Chapter 22 He Doesn't Want His Own Daughter and Son Anymore
Her voice suddenly lowered, carrying a chilling threat.
"Tomorrow, a detailed 'Report on the Glorious Deeds of Technician Lin' will appear on the machinery factory's bulletin board, guaranteeing you fame throughout the factory and endless glory. Tsk, look at you now, it's almost dark, and you're dawdling like this, is that manly? Hurry up, okay?"
Just then, Lin Wanwan's "performance" began.
She suddenly covered her face, her shoulders heaving violently, letting out suppressed sobs. Tears, perhaps forced out, seeped from between her fingers, her voice trembling with a heartbreaking intensity.
"Waaah... Chiri-chan... please stop... please stop... it's all my fault..."
She raised her tear-filled face and tried her best to look pitiful as she looked at Lin Jinguo.
“It’s my fault… I shouldn’t have been so greedy for that job… I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have met Brother Jiahao… and I especially shouldn’t have suggested that my sister go to the countryside… It’s my fault that my sister and parents turned against each other. My parents did it all because of me…”
She sobbed, as if she couldn't breathe, "Don't worry, sister, I... I'll go to the educated youth office right now and make things clear. The job is yours, I shouldn't have taken it... I'll go to the Great Northern Wilderness... I can't let my sister suffer for me."
Seeing her daughter looking "wronged," Zhang Jiumei's heart broke, and anger instantly overwhelmed her reason.
She didn't understand the "retreat to advance" in her daughter's words at all; she only felt that Xu Zhili had driven her precious daughter to a dead end.
Those mean, triangular eyes instantly ignited with a raging fire, staring intently at Xu Zhili, wishing they could pounce on her and tear her apart!
Looking at Lin Wanwan's tearful appearance, Lin Jinguo felt an overwhelming pang of heartache. The "patriarchal" and "protective instincts" that had been almost completely eroded by Xu Zhili instantly swelled up again.
He no longer cared about pretense or scheming; he just wanted this aggressive "rebellious daughter" in front of him to disappear immediately!
"Enough!"
Lin Jinguo slammed his hand on the table, making the dishes jump. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared at Xu Zhili like a cornered beast.
"Severance of kinship! I'll sign it! Two thousand yuan! Here you go! The watch! Here you go too! You wretched child! Are you satisfied now?! Stop with the nonsense! Get out! Get out of the Lin family right now! From now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other in life or death!"
He practically snatched the letter of severance, grabbed the pen, and signed his name with all his might, as if he were not signing a signature but carving a curse. Then he slammed the pen down on the table with a jarring sound.
Xu Zhili's smile widened instantly, dazzlingly sweet. She deftly picked up the letter of severance, the money, and the watch, and examined them carefully.
Facing Lin Jinguo's distorted face, she even gave a slight bow, performing an extremely perfunctory greeting, her tone light as if singing.
"Oh, thank you so much, Technician Lin, for your generosity. Please rest assured, I'm a man of my word. From now on, we'll go our separate ways. I won't take care of you in life or bury you in death. If we meet again in the underworld, we'll pretend we don't know each other!"
She carefully put her things away and took the hand of her younger brother, Xu Zhian, who had been silent in the corner.
Lin Jinguo stared intently at her, his eyes filled with such venomous hatred that they seemed to drip blood, as if he wanted to devour her alive.
Xu Zhili, however, showed no fear and even returned the gaze with a hint of provocation.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Lin Jinguo turned his head away dejectedly and angrily, squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth: "Get out!"
Xu Zhili, holding her younger brother's hand and carrying a small package, walked out of the suffocating house without looking back.
The golden rays of the setting sun bathed her, as if gilding her with a halo of liberation.
She sneered inwardly: Severing ties? This is just the beginning.
The Lin family's good days are yet to come.
As soon as I stepped out of the building, my neighbors' concerned eyes were drawn to me.
Aunt Wang, with her sharp eyes, exclaimed, "Little Pear? With all these bags and bundles, and An'an with you, it's almost dark. Where are you going?"
Xu Zhili stopped in her tracks, her face instantly displaying a perfectly measured sadness and restraint. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone around her to hear clearly.
"Aunt Wang, Aunt Li, Aunt Zhao, we...we won't be coming back."
She gently stroked her brother's head, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible sob.
"My father... Comrade Lin said that I am the child of those who have been sent to labor camps, and that keeping me at home would have a bad influence, so he has already... signed a letter severing ties with me."
I don't resent them, I only ask that they...treat Xiao Zhi'an kindly in the future.
She hesitated to speak, but clearly conveyed the key words "disdain," "severing ties," and "bad influence," while portraying herself as a sensible, forbearing, and pitiful person who had been abandoned.
The crowd erupted in chaos!
"What?! The family ties have been severed?!"
Aunt Li, with the loudest voice, spat directly towards the Lin family's window.
"Lin Jinguo! Zhang Jiumei! Are you even human? Xiaoli is such a good child, and you ruined everything because of Xiaoli's mother? Bah! When you reported your own wife, weren't you afraid of the negative impact? Now what are you pretending to be so important about!"
Aunt Zhao waved her fan, her face full of disdain: "Exactly! They act all high and mighty all day, but behind your backs they do all sorts of despicable things. Little Pear, don't be afraid, we old ladies are here! Let's see how they'll ever hold their heads up in this residential compound again!"
Grandpa Zhang puffed on his pipe, shook his head, and said in a loud voice, "What a misfortune for this family! To climb the social ladder and get promoted, they've even abandoned their own daughters and sons! Technician Lin, your heart is utterly blackened in this position!"
Lin Jinguo and Zhang Jiumei inside the room heard it clearly, their faces turning red and white in turns.
Lin Jinguo could no longer contain himself and suddenly rushed out, roaring at the crowd, "Shut up! All of you shut up! It's none of your business what our family does!"
Aunt Wang stepped forward, hands on her hips, and retorted fearlessly: "It's not our place to say anything! Lin Jinguo! Everyone in the family compound knows what you've done! You're a cadre! You reported your first wife, abused your children from your previous marriage, and now, to curry favor with your future son-in-law, you've kicked your own daughter out! Don't you have a conscience?! Let everyone be the judge!"
The neighbors were outraged, and the waves of criticism grew louder and louder.
Lin Jinguo was so disgusted by the rebuke that his face turned ashen, his lips trembled and he couldn't speak. Under the contemptuous gazes of the crowd, he slammed the door shut with a bang, as if shutting out the last shred of his dignity.
Xu Zhili watched this farce with indifference, her heart completely unmoved.
She took her younger brother's cold little hand in her hand, her voice gentle yet firm: "An'an, don't be afraid. From now on, your sister will protect you. The world is vast, and there will always be a place for us."
The setting sun cast long shadows of the two figures, one tall and one short, as they resolutely walked toward the guesthouse, leaving behind the clamor, accusations, and the shame of the Lin family.
Just as I stepped out of the residential compound, I heard a piercing cry from ahead: "Thief! My basket! My bag!"
A white-haired grandmother staggered after a frantically running, thin figure, stamping her feet in frustration.
Xu Zhili's eyes sharpened, and she instantly locked onto the thief.
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