A shy smile spread across Lin Qiao’er’s face as she was about to speak.
Suddenly, a voice exploded in her mind—childlike and tender, yet tinged with disdain:
“Mom, don’t believe him! He’s a big bad guy, a freeloader, a scumbag who’s already hooked up with Auntie! Wuwuwu, my poor mom, there’s not a single good person around you.”
Lin Qiao’er froze completely.
It felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her head, chilling her from head to toe.
She looked up at Cheng Jianye.
His expression still wore that concerned look, but in his eyes, there was unmistakably a flicker of guilt.
“Qiao’er? Are you okay?” He reached out a hand in front of Lin Qiao’er.
Lin Qiao’er took a step back, avoiding it.
Suisui’s voice sounded again, this time soft and gentle, as if coaxing someone: “Mom… don’t be sad… Suisui will help you beat up the big bad guy…”
A wave of warmth flowed through Lin Qiao’er’s heart.
All these years of sincerity—her sincerity—had been fed to dogs.
She remembered that year when she was fifteen, Cheng Jianye had said to her under the old locust tree at the village entrance: “Qiao’er, I like you. I’ll marry you once I get into university.”
Back then, she had believed him—foolishly believed him.
Every time Cheng Jianye came to get food, she would give him extra meat dishes.
When she heard he was sick, she gave him eggs she couldn’t bear to eat herself.
When he needed to buy study materials, she handed him the money without a second thought.
Last year, when his mother fell seriously ill, she didn’t hesitate to lend him twenty yuan.
It turned out all of it had been a joke.
Fortunately, her baby had told her these things.
“Brother Jianye, who came to see you so early in the morning?”
Lin Xiuyu pulled the door open.
She was wearing a brand-new floral blouse, her hair braided into a thick, dark plait that hung over her chest. Her skin was fair and clear, her complexion rosy and healthy—clearly someone who hadn’t done much farm work.
She stood there, graceful and upright, like a white lotus flower.
Lin Qiao’er looked down at herself.
A dusty old jacket, pants with two patches on the knees, the cuffs of her blouse frayed and worn, the oversized sleeves making her look thin and frail.
Standing next to Lin Xiuyu, one looked like a young lady, the other like a servant girl.
Both of them were taken aback at the sight of Lin Qiao’er.
Lin Xiuyu reacted first, raising an eyebrow as a faint layer of mockery spread across her face: “Cousin, what are you doing here so early in the morning?”
Lin Qiao’er didn’t speak, her eyes fixed straight on Cheng Jianye, her fists clenched tightly.
Cheng Jianye avoided her gaze, whispering to Lin Xiuyu, “Xiuyu, you should go back first.”
Then he turned to Lin Qiao’er, offering a dry explanation: “Qiao’er, Xiuyu came to borrow a book.”
Lin Qiao’er furrowed her brows.
Coming to borrow a book so early in the morning?
Lin Xiuyu wasn’t that fond of reading.
Lin Xiuyu took a step forward, positioning herself in front of Cheng Jianye. Her voice wasn’t loud, but each word was clear: “We’re together now. Jianye doesn’t like you.
The one he likes is me. We’re already together.
Why don’t you take a look at yourself in the mirror? Are you even worthy of him?”
Lin Qiao’er’s eyes stung terribly, something swirling in their corners.
She bit her lip, trying desperately to hold back, but tears welled up uncontrollably, filling her eyes until they glistened—yet not a single drop fell.
She looked at Cheng Jianye, hoping to find a trace of guilt on his face.
But there was none.
Seeing that he couldn’t avoid it any longer, Cheng Jianye sighed in resignation and said, “Qiao’er, I’m sorry. I’m with Xiuyu now.”
Lin Qiao’er suddenly felt like laughing.
Who was it that said he liked her? Who was it that said he wanted to marry her?
Her judgment of people was truly terrible.
She had misjudged both her uncle and Cheng Jianye.
For the sake of her baby, she had to stand strong.
