Chapter 47 Planning
The stairwell of the tenement building was crowded with neighbors who had come to watch the commotion. Almost everyone who heard the noise came out.
The neighbors shook their heads as they watched the farce unfold, lamenting that original spouses are always the best, and that blended families always have a lot of problems.
Lin Shuyan, who was being restrained by Song Lubai and Zhang Cui, shouted, "Dad, you just watch these two bully me, aren't you my stepfather?"
“My brother’s son has been dead for several days and he hasn’t come to tell you. Haven’t you ever wondered why he hasn’t told you?”
"It's because you're too biased; he's heartbroken!"
"How could we have such a biased father like you, who would rather be good to those who are not his own than to his own children?"
Song Lubai interrupted her, "Good to me? Ask your dad how much savings my mom and he have saved? How much have they subsidized your brother and you? What advantage have I taken from your dad? My mom's job was earned with my dad's life, and this house was only allocated to us because of my mom's hard work and my dad's influence. If you put it nicely, your dad is benefiting from my mom's influence! According to you, my mom should have abandoned me, so your dad wouldn't have any reason to be biased!"
Song Lubai's words completely humiliated Lin Dahai.
Lin Dahai was also annoyed. He stood up, went out the door, pointed at her, and said, "What do you mean? Have I mistreated you all these years? I let you finish high school, I bought you clothes. How many clothes can other girls buy in a year? Have I bought you less? Have you eaten less at home? Don't you have any conscience?"
Song Lubai: "Does your own daughter have any conscience? All these years I've been living off my family, and she can spend my mother's money without a care in the world? You're the one who held her back from junior high school, and the baby formula her child drinks wasn't bought by my mother through connections? Didn't my mother pay for her wedding clothes, two quilts, and other furniture? Just so she could get married with her head held high, how much did my mother provide for her!"
"Given your stingy nature, the way you can't stand a girl taking an extra bite of meat or vegetables, what would you be willing to buy for her?"
At this point, Song Lubai pinched Lin Shuyan hard. "You're the most heartless one. It's not my mother. I don't know what kind of life you lived before you got married. You did all the housework, you ate the least, and you didn't have a single piece of clothing all year round. I remember the first time I saw you, your shoes were showing your toes, and your ill-fitting, dirty clothes were full of patches. My mother came into the family to save you, to give you clothes to wear and to reduce your chores. How dare you curse my mother? The only ones who can't be raised are ungrateful bastards, and you are this dog who eats from the bowl and then curses the mother."
Lin Shuyan was speechless.
Her mother died early. After her mother's death, even though she was the youngest in the family, she did the most housework every day. She took on household chores at a young age. When she was little, she picked up ill-fitting old clothes from adults. She rarely had enough to eat. This situation only changed after Zhang Cui came into the family.
Even so, she still stubbornly insisted, "You're the one who killed my brother's son. You and your daughter are both bad people. If you had any regard for us being family, you wouldn't have treated Liu Mei like that."
Zhang Cui, who had been silent, looked at Lin Dahai inside and asked him directly, "Lin Dahai, do you also think it's our fault, mother and daughter?"
She didn't regret her previous attempts to sow discord, but now that Lin Dahai's grandson's life was hanging over this family, Zhang Cui wanted to see his attitude clearly.
She knew in her heart that Lin Dahai definitely resented them, but if he said it out loud, it would mean that he didn't want to live with them anymore.
If you don't want to live together, there are ways to avoid it; but if you do live together, it can't be her bowing down.
Lin Dahai's silence was deafening.
The neighbors sensed something was wrong and no one dared to speak.
Song Lubai's patience ran out, and she said loudly, "Uncle Lin, I know you've never liked me. Since that's the case, I won't stay at home and get in your way. Tomorrow I'll sign up to go to XJ to support the border region, and I won't be hanging around you anymore. Please be nicer to my mother."
After saying that, she turned and left.
I wasn't planning to tell you beforehand; I wanted to register first and then inform you later.
But she understands the current situation.
Lin Dahai blamed her mother and her because of the child's death; not only blamed, but perhaps also hated.
Because they are twins, Lin Dahai and his mother are unlikely to divorce, but there is a rift between them. His mother feels guilty and will become the weaker party.
But if she leaves because of this, the situation will be different.
In some ways, her mother can turn things around, and she might even blame Lin Dahai.
Thinking of this, she paused, but then resolutely went downstairs.
She wanted to go out and see the world. She was a high school graduate and registered at the Corps' Commercial Department. She would be assigned a decent formal job, even better than the one at the neighborhood office.
Lin Shuyan was still yelling: "You're only leaving because you feel guilty. If you weren't guilty, why would you run away?"
Song Lubai turned around and raised her voice: "Lin Shuyan, you are an ungrateful wretch. Remember this: your nephew was killed because of you. After his mother was arrested, you didn't take him home to raise. Look at how fat you are, you're obviously well-nourished. Why do you only care about your own child? You selfish bastard."
Lin Shuyan stomped her feet frantically and waved her arms, yelling, "I'm going to kill you!"
Song Lubai said slyly, "Oh dear, your brother has been corrupted by Liu Mei. You must have been infected by your brother. It's true that you become like those you associate with. Go find the police and loudly rebuke them for arresting Liu Mei. Why don't you dare?"
She paused, then shouted again, "Uncle Lin, why does the death of that child turn the right thing I did into a bad thing? There's no such logic in the world! Why don't you think about what you did? Do you think you can be at peace with yourself by blaming us?"
Having said that, Song Lubai felt relieved.
Being slapped again erased all positive feelings Song Lubai had for Lin Dahai.
Although good impressions were few to begin with, their family's superficial harmony could be maintained by those few good impressions, but she didn't want to maintain it anymore.
She remembered that Lin Dahai disapproved of her education when she was in junior high school, saying that it was a waste of money for girls to study. He said the same thing when she was in high school. When her words no longer carried weight, it was her aunt who helped her get things done.
Her mother wasn't bad to her, but at times when she really wanted her mother's support, her mother wasn't very firm in standing by her side.
She is a girl, but girls also have to eat at the table. Girls should be able to eat the same amount of meat as boys, and they shouldn't have to endure being glared at for even reaching for a piece of meat with their chopsticks.
From now on, when she's away from home, she'll definitely live a life where she's in control of everything.
She wasn't in a bad mood as she had imagined; in fact, she felt quite relieved.
She hesitated for so many days, thinking that her mother would definitely not agree to her going to the border region, and it would take a lot of effort to persuade Zhang Cui.
But things are different now.
Leaving home is inevitable; I'm sure I'll succeed.
As they reached the corner, Song Lubai was stopped by Zhang Cui.
"I disagree with the rule that you are not allowed to sign up for the border support program."
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