“Xiaoyi, how are you feeling today?”
Liu Huilan asked with concern.
When Lin Yi transmigrated, she inherited the original owner’s memories along with the body.
According to those memories, none of the Zhou family members were good people.
Not only had they refused to give her the compensation money after her husband died, but they also refused to let her remarry. Naturally, she had carried some resentment toward them.
But…
While Liu Huilan looked at her with concern, the black words flashing above her head said:
【This child has such a miserable fate. She only married into our family a few months ago and then encountered something like this. We can only blame our second son for not having that fate.】
She was not blaming Lin Yi.
She was actually feeling sorry for her.
Lin Yi was deeply moved, and she could feel Liu Huilan’s pain.
However, there was nothing she could say right now.
If she immediately decided not to leave the Zhou family, it would not make sense.
After all, the original owner had caused such a huge scene before. If she suddenly changed her mind and decided not to leave, Lin Yi would have no way to explain herself.
But if she decided to leave the Zhou family now, she also felt that it was inappropriate.
Putting aside the moral pressure, simply based on how kindly the Zhou family treated her, Lin Yi felt that this family was actually a very good place for her to stay.
As for Zhou Lixing being gone…
It actually did not affect her much.
“Mom, I’m fine. I made you worry.”
After saying that, Lin Yi stopped talking.
After all, some things were as obvious as lice on a bald head—everyone already knew the truth.
Forcing an explanation would only make both sides more awkward.
Liu Huilan and Zhou Xiangdong exchanged a glance but said nothing more.
Yingzi busied herself serving food for everyone.
It had to be said that Yingzi was truly a hardworking child.
Before long, all the dishes had been placed on the table.
Zhou Liyue also came out of the room and silently ate with everyone.
The elderly couple had worked all day and were already starving.
Since Lin Yi was not causing any trouble, they naturally did not bring up anything either.
This day could finally be considered over.
After dinner, Lin Yi acted as if nothing had happened.
She followed Yingzi to clean up the kitchen.
Yingzi washed the pots, while Lin Yi washed the dishes.
Neither of them spoke.
Lin Yi had figured it out.
In this family, as long as she did not cause trouble, everyone could live together peacefully.
Soon, night fell.
A kerosene lamp was lit inside the room.
Lin Yi rested her chin on the table and watched Yingzi knit a sweater.
Yingzi was only fifteen years old this year. Her small hands moved quickly and skillfully.
Watching her, Lin Yi also wanted to try knitting herself.
However, she did not dare to ask directly because she was afraid her actions would make others suspicious.
Fortunately, Yingzi did not notice anything unusual about her.
“Sister-in-law, I feel like my brother can still come back. My brother definitely isn’t dead. The people from the army said he died, but they didn’t even find his body. Why should they say my brother is dead? I’m his younger sister. I just believe my brother can still come back…”
The little girl kept talking nonstop.
Lin Yi remained silent beside her.
She herself was someone who had just arrived in this world. Of course, she did not know whether Zhou Lixing would return or not.
To be fair, she did not wish for anyone to suffer an accident.
“I’m telling the truth!”
Seeing that Lin Yi did not respond, Yingzi became anxious.
Lin Yi quickly nodded to show that she believed her.
Only then did Yingzi become satisfied.
“Sister-in-law, then don’t leave for now, okay? I don’t want you to leave.”
Lin Yi: “……”
This little girl was really clingy.
Lin Yi herself had grown up without any siblings.
At this moment, she truly regarded Yingzi as her own little sister.
Weren’t people always saying that the relationship between a sister-in-law and a younger sister-in-law was difficult?
Why did this little girl not dislike her even though she was lazy and did not know how to work?
Sure enough, Yingzi continued:
“You’re so pretty. My second brother hasn’t seen you. If he had, he would definitely like you.”
Lin Yi: “……”
She really judged people by their appearance!
Was this face really that powerful?
Lin Yi felt that she was becoming a little narcissistic.
But now she understood.
