Chapter 6: Clarifying the Rumors

It was nearly three in the morning when the three of them returned to Shanglin Village. The diligent elderly in the village had already risen in the dark to light their stoves, and the sounds of activity could be heard from several courtyards.

Lin Yi skillfully fished the key out from the kitchen, opened the door, and let Lin Qin and the child inside.

The house Lin Yi lived in consisted of only one room, partitioned by wooden boards. Once a dining table and a few low stools were placed in the front, there was almost no space left. Behind the boards was a bed, where Lin Yi slept.

Under the bed were piles of fertilizer bags of all sizes, filled with either clothes or old items that were no longer useful but which Lin Yi treasured dearly.

Although the house was small, it was neat and clean.

To the side was a small back door. Opening it revealed a tiny patio. Opposite the back door was a shed, which was where she and her older sister, Lin Ying, had lived before.

Lin Qin took Liu Yaya, opened the door to the shed, and lit a candle.

The shed originally had only one wall, which belonged to a neighbor. Because the two girls had nowhere to live, Lin Yi had spoken to the neighbors, borrowed their courtyard wall, and gathered broken bricks to build walls on both sides. This formed an open-air, "mouth"-shaped courtyard. He then built a wall in the middle to create a "sun" structure, put a roof over one half to make a shed, and thus, a room fit for living was created.

If this were in the north, one would surely freeze to death in the winter. But they were in the south, where it only frosted at most and never dropped below freezing, so living in such a room was fine. The weather was warming up now, and she and the child could manage here for several months.

"Yaya, would you like to live here with Mommy from now on?"

Lin Qin sat on a small stool, hugging Liu Yaya as she asked.

She had intended to clean the room, but found it quite tidy; Lin Yi must have cleaned it often, so there was no need for her to get her hands dirty.

Liu Yaya nodded vigorously. She looked up at the gauze wrapped around Lin Qin’s head and reached out a small hand, touching it cautiously. "Mommy, does your head still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Mommy is fine!" Compared to what she had endured in her past life, she didn't even consider this minor injury worth mentioning.

Liu Yaya looked relieved and broke into a sweet smile. "Mommy, then let's rest quickly! Grandpa said you need to sleep a lot, and Yaya won't bother you!"

Lin Qin felt a lump in her throat, and tears couldn't help but roll down. She lay on the bed as the child wished and whispered, "Yaya, if Mommy and Daddy get a divorce, will you come with Mommy?"

This was a question she had always wanted to ask in her past life, but unfortunately, she never had the chance.

Liu Yaya looked at Lin Qin with innocent, guileless eyes. "What is a divorce?"

Lin Qin was at a loss for words. After a long moment, she explained, "Divorce means Mommy and Daddy separate and won't be together anymore. Mommy won't stay at Grandma's house anymore either. If that happens, will you come with Mommy, or will you stay and live with Daddy and Grandma?"

"Then I want to go with Mommy. Wherever Mommy goes, I go!" Liu Yaya grabbed Lin Qin’s clothes tightly and sobbed softly, "Mommy, please don't leave me behind, okay?"

"Okay!" Lin Qin hugged Liu Yaya tightly in return, silently swearing that in this life, she would never abandon her daughter again!

Mother and daughter fell asleep in each other's arms.

Early the next morning.

Lin Qin was woken up by voices outside the door.

Liu Yaya was still asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, she carefully got out of bed and went to the front yard.

Lin Qingxiang, who was carrying a hoe and preparing to head to the fields, saw Lin Qin with the gauze wrapped around her head. His expression was exaggerated. "What happened? Who did this? It wasn't that wicked mother-in-law of yours at your husband's house, was it?"

The commotion the Liu family had caused yesterday when they sent people to the village to find Lin Yi had been quite significant. As soon as they entered the village, they claimed Lin Qin was having an affair, and it had spread throughout the village.

Seeing that the man was a kind-hearted uncle who was one of the few in the village on good terms with Lin Yi, Lin Qin immediately addressed him politely.

"Uncle, this injury was caused by the Liu family's scheme to frame me. I already called the police yesterday, and they have handled it."

Lin Qingxiang was startled. "Called the police? What's going on?"

Lin Qingxiang’s voice was loud, and the aunts and grandmothers living next door all appeared. They wanted to hear the gossip about Lin Qin. If she really had been having an affair, it would be a disgrace to Shanglin Village; in the feudal era, she would have been drowned in a pond.

This was exactly the effect Lin Qin wanted. She immediately played the victim, her eyes reddening as she indignantly recounted the Liu family's various evil deeds.

"I know, they just looked down on me for being uneducated and for giving birth to a girl. They wanted to get rid of me before Liu Yongming was assigned a job after graduation so they could make room for someone new!

They really intended to kill me with that club. I was bleeding from my head. Not only did they knock me unconscious, but they also knocked out an innocent boat person. You tell me, could I not call the police?

If I had let them succeed, my reputation would have been ruined! Those heartless wretches will get their retribution sooner or later!"

Lin Qingxiang was furious. He stormed into the kitchen and dragged Lin Yi out, who was still holding a pair of fire tongs.

Lin Qingxiang cursed in anger, "Your daughter has been bullied like this, and you're still cooking? Let's go! I'm going with you to the Liu family to demand justice!"

Lin Yi was caught between laughter and tears, struggling to pull away. "No need, no need. My girl is tough. She caused a huge scene at the Liu family last night, alarming the police, the neighborhood committee director, and all the neighbors.

The Liu family had to pay a lot of money this time. I reckon her mother-in-law is so heartbroken she can't even eat."

The aunts and grandmothers who were listening to the gossip hadn't initially believed Lin Qin was truly innocent, but once they heard that even the police and the neighborhood committee director had been involved, it was clear how big the matter had become. Now that Lin Qin was standing there perfectly fine, it was obvious the problem lay with the Liu family.

An old woman stared at Lin Qin’s head and clicked her tongue in pity. "You can't be careless with a head injury. Has it been treated properly?"

Lin Qin nodded obediently. "I went to the clinic to get medicine from the doctor last night. I plan to recover here at my father's place and decide what to do once I'm healed."

The old woman went into her house, grabbed two eggs, and stuffed them into Lin Qin’s arms. "Have your father stew these eggs for you to nourish your body. Look at you, after being married for a few years, look at how you've been worn down by your in-laws! You weren't this miserable when you were at your parents' home!"

The other women then noticed that Lin Qin was wearing old, tattered clothes that had been mended many times, and her shoes also had several holes.

Before she was married, she must have weighed over ninety pounds. Now that she had given birth, not only had she not gained weight, but she had thinned down to nothing but bones, looking like she didn't even weigh ninety pounds.

Her miserable appearance further confirmed the fact that Lin Qin had been abused by her in-laws.

For a time, everyone began to denounce the Liu family, cursing Ma Cuihua for being inhumane, cursing Liu Yongguo and his wife for being rotten, and even Liu Li’s reputation began to suffer.

Lin Qin looked down at the two eggs in her arms, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

This time, she had seized the initiative. By telling the truth before Li Lian could spin her own version, she believed these villagers, who loved gossip and prided themselves on justice, would surely spread the word about her tragic experience everywhere.

She didn't expect rumors to affect the Liu family, but she could build an image of a victim, paving the way for her future divorce.