Chapter 5: A Chance Encounter at the Health Center

“It’s useless to talk about this now. We need to contact Yongming immediately and tell him what happened at home. After the scene today, Lin Qin is definitely on guard against us. Trying to use this method to scheme against her again won’t work.”

Liu Yongguo grew angrier the more he thought about it, pounding the bed frame with a loud thud.

“Isn’t it all because you’re useless!” Xu Manzhi vented her frustration with another round of scolding.

Lin Qin, who had already walked out to the street with Lin Yi, suddenly stopped. She looked at Lin Zhi and Li Lian, a cold, mocking smile on her face. “Second Uncle, Second Aunt, thank you for your trouble tonight. You two should head back to the village first. We still need to go to the health clinic, and it’ll be midnight by the time we get back.”

Lin Zhi didn’t insist. Putting on the airs of an elder, he lectured, “Even though your in-laws acted dishonorably today, they are still your mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law. You raised your hand against them, too. If you ask me, that’s enough. Don’t make such a scene that your in-laws can’t tolerate you anymore.

Our family has never had a daughter chased back to her maiden home by her in-laws. Don’t make your father lose face along with you.”

“Exactly! Which daughter-in-law doesn’t know how to be humble and submissive? You’re the only one with such a temper, so hot-headed that you start fighting the moment you’re upset, even biting someone until they bled. It’s only because the Liu family was in the wrong that they didn’t force your husband to divorce you after such a scene today!

You’re going to be the death of me! I don’t know how your mother taught you when she was alive; you’re completely out of line!” Li Lian chimed in, cursing.

“Have you said enough? Who do you think you are? My father hasn’t said anything, so what right do you have to nag? And don’t you dare insult my mother. What did my mother ever do to you? What right do you have to talk about her?” Lin Qin roared in anger.

She could endure them scolding her, but Li Lian badmouthing her mother was where she drew the line!

Li Lian was stunned by the outburst, but once she regained her senses, she flared up too. “Hey! You dead girl, if it weren’t for your mess, we wouldn’t have had to make this trip. What’s wrong with saying a few words to you? If you weren’t so useless, would the Liu family be able to bully you like this? If you have the energy to argue, why are you still being bullied like this? You useless thing!”

“Enough!” Lin Yi shouted furiously. “My daughter is not for you to discipline!”

Li Lian let out a disdainful snort and turned to leave. “Who wants to deal with you people anyway!”

She hadn’t come today to help Lin Qin; she had heard rumors that Lin Qin was messing around with some wild man and had come specifically to watch the spectacle and kick them while they were down. She never expected that not only would she fail to see a good show, but she would also witness Lin Qin’s rebellious streak and end up getting nothing out of it. She was fuming.

“Are you coming or not!” Li Lian walked a few steps, and seeing that Lin Zhi hadn’t followed, she turned back and shouted irritably.

Lin Zhi glanced at her, his expression sour. He didn’t even give Lin Yi a look before hurrying to catch up with Li Lian.

Lin Yi was deeply angered, his eyes turning red, but he held back his tears. Instead, he hugged Liu Yaya and turned to comfort Lin Qin. “Even though your mother-in-law and the Liu family’s eldest son and his wife are heartless, your husband is a college student. He’ll be graduating in three or four months.

Once he graduates and gets assigned a job, you can take Yaya and go with him. Then you won’t have to deal with his mother and brothers anymore. Just endure it for now; once you get through this, things will be better.”

Lin Qin followed behind Lin Yi, tears sliding down silently. She wanted to say that it was impossible, that she and Liu Yongming had no future, but she couldn’t. Saying it now was useless; she could only let time give Lin Yi the answer, even if that answer would cause him pain for a long, long time.

Seeing that Lin Qin remained silent, Lin Yi assumed she was still sulking. He sighed helplessly and walked toward the health clinic, holding the child.

When the three arrived at the clinic, only the doctor and nurse on night duty were there.

The clinic’s facilities weren’t as good as a hospital’s, but since the hospital was far away, people didn’t go there unless it was something serious.

Lin Qin had Lin Yi watch Liu Yaya and their luggage while she went in to find the doctor.

As luck would have it, she ran into Chen Wenjun, who had just finished his examination.

Chen Wenjun gave her a warm smile. He held his left palm upward and used two fingers of his right hand to trace a pattern on his palm. It was a gesture he used to coax her when she was bedridden.

Lin Qin’s eyes instantly welled up.

She had thought they would have no intersection in this life, but she never expected that he, like her, had been reborn.

After making the gesture, Chen Wenjun did not acknowledge her further.

The two brushed past each other.

Lin Qin composed herself and sat on a high stool. “Doctor, I was hit on the head with a club, and it’s bleeding.”

The doctor’s brows knitted together immediately. “The patient before you also came in for a head injury, said they were hit with a club. How did you get hit too? Is there trouble in the city again? Public security isn’t great right now; you shouldn’t always go looking for excitement. A few days ago, someone even lost an eye just by watching the crowd.”

Lin Qin shook her head. “No, it wasn’t that!”

Seeing she didn’t want to say more, the doctor didn’t press. He examined her and muttered, “In your case, it’s best to go to the city hospital for an X-ray to see if you’ve injured anything vital. I can only clean the wound and apply medicine here. If you experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or dizziness, you must go to the hospital immediately. Don’t delay.”

Lin Qin nodded quickly.

In her previous life, she had jumped into the river before her wound healed, which resulted in chronic headaches. Whenever the weather changed, it would ache terribly—more punctual than a weather forecast—though there were no major issues.

It was late at night by the time the wound was dressed.

As soon as Lin Qin and Lin Yi walked out of the clinic with the child, they saw Chen Wenjun waiting outside.

Lin Yi frowned instinctively.

Chen Wenjun walked over, carrying a shoulder pole. “Uncle, can I walk with you? It’s dark, and I’m afraid.”

Lin Yi: “...”

He wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that Chen Wenjun had suffered an unprovoked disaster because of the Liu family’s ambush and had nothing to do with his daughter. It was the middle of the night, no one would see them, so he didn’t fear gossip.

Besides, it was safer to walk together in the dead of night, so he agreed.

On the way, Lin Yi made small talk. “You said you’re a Tanka person. Where do you live?”

“Nanxi, near the river section by Qingyun Temple. It’s not far from here.” As Chen Wenjun spoke, he adjusted the shoulder pole, walking quickly and steadily.

Lin Yi nodded. “I’ve been there. We live in Shanglin Village, so we can walk together for a stretch. It’s only about half an hour from our place to Qingyun Temple. When we part ways, you should walk fast and don’t go through any deserted areas, so you don’t run into trouble again.”

“Thank you, Uncle. I understand.”

Chen Wenjun answered every question politely.

Lin Yi’s impression of him was quite good.

After they parted ways, Lin Yi muttered under his breath, “Liu Yongguo is truly not a human being, attacking such an honest man. I think he just bullied Chen Wenjun for being a Tanka person, thinking the man wouldn’t dare to resist!”

An honest man? Lin Qin looked at Lin Yi’s back. In the past, she would have agreed that Chen Wenjun was honest.

But Chen Wenjun’s actions today had nothing to do with being an honest man. Who knew? That guy might be even more calculating than she was now!

Thinking this, Lin Qin’s heavy heart suddenly felt much lighter.

After all, Chen Wenjun still had a son with hemiplegia.

In her previous life, that child was so well-behaved and sensible that it made one’s heart ache. She hadn’t done anything for him, yet he had respected her like a biological mother, always thinking of her whenever he had something good.

If Chen Wenjun rose to power, he could at least provide that child with a better life.