Chapter 30: It Was Older Sister’s Mistake
“If you dare spout nonsense again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!” Elder Aunt glared with her triangular eyes and made a move to pounce toward Lin Xin.
Lin Xin didn’t speak, just lifted her right foot and made a kicking motion. Elder Aunt’s body stiffened, and she stopped her pouncing action in a very comical pose.
“Look at you, you were so energetic when you were talking about me just now. Why are you so angry now that it’s my turn to talk about you?” Lin Xin asked with a tsk-tsk sound.
“You’re full of crap. Is talking about me the same as you talking about me? What I said was based on evidence, while yours is pure fabrication.” Auntie argued forcefully.
“You have evidence? Then bring it out and show me your proof.” Lin Xin’s face completely darkened.
“I······” Elder Aunt was stumped. She looked down at Lin Shenzi. “I heard it from her. She has evidence.”
“Then have her bring it out.”
Elder Aunt moved her mouth and forcefully patted Lin Shenzi’s shoulder. “Where’s your evidence?”
Lin Shenzi suddenly raised her head to look at Elder Aunt. Her blood-streaked face directly scared her so much that she fell backward, landing on her butt on the ground. Her tailbone just happened to hit a protruding stone, and she immediately cried out in pain.
The two main instigators of the gossip about Lin Xin were both done for. Lin Xin turned her gaze to another young wife in her twenties. This one had also been talking enthusiastically just now, and her language skills were extremely strong. The rumors she made up were vivid and lifelike, just like she had personally witnessed it at the scene.
“You······why are you looking at me? I didn’t······I didn’t say anything.” The young wife felt extremely guilty. Her face was a bit pale, and she automatically put herself in the role of someone about to be punished. Suddenly, she felt pain all over her body. Her earlier high-spirited momentum was completely gone, and she trembled like a little cabbage in the wind.
“Heh,” Lin Xin sneered, “Don’t worry. As long as you clearly explain where you heard all those things you said before, I won’t lay a hand on you.”
“I······I heard it all from Lin Shenzi. She said there was a horse carriage parked at your house gate, and it must have been rich people who came. She also said you must have been kept by this rich person, otherwise where would all those good things come from. Then Elder Aunt said she seemed to see an old man getting off the horse carriage, and Lin Shenzi said if it wasn’t an old man, who would take a fancy to you······”
The young wife’s mouth was quick. She recounted the whole story from beginning to end clearly. Finally, she added, “That’s all I heard. As for the extra stuff I said, I made it all up myself. Waaah～I won’t dare anymore, never again. Don’t hit me.”
“Alright,” Lin Xin nodded. “Go ask everyone present again if they understood what you said. If they didn’t, repeat it until they do. Can you do that?”
“I······I can, absolutely can.” The young wife originally wanted to refuse, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she saw Lin Xin’s right index and middle fingers holding that pebble in front of her eyes, as if taking aim. She immediately changed her tune.
“Hey, Xin Yatou, no need for that, right? You······” An uncle who wanted to play peacemaker had just opened his mouth when he met Lin Xin’s indifferent eyes. The words he wanted to say suddenly stuck in his throat and wouldn’t come out. Lin Xin’s gaze just now didn’t look like she was looking at a living person at all.
“She wants······she wants to kill me!” That was the conclusion the uncle reached in his terror.
The other villagers also felt Lin Xin was making a big fuss over nothing. Wasn’t it just a couple of idle words? Even if they wronged her, it wasn’t intentional. Now they knew they had all been deceived by Lin Shenzi. At worst, they just wouldn’t say it anymore. Was it worth making that young wife question each of them one by one? They wanted to save face too!
However, just like that uncle, everyone who wanted to say something was scared off by Lin Xin’s gaze. They couldn’t describe the feeling that gaze gave them; they just felt chills rising from the bottom of their hearts. Recalling the matter of Lin Lao Er’s manifestation, they all shuddered inwardly. It would be best to say less gossip about this Xin Yatou’s family in the future. This family really had something eerie about them.
This time, the young wife smoothly completed the task. After apologizing to Lin Xin several times, she left with unsteady steps.
Everyone looked at each other, and without prior agreement, they all made moves to step away. Even Lin Shenzi, who didn’t know if she was really fainted or faking it, and Elder Aunt, who couldn’t stand up from the tailbone pain, were carried away by them in a haphazard manner.
Looking at the clean gate, Lin Xin satisfactorily tossed away the pebble in her hand, clapped her hands, turned, and entered the courtyard gate. She just happened to see Lin Nan’s little figure running into the room.
Lin Xin’s gaze darkened. The things everyone said just now were probably all heard by this little guy. It had taken her these past few days to finally make him more cheerful and lively. After today, he was probably going to revert to his previous state.
Sigh! Lin Xin sighed toward the sky. Raising a child really was a technical job. It wasn’t at all like what some people said—just feed him and keep him from the cold and hunger, and that’s enough.
Looking at a wilted little cub, and one that was adorably cute at that, who could remain unmoved?
This was the current mental activity of Lin Xin, who hadn’t even blinked when killing people in the apocalypse.
After picking and choosing in the space with her consciousness for a long time, she selected a small box of glass marbles, held it, and entered the room. Sure enough, she saw Lin Nan curled up in a ball in the corner of the kang, hugging his knees with both hands. For the first time, he didn’t pounce over and call sister the moment she came in.
“Nan Nan,” Lin Xin slightly raised her voice. Lin Nan turned around as quickly as a startled little rabbit.
“Sis!” He flattened his mouth and called sis, then ran over and buried his head in Lin Xin’s arms. He tightly wrapped his arms around her neck. After a long while, he said in an extremely small voice: “Sis, I hate the people here. They’re all bad people.”
Lin Xin sighed inwardly, took off her shoes and got on the kang, horizontally hugging Lin Nan into her arms like holding a swaddled infant. One hand supported his little butt, the other gently patted his shoulder. She slowed her voice and said to him:
“They can’t really be considered purely bad people. Except for a very few, the rest are still okay. The things they said weren’t really meant to hurt Nan Nan; they just didn’t know their words would make Nan Nan feel bad. But if Nan Nan hates them, then just ignore them.”
“Really? Nan Nan can ignore them?” Lin Nan widened his eyes looking at Lin Xin. “But sis said before that people should be polite, and greet the uncles and elder aunts in the village to be a polite good child. That way, they won’t say Nan Nan is a jinx.”
Lin Xin choked. This was the original owner’s mess, and now she had to take the blame.
Besides, jinx! Heh heh!
“Sis was wrong before. Sis thought they all had souls as pure as Nan Nan’s, able to clearly distinguish right from wrong. But now sis realizes sis was mistaken. They can’t distinguish, so from now on, Nan Nan doesn’t need to pay attention to anyone who harbors malice toward him. But for those with good intentions, Nan Nan should repay them with the same kindness. Understand?”
Lin Nan blinked in confusion and honestly answered: “Kinda understand, but also kinda don’t.”
Lin Xin smiled. “No worries, sis will teach Nan Nan from now on.”
“Mm, sis is the best.” Lin Nan finally regained some of his usual liveliness.
“Come, this is the gift sis prepared for Nan Nan. See if you like it?”
Lin Nan carefully took the small box, placed it on the kang, and opened it. Seeing the crystal-clear glass marbles inside, each with various patterns sealed within, his eyes lit up. He happily called out: “So pretty!”
Thanks to readers 676833, Yi Xue-dB, Zhang Wenmei, Wu Xing Que Qian 768, Qing Deng Ye You-De, Yang Yaling for their votes, and thanks to caroletud for the tip. Thank you all for the encouragement, thank you!