Lin Xiuyu’s willow-leaf eyebrows shot up. “Jianye, what do you owe her? You don’t owe her money, and you never promised to marry her. Feelings are a matter of mutual consent.”
Lin Qiao’er gritted her teeth and glared at Cheng Jianye. “Whether you said it or not, you know it in your heart, Cheng Jianye. Since you’ve already chosen Xiuyu, I have nothing more to say. But when your mother was sick before, I lent you twenty yuan. You can’t deny that debt.”
Cheng Jianye froze.
He hadn’t expected her to bring this up.
“I…” He turned his face away, his voice dry.
Lin Xiuyu immediately chimed in, her tone sharp. “Cousin, you always seemed so honest, but I never thought you’d stoop to extortion.”
Lin Qiao’er trembled with anger, but she didn’t back down.
Just then, Cheng Jianye’s mother, Li Guihua, returned from outside with a basin of freshly washed clothes.
When she saw Lin Qiao’er standing at their doorstep, her face immediately darkened. She slammed the basin onto the ground with a loud clatter.
“You jinx, what are you doing at our doorstep so early in the morning? Don’t bring your bad luck into our home.”
Li Guihua had always looked down on Lin Qiao’er, an orphan with no parents, and had never approved of Cheng Jianye’s relationship with her. Their interactions had always been kept secret.
Li Daniu planted her hands on her hips, her voice loud enough to be heard half a street away. “My Jianye is doing well now. He got into university, and now every stray cat and dog is trying to latch onto him.
Let me make this clear: our family never borrowed a single cent from you. Don’t even think about trying to pin anything on us.”
Lin Qiao’er clenched her fists.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, unfolding it.
“This is the IOU. You wrote it yourself. You wouldn’t dare deny it, would you?”
Cheng Jianye’s face instantly paled.
The IOU was indeed written by him.
Back then, he had hypocritically said, “Even brothers should settle accounts clearly,” and had taken the initiative to write it.
At the time, he thought Lin Qiao’er was easy to fool and would never ask for the money back, so it didn’t matter whether he wrote it or not.
He never expected this boomerang to come back and hit him.
“If you don’t pay it back, we’ll go to the village chief and sort it out,” Lin Qiao’er said, carefully putting away the IOU before turning to leave.
“Wait.”
A sharp voice came from behind her.
Lin Qiao’er turned around and saw her aunt, Feng Xingmei, who had arrived unnoticed and was standing at the entrance of the alley, wearing a hypocritical and spiteful smile.
“Qiao’er, what are you doing? Jianye will soon be your brother-in-law. We’re all family now. Why talk like strangers over twenty yuan? Is it worth taking this to the village chief?”
Cheng Jianye had gotten into university, and once he was assigned a job, he was sure to have a bright future.
Lin Xiuyu also glared at Lin Qiao’er, wishing she could tear her apart.
Feng Xingmei turned her scrutinizing gaze back to Lin Qiao’er, her voice aggressive. “You’re just a girl who never goes far from home. What do you need money for? Has our family ever let you go hungry?”
Lin Qiao’er’s mind raced.
She couldn’t reveal the real reason.
She lowered her eyes, her voice soft and tinged with sorrow. “My mother came to me in a dream, saying she has no money to spend down there and asked me to burn more paper offerings for her. Aunt, you wouldn’t want my mother to suffer restlessly in the afterlife, would you? Aren’t you afraid she might come looking for you in the middle of the night?”
Feng Xingmei choked back her words, glaring fiercely at Lin Qiao’er. “What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’ve mistreated you?”
More and more village women poked their heads out to watch the commotion.
Lin Xiuyu’s face flushed with embarrassment. She pulled two ten-yuan bills from her pocket and threw them on the ground, her tone disdainful. “Take it. And don’t ever look for Jianye again.”
Lin Qiao’er bent down to pick up the money. There was no shame in bowing for survival. She folded the bills neatly, tucked them into the innermost pocket of her clothes, and walked away without looking back.
