To support her two children, Lin Wan’s mother worked from dawn until dusk every day, exhausting herself to earn a living. Years of hardship left her with countless ailments, and two years ago she fell seriously ill and passed away.
From that point on, only the two siblings remained, relying on each other for survival.
Even while the original owner struggled alone to raise her younger brother, Old Madam Wu never offered any help. Instead, she continued showing up at their home whenever she pleased, taking advantage of them. Whenever there was anything remotely valuable in the house, she would find a way to carry it off.
Pulling herself out of the original owner’s memories, Lin Wan looked at Old Madam Wu with a thoughtful expression.
The woman’s favoritism was excessive—far beyond what was normal.
Lin Dashan was already dead, leaving behind only Lin Wan and her younger brother. Even if Old Madam Wu favored boys over girls, Lin Sheng was still a member of the Lin family, her own biological grandson.
Yet over the years, not only had she never shown him any concern, she constantly schemed against the siblings, acting as though she desperately wanted them to remain poor and miserable.
Something about that wasn’t right.
At that moment, Lin Wan was still standing there holding the recently-fainted Gu Zhixing in her arms.
Old Madam Wu showed not the slightest concern for her. The moment she opened her mouth, she began shouting accusations, her eyes filled with disgust and contempt.
It was as if Lin Wan wasn’t her granddaughter at all, but her mortal enemy.
Seeing Lin Wan simply staring at her without speaking, Old Madam Wu became even angrier.
“You little wretch! Hand over all your money right now! If you keep it, this family will be ruined sooner or later!”
As she spoke, she charged directly toward Lin Wan, clearly intending to search her body.
The moment Old Madam Wu lunged forward, Lin Wan casually sidestepped.
At the same time, she discreetly extended one foot.
The next second, a loud thud rang out.
“Ow! My back! It hurts!”
Old Madam Wu’s cry echoed through the courtyard.
Turning her head, Lin Wan saw the old woman sprawled face-first on the ground with her rear sticking up in the air. She clutched her lower back with a pained expression.
It was obvious she had twisted her waist.
Serves you right, Lin Wan cursed inwardly.
Then she quietly withdrew her left foot, hiding both the evidence and her achievement.
If Old Madam Wu hadn’t tried to lay hands on her, she wouldn’t have fallen and injured herself.
She had brought it upon herself.
Lin Wan had always believed in repaying grievances and settling scores.
People like Old Madam Wu had already been placed firmly in the enemy category.
She still didn’t know why she had transmigrated into this novel, but since she now occupied the original owner’s body, she intended to live well in her place.
The things the original owner had been too afraid to resist—
She would resist them.
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.
A glance from the corner of her eye revealed a crowd of villagers, attracted by Old Madam Wu’s cries of pain.
Instantly, Lin Wan adjusted her expression.
With a worried look, she hurried forward.
“Grandmother, how could you be so careless? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Several nearby villagers had gathered at the gate, craning their necks to see what was happening.
Someone called out,
“Auntie Lin, what’s going on? What happened?”
The moment Old Madam Wu saw the villagers arrive, she ignored the pain and pointed accusingly at Lin Wan.
“You little slut! You actually dared to attack me! I’m your grandmother! Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning for your lack of filial piety?”
Everyone in the village knew Old Madam Wu’s sharp tongue and nasty temperament.
Still, she looked genuinely pitiful at the moment, sprawled on the ground, while Lin Wan stood unharmed nearby.
As a result, many suspicious gazes turned toward Lin Wan.
The Great Li Dynasty placed enormous importance on filial piety.
From imperial nobles and court officials all the way down to commoners, a single accusation of being unfilial could completely destroy a person’s reputation.
For women, reputation was even more important.
If word spread that Lin Wan had struck her grandmother, then regardless of the circumstances, she would be branded unfilial.
People would point fingers behind her back, and she would never be able to hold her head high in the village again.
A shocked expression immediately appeared on Lin Wan’s face.
Her eyes quickly reddened.
“I didn’t…”
Old Madam Wu didn’t care whether she cried or not.
She stubbornly insisted,
“There were only the two of us in this courtyard! Are you saying I pushed myself over?”
When she had fallen, she vaguely remembered something tripping her.
But after looking around, she hadn’t seen anything.
It had to be Lin Wan’s doing.
She didn’t believe for a second that she was falsely accusing her.
And even if she was, she saw nothing wrong with it.
“B-But…” Lin Wan’s voice trembled as though she were about to cry.
“I’m holding someone in my arms. How could I possibly have pushed you?”
Her tone was helpless and aggrieved.
She bit her lip lightly, her eyes growing even redder.
Although she didn’t particularly care about her reputation, she wasn’t going to stand by and let Old Madam Wu ruin it.
After all, she had watched plenty of movies and television dramas in her previous life.
She had picked up a little acting skill along the way.
The villagers at the gate immediately nodded in agreement.
They had watched Lin Wan grow up.
She had always been an honest and well-behaved girl.
She simply didn’t look like someone who would dare attack her grandmother.
Besides, both of her hands were occupied carrying a person.
Even if she wanted to push someone, she couldn’t.
Unless she suddenly grew a third arm.
Old Madam Wu immediately exploded.
“You tripped me with your foot!”
Lin Wan sighed helplessly.
“But just now you said I pushed you.”
“That’s right! I heard that too!”
“Me too! She definitely said Lin Wan pushed her!”
Several villagers who had heard the accusation spoke up.
Over the years, everyone had witnessed how Old Madam Wu treated the siblings.
Many people already thought her behavior had gone far beyond what was acceptable.
Seeing Lin Wan standing there looking so wronged and patient, Tian Guihua, who lived next door, could no longer stay silent.
She had been the first person to defend Lin Wan.
“Auntie Lin, everyone in the village knows you don’t like Lin Wan and her brother. But no matter how much you dislike them, you can’t falsely accuse people like this.”
Tian Guihua was known for her fiery temper.
She never minced words.
She had long despised Old Madam Wu.
Every day, the old woman did nothing but torment those two orphaned siblings.
It was as if she wanted to work them to death.
Tian Guihua had never seen such a heartless grandmother in her life.
After she spoke, several other villagers who had long been dissatisfied with Old Madam Wu’s behavior joined in.
Old Madam Wu’s face immediately darkened.
“This is our Lin family’s private business! Why are all of you sticking your noses into it? A bunch of busybodies!”
With a single sentence, she insulted everyone present.
The villagers who had spoken up for Lin Wan looked displeased.
At that moment, Lin Wan’s calm voice sounded from the side.
“But if I remember correctly… our families separated years ago.”
Back when Lin Dashan married, Old Madam Wu had been unwilling to spend money on a bride price.
So she had immediately split the household and driven him out.
For years, whether it was Lin Dashan or the original owner, they had tolerated Old Madam Wu’s constant exploitation because they still clung to family ties and the obligations of filial piety.
But in Lin Wan’s eyes, every relationship should be mutual.
Lin Dashan and the original owner had treated Old Madam Wu as family.
But Old Madam Wu—and the rest of the Lin family—had never treated them as family at all.
Otherwise, she would never have driven Lin Dashan out when he married.
Nor would she have continued feeding off him even after his death.
If Old Madam Wu had possessed even the slightest affection for them, she never would have led the Lin family in framing the original owner in the novel and ultimately causing her death.
Looking at everything she had done over the years, one fact was clear:
Old Madam Wu was nothing more than a parasite feeding off them.
She couldn’t be considered family at all.