Lin Yun served her father dinner and comforted the two elders, saying, "Dad, Mom, please rest assured. If there's anything, we can talk about it during the day. We'll definitely find a way to solve it."
Both elderly people had been exhausted after a long day, and to be honest, Lin Yun felt sorry for them. Besides, she needed to demonstrate her ideas before discussing them with them.
Mr. Lin initially wanted to say it was nothing. However, after not doing manual labor for many years, he suddenly felt that his body wasn't as strong as he had imagined. So he obediently nodded and went into the inner room.
The next morning, while everyone was still asleep, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by a loud bang as the courtyard gate was kicked open.
"Old man Lin, get out here!" The rough roar shook the snow off the eaves.
Lin Yun was still thinking with her eyes open when she heard the sound, and her brows furrowed slightly.
He quickly dressed and looked out the window. He saw three burly men barge into the yard. The man in the lead had a fierce face and a gleaming short knife at his waist. He was none other than Zhao Dahu, a notorious local thug.
Two thugs followed behind him, their faces menacing, their eyes scanning the dilapidated courtyard as if searching for something valuable.
Lin's father, his back hunched, hurried out from the inner room, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "Master Zhao, why have you come in person? We will definitely repay the money we owe you, but right now..."
"Enough with the nonsense!" Zhao Dahu grabbed Lin's father by the collar and lifted him up. "How many chances have I given you? If you can't come up with the money today, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Lin's mother rushed out of the kitchen, knelt down with a thud, and cried out, "Master Zhao, please grant us a few more days! Our family is truly starving!"
Zhao Dahu sneered, shook off Lin's father, and his gaze fell on Lin Yun, who was standing at the door.
The girl wore a coarse cloth dress and only had a wooden hairpin in her hair, but it couldn't hide her beautiful features.
He narrowed his eyes, his tone suddenly softening: "Oh, isn't this the young lady from the Lin family? I heard she almost committed suicide by hitting her head against a wall a few days ago. What, have you come to your senses now?"
Lin Yun looked at him expressionlessly, her fingers secretly clenching the scissors hidden in her sleeve.
Before she could speak, a young man suddenly rushed out of the inner room, stumbled and fell to Zhao Dahu's feet, crying out, "Master Zhao! Please give me another chance! I'm sure I can win back all the money I've lost!"
Lin Yun then saw clearly that the young man was about seventeen or eighteen years old, his clothes were disheveled, his face was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes, which were obviously caused by long-term staying up late.
He knelt on the ground, trembling all over, but his eyes gleamed with a morbid fanaticism—this was her eldest brother, Lin Feng.
Lin Yun has been here for two days and hasn't seen this older brother yet. Could it be that he sneaked home last night?
Zhao Dahu kicked Lin Feng away and sneered, "You? You gambled for three days straight and lost everything, and you still dare to talk to me about winning back your losses?"
He turned to look at Lin's father, his tone icy, "Old man Lin, your son owes me thirty taels of silver, it's all in black and white. If he can't come up with the money today, I'll chop off one of his hands to pay off the debt!"
Upon hearing this, Lin's father's face turned deathly pale, and he staggered back a few steps, nearly falling.
Lin's mother fainted and was caught by Lin Yun.
The room was in chaos, but Lin Yun's gaze remained calm.
She stared at Zhao Dahu and slowly said, "Master Zhao, thirty taels of silver is no small sum. You have to give us time to raise the money."
Zhao Dahu raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Lin Yun's composure.
He stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over her, then suddenly chuckled, "Young lady, you certainly have some courage. Alright, I'll give you three more days. However..."
He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "If you can't pay back the money, you'll have to come with me, okay?"
Lin Yun's fingertips dug into her palm, but her face remained calm: "Master Zhao is joking. Although our family is poor, we would never sell our daughter to pay off debts."
Zhao Dahu laughed heartily, patted Lin Feng on the shoulder, and said, "Your sister has much more backbone than you!" After saying that, he led his thugs away.
Before leaving, he deliberately kicked over the water vat in the yard, splashing mud and water that dirtied Lin Yun's skirt.
After Zhao Dahu left, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence. Lin Feng slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself, "It's over...it's all over..."
Lin's father squatted in the corner, holding his head and remaining silent, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Lin's mother slowly woke up, and seeing the scene before her, tears streamed down her face again.
Lin Yun took a deep breath, walked up to Lin Feng, and said coldly, "Big brother, we can't even afford rice at home, and you still want to gamble?"
Lin Feng raised his head, a hint of shame flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by unwillingness: "What do you know! I was just unlucky! If you give me another chance, I will definitely win back!"
"A gambler's excuse." Lin Yun scoffed, turning to her father. "Father, how much debt does the family actually owe?"
Lin's father sighed and shakily held up three fingers: "Thirty taels were lost by A-Feng in a bet, and another twenty taels were for your younger brother's tuition... Now, with interest compounding, it's probably close to eighty taels."
Lin Yun's heart sank. Eighty taels of silver was an astronomical sum for this family.
She paused for a moment, recalling that her elder brother was a scholar in the original owner's memories, and asked, "Wasn't my elder brother a scholar before? How did he get involved in gambling?"
Lin's father shook his head, his eyes filled with regret: "A-Feng was originally a good child. He studied hard and even passed the imperial examination. But later... I don't know how, he was taken to a gambling den by some thugs in town, and from then on, he was out of control."
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