Lin Family
He Tingyue crawled in through the kang tunnel behind her and Lin Feizhou's wedding chamber—this was the secret hideout she shared with her daughter, unknown to anyone in the Lin Family.
Looking at the empty courtyard, especially that locust tree, she couldn't help but curl her fingers tightly.
She gently pushed open the kitchen door, hugged the Lin Family's oil jar to her chest, and then threw the firewood from the kitchen over the courtyard wall, piece by piece.
Carefully smearing oil on each piece of firewood, she then tightly wrapped the Lin Family's main gate from the outside with wire. Only then did she decisively throw the torch she had kept outside onto the ignition point!
Almost instantly, the flames spread!
But He Tingyue still felt it wasn't enough. Like a madwoman, she threw everything flammable around her into the fire, even stripping a good portion of the wheat stacks from the neighboring Xu Family!
Only when the flames had climbed higher than the courtyard wall did she finally stop!
She piled up stones, reinforcing the gate bit by bit.
By the time the Lin Family members were awakened by the scorching heat, the courtyard had already been engulfed by tongues of fire!
Chu Yu's room was closest to the old couple's. When she ran out and saw the sky-devouring flames outside, her face turned as pale as paper!
Even the usually cunning Lin Laogen panicked at the sight of the raging fire!
"Hurry! Da Niu, Er Niu, quickly break down the gate! Otherwise, we'll burn to death here!"
As he spoke, he had already hurried to the main gate on his own. But by now, flames had spread across the gate as well. Through the holes burned into it, he could only see the wall tightly piled with stones.
"It's over! It's over!"
At this moment, over a dozen members of the Lin Family gathered in the courtyard. Watching the flames inch closer, a wave of despair washed over everyone's hearts.
Lin Yaozu wailed, wanting to escape, unwilling to die here, but no one had the mood to pay him any attention!
Chu Yu trembled as she hid behind Yue Hongmei. Glancing at the thin figure in front of her, she was just about to make a move when He Tingyue's cold voice came from outside.
"Chu Yu and all the beasts of the Lin Family, listen! You took the lives of my Wu Ya and my husband! Today, you'll pay for them with your lives!"
By now, nearby villagers had also been awakened by the Lin Family's fire and hurriedly brought out their tools to fight the blaze!
But the fire was too fierce. No matter how hard they tried, the flames didn't diminish in the slightest!
The Lin Family's fire burned fiercely throughout the entire night!
Only then did He Tingyue step inside. Looking at the scattered, charred remains of the Lin Family members, she paid no mind. Instead, she walked straight to that locust tree.
Since it had been thoroughly burned, she hardly needed any effort to dig out the tree roots, revealing the iron box beneath.
Her hands couldn't help but tremble, but she forced herself to stay calm, opened the iron box, and revealed the red paper wrapped inside.
On it was clearly the Bazi of her Wu Ya!
So Chu Yu hadn't lied—the Lin Family had truly borrowed her Wu Ya's luck!
No wonder Wu Ya, who had always been healthy, grew weaker day by day ever since Lin Yaozu was born.
By the time the child passed away, she was nothing but skin and bones.
Beasts!
These man-eating beasts of the Lin Family!
He Tingyue held Lin Wuya's Bazi in her hands, wanting to cry, yet no tears would come.
Outside the Lin Family's courtyard wall, the villagers of Fengmu Brigade watched this scene, and a chill ran down their spines.
"Could it be that Wu Ya's mother has…"
The words "gone mad" were swallowed back by the speaker!
After all, no one understood better than them the kind of life He Tingyue had endured in the Lin Family over the years.
"Ah! What a sin!"
Old village chief Feng Kai could only mutter these words as he faced the bodies of the Lin Family members.
By now, almost anyone with eyes could see that something was terribly wrong.
But faced with He Tingyue in such a state, everyone exchanged cautious glances, and no one dared to step forward.
While the crowd hesitated and wavered, He Tingyue had already tightened her grip on the dagger she had prepared in advance and, without hesitation, plunged it into her chest.
"My dear Wu Ya, Mother is coming to be with you."
After saying this, she seemed to have found release, even a gentle smile gracing the corners of her lips, as if she had truly gone to accompany that pitiful child, Lin Wuya.
…
More than a dozen members of the Lin Family in Fengmu Brigade—not a single one survived overnight.
Even the educated youth Chu Yu, who had come down to the countryside, perished in that great fire.
By the time village chief Feng Kai came to his senses and discussed it with brigade leader Wu Jianjun, they could only report it to the higher-ups as a natural disaster.
If the leaders in the town or county seat were to learn the truth about the Lin Family's deaths, all the preferential treatment and care their brigade had received because of the martyr Lin Feizhou would be gone!
Somehow, after He Tingyue passed away, she did not enter the underworld, nor did she get to see her Wu Ya.
Her soul drifted aimlessly. After seeing her parents far away in Jingshi, for some reason, she kept hovering around Chu Yu's parents…
She finally calmed her mind enough to clearly see the faces of the Chu couple, and she even saw a family portrait of the Chu family!
Though she couldn't be one hundred percent certain, in that photo, Chu Yu's father in his youth looked almost exactly like Lin Feizhou, as if carved from the same mold!
And Chu Yu as a child looked just like the other four Ya girls of the Lin Family!
Puffy eyelids, a flat nose, a slightly protruding chin—these were the genes unique to Yue Hongmei, all passed down to the younger generation of the Lin Family.
Yet her husband and Wu Ya bore no resemblance to the Lin Family at all…
Only then did He Tingyue realize why, among all the sons, Lin Laogen and Yue Hongmei had been excessively harsh only toward Lin Feizhou, even causing her and Wu Ya to suffer endless torment along with him!
Could the truth that had been hidden all along really be this?
He Tingyue wanted to keep watching, but the next moment, she felt a flash of white light before her eyes.
A powerful, dragging sensation made her lose control of her body, as if she were plummeting straight down from a great height!
Before He Tingyue could react, everything went dark, and she completely lost consciousness…
"Ting Yue, Ting Yue, don't give up. Open your eyes and look at me."
Hearing this achingly familiar voice that made her dizzy, He Tingyue couldn't help but slowly open her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Lin Feizhou kneeling before the kang, his eyes red. Seeing her awake, he quickly grasped her palm tightly in his own hands.
"Ting Yue, don't give up. Quick, put this piece of old ginseng in your mouth!"
He spoke, already forcefully stuffing the aged ginseng slices from beside the pillow into He Tingyue's mouth.
He Tingyue detected the bitter taste of ginseng in her mouth and was about to speak, but the next moment, a tearing pain shot through her lower body.
Looking at the somewhat faded red double-happiness character on the window, she couldn't help but ask in a hoarse voice, "What time is it now?"
Lin Feizhou heard her words, glanced at the time, and saw it had just struck twelve fifty.
He reported the time, but noticing his wife's unfocused gaze, he couldn't help but feel anxious!