Chapter 181: “this World Has Gone Mad”
“Woof woof…” Da Huang’s barking sounded.
The barking was different from usual.
Lin Zhao opened her eyes and kicked Gu Chenghuai, “Do you hear someone knocking? Or am I hallucinating?”
Gu Chenghuai clamped her foot, “…Don’t kick randomly.”
His voice had a suppressed hoarseness.
Lin Zhao instantly sobered up, realizing where she had kicked. She gave the man a fawning smile.
“Are you okay?”
The man looked at her deeply, got out of bed, lit the kerosene lamp, grabbed his rain gear, and went outside.
Lin Zhao sat up, “Is someone really knocking?”
She shuffled to the side of the bed and got off, muttering to herself, Who is it, knocking on the door in the middle of the night?
Did someone’s house collapse and they’re here to borrow shelter?!
Lost in thought, she picked up the kerosene lamp and went out of the room. Standing under the eaves, she looked towards the main entrance.
In the front yard of the Gu family, the path from the house to the main gate was paved with gravel. The yard’s drainage was good, so there wasn’t much standing water, and it looked very clean. The rain fell with a pitter-patter, and the entire yard seemed shrouded in mist, possessing a hazy, misty beauty.
Not long after.
Lin Zhao saw a familiar small figure beside Gu Chenghuai.
Upon closer inspection.
It was her niece, Lin Xuan.
“Xuanxuan?”
Lin Xuan wasn’t familiar with her uncle-by-marriage. She was stiff beside Gu Chenghuai. Seeing her aunt, she ran over and hugged Lin Zhao’s waist, “Auntie.”
Lin Zhao didn’t ask why she came so late at night. She looked at Gu Chenghuai, “You go to sleep. Tonight, Xuanxuan and I will sleep together.”
Gu Chenghuai glanced at the crying Lin Xuan and pursed his thin lips.
“I’ll go boil some hot water.”
Leaving those words, he walked towards the kitchen.
Lin Zhao took Lin Xuan’s hand and led her into the house. It wasn’t the children’s room, but a specially prepared guest room. It had everything, was tidied up every two days, and the bed sheets were clean.
She casually took a clean towel and wiped the rainwater from Lin Xuan’s hair.
“In this heavy rain, and so late, how dare you come out alone? Aren’t you afraid a wolf will snatch you away?”
Lin Xuan nervously picked at her fingers, making eight small movements in a few seconds. She wanted to stand up, and she wanted to take the towel… It seemed like she only felt at ease when she had something to do.
“Where’s your dad?” Lin Zhao asked casually.
Lin Xuan’s thin shoulders stiffened.
She lowered her head and quickly picked at the dead skin on her fingers, her movements not stopping even when she hit a rough spot.
Based on the few lines about Lin Xuan in the original book, Lin Zhao knew she might have psychological issues. But… Xuanxuan had been doing well recently, so why the sudden change…
She didn’t answer when asked about her father, Lin Shisheng. This wasn’t defiance, but shame, guilt, and sadness… It could be seen from how her head bowed lower and lower.
…Qiu Lian.
For some reason, the name popped into Lin Zhao’s mind.
“Is your mother back?”
Lin Xuan’s face turned pale, but she shook her head and couldn’t help but cry.
“She’s not back. That means there’s news from her.” Seeing the little girl silently weeping, Lin Zhao put her arm around her and wiped her tears. “What are you crying about? No matter what happened, you are your father’s daughter. You have grandparents, so many family members, and me… No matter what your mother did, it has nothing to do with you and Zheng Zheng. You’re just a child, don’t overthink things, thinking too much can make you difficult with yourself.”
Lin Xuan didn’t look up, wiping her eyes in distress, and said shamefully, “Auntie, that person, that person gave my dad a green hat…”
Her voice was soft and hoarse.
She didn’t even call her mother, and her tone was full of hatred.
She was almost ten years old. Since she was old enough to understand, she had been suppressed by her own mother. She was timid and more sensible than her peers. She knew that being given a green hat was a very shameful thing.
Overhearing Lin Shisheng talking with his buddies, Lin Xuan was struck by lightning and plunged into immense shame and self-abandonment.
