Chapter 12: Complaining

 

Lin Lan twitched the corner of her mouth. Was he blaming her for not watching the child properly?

Men were indeed all big pig trotters; they didn't put in any effort, only knew how to blame.

She gave Erwang a meaningful look.

Earlier, she was busy fighting and didn't have time to ask exactly what happened, but she didn't need to think to know it had something to do with ersao.

Erwang understood implicitly. "Die, you have to stand up for us. When you're not home, they bully niang and us all day long. Niang took Xiaowang to the county hospital to see a doctor and got him glasses. My mama and er-niangniang pulled long faces and kept trying to drive niang and us out."

Reaching the emotional part, Erwang started wiping his tears and sobbing. "Die, if you hadn't come back, my mama was going to tie my niang up and hold a struggle session against her, wuwu..."

"Get to the point." Han Qingsong placed the towel back on Xiaowang's forehead.

Xiaowang threw the towel back with a smack and held onto Lin Lan's hand tightly.

Han Qingsong: ...

Erwang continued, "It's just that my niang got Xiaowang a pair of glasses, and my er-daniang found Xiaowang an eyesore. She didn't go to work this afternoon. When I brought Xiaowang back from cutting grass, she thought Xiaowang was in the way and pushed him to the ground. Xiaowang scraped his nose, and his glasses fell to the ground. Er-niangniang still wasn't satisfied and stomped on them, breaking them. Sanwang and I argued with her, and she grabbed the fire poker and started hitting... Right, erjie?"

Saying this, Erwang went to the straw box on the side and took out Xiaowang's glasses. The crystal lenses had fallen out, and while the frame was mostly fine, one of the legs was broken.

Maisui and Erwang were twins and naturally had a bit more telepathy than others. She pushed aside her hair, which had been pulled into a bird's nest, and added angrily, "That's right, I went to pull er-daniang, and Gaoliang came up and grabbed my hair!"

Gaoliang was the second branch's guinv, a year older than Maisui.

Maisui also started sobbing aggrievedly. Not daring to act spoiled with Han Qingsong, she said to Lin Lan, "Niang, look at my head, my scalp hurts so much. Did Gaoliang scratch it open?"

The room wasn't bright, so it couldn't be seen clearly at all. Lin Lan still said, "It is a bit. Look, there are blood spots here."

Han Qingsong looked at her. This was the first time she had spoken so calmly and logically.

At this time, the old lady appeared outside the window, her face full of anger. "Why are you blindly complaining as soon as laosan comes back?" She stomped into the room. "You take out that 260 yuan first!"

Coincidentally, Han-erge and ersao Wang Xiufen also returned. Wang Xiufen lunged in and started cursing at Lin Lan.

"Third brother ah, look at your ersao, so pitiful, she almost beat me to death! Tell me, how black-hearted is she? Not only did she hit me on the head with a stick, but she also pushed me against the wall and smashed a bloody hole in my head—"

As soon as she started, Han-laotaitai followed up. "Isn't that so, and there's me too. She even laid a vicious hand on me, an elder, trying to push me over and kill me from the fall. If laosan hadn't supported me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it either!"

Lin Lan watched them turn black into white and cleared her throat. Relying on Han Qingsong's return to put on an act for him, right? Fine, let's take turns acting!

She looked at the old lady. "I say, niang, how can you lie at your advanced age? You charged headfirst at me, and I was afraid you'd hit the wall, so I changed your direction. If you don't appreciate it, fine, but you're wronging a good person. And ersao, I haven't even settled the score with you yet. The children's die risks his life in the army to earn that little allowance to feed our whole family, and I also go to work every day to earn work points. I won't say anything about you avoiding labor at home. But tell me, how can you not be grateful, and even take advantage of my absence to push our Xiaowang onto a rock, and chase Sanwang with a big stick to hit him? This is what I saw. What about what I didn't see? Are they beaten every day?"

