Lin Laogen guiltily averted his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to admit any wrongdoing.
“I did nothing wrong! If she were a grandson, that would be one thing, but she’s a woman. Sooner or later, she’ll marry into someone else’s family. Dajun was my son, so everything he owned belongs to me!”
Village Chief Lin looked at him with bitter disappointment.
“You old fool. Yujiao is a good child. She’s clever, sensible, and knows right from wrong. Who says a girl is any less capable than a boy? Even the Chairman said that women hold up half the sky.”
There was something else Village Chief Lin did not say aloud.
If Old Master Lin continued treating Yujiao this way, there would come a day when he bitterly regretted it.
Just look at Lin Dajun’s eldest and third brothers. Could either of them truly be relied upon?
With Yujiao’s temperament, once they completely destroyed whatever affection remained between them, she would never care for the old couple in their later years.
It would be wiser to leave at least a trace of familial affection between them. Perhaps one day, they might have reason to depend on her.
Unfortunately, Lin Laogen did not think that way.
He stubbornly believed that Lin Yujiao would never support him in his old age anyway.
“Don’t tell me all that nonsense. I’m an uneducated man. I don’t understand any of it. No matter what, she has to tell the Public Security Bureau to release Shengli.”
Hearing Village Chief Lin’s voice outside, Lin Yujiao opened the door.
She stood just inside the doorway and looked at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
She truly had not expected a man of this era to think this way.
He did not believe that simply because she, Lin Yujiao, was a woman, she was destined to amount to nothing.
Instead, he was actually trying to persuade Lin Laogen to treat her better.
Unfortunately, Lin Laogen refused to listen.
No.
Perhaps it was not unfortunate at all.
Lin Yujiao thought about it carefully. Lin Laogen did not care about her, nor did he possess even the slightest affection a grandfather should have for his granddaughter.
In truth, that suited her perfectly.
She had taken over the original Lin Yujiao’s body. If Lin Laogen and Old Madam Lin had been loving grandparents, then she would inevitably have felt responsible for them. That responsibility would have become another invisible shackle binding her to this place.
Instead, she ought to be grateful.
Everyone had witnessed how cold and heartless the old couple had been toward her.
When the day came for her to abandon everything here and leave, most people would probably understand her decision, at least to some extent.
No one could live in this world without caring at all about what others said, especially in a society that was still bound by old customs and rigid expectations.
Lin Yujiao did not want to leave behind a ruined reputation for the original owner of this body after she departed.
Now that Lin Laogen had made his position perfectly clear, choosing his grandson over his granddaughter without the slightest hesitation, she no longer needed to maintain even a superficial relationship with him.
Sometimes, being reasonable was not enough.
There were moments when one had to be unyielding.
Lin Yujiao looked at the old couple, her eyes gradually reddening.
“All you care about is Lin Shengli. You have never once considered whether I was safe. Since you refuse to treat me as your granddaughter, I will no longer regard either of you as my family.”
“Enough of that nonsense. Whether you acknowledge me or not, I’m still your own grandfather.” Lin Laogen glared at her. “Go to the Public Security Bureau right now. Tell them your Brother Shengli was only playing a joke on you and have them release him.”
His gaze was openly hostile.
As far as he was concerned, no matter how capable this granddaughter had become, she could not escape this place.
If she still wanted to remain part of the Lin family, she would have to obediently do as she was told.
Hearing the entitlement in his voice, Lin Yujiao nearly lost control of her expression.
In the end, she merely stared at him in disbelief.
“I will not tell the Public Security Bureau any such thing. Besides, didn’t you hear what Village Chief Lin just said? A case has already been formally opened. Nothing I say now will change that!”
She clenched her teeth.
“You should leave. Anyone who harms me will pay the price for it!”
“You shameless little wretch! You’re the one who threw yourself at Li Demin! You wanted to carry on an improper relationship with him, so you framed Shengli…”
Lin Yujiao froze.
Sentence after vicious sentence spilled from the mouth of the old woman who, until now, seemed capable of doing little more than crying.
The weakness that had once filled Old Madam Lin’s eyes had disappeared.
Her expression had become sharp and spiteful, and the hatred in her gaze made it seem as though Lin Yujiao were her mortal enemy.
“Wang-shi, what are you saying?”
