Chapter 6: Aunt Zeng’s Son Was Arrested

Lin Yiran returned home carrying a basket full of fruit and followed by two dogs. When she pushed open the courtyard gate, she saw her second sister-in-law feeding the chickens, while her little nephew, having just finished breakfast, was playing with mud.

“Second Sister-in-law, I’m back! I picked so many fruits.” Lin Yiran lifted the basket to show her.

Her sister-in-law beamed with joy. These fruits were the sweetest, and she appreciated her little sister’s effort.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Yiran said as she washed a few fruits and handed them to her sister-in-law, her nephew, and her mother, who was busy in the kitchen. She then soaked the rest of the fruits in the well water to keep them fresh.

Although it was a rest day, her mother and second sister-in-law couldn’t keep their hands idle. After feeding the chickens, her sister-in-law began working on clothes. She loved sewing, and not long ago the family had obtained two fine pieces of cloth. At her mother-in-law’s suggestion, she was to make new clothes for her, the eldest sister-in-law, and Yiran.

Her mother-in-law was a kind, fair woman—never making things difficult for her daughters-in-law, never hiding anything or playing favorites.

Because of this, the second sister-in-law treated both her mother-in-law and little sister-in-law well. Today, she decided to use her free time to make clothes for Yiran first.

As Lin Yiran ate fruit, she watched from the side. Her thoughts, however, were uneasy. She didn’t know how her second brother was faring.

That morning, Lin Weimin had gone to town early. He first reported in at the tractor factory, then chatted casually with the security guard at the gate, Uncle Chen.

Weimin was diligent and quick-witted, so he got along well with people at the factory.

“Uncle Chen, have you seen Lin Jianshan from our village lately? He hasn’t been working the fields for days,” Weimin asked in a casual tone.

Uncle Chen accepted the cigarette Weimin offered. “That Jianshan from your village is nothing but a loafer—always drinking and gambling. Just yesterday I saw him at that shop over there. He’s probably still gambling inside.”

“Really? His parents are worried and asked me to look for him. But where am I supposed to find him? Forget it, I’ll just leave it.” Weimin waved dismissively. “Uncle Chen, I’ll head in to work now.”

“All right. If I see him, I’ll let you know,” Uncle Chen, being warm-hearted, replied.

“Great, thanks,” Weimin nodded and went inside.

There wasn’t much work at the tractor factory on normal days. Once the tractors were cleaned and inspected, there was little else to do until a unit requested them.

After finishing his tasks, Weimin glanced at the time and called over his coworker Huang Tonghai.
“Tonghai, didn’t your brother say the town’s been cracking down hard on gambling lately?”

Tonghai, who was close friends with him, had also just finished checking his machine and hopped down.
“Yeah, Brother Weimin. My brother said it’s serious this time. Anyone caught will be locked up for ten days to half a month. You’d better stay away from that stuff.”

Tonghai’s older brother worked in the town’s disciplinary office, so he always had first-hand news.

“Don’t worry. When have I ever gambled?” Weimin said with a smile. With this confirmed information, he calculated that Uncle Lin should return the day after tomorrow. The busy farming season would end in about ten days.

Once the harvest was over, his eldest brother would work with Uncle Lin on transportation runs. With Jianshan locked up, he wouldn’t be able to cause trouble for his eldest brother.

At noon, they all went for lunch. Afterward, Weimin slipped out for a while and returned with a smile tugging at his lips.

In the afternoon, the master craftsman gave them a lecture. Just as class ended, Weimin saw Uncle Chen running over.

“Weimin, that Jianshan from your village got arrested for gambling. He’ll be locked up for at least half a month. Make sure to tell his family when you go back tonight.”

Uncle Chen sighed in frustration for Jianshan’s parents. If his own child behaved like that, it would drive him to an early grave.

Back in Lotus Village, at the Lin family’s courtyard, Yiran snapped out of her daze. Her second sister-in-law had already cut the fabric, and the shape of the dress was taking form.

“Second Sister-in-law, your sewing is amazing. Maybe one day you could even open a clothing shop.”

Lin Yiran’s second sister-in-law was amused by her words and laughed.
“How could that be? Clothing shops are all state-run, and you need ration coupons for fabric. How could I possibly open one?”

Lin Yiran grinned. “But Second Sister-in-law, your sewing is so good. Maybe you’ll have the chance one day. If the village girls see me wearing such a beautiful dress and ask me about it, I’ll tell them you made it. I’m sure they’ll want you to sew for them too.”

“All right then—when your Second Sister-in-law starts making money, I’ll give you a share.” Her sister-in-law thought Yiran was joking and laughed along with her.

“By the way, little sister, I need to tell you something.” Her second sister-in-law glanced at their mother-in-law, who was busy in the kitchen. Their mother-in-law was good in every way, except she could never be firm when it came to her own family.

Her mother-in-law had lived a hard life. Born into poverty, she was the second child in a family that strongly favored boys. All the good things were saved for her younger brother, while she was constantly overlooked.

That uncle was completely unreliable—already an adult, yet still living off his parents, doing nothing but drinking and gambling. But whenever the grandmother cried and complained, their mother-in-law would rush to help.

As the family’s conditions improved, her grandparents and uncle clung to her like leeches. Thankfully, the father-in-law made the final decisions at home. As long as she wasn’t face-to-face with her family, she could listen to reason.

“I heard from Guihua yesterday that Uncle owes money again. Auntie was so angry she went back to her mother’s house. I’m guessing Uncle will be coming here soon to borrow money.”

Guihua was a fellow villager of their mother-in-law’s. She had married into the same village a few years back, and she and the second sister-in-law were close friends.

At the mention of her uncle, Lin Yiran immediately bristled with anger.

The troubles with her uncle and grandparents could take three days and nights to recount. In the past, to avoid upsetting their mother, they had simply tried to keep her from meeting her family.

But their mother was a filial daughter. During holidays, she always went back, bringing plenty of food and gifts, and even giving money to her parents. Yet she always returned empty-handed.

They never blamed her for showing filial piety, but Yiran couldn’t forget what she had read in the book: in that story, when the uncle came to borrow money, their father refused. Even after the children persuaded their mother, she