Behind her, Li Guihua’s curses echoed: “You wretched jinx!”
Feng Xingmei grumbled all the way home, complaining that Lin Qiao’er was unreasonable and disgraceful, making Lin Xiuyu lose face in front of her in-laws.
Lin Qiao’er didn’t respond to a single word.
She knew it wouldn’t be long before the whole village spread the story: Lin Qiao’er had tried to steal her cousin’s man, been rejected by Cheng Jianye, and even extorted twenty yuan as hush money.
She didn’t care anymore.
She still had a child in her belly to raise. She needed to avoid her uncle and aunt’s schemes and safely make her way to Shanghai to find the child’s father.
Lin Qiao’er went to work at the commune canteen as usual.
She helped out in the kitchen, washing vegetables, chopping ingredients, carrying plates, and scrubbing bowls—she did whatever work was needed.
During her lunch break, she noticed a portion of braised pork left at the serving window—tender and fatty, glistening red, and smelling delicious.
“Can I buy this portion?” she asked the supervisor.
The supervisor glanced at her, somewhat surprised.
Lin Qiao’er had never bought anything from the canteen before, not even sparing money for steamed buns.
But since she was paying, he didn’t ask further. He took two yuan from her and packed the braised pork for her.
In the afternoon, Lin Qiao’er asked for leave. Carrying the bowl of braised pork, she walked to a secluded spot and pulled out a small paper packet from her pocket.
Inside was veterinary tranquilizer powder.
She mixed the powder into the braised pork, stirring it again and again until no trace was visible. Only then did she carry the bowl back home.
Her uncle’s family had four people, while she was alone.
She could only rely on wit, not force.
Feng Xingmei, still upset over the incident with Cheng Jianye earlier in the day, looked at Lin Qiao’er with disdain, finding fault with everything she did. She even aimed her complaints at the chickens in the coop, making indirect accusations.
“All hatched from the same nest, yet fighting over scraps of food—how disgraceful.”
Lin Qiao’er remained silent and placed the braised pork on the table.
Lin Dazhu’s eyes lit up, and he began to drool.
“You cheap wench, you struck it rich today, actually buying meat to eat.” Lin Dazhu always called Lin Qiao’er “cheap wench” because his mother said girls were nothing but money-losers.
But his sister was an exception. Lin Xiuyu was fair-skinned and pretty, destined to marry well and bring prosperity to the whole family.
Lin Qiao’er casually replied, “Someone gave it to me.”
The plate of braised pork was quickly devoured by the three of them, with even the sauce sopped up with steamed buns.
Lin Defei told her to eat more, but in reality, he didn’t even spare a single piece of meat for her.
Lin Qiao’er had seen through this family’s true nature completely and wasn’t the least bit surprised.
Besides, since the food was laced with something, she had no intention of eating it anyway.
“You cheap wench, clean the eggs properly. We’ll sell them tomorrow.” Feng Xingmei wiped her greasy mouth, burping as she gave the order.
Lin Qiao’er nodded obediently and went to wash the eggs.
The dosage of the medicine was enough to keep the family asleep for a full day and night.
Lin Qiao’er brushed the eggs while keeping an eye on when the others would collapse.
After hearing three consecutive thuds, Lin Qiao’er returned to the wooden bed in the corner of the main room and began packing her belongings. In truth, there wasn’t much to pack.
Just a couple of changes of clothes and a large bag of steamed buns she had bought from the commune—enough to sustain her on the journey.
Snoring echoed through the main room.
Lin Qiao’er quietly got up and walked to the door of her uncle and aunt’s room.
She only had twenty yuan on her, not even enough for a train ticket to Shanghai.
Over the years, she had handed over all her wages—at least a thousand yuan.
She was going to take back what was rightfully hers.
Their door wasn’t locked, and it swung open with a gentle push. From behind her came a wary, questioning voice, “What are you doing?”