Village Chief Lin loudly cut her off.
“She is your own granddaughter!”
If such accusations spread through the village, how was Lin Yujiao supposed to continue living here?
If even her own grandmother spoke of her this way, what would outsiders think?
Village Chief Lin had originally hoped that harmony within the family could still be restored. He had come intending to mediate between them.
Now, however, he suddenly realized there was no need.
Lin Yujiao was right.
She had to leave this place.
If she stayed, she would never know a peaceful day.
He looked at the stunned young woman before him. He had watched this child grow up. How could he bear to stand by and watch her suffer?
Perhaps it was merely Lin Yujiao’s imagination, but even Old Madam Lin’s features seemed harsher and more spiteful than before.
Despite Village Chief Lin’s interruption, the old woman continued cursing her.
“If I’d known you would grow up to bring such misery upon us, I should have strangled you to death back then!”
Standing beside her, Lin Laogen cast his wife an approving glance.
At least the old woman could still be useful when it mattered.
Then he turned toward Lin Yujiao.
“If you refuse to get Shengli released, I might as well marry you into the Li family. They hate you enough to want you dead right now. Once you’re married into their household…”
Lin Yujiao narrowed her eyes.
“Are you threatening me?”
“You’d better obediently go to the Public Security Bureau and explain everything properly,” Lin Laogen said. “Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”
Instead of becoming angry, Lin Yujiao laughed.
“You don’t actually think you have the authority to arrange my marriage, do you? Who do you think you are?”
“I’m your grandfather!”
Lin Yujiao gave a cold laugh.
“Even if you were my father, you still wouldn’t have the right to decide my marriage for me. Wake up, old man. The old society is gone. Women in the new society have the freedom to choose their own marriages.”
Lin Yujiao could hardly understand these people.
Were they all completely ignorant of the law?
Had no one informed them when the old society ended?
Why did every one of them seem convinced that they could simply marry off a living, breathing woman whenever they pleased?
Village Chief Lin’s expression darkened.
“Yujiao is right. No one is going to force her to marry anyone.”
“Village Chief, we’re from the same Lin clan!” Lin Laogen shouted. “Why do you keep taking the side of this worthless girl?”
They were kinsmen, after all.
Village Chief Lin stared at him.
“Yujiao and I are also from the same clan. I don’t know what has gotten into your head. She is Dajun’s child, and I will protect her to the end!”
His gaze became piercing as he looked at the old couple.
“Everything a person does is witnessed by Heaven. How long has it been since Dajun and his wife passed away? Aren’t you afraid the two of them might come looking for you?”
Lin Laogen and Old Madam Lin immediately shrank back.
A chill seemed to creep down their spines.
They might dismiss many things, but they still believed deeply in spirits and retribution.
Seeing that his words had frightened them, Village Chief Lin waved them away.
“That’s enough. If there’s nothing else, go home. Stop coming here to trouble Yujiao. Go back and think carefully about what you’re doing. You are Lin Shengli’s grandparents, but Yujiao is also your own flesh and blood.”
The old couple saw that Village Chief Lin remained firmly planted between them and Lin Yujiao.
They knew there was nothing they could do to her for the moment.
They had no choice but to leave first.
They could always return later.
Both of them were confident that Lin Yujiao would eventually lower her head and obediently do as they demanded.
And if she refused?
They had plenty of ways to keep her under their thumb.
The resentment in their eyes as they departed did not escape either Lin Yujiao or Village Chief Lin.
“Yujiao, your grandparents…” Village Chief Lin sighed. “They’re still trapped in the old ways of thinking.”
Lin Yujiao smiled faintly.
“Village Chief Lin, there’s no need to explain. I understand perfectly well.”
She looked directly at him.
“Now, will you issue me the introduction letter?”
Village Chief Lin let out another long sigh.
“I’ll issue it. I originally wanted to persuade you to reconsider, but after what I’ve just seen, forget it.”
He had always believed that leaving this place would bring countless hardships for Lin Yujiao.
After all, she had no idea what awaited her on the road ahead.
But now he understood something else just as clearly.
If Lin Yujiao stayed here, what awaited her would be endless trouble.
Rather than remain trapped in this place, perhaps it would be better for her to leave.
At least then, she could venture out and seek a future of her own.