Chapter 88: Please Spare Our Family!
The He Clan Leader lost a lot of face. He glared fiercely at He Luan’er, then turned his head to search among the crowd. After looking over everyone present, he still didn’t see the figures of He Luan’er’s family members. Annoyed, he sent people to her home to find them.
While waiting, he also had to give assurances to the Lin Clan Leader and Liu Clan Leader, guaranteeing that her family would keep her in check and ensure she would never do such a thing again.
However, the Old Clan Leader was not buying it. Lin Xin had spent forty taels of silver to prove that He Luan’er had pushed her! They had to get some compensation back no matter what!
So, he glanced at Lin Xin and asked, “Xin Yatou, are you willing to leave this matter to Clan Leader Grandfather to handle?”
Lin Xin actually didn’t care either way. Her original plan was to make the conflict with He Luan’er as big as possible, so that when she dealt with her later, she would have a just cause. Also, He Luan’er had been jumping around too much lately, which annoyed her when she saw it. She thought she might as well pin her down first and make her quiet down.
So she nodded readily and said, “Thank you, Clan Leader Grandfather, for backing me up.”
The Old Clan Leader satisfiedly stroked his beard. When he looked at the He Clan Leader, he put on a cold face again. “Talk is cheap. This girl isn’t one of your own younger generation. If you could control her, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened. In my view, to make her learn a lesson, her family still needs to bleed some money.”
These words clearly implied that this clan leader was just a figurehead who couldn’t control his own clansmen at all. It was better to let her family handle it obediently. Everyone knew what kind of people He Luan’er’s family were. Only by making them bleed could they fundamentally prevent He Luan’er from striking again.
The Liu Clan Leader also sided with the Old Clan Leader. “Exactly. Only if her family feels the pain will they properly discipline their own daughter.”
He Clan Leader: “······”
By the time He Luan’er’s parents arrived reluctantly, the three clan leaders had already reached a consensus on how to resolve the matter. He Luan’er collapsed incredulously on the ground, despairingly lowering her head.
She couldn’t figure it out no matter how she thought about it. Wasn’t it just pushing Lin Xin once? She wasn’t even hurt, and those two wild boars were dead. Why were they being so harsh on her?
After hearing the clan leaders’ words, He Luan’er’s mother exploded at once. She stepped forward two paces, grabbed He Luan’er’s hair with one hand, and slapped her with two palms back and forth, breaking the corner of He Luan’er’s mouth. Bright red blood trickled down her swollen cheek.
“Mom, you’re hitting me? Even you are hitting me?” He Luan’er stared wide-eyed at Mi Shi and said indistinctly.
“Hit you? Right now I wish I had never given birth to you. If I had known you would bring such big trouble to the family, it would have been better to drown you in the urine bucket right after you were born, you shameless little whore. Why did you go push her for no reason? What did she ever do to you, huh?” Mi Shi said while slapping her with two more slaps.
Some of the soft-hearted villagers couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to advise say something, but thinking of what He Luan’er had done and Lin Xin’s words, they gave up the idea and ultimately stood silently in the crowd.
After pinching and kicking He Luan’er viciously several more times, Mi Shi finally released her grip on He Luan’er’s hair, letting a few strands of jet-black long hair drift away in the wind. She turned around, her eyes sweeping through the crowd before fixing on Lin Xin. She ran over in a few steps and “thudded” to her knees in front of her.
“Xin Yatou, Auntie didn’t educate the child well and let her almost harm you. Auntie knows she’s unforgivable. You can beat her or scold her, Auntie won’t say a word. But for compensation, Auntie really can’t afford it at home! Our eldest sister-in-law is pregnant and needs to preserve the fetus. The doctor said she must stay in bed and needs nutrition. The family is really in difficulty! Please let our family off!”
Mi Shi cried with snot and tears streaming. The meaning between her words was all about getting Lin Xin to step in and waive their family’s compensation.
Lin Xin watched her kneeling on the ground. Even though her mouth was saying nice things, her eyes were still rolling around. Lin Xin couldn’t help but find it amusing. Let their family off? Then who would let her off? As before, if she hadn’t had the ability, the wild boar would have gored her to death long ago. How could she be standing here watching her put on a show?
As for waiving their family’s compensation, what about the Old Clan Leader’s face? Making the Old Clan Leader lose face for their family—unless Lin Xin was stupid, she wouldn’t do that.
After crying and shouting for a while without a response, Mi Shi instinctively looked up at Lin Xin, only to meet her gaze full of sarcasm. Her heart jolted, and she then realized that the other party already knew her intentions.
But so what? At least you have to call me Auntie. I’ve knelt to you. If you still don’t agree, the villagers can spit you to death with one mouthful each!
Feeling much more confident, Mi Shi continued crying, “Xin Yatou, Auntie begs you. Just let our family off! If you really can’t swallow this anger, how about I hand Luan’er over to you to deal with? Even for the sake of your unborn little nephew, let our family off!”
One after another, several phrases of “let our family off” clearly stated the He family’s position: they were done with He Luan’er.
Lin Xin’s mouth curved up slightly. “Auntie, what you’re saying is, you’re asking me to let your family off, but who will let me off? If I hadn’t been lucky and killed that wild boar, doesn’t Auntie know what my fate would be now? And as for any little nephew, Auntie is joking even more. That child isn’t mine, so what face does he have with me?”
These words completely exceeded Mi Shi’s expectations. She stared dumbfounded at Lin Xin, her tear-streaked face with her mouth wide open, looking extremely comical.
One must know that in the novel, after He Luan’er married Zhao Shuyun, the He family truly enjoyed some glory, and the entire He clan basked in it. The He Clan Leader even gave face to the Old Clan Leader several times. They were so smug back then!
“You, aren’t you afraid······”
“Afraid of what?” Before she could finish, Lin Xin darkened her face and cut her off. “She harmed me, and the clan leaders have already given a solution for this matter. Since she lacks the ability to carry it out, naturally it should fall to her parents. There’s no reason that harming someone can be excused just by crying a few times about family hardship.”
Lin Xin’s attitude was very firm. The Old Clan Leader stroked his beard contentedly. The He Clan Leader’s face had never looked good. The Liu Clan Leader’s gaze toward her also carried a bit of probing, thinking that when he got back, he needed to warn those troublemakers in his clan not to provoke Lin Xin, or else even he as clan leader would lose face.
Finally, the Old Clan Leader made the decision: the He family would compensate Lin Xin five taels of silver, and the matter would be settled. Otherwise, they would send He Luan’er to the officials! The government would definitely intervene in a matter of endangering lives.
With no other choice, Mi Shi and He Lao Tou Er had to pinch their noses and accept the result. They kicked and dragged He Luan’er back home to scrape together the money.
With the matter resolved, it was time to deal with these two big wild boars. The villagers didn’t hide the eagerness in their eyes. Farm households rarely splurged on meat all year round!
“Thank you, Clan Leader Grandfather, for standing up for me.” After the He family left, Lin Xin walked to the Old Clan Leader and gave him a salute.
“No need. It was originally the fault of the He family’s girl.” The Old Clan Leader stroked his beard, looked at Lin Xin, then at the villagers who were clearly impatient to wait, and smiled with narrowed eyes.
