Chapter 23: Inquiring

On this day, Li Donghai’s friend, Chen Dong, arrived in a truck after inquiring about Li Lin’s location. As he approached the brigade, he saw a group of women bullying two young girls.

He quickly got out of the truck and shouted, “What’s going on here?”

The women, startled by the commotion, turned to see a tall, strong man. They spat in the direction of Li Lin and Hu Yingying before turning to leave.

Li Lin breathed a sigh of relief as the women walked away. She turned to Chen Dong and greeted him, “Uncle Chen, what brings you here? My dad said you wouldn’t arrive until a few days later.”

“Little Lin, tell me, did they hurt you? Did you get injured?” Chen Dong asked anxiously, rushing towards Li Lin.

He couldn’t believe that Li Lin had been bullied so badly, and he worried about what might have happened when he wasn’t around.

“I’m fine, Uncle Chen. They just dare to insult me with words, but they don’t dare to lay a hand on me,” Li Lin replied truthfully. Since she had threatened those women with a knife a few days ago, they had only dared to insult her verbally, not physically.

Chen Dong was relieved that Li Lin wasn’t hurt, but he was also furious. “Where is the brigade leader? Don’t they care about what’s going on?” he asked.

“Uncle Chen, let’s not talk about this anymore. Come and sit down, and I’ll cook you a meal,” Li Lin said, trying to change the subject.

Chen Dong smiled and agreed. Li Lin introduced him to Hu Yingying, and they all walked towards the truck.

As they drove to the youth settlement, a group of children playing under the trees excitedly followed the truck, shouting, “A car! A big car with four wheels!”

When they arrived, Li Lin pointed out her living quarters and said, “Uncle Chen, we’re here. The room behind is where I live.”

Hu Yingying excused herself to go prepare a meal, despite Li Lin’s protests.

Chen Dong complimented Li Lin’s living arrangements, saying, “You’re living quite comfortably here. It’s a single room, too.”

Li Lin explained that she had rented the single room for one yuan a month. The other houses in the area were dormitories where other young people lived.

As Chen Dong sat down, Li Lin offered him a bowl of sugar water and they started chatting.

“I agree, it’s tough enough living in the countryside. If we have the means, we should just rent our own place,” Chen Dong said, nodding in agreement.

He then asked Li Lin if she had enough money and offered to give her some if she needed it. Li Lin assured him that her parents had given her enough money and she was fine.

Chen Dong put away his wallet, saying, “If you need money, just let me know. I have some here for you.”

Li Lin promised to ask if she needed any and then busied herself with cooking.

Chen Dong, seeing that Li Lin was occupied, put down his bowl and walked to the doorway. He approached a group of children who were curiously looking at the truck and asked, “Kids, can I ask you something?”

The children looked at each other but didn’t say a word.

Chen Dong was left with no choice but to hand out the candies and ask the children, “If you tell me everything that’s been happening to Li Lin in the brigade, I’ll give you all the candies.”

The children looked at each other, and finally, a small boy named Yige spoke up, “Big Uncle, Li Lin is now working on cutting grass in the brigade. She has to cut four baskets of grass a day and can do whatever she wants, but she only earns three work points a day.”

Chen Dong was pleased with the news and nodded in satisfaction. He knew that Li Lin was clever and had found a way to get out of the tough work.

He handed two candies to the boy.

“Big Uncle, I know that Li Lin offended some of the aunts in the brigade, and they come to her house every day to scold her and even throw excrement on her,” said another child.

“I know that Li Lin got into trouble with some delinquents two days ago. They bullied her at the river, and Li Lin took out her knife and chased them away. Then she took them to the police station,” added a bigger child.

Chen Dong’s expression changed as he listened to the children’s stories. He couldn’t believe that his niece had been through so much and was even on the verge of being bullied.

However, he knew that he had to understand the situation before he could find a solution.

“Yeah, those delinquents were sent away for a few years. The aunts were upset and took out their anger on Li Lin,” Chen Dong confirmed.

He then asked the children, “Is there anyone else bullying Li Lin?”

“There are two other know-nothings who were with the delinquents,” said one of the children. “They were sent away, and the people in the brigade said they won’t come back.”

Chen Dong thanked the children and handed them all the candies.

After that, he sat back on the chair, looking thoughtful.

“Li Lin, I’ve decided to stay here for a few days. Can you find me a place to stay for the night?” Chen Dong asked, not washing his hands.

Li Lin was surprised by Chen Dong’s words. She looked at the children outside who were fighting over the candies and then back at Chen Dong, who looked concerned.

“Ah, Uncle Chen, is there something you know that I don’t?” Li Lin asked, looking puzzled.

Chen Dong smiled and said, “Good thing I came here, or we wouldn’t have known about your situation. Don’t worry, I’ll stay here and help you resolve your problems, and I’ll leave only after you’re okay.”

Li Lin was touched by Chen Dong’s words, but she still looked worried.

Chen Dong didn’t wait for Li Lin to answer and went inside to wash his hands. He brought out a bowl and chopsticks and sat down to eat.

Li Lin was left with no choice but to go ask Hu Yingying to join her for dinner.

“I’ve set aside some food for myself, so I won’t eat it. You can go join your uncle instead,” Li Lin said, sending Hu Yingying to join Chen Dong.

Meanwhile, Fang Mingyi, Zhu Lirong, Han Xue, and Lin Meiya returned to the back yard and saw Li Lin and a middle-aged man eating at the door. They all frowned in concern.