Old Mrs. Lin immediately jumped up and down, "I meant well and wanted to help you, but you're not thinking straight. I was afraid you'd go bankrupt, so I thought I'd ask your sister-in-law for help. Instead of being grateful, you want to take over my house. That's how you take over a house. The land deed is in the eldest son's hands. How dare you try to take it?"
"I don't care, the clothing store is mine. If you ruin the store that I earn my living, I... I'll die in your house."
Yan Xin wasn't joking; she really thought so. Life in the countryside was too damn hard. If she weren't so desperate to die, she would have killed herself long ago.
"You've lost your mind, this is terrible. I'll send you to a mental hospital another day." Old Mrs. Lin's eyes darkened. If she really had that plan, she was convinced that Zhao Xiaolian had gone mad.
"You dare? I'll die in your new house right now." Yan Xin had been in Shanhe Town for more than half a year. She hadn't learned anything else, but she had mastered the art of throwing tantrums.
Grandma Lin took a few deep breaths, clutched her chest, staggered after Yan Xin, grabbed her, and stomped her foot hard. "Alright, you rascal, I'm scared of you now. Just calm down. From now on, let's be like before, keep to ourselves and don't let anyone take advantage of the other."
After saying that, she stormed off and never came to the second son's house again. The second son's wife was a crazy woman; she was furious.
When Lin Xiazhu came home from school, Yan Xin told her that Grandma Lin and her aunt wanted to take over her clothing store. Lin Xiazhu was stunned.
"Don't you believe me? The old lady said it herself. I'm telling you, I've returned all the capital of the clothing store to you. The business license is in my name. I'd rather die than give up the store." She made a living from this small, run-down shop.
"...Don't keep bringing up death. It's not a big deal. If you don't agree, that's fine. I'll talk to my uncle about this. It shouldn't have anything to do with him." Lin Xiazhu trusted Lin Shanfu's character; he was a man of principle.
After dinner, Lin Xiazhu made a special trip to tell Lin Shanfu about what had happened that day. Ever since she arrived, Old Lady Lin had been paying attention to it.
Hearing her recount what happened during the day, she immediately blurted out, "I told you your mother is really ungrateful. I've already let her off the hook, but she still won't let it go. I was kind enough to feed her a traitor. If it weren't for your father's sake, I wouldn't bother with you at all."
Lin Xiazhu didn't say anything, waiting for her to finish rambling.
Lin Shanfu, however, interrupted her impatiently, "Alright, that's enough. Mom, go to sleep first. I'll talk to Xiaozhu."
"No, she's clearly here to interrogate me. Zhao Xiaolian is my wife, can't I say anything to her? She's mentally unstable, and I tried to help her, but I made a mistake?" Old Mrs. Lin stomped her foot and clapped her hands, looking extremely angry.
Lin Xiazhu showed no outward reaction, but inwardly she found it somewhat amusing. Old Mrs. Lin and Zhao Yinxiu were typical rural women: concerned with saving face, fond of taking advantage of others, and prone to throwing tantrums at the slightest disagreement.
If it weren't for Lin Shanfu, the eldest son's uncle, keeping the second son's family in check, they would have fought to the death long ago for stealing so many vegetables from the eldest son's family. It's also because Lin Shanfu is capable and knows how to make money that he has the final say in the family, which is why the two women don't dare to cause too much trouble.
Old Mrs. Lin wasn't a bad person. At least when the second wife was desperate, she would help her out a little, such as by helping with farm work.
However, her heart always leaned towards her eldest son. Seeing that the second son's family was suddenly doing well, she started to scheme against them, wanting to get some benefits for the eldest son's family. In her previous life, after Zhao Xiaolian married the tailor, her daughters went out to work and their lives got better and better. Old Mrs. Lin had also come to make trouble.
However, Lin Xiazhu was away from home at the time, and she heard about this from Zhao Xiaolian. Zhao Xiaolian didn't specifically talk to her about it; she was mainly worried that Old Lady Lin would ask Lin Xiazhu to send money, so she warned her in advance.
“That old hag of yours, seeing that our family is doing well, she has ulterior motives. Let me tell you, if she calls or writes to you, you are not allowed to give her a single penny, or I will never forgive you.”
Of course, the money her daughter earns is saved for her. She has a son who will grow up and get married. If he gets into university, the tuition fees need to be prepared.
Thinking of Zhao Xiaolian, Lin Xiazhu felt a chill in her heart. After marrying the tailor, she only cared about the tailor and his son, and had no regard for her sisters.
Aside from Lin Xiaoxue, with whom she had a good relationship, she considered Chacha and Taozi as nothing more than an eyesore and a burden. Marrying a tailor and bringing them along was simply a scheme to send them out to work and earn money when they grew up.
Taozi, that silly girl, was tricked by Lin Xiaoxue into going to the river to collect fish because she had no use for him. She accidentally drowned, but Zhao Xiaolian didn't care and didn't even shed a tear.
Before she knew it, she had gone off on a tangent again. Lin Xiazhu composed herself and said, "Uncle, my mother is just envious of the life in the city. Even before she got married, she was already thinking about marrying into the city."
She didn't get married later, and instead married Lin Shanlai, that incompetent man. She was always resentful and never settled down for ten years of marriage. She was either lazy at home or looking for opportunities to wander around town...
"...Now that she's finally managed to keep this little shop, she's definitely protecting it like the apple of her eye. Besides, that little shop doesn't make much money in a month, just enough to cover expenses..."
It's absolutely impossible for anyone to share half the income. Not to mention Yan Xin, even Lin Xiazhu wouldn't agree.
Lin Shanfu nodded in agreement with a serious expression. "Don't worry, your uncle can earn money on his own and won't do anything immoral. It wasn't easy for your mother to raise you and your sisters by herself. Logically, as your uncle, I should help you more, but the family's financial situation hasn't been good these past few years."
He has two sons to go to school, needs to build a house, and needs to save money for his sons' weddings. He is under a lot of pressure, so it's impossible for him to help them. His principle is that his younger brother's family should not drag him down, and he will never take advantage of his younger brother's family.
So after Lin Xiazhu left, Lin Shanfu called over Old Lady Lin and Zhao Yinxiu and gave them a lecture.
"You two remember this: no matter how successful Zhao Xiaolian becomes in the future, it has nothing to do with our family. Whether we are missing a hand or a foot, those orphans and widows can live a good life. Our family has so many able-bodied people, but we can't compare to them."
Lin Shanfu was really angry this time. How could he let a woman outdo him? What was the point of his high school education?
He prided himself on being more capable than the average person and couldn't bear to lose face. He blamed his two short-sighted wives for always dragging him down, and he could even scold Zhao Yinxiu a few more times.
Old Mrs. Lin is his mother, so even when he's angry, he can only suppress his temper and reason with her; he can't scold her.
This caused Old Lady Lin to calm down for a while, but after a long time, her old habits would relapse. In reality, she didn't gain any benefits, but instead earned a reputation for being malicious and bullying others.
What did she gain from this? She gained nothing but embarrassment for him, and her niece even complained about her.
In the second month of the lunar calendar, on a Saturday, Brother Yu came to see Lin Xiazhu, saying he wanted to repay her money. Lin Xiazhu didn't expect him to have the money to repay her so quickly.
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