Chapter 47 Chapter 47-Two in One wants to treat her as an enemy? Dream on...
The next morning, Lin Chunxing got up early and cooked porridge just like yesterday.
Last night in the middle of the night, she heard low voices in the next room. She knew that Lin Chuntao and the others went to bed late and would definitely be hungry when they woke up, so she made some food in advance.
Lin Chuntao slept very soundly in the second half of the night. She didn't even notice Pei Ying getting up and slept until lunch time.
Lin Chunxing had already steamed the rice and washed and prepared the vegetables, but Lin Chuntao had not gotten up yet.
She looked at Pei Ying and asked, "Brother-in-law, how about we wake up my sister to eat?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly and walked into the house. Lin Chunxing took out the pot and prepared to cook.
Lin Chuntao woke up as soon as Pei Ying entered. She yawned and stretched, then opened her eyes and saw Pei Ying who had just entered the room.
"Are you up? What time is it?"
Pei Ying saw that she looked much better and asked with a smile, "Are you feeling better?"
Lin Chuntao looked at him, thought of the crying she had last night, and slowly sat up.
"Much better. Thank you for the past two days."
"Between us, there's no need to thank each other." Pei Ying said, "Chun Xing is already cooking. Do you want some egg custard?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly. "Don't bother. I'll just eat with you guys."
Pei Ying smiled and said, "Then I'll get you some water to wash your face."
With that, Pei Ying turned and left the room. Lin Chuntao also lifted the quilt and crawled to the bed to put on her shoes.
The sun was shining brightly outside. Lin Chuntao had just come out of the house and her eyes were still a little uncomfortable, so she rubbed her eyes gently.
Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer, who had been waiting all morning, rushed over when they saw her.
"Sister, are you feeling better? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
"Much better, not uncomfortable anymore."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Duoer said, "Sister, when you're better, can you come back and sleep at night?"
After hearing this, Pei Ying was stunned for a moment, then looked up. Lin Chuntao also subconsciously glanced at Pei Ying. The two looked at each other, and Lin Chuntao pursed her lips slightly. Lin Chunxing was cooking. She looked at the expressions of Pei Ying and Lin Chuntao and understood what was going on. She gave Lin Chunhe a wink, and Lin Chunhe abruptly called Lin Duoer away.
"Duo'er, I just saw a very beautiful stone outside. I'll take you to see it."
Having said that, he didn't care whether Lin Duoer agreed or not, and dragged her away by the arm.
Lin Chuntao watched the two sisters leave the courtyard, then glanced at Pei Ying, chuckled, and lowered her eyes.
Pei Ying brought her the water for washing her face and handed her the willow branch for rinsing her mouth.
Lin Chuntao took it and squatted under the bamboo fence to wash.
Outside the yard, Lin Duoer was still foolishly asking where the stones were. Lin Chunhe looked at her and replied softly, "There are no good-looking stones."
"Then why did you trick me out?"
Lin Chunhe pursed her lips and thought for a long time before she said, "Sister and brother-in-law are married, and they will live together from now on. Don't ask her to come back to sleep again."
Lin Duo'er was still young and a little confused, "Why?"
Lin Chunhe couldn't explain it either, so she just said, "Why are there so many reasons? Married people have to sleep together. Only by sleeping together can they have children. Do you want to be an aunt?"
Lin Duoer's eyes widened: "So, is my sister going to have a baby?"
Lin Chunhe was speechless. She patted Lin Duoer and said, "Are you stupid? You need a big belly to have a baby, but I don't have a big belly yet, so I have to wait."
Lin Duoer nodded thoughtfully, "Oh, I see."
Lin Chunhe and the others were talking outside the bamboo fence. Although they were speaking quietly, the bamboo fence was not soundproof. Lin Chuntao happened to be washing under the bamboo fence, so the two sisters spoke as if they were talking in front of her.
Lin Chuntao wondered when ancient women would have been exposed to biological knowledge, and who would have been the teacher? Perhaps her own mother? But Xu Xiu was already dead.
She can only take some time to tell her sisters about this, right?
Thinking of this, Lin Chuntao suddenly realized that she had been here for more than a month, but it seemed that she had not had her period yet?