How could she have been born to such a person?!
Feeling ashamed to face her biological father, the little girl ran away from home. It was as if as long as she ran far enough, she could escape those disgusting things.
Lin Zhao’s eyes paused slightly.
Qiu Lian’s matter had been exposed!?
“How did you know?”
Lin Xuan sniffled, “…I overheard.”
“Your father and the others definitely don’t know you ran out, right? They might be looking for you all over the world.” Lin Zhao gently stroked her half-dry hair, not blaming her, just informing her.
“I left a note,” Lin Xuan said softly.
For some reason, hearing this, she didn’t want to stay at home.
“You were thoughtful,” Lin Zhao patted Xuanxuan’s head and changed the subject, “When you’re feeling agitated… I’m very happy that you could think of me, your aunt.”
“Let’s go take a bath. Take a hot bath and go to sleep. After sleeping, everything will be fine.” She pulled her niece up and led her out.
The rain brought a chill. Lin Xuan got soaked, and to prevent the cold from entering her body, a bath was indeed the sensible thing to do.
Lin Xuan obediently followed.
Gu Chenghuai, afraid the little girl would feel uncomfortable, returned to the room after finishing his tasks.
Not seeing her uncle-by-marriage, Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
After bathing, she changed into the nightgown Lin Zhao made for her.
“It’s really pretty,” Lin Zhao praised.
“Did Auntie make it for me?” Lin Xuan pinched the hem of the skirt, and a sliver of warm sunshine shot into her gloomy heart.
Lin Zhao nodded, “Who else would I make it for? Wear it with confidence. Zheng Zheng and Xi Bao both have one.”
Lin Xuan’s heart felt warm, and a smile appeared on her face. “Thank you, Auntie.”
“Why thank me? Go lie down. I’ll put medicine on your feet and then I’ll go make you some milk powder. Drink it before you sleep.” As she spoke, Lin Zhao walked towards the next room.
She cut off Lin Xuan’s “No need.”
The little girl had no choice but to put medicine on her feet. She was wearing cloth shoes with thin soles. The road was dark, and there were many pebbles. Her feet were abraded in many places from the walk.
Lin Zhao worked with her hands, thinking of her second brother. Had the family discovered Xuanxuan came to find her?
The Lin family had indeed discovered it, and subsequently learned… about Lin Shisheng’s green hat situation.
Lin Shichang and his wife, Chen Yu, were dumbfounded, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor.
Especially Chen Yu, who was so shocked her brain short-circuited, and she stood there in a daze.
Second Sister-in-law, how dare Second Sister-in-law.
Having an affair.
She actually had an affair.
Is she not afraid of death?! Is she that desperate? Doesn’t she know there’s a severe crackdown going on outside? Why would she be so reckless? With her actions like this… what about her two daughters?
They’ve gone mad, this world has gone mad.
“Divorce! You won’t divorce before New Year? Second brother, you go and divorce Qiu Lian tomorrow!” Song Xiwei stated unequivocally.
She was a woman and knew the difficulties women faced. Even though she didn’t like Qiu Lian, she had never deliberately obstructed her or given her the cold shoulder. She hadn’t expected her to become even worse and dare to have an affair.
Lin Shisheng’s expression remained unchanged, “I know.”
Seeing that he was very calm, not like someone who had just found out, Lin Heling looked at his second brother’s head with sympathy and asked, “When did you find out?”
“…” Lin Shisheng paused, “About half a month ago.”
Lin Heling patted his shoulder, organizing his words, and said with a clear and gentle voice to comfort him, “In a lifetime, one can encounter all sorts of bizarre things. Take it easy. At least you still have two sensible daughters.”
Lin Shisheng had already vented his anger. Didn’t Qiu Lian’s most cherished younger brother’s leg break? That was his doing.
He had to admit, seeing the Qiu family weeping hysterically brought him immense satisfaction.
He had wanted to do this when he was pestered back then. He had endured it for nearly ten years, and finally, he had let it out!
“…Dad, you don’t need to persuade me. I’ve thought it through,” Lin Shisheng said helplessly.
