After the barefoot doctor left, Village Chief Lin asked several villagers to carry the two injured men out first.
“Anyone willing to stay can help Yujiao tidy up the house. Everyone else should head home.”
The Lin family quickly found people to help carry the two injured men back home. At the moment, their greatest concern was whether Lin Shengli and Li Demin would wake up.
The villagers had already witnessed plenty of excitement, but they still left reluctantly, clearly wishing there were more to see.
Auntie Cuihua and two other aunties from the Lin clan remained behind to help.
Auntie Cuihua looked toward the ransacked room.
“Yujiao, why don’t we help you straighten up your parents’ room?”
Lin Yujiao nodded.
“Thank you, Aunties. Please keep whatever can still be kept. Don’t throw anything away.”
The three women nodded in understanding.
These were all belongings left behind by her parents. Of course the poor child couldn’t bear to discard them.
As the three aunties cleaned, they cursed Lin Shengli over and over again.
So many perfectly good things had been ruined.
Lin Dajun and Jiang Chunyue’s clothes, books, and photographs had all been thrown everywhere.
Just looking at the mess made their blood boil.
Auntie Cuihua was especially furious. As she tidied the room, she repeatedly cursed the Lin family for being utterly heartless.
With these aunties having witnessed everything firsthand, Lin Yujiao had no doubt that by tomorrow, the entire village would know exactly what Lin Shengli had done inside her home.
The three women continued helping Lin Yujiao until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Lin Yujiao then hurried into the kitchen.
In truth, she slipped into her spacious modern apartment inside the hidden space and prepared three bowls of noodles there.
After all, she still wasn’t very good at using a wood-burning stove.
She carried the three steaming bowls outside.
“Aunties, have something to eat before you leave.”
The moment the three women saw the noodles on the table, they couldn’t help swallowing.
One glance was enough to tell that the noodles had been made from fine wheat flour.
There was even an egg and some green vegetables in every bowl.
Normally, food this good was reserved for the strong laborers of the household. Women like them rarely had a chance to eat such things.
One auntie hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, no, we couldn’t. These are all good things. How could we possibly eat them?”
Lin Yujiao didn’t think there was anything particularly precious about the meal.
They were only noodles and eggs.
Even during the poorest period of her previous life, she had still been able to afford food like this.
But when she saw the longing in the women’s eyes and how embarrassed they were to accept the meal, Lin Yujiao felt an ache in her heart.
Women in this era truly didn’t have easy lives.
She quickly persuaded them.
“It’s nothing precious. You’ve helped me so much, how could I let you leave without even eating something? I don’t have much else to repay you with, so please eat.”
Then she deliberately threatened them with a smile.
“I’ve already made the noodles. If you refuse to eat them, I’ll have no choice but to pour them away.”
“Hey! How could you throw away perfectly good food?”
Auntie Cuihua immediately protested.
Then she sighed helplessly.
“All right, all right. You really are too polite, child. We’ll eat.”
She turned toward the other two women.
“Come on, let’s eat. It’s the child’s way of thanking us. We might as well taste her cooking.”
Only after Auntie Cuihua said that did the other two aunties finally agree to sit down.
The three women began eating together.
With the first mouthful, the rich fragrance of the noodles and egg filled their mouths.
The eggs had been fried beforehand, carrying the delicious aroma of cooking oil. There was even a sheen of oil in the broth, making it all the more flavorful.
The three women immediately stopped talking.
They lowered their heads and ate with complete concentration.
By the end, they hadn’t left even a mouthful of broth behind.
When all three finally raised their heads, their faces were filled with satisfaction.
Lin Yujiao watched them with a smile.
It was only a simple bowl of egg noodles, yet from their expressions, one would think they had just eaten an imperial banquet.
After they finished, Lin Yujiao wouldn’t even let them wash the bowls.
“You should all go home and rest. It’s only three bowls. I can wash them myself.”
Auntie Cuihua looked at her with growing affection.
“You really are a good child. From now on, if anyone dares say anything bad about you, I certainly won’t allow it. Don’t you agree? Look at what a good child she is. It’s those people who have pushed her too far.”
The other two aunties had stayed precisely because they sympathized with Lin Yujiao.
They immediately nodded.
“Exactly. Yujiao is a good child.”
Lin Yujiao smiled.
“Thank you, Aunties. Truly, thank you.”
The three women looked at her with even greater pity.
What a poor child.
Before leaving, Auntie Cuihua reminded Lin Yujiao of something.
She told her to seriously reconsider the suggestion she had made earlier.
After seeing the three aunties off, Lin Yujiao closed the gate and looked around the home filled with memories belonging to the original owner.
After what had happened last night, she knew she couldn’t stay here much longer.
Her parents were gone.
In the eyes of everyone around her, every older member of the Lin family was considered her elder and therefore believed they had some authority over her.
She couldn’t remain on guard every moment of every day.
Sooner or later, someone might succeed in scheming against her.
Besides, what kind of life would she have if she had to constantly watch her back?
If Lin Yujiao wanted to live comfortably and freely, she had only one choice.
She had to leave this place.
Perhaps it really was time to seriously consider Auntie Cuihua’s earlier suggestion.
…
Not long after daybreak, two uniformed Public Security officers entered the village.
“Public Security really came!”
“Of course they did. Village Chief Lin called the commune as soon as the sun came up.”
“Lin Shengli is really in trouble this time.”
Among the gathered villagers, the three aunties who had eaten Lin Yujiao’s noodles began describing the state of the room after Lin Shengli and Li Demin had ransacked it.
“If you ask me, he deserves to be locked up. Lin Shengli has no conscience at all. When he was little, his Second Uncle used to take him out and buy him treats all the time. Is this how he repays him?”
