Chapter 228 The Truth
228
Grandma Guo was so happy she wiped away tears: "Oh my dear Baozhu! You've made something of yourself! You've really made something of yourself! You're a hundred times better than your uncle who works in an office!"
Looking at the photo of her daughter looking so heroic and the eye-catching headline in the newspaper, and then at the shocked, admiring, and envious looks of her relatives around her, Lin's mother, Guo Cuicui, felt a surge of triumph over the humiliation she had just suffered at the hands of her older sister.
She straightened her back, her gaze shooting like lightning at Guo Cuifang, whose face was deathly pale and who stood frozen in shock. Her voice was filled with victorious mockery and boundless pride:
"Big sister! What did you just say? That my daughter is useless? That she'll toil in the fields her whole life? That my daughter is only fit to marry that old widower who's lost three wives?"
Open your dog eyes and look! Look at what's written in the newspaper! Look at your 'good-for-nothing' niece, what is she doing? She's researching cutting-edge machinery for the country! She's on the front page of the Guangming Daily!
Guo Cuifang stared at the newspaper with its black and white print, at the photo of her niece whom she had just been belittling, and then at her sister's sharp and cutting questions. Her face drained of color, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Her proud identity as a city dweller seemed so laughable and insignificant in the face of honors such as "Young Technical Expert", "Filling a Domestic Gap", and "Commendation from the Provincial Department of Industry"!
Her harsh and vicious words just now felt like resounding slaps to her own face!
Her daughter, Li Xiuxiu, was filled with jealousy and hatred, staring intently at Lin Baozhu's photo in the newspaper, her nails digging into her palms.
"Impossible... It's fake! It must be fake! What ability does Lin Baozhu have to research these things?"
Guo Cuifang suddenly screamed and lunged forward to snatch the newspaper and tear it up, but Lin Erlang pushed her away.
"Get out of here! Don't dirty my sister's newspaper!"
Looking at his eldest daughter's disgraceful and undignified state, and then at Lin Baozhu standing beside him, dignified and proud, a surge of shame and anger welled up inside him! He slammed his fist on the table and shouted at Guo Cuifang:
"Get out! Go back to your city! I, Guo Tieshan, don't have a daughter as shallow as you!!"
Guo Cuifang was terrified by her father's angry shout. Looking at the disdainful and angry gazes in the room, especially Lin Baozhu's calm yet slightly mocking eyes, she could no longer stay. She covered her face and let out an embarrassing sob. She grabbed her husband and daughter, who were also looking pale, and rushed out of the Guo family courtyard in a disheveled state, forgetting even the gifts she had brought.
The main room fell silent. Grandma Guo sighed, took Lin Baozhu's hand, and said with a mixture of heartache and pride, "Good child, I'm sorry you had to go through this. Don't take it to heart with your aunt; she's just blinded by greed."
Lin Baozhu smiled and said, "It's alright, Grandma. She's just jealous, but there's nothing we can do about it. Who told me to be so outstanding?"
Auntie, Uncle, please sit down. Grandpa, would you like to take another look at this newspaper? It mentions that the province might give out some foreign exchange certificates as a reward. I'll get you a radio ticket then, so we can listen to opera on the radio!
Her casual words brought the conversation back to the themes of reunion and joy. Sunlight streamed back into the courtyard, and the gloom caused by her aunt's meddling was swept away by absolute power and glory.
Looking at his granddaughter chatting and laughing, and then at the newspaper in his hand, Old Guo felt an unprecedented sense of pride and satisfaction.
The group enjoyed a warm and friendly meal. Before leaving, Guo Laotian gave Li Jia a bagful of hawthorns he had picked from the mountain.
“These things aren’t worth much money, they’re just a little something from your mother, please don’t look down on them.”
"Oh, Grandma, how did you know I like hawthorn? When you wash it and make it into snowballs or candied hawthorn, it tastes so good. Adults and children alike love to eat it."
