CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97: LI LAN’S SECRET TROUBLES

"My mother-in-law is the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Once she saw I was serious, she got scared. She was worried that if Dahai and I really divorced, he’d take it out on them and break ties, so she hid and stayed quiet.

My sister-in-law is also sharp. Initially, she took her anger out on me, but when she saw my outburst, she started to apologize and cry. I used to be easygoing, but this time I refused to compromise. My stance was clear: we should get a house as big as the one built for the eldest. If not, we’ll split the family, and I won’t care about the in-laws in the future. Or we get divorced.

There’s no way your brother-in-law would agree to a divorce, so he went to talk to his parents on my terms. After all these years, it was the first time I saw him stand his ground like that. My in-laws cried and howled, calling all three brothers to discuss it."

Lin Qin’s curiosity was piqued, "And then? What was the result of the discussion?"

Lin Ying grinned with satisfaction, "Naturally, they went along with what I wanted! Dahai’s older brother got quite the advantage; what could he say? He tried to persuade Dahai to give money to the third family house as a quick fix, but I insisted on divorce, with no backing down. Do you think Dahai’s brother could persuade him?

The only thing he could do was fork over some money and support us in building a house. You wouldn’t believe how furious Dahai’s sister-in-law was; I heard that night, the couple even had a fight.

It was music to my ears!"

Lin Ying finished, looking around the room enviously, "Though they gave us some money, it’s still not as much as the eldest’s. Before coming to your place, I just thought of building a three-room tiled house: one living room, two bedrooms, one for us and one for the two kids – that seemed sufficient.

But seeing your grand house now, I want more! A three-room tiled house doesn’t seem enough anymore. The eldest got a five-room tiled house!"

Lin Qin immediately understood that Lin Ying was still resentful about the preferential treatment by her in-laws.

"Sis, at least you got the money to build a three-room house. Since you don’t plan on taking care of your in-laws, just bear this temporary loss. In the future, when it comes time for their care, you can use this as leverage. People say that losing is a blessing, so don’t be mad.

If you want to build a bigger house, I can lend you some money, and you can pay me back once you’re more financially stable."

Lin Ying teased, "Oh, so you’ve hit the jackpot now! Talking big! Let me tell you, when a man gets money, he may stray, especially since you and Wenjun are a second-marriage couple. If you want to keep the relationship stable, the best thing to do is have another child together.

Once there’s a child belonging to both of you, this home truly becomes complete!"

Lin Qin rubbed her forehead helplessly, "Why are you like Dad too? We only got our license last year, and since then, we’ve been busy building the house and accruing lots of debt. To say we got nothing done last year would be an understatement, it was all about making money.

Now that the house is finally built and the debts are paid off, we need some time to recuperate! The child thing will happen naturally; I’m not in a rush."

Lin Ying knew Lin Qin spoke the truth, so she didn’t add anything further.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

The two stopped talking. Lin Qin opened the door, surprised to see Li Lan.

"Cousin-in-law! What’s up? Is there something missing in the room?"

Li Lan quickly shook her head, hesitating before speaking softly, "Can I ask my cousin something?"

Lin Qin nodded, letting Li Lan in.

Li Lan sat down, appearing unsure of how to begin.

The sisters waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts.

After a moment, Li Lan mustered up the courage to look at Lin Ying, "Cousin, I wanted to ask, how much is the fine for an additional child over there?"

The sisters instinctively looked at Li Lan’s belly.

Lin Ying remembered Li Lan’s motion sickness earlier and asked worriedly, "You’re not pregnant, are you?"

Li Lan remained silent but didn’t deny it.

Lin Ying and Lin Qin exchanged glances, further inquiring, "How many children do you and Fugen have?"

"Just... just one! A daughter." Li Lan’s voice was very soft, but in the quiet room, the sisters understood clearly.

Lin Qin let out a long breath, "If it’s just one, it’s okay. In this rural area, having a girl first means you can have a second child. What are you worried about?"

Li Lan’s eyes immediately filled with tears, "I’m worried that the one in my belly might be another girl. My in-laws are desperate for a grandson; they say Fugen is their only son and the family can’t end with him. Ever since the birth of my first daughter, they’ve been pushing me for a second child.

Now that I’m pregnant again, I fear I won’t meet their expectations. If it’s another girl, they’ll definitely insist on another child, so I want to know how much the fine is?"

Actually, this sort of thing can be found out from people in the village, but those gossipy women would just start rumors based on pieces of truth and keep staring at her belly. It wouldn’t be so bad if it’s a boy, but if not, they might force the couple to undergo sterilization.

Li Lan wouldn’t dare to speak out, nor even let the villagers know she’s pregnant.

Having seen the situation of the Xu family’s third household, Lin Ying understood Li Lan’s dilemma and answered honestly, "Five hundred, the first time it’s five hundred, and the second time it doubles or even triples, depending on the village customs.

But I hear the more remote the place, the stricter they are and the heavier the fines."

Li Lan’s face turned pale with fear, tears brimming in her eyes.

This was something Lin Qin couldn’t comment much on, so she simply said, "Discuss it with Fugen. Your belly isn’t showing yet, if it really doesn’t work out, go back and take care of yourself properly, then come to the city when it’s about time to give birth. Even if those villagers are watching your belly, they can’t follow you everywhere. They can’t chase you all the way to the city."

Li Lan nodded absentmindedly, leaving in a distracted state.

The sisters continued their conversation for a bit before heading to the kitchen to cook.

Lin Ying quickly took out a chicken and a duck she’d brought, both already slaughtered.

Lin Qin knew it was Lin Ying’s habit for years and didn’t comment, instead taking out some mushrooms she’d stored at home.

"We’ll make mushroom chicken soup in a while, and turn the duck into ginger duck! Dad planted a lot of ginger, so use as much as you want." Lin Qin said, exuding confidence.

Lin Ying was consumed with envy, "This place is truly great! With just your family on such a large piece of land, you can’t even use it all. Even if others come to build houses, they won’t be able to take the fields you’ve cleared."

Lin Qin laughed cheerfully, "No, they definitely can’t. The entire island belongs to our family, Dad can do whatever he wants with the land. With these things to keep him busy, do you think he’d want to go back?"

"What? The entire island is yours?" Lin Ying was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out.