When he first found out, he wanted to kill the person. After thinking it through, he felt it was unnecessary. Why commit a crime for a rotten person?
Song Xiwei slapped him on the shoulder, “Stop talking nonsense. Remember what your father said.”
Lin Shisheng winced, rubbing his shoulder, and walked out.
“I’m going to find Xuanxuan.”
Zheng Zheng trotted to catch up, “Dad, I want to go too.”
“What are you going for? It’s raining.” Lin Shisheng told her to go to sleep.
Lin Zheng was a determined and stubborn young girl. She tugged at her father’s clothes, her gaze insistent.
Knowing how close the sisters were, it was normal for his younger daughter to want to go. Lin Shisheng said, “Put on your rain gear.”
In an era of scarce resources, families with umbrellas were few and far between. The rain gear for country folk were straw raincoats and bamboo hats. Those with better conditions used oilcloth.
Lin Shisheng gave the oilcloth to his younger daughter, put on his bamboo hat, and rushed into the rain.
The rain was heavy, but fortunately, there was no thunder or lightning. There was a lot of standing water, and the path was muddy. Walking was difficult, like pulling a radish and bringing out mud.
Fortunately, the Lin family had a flashlight, which made it barely possible to see the road.
“I wonder how your sister managed to walk all this way,” Lin Shisheng said, having to shout.
Lin Zheng clutched her father’s arm, walking with difficulty in the rain, “The rain wasn’t this heavy when my sister left. She must be at Auntie’s.”
“I hope your aunt doesn’t get angry,” Lin Shisheng said fearfully. “Your aunt has a bad temper when she wakes up.”
When they were young, if their parents called Zhao Zhao while she was sleeping, she could barely suppress her displeasure and would at most put on a sour face. But if any of her brothers called her, she would definitely come out with dark circles under her eyes.
Zheng Zheng frowned, “My aunt has a very good temper.”
“That’s now,” Lin Shisheng said. “Her temper used to be very bad.”
Zheng Zheng was unhappy that he was talking about her aunt and glared at him angrily.
Lin Shisheng saw that his younger daughter was not too affected by Qiu Lian’s situation. He rubbed her wet head and, holding his breath, asked, “I’m going to divorce your mother. From tomorrow, you and your sister will only have me. Do you blame me?”
Lin Zheng looked at him strangely, “My sister and I were raised by Grandma and Eldest Aunt. It doesn’t make much difference whether we have a mother or not. You are a qualified father, so I don’t blame you. Sister is the most soft-hearted, she definitely won’t blame you either.”
“Your father married an troublesome wife, but with you and your sister as daughters, it’s not a loss,” Lin Shisheng said with a smile.
Zheng Zheng smiled subtly.
She disliked her mother and the Qiu family. Now that her father was divorcing her mother, her small heart was filled with happy bubbles.
After Dad and Mom divorced, Sister would no longer have to be afraid, and she could sleep well at night too.
Father and daughter arrived at Fengshou Brigade and knocked on the Gu family’s wooden door.
Lin Zhao knew her second brother would come. She hadn’t slept yet, eating dried sweet potato and reading a book, waiting for him.
Hearing the knock, she hurried to open the door.
Seeing Lin Shisheng and Lin Zheng outside, Lin Zhao was taken aback and quickly pulled Zheng Zheng inside. “Second brother, why did you bring Zheng Zheng? Aren’t you afraid she’ll catch a cold?”
Zheng Zheng smiled, her eyes curved, “Auntie, I’m not cold.”
Lin Zhao was not surprised by their visit. Lin Shisheng and Lin Zheng knew Lin Xuan was here.
There was still hot water in the pot. She beckoned her second brother and niece to wash up. They were both warm, and before they could speak, enamel mugs were placed in their hands.
“Drink some brown sugar water,” Lin Zhao said, clearly having a plan.
“Thank you, Auntie. Where’s my sister?” Zheng Zheng asked, noticing she hadn’t seen her sister for a while.
“She’s asleep,” Lin Zhao replied, pointing to a room and sending Zheng Zheng over. “Your sister is in that room. You’ll sleep with her there tonight. Be careful not to wake your sister. She finally fell asleep.”