Lin Chuntao searched her original body's memories but couldn't find anything relevant. She was almost twenty years old, and she still hadn't had her period? This shocked her. She needed to go to the clinic to see a doctor.
After Lin Chuntao finished washing up, Chunxing had already cooked the dishes.
After lunch, Lin Chuntao drank another bowl of dark and bitter medicine.
After taking a short break in the afternoon, Lin Chunxing said she was going to cut grass for the pigs and left with her two younger sisters.
After they had walked for a while, Lin Chuntao picked up the bamboo basket and called Pei Ying: "Let's go for a walk in the fields."
Pei Ying nodded slightly, and the two of them went to the field. Under the pretext of checking the corn, they retrieved the silver and kitchen knife that had been buried earlier.
Lin Chuntao met Li Honghua, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, on the way and greeted them.
Li Honghua smiled and said, "Chun Tao, I haven't seen you for the past two days. What have you been busy with?"
"I caught a cold after being caught in the rain that day, so I stayed home to rest. What were my aunt and fourth grandmother doing?"
The old lady said, "It has rained for the past two days. Let's go check the fields."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly and prepared to leave.
Li Honghua suddenly called out to her and asked, "Did you know that Miaomiao and the others are back?"
Lin Chuntao didn't know what she was up to, so she just replied, "I know."
Her tone was very calm, unlike before when Lin Chuntao was unhappy when talking about the people in the fifth room.
Li Honghua couldn't figure out what she was thinking and thought she had let go of the previous grudges.
"Then why don't you move back? The house is empty now and no one lives there. It's big enough for you to move back in. The adults are gone, and you're the eldest sister, so you should live with your younger sisters."
Lin Chuntao looked at Li Honghua and asked calmly, "Who asked my aunt to tell me this?"
Li Honghua curled her lips and smiled, "No, that's what I think. Aren't you living in your great-grandfather's old house now? You had no choice before, but now you have a place to live. Living in your own home is always more convenient than living in someone else's."
Lin Chuntao understood what she meant, chuckled, and looked at Li Honghua intently.
"When my sisters and I were kicked out, I didn't see my aunt-in-law take pity on us sisters and ask us to come to your house. It's only now that I know how kind-hearted you are. Thank you for considering us, but it's not necessary."
When Li Honghua heard her words, her cheeks turned red. She wanted to continue talking but was stopped by her mother-in-law next to her.
Lin Chuntao glanced at the old lady and said calmly, "Fourth Grandma, if there's nothing else, we'll go back."
After saying that, she left with Pei Ying.
After they walked away, the old lady frowned and looked at Li Honghua: "What are you doing? Your uncle and the others haven't stepped forward yet, why are you so anxious to step forward?"
Li Honghua didn't take her mother-in-law's words seriously. "My uncle and his family wouldn't be such a bad person. He even wanted to force those six little brats into our families."
The old lady laughed silently when she heard this.
"You know your uncle wouldn't do such a bad thing, but you insist on doing it? Can't you just shut up?"
Li Honghua said, "Then I'm also worried that one day those six brats will be desperate and will really force two of them into our house."
"If Chuntao had been persuaded to go back earlier, that day wouldn't have happened."
The old lady sighed deeply and shook her head helplessly.
"You have a nice idea, but do you think Chuntao is such a fool?"
Li Honghua chuckled softly: "She may not be stupid, but she looks a bit like Xu Xiu to me. If she has Xu Xiu's temperament and heart, she will go back sooner or later."
The old lady looked at her in disbelief, "That was the Chun Tao of the past. Where is the shadow of Xu Xiu now?"
She snorted coldly as she spoke: "If it were really like Xu Xiu, maybe your fifth uncle's family wouldn't be like this."
Lin Chuntao had already been married off to Zhang Bao, and Lin Laowu and his family had continued to live happily with the betrothal money. How could they have caused such a big uproar and gone to the government? If they hadn't gone to the government, how could such a catastrophic disaster have occurred?
After the old lady finished speaking, Li Honghua said, "Isn't this happening to Uncle Wu's family because Chang Hai and his gang robbed the tomb?"
