CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 056 PICKING UP SESAME SEEDS AND LOSING THE WATERMELON

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Although the Zhang sisters immediately understood their mother’s cruel intentions as soon as she spoke, a sense of excitement briefly flashed through their hearts.

Simultaneously, they felt a tingling on their scalps as their hearts drummed with worry over their mother’s malevolent thoughts: how much disdain does our mother have for Zhang Shanni, her own daughter, to be this ruthless!

"Enough, don’t you two go and harm other families as well. With your characters, I can never trust you!" Zhou Dahua followed her husband’s words and mocked Lin Zhaodi harshly.

If Zhang Zhiguo is considered weak and incompetent, then Lin Zhaodi is simply inhumane! Zhang Shanni is her biological daughter after all, yet she could scheme so viciously. If pushed to desperation, it’s terrifying to think who the victim might be.

"Everyone is part of the Qingshan Team, no matter what, we should live in harmony. Why not each take a step back?" Zhang Zhiming, seeing his parents visibly upset, quickly stepped forward to stabilize his father, who still wanted to fight. He then turned to Lin Aiguo to mediate, yet his gaze was directed toward Lin Jianmin.

In his view, although Lin Aiguo might be directly involved, the person who could converse with him here was his cousin Lin Jianmin.

"Should, should." Lin Jianmin nodded, pulled his nephew aside, and the two of them stepped back several paces to speak in low voices.

Although everyone belongs to the same team, within the entire Qingshan Team, the most backward wasn’t Qingfeng Village inside the village but their Old Lin Village. Among the three team leaders of Qingshan Team, the one from Old Lin was the least assertive. Old Lin Village always failed to complete the tasks assigned by superiors in the past years, only surviving without being criticized due to support from neighboring villages.

Zhang Hongqiang, feeling Lin Jianmin was coming around, let out a sigh of relief. Then he whacked his nephew with a stick, nearly hitting Lin Zhaodi as well, and angrily shouted:

"Zhang Zhiguo, I warn you, you’ve already driven San Ni out of the Zhang family. Don’t even think of directing your vile ideas toward her. She has already given enough for you ungrateful lot over these years!"

Hearing his uncle’s rebuke, Zhang Zhiguo instinctively shook his head, then realized that the person his uncle had been staring at was not him, but his wife behind him!

Zhang Zhiguo was not foolish. Seeing both his uncle and aunt looking furious, and coupling it with what his wife had previously said, a sudden realization flashed through his mind as he looked incredulously at Lin Zhaodi.

Under Zhang Hongqiang’s intimidating glare, Lin Zhaodi had already bowed her head and hidden behind her husband, thus not noticing Zhang Zhiguo’s gaze towards her.

The Zhang sisters standing by were also bowing their heads, not daring to look at their formidable uncle and aunt.

At this moment, Zhou Dahua also wasn’t in the mood to care what Lin Family’s uncle and nephew were discussing. Her eyes were scanning the family of Zhang Zhiguo. In this family, only Zhang Zhiguo was staring at Lin Zhaodi in sudden enlightenment while the cousins cowered behind Lin Zhaodi.

Having lived many more years, she could see right through the emotions on the faces of the two sisters. Therefore, she was profoundly disappointed in these three women, with her disappointment pressing heavily on her sympathy for Zhang Shanni, making her sharp and angry. Her gaze was like sharp blades, repeatedly slicing at Lin Zhaodi as she coldly called her out:

"Zhi Country’s family, others have daughters and you have daughters, and others raise and teach them well. But look at you! You not only fail to raise and teach, but after selling her once, you still aim to exploit San Ni? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog? She is your daughter, not your enemy! As a mother, you are indeed more ruthless than a stepmother. San Ni is truly unfortunate to have fallen into your hands."

Anger surged in Lin Zhaodi’s heart, causing her to abruptly raise her head and see Zhou Dahua’s staring eyes. Startled, she quickly shrank back and meekly bowed her head again, not daring to talk back.

In this era, respecting the hierarchy of elders and juniors was very important. In the Zhang family, the family head was Zhang Hongqiang. Whatever Zhou Dahua’s attitude was or however harsh her words, she was the head of the household and had the rights to instruct and reprimand family members. Moreover, with about ninety percent of Shanglin Village residents gathered outside her house, it would be foolish for Lin Zhaodi to fight back against Zhou Dahua then, as she wouldn’t be able to raise her head in Shanglin Village thereafter.

Watching Lin Zhaodi appearing to listen humbly, Zhou Dahua’s anger didn’t subside but grew even fiercer. Seeing Zhang Baoni’s smirking demeanor, she immediately pointed her large hand at the selfish sisters and rebuked:

"And you, Yuni and Baoni. Don’t think that just because your parents are scheming against San Ni, it’s none of your business. Keeping yourselves aloof as if it doesn’t concern you, not caring at all about sibling affection. When you face difficulties one day and seek help, see who will care about you!

"Actions are observed by heaven, and people are not blind, disregarding basic parental and sibling duties, who would dare be close with such people? To us, relatives from the side-lines, you probably regard us as less than strangers. With such heartlessness and lack of loyalty, don’t ever consider us as family again!"

These three women, their consciences truly must have been eaten by dogs! This was what Zhang Zhiming and his wife simultaneously thought.

"Wife, calm down. It’s not worth getting upset over!" Seeing his wife becoming more breathless the more she scolded—which clearly was getting her agitated—Zhang Hongqiang hurried to her side to soothe her, "Zhiguo, don’t be upset at us for meddling too much. This matter of finding a partner for Lin Aiguo, we absolutely cannot agree. If they get along well, that’s wonderful, but if they don’t, you won’t be able to stay in Shanglin Village! Taking into account Lin Aiguo’s character, do you think he might shamelessly cling to you? Don’t pick up a sesame seed and lose a watermelon, and cause yourself trouble!"

"Brother Zhiguo, Dad’s words aren’t intended to scare you. No matter whose daughter you intend to target, ultimately, it involves a financial cost. Even if we agree to find him a partner, we’re not discussing how much dowry it would take for the other side to genuinely agree to marry into the Lin family. Just saying, if the girl is forced into marriage and can’t stand it and causes a fuss, whose fault would it be? Even if they get along, what if she can’t bear children after a few years? Wouldn’t Lin Aiguo blame you?"

Zhang Zhiming knew that his cousin had been overly protected by his grandparents, especially his grandmother due to the absence of his grandfather by her side, she was extremely clingy and protective of her only son.forChild-bearing her son as if he would dissolve in her mouth, or break if held, making his cousin’s temperament fragile.

Although the granddad corrected some of that after he returned, the already fostered softness remained, and the forcefully adopted aggressiveness afterwards was only a facade, which, in an idiom, is called bullying the good and fearing the evil!