Chapter 1 A Ruthless Scheme
Although she refused Xie Wei's help, in the original owner's heart, Xie Wei was like a ray of sunshine, illuminating her dark life.
Even so, the original novel only briefly describes Xie Wei, and he is always described as serious and upright. Therefore, in Lin Qingqing's imagination, Xie Wei is like a middle school dean of students, upright and aloof.
So, when Lin Qingqing saw the tall, handsome young man in military uniform in front of her, she was slightly taken aback. "Xie Wei?"
"It's me." Xie Wei nodded slightly and asked in a low voice, "I heard you were looking for me."
Lin Qingqing nodded quickly and introduced herself, "I am Lin Qingqing, the daughter of Lin Youfu from the Linjiazui Brigade next door. You saved me four days ago." As she spoke, she handed over the bamboo basket, "Comrade Xie, I came today to thank you for saving me. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."
Although Xie Wei didn't know what was in the bamboo basket covered with a white cloth, he didn't reach out to take it. He said in a calm tone, "Saving people is my duty. You don't need to thank me."
After Li Xingfang refused to accept the eggs, Lin Qingqing had already guessed the outcome. She didn't force Xie Wei to accept the gifts, but instead looked up at Xie Wei with a grateful expression and said, "Comrade Xie, you are such a good person."
When she looked up, her fair skin appeared even more translucent in the sunlight, without a single pore or blemish on her face. Her eyes were also clear and bright, reflecting his image in her pupils.
Xie Wei felt he was standing a bit too close to her, so he took a step back, turned his head, and said stiffly, "Serve the people."
"Serving the people? Does that mean you'll help us when we're in trouble?" Lin Qingqing asked thoughtfully.
"To do everything in my power."
After Xie Wei finished speaking, he paused and said, "I have something to do, I should go back now, you too..." As he spoke, he turned his head and saw Lin Qingqing's expression, and his gaze stopped.
The little girl looked at him with a conflicted and pained expression, as if she had some unspeakable secret.
Thinking about her question earlier, Xie Wei frowned and asked, "Are you having some trouble?"
“I…” Lin Qingqing slowly lowered her head.
Because of malnutrition, her figure was so slender that even a bulky cotton-padded coat couldn't hide it. When she looked down, Xie Wei could even see the slight protrusion of her slender neck as it disappeared into her collar.
Xie Wei turned his eyes away and said, "If you have any difficulties, just tell me. I will definitely help if I can."
"I don't know if this counts as difficult."
After a brief exchange, the girl in front of him clasped her hands together, as if struggling with something. Xie Wei didn't urge her, but waited quietly.
"Before I left today, my mother talked to me about something. She said my sister can't have children, and she wants me to have one in her place..."
Xie Wei frowned upon hearing this.
"She said I was a child she picked up, and that the Lin family raised me for so many years, so I should repay their kindness. She also said that if I didn't agree, my sister would be sent back by her in-laws, and since we're sisters, it would definitely affect my marriage. If I agreed, she would find me a good marriage after I gave birth. But... but she's my sister!"
"Mother said she'll give me three days to think it over. By then, I'll have no choice but to agree," Lin Qingqing looked up at Xie Wei, whose face was dark, and asked with red eyes, "Comrade Xie, what should I do?"
Hearing this, Xie Wei understood the sinister intentions of the little girl's adoptive mother—using gratitude and future favors to control her and manipulate her at will. Looking at the terrified and bewildered little girl before him, Xie Wei suppressed his anger and asked...
Do you want to leave the Lin family?
...
After Lin Qingqing left, Old Mrs. Lin sat in the house for a while to recover. It wasn't until her son and daughter-in-law went to work and her grandchildren went out to play that she finally mustered the energy to open the door and go out.
But as soon as she stepped out of the main house, Old Mrs. Lin stopped in her tracks—the bowls and chopsticks that had been used for the meal were still on the table in the main room!
Old Mrs. Lin was furious when she saw this, feeling that her adopted daughter was becoming more and more outrageous! She had only fallen into the water once, but after waking up, she kept complaining of aches and pains, and she was forced to do all the work! She had finally gotten up early this morning to make breakfast, and she had already taken several yuan and tickets from her. Old Mrs. Lin felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it.
Thinking about this, Old Mrs. Lin hesitated a little.
She thought her adopted daughter was honest and easy to control, which is why she wanted her to have a child for her daughter. But what her adopted daughter has done these past few days is anything but honest! She hasn't even agreed to have the child yet, and she's already slacking off and making demands. If she really has the child, will she be able to control her?
The thought had barely formed in her mind when Old Lady Lin heard her daughter's voice from outside, "Mother!"
Hearing the noise, Old Mrs. Lin went outside and saw her daughter, pale-faced, carrying large bags and small packages into the yard. She quickly went up to her, took the things, and asked, "Daughter, what happened to you?"
Lin Ying sniffed and didn't say anything until she entered the main room where Old Lady Lin lived. Only then did she throw down her bundle and burst into tears, "Mother, I really can't go on living like this."
Grandma Lin's face immediately turned pale. She grabbed her daughter's hand and said, "Why can't you live together anymore? Didn't you say Liye was on your side? Or did your mother-in-law say something again?" At this point, Grandma Lin's eyebrows shot up. "If she dares to make Liye divorce you, I'll go after her!"