The old lady shook her head helplessly and said, "Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with our family. Even if we can't make ends meet, your uncle wants to divide them among the families, and we can keep them."
Li Honghua nodded slightly, not knowing whether she really heard it or just ignored it.
Lin Chuntao returned home and the more she thought about what Li Honghua had said, the more ridiculous she found it.
She looked at the old house, then at the money in the bamboo basket, and said to Pei Ying, "Let's go and inquire about the price of bricks and carpentry. If it's feasible, we can start building a house. We'll build the living quarters first and move in. We'll then build the pigpen and chicken coop later."
Pei Ying nodded. "Okay. Actually, it's very quick to make adobe bricks for pig pens and chicken coops. They can be completed in two or three days."
Want her to raise Lin Miaomiao and the other six? What kind of dream is that?
They are pitiful, but their pity is not caused by her.
At this time, Lin Miaomiao and her siblings spent the night in fear. Every time they closed their eyes, they saw the scene of their parents and uncles being dragged away. The youngest, little Dujuan, had a nightmare in the middle of the night and cried twice. Finally, he was scolded by Lin Miaomiao before he fell asleep crying.
When they got up, it was already afternoon. There was no rooster crowing, no old lady scolding, and no parents calling out. The whole yard was quiet, so quiet that Lin Miaomiao felt uneasy.
But she was not the only one who was panicking, the younger ones were even more panicked.
Lin Jialang looked up at the sky. It was blue with floating clouds. He thought of the scene when his mother was dragged away. The sunlight was so glaring that he felt like crying.
His mother told him to take his younger brothers and sisters to find Lin Chuntao and apologize to her on her behalf.
"Jia Lang, remember to tell your sister Chun Tao that I'm sorry! Ask her to forgive me!"
Lin Jialang knew that his mother probably wanted them to apologize and then beg Lin Chuntao to take care of them.
An apology is necessary, but don't even think about anything else. People always have to pay the price for what they do, and they are no exception.
"Sister Miaomiao, I'm going to visit Sister Chuntao's house. Do you want to go?"
After Lin Jialang finished speaking, Lin Miaomiao turned around and looked at him, her brows furrowed and her eyes scrutinizing.
"You think if we kneel down and apologize like your mother said, she'll take care of us? Don't dream on!"
Lin Miaomiao's disdainful tone made Lin Jialang feel depressed. He said, "I know, but my mother asked us to apologize, so we have to go."
"Then you go." Lin Miaomiao said.
Lin Jialang nodded, "Sister, we will be back soon."
Lin Miaomiao didn't say anything. She watched Lin Jialang take Lin Jiarong and Xiao Dujuan out of the yard.
Lin Jiacai ran to the gate of the courtyard to take a look, then turned back and said to Lin Miaomiao, "Sister, if they really go, will Sister Chuntao take care of them?"
"I don't think so."
Lin Miaomiao said this, but deep down she still hoped that Lin Chuntao would keep Lin Jialang and the others, so that they would have a place to stay.
Lin Jiacai said, "Then what should we do? Should we go find Great Grandpa?"
"Let's talk about it after dinner." Lin Miaomiao said as she went to the kitchen to light a fire and cook lunch.
Lin Chuntao had just hidden the silver and money when she heard a knock on the door. Pei Ying went to open the gate and saw that it was the three brothers Lin Jialang.
Lin Jialang pepped himself up several times before knocking on the door. He thought it would be Lin Chuntao who opened the door, but it was Pei Ying who opened the door. He looked up at Pei Ying, swallowed, and called out, "Brother-in-law, is Sister Chuntao home?"
"At home," Pei Ying said, but he didn't call them into the yard. Lin Chuntao heard the voices from inside the house and came out. "Who is it?"
She asked as she tilted her head and saw Lin Jialang and Lin Jiarong standing at the door, their expressions slightly gloomy.
Pei Ying said, "They're looking for you."
Lin Chuntao walked over and asked in a cold voice, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Lin Jialang saw the displeasure in Lin Chuntao's eyes. He pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and then forced an awkward smile.
"Sister Chuntao, before my mother left, she said she was sorry for you. Please forgive her. She asked me to come to you and I'm here to apologize on her behalf."
