Lin Lizhang's family.
Main room.
"Why did the family... let you two girls out?"
A watercolor painting of a tiger descending a mountain hangs in the central hall.
Sitting in the main seat, Chief Lin slowly puffed on his pipe, the "click" sound from his mouth, which was particularly clear in the empty hall.
His wife, Mrs. Li, who was sitting at the table across from him, was doing needlework with her head down.
Perhaps his eyesight wasn't very good, as he would stop after sewing a few stitches to check for any misplaced stitches, but he was always listening intently to the conversation between the old man and the child.
The old woman made her move on Lin Momo, whose buttocks had just touched the armchair.
Lin Sanya, standing in front of her, appeared extremely reserved, her small body pressed tightly against her older sister as if she were an extension of her. She would occasionally steal a glance at the majestic tiger.
Lin Momo lowered her bright eyes, looking pitiful, and after a moment replied, "Oh, Mother is pregnant and has to stay home to take care of Father, so she can't leave. My eldest brother went to town to inquire about a famous doctor, just waiting for us to borrow money to go back and save his life."
“Mother said that our family and the village head’s family are related by ancestry. Over the years, you have taken good care of our family in the village. You watched Dad grow up since he was a child, just like your own child.”
"I can't bear to see an elderly person outlive their child, nor can I bear to see our family without someone to carry on the family line. Not only will the orphans and widows starve, but they will also be bullied by others. I will definitely borrow money to save my father's life."
"Mother said that my elder brother must remember your great kindness and virtue. If you ever need anything, just let us know, and we will do our best to get it done for you, even if it costs us our lives."
"Mother also said that if we can't borrow the money today, she'll have my older brother take us two sisters to town and sell us first thing tomorrow morning. Whether we live or die, whether things go well or badly, it's all up to us. Don't blame our parents, and don't blame our relatives and neighbors. It's just that we two sisters have such a hard life. We weren't born into a wealthy family, and we didn't have good parents. There aren't any good families in the village either..."
"Alright, mother, go and get five taels of silver for the two girls."
Lin, the village chief, suddenly pulled his pipe out of his mouth and started banging it against the edge of the table, scattering ashes and unburnt tobacco everywhere on and under the table.
People become shrewd with age.
The old man finally realized that if he didn't lend her money today, he wouldn't be able to stop this girl from talking.
She could talk on and on until nightfall, so wouldn't she have to provide a meal for the two sisters?
Judging from this, he's probably the kind of person who won't leave until he gets the money.
It would be better to send him away early so that the old man can have some peace and quiet.
I don't know how Lin Musheng's second daughter can be so eloquent.
Although Lin always referred to "Mother said" in her speech, the old man was not stupid.
Those illiterate, rough women are only good at cursing and throwing tantrums; there's nothing else they can do.
Even if he didn't believe that woman could say such a thing, she might not be able to say it even if she were reborn.
The little girl's words were logical and insightful; her manner of speaking clearly indicated that she was educated.
It's impossible that those words came from Lin Zhiqiang.
Although Lin Musheng's son had studied at a private school in a neighboring village for two years, he was completely ignorant. When he was an apprentice in town, he was easily tricked into a gambling den, causing the Lin family to split up and sell their land, resulting in many farcical situations.
All impossibilities have been eliminated.
Even the most unbelievable of the remaining stories is not far from the truth.
Even though Chief Lin had never heard this saying before, he still understood some of the underlying principles. He immediately assumed, with a mixture of belief and doubt, that these words must have been spoken by the second daughter of the Lin family, through Madam Lin Xu.
He's someone who knows how to hide his talents.
They couldn't help but look at this girl with new respect; when did such an extraordinary little girl appear in the village?
A child who can say such things will surely have some good fortune in the future; let's consider this a good connection.
This way, he won't have to deal with that girl's constant chatter that gives him a headache.
However, Old Lady Li, who was reluctant to part with her money, glared at the old man and didn't move an inch.
This is clearly like throwing a meat bun to a dog—it's gone forever.
That old man, he got so happy after being flattered by the Lin family girl that he lost his mind.
They don't even consider how long a farmer would have to work to earn five taels of silver.
That's five taels of silver!
How many meat buns do we need to buy?
She couldn't bear to buy her grandson meat buns when he was making a fuss about them at the market last time, but now that old man said one thing and all those meat buns are gone—enough to feed her precious grandson until he gets married.
Seeing that his wife was sitting still as if she hadn't heard him, the village chief, Lin, who had lost face, frowned and urged, "If Musheng leaves, leaving this family without anyone to take charge, how will they survive? Hurry up and go!"
Seeing that the old man was showing signs of anger, and in this era where the husband was considered the most important person, Old Lady Li naturally dared not disobey him in public.
As someone who travels frequently, she couldn't embarrass the old man, but before leaving, she secretly glared at him before going into the inner room.
After much hesitation, amidst the old man's warning cough, Old Mrs. Li finally came out.
He seemed to have calmed down inside; although there was no smile on his face, he didn't look too angry either.
After calmly sitting back down, Old Lady Li slammed the warm silver coins she had been holding onto the table and said, "Here, take this to get your father treated."
At that moment, Lin Momo suddenly remembered a scene from one of Lu Xun's novels.
She immediately shook her head inwardly, forcing herself not to be so sensitive.
Lin Momo had long noticed the old woman's reluctance, but that was only natural.
She could understand.
She pretended not to know anything, got up and stepped forward, gratefully stuffed the silver on the table into her pocket, and turned to beckon Lin Sanya to come over.
The two sisters stood side by side, bowed to the two elderly people, and said before leaving, "We will definitely repay this money in the future."
After that, I went to two more places.
But such good fortune did not come.
One family, upon hearing that the person had come to borrow money, refused to let them in, simply saying "We don't have any," and slammed the gate shut.
No wonder people avoided it like the plague, not even letting it in the door.
Everyone knows now that Lin Musheng is a sickly person.
The town doctor came twice, each time prescribing more expensive medicine, but no matter how much medicine he drank, it was ineffective, like throwing medicine on a stone or throwing money into water.
Everyone knows that it's best to avoid the Lin family's second branch these days, unless you want to lend them money.
The other family did let us into their yard, but it was a child who answered the door.
The main door was tightly shut, but the hall doors were wide open, and no adult came out for a long time.
Lin Momo understood the other person's intention and sheepishly pulled her sister away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
