Lin Family’s Old House

On her way back from the third son’s house, Lin’s mother was absent-minded the whole time.

The thought of her third daughter-in-law threatening to call the police weighed heavily on her mind.

She hoped noon would come quickly; she was anxious.

“Grandma…” Lin Haicai sat under the eaves peeling chestnuts. When he saw Lin’s mother return, he called out. “Grandma, what did Yi Bao and Er Bao exchange with Auntie San with the chestnuts?”

“I don’t know either. You’ll find out when you go exchange the chestnuts yourself,” Lin’s mother replied absent-mindedly. She didn’t have the energy to deal with this.

“Oh…” Lin Haicai responded and obediently went back to peeling his chestnuts.

When the people from the Lin family returned from work, the Lin family’s courtyard suddenly became lively.

In addition, the seven children who went to school also returned, and the adults and children chattered together, making noise. Seeing and hearing all this noise, Lin’s mother, who was in the house, felt even more irritated.

“Husband…” Lin’s mother called out from the house. “I have something to tell you in your room.”

Upon hearing Lin’s mother’s voice from the courtyard, everyone looked at her, especially when they saw her unhappy expression, their hearts skipped a beat.

“What’s wrong with the old lady?” Lin’s father wiped his hands and followed Lin’s mother into the house.

Inside, Lin’s mother took a deep breath. “Handling the instigation of Yi Bao and Er Bao by the second daughter-in-law might not be easy to deal with.”

“What’s wrong? Did you ask the third daughter-in-law today? Didn’t you say to let the second daughter-in-law apologize, so let the third daughter-in-law decide how to forgive her?” Lin’s father asked.

“I didn’t ask the third daughter-in-law. Since it was decided to let the third daughter-in-law decide, how could I, uninvited, ask? When I went to see the three kids at noon, I casually mentioned that the second daughter-in-law would come over to apologize at noon. Guess what the third daughter-in-law said?” Lin’s mother’s mood was terrible, but she didn’t directly tell Lin’s father.

“She must have said something unpleasant.”                                        

“Isn’t that obvious? Considering her temperament, even the whole village knew about yesterday’s incident. Even if things settled down… sigh, the third daughter-in-law said if apologies wouldn’t work, and it should be reported to the police,” Lin’s mother’s voice was filled with helplessness.

“The second daughter-in-law is unreasonable, but it’s not serious enough to involve the police. If the police are called, what will happen to the relationship between the two brothers, and how will the family live in harmony? Isn’t the third daughter-in-law going a bit too far?”

Lin’s father frowned as well. Indeed, the matter wasn’t serious enough to involve the police.

It was unexpected for the third daughter-in-law to suggest that.

“In that case, when we go to build the chicken coop at the third son’s house at noon, I’ll talk to the third daughter-in-law. It’s the first time. We can punish the second daughter-in-law, but let’s not involve the police. If there’s a next time, we won’t interfere.”

“No, you can’t do that. As the head of the family, you can’t lower yourself to beg the third daughter-in-law for the sake of the second daughter-in-law. After all, you are Guodong’s father. This… I’ll do it,” Lin’s mother disagreed with the idea of Lin’s father lowering himself in front of the third daughter-in-law for the sake of the second daughter-in-law.

After all, he was the father of the third son. If he did this, would he still have face in the future?

“If it’s useful for you to go, she wouldn’t have said such things when you asked her,” Lin’s father sighed.

He also didn’t want to lower himself in front of his daughter-in-law, but what else could he do? If the third daughter-in-law reported to the police, although it wouldn’t lead to the second daughter-in-law going to jail, it would damage their family’s reputation.

Losing face and reputation were one thing, but he didn’t want to see any rifts between his two sons because of this incident.

“Well…” Lin’s mother was extremely reluctant. Suddenly, she had an idea. “Do you think the third daughter-in-law is afraid that Yi Bao and Er Bao will tell Guodong about all the things she’s been neglecting them? If we talk to her about this matter, we can let her punish the eldest daughter-in-law, but without involving the police, wouldn’t she…”

“Don’t even think about it.” Lin’s father interrupted Lin’s mother. “If you bring up this matter, it’s not a discussion; it’s a threat. Will the third daughter-in-law just let it go? If she gets angry, who will suffer? She has given birth to three children for Guodong. Even though she neglects them, she has never abused them. Considering this, Guodong won’t do anything to her. Besides, she didn’t do anything wrong in this matter. How she raises Yi Bao and Er Bao is her own business. They’re her sons; does anyone else have the right to interfere? But the instigation by the second daughter-in-law is wrong.”