"What can you say to her?" Lin Ying grabbed Old Lady Lin's hand. "My job was found for me by the Zhao family. She can take my job with just a word! Besides, it's because I can't have children. If this gets out, she could force Liye to divorce me!"
Old Mrs. Lin was fierce at home, but she wasn't so confident when facing the Zhao family. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out, "Didn't we agree that Qingqing would give birth for you?"
Lin Ying wiped away her tears and said, "Li Ye refuses to agree."
"Why won't he agree?" Old Mrs. Lin, who had been hesitant, couldn't help but ask after hearing her daughter's words, "Does he also want a divorce?"
"Of course not!" Lin Ying denied loudly. "Mother, you know he's the most upright man. Knowing that Qingqing is my sister, how could he agree to it! He said that if we and the child really aren't meant to be, then so be it. But my mother-in-law is pressuring us a lot. You know he's the only son in the Zhao family. If he doesn't have a child, the Zhao family line will end."
Because of the old woman Zhao's pressure on her son-in-law to divorce his wife, Old Mrs. Lin had been somewhat displeased with him lately. Hearing these words, however, made her feel better. Although her mother was not good, her son-in-law still cared about his daughter.
Thinking of this, Grandma Lin asked, "Since your son-in-law treats you well, why did you pack your things and come back?"
Old Mrs. Lin should have asked, because once she did, Lin Ying burst into tears. "My mother-in-law met with the matchmaker today! She didn't even try to avoid me, and she said that if I don't get a divorce, she has a hundred ways to kick me out! She is Liye's mother after all. No matter how much Liye loves me, he can't go against his own parents."
"How could she do this!" Old Mrs. Lin trembled with rage. This was her beloved daughter, whom she had cherished since childhood. She had never dared to say a harsh word to her daughter, yet that old hag dared to treat her like this!
"I can't have children!" Lin Ying threw herself into her mother's arms and cried bitterly. "Mother, I really can't live like this anymore. Sometimes I think that if I have to divorce Liye, I might as well just kill myself! Yes, I shouldn't be alive. As long as I die, Liye and his mother can reconcile, and you won't have to be sad for me."
As Lin Ying spoke, she tried to ram her head against the wall. Old Mrs. Lin quickly grabbed her, but Lin Ying continued to plead, "Mother, don't stop me, let me go..."
"Smack—"
The sudden slap stunned Lin Ying. She covered her face, slowly looked up at Old Lady Lin, and gave a bitter smile. "Mother, you hit me."
Grandma Lin was also a little stunned; she hadn't expected to hit her daughter. But she quickly came to her senses and said, "I hit you, you unfilial daughter! You'll be rid of this now that you're dead, but what about me? Do you know how painful it is for a parent to bury their child? And what about Liye? What will happen to him after you die? Are you willing to watch him forget everything and get married and have children, just like that old hag?"
"Then what am I supposed to do? I can't have children!" Lin Ying shouted, her eyes red.
Grandma Lin withdrew her hand, straightened up, and looked at the tightly closed window. The window paper blocked the view outside, but she was engrossed in looking at it. She said in a low voice, "What does it matter if you can't have children? Qingqing can."
Lin Ying paused in her crying and said, "Didn't you disagree?"
After her adopted daughter fell into the water, her temper became increasingly strange, and Old Mrs. Lin was a little worried that they would not be able to control her. But seeing that her daughter was about to be driven to death because she had no children, Old Mrs. Lin couldn't care less about these things. She touched her daughter's hair and said, "Your mother always feels sorry for you."
"Then... is Qingqing willing?" Lin Ying asked, her voice choked with sobs, as she held back her tears.
Thinking of her adopted daughter's attitude, Old Mrs. Lin's face darkened slightly, but to reassure her daughter, she nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll talk to Qingqing." Women, no matter how unwilling they are, will behave once they have physical intimacy.
She had many concerns before, but when the time came, Grandma Lin felt that adopting a daughter was the most suitable option.
She's an orphan; even if she's wild-minded, the Lin family has so many people, they're not afraid they can't handle her. If she really doesn't listen, they can just find her a husband from a faraway place. After all, she's her adoptive mother, and she has the final say on Lin Qingqing's marriage.
Lin Ying also felt that Lin Qingqing was the most suitable, but she still had some concerns and hesitated, saying, "But what about Liye..."
“If you go back to your parents’ home, Liye will definitely come looking for you. Tomorrow night, keep Liye here. I’ll have your older brothers get him drunk. After it’s done, he won’t be able to object.”
Grandma Lin's mind cleared up more than ever before. She gently patted her daughter's back and said with a smile, "If he asks when he wakes up, we'll just say he drank too much. If that doesn't work, you can blame it on your mother. I'm his mother-in-law, he can't possibly get angry at me."
After hearing Grandma Lin's plan, Lin Ying hugged her waist tightly, a smile appearing on her lips. "Mother, you are so good."
...
Listening to what Old Mrs. Lin said inside the house, Lin Qingqing, who was standing against the wall by the window, clenched her fist.
The original novel only states that Lin Ying was forced to return to her parents' home by her mother-in-law, without detailing what the mother and daughter said in the room. Even so, Lin Qingqing was already angry when she saw how things developed, and now, hearing this conversation, she is even more unable to understand the original owner's choice.
However, it doesn't matter what choice the original owner makes, because she will embark on a completely different path.
Tomorrow, she will leave the Lin family.
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