Chapter 1 Being Good to You
After discussing the plan with her daughter, Grandma Lin got busy.
In her plan, alcohol was indispensable, but at this time grain was expensive, and no one in the countryside was willing to use grain to brew alcohol. The supply and marketing cooperative did sell it, but to buy alcohol from the supply and marketing cooperative, you not only needed money, but also coupons. Old Mrs. Lin didn't have any alcohol coupons, so she could only buy them on the black market or exchange them with someone.
Black market liquor tickets weren't cheap, so Old Lady Lin initially wanted to find someone to exchange them. Afraid of being exposed, she didn't dare inquire about it in the village, so she went back to her parents' home and asked her sister-in-law to help her. After a busy morning, she did manage to exchange for two local liquor tickets, but the liquor had a low alcohol content, and the two tickets together only amounted to about half a jin (250ml).
Old Mrs. Lin thought that her son-in-law, Zhao Liye, looked fair and clean, but actually had a very high alcohol tolerance. When he came to visit, half a jin of baijiu (Chinese liquor) didn't even knock him out. This little bit of local liquor definitely wouldn't be enough, so she had no choice but to pack her things and head to the commune.
Upon arriving at the commune, Old Lady Lin headed straight for the black market. She was lucky; after asking only three people, she found someone selling liquor coupons—three in total, each for one jin (approximately 500 grams). However, the man was cunning; he sold the liquor coupons at the same price as the liquor itself, and only agreed to sell them together, not individually.
Normally, Old Mrs. Lin would never have been willing to spend this money, but since it concerned her daughter's lifelong happiness, she gritted her teeth and paid anyway. After receiving the liquor coupons, Old Mrs. Lin went straight to the commune's supply and marketing cooperative and bought about two jin of liquor.
After buying the items, Old Mrs. Lin did the math in her mind. She realized that just this little bit of wine had cost her more than five yuan, and she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.
But then Old Mrs. Lin thought again. Her daughter worked at the commune primary school and earned several tens of yuan a month. She was also a filial daughter, sending food and money back home every few days. As long as her daughter's marriage could be saved, she would eventually make up for the money she had spent.
Old Mrs. Lin perked up and continued to procure aphrodisiacs.
This was Old Lady Lin's backup plan. She was worried her son-in-law wouldn't be able to perform properly when drunk, so she wanted to use drugs to stimulate him. Old Lady Lin had it all planned out: not only aphrodisiacs, but tomorrow she'd also have her son find someone to bring back a turtle and steam it.
...
Grandma Lin had been busy all day and only managed to prepare everything by evening. After dinner, she was about to talk to Lin Qingqing about tomorrow's plans when she saw her daughter looking worried because her son-in-law hadn't arrived yet. So she called her daughter into the house and said, "Liye is a middle school teacher, so he's usually busier than you. Maybe something at school got him tied up and he couldn't come."
But these words did not comfort Lin Ying at all. The middle school should be closed on Saturdays, and it only takes more than ten minutes to ride a bicycle from the commune to Linjiazui Brigade. No matter how busy he was, he should have arrived by now.
Thinking about how her mother-in-law met the matchmaker today, Lin Ying asked worriedly, "Mother, do you think he might have gone on a blind date?"
After a busy day, Old Mrs. Lin was more clear-headed than in the morning. She waved her hand and said, "Impossible. Liye and you are not divorced yet. Even if your mother-in-law wants him to remarry, no matchmaker would dare to arrange a marriage for him! I think your mother-in-law is just trying to scare you and make you back out on your own. Daughter, you mustn't do anything foolish at this crucial moment."
Lin Ying was also blinded by her own involvement and couldn't see things clearly on her own. But her mother's words made her understand, but she still felt a little sad. "If it's not a blind date, then why didn't Liye come? School should have been on holiday long ago."
"He's probably being held back by that old hag," Old Mrs. Lin said with a stern face. "No matter how anxious Liye is, she's still his own mother. It's not hard for her to stop him from coming to you. Don't worry, if he doesn't come today, he'll come tomorrow. When he does, just keep your temper in check and don't yell at him. Let him stay at home for dinner. Once things are settled by tomorrow night, you can relax."