“But if neither option works, what should we do? I’m not really threatening the third daughter-in-law. I’m just trying to scare her. If it’s not feasible, then I won’t do it,” Lin’s mother was at her wit’s end.

“Let’s have lunch first, and after we finish, when we go to the third son’s house to build the chicken coop, I’ll find an opportunity to talk privately with the third daughter-in-law and try to reason with her,” Lin’s father said decisively.

Lin’s mother had no choice but to agree. Truly, she thought the third daughter-in-law had improved somewhat, but little did she know that things would escalate further, making her even more difficult to deal with.

As Lin’s parents exited the room, they saw the whole family still in the yard, eagerly watching them as they came out.

Noticing their serious expressions, everyone grew more anxious.

“Dad, mom, what’s going on?” Lin Guofeng, the eldest brother, asked.

Lin’s mother furrowed her brows deeply. “Let’s talk after lunch.”

Thus, the meal was unusually quiet. Normally, with so many people in the old house, meals were lively affairs.

But today, the adults remained silent, and even the children were unusually attentive, sensing the seriousness of the situation.

Because of the silence, the family finished their meal quickly.

After eating, Zhang Qinfang and Qian Aifen began clearing the dishes.

Several maids also carried basinfuls of dishes to be washed. Then, Lin’s mother spoke up, “Second daughter-in-law…”

Zhang Qinfang quickly caught on and put on a pleasing smile. “Mother, what’s the matter?”

“Do you remember about apologizing to the third son’s family at noon?” Lin’s mother asked.

“I remember, I remember,” Zhang Qinfang replied promptly. How could she forget? Her husband reminded her about it last night.

“Well, about that…” Lin’s mother hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject. But she had to say something to let the Second daughter-in-law know where she stood. “When you go, be sincere and try to please the third daughter-in-law. I told her at noon that you would apologize, but she… she said she wouldn’t accept the apology and would report it to the police.”

“What?” Zhang Qinfang exclaimed loudly.

Bang…

The bowl in Qian Aifen’s hand also fell to the table, startling her.

“Mom, is this matter serious enough to involve the police?” Lin Guoliang quickly interjected. “I admit my wife was wrong, and we’re ready to apologize in any way, but for the third sister-in-law to involve the police, isn’t that going too far?”

“I won’t let the police arrest me!” Zhang Qinfang shouted, panic rising in her voice. “No, I can’t be arrested by the police, I… I…” She turned and ran out.

” Wife…” Lin Guoliang chased after her, watching her run out of the yard, and without hesitation, he continued to follow.

The children in the room were scared too, and they started crying. “Dad… Mom…” Then they all ran out too.

“Look at what’s happening here,” Lin’s mother couldn’t help but complain to Ning Shu.

Lin’s father stood up. “Eldest daughter-in-law, you tidy up the house. I’ll go with the eldest son to build the chicken coop at the third son’s house. Wife, you come along too. Since the Second daughter-in-law has run off, it won’t do if no one goes to apologize to the third son’s family. Let’s go and talk to them first.”

“Of course we have to go,” Lin’s mother replied sarcastically.

Ning Shu was still unaware of the misunderstanding her casual remark had caused.

By now, they had finished lunch and were tidying up the house.

Ning Shu was taking a walk to aid digestion, with the two older boys trailing behind her. As for the youngest, he was crawling after his older brother.

“Gou Gou…” The youngest was left behind as the others walked too fast for him to keep up.

He felt frustrated. With a huff, he watched his two brother walking ahead following their mother.

Suddenly, the youngest felt an unprecedented courage surging within him. With a loud grunt, he stood up, surprising everyone.

“Sanbao?” Er Bao exclaimed in surprise. “Brother, Sanbao stood up!” Previously, Sanbao needed their support or something to hold onto nearby in order to stand up.

But now, without anything to hold onto, he was standing on his own.

Ning Shu and Yi Bao stopped in their tracks and turned to look back upon hearing Er Bao’s exclamation.

But as soon as they turned, they saw Sanbao swaying as he started to walk. Sanbao was making grunting sounds as he walked, and although he was slower than the others but he was finally able to walk.

He seemed to challenge anyone who might still underestimate him.

Seeing him walking unsteadily, Ning Shu hurried over and steadied him just before he fell.

“Sanbao…” Yibao and Er bao also approached, concerned.

“Sanbao, you don’t know how to walk yet, don’t walk,” Yibao said anxiously. He had been worried just now, watching his younger brother almost fall and then being supported by Mother.