After hearing this, Pei Ying frowned slightly.
Lin Chuntao glanced at the little cuckoo behind Lin Jialang, who was looking at her eagerly, but only for a moment. She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Lin Jialang and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Lin Jialang shook his head slightly, "No more."
"Then I understand. Let's go back."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Jialang pursed his lips and nodded. He lowered his eyes and saw the cloth shoes on his feet and the straw sandals on Lin Chuntao's feet.
"Sister, let's go then."
Before he could finish his words, Lin Chuntao pulled the gate over and closed it without hesitation.
Lin Jialang took a deep breath before turning around and saying to his younger brothers and sisters behind him, "Let's go back."
Lin Jiarong and Xiao Dujuan followed him closely without saying a word.
At this time, Lin Miaomiao had lit the fire and kneaded the dough. She was about to make buckwheat pancakes when Lin Jialang and the others came back.
She felt a wave of disappointment.
"Did she pay any attention to you?" Lin Jiacai asked.
Lin Jialang replied, "I understand."
Lin Miaomiao hurriedly asked, "What did she say?"
Lin Jialang shook his head and said, "Nothing was said, just asked us to come back."
Lin Miaomiao sighed deeply, turned back to the kitchen, and baked two pancakes. One was shared by the three of her siblings, and the other was given to Lin Jialang and his two siblings. The two pancakes looked to be the same size, but the one in her hand was thick, while the one for Lin Jialang and his two siblings was thin.
Lin Jialang acted as if he didn't see it and took the cake and shared it with his brothers and sisters.
After finishing the cake, Lin Miaomiao looked at them and said, "Let's go to Grandpa's house."
Lin Jialang raised his eyes to look at her and bit his lip: "Sister, have you thought about what to say?"
Lin Miaomiao saw Lin Jialang's expression froze, and she frowned, thinking about when Lin Chuntao and the others were kicked out. She heard that it was the great-grandmother who offered to lend them the old house to live in. The great-grandfather said last night that he would wait for today, so there should be arrangements when she goes there today.
"Let's go first."
Lin Jialang nodded and followed Lin Miaomiao out of the yard.
In the past, they played in the village, were familiar with the children, and the adults were all friendly to them.
But today was different. They met Lin Jiaye and the others on the road. They just looked at them coldly without saying anything and did not invite them to play together. Lin Jialang wanted to call them, but when he met such a subtle look, he swallowed the words back.
Lin Miaomiao didn't notice the changes in Lin Jiaye and the others. She even called out to Lin Qingqing and asked, "Qingqing, what are you doing?"
Lin Qingqing just said vaguely: "Just go downstairs."
He didn't say what he was going to do or where he was going.
The same was true of the adults they met along the way. They either glanced at them indifferently or whispered to others. This was the first time in Lin Jialang's life that he had experienced such a feeling.
When my parents were taken away, my uncle was still comforting them, saying that it would be fine if they returned to the village, where my great-grandfather and some cousins would be there. They were desperate and hoped deep down that there would be someone to serve as their safe haven when they returned.
But after a night, the great-grandfather came to help them pack up their things, but left after that.
Until today, when he saw the expressions of the villagers, he gradually realized that there was no one they could rely on.
From now on, they can only rely on themselves.
But they don’t even have land, how can they rely on themselves?
As he was thinking, the siblings had already reached the gate of Muramasa's house.
Lin Cunzheng and Sun were all at home. After being imprisoned, everyone was affected to some extent. They couldn't sleep or eat well, so they needed to rest for two days and didn't go out to work.
Lin Miaomiao leaned against the courtyard wall and peeked inside. Sun was the first to see them.
"Grandma." Lin Miaomiao called out, and Sun said calmly, "It's you, come in."
Lin Miaomiao then led Lin Jialang and the others inside. There were many people in the yard, but everyone was silent, including the children. The siblings stood in the yard, and Sun said, "Bring a chair and sit down."
The siblings brought their stools over and sat down. Chen Dongniang looked at them and asked, "Have you eaten?"
Lin Miaomiao replied: "Auntie, we ate it."
Chen Dongniang smiled and nodded, "That's good."
