When Old Madam Wu had just used “reporting to the authorities” to threaten Lin Wan, Lin Wan hadn’t shown the slightest panic.
But now the roles were reversed, and it was Old Madam Wu who was getting anxious. She was afraid Lin Wan would actually report them to the authorities. Especially after Lin Sheng’s words sounded so convincing, and with the villagers all backing him up, she was truly starting to feel afraid.
Old Madam Wu was illiterate. In Qinghe Village, she could act shrewish and unreasonable, but if this really went to the magistrate, she wouldn’t dare face it even if she had ten times the courage.
More importantly, she didn’t understand the law at all. She had no idea whether what Lin Sheng said was true, but it didn’t sound like he was lying.
Common people naturally feared officials, and Old Madam Wu was no exception.
At that moment, Zhou Cheng was still lying on the ground clutching his leg in pain, while Lin Xiuniang had been frightened by Tian Guihua’s shovel of pig manure and had already retreated to the side, terrified that one careless move might really result in that filthy shovel being shoved at her face.
At the courtyard gate, Lin Dahu was still cursing and shouting, while Lin Dali had already hidden himself off to the side. Even the two daughters-in-law of the Old Lin family had blended into the crowd. The matchmaker invited by Lin Xiuniang had long since slipped away unnoticed. Meanwhile, the villagers had all sided with Lin Wan.
Old Madam Wu’s gaze swept across the scene, and her head throbbed painfully. This situation was completely different from what she had planned. How had things ended up like this?
The Old Lin family had so many people, and they were one of the wealthiest families in Qinghe Village. Lin Wan and Lin Sheng were just poor siblings—shouldn’t the villagers have been on the Old Lin family’s side? Why were they all protecting those ungrateful siblings instead?
Old Madam Wu couldn’t understand it. People like her—sharp-tongued, selfish, and unreasonable—never considered others’ feelings. Just like how she had spent years bullying others in the village and taking advantage wherever she could. She never thought that the more people she offended, the more resentment would build up. Even if people didn’t dare to confront her at first, there would always come a day when it all erupted.
Now, these villagers were simply taking the opportunity to vent their anger.
Seeing that Old Madam Wu still hadn’t spoken, Lin Wan called out to Lin Sheng, “Let’s go. We’re going to the county office to report this!”
Old Madam Wu’s expression changed instantly. “What exactly do you want?”
Lin Wan smiled faintly. “It’s simple. You all came early in the morning to cause trouble at my house and scared me. So how about this—you pay five taels of silver as mental distress compensation, and we’ll let this go.”
Old Madam Wu nearly choked on her breath when she heard this. “Mental distress compensation”? What kind of nonsense was that? She had never even heard of such a thing in her entire life.
And five taels of silver—her family owned nearly twenty mu of farmland, and after taxes, their yearly profit was only two or three taels at most.
“You’re extorting us!” Old Madam Wu gritted her teeth and glared at Lin Wan. Five taels was basically two years of their income. Last time she had already paid thirty-three taels. This time, there was no way she would give another coin.
“Call it whatever you want,” Lin Wan shrugged. “Either pay up, or we go report this to the authorities. Choose for yourself.”
She didn’t care either way. She wasn’t going to suffer any loss.
She had never liked taking advantage of others, and she wouldn’t allow others to take advantage of her either.
Originally, after teaching Old Madam Wu a lesson two days ago, if they had behaved themselves, both sides could have lived peacefully. But in just two days, they were back causing trouble again—and even trying to force her to marry Zhou Cheng, that little thug.
What a ridiculous idea.
Not only did she look down on Zhou Cheng, even if he were as outstanding as Gu Zhixing, it still wouldn’t work. Blood relations aside, she cared about that kind of thing very much. And besides, she had already chosen Gu Zhixing.
Though everyone has their own desires, she was quite loyal in her own way.
Lin Wan casually tossed the problem back to Old Madam Wu. Whatever she chose, there had to be an outcome today. The Old Lin family had to be made to understand that they could no longer come here and cause trouble whenever they pleased. Otherwise, they would be like cockroaches—coming back again and again—annoying beyond belief.
For Old Madam Wu, the things she feared most were losing money and dealing with officials. Now both were placed in front of her. Either choice left her feeling humiliated, but it would also force her to think twice before causing trouble again.
“I’ll pay two taels! I can give you two taels!” she said through gritted teeth.
But Lin Wan immediately refused. “No. Five taels. Not a single coin less.”
Just yesterday she had spent quite a bit in the county town. Since Old Madam Wu had come to deliver money today, she had no reason to refuse.
If it were anyone else, she might have negotiated—but for Old Madam Wu, this was just compensation for years of exploitation of the original Lin Wan.
“You’re robbing us!” Lin Dahu shouted angrily.
“Careful with your words,” Lin Sheng said calmly from the side. “Either report it to the authorities or pay up. This is all voluntary settlement. It has nothing to do with robbery. If you keep talking nonsense, we can sue you for slander.”
Lin Sheng wasn’t usually talkative, but after seeing his sister handle two confrontations, he seemed to have suddenly figured things out. Saying that felt surprisingly refreshing—especially since he was targeting people he had long disliked.
Lin Wan glanced at him and smiled slightly. Lin Sheng scratched his head and grinned back. She noticed her younger brother seemed more lively since cutting ties with the Old Lin family.
“You little brat, what are you saying? Who gave you the right to talk?” Lin Dahu yelled.
“This is my home. Why can’t I speak?” Lin Sheng retorted, then suddenly remembered something and glanced nervously toward Lin Wan.
In the past, whenever conflicts arose with the Old Lin family, his sister always told him to endure it, saying things would pass if they just endured a little longer. She never allowed him to directly confront them.
But this time…
Would she be angry?
However, when he turned, he met Lin Wan’s smiling eyes, and she even nodded in agreement.
“Ah Sheng is right. This is our home. The ones who have no right to speak are you!”
“Now—either go report it, or pay up. We don’t have time to waste with you.”