“Exactly. Back then, Dajun hadn’t even married yet, and he treated that boy so well.”
“Ah, once a person dies, affection disappears with them.”
“It’s the Lin family that’s heartless.”
The two Public Security officers overheard the villagers’ discussion after entering the village.
They exchanged a glance.
It seemed this case wasn’t as simple as an ordinary theft.
They walked over and began asking the villagers what had happened.
Everyone started talking at once, each person adding something to the story.
After listening to the villagers explain the events from beginning to end, the two officers had a fairly clear understanding of the situation.
Auntie Cuihua gathered her courage and asked, “Comrades from Public Security, will Lin Shengli and that Li Demin be sent to prison?”
One of the officers replied, “We can’t say yet. It will depend partly on whether the victim is willing to forgive them.”
Lin Yujiao stood before the officers, her gaze unwavering.
“I won’t forgive them. Comrades, all I want is the truth. I want to know what kind of motive could make them scheme against me like this.”
Seeing how young she was, both officers felt sympathy for her.
What motive could there be?
They had handled cases for years and had seen situations like this plenty of times.
It was the old practice of bullying an orphaned household and seizing everything the deceased parents had left behind.
Of course, they weren’t going to say that directly to Lin Yujiao.
“Don’t worry. We’ll investigate everything thoroughly and give you a proper explanation.”
Since the young woman refused to forgive them, the matter would have to be handled according to the law.
The officers made their way to the Lin family courtyard.
By then, Lin Shengli had already regained consciousness.
However, he was in poor condition and kept babbling that he had seen a ghost.
Youngest Aunt Lin was pacing anxiously, muttering about why her nephew Li Demin still hadn’t awakened.
The moment the Lin family saw the Public Security officers enter, everyone froze.
They hadn’t expected Lin Yujiao to truly report them.
That wretched girl!
“Are you Lin Shengli and Li Demin? We’ve received a report that you’re suspected of theft. You’ll need to come with us.”
Lin Shengli was still dazed and confused.
Eldest Aunt Lin, however, immediately panicked.
“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding! Our Shengli was only fooling around with his younger cousin.”
Old Master Lin hurriedly agreed.
“That’s right, Comrades. This is a family matter.”
One of the officers’ expressions turned stern.
“We’ve already spoken with Comrade Lin Yujiao. As for what actually happened, we’ll discuss it after you come back with us.”
“Lin Yujiao!”
Eldest Aunt Lin gritted her teeth.
That wretched girl!
She had actually dared to go through with it!
At that moment, Li Demin finally woke up.
Lying on the wooden bed, he immediately began groaning in pain.
“Aunt… Aunt, it hurts so much! Lin Yujiao is terrifying!”
“This is all your fault! It’s all because you insisted that I go and ruin her! Look what you’ve gotten me into!”
“Is a woman like that someone I can afford to provoke? I’m… I’m dying from the pain!”
Youngest Aunt Lin’s heart ached for him.
“Demin, how can you say that? Everything your aunt did was for your sake!”
“For my sake? You did it for Lin Dajun’s house! You did it for his money! If your Lin family wants to swallow up everything from an orphaned household, don’t drag me into it!”
Waves of pain throbbed through Li Demin’s lower body.
He was so preoccupied with his suffering that he hadn’t paid the slightest attention to his surroundings.
Naturally, he hadn’t noticed the two Public Security officers standing nearby.
One of them immediately spoke.
“You’re Li Demin, correct? What exactly did you mean by what you just said?”
Li Demin turned his head.
Only then did he notice the two uniformed men.
His eyes widened.
“P-Public Security? Why are Public Security officers here?”
He shrieked in terror.
“Are you here to arrest me? Don’t! It wasn’t me! It was my aunt! She told me to go there! Arrest her! Don’t arrest me!”
The officer remained expressionless.
“You can explain everything clearly at the bureau. And this female comrade, since this matter appears to involve you as well, you’ll come with us.”
Youngest Aunt Lin’s face instantly turned pale.
“I’m not going! This has nothing to do with me!”
But her protests were useless.
Under the terrified gazes of the Lin family, Lin Shengli, Li Demin, and Youngest Aunt Lin were taken away.
The others hurried after them.
Soon, only Old Master Lin and Old Madam Lin remained at home, staring anxiously in the direction everyone had gone.
Old Madam Lin finally spoke.
“I’ll go find Yujiao. How could she let Public Security arrest her own cousin?”
Old Master Lin didn’t object.
“Go. Tell her to hurry over and explain to Public Security that this is our family’s private matter.”
He paused before adding, “If she doesn’t want to marry Li Demin, then she doesn’t have to marry him. We’re family. Anything can be discussed among ourselves.”
Old Madam Lin agreed.
As far as she was concerned, if they no longer forced Lin Yujiao to marry Li Demin, then surely the girl would be willing to let Lin Shengli go.
She hurried toward Lin Yujiao’s house.
The courtyard gate was tightly shut.
Everything inside was silent, as though no one were home.
“Yujiao! Yujiao, come out!”
Old Madam Lin knocked on the gate for quite some time, but no one answered.
Eventually, a neighbor heard the commotion and came outside.
“Yujiao isn’t home. She went to the Public Security Bureau with Village Chief Lin.”
The neighbor glanced curiously at the old woman.
“I heard your Lin Shengli might be sent to prison this time. Is that true?”
Old Madam Lin immediately became angry.
“Of course not! Don’t talk nonsense. This is our own family’s affair. How could it possibly be that serious?”
The neighbor curled her lips disdainfully.
“Your own family’s affair? What kind of family treats one of their own like that…”
Old Madam Lin had no answer.
With Lin Yujiao already at the Public Security Bureau, there was nothing she could do except return home.
All she could do now was pray that Lin Yujiao still had enough conscience to spare her own cousin.