Qin Hongmei pulled the child, who was crying in fear, aside and then advised the old woman, "Auntie, let's talk this out. How can you resort to violence!"
The old man, panting heavily, pointed at Lin Hui and cursed, "I'm doing this all for the child! She insists on sending the child to after-school care because she thinks I'm too old and useless!"
Lin Hui wiped away her tears, feeling wronged: "Mom, I didn't mean it that way. The preschool program can teach children to sing and read. It's not that I'm complaining about you..."
She choked up again before she could finish speaking.
Gu Mingyue helped Lin Hui walk into her house, and then gave Lu Lin a look.
Lu Lin immediately understood and stepped forward to pull the still angry Old Lady Li to sit on the stone bench in the corner of the courtyard. He softened his tone and said, "Auntie, please calm down and let me tell you something."
Lin Hui sent her child to the after-school program not because she thought you weren't taking good care of the child, but because she wanted the child to play with other children and learn something new—it's for the child's own good.
But Old Mrs. Li still wouldn't give up. Sitting on the stone bench, she slapped her thigh and muttered, "I think she just thinks I'm too old! I raised several kids back in my hometown, why would I need to go to some after-school program? It's a complete waste of money!"
She became more and more excited as she spoke, raising her voice even higher, which prompted several neighbors to quietly open their doors a crack.
Lu Lin didn't rush to refute her. He waited until she had finished nagging before continuing to persuade her: "Auntie, times have changed. Nowadays, children are all about early education. Look at the other families in the yard, many of them send their children to early childhood education classes, and the children come back very happy."
If you're worried, you can go with me sometime and see for yourself how lively that place is.
Old Mrs. Li completely ignored Lu Lin's advice. Instead, she sat down on the ground and threw a tantrum, slapping the ground with her hands and repeating the same few sentences over and over.
"I don't care! I absolutely can't go to this preschool! It's not up to Lin Hui to decide what to do with the kids I raised!"
Dust covered his trouser legs, and his voice was so sharp it could penetrate the courtyard wall.
Lu Lin frowned, but showed no impatience whatsoever, simply squatting to the side and watching quietly.
Once she calmed down a bit, he said in a deep voice, "Auntie, making a scene like this not only doesn't solve anything, but it also frightens the child. Look over there, the child is crying in fear. That's not what you want to see, is it?"
He pointed to the child who was still sobbing in Qin Hongmei's arms.
Old Mrs. Li sat on the ground, her neck stiff, continuing her tantrum, spewing out vulgarities.
"At worst, I'll send Guizhong back to my hometown to farm! He won't have to put up with this bullying in the military family compound, and he won't have to put up with Lin Hui's attitude!"
These words completely darkened Lu Lin's face. His previous patience vanished, and his tone instantly turned as cold as ice.
"Auntie, you're not being kind with your words. Fan Guizhong is working hard in the army for the sake of this family. How can you use his future as leverage?"
He took a half step forward, his aura suddenly tightening. "The family compound is a guarantee provided by the military for military families, not a place for you to throw a tantrum. If you really make a scene with the military leaders, it won't be anyone else who loses face."
These words hit the nail on the head. Old Mrs. Li's tantrum abruptly stopped. She looked up at Lu Lin's cold expression and felt a strange sense of fear.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say another few words, but when she met Lu Lin's unyielding gaze, those nonsense words stuck in her throat, and the hand that was patting the ground quietly stopped.
His eyes were as cold as ice. The old lady was intimidated by his aura. She opened her mouth but didn't dare to scold him anymore. She just waved her hand and muttered, "I'm doing this for the children," before she slumped down.
Whether what she said was true or false, only she herself knows.
Seeing this, Gu Mingyue quickly helped Lin Hui, whose eyes were red from crying, and then took the child who was cowering behind her in fright, and said softly, "Lin Hui, come back to the room with me and rest for a while."
After bringing the two to her home, she had just handed them a towel when Lin Hui's tears started falling again, and she buried her face in her hands on the table, sobbing uncontrollably.
Before Gu Mingyue could offer any further advice, footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate, and Lin Hui's husband, Fan Guizhong, burst in.
His skin was dark and his hands were rough; he looked like a hardworking soldier who had been diligent for many years.
Seeing his wife crying uncontrollably, he panicked and patted her back helplessly, asking, "Lin Hui, what's wrong? Who bullied you?"
After Gu Mingyue finished telling the whole story, Fan Guizhong's face turned red instantly. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "This old woman is getting more and more senile as she gets older!"
As she was about to rush out, Gu Mingyue quickly stopped her: "Don't rush, talk to your aunt properly, don't make things worse."
Fan Guizhong took a deep breath and nodded firmly: "I know, I'll go take her home right now, and I'll never let her cause any more trouble!"
Fan Guizhong hurried home and bumped into Old Lady Li sitting on the doorstep, slapping her thigh and cursing.
"My old bones are worthless! I raised you for nothing, and now that you've married, you've forgotten your mother and don't even help her!"
Seeing Fan Guizhong's frighteningly grim face, Old Lady Li simply started throwing a tantrum.
"Isn't it just because you don't like me being your biological mother? I take care of your children and do the housework, and all I get is a reputation for being disliked!"
Fan Guizhong stood there, his eyes cold and devoid of warmth, but his voice was unusually calm: "Mother, I will remember your kindness in raising me for the rest of my life. But over the years, I have given you money for household expenses on time every month, and I have never let you do any heavy or tiring work around the house. I haven't treated you badly."
He paused, his tone becoming more resolute, "But you can't use the debt of raising me as leverage to bully Lin Hui and the children. They are my wife and my kids, and I have to protect them."
Grandma Li was speechless, and after a moment of stunned silence, she was about to speak again when Fan Guizhong gave her no more chances.
"Either I send you back to your hometown in the countryside and continue to send you money every month, or you go back to your hometown and won't have any money. You choose."
These words were resounding. Seeing her son's unprecedentedly cold face, Old Lady Li finally lost her previous arrogant attitude, and her cursing voice also subsided.
Is there even a choice? It's obvious they're telling him to go back to his hometown. Old Mrs. Li's face turned rather ugly.
After Fan Guizhong's biological mother passed away, Fan's father quickly married her.
A few years after they got married, they had their own child, and Fan Guizhong, the eldest brother, naturally took on the burden of supporting the family.
He was spotted by chance when he was sixteen and joined the army. Over the years, he has worked his way up and made a name for himself.
The reason why Old Lady Li was so eager to babysit was that she hoped he would consider their years of friendship and find her youngest son a job in the army, which would be better than him toiling in the fields for the rest of his life.
Thinking of this, her anger subsided considerably. She tugged at his sleeve and pleaded softly, "Guizhong, I know I was wrong. Please don't send me back to the countryside. I'll get along well with Lin Hui from now on, okay?"
But Fan Guizhong didn't budge, he just stared at her intently.
When pleading for mercy was useless, Old Lady Li became furious and pointed at the door, cursing, "It's all that barren hen He Linhui's fault! She's been married for so many years and only given birth to a girl. The Fan family line will end in her hands sooner or later!"
Having lived for so many years, she knew the inherent flaws of men. No man could accept that his family could not continue the family line, and she believed that Fan Guizhong was no exception.
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