Chapter 102: If You Don’t Explain Clearly, Don’t Blame Me For Not Being Polite To You
“Guizhi, calm down and think about it. Look at this chicken blood; it’s definitely not freshly poured. Besides, everyone standing here today came to help fight the wolves. Who would harm you while also helping you? Am I right or not?” someone advised.
“I know that makes sense, but I really don’t dare let everyone leave!” The female host slapped her thigh and burst into tears again. “You tell me, if this person can come up with such a method to harm us, won’t he think of new tricks if the wolf pack doesn’t bite our whole family to death?”
Everyone fell silent, and no one knew who started it, but surprisingly, everyone’s gazes turned to Lin Laoda standing at the outermost edge of the crowd.
As more and more people looked at him, Lin Laoda felt the hairs on his body stand on end. He put his hands on his hips and shouted loudly, “What? What are you all looking at me for? You don’t think I did this, do you? Let me say it upfront: I came today to help fight the wolves, not to harm anyone!”
Everyone fell silent again, and many people even withdrew their gazes.
Suddenly, a voice emerged from the crowd, “Give it a rest. You, fighting wolves? I saw it just now—you were hiding outside the wall the whole time, only coming out after the wolf pack left. If you say you came to help, I’m the first one who won’t believe it!”
“Who? Who said that? The person who spoke, come out! Say what you just said to my face again! Come out!” Lin Laoda charged straight into the crowd, trying to find the person who had just spoken.
The crowd was thrown into chaos by him, and no one could clearly say who the speaker had been.
“Alright, everyone stop making a fuss.” The three family clan leaders all stepped forward.
“He Dong and He Dong’s wife, rest assured, we will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. Once we confirm who did it, we will handle it according to clan rules without any leniency,” the He Clan Leader comforted the couple. “It’s really too late today, and everyone is tired from fighting the wolves, so let’s all go back and rest first, okay?”
He Dong mumbled with his lips but said nothing, while his wife wailed nonstop, and no one responded to the He Clan Leader’s words.
But in the end, everyone dispersed, still discussing nonstop on the way home in twos and threes about who could have done this.
The next day, when Lin Xin woke up, it was already past eight o’clock. Lin Tao beside her had woken up early and was playing with his little hands by himself in the bedding. As soon as Lin Xin moved, he noticed, and his chubby little face immediately broke into a cute smile. He went “ah ah” twice to greet her.
“Wow, Tao Tao is so good! You woke up and played by yourself without waking Auntie! Later, Auntie will reward Tao Tao with a bowl of steamed egg custard, okay?” Regardless of whether he understood, Lin Xin said it enthusiastically anyway. She sat up, put on her clothes, took out a new diaper, and changed him.
In this freezing cold weather, she really didn’t want to wash cloth diapers. Anyway, there was a whole mother-and-baby store’s worth of diapers stocked in her space! Just use them!
After tidying them both up, Lin Xin took out a bowl of steamed egg custard she had prepared in advance from her space and fed it to Lin Tao with a small spoon.
Lin Tao ate it with relish and quickly finished the small bowl. Looking at the empty little bowl, he pouted his little mouth to show he wasn’t full yet.
Lin Xin didn’t know how much a child this age should eat, so she thought for a moment and mixed half a bottle of milk powder for him to hold and drink himself. This time, Lin Tao was finally happy, kicking his little feet vigorously while holding the bottle.
While they enjoyed peaceful times here, the village was already in an uproar over who had sprinkled the chicken blood outside He Dong’s courtyard wall the night before, and the village launched an investigation.
After investigating back and forth, the final result surprisingly pointed to Lin Xin. Someone swore they had seen someone who looked a lot like Lin Xin near He Dong’s courtyard wall during the day yesterday, but that person said they hadn’t seen clearly what they were doing there. Moreover, they added that the person only looked like Lin Xin, but they couldn’t be sure it was really her.
This immediately stirred up a hornet’s nest. Before the three family clan leaders could give their final conclusion, He Dong’s wife came straight to Lin Xin’s home with a kitchen knife.
“Lin Xin, come out! Tell me, what have I ever done to wrong you all these years for you to harm our whole family like this? If you don’t explain clearly today, don’t blame me for not being polite to you!”
Lin Tao had been drowsy but was startled awake by the noise. He pursed his little mouth and started crying. Lin Xin cooed to him for a long time but couldn’t soothe him, while the shouting outside continued, even escalating to kicking the door.
Lin Xin wasn’t someone with a very good temper either. She immediately carried the wrapped-up Lin Tao to the courtyard entrance, yanked open the gate, and came face-to-face with He Dong’s wife’s kitchen knife.
Without a word, she kicked out with full force, sending He Dong’s wife stumbling back several steps and falling to the ground along with the people standing behind her.
He Dong’s wife immediately threw a tantrum, wailing loudly while crying and rolling on the ground, covering herself in snow and mud. Her face was a mess of snot and tears, looking both comical and pitiful, and a bit disgusting.
Lin Xin didn’t indulge her at all. She kicked up the kitchen knife she had brought with her toe, then side-kicked the handle, sending the knife flashing coldly straight toward He Dong’s wife. With a “thud,” it plunged into the snow right in front of her, just two finger-widths from her nose.
He Dong’s wife’s eyes nearly crossed in shock, and her crying stopped abruptly.
“Had enough fuss? Cried enough? If you’re done, then speak up. What exactly are you here for this early in the morning?” Lin Xin stood at the courtyard entrance holding Lin Tao, radiating murderous aura wildly. People standing close to her involuntarily backed away several large steps in fright.
“You—you still dare swing a knife at me? The wolves didn’t bite me to death yesterday, so you’re not satisfied and want to kill me with a knife today? What have I ever done to wrong you to make you be so ruthless to our whole family!” He Dong’s wife was thoroughly scared by her and didn’t dare touch the knife again, instead crawling on the ground, wiping tears while speaking.
“You mean the wolves that entered your home yesterday were sent by me?” Lin Xin asked coldly. She never imagined this matter would end up on her head.
“Wasn’t it? You poured the chicken blood outside our courtyard wall—someone saw you, and you still won’t admit it!”
“Someone saw me?” Lin Xin raised her eyebrows and scanned the watching crowd. “Who?”
“What do you want? To silence the witness by killing them?” He Dong’s wife seemed to think of something and, changing from her previous cowering, jumped up and pointed at Lin Xin’s nose as she asked.
“You’re not saying who that person is because you bribed them to frame me, right?” Lin Xin stared tightly at He Dong’s wife and asked.
“Nonsense! How could I do that? I have no grudge against you—why would I frame you? Besides, if I wanted to frame you, why use something that risks our whole family’s lives? Huh?” As He Dong’s wife spoke, she started crying aggrievedly again.
Thanks to caroletu, Dao Ba Hong, Reader 903416, Luo Ye Zhi Qiu-Ad, Mountain Goat’s Song and Eyes’ Story, and He Ping-aD for their votes; thanks to caroletu for the tip; thank you all for your continued support, thank you!
