Chapter 13: Caught the Fish Deliverer

"Pa!" With a sharp sound, Lin Qin slapped Liu Yongming hard across the face. "Have you said enough?"

Liu Yongming clutched his face in disbelief. "You hit me? You actually dare to hit me! Lin Qin! Have I been too good to you? Have you forgotten who your own man is?"

"Know what? What is she supposed to know? That you and your family are nothing but monsters?" Lin Yi stood by to back Lin Qin up, glaring at Liu Yongming with a predatory gaze.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Liu Yongming's eyes. "Fine! Very well! So you’ve made up your mind not to come with me today, is that it?"

Lin Qin stared at him fixedly, the hatred in her eyes undisguised.

Liu Yongming understood. He sneered, "Fine! You don't have to come with me! But I am taking my daughter today, no matter what!"

As he spoke, he lunged toward the back.

Lin Yi and Lin Qin immediately rushed over to block him. "Liu Yongming, you spineless bastard, if you dare touch my daughter, I’ll hack you to death with a kitchen knife!"

Liu Yongming was certain Lin Qin was just threatening him and didn't take it to heart at all.

Lin Qin was indeed afraid, but she and Lin Yi weren't necessarily strong enough to stop Liu Yongming, and she was worried about Lin Yaya suffering secondary injuries.

Seeing that Lin Yi was about to lose his grip, Lin Qin decisively let go, grabbed a wood-chopping axe from the kitchen, and began hacking wildly at Liu Yongming’s bicycle. "I’ll show you for trying to snatch my daughter! Die, die, die!"

Liu Yongming’s expression changed at the sound. He finally gave up on running to the backyard and turned to bolt out of the courtyard. "Lin Qin, you lunatic! Put that axe down! Do you hear me!"

Watching his beloved bicycle being ruined, Liu Yongming’s heart bled; he wanted nothing more than to strangle Lin Qin.

Lin Qin stood there holding the axe, glaring at him viciously. "Liu Yongming, I’m warning you, if you dare come to my house to harass us again, next time it won't just be your bike I’m hacking!"

Terrified, Liu Yongming snatched his bicycle from under Lin Qin’s axe and fled in a panic.

As for his daughter, he couldn't even remember her existence at this moment.

The villagers hadn't expected Lin Qin to have such a violent falling out with Liu Yongming. Realizing the situation wasn't as simple as they had thought, no one dared to gossip blindly anymore; they all secretly kept an eye on the happenings at Lin Yi’s house.

When Li Lian heard that Lin Qin had used an axe to smash Liu Yongming’s bicycle, she realized Lin Qin was no longer the pushover she used to be. She didn't dare go over to make snide remarks, fearing she might provoke Lin Qin into chasing her down.

Liu Yongming pushed his bicycle to a repair shop. After a thorough inspection, he found the bike was severely scratched, the chain had been severed, the handlebars were bent, and the brakes were damaged.

He completely exploded.

When Fang Ying learned of his experience, she was stunned. "Didn't you say that woman was submissive and easy to bully? How does this sound like that at all! What now? Can you still get a divorce smoothly?"

Liu Yongming was also incredibly agitated. "Don't rush me. Let me think this through. I will definitely get back the humiliation I suffered today!"

Seeing him like that, Fang Ying felt annoyed and stopped paying him any mind.

After Lin Qin slapped Liu Yongming and destroyed his beloved bicycle, her depressed mood improved significantly.

Ever since they were discharged from the hospital, Lin Yi noticed that black carp had started appearing in his kitchen again—without fail, one every single day.

He was now more certain of his previous suspicions, and occasionally he would steal a glance at Lin Qin, wanting to say something but holding back.

Lin Qin knew what he wanted to ask, but she couldn't explain it, so she simply pretended not to know and contentedly drank fish soup and ate fish meat every day.

Lin Yi was truly stumped. He kept watch for several days in a row, yet he never heard any movement outside; the fish seemed to appear out of thin air.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided not to go back to his room to sleep at night, choosing instead to doze off in the kitchen.

He finally caught Chen Wenjun delivering the fish.

"Hahaha, I knew it was you, kid! I finally caught you!" Lin Yi’s excitement was as if he had won the lottery.

Chen Wenjun was caught between laughter and tears. "Uncle! It’s not even dawn yet; you didn't stay up all night watching, did you?"

Lin Yi chuckled happily. "If I hadn't watched, I wouldn't have caught you! You’re quite something, kid—so slippery! Don't bring us fish anymore; I feel bad constantly eating your food! Later, come with me to the vegetable patch to pick some greens to take back. Even though you can grow vegetables on the boat, you surely can't grow that many."

"Uncle, no need for the trouble. There are only two of us at home; we can't eat that much, and what we grow ourselves is enough," Chen Wenjun hurriedly refused.

Lin Yi’s curiosity was instantly piqued, and he subtly probed into Chen Wenjun’s situation. "What do you mean there are only two of you? You and your wife?"

Chen Wenjun shook his head quickly. "I also have a son, the same age as Yaya. The child isn't very agile, so he has to stay on the boat."

"And your wife?"

"She ran off. She thought life with me was too bitter, so she left the child behind and I don't know where she went."

"Didn't you go to her parents' place to look for her?"

Chen Wenjun gave a faint, self-deprecating laugh. "They looked down on me too! She snuck away on a boat in the middle of the night; she hasn't lived in Nanxi for a long time. If she wants to leave, let her. I can raise the child on my own; I don't need them!"

Lin Yi felt a pang of sympathy and sighed. "You’ve had it rough. Luckily nothing happened last time, otherwise what would have happened to your child? Be careful when you go out from now on; head back before dark, it’s chaotic out there! And don't bring us money anymore. Lin Qin and her daughter still have me! They won't go hungry!"

"I’ll listen to you, Uncle," Chen Wenjun agreed readily.

Lin Yi finally wore a smile.

Since it wasn't dawn yet and he couldn't see anything in the vegetable patch, Lin Yi asked, "Are you busy? If you are, go ahead, and I’ll pick the vegetables and send them to you later!"

Chen Wenjun shook his head quickly. "No, no, Uncle, don't be so polite with me. I’ll wait until dawn! I just went to set my fish traps, so I’ll go collect them after daybreak; it won't delay anything."

Lin Yi didn't say anything more and immediately started a fire to cook, preparing breakfast for Chen Wenjun as well.

In the backyard, Lin Qin vaguely heard Chen Wenjun’s voice. Guessing that he had been caught by Lin Yi, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Seeing that dawn was approaching and Lin Yaya was still sleeping soundly, she stepped out of the shed on tiptoe.

Seeing her come out, Chen Wenjun was visibly excited. He lowered his voice in the darkness. "Your father is cooking in the kitchen. How has Yaya been these past two days?"

Lin Qin poured him a glass of water in the dark. "She’s doing okay, she’s recovering. She can sleep flat on her back these days, but I’m still worried, so I’m letting her continue to lie on her stomach. The day we got out of the hospital, Liu Yongming came over to cause trouble and insisted on taking Yaya away. I hacked his bicycle with an axe, and that’s the only reason he ran off."

Chen Wenjun’s smile vanished instantly, his expression turning grave. "With his personality, he won't let this go. What if he brings the whole Liu family over to cause trouble?"

Lin Qin remained calm. "This is Shanglin Village; the Liu family wouldn't dare act recklessly. We’ll take it one step at a time."

Chen Wenjun clenched his fists. In the darkness, Lin Qin did not see his cold, somber expression.