When Lin Ye saw the scratches on her arm, he angrily said that he was going to go and fight Wang Tiegang, but Lin Chunhua stopped him.
"Tie Gang's face isn't much better either, let's just forget about it."
This time, it was indeed Wang Tiegang who made the first move, but Lin Chunhua immediately retaliated, so it was at most a mutual fight!
It turned out that after Lin Chunhua returned home that day, she hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly when she heard the brigade notify her that she needed to go to the county detention center to pick up her loved one.
No one knew what had happened to him, but he rushed over in a hurry, only to find out that the police had arrested him while they were raiding an illegal gambling den.
Even though he had no money left, he couldn't resist watching others gamble. While the gamblers ran away, he got caught.
Lin Chunhua was so angry that her liver hurt. The five yuan she had just borrowed was about to be handed over as a fine!
This time, she was more cautious and immediately took out the IOU.
"Tie Gang, I just borrowed this money from my brother. Once you sign, I'll pay the money and take you away right away!"
Wang Tiegang jumped up and down inside the iron bars of the detention center, cursing, "Lin Chunhua, when did you learn to play these tricks? Be careful, my mother will skin you alive!"
Lin Chunhua gritted her teeth and made a move to leave. "How about I give the money to your mother and have her come and pick you up?"
He knew that if he gave the money to Wang Xiuzhi, she would never give it back. He was determined to stay in the detention center for the full two weeks. He glanced at the several menacing-looking men sitting inside, clearly regulars. He immediately changed his tone:
"Fine, I'll sign it, just get me out of here!"
After they came out, the two started arguing.
Lin Chunhua was so angry that she didn't speak to him for two days.
During lunch today, Wang Xiuzhi started urging Lin Chunhua to pay again. She mustered her courage and said:
"Mom, you know my family's situation. I had already borrowed money, but I spent it all on getting the iron and steel, and now I can't come up with any more."
Wang Xiuzhi immediately slammed her rice bowl on the table, tucked her ear-length hair behind her ear, and raised her voice eight octaves:
"What do you mean? The other two families all received money, but you didn't? You don't earn many work points usually, but we've never shortchanged you on food and drink. You don't have any children to raise, so how could you not even come up with this little bit of money!"
"Tie Gang, he..." Lin Chunhua still wanted to argue.
If your son hadn't gambled it away, would you be so nervous?
She worked in the fields to earn work points, earning just as much as the eldest and third sons' wives. She also took on the task of cooking at home, working from morning till night without a break.
Why is it that at times like this, everyone only talks about her and never about their own son!
Wang Xiuzhi didn't give her a chance to explain and started pinching her tender flesh with her hands.
This is her usual tactic: if her daughter-in-law is disobedient, she deserves to be disciplined. If her own son is unwilling to lay a hand on her, then she'll do it herself.
It's very effective at pinching people, causing pain without leaving visible scars.
Normally, if she twists the nipple a few more times, Lin Chunhua will do it without complaint and won't say another word!
This time, Lin Chunhua did not give in to her fate. Instead, she dodged away and glared at her with a stubborn and defiant look.
"You've gone too far, glaring at me like that!" Wang Xiuzhi was furious.
"Alright, you can't even eat in peace. Let's finish our meal first!" Wang Fugui, the head of the household, snapped impatiently.
Only then did Wang Xiuzhi pick up her rice bowl again, grumbling and cursing.
The situation had calmed down, and everyone was focused on eating when Xu Di, the third son's wife, suddenly said with a grin:
"Second sister-in-law, your skin looks much better these past few days. What brand of face cream are you using?"
With just a casual remark, Lin Chunhua was once again thrust into the spotlight.
Everyone knows she never used to be willing to use these things. Didn't she say she didn't have money? Why is she buying face cream?
"The face cream was a gift from my younger brother's new wife." Lin Chunhua blushed with anxiety.
This person suddenly asked her that question; he's either stupid or malicious!
"Oh, I heard your brother's new wife is a sent-down youth from Beijing. Her family must be very wealthy. Five yuan is just a drop in the ocean for her!" Xu Di continued.
The implication was clear: she should borrow again. She'd borrowed plenty before, so for her mother-in-law's sake, she should swallow her pride and borrow the money back!
Lin Chunhua lost her appetite. "My sister-in-law's money is her own; it didn't grow on trees. I can't keep shamelessly asking her for money."
Upon hearing this, Xu Di's face darkened immediately. Why was her second son's wife suddenly so assertive?
To ease the tense atmosphere, the eldest son's wife, Li Mei, quickly said:
"Chunhua, the ones used in the city must be high-end goods. I want to buy them but I don't know how. Why don't you give them to me? I'll give you two yuan."
Lin Chunhua wondered, was this an attempt to mediate or to escalate the conflict?
Before she could even say anything, Wang Tiegang scurried back into the house and brought out the face cream. He proudly displayed it in front of everyone like a treasure, grinning lewdly: "It's definitely high-end stuff. Cash on delivery!"
Lin Chunhua was furious. She had sold herself for just two yuan.
She finally realized that she had not received the respect she deserved since she came to this family.
Others can mold her like a clay figure.
This time, she has to stand up for herself!
This led to the subsequent incident where she tried to stop her husband from selling face cream, and they ended up fighting.
After finishing discussing her family matters, Lin Chunhua handed the signed IOU to Lu Wanqing.
"You guys really know how to handle things. With an IOU, he'll have to pay it back sooner or later!"
Lu Wanqing pulled her into the house, found the ointment and applied it to her, saying as she did so, "Sister, you did the right thing. You have to be tough with this kind of in-laws. That's human nature; they bully the weak and fear the strong. Your concessions won't make them think you're tolerant and magnanimous; instead, they'll think you're easy to bully!"
Lin Chunhua nodded knowingly.
At worst, we'll both perish.
These days, even though doing something so outrageous will inevitably attract gossip, the saying "spoiled speech can drown a person" only applies to those with weak wills. Aren't there still many widows who live very well?
People don't live for what others say.
After figuring things out, Lin Chunhua suddenly felt enlightened. Looking at her mother playing happily with the snowball, a smile gradually appeared on her face.
As they were talking, a group of people came noisily from not far away.
It turned out that Lin Gou Dan had returned from the county town. At this moment, he was lying on a stretcher and being carried home.
On the stretcher, he saw the four people carrying him, sweating profusely, with a smug grin on their faces.
Wang Xiuqin and Lin Jianguo, who were standing next to him, had large dark circles under their eyes and looked listless.
Behind them followed several thugs, their arms around each other's shoulders, looking quite cheerful.
After arriving home, Lin Gou Dan was carried to bed and laid down. Wang Xiuqin gave each of the stretcher bearers 1 yuan and the others 5 mao each before sending them away.
After doing all this, Wang Xiuqin collapsed into a chair, utterly exhausted and heartbroken.
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