After chatting with Xuanxuan for a while, she realized how many things Xuanxuan had been holding inside—
When Qiu Lian was home, she beat and scolded her, complaining about her timid nature, her lack of boldness, and her unwillingness to be generous. She scolded her without mercy. Not only did she beat and scold her, but she also threatened her.
How did she threaten her? If you dare to complain, I’ll divorce your father and take you with me.
For a timid little girl, this was a sure way to control her. Lin Xuan dared not speak, living in fear every day, afraid of being beaten and scolded, and afraid of being taken away from the Lin family. She suffered from mental exhaustion and psychological problems…
No wonder she committed suicide by lying on the train tracks in the original book.
Zheng Zheng, missing her sister, took the enamel mug to the room her aunt had indicated.
As soon as she left, Lin Zhao looked at Lin Shisheng, her eyes calm.
Lin Shisheng, however, felt a bit flustered. “…Zhao Zhao, just say what you want to say. Don’t look at me like that, it makes me panic.”
“What are your plans, second brother?” Lin Zhao asked gently, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
In her heart, she thought that if her second brother didn’t act, she would jump up and give him a big punch, and then a few more.
Whoever caused her trouble, she would definitely retaliate, even her own brother.
Lin Shisheng, unaware he was on the verge of being beaten, said, “Divorce.”
Lin Zhao was only moderately satisfied with this answer.
She couldn’t stand people who valued face and children over everything else, constantly ignoring their own feelings, compromising, compromising, and then living a rushed life.
“Just divorce? What about the Qiu family? We finally found a handle, we can’t just let it go without venting our anger.”
Lin Shisheng smiled, “Of course.”
His smile was malicious, and he rubbed his palms together. “This anger has been bottled up for a long time. It’s impossible not to vent it.”
Feeling that his sister underestimated him, Lin Shisheng’s lips formed a straight line.
“Zhao Zhao, your second brother is not a coward. He won’t tolerate everything.”
“I never said that,” Lin Zhao denied.
Lin Shisheng slowly said, “You thought it.”
He picked at the raised paint on the handle of the enamel mug, rubbing it repeatedly with his finger, wondering how he had left such a bad impression on his sister.
Lin Zhao pretended not to hear, “Second brother, I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
“Go do what?” Lin Shisheng’s temples throbbed.
Lin Zhao looked righteous, “To settle the score. You’re my brother. How can I not go vent your anger when you’ve been wronged for no reason?”
“Eldest brother has to work, third brother is a soldier, so it’s easy to be caught with a handle if he goes. Fourth brother can’t appear easily. Only I can go. Second brother, don’t be afraid I’ll be a burden. I never drag others down, I only complete tasks perfectly.”
Lin Shisheng: “…”
“I can do it myself.”
Lin Zhao, appearing demure, smiled, “My fists are itching, I want to punch someone.”
Since his sister had this request, and there was a ready-made sandbag, Lin Shisheng smiled lazily, “If you want to go, then go. We’ll go tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, let Xuanxuan and Zheng Zheng stay with me for a few more days,” Lin Zhao said.
There were no divorces in the surrounding villages. Her second brother would be the first case. She could imagine how many strange looks Xuanxuan and Zheng Zheng would encounter. It was better for them to stay away, at least no one in Fengshou Brigade would dare to challenge her.
Lin Shisheng didn’t stand on ceremony with his sister. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you. I’ll pack some things and bring them over tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay.”
Thinking of her second brother saying he wanted to join the transportation team, Lin Zhao asked again, “Second brother, didn’t you want to join the transportation team? Did it go smoothly?”
“It went smoothly!” Lin Shisheng said with a calm smile. “After the divorce, I’ll go to work.”
“?” Surprise flashed in Lin Zhao’s eyes. “Is the job confirmed?”
Lin Shisheng said with satisfaction, “It’s just a temporary worker, equivalent to an apprentice, riding along with the trucks.”
The work in the transportation team paid well, but it was also dangerous. There were too many robbers. Encountering desperate criminals could mean losing one’s life in a foreign land. Lin Shisheng knew martial arts and was quick-witted. He had saved a master, which was how he got the opportunity to join.