The old lady and the others were stunned. They hadn't expected Lin Lan, who usually spoke incoherently and would just cry and make a fuss, to speak so fluently and sharply. For a moment, they didn't even think to interrupt.

Wang Xiufen felt incredibly wronged. What beating every day? What avoiding labor? It's clearly you, Lin Lan, who avoids labor, alright? I only rested for this one day!

Just as the old lady and Wang Xiufen were about to speak up to defend themselves, Lin Lan preempted them. "Anyway, it's just moving my lips and wasting some spit, so I'll argue it out with you. Xiaowang is sick, and we went to see a doctor. What's wrong with that? Why can't you stand to see us well, wanting to beat me to death one moment and divorce me the next? Isn't Xiaowang his die's son? Shouldn't the money his die earns be used to treat his illness? Even if you report it to the county revolutionary committee, I'd dare to say the same! Anyway, the money is all spent, so don't even think about asking me for it. Even if you beat me to death, I can't produce a single cent!"

"Nonsense, absolute nonsense!"

The small room descended into chaos again. Han-dasao called them to eat several times, but it was useless.

Han Qingsong's brows furrowed tightly. "Stop!"

The noisy voices instantly vanished.

Everyone looked at each other in dismay, then started chattering again.

Han Qingsong signaled them to go outside to talk. The small room was too crowded, and the three women chattering could practically make the air boil.

When they all went out, Han Qingsong glanced at Lin Lan, signaling her to follow them out to talk as well.

Taking advantage of him going out, Lin Lan slammed the door shut with a bang.

The gust of wind from the door flapping made Han Qingsong's clothes flutter. His figure paused, and his thick eyebrows twitched imperceptibly.

Han-laotaitai grabbed his arm. "Laosan, you saw it, what are you still waiting for!"

Han-ersao: "Third brother, what are you still waiting for! She even dares to hit niang!"

Han Qingsong looked at them, then at Old Man Han standing at the door of the main house. These people were all pressuring him to divorce Lin Lan.

Inside the room, Lin Lan couldn't stand seeing them so arrogant. Through the window, she said, "Divorce is fine, but the alimony cannot be less. At least twelve yuan a month for each child, and twenty for an adult. You figure it out."

Sure enough, before Han Qingsong could say anything, Han-laotaitai jumped up first.

Han-dasao and her husband advised, "Niang, third brother came back from far away, he's tired and hungry. Let's eat first."

It was already dark.

The old lady muttered, "They eat better at the brigade headquarters than we do, white flour and meat dishes every day. What are you blindly worrying about?" Besides, laosan brought so many things, he must have eaten something on the way to pad his stomach.

If she had her say, if they couldn't get the money back, she wouldn't be in the mood to eat either. Having lost such a large sum of money, what was there to eat? No one in the family should eat; it would be best to starve for a year to save that money back.

Since it was dark, they had to light a lamp in the main room. The old lady started nagging about wasting oil again, blaming it all on that unfilial one.

Han-dasao felt quite awkward and repeatedly winked at her man. Laosan had just returned, they should at least save him some face. How could they belittle his xifu so much in front of him?

During the meal, no one from the east wing came out. Old Man Han said unhappily, "It's time to eat, why do we have to invite them three or four times?"

The old lady wished they wouldn't come out to eat.

Han Qingsong: "I'll go call them."

He walked to the window and heard low chattering inside. Perhaps because he had arrived, it immediately fell silent.

He didn't speak through the window, but pushed the door open and entered. "Let's eat first."

The room was pitch black with no lamp lit, and no one responded.

He adjusted his eyes and saw Lin Lan lying on the kang holding Xiaowang, while Maisui and Erwang were sobbing there.

That clearly wasn't the sound just now.

Han Qingsong: "What's wrong?"

Maisui burst out crying. "Die, look how they beat my niang, her arms, shoulders, and back are all purple."

Hearing this, Han Qingsong stepped forward. "Light the lamp."