The two rooms where Lin Yi lived belonged to the east wing.
Zhou Xiangdong and Liu Huilan lived in the main house.
The two rooms on the west side originally belonged to Zhou Lijun and his wife.
Later, the couple moved out and built three new rooms of their own.
The money for building the house had actually been provided by the second son, Zhou Lixing. Otherwise, they would not have been able to afford it.
No wonder people said Zhou Lijun and his wife were calculating.
While Zhou Lixing was still unmarried and did not understand the importance of money, they had repeatedly complained about being poor. They also said that their family had no space after having children and urged Zhou Lixing to help them.
Zhou Lixing was generous and did not care about that small amount of money, so he immediately helped them move out.
Without Zhou Lijun’s family, the entire Zhou household had become much quieter.
Yingzi disliked the way Zhou Lijun’s family behaved, and she disliked her eldest sister-in-law Meng Juan even more.
The two sisters-in-law were talking when someone entered the front yard.
It was none other than eldest brother Zhou Lijun and his wife, Meng Juan.
The moment Meng Juan entered, she saw Lin Yi and immediately walked over with concern.
“Second Sister-in-law, how are you feeling? I really didn’t know how to persuade you. You need to take better care of yourself. No matter what happens, you can’t think about ending your life.”
The words above her head appeared:
【She’s really reckless! She actually slammed her head into the wall.】
The black words were so obvious that it was impossible not to see them.
Lin Yi: “……”
After hearing her say that, Lin Yi felt her head start hurting again.
“Thank you for your concern, Sister-in-law.”
Meng Juan smiled.
“I’m your eldest sister-in-law. Caring about you is only natural.”
The words above her head changed:
【I’m too lazy to care about you. You were the one who hit the wall yourself. Who could have stopped you?】
Lin Yi smiled and said nothing.
She simply watched the other woman perform.
Yingzi beside her was so angry that she rolled her eyes.
Zhou Lijun was the eldest brother-in-law, so he felt embarrassed approaching Lin Yi directly.
Instead, he stayed in the main room accompanying Zhou Xiangdong.
As a father-in-law, Zhou Xiangdong also could not conveniently discuss his daughter-in-law’s affairs, so he remained silent.
However, Liu Huilan glared at Zhou Lijun.
“Tell your wife not to interfere with your second brother’s family matters. You two don’t need to worry about this. Just live your own life.”
If this matter was not brought up, everyone would be able to save face.
Zhou Lijun defended his wife.
“She’s just kind-hearted.”
Liu Huilan replied:
“She doesn’t need to be kind-hearted about this.”
Zhou Lijun was also unhappy.
Although their family had tried their best to hide Lin Yi’s situation, there were many sharp-eyed people in the village. News might have already spread.
“I’ll tell her to leave later.”
After hesitating for a moment, he asked:
“Mom, what exactly is going on with Lin Yi? She…”
He was puzzled.
Lin Yi had caused such a huge scene before, but after waking up, she suddenly became quiet.
What exactly did she want?
Zhou Lijun felt that as the eldest brother, with his younger brother gone, he should shoulder the responsibility of the family.
“Logically speaking, your second brother is gone, and Lin Yi is still young. If she truly wants to leave, we have no right to stop her.”
“That’s true,” Zhou Xiangdong said slowly, exhaling a puff of smoke. His wrinkled face was filled with sorrow. “Your mother and I discussed it. If she really wants to leave, we won’t stop her. Otherwise, that would be forcing her.”
Yes.
They were reluctant.
But they also could not ruin Lin Yi’s future.
That was why they were troubled.
However, they had not seen their second son’s body.
They were unwilling to give up.
They were afraid that their son might return.
The army leaders had said that Zhou Lixing disappeared while carrying out a mission.
They also mentioned things Zhou Xiangdong did not understand.
The place where the mission took place had extremely harsh survival conditions, and it was possible that he would never return.
The leaders did not explain in detail.
But theoretically, there was no hope of survival.
What else could they say?
