Chapter 32: All the Way to the Old Lin Family

“Dad, if you want to go, just go by yourself!”

“And if you go today, don’t come back!” In the backyard, Lin Wencheng, who had overheard the commotion in the front yard, felt a deep sense of disappointment towards Lin Dayou after hearing his attitude toward the old Lin family.

They were all working for the sake of the family, while his father, moments ago self-reproaching for not providing a better life for them, then allowed outsiders to bully them.

“Dad, have you ever considered that the reason why our second sister is so furious is entirely due to your attitude and behavior?

Have you thought about why our third brother is lying sick in bed? It’s because he took the brunt for you.

And now, you not only fail to seek justice for our third brother but allow the old Lin family to bully us. When our second sister was being robbed of her marriage by them, did you stand firm?

Have you ever thought that everything we endure is because of you, your inaction, your so-called foolish piety, and your lack of resolve…”

“Are you really so oblivious to the dangers our second sister faced in the mountains? How can you have the face to blame her for anything?

I just want to ask you, Dad, how do you feel seeing your sister covered in blood? How can you bear to say such cold-hearted words to her…”

The more Lin Wencheng spoke, the more agitated he became. By the end, he was shouting, tears brimming in his eyes as he looked at Lin Dayou.

While Lin Luoxi’s criticism had made Lin Dayou angry, Wencheng’s direct accusations about his cowardice stripped away the last of Lin Dayou’s defenses.

He was left speechless, ultimately sitting on the ground with his head in his hands, weeping softly.

“Hubby…” Lin Wang rarely saw her man in such a state and felt softened, wanting to console him.

“Mom don’t sympathize with Dad. If it weren’t for his inability to resist, in this age where a wife must obey her husband, we wouldn’t have suffered so much!”

Lin Wencheng noticed Lin Wang moving towards Lin Dayou and quickly called out to stop her.

For the past few days, he had hoped their family could finally live more independently, united and improving together. Thus, he had tried to overlook Lin Dayou’s past actions.

But today, after hearing the conversation between his father and Lin Luoxi, all the pent-up resentment within him finally erupted.

His second sister, Lin Luoxi, had fought a wild boar in the mountains, risking her life, while his father couldn’t even protect their home.

“Dad, you can pack your things and go serve the old Lin family, live as their son if you want. We’ll just pretend you’re not our father and shut the door to live our own lives…”

Lin Wencheng was fed up with the current state of affairs where his father only knew how to remain silent and allow such situations to worsen. He spoke with determination.

Seeing her son becoming firm, Lin Wang felt even more pleased and decided to stand with him, joining in the silence to express her stance.

“What? Wencheng, are you really abandoning your own father?” Lin Dayou finally found his voice, looking up in disbelief at Lin Wencheng.

Seeing Lin Wencheng’s similarly cold expression, he noticed that his wife was also looking at him with an expressionless face.

He began to feel dazed, realizing that he no longer knew when his wife and children had started to look at him with such disappointment.

Lin Wencheng’s words struck at his heart, rendering him unable to argue back and too scared to do so. He understood that the current situation at home was indeed a result of his own weakness and incompetence.

Moreover, as a boy, Lin Wencheng would ultimately depend on him to support the family in the future, so he could not bring himself to criticize Wencheng for unearthing his hidden failings right in front of him.

“But, but…” Lin Dayou stammered, not knowing why he had already decided to cut off connections with the old Lin family but was struggling against the idea when faced with the sight of the two elderly, gray-haired folks.

“Dad, if you dare to stop our second sister today, then you are no longer our father!” Lin Wencheng said, turning away from Lin Dayou, unable to look at his father’s tear-streaked face.

“Mom, you keep watch here. If Dad tries anything, you can pack his things. I’ll personally send him to the old Lin family.”

At that moment, each person in their family was striving hard to improve their lives; if their father was going to drag them down, he would rather not have him as a father.

After making this clear to Lin Wang, Lin Wencheng gave Lin Dayou not even a glance and marched back to the backyard—their secret hideout.

“Ah!” Lin Wang listened to what Lin Wencheng said and obediently nodded. She took a small stool and sat down next to her husband, intently watching him.

Lin Dayou looked at Lin Wencheng’s departing figure and then at the silent woman beside him, letting out a long sigh.

“Dear, am I really as much of a failure as the kids say?” Every family goes through such hardships—why was it that, in his case, it had become something that everyone condemned?

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that I once thought the man I chose could be my harbor protecting us from the storm, giving our children a warm and healthy environment to grow up in.

Even if we were poor, as long as we had hope, it would be enough.

I’ve been hoping for so many years, yet there’s still nothing to show for it.

But now, I see hope in my children, so I naturally have to listen to them,” Lin Wang said, her expression shifting from longing to despair, then from despair to hope.

Indeed, today, Lin Luoxi and Lin Wencheng’s actions, though a bit rebellious, had finally shown Lin Wang a glimmer of hope after years of being tormented by the old Lin family.

“I, I, I…”

Lin Dayou had initially sought comfort from Lin Wang but found himself at a loss for words after hearing her simple yet powerful statements. He could only mumble incoherently, unable to say much more.

To sever ties with his parents for his wife and children and to dare to confront the biased treatment from his family would ideally lead to them relying on and admiring him even more.

But instead, he was only hiding his inner weaknesses.

Regardless of what Lin Dayou was thinking, Lin Luoxi wielded the kitchen knife and marched straight to the old Lin family.

The streets were nearly deserted. In the countryside, there were few forms of entertainment at night, and with oil for the lamps being costly, most families slept once it got dark.

Lin Luoxi hurried to the old Lin family’s house, and upon seeing the tightly shut gate, she did not hesitate. She kicked the wooden door made of two planks, determined to make her point clear.