Erwang pouted. "We don't have a lamp in our room. My mama said we eat when it's light, sleep when it's dark, and get up when it's just getting light. What's there to light a lamp for? She wants to give all the kerosene to xiaogu and xiaoshu to take to the county town."

Han Qingsong: ...

He turned and walked out.

Maisui said nervously, "My die is angry."

Erwang immediately said to Lin Lan, "Niang, look at my die, he only has others in his heart, not you and us. My mama's room and daniang and er-daniang's rooms all have lamps lit, only our room doesn't. Biased!"

Lin Lan secretly thought this boy truly had a lot of schemes, seizing every opportunity to complain. Whether Han Qingsong listened or not, he said it anyway.

But he would definitely think she had taught Erwang to say this.

She hadn't expected that Erwang, with all his schemes, wouldn't go curry favor with his die but was actually willing to stay by her side.

Perhaps he was still young, and his heart wasn't as selfish and cold as in the original plot. Slowly, it could be warmed up.

A moment later, footsteps sounded outside again.

Han Qingsong strode in, enveloped in a warm yellow glow. He was actually carrying an oil lamp.

Erwang and Maisui's eyes instantly lit up. Their die was still their die; he hadn't left in anger, but had gone to get a lamp.

It seemed complaining was still useful.

Han Qingsong placed the oil lamp in the lamp niche carved into the wall at the head of the kang, where it was sheltered from the wind and wouldn't be blown out.

He reached into his backpack, felt around, and pulled out a palm-sized, pot-bellied bottle. He placed it on the kang and reached out to grasp Lin Lan's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Lin Lan subconsciously dodged his hand.

Han Qingsong: "Rub some medicinal wine to disperse the blood stasis."

Lin Lan looked at the bottle of medicinal wine, which was pitch black. "I'll rub it myself."

Erwang immediately said, "Niang, I'll help you." He suddenly lifted Lin Lan's arm and rolled up her half-sleeve, revealing the purple and blue bruises from her upper arm to her shoulder, which were from Han-laotaitai's whipping.

"Niang ah, tell me, why is my mama so ruthless? You wanted money to treat Xiaowang, and she couldn't bear to give a single cent. You withdrew the money and didn't spend it recklessly, yet she still beat you to death. Wuwu~~"

You make it sound as if your heart truly aches for me. Lin Lan pursed her lips. "It's fine, it doesn't hurt."

Mommy, it hurts to death. Saying it didn't hurt was a lie; it was burning, and she could barely lift her arm.

Maisui truly started crying, remembering the time she dropped her xiaogu's vanishing cream on the ground and was whipped by her xiaogu and mama with a rolling pin. Just one strike hurt so much she thought she was going to die.

For her niang to be beaten like this, how much must it hurt?

Crying like this, she also thought about how her die wasn't home, earning money outside, but when he earned money, her mama didn't let her spend it, only dressing up her xiaogu while she had nothing. She cried even more heartbrokenly.

Lin Lan saw everything clearly but couldn't say much. Fine, you finally see your relative, cry then.

Crying was the best form of complaining.

As her thoughts were running wild, her arm was grasped by Han Qingsong.

The heat radiating from his body was astonishing. When he got close, Lin Lan felt a wave of masculine energy wash over her, not to mention his scalding palm, which could practically burn someone.

Feeling uncomfortable, she struggled, but he held her firm.

"Don't move."

He unscrewed the medicine bottle cap with one hand, poured a little medicinal wine into his palm, rubbed it a few times, and then took Lin Lan's arm and started massaging.

"Ah—" The unprovoked pain made Lin Lan sit up abruptly. "It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts..."

It hurt to death.

This strength was like peeling skin!

Was he deliberately taking revenge?

Han Qingsong felt incredibly innocent. He hadn't used any force at all. If it were those new recruits under him, he would just swipe back and forth a few times, completely ignoring them breaking out in cold sweats from the pain.

Lin Lan shook off her tears. "I, I'll do it myself."