Chapter 69: They Said If I Don’t Work, I Don’t Qualify To Eat
Cui Shi turned around and looked at Lin Zhi seriously, asking, “Young lady, are you really looking for me because of my medical skill? Not because I’m Lin Nan’s master and you don’t want to pay? Or do you want to take advantage using the sibling relationship with Lin Nan?”
Lin Zhi’s heart trembled under his serious gaze, but thinking of her mother lying in bed at home, her older sister who muttered to herself all day, and her father who vented his anger on her at every turn, she gritted her teeth, put on a puzzled expression, and asked, “Doctor, what did you say? I can’t hear your words clearly. Are you willing to treat me now?”
By the last sentence, her eyes even lit up, as if she already possessed hope.
Cui Shi looked at her with disappointment flashing in his eyes. He said to Lin Zhi word by word, “Young lady, whether you really didn’t hear or pretended not to, I’ll say it once more. People from your family should not come to my disciple’s home to find me anymore. I won’t treat you anymore. If you feel you still haven’t heard, go back and ask your father what I just said. He can always hear.”
Lin Zhi instinctively turned her head to look at Lin Laosan upon hearing this. As soon as she turned, she reacted and quickly looked back at Cui Shi. Sure enough, he had already dropped the kindly old doctor’s expression, gave her a disappointed look, and turned to enter Lin Xin’s home.
The watching villagers heard their conversation clearly. Although they felt Lin Zhi was a bit pitiful, no one kindly spoke up for her in this attempt to take advantage. Seeing no more spectacle, they all headed back to their own homes.
Lin Zhi collapsed to the ground in despair, hugging her endlessly painful head and crying miserably. She knew everything was over. Lin Nan’s master wouldn’t treat her ears or see her mother. Their family was finished.
Lin Laosan lay stunned on the ground, unable to figure out how things had come to this point. He just wanted to take a little advantage at Lin Xin’s home and squeeze out some silver. Lin Xin had money, so why couldn’t she give him a bit? Why had things turned out like this?
He turned his gaze to Lin Zhi, who was still crying miserably. Right, it was all this jinx who refused to cooperate in acting. Otherwise, everyone wouldn’t have refused to speak up for their family. If someone had spoken for them, even if Lin Xin didn’t want to give money, out of regard for the villagers’ spittle, she would have had to give some.
Yes, this jinx had ruined everything. Thinking of this, he looked at Lin Zhi with resentment, feeling that slapping her once was far too lenient. She still had the face to cry!
Lin Laosan crawled up, staggered two steps, steadied himself, then walked toward Lin Zhi. He grabbed one of her arms and lifted her from the ground like picking up an object. “Don’t you get back home? Still have the face to cry here. Truly utterly embarrassing. Go, come back home with me!”
With that, he released Lin Zhi and kicked her in the waist. “Hurry and scram. Don’t dawdle. Even if you die here, that heartless bitch Lin Xin won’t glance at you! Bah!”
Suddenly, the door of Lin Xin’s home opened. Lin Laosan instinctively turned his head to look. A basin of water emitting a sour stench splashed right at him, drenching him and Lin Zhi head to toe, plus all over their bodies.
Lin Laosan shuddered, wiped his face, and wanted to curse. But before he could open his mouth, Lin Xin’s cold voice sounded in his ear: “If I hear you curse me once more, I’ll personally make you drink this basin of water! If you don’t believe me, try it!”
Looking at Lin Xin beside him holding the empty basin, Lin Laosan had all his insults stuck in his throat, unable to utter a word. In the end, he vented all his anger on Lin Zhi and dragged her home cursing and swearing.
Lin Zhi turned back once to look at Lin Xin and saw her walking toward her own home. Then Lin Nan ran out from the courtyard and threw himself into her arms, seemingly saying something. Lin Xin smilingly rubbed his head.
This scene was deeply engraved in Lin Zhi’s young heart. How she wished she could replace Lin Nan and become Lin Xin’s younger sister. If so, she absolutely wouldn’t be sold by her family in place of her older sister to Zheng Tuhu, nor forced to extort money from others, nor beaten for failing to extort money.
Instead, she would receive Lin Xin’s love, be taken as a disciple by the old doctor, and get protection from those scary-looking people. Why couldn’t she be Lin Xin’s younger sister?
She looked deeply once more at Lin Nan, who was happily held in his older sister’s arms. The thought of replacing him to become Lin Xin’s younger sister could not be suppressed.
Lin Xin was still unaware she had been targeted. She carried Lin Nan back home.
“Miss Lin, when can we set off?” Gao Yong immediately came up to her upon seeing her and asked excitedly.
“Now is fine, but you can’t all go together. At least one person must stay to watch the home. Otherwise, with the elderly, the young, and the sick at home, I’m not at ease. Discuss among yourselves who stays. I’ll go inside to prepare some things.” After Lin Xin finished speaking, she left a courtyard of big men staring wide-eyed at each other and went into the house.
With so many people around, using her supernatural ability would be very inconvenient. But dangers lurked everywhere in the deep mountain, so she needed to prepare things she could use in front of others in advance, like sleeping potion and slingshot.
After thinking, she also took the homemade hard bow and several bamboo arrows left by the original owner’s father. The craftsmanship of that bow was quite high even in her eyes. She didn’t know how clever this cheap father had to be to figure it out.
When she returned to the courtyard with the things to bring, Gao Yong and the others had already decided. The steadiest Zhou Qi would stay to look after the home, while the rest would follow her into the mountain.
“If the Lin family comes again, don’t be polite with them. If they just make noise outside the door, ignore them. If they dare to break into the home, beat them all out.” Lin Xin instructed Zhou Qi.
“I know. You all be careful too.” Zhou Qi saw them off to the door and watched the four figures disappear into the dense forest.
“Come, good disciple. Master asks you, if your older sister Lin Zhi comes begging Master to treat her ears again, would you be willing?” Cui Shi asked while holding Lin Nan.
Lin Nan glanced at him, pursed his little lips, thought for a while, and said, “I wouldn’t.”
“Why?” Cui Shi asked in surprise.
Lin Nan pursed his lips tighter, clenched his little hands into small fists against his chest, lowered his head, and after a long time said, “She used to bully me a lot. Third Aunt doesn’t like her and always makes her do work. When no one sees, she makes me do her work. If I refuse, she pinches my arms and scratches my back hard. Then she doesn’t let me tell older sister, saying if I tell older sister, she’ll throw me to the back mountain to feed the wolves.”
Cui Shi was stunned and couldn’t connect the little demon Lin Zhi from Lin Nan’s mouth with the pitiful little girl who had looked at him earlier.
“Then why didn’t your older sister protect you?” Zhou Qi interjected.
Lin Nan pouted. “They make older sister go cut pig grass and wash clothes before dawn. When she returns, she has to fetch water, cook, feed the pigs and chickens, then work in the fields. They don’t give older sister enough to eat. Older sister is busy outside every day and can’t look after me. She still shares her pitifully little food with me. They say since I didn’t work, I have no right to eat.”
“Fuck!” Zhou Qi couldn’t help swearing. “This family is simply inhuman.”
