Chapter 10: The Spirit Tablet Moved On Its Own
But now standing here is a supernatural ability big shot who dominated the apocalypse for several years, yet got manipulated by a rural old madam; might as well not have lived this life.
When she read the story back then, she thought every Old Lin Family member was extreme, and sighed over how unlucky the original owner’s family was, but she never expected to transmigrate into a member of that unlucky family.
Lin Xin took a deep breath, pinched her lower back hard with the hand behind her back, forcing her eyes to redden, sniffed softly, “Clan Leader Grandfather, I······”
Instantly, an image of a pitiful little thing being bullied came vividly to life before everyone.
“Sigh, this child really looks pitiful, look at what they’ve been driven to!”
“Exactly, this Old Lin Family is too ruthless.”
“Yeah, hey, do you all still remember how the Old Lin Family treated Lin Lao Er and his wife back then? Where do you ever see parents treat their own son like that?”
“Right, right, now that you mention it, I remember too—back then Lin Lao Er didn’t want to marry the fool daughter from his uncle’s family, and Old Madam Lin didn’t give him food for several days, even planned to drug him unconscious and lock him in a room with that fool. Luckily Lin Lao Er overheard and ran off to stay in the mountain for over half a month!”
“There’s such a thing?”
“Indeed, let me tell you there’s more······”
The villagers all thought they were whispering, but with that volume, probably not many didn’t hear; the old clan leader was so angry his beard trembled, and looking at Old Man Lin who had just been called over, he wanted to whack him with his cane.
“Pah! A bunch of things that gave birth to children without assholes, is our family’s business any of your damn business? Keep yapping here and watch this old lady tear your mouths!” Old Madam Lin couldn’t tolerate it and immediately unleashed a broad attack on everyone.
“Lin Lao Nian Er, are you really indulging this stupid woman to this extent?” The old clan leader ignored Old Madam Lin entirely and sprayed directly at Old Man Lin.
“Cl-clan Leader, what are you saying? I-I’m still the head of the household after all, how could I let a woman ride roughshod over me? But Clan Leader, you know I never meddle much in family affairs, lots of things I don’t even know about. But rest assured, from now on I’ll keep this wife in check and not let her act out again.” As Old Man Lin spoke, he walked over, grabbed Old Madam Lin, and dragged her aside.
Lin Xin saw it clearly—in the instant she was grabbed, Old Madam Lin’s whole body shuddered.
Heh, looks like the real head of this Old Lin Family is actually Old Man Lin, hiding it deep!
Having silenced Old Madam Lin, the clan leader then turned to Lin Xin, “Xin Yatou, continue what happened just now.”
Lin Xin nodded, wiped away the tears she had just pinched out, stepped aside to reveal the room door behind her, “Clan Leader Grandfather, uncles, aunts, please come in and talk!”
Old Madam Lin’s triangular eyes darted, and she lifted her foot to be the first to enter the room, but Old Man Lin’s gaze nailed her in place; her lips wriggled a couple times, but in the end she said nothing, and her foot stopped.
A flash of admiration passed through the old clan leader’s turbid old eyes—what a smart child. Then looking at the small face peeking through the hole in the window paper, he sighed inwardly—such a pitiful child born without father or mother. Fine, help where he could.
“Help me in!” He instructed the younger family member supporting him from behind, and under his old wife’s surprised gaze, entered Lin Xin’s dilapidated thatched hut.
Seeing the clan leader go in, some villagers eager for spectacle squeezed in after; in no time, the two small thatched rooms were packed full.
Entering the room, forget the villagers—even the old clan leader who had mentally prepared himself was utterly broken by the scene before his eyes.
This could hardly be called a home!
The mud-brick earthen kang obviously hadn’t been maintained for years, already uneven and pitted; atop it lay a tattered grass mat, with bedding that had been washed but clearly couldn’t be cleaned stacked in the corner—cotton stuffing poking out in places. Two small bundles were placed side by side with the bedding, the bundle cloths full of tiny holes, the slightly larger one even patched.
Against the opposite wall stood a square table with Lin Erge couple’s spirit tablets on it; a three-legged stool sat beside the table. Besides these, the room had nothing else.
Lin Nan bit his finger in terror and fear, shrinking in the corner; seeing Lin Xin enter, he immediately pounced over and buried himself in his older sister’s arms.
Seeing everyone’s complicated gazes, Lin Xin spoke softly: “Uncles, aunts, you’ve all seen it—my home really has nothing. Winter is almost here; yesterday I took Nan Nan into the mountain to stockpile more firewood, and if lucky maybe find some food, otherwise this winter us siblings will starve to death.
Luckily this time we got lucky and found a wild ginseng, sold it in town today for ten taels of silver, and bought all these things. But just as we got home, grandparents, Eldest Uncle, Third Uncle, Aunt, and Third Aunt came, saying Eldest Cousin needs betrothal gifts to marry a daughter-in-law, Yang Ge’er needs to nourish his body for studying and make new clothes, so they took all my bought things and demanded money from me.
But······ but this is our only hope for Nan Nan and me to survive this winter, so I didn’t give it, and then······ then Grandma had Aunt hit me, but······ but I don’t know why, she······ her body suddenly had so much water, her clothes all wet, then······ then they split in many places. I······ it wasn’t me, really wasn’t me!”
“Right, I was standing right next to Xu Shi and saw it clearly—this really has nothing to do with Xin Yatou.”
A plump aunt stepped forward and said.
“Yeah, yeah, I saw it too—Xu Shi’s clothes suddenly got wet, and Xin Yatou was quite far from her then!”
Several villagers stepped forward to testify for Lin Xin; just as everyone was chattering, suddenly a light “pa” sound came from the room, interrupting everyone’s voices.
“What was that sound just now? Did you hear it?”
“Yeah, I heard the noise but didn’t catch what it was.”
“Me too, did any of you see it?”
Everyone looked at each other, none spotting who made the sound.
“You······ look at Lin, Lin Erge’s ta, tablet······” Suddenly, a terrified voice rang from the corner, drawing everyone’s gazes.
A thirty-something aunt’s face drained white, her trembling finger pointing at the square table with the spirit tablets.
Only to see that of the two spirit tablets that had been side by side, the one belonging to Lin Lao Er had actually shifted forward a bit.
“Cui Hua’er, did you bump the table just now? Hurry and apologize to Lin Erge!” An older plump aunt thought the person near the table had accidentally hit it and gave her an idea.
“N-not me!” Cui Hua’er’s face went even whiter, looking about to cry from fright, “I didn’t touch anything, that tablet—it moved on its own.”
“What? No way!” No one believed her.
At that moment, as if confirming her words, Lin Lao Er’s spirit tablet shifted forward a little more right under everyone’s eyes.
Now the whole room fell silent.
