Chapter 4: Fright

At dinnertime, the whole family returned, but the siblings Dawang and Maisui had not arrived home.

Nowadays, public security was very good. There were no robbers or child abductors on the road. Furthermore, there was only one road leading from Shanzucun to the county town, so they wouldn't get lost. With an 11-year-old boy leading his 9-year-old sister, the adults had nothing to worry about.

Lin Lan, however, was a bit worried. Not for their safety, but because Dawang and Maisui were not easy children either. Going to the county town and following their xiaoshu and xiaogu, they wouldn't learn anything good.

In the future, she had to find a way to keep the children away from their xiaoshu and xiaogu.

Because that xiaoshu and xiaogu were Han-laotaitai's children born in her old age, they were spoiled to no end, treated like pearls and treasures. The whole family was reluctant to eat or wear well, living frugally to save grain and cloth coupons for them to attend high school.

Outside, the xiaoshu acted like a rich young master, drinking, eating meat, and dining at restaurants with his fair-weather friends all day long.

The xiaogu was like a young miss from a landlord's family, never lifting a finger to do household chores. She was raised to be fair and plump, and even her clothes were washed by her nieces.

Even so, not seeing them for ten days or half a month, the old lady still felt they were being wronged.

The money they spent was all earned by Han Qingsong, yet Han Qingsong's children couldn't spend a single wen. It was no wonder the original owner made a fuss.

Lin Lan tidied up a bit and took Xiaowang's hand to go eat.

Han-dasao was busy in the main room. Seeing her come out, she smiled and greeted her as if nothing had happened, "Dawang's niang, you must be hungry, come eat quickly."

Han-ersao glanced at Lin Lan and mocked, "Yo, I say, third branch's wife, you sure have a good life. Lying around all day doing nothing, and when you get up, someone serves you food, just like a landlord's laopo."

Lin Lan ignored her. She greeted her dasao and led Xiaowang to the eaves to scoop water and wash his hands. "Why are your little hands so dirty..." Before she finished speaking, she felt her voice was too gentle, not fitting the original owner's shrewish and rough image, so she raised her voice a bit. "You must wash your hands frequently, lest you get diarrhea."

Xiaowang obediently squatted down and rinsed his scarred, dirty little hands in the black earthen basin. When he took them out dripping wet, he was about to wipe them on his clothes.

Lin Lan frowned and quickly grabbed his hands. Helplessly, she had to squat down and wash them clean for him, teaching him how to wash his hands at the same time.

"Remembered?"

Xiaowang nodded.

Lin Lan then led him into the room to eat.

Han-ersao looked at her as if looking at a stranger. She had spoken to her like that, she should have jumped up and started a tearing fight. Why was she reacting as if she were deaf?

Lin Lan had made a fuss all morning and lay down all afternoon, not going to work. Han-ersao, however, was assigned to do a bit more work and was very unhappy about it. She wanted to provoke Lin Lan into jumping up and making a scene, so that she would anger their popo and definitely be driven back to her niangjia.

Who knew that Lin Lan would ignore her!

It was too abnormal.

As soon as Lin Lan led Xiaowang into the room, the others immediately stared at them, scaring Xiaowang into shrinking and hiding behind Lin Lan.

Lin Lan also noticed that he was very resistant to leaving the room, resistant to coming in front of people, and resistant to speaking in front of people. If he wasn't guided in time, after a long while, it would turn into severe autism, and by then, he would even shut his own niang out of his heart.

Fortunately, he still looked forward to his niang's pity and love right now, and wasn't too severely ill.

She subconsciously softened her voice. "Xiaowang, don't be afraid, let's eat." She forcefully swallowed the words "we are all family," trying her best not to say anything too out of character.

Even so, the whole room looked at her as if she were an alien—how many years had it been since the original owner spoke normally like this? Whenever she opened her mouth, it was either cursing or sneering and laughing wildly.

Han-dasao couldn't hold back and asked in surprise, "Dawang's niang, what's... wrong?"

Why was she acting like she did during their blind date, when she was still a young girl who cared about her face and spoke amiably?

Lin Lan tried her best to make herself a bit rougher. She dragged a small stool over and sat down, took a flatbread, broke it, and stuffed a piece into Xiaowang's hand before saying, "Nothing, just took a trip to the gates of hell and had a chat with King Yama, and I've seen the light."

Using ghosts and gods as an excuse worked very well among ignorant and uneducated people.

Moreover, it wasn't impossible for one's temperament to change drastically after taking a trip to the gates of hell.

Anyway, she wouldn't explain; let them fill in the blanks themselves.

Although the old Han family could eat their fill, the food wasn't much better. It was nothing more than cornmeal flatbreads, boiled sweet potatoes, pickled vegetables, soybean paste, scallions, garlic, and the like. In summer and autumn, there were vegetables in the garden, so they could have some boiled vegetables with salt, but there wasn't much meat or oil.

However, compared to those families who couldn't eat their fill and drank thin gruel three meals a day, this was quite good.

Taking a bite, Lin Lan almost spat it out. It was bitter and coarse; would it scrape her throat raw?

It was really terribly made!

When she took charge of the household herself, she must eat fine flour and meat dishes!

The whole table watched her and Xiaowang eat, forgetting to eat themselves.

Han-ersao couldn't help but continue to provoke, "Third branch's wife, is the pesticide tasty? What does it taste like?"

