.
When she had cursed Matchmaker Liu before, everyone had accused her of lacking political awareness and class consciousness, of tarnishing Xiao Guan Village’s reputation. She had even been ordered to undergo ideological education and give a self-criticism report in the village once every month.
But things were different now.
Wu Sanni’er finally held her head high.
“Everyone, tell me honestly—is this my fault?”
Matchmaker Liu suddenly appeared from who knew where, and the two women immediately started arguing again.
This time, however, Wu Sanni’er had the upper hand.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Matchmaker Liu couldn’t win the argument.
It wasn’t until Liu Dalong arrived with two female village cadres, Xue Wenjuan and Liu Rui, that the dispute was finally brought under control.
After carefully investigating the entire incident from beginning to end, Xue Wenjuan and Liu Rui confirmed that Matchmaker Liu had been the one primarily responsible.
They admitted that they hadn’t fully understood the situation before and publicly restored Wu Sanni’er’s reputation.
“Auntie, we’ve confirmed the facts. Liu Guihua bears the primary responsibility in this matter. We’ll give her a severe criticism, so don’t worry. But you should also continue studying and improve your ideological awareness.”
Xue Wenjuan patiently explained everything to her.
Wu Sanni’er knew she had gone a little overboard herself.
She accepted that she deserved some criticism.
As long as Matchmaker Liu received even harsher punishment than she did, she’d be completely satisfied.
The moment she heard Xue Wenjuan’s words, all the frustration in her heart disappeared.
“Fine! I’ll listen to the leadership.”
Meanwhile, Matchmaker Liu’s face had turned pitch black.
Her chest rose and fell violently with anger.
But no matter how unwilling she was to accept it, she had lost.
Next came a lengthy lecture from Xue Wenjuan, criticizing and educating Matchmaker Liu.
Matchmaker Liu felt utterly humiliated.
No matter how silver-tongued she usually was, she didn’t dare argue with the village leadership—especially when she knew she had no defense.
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter and animated discussion.
This was exactly the kind of juicy gossip everyone had been hoping for—and it turned out to be completely authentic.
Only after Matchmaker Liu admitted her mistakes did the crowd finally feel satisfied.
Lin Yi and Yingzi happily munched on their dried sweet potatoes while chatting away.
Neither of them cared who had won or lost.
They had simply come to enjoy the excitement.
After all, staying home would’ve been boring anyway.
Lin Yi realized that she had grown rather fond of these kinds of village gatherings.
Now that she had developed a taste for watching the drama unfold, she wanted to join in whenever there was excitement to be found.
Once the sweet potatoes were gone and the crowd gradually dispersed, Lin Yi and Yingzi also headed home together.
As soon as they walked into the courtyard, they saw Zhou Xiangdong holding a freshly slaughtered rooster, plucking its feathers.
“Where did this big rooster come from?”
Yingzi’s eyes widened. She circled around the chicken, looking as if she was about to drool.
Zhou Xiangdong replied, “Bai Jingmin brought it over. I refused to accept it, so he slaughtered the chicken on the spot and stuffed it into my hands. Honestly, that man…”
He had lived in the village for most of his life and had never seen anything like it.
It was rare enough for someone to give away a chicken.
But to slaughter it first so the recipient couldn’t refuse? That was a first.
Liu Huilan came out of the house and said,
“Bai Jingmin said this chicken was for Lin Yi, to help nourish her health.”
Lin Yi: …
Yingzi: …
There was no need to ask.
The Bai family had clearly done this to thank Lin Yi.
Still, the gift was a little too generous.
Every household in the village raised chickens, but most families only kept three to five at most. Those hens were valuable because they laid eggs to help support the family’s daily living.
To give away an entire chicken all at once was an exceptionally generous gift.
Zhou Xiangdong said helplessly,
“I already told him I didn’t want it, but that man…”
Now that the chicken had already been slaughtered, there was no point in refusing anymore.
Lin Yi suggested,
“How about we stew the chicken, then send them a bowl?”
“That’s a good idea.”