The setting sun cast a warm golden glow on the winding mountain road. Lin Baozhu and her aunt's family bid farewell to her reluctant grandparents and began their journey home. Lin's mother and father walked ahead, whispering to each other.
Lin Baozhu, holding her aunt Guo Rongrong's arm, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, thinking of her aunt Guo Cuifang's face, "Auntie, did my mother and auntie... have some kind of deep-seated grudge in the past? I think auntie treats my mother like she's been stolen away by her husband!"
Guo Rongrong looked back at the now-vanished Guo Family Village, sighed, and her voice carried a hint of melancholy and disdain:
"Sigh, it's a long story, all old news. But your aunt's heart is smaller than a pinhead! Baozhu, do you know? More than ten years ago, before your mother married your father, your aunt's husband, Li Youcai, actually had his eye on your mother first!"
Lin Baozhu's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh? Is that so?"
"That's right!" Guo Rongrong pouted. "Back then, Li Youcai had just taken over his father's job as a lowly clerk at the town's supply and marketing cooperative. He acted all high and mighty, thinking he was a city person now, and his eyes lit up. He asked someone to come to our house to arrange a marriage, and he specifically asked for your mother's name! Your mother was so beautiful and capable back then, she was famous for miles around!"
She paused, her tone tinged with disdain: "But your mother didn't think much of him at all! She thought he was glib, had shifty eyes, and wasn't a reliable person."
Originally, your mother had already declined, but who knew your aunt would set her sights on Li Youcai's status as a "city person," thinking that was the height of wealth, and that your mother, that simpleton, actually looked down on him, and actually..."
Guo Rongrong lowered her voice even further, with a disgusting tone that was hard to describe: "She used your mother's name to lure people over, and then they slept together. At first, Li Youcai just wanted to pay compensation to settle the matter, but your aunt wouldn't let it go. In the end, Li Youcai was afraid of losing his job due to his conduct, so he reluctantly agreed and married your aunt!"
However, your aunt's life in the Li family wasn't good. That Li Youcai was keeping many mistresses and had two illegitimate children.
Lin Baozhu was stunned: "What is stolen is still stolen. She has no trust in Li Youcai. If he comes back even a little late, she starts to be suspicious. It's pitiful and lamentable."
"That's absolutely right!"
Guo Rongrong spat, "She got married into the 'city' as she wished, but she's been living with a guilty conscience her whole life! She's always suspicious, thinking that your mother knows about her shameful affair, and even more afraid that one day your mother will have a 'pang of conscience' and reveal the truth about who Li Youcai actually wanted to marry! Then all the 'immense wealth' she stole, and all the 'virtuous' facade she put on in front of Li Youcai, will collapse!"
She sighed, looking at her older sister's tall and straight back in front of her: "So, all these years, even though your mother married your father and lived a peaceful life in the village, your aunt has never stopped causing trouble!"
She comes back every few days to "lecture" your mother, subtly and overtly warning her to "watch her mouth!" She's afraid your mother will ruin her plans! Your mother is disgusted by her, but too lazy to argue, just pretending she doesn't exist. Unexpectedly, this time she's gone even further, setting her sights on you! Truly… a leopard can't change its spots!
Lin Baozhu suddenly realized that the last bit of lingering affection she had for her aunt had shattered completely. It turned out that the root of her deep-seated jealousy and defensiveness was such despicable scheming and insecurity! She tightened her grip on her aunt's arm and whispered, "Auntie, let's stay away from her from now on. Getting involved with someone like that will only leave you with a bad reputation."
Guo Rongrong nodded vigorously: "Yes! The farther away, the better!"
In the setting sun, the shadows of the two generations stretched long. The mother, seemingly sensing something, turned to glance at her daughter and younger sister, her face bearing the calm and acceptance that comes with weathering life's storms. The sordid past had long been washed away by a stable life and the love around her. But some people remain forever trapped in a cage of their own making—a cage of fear and jealousy.
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