The suffering this elderly couple had endured these past days could be imagined.
“Let’s not guess blindly. We still need to see what Lin Yi thinks,” Liu Huilan said from the side.
No one else could decide this matter.
They had to see Lin Yi’s attitude.
Although Lin Yi had caused a huge disturbance two days ago, she had not said anything after waking up today.
They would wait until Lin Yi brought up the matter herself.
As a father-in-law and an eldest brother-in-law, they could not really speak about this.
Only Liu Huilan, as the mother-in-law, had the authority to handle it.
Liu Huilan looked gentle and soft, but when it came to important matters, she was someone with her own ideas.
Zhou Xiangdong and Zhou Lijun both nodded.
Zhou Lijun understood what his parents meant.
If they stayed any longer, it would be inappropriate.
So he quickly went to the west wing to find Meng Juan.
Meng Juan was still inside talking with Lin Yi.
Everything she said was filled with concern for Lin Yi.
Lin Yi had already grown tired of looking at the black words above her head.
There was no need to ask.
This eldest sister-in-law’s words and thoughts were completely different.
She simply did not like the original owner.
That was understandable.
Ever since the original owner married into the Zhou family, everyone in the household had liked her.
Naturally, they had neglected the eldest daughter-in-law, Meng Juan.
It was normal for Meng Juan to feel dissatisfied.
This time, Zhou Lixing did not return.
Although Zhou Lijun and Meng Juan were also sad, when the original owner demanded her husband’s compensation money and insisted on remarrying, Meng Juan’s feelings changed.
She wanted the Zhou family to see what kind of person their precious second daughter-in-law—the woman they had treated like a treasure—really was.
They had all been blind before.
From the moment Meng Juan entered, she kept talking.
Her meaning was that she supported Lin Yi remarrying.
Once Lin Yi left, Meng Juan’s family would become the only authority in the household.
After a few years, when Yingzi was married off, she would finally have complete peace.
Lin Yi smiled.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law. I understand.”
She did not say whether she would leave the Zhou family or whether she would remarry.
She only smiled sincerely and thanked Meng Juan.
This made Meng Juan anxious.
She wanted to ask directly:
Was Lin Yi leaving or not?
Yingzi immediately interrupted.
“Eldest Sister-in-law really cares about Second Sister-in-law so much. Why didn’t I see you care about her like this before?”
Meng Juan: “……”
She knew this younger sister-in-law was sharp.
But she never expected Yingzi to actually stand on Lin Yi’s side.
“This isn’t because Second Brother isn’t here anymore?”
“Who told you my second brother isn’t here? Why are you spreading nonsense?”
Meng Juan: “……”
Seeing that Zhou Ying had started making a scene, Meng Juan became a little afraid.
It was fine when Zhou Ying stayed quiet, but once she lost her temper, no one could stop her. Her temper was so fierce that even Meng Juan was intimidated.
“How can you talk to your eldest sister-in-law like that?” Meng Juan tried to use her seniority as the eldest sister-in-law to suppress Yingzi.
Yingzi immediately retorted:
“You’re an eldest sister-in-law, yet you talk like this. Do you even act like one?”
Lin Yi naturally took Yingzi’s side.
She pulled Yingzi back to prevent her from doing anything, then said:
“Eldest Sister-in-law, I appreciate your concern. Do you need anything else?”
She was clearly telling her to leave.
Meng Juan felt a burst of anger rising inside her.
She could not win against the two sisters-in-law standing together.
Besides, she could not cause a scene and make herself look bad.
At that moment, someone outside called out:
“Juan’er! Juan’er!”
Meng Juan gritted her teeth.
“What is it?”
When Zhou Lijun saw Meng Juan, he felt somewhat nervous.
“Mom wants to talk to you about something.”
Following the sound of his voice, Meng Juan walked outside.
Yingzi looked at Lin Yi.
“Second Sister-in-law, why are you afraid of her?”
Lin Yi comforted her.
“We’re just chatting. There’s no need to take it so seriously.”