Sun was picking beans with a winnowing basket, and Lin Miaomiao didn't see Lin Cunzheng.
"Grandma, isn't Grandpa at home?"
Sun said, "Your great-grandfather and his men went to the cemetery. Wasn't the ancestral tomb dug up by the officials? They went to see how to repair it."
Lin Miaomiao didn't understand what was going on and asked, "Why would the ancestral grave be dug up?"
Lin Jiahui snorted coldly, "How dare you ask? If your family hadn't stolen or hidden the silver, would the officials have gone to our ancestral tomb to look for dirty silver?"
"How dare you go out? Can't you see that we've all been made too ashamed to go out and see people because of your family?"
Listening to Lin Jiahui's conversation, Lin Miaomiao and her siblings blushed with embarrassment. They lowered their heads and dared not speak.
Sun looked at their expressions and sighed deeply. She looked at Lin Jiahui and said, "Go back to the house and play."
She only asked Lin Jiahui to go back to his room to play, and did not scold him for what he said.
Lin Miaomiao felt that Sun's attitude towards them had changed.
But she pursed her lips and could only sit there shamelessly.
While picking beans, Sun said, "You haven't been feeling well these past two days, have you?"
Lin Miaomiao's eyes welled up at the seemingly caring words. Just as she was about to tell him about how sad she had been these past two days, she heard Sun say, "It's okay to feel bad, but you're grown up now. You still have to stand up for yourself."
"Although your parents were demoted, at least they are still alive. When you grow up and have your own family, you can go and look for them."
Lin Miaomiao's emotions, which had just surged up, were blocked by the old lady's words.
She bit her lip and said, "Grandma, we can take care of ourselves, but our land has been taken away by the government. We have no land to farm. How will we make a living in the future?"
Sun raised her eyebrows slightly when she heard this, then sighed and said in a deep voice, "Actually, your great grandfather and his family discussed it with your second and third grandfathers and their families last night, wondering if you siblings could..." Sun paused, seeing the hope in Lin Miaomiao and the others' eyes, she gritted her teeth and continued, "But they didn't agree."
"Miaomiao, although Grandma wants to help you, you also know that we have a large family and are really powerless. Please don't blame Grandma, okay?"
Before Lin Miaomiao could speak, Lin Jialang took over the conversation.
"Grandma, you're too kind. We can take care of ourselves."
Sun smiled and nodded. "Don't be afraid. Look at Chuntao and the others. They had only tattered bedding when they were driven out, but they're still doing fine. You're much better off than them now. I heard from your great-grandfather that the official even left some buckwheat noodles for you. Chuntao and the others didn't even have dinner at the time, so they asked me to buy some sweet potatoes and potatoes."
Lin Miaomiao was dazed when she heard this, and she was a little skeptical about what Sun said. Did she really have to pay for a few sweet potatoes and potatoes?
But she didn't say anything, just listened quietly.
Lin Jialang looked at Sun. After all, she was an old woman and had seen more than them. He thought for a while before saying, "Grandma, is there any way for us to find some land to farm? Or is there any work we can do to earn a living?"
Sun sighed deeply. There were ways to farm, but everyone had to survive, and farming was for food, not just for farming.
You can rent land from wealthy families, but if you do that, you will become a tenant and will not even have an independent household registration. You will have to rely on the wealthy family, and you will need to redeem your household registration when the time comes. Many tenants are unable to redeem themselves. Liang's harvest will be taken away by at least half every year. If the harvest is poor, he will have to borrow food from the owner, and the loan is not free, but also has interest.
In the end, not only will you not have enough to eat, but you will also be in debt and have to work for others all the time. It is no different from being reduced to slavery.
As she looked at these children, she felt that Lin Changhai and his family were more hateful. Not only did they destroy the family, but they also left behind so many half-grown children. It would have been fine if they were a little older, but they were all in their teens, neither too old nor too young.
"You can rent land from a wealthy family, but your household registration will be with them, making you no different from a slave. If you want to leave later, you'll have to pay to redeem your household registration. Don't worry, wait and see if there's a better solution."
After hearing what Sun said, Lin Jialang nodded and thanked Sun.
Sun smiled and said, "It's okay. Let me ask your great-grandfather first."
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