Lin Lan snorted. "If you want to drink it so much, why don't you taste it yourself and find out?"

Han-ersao immediately became unhappy. "Third branch's wife, how can you speak like that?"

Lin Lan finally managed to swallow the flatbread stuck in her throat and deliberately ignored her. "I heard you want to drive me back to my niangjia?"

Han-dasao immediately became alert, terrified that the third branch's wife would get worked up and flip the dining table. "No such thing, Dawang's niang, don't be anxious."

The others also looked at Lin Lan nervously.

Lin Lan, however, smiled and turned her head to look around. "Where did those two rascals Erwang and Sanwang go again?"

They were just at home a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone. Truly mischievous boys, unable to stay put at home.

The breath hanging in the throats of the several adults almost turned into a stone and choked them. If you have something to say, finish it. Why change the subject?

Han-ersao snorted and said, "Who knows, they don't cut grass to earn work points all day, only knowing how to run wild. Dazhuang and Datian both..."

"Splitting the family, right?" Lin Lan nodded. "Splitting the family is good!"

Han-ersao: "............"

Did this shrew really go to King Yama and get enlightened? Why was she so infuriating!!

Han-laotaitai tapped the table with her chopsticks. "I'll put the ugly words up front. We are a large family, not those unruly and unrefined households. If we split the family, apart from each person's grain rations, there is nothing else. Once the family is split, you have to earn work points yourself and feed the children yourself, I..."

"It doesn't matter, they still have their die." Lin Lan put on an air of not caring at all.

Anyway, Han Qingsong was coming back.

Han-laotaitai was interrupted, and her breath immediately hitched.

Although the original owner made a fuss and caused trouble, to be honest, whether it was asking for money, demanding her man come back, or whatever, it was always noisy shouting at the top of her lungs, self-destructive fussing, and she had never directly cursed her popo to her face.

Moreover, Lin Lan speaking so softly and gently gave the old lady an illusion that this was the eldest erxifu, not the troublesome third xifu. She subconsciously pulled a long face and put on the airs of a popo. "When the popo speaks, can the erxifu interrupt?"

Lin Lan looked at her in surprise. "Oh, I know, you want me to slam the table and curse, right?"

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves.

Compared to the original owner, she had a very good temper. She was even afraid they wouldn't be able to adapt for a while and deliberately took it step by step. Since they couldn't adapt to her speaking normally, should she still slam the table and curse people?

Lin Lan was a bit uncertain. Had this family already been trained to have masochistic tendencies?

"Aiya, Dawang's niang, please don't." Han-dasao quickly pressed down on her arm. "If you have something to say, say it nicely, don't get angry."

Whatever you do, don't flip the table.

Lin Lan smiled. "Isn't that so? Judge Cui said the same thing. He told me that arguing and losing my temper won't solve problems, and that I have to sit down and talk properly. He also said that when I was born, a piece of my heart was borrowed, and once he cleared it for me, I would understand reason and couldn't act like that anymore."

Seeing the whole family shocked by her as if they had seen a ghost, she smiled again and continued to add fuel to the fire. Imitating the plays, she cupped her fists and shook them at Old Man Han and the others, apologizing, "I was muddled in the past. If there was anything wrong, die, dage, erge, dasao, please bear with me."

She was apologizing on behalf of the original owner, courtesy before force, right?

Clatter, someone's chopsticks dropped on the table.

Han-laotaitai was so shocked that she forgot to get angry and curse. She kept looking at her, wondering if she had died from drinking pesticide and been possessed by something?

Han-ersao, however, kept pouting at her man, wanting him to back her up.

Lin Lan ignored them acting as if they had lost their souls and focused on eating with Xiaowang first.

This coarse flatbread scraped her throat. After a few bites, she couldn't swallow it anymore and had to keep gulping down water.

When she finished eating, she found that the others were all stealing glances at her while eating, clearly nervous.

Don't look at how vigorously Han-laotaitai cursed her behind her back; when face-to-face, Han-laotaitai was no match and couldn't out-curse her. The original owner wouldn't let her hit her either, and the original owner was someone who would throw caution to the wind, act recklessly, and had no sense of shame. So Han-laotaitai, who still cared a bit about her face, truly couldn't confront her head-on.

She could only rely on having more people to hold a meeting and criticize her afterward, and that was when the original owner wasn't present.

After all, the old lady didn't have the reputation of a shrew; she still wanted to save face.

Thinking about how the old lady wanted to drive her and the children out without giving a single wen, Lin Lan didn't want to let her eat in peace.

She put down her chopsticks. "Die, I have a matter."

Before Old Man Han could react, Han-laotaitai slammed her chopsticks down like a frightened rabbit, pulled a long face, and cursed nervously, "What bullshit matter do you have? I warn you, drinking pesticide again won't scare anyone. Next time you want to drink, you don't need to rinse the medicine bottle, I'll buy you a full bottle!"

Lin Lan patted Xiaowang, letting him just focus on eating his own food, and said to the old lady, "Look at what you're saying, niang. Pesticide is a material resource, it's not something a commune member can buy just because they want to. I want a few yuan to take Xiaowang to the county hospital to get his eyes checked."

"No money!" The old lady was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Don't you know the situation at home? Where is there money to see a doctor? Besides..."

What illness does a fool need to see a doctor for? It's good enough to keep him fed so he doesn't starve to death.

Lin Lan sneered. Since that's the case, then I'm sorry, I'll respectfully collect this quarter's money first!