Lu Tong was so upset by Chen Xiao Mi’s harsh words, she returned home crying loudly.
“Mom, how could you marry Lu Lin in such a rude family, that Chen Xiao Mi is a barbarian!”
Lu Tong’s mother Tang was furious after hearing that. She would have made a scene if it was Lu Lin who dared to confront Lu Tong, but she could only hold back her anger when she heard her daughter say that it was Chen Xiao Mi who made the insolent comment.
Chen Xiao Mi was a notorious person in Big Stone Village, and he would take revenge for the smallest grievance, even the criminals in the village chose to stay at a respectful distance from him.
Tang had to suppress that anger herself.
‘Hmm, looks like we can’t rely on Lu Lin anymore.’
Tang wasn’t doing so well, she used to slack off and boss Lu Lin’s mother around when the poor woman was still alive. And of course she tended to boss Lu Lin around after the others died.
But Tang had to do farm work and housework after Lu Lin got married.
Tang’s husband would have almost beaten her up for her bad cooking if not for her son.
Lu Lin’s grandfather, however, had seen this coming. He didn’t seem too bothered by it.
Lu Lin’s grandmother Wang didn’t take it well as she was used to bossing the poor boy around, she burst into tears and accused Lu Lin of being unfilial. Lu Lin’s grandfather found her annoying and urged her to stop.
Wang was afraid of her husband, but she really missed the days when Lu Lin was at her mercy, so she decided to make a fuss in public, she wailed pitifully in the fields.
“My poor grandson was bullied by Chen Xiao Mi, that Chen Xiao Mi didn’t even allow my grandson to go home and help with the Autumn Harvest….”
But no one dared to ask Wang for more details because of Chen Xiao Mi’s involvement. Plus, everyone knew that Lu had sold Lu Lin to Chen Xiao Mi for 10 taels of silver!
Many villagers were interested in the money Chen Xiao Mi offered back then, but no one was willing to bet on Chen Xiao Mi. To their surprise, Lu, a rich family in the village, was willing to marry Lu Lin into Chen Xiao Mi’s family. So many villagers had been talking about Lu behind their backs, ‘that family is so greedy’, ‘they are willing to do anything for money’, ‘how far will they go just for money’… …
Some married women would go back to their girl’s family to help, but no one could say anything if they couldn’t attend.
Lu had married off Lu Lin to Chen Xiao Mi’s family, so technically, it was natural and reasonable that Chen Xiao Mi didn’t allow Lu Lin to return.
No one showed any sympathy for Wang, the village chief even scolded her.
Lu Lin was digging Chinese Yam when a villager called his name softly.
“Lin.”
The villager looked at Lu Lin with eyes full of sympathy, and Lu Lin felt that it was a bit strange.
The villager was Zhang Jin, the son of the village chief. Lu Lin delved into the host’s memories, this Zhang Jin was a good young man who was happy to give favors to others.
Lu Lin shook his head resignedly: ‘No wonder he’s looking at me like this, I must be a tragedy in people’s eyes.’
“Lin, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Lu Lin smiled.
Zhang Jin interpreted the smile as a forced one.
The villagers had heard Lu Lin taking a walk to the mountains with Chen Xiao Mi, and they had something to say.
“Poor Lu Lin, he needs to put his worries aside and have a good rest but look what Chen Xiao Mi has done to him! He forced Lu Lin to venture into the mountains, how dangerous is that! Hope he doesn’t get attacked by animals’!”
“Chen Xiao Mi asked you to eat this muddy stick?” Zhang Jin’s voice dripped with sympathy.
Zhang Jin had eaten this stick in before he found it rather unpleasant.
Lu Lin noticed Zhang Jin’s expression, but he did not explain anything.
“This stick is very filling, very delicious.”
Zhang Jin was convinced that Lu Lin was wronged by Chen Xiao Mi, he said: “You can always come to me for help, you know.”
Lu Lin smiled and said: “Thank you for your kindness, I’ll excuse myself now, I need to collect firewood.”
Zhang Jin nodded.
Lu Lin had heard the joke Wang made in the field on his way home, but he didn’t feel bothered at all.
People in that time and space valued reputation more than anything else, but Lu Lin wasn’t like that, reputation was the least of his concerns, he only wanted to improve the quality of life through hard work.
Perhaps Lu Lin’s host would be sad that his entire family wanted to take advantage of him, but this Lu Lin wasn’t bothered by them because he only saw them as strangers.
T/N: Lmao not the whole village treating Lu Lin like he’s a domestic violence victim. Comment below what you thought of this chapter!!
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