Chapter 160 The way she called her "elder sister" sounded like she was slaughtering a pig for the New Year.
Upon hearing this, Lin's mother trembled with anger and couldn't help but burst into a tirade:
"What a tragedy! That whole Li family, apart from your aunt and the two girls, are all heartless beasts! Your aunt... how will she get through the rest of her life..." Her voice was filled with deep worry and heartache.
Li Dani, who had been silently following beside her, suddenly raised her head, her small frame standing ramrod straight, her voice unusually firm:
"Auntie, I will work hard in the future and never let my mother suffer again. When I grow up, I will find a rich, orphaned, and good-looking man to marry. Then I will live with my parents and we can take care of each other."
Lin Baozhu turned her head in surprise to look at her cousin, who was only thirteen years old. In the light of the setting sun, Li Dani's eyes shone brightly, without a trace of confusion, only a clarity and determination beyond her years.
Looking for a son-in-law?
In this day and age, how could a thirteen-year-old girl have such advanced and pragmatic ideas? For the first time, Lin Baozhu felt a sense of admiration for her hard-working little cousin.
"Then you have to work hard to make money first!" Lin Baozhu patted her shoulder, her eyes encouraging. "There's a saying: 'If I blossom, butterflies will come!' Once you've accumulated skills and earned real money, and become a golden flower yourself, those knowledgeable and responsible good men will naturally flock to you!"
She paused, a hint of realistic clarity in her voice:
Why do those scholars in plays fall in love with rich young ladies? Isn't it because they have "riches" to rely on? Have you ever seen them fall in love with beggars on the street or village girls who toil in the fields?
As the cousins' conversation grew increasingly absurd, Lin's mother couldn't help but facepalm and pour some cold water on Li Dani's claims:
"Da Ni, we...we should be more down-to-earth. Where can you find a man like that who's both capable and willing to marry into the family?
Li Dani, however, raised her chin, her face radiating an unusual glow, full of pride:
“My sister Baozhu said that as long as I’m willing to work hard to earn money, I will definitely find a job! Starting tomorrow—no! Starting today! I will start saving money! Saving every penny!”
As Lin Sanlang, who was pedaling in front, listened to the increasingly "shocking" conversation from the back seat, he felt his scalp tingle. He suddenly pushed off with his feet, and the bicycle shot far away. He just wanted to get as far away from these two "unconventional" girls as possible—if he got too close, he was afraid that his brain would be swept away too!
Seeing Lin Sanlang and his mother fleeing in disarray ahead, Lin Baozhu slowed down and rode leisurely, still chattering away, precisely pouring bowl after bowl of "strive for self-improvement" and "women should be self-reliant" chicken soup into Li Dani's heart.
Li Dani felt her blood boiling and was filled with boundless energy. She wished she could rush up the mountain right now and gather ten or eight baskets of pig feed!
*
Back home, Lin Sanlang immediately found bricks and planks and clattered together a simple bed about 1.67 meters long in the side room. Lin's mother rummaged through chests and cupboards, bringing out a thick, soft cotton quilt, which she carefully laid out on the bed.
Li Dani and Li Erni carefully touched the soft, warm quilt cover, their eyes instantly turning red.
Li Erni choked up and said, "Sister, it's a soft cotton quilt, it feels so comfortable to the touch!"
Lin's mother paused in making the bed, and asked in confusion, "I remember two years ago, I asked your third brother to send you three quilts..."
“Auntie, we only used that quilt for two days. Later, my cousin saw it and my auntie used the excuse that my cousin was getting married and needed three new quilts to make a nice-looking bundle to borrow two of our old, stiff and moldy quilts.”
“My mother is soft-hearted and doesn’t know how to ask for things…”
Before Li Dani could finish speaking, Li Erni said loudly and clearly, "My mother got a fever from the cold. My eldest sister mentioned at the dinner table that she wanted to change the quilt back, and my grandmother, that old aunt, hit her with fire tongs. She was screaming like a pig being slaughtered."
Lin's mother, who had been burning with anger, instantly calmed down upon hearing Li Erni's tearful accusation. A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips, and she couldn't help but smile—
"Pfft!"
"Silly child! Why are you crying?" Lin's mother pulled Li Erni into her arms, her rough fingers wiping away her tears, her eyes glistening with a tiny light.
"Just you wait! Auntie will make sure your eldest cousin gives us back the blanket, with interest!"
Now that the entire Li family has been arrested, if their married daughter is "filial," she would cry and wail and crawl on her knees to beg Rongrong and Li Xiaoxian to show mercy when she learns that her parents have suffered.
"We won't accept three new beds! We'll make her pay back six more!"
Of course, even if she pays the compensation, her parents and wicked grandmother won't be released...
"Thank you, Auntie."
After dinner, Da Ni took Er Ni's hand and went to bed.
After the two sisters left, Lin Baozhu took out eight hundred yuan from her pocket and said, "This is eight hundred yuan that I swindled from the Li family. After deducting the one hundred and fifty I paid, there is now six hundred and fifty left. We all know the current situation of my aunt's family. The people in Lijiazhuang village are watching coldly as my aunt and her family are beaten and bullied. Now, because of my aunt, their village has suddenly gained three more convicts. If my aunt and her family continue to go back to that village in the future, they may be targeted by the whole village."
My idea is to let my aunt and uncle's family live in our village for a while. Once my aunt has been forgiven by my grandfather, it's up to them whether they want to go back to their maternal grandparents' village or stay in our village.
Upon hearing this, Lin's mother looked troubled: "Will our village agree? After all, your aunt's family is registered in Lijiazhuang. They have to go to Lijiazhuang for the year-end grain distribution. If they don't work, what will they eat and drink?"
After taking a breath, he continued, "If you're only staying at our house for a month or two, we have enough food. But if you stay for several years, you won't get any food without work points, and we'll all go hungry. Although you and your third brother can make money by reselling some things, that money can't be used openly!"
It's true that she feels sorry for her younger sister's family, but with so many people in her family, she also needs to think about her own.
"Mother, I've already thought of these problems you've considered. There are solutions, we can do it like this..."
Lin Baozhu whispered something in her mother's ear...
Lin's mother's eyes widened in surprise. "Can it really work?" she asked.
"The brigade leader is worried about not being able to pay back the money to the commune. The watermelons and strawberries I'm cultivating will take at least a few more months. If this is successful, the villagers in our village will all have income. When that happens, we can bring up the matter of letting my aunt's family exchange work points for grain. The brigade leader and the villagers will definitely agree."
The key is that my aunt's husband seems unreliable, but he's eloquent and perceptive; if he's in charge of developing the business, we won't have to worry about selling anything.
“Daughter, if that thing doesn’t work, let’s make a few first. The brigade leader can’t see anything, and he might not believe me just because I’m talking.”
"It's already prepared. Just wait for me to come and get it."
After saying that, she ran back to her room and took out the artificial flower hair accessory she had made in her spare time...
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