Lin Ying's expression improved considerably after hearing the first part of her mother's words. She also felt that her husband was definitely being entangled by his wicked mother-in-law. She kept nodding as she listened, thinking to herself that she wouldn't get angry at Liye. Didn't that old hag want her to divorce Liye? She wouldn't! Especially in times like these, she was determined to hold onto Liye's heart tightly.
But when she heard the second half, Lin Ying's smile disappeared.
No woman wants to send her husband to another woman's bed. Lin Ying wouldn't have come up with this idea if she hadn't been desperate. So after the mother and daughter made their plan, Old Mrs. Lin took care of everything. But even if Lin Ying didn't care about anything and just lay in bed imagining it, this matter was enough to break her heart.
But what hurt Lin Ying the most wasn't this incident, but the fact that she discovered Lin Qingqing had changed.
In the past, Lin Ying had never paid any attention to her adopted younger sister. This was because Lin Qingqing had been beautiful and intelligent since childhood, always ranking first in her grade. Lin Qingqing, on the other hand, was dark-skinned and thin as a child, with an unremarkable appearance, and a sullen personality; she only knew how to raise chickens and ducks, chop firewood, and carry manure.
As Lin Qingqing grew up, she became prettier, but she was illiterate. She had never read Anna Karenina, nor did she know Pavel Korchagin. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and her personality was timid and submissive. Her appearance could not hide her flaws.
Therefore, Lin Ying felt that even if she had a child, her husband would never be interested in her.
But when Lin Ying returned this time, she found that Lin Qingqing had become more lively. Her eyes were full of hope, and that hope gave her a completely new look.
Only then did Lin Ying realize that her adopted younger sister had grown up to be so beautiful.
Her figure was slender and graceful, even the bulky cotton-padded coat couldn't hide it, and her skin was as white as a peeled egg. Seeing Lin Qingqing, Lin Yingcai realized that he had a roll of fat around his stomach, and his skin had become rough. No amount of skincare products could cover up his dullness and blemishes.
Lin Ying felt a sense of crisis, and she even didn't want Lin Qingqing to have her child anymore.
Lin Ying didn't want to admit that she was wary of Lin Qingqing, and after hesitating for a long time, she said, "Mother, you're saying that Qingqing should have my child? Is that appropriate? What if she becomes too ambitious later?"
Grandma Lin had similar concerns before, but she is no longer worried at all. She said, "Liye's heart is entirely with you. So what if she has feelings for you? Besides, we won't let her spend time with Liye. Once she gets pregnant, she will stay at home to rest. Once the son is born, I will find a family to marry her off to far away."
At this point, Old Mrs. Lin narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Don't worry, I will never let her affect your relationship with Liye."
After hearing her mother's plan, Lin Ying's restless heart calmed down.
Grandma Lin was preoccupied with comforting her daughter, and by the time she thought of her adopted daughter, it was already late at night. She did go out and knock on Lin Qingqing's door, but no one answered for a long time, so she had no choice but to go back inside grumbling.
Back in her room, Lin Ying tossed and turned, unable to sleep because she was thinking about what would happen tomorrow. Old Mrs. Lin, on the other hand, was tired. She had been running around all day and her eyes were almost closed, but because her daughter kept tossing and turning, she hadn't slept all night either.
...
Lin Qingqing also suffered from insomnia that night. Although Xie Wei had promised to help her, she still felt uneasy. She spent the night rehearsing the events of the next day in her mind over and over again, and finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.
When Lin Qingqing opened her eyes again, it was already dawn. The outside was bustling with activity. She got dressed, grabbed her toothbrush and enamel mug, and went to the kitchen across the street to fetch water for her teeth. Li Chunlian was busy in the kitchen. Seeing Lin Qingqing come in, she sneered, "Why couldn't I wake you up this morning? How come you're up as soon as the food is ready without anyone urging you?"
"I want to eat," Lin Qingqing said matter-of-factly.
Li Chunlian was furious upon hearing this. Yesterday, Lin Qingqing got up to make breakfast, and she thought her sister-in-law had finally learned her lesson and wouldn't dare to be lazy anymore. But today, the stove was cold, and Lin Qingqing was fast asleep inside, impossible to wake!
Remembering what her mother-in-law had said the day before yesterday, Li Chunlian thought her mother-in-law was going to scold her sister-in-law. But to her surprise, her mother-in-law scolded her severely after finding out about it, saying that if she didn't make breakfast today, she wouldn't get to eat all day! Li Chunlian felt wronged for being scolded for no reason. She felt that she had done so much work yesterday, so why couldn't she eat?
Lin Qingqing didn't work in the fields yesterday, nor did she do any housework. In my opinion, she should be starved for a day!
Thinking this, when the family gathered around the dinner table and her mother-in-law was about to divide a full bowl of porridge to Lin Qingqing, Li Chunlian exclaimed, "Mother, you said yesterday that the more work a person does, the better they eat. Qingqing didn't go to the fields or do any housework yesterday, so does that mean she can't eat today?"
After saying that, Li Chunlian glanced at Lin Qingqing triumphantly, thinking to herself, "Serves you right for talking back to me!"
To her disappointment, Lin Qingqing's expression remained unchanged; she simply stared indifferently at Old Mrs. Lin. Old Mrs. Lin paused, unsure whether to extend her hand holding the porridge or withdraw it, caught between the gazes of her daughter-in-law and adopted daughter.
Seeing that Old Mrs. Lin was in a difficult position, Lin Ying said, "Why do we need to be so particular about rules when the whole family is eating together?"
"Third sister, you don't understand the situation at home. Our rural area is different from the city. There's always less grain, so we have to be very careful with our food."
Lin Ying knew that her second sister-in-law was petty, but she didn't expect her to be so calculating. However, she didn't want to cause any trouble at the moment, so she picked up her bowl and poured half of the porridge she hadn't touched into the empty bowl, and said with a smile, "It's just a bowl of porridge, I'll give mine to Qingqing." She then said to Lin Qingqing, "Don't worry about your second sister-in-law, just eat as much as you want. Eating more will keep you healthy."
Li Chunying was furious upon hearing this. She thought to herself, "Of course you can be generous when you're eating your mother's food." She raised a sarcastic smirk and said, "Why is Third Sister suddenly being so nice to Qingqing?"
Lin Ying said without changing her expression, "Qingqing is my sister. If I'm not good to her, who will I be good to?"
Grandma Lin echoed her daughter's words, "When has Yingzi ever been unkind to Qingqing? On the contrary, you should be nicer to Qingqing in the future and stop finding fault with her all the time."
Li Chunlian was scolded by her mother-in-law and looked resentful, but Lin Weiguo nudged her with his arm, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger and lower her head.
Grandma Lin didn't pay much attention to her daughter-in-law. She only said to Lin Qingqing, "Although your third sister is good to you, you can't get carried away. How can you not do any work in the future?" Grandma Lin was very unhappy that her adopted daughter had been lazy all day yesterday, so she wanted to suppress her temper.
Lin Qingqing smiled with a hint of sarcasm. Lin Ying wasn't being kind to her at all; it was more like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken.
But she didn't intend to expose Lin Ying and her daughter's plan at this time, and obediently said, "Don't worry, I'll go do the laundry after dinner. I definitely won't rest today."
Grandma Lin was fairly satisfied with her attitude and nodded, saying, "There's no need to rush to wash the clothes. I have something to tell you after dinner."
Lin Qingqing nodded and replied, "Mm."
Seeing that she was obedient, Old Mrs. Lin nodded slightly and told Lin Weiguo to buy a turtle in the afternoon. After breakfast, Old Mrs. Lin went into the house to count out the money for the turtle and handed it to Lin Weiguo, saying, "Remember to pick an old turtle."
After arranging things for the evening and seeing off her son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter, Old Lady Lin remembered her adopted daughter and prepared to go to her room to call her. But just as she stepped out of the main room, she saw her son-in-law, Zhao Liye, arriving with some things.
Upon seeing her son-in-law, Old Mrs. Lin immediately forgot about her adopted daughter and welcomed him into the house. Only after seeing him reconcile with her daughter did she feel relieved enough to go look for Lin Qingqing. However, she searched the entire house but couldn't find Lin Qingqing, until Zhao Liye said, "Fourth Sister? Didn't she go to the pond to wash clothes?"
"Didn't I tell her to wait for me?" Old Mrs. Lin frowned upon hearing this, thinking that her adopted daughter was too stupid and didn't understand the importance of things at all.
But then she thought that her son-in-law might overhear her discussing this with her adopted daughter at home, so it would be better to talk about it outside before coming back. So she got up and said, "I'm going to find her!"
After saying that, Old Lady Lin strode out the door with her head held high.
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