Chapter 4: The Cruel Grandfather Hits His Own Grandson Unconscious

Lin Wentao faced the direction of the old man, Lin Hu, just as a stool was hurled at Lin Dayou. His eyes widened in shock.

Seeing that the stool was about to crash onto Lin Dayou’s head, Lin Wentao quickly pushed aside the obstructive Lin Shi, their grandmother.

Lin Shi, seeing that even her grandson dared to push her, flashed a venomous look and immediately reached out, clutching Lin Wentao with her frail, bony fingers.

“You little wretch! How dare you push me?” she scolded, digging her bony fingers into Lin Wentao’s flesh.

“Grandpa, be careful!” Lin Wenzheng, his brother, noticed Lin Wentao’s sudden action and looked up just in time to see the incoming stool, shouting in panic.

What surprised Lin Wentao even further was that their grandparents, who had been so biased towards the eldest family, now dared to act ruthlessly against their own father.

Lin Dagong, lying on the floor, also saw the approaching stool and maliciously hugged Lin Dayou, not giving him a chance to dodge.

Lin Wentao could no longer care about honoring his elders; he disregarded his own pain and forcefully pushed Lin Shi away, running swiftly towards Lin Dayou.

With his small body, he wrapped around Lin Dayou, bracing for the full impact of the stool thrown by Lin Hu.

The stool struck Lin Wentao hard on the back of his head with a resounding “thud,” reverberating throughout the yard and causing those outside, who were watching the commotion, to shudder in shock.

Lin Wentao was severely injured, coughing out a mouthful of blood that splattered across Lin Dagong’s face.

Startled by the blood, Lin Dagong lost his grip, allowing Lin Dayou to break free.

“Taor!” Lin Dayou shouted, his eyes burning with red as he turned to see his youngest son Lin Wentao, who was now weakened and slumped over, blood forming a pool beneath him.

At that moment, Lin Dayou’s mind went blank; everything around him darkened, leaving him utterly lost about what to do.

Seeing Lin Dayou unharmed, Lin Wentao forced a smile before falling limp into his father’s arms.

As Lin Dayou caught him, he felt something warm and sticky. Panic gripped his heart as he realized Lin Wentao was bleeding. His mind went completely blank with dread.

Upon being knocked down by Lin Wentao, Lin Shi quickly utilized her skills for causing a scene.

Pretending to be a victim, she lay on the ground, pounding her thighs and wailing, “What have we done to deserve this? Not only are we being neglected by our son, but now they even bring their child to bully us!”

Lin Wenzheng had spotted Lin Wentao, covered in blood while lying in Lin Dayou’s embrace, and he shouted with red eyes, “Grandmother, you must have some sense of morality!”

“It was clearly you who snatched my sister’s engagement and gave it to Luodan! Now you partner with the elder brother to bully our family!”

“My younger brother is gravely injured, yet you still dare to twist the truth like this! How can you bully us so ruthlessly?”

Lin Wenzheng’s words echoed through the yard, striking like a hammer, and he didn’t care how the people inside reacted. He immediately knelt before the onlookers gathered outside.

With a sorrowful expression, he pleaded, “Uncles, brothers, aunts, please evaluate the situation! Clearly, it’s my grandparents and eldest brother’s family that have done wrong…”

“Now they’re trying to shift the blame onto us, clearly trying to drive us into a corner!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd outside began pointing at Lin Hu and Lin Shi.

“Look at how biased Lin Shi and Lin Hu are today! They stripped Lin Dayou’s family of everything, and now they’ve gone ahead to steal their daughter’s engagement.”

“How can they hit their own grandson like this? Aren’t they afraid of heavenly retribution?”

“Is this any way for people to act? They’re worse than pigs or dogs! We should keep our distance from such heartless people in the future.”

“Unbelievable! How can such a vicious thing come from this family?”

A sharp-eyed onlooker noticed Lin Wentao lying motionless in Lin Dayou’s arms and quickly pointed out, “Wenqian, your second brother isn’t moving. Hurry and tell your father to take him to see the doctor!”

Others joined in to chastise Lin Hu, and some even suggested that Lin Luodan must be a vixen for stealing her sister’s engagement.

Lin Hu, who had been feeling mighty moments before, finally noticed the blood on Lin Wentao’s face and began to feel regret as he heard the murmurs from outside. He shouted defensively, “This is our family matter! What does it have to do with you? Get out of here!”

Lin Wentao’s family was in turmoil, and Lin Wenzheng, hearing the concerned remarks from the crowd, rushed to his father’s side.

Seeing Lin Wentao’s head bleeding profusely made his face turn pale with fear. But as the eldest son of the family, he knew he had to be strong; otherwise, everything would fall apart.

With tears and mucus running down his face, he pushed Lin Dayou, pleading urgently, “Father, what are you waiting for? If you hesitate any longer, my brother will die!”

When Lin Dayou didn’t react, Lin Wenzheng grew frantic, trying to grab Lin Wentao from his father’s arms.

Realizing someone was trying to take his son away, Lin Dayou abruptly came to his senses, fully understanding that this was no dream—his own father had struck his son and caused him to lose consciousness.

“Just you wait!” With bloodshot eyes, he glared at Lin Hu and Lin Dagong before stumbling out of the house, carrying Lin Wentao.

The onlookers parted to make way as Lin Dayou emerged, holding Lin Wentao, whose face was bloodied and turning pale and then purple.

Some sympathetic villagers joined in, helping Lin Dayou carry Lin Wentao toward the county town to find a doctor. It was clear that Lin Wentao’s condition was far too serious for any rough handling.

As Lin Wenzheng left the Lin family home, he clenched his fists, glaring at the three figures standing inside, then turned to follow his father.

Lin Shi shuddered involuntarily under Lin Wenzheng’s gaze.

Once she regained her composure, she pointed angrily at his back, yelling, “You wretched child! How dare you look at us like that? Aren’t you afraid of heavenly retribution?”

The remaining onlookers overheard Lin Shi’s shameless retort and retaliated, “The wicked deeds you’ve committed will bring down divine punishment on you first, not us!”

“Is it normal for a family member to beat a child to the brink of death? Lin Shi, I really want to ask, is Lin Dayou even your own child?”

Upon hearing this challenge, Lin Shi’s eyes flickered dangerously, and she spat curses in retaliation, “You scoundrels! You ill-bred children should be careful; don’t tempt heaven to punish you!”

Her words only stirred the village women, who suddenly swarmed around her. They unleashed a flurry of accusations against her, not holding back in their venomous replies.

“You think you’re above all? What a heartless thing to do; if anyone is to be punished, it should be you!”

Arguments erupted among the villagers, each woman taking turns to berate Lin Hu and Lin Shi in a cacophony of insults.

Lin Hu glared at the taunting crowd, his gaze sharp as if he wished to silence them with sheer intimidation.

“Shut your mouths! Go ahead and complain, but don’t think we’re afraid of you!” he barked.

“You think you can scare us? We’ll keep shouting until everyone hears the truth about what you did!” The crowd was unfazed by his threats, shouting back, “Yes! Close the doors, shut out those barking dogs!”