CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: ELDEST AUNT’S HUSBAND

Interacting with people like this, you might get sold and not even know it.

But his opponent is Lin Xiang, who’s resolute not to self-destruct, just to go crazy.

Lin Xiang is not buying any of it!

"Look at what you’re saying, the last time your family of four visited my house was right after my dad passed away, when you tried to stop my mom from remaining a widow and wanted her to marry an old widower. Since my mom refused and your plan fell through, how long has it been since you came to my house?"

"And now you’re acting like you care about us? Really think I’m as easy to fool as a three-year-old kid? Your whole family is worthless, and I’m not some good person either. Since we both know each other’s true colors, why bother with this facade?"

Aunt Lin’s husband’s decades-long mask of pretense almost cracked.

What kind of trigger did Lin Xiang receive, with her mouth running like this?

Aunt Lin’s husband took a deep breath, returned to his previous pretense, "Girlie, I know you still resent us for not caring enough about you over the years, but everyone’s life is tough, I also have two kids to raise, really can’t spare the energy to take care of widows and orphans like you."

"Oh." Lin Xiang was unmoved.

"You know, back then we..."

"Oh." Still unmoved.

"Girlie, I just..."

"Oh." Remained unmoved.

Aunt Lin’s husband tried to play the sympathy card, but Lin Xiang turned into an emotionless machine, no matter how many nice words he said, her only response was "oh."

Even Aunt Lin’s husband, who usually held a good disguise, couldn’t take it at that moment, stood up from his seat, "You guys continue chatting, I’ll go get some air outside!"

"I’ll see you off a thousand miles away, don’t come back."

Aunt Lin’s husband nearly stumbled over the doorstep.

Why did he feel that what Lin Xiang said wasn’t anything good?

After Aunt Lin’s husband left, just as Aunt Lin opened her mouth, even before any sound came out, Lin Xiang pointed to the door, "If you care about your dignity, leave on your own, don’t wait until I scold you into crying and then spread rumors that I don’t respect the elderly or love children."

"Lin Xiang, you really have no respect for anything!"

Lin Xiang rolled her eyes, "Having no respect is still better than being shameless."

"You, you, you..."

"If you stutter, stop talking, it’s irritating!"

Aunt Lin’s husband took a moment outside to collect himself before coming back inside, only to see his daughter and son crying, while Lin Xiang, standing across from them, had her left hand on her hip and her right holding a straight fire poker, irregularly tapping it against the table.

Aunt Lin’s husband couldn’t bear it anymore, gave up maintaining his facade, and started rolling up his sleeves, "Your dad left early, you grew up without fatherly guidance, which is why your character went astray."

"Since your dad and I were brothers-in-law, he couldn’t discipline you, but I’ll do my best to steer you back on track!"

Lin Xiang rolled her eyes so hard they almost flew away.

Clearly trying to bully her for advantage and saying all these grandiose words, what’s the point?

Seeing Aunt Lin’s husband’s palm about to come down, Lin Xiang wasn’t foolish enough to take it head-on. She bolted outside and started shouting at the top of her lungs as soon as she stepped outside, "Someone’s hitting me! They said my dad died early, saw us orphans as easy targets, and came deliberately when mom’s not home, planning to hit me with a stick!"

Lin Xiang’s voice was loud enough, and as she shouted these sentences repeatedly, a crowd had already gathered at the Lin Family’s door.

Not all these people came just for the spectacle; many were there to support Lin Xiang.

"Girlie, who hit you? Tell your aunt; I’ll go get even for you!"

Lin Xiang covered her face with her right hand, whimpering tearfully, "It’s my Aunt Lin’s family. I don’t know where they heard I got a spot at the textile factory, but they’ve been coming to my house three times a day!"

"Even though I kept stressing it wasn’t a done deal, they wouldn’t believe it and were willing to pay just fifty yuan to make me give up the opportunity!"

The woman trying to persuade her immediately asked, "Did you give her the spot?"

"I’m not stupid! No, there wasn’t even a spot!" Lin Xiang continued to cry, "I told my mom I was envious of the textile factory jobs, and she must have misheard, thought I got a spot, went out, and said a few words about it, now look, people sticking around like glue, just won’t leave!"

Aunt Lin now realized what was happening, burst out of the house.

Just in time to hear Lin Xiang’s comment, she pointed back at herself angrily, "Are you calling us sticky glue?"

Lin Xiang looked at Aunt Lin like she was an idiot, "I said, you’re like that thing that sees a bone. Once you bite it, you won’t let go. Tsk-tsk, it’s my first time seeing someone put a metaphor onto themselves!"

Lin Xiang dared not let the villagers know she really had a spot.

People in Li Hua Team were poor, having a hundred or two hundred yuan in savings meant being very well-off, while most couldn’t even take out ten or twenty yuan.

Forget about eight hundred yuan, even five hundred yuan, nobody could afford this spot!

Being unable to afford it easily bred envy.

Late in ’77, even though policies had loosened, it was still a sensitive time, she feared that some jealous people might do something harmful to her.

So, she outright denied it from the start.

If anyone doubted, she just said it never existed!

Seeing Lin Xiang deny it so swiftly relieved everyone.

Clearly the Lin Family’s girl had received countless bad reviews before, why does she now get to work in state-run kitchens and as a translator for leaders, while they don’t even have time to visit the town? It’s easy to feel unbalanced.

Without the jealousy towards Lin Xiang, the villagers naturally sided with her and began accusing Aunt Lin and Aunt Lin’s husband.

"When old Lin just passed away, the body wasn’t even buried, you as the sister didn’t comfort your sister, still tried to sell her off to an old widower just after she became a widow. How can you shamelessly come to the girl and ask for a spot now?"

"Even if the girl had a spot, why should she give it to you? Considering you’re her aunt by blood, your usual care for her isn’t as good as us neighbors!"

Lin Xiang: Me and my original self, when did we ever get your care?

But she couldn’t dismantle them publicly, standing by their side, she raised her head slightly, "Exactly! How thick-skinned do you have to be to come again and again to ask for a spot at my house? Also, your daughter, I almost don’t want to mention!"

"She’s a few months older than me, right? Already over eighteen, yet still so impolite, going through things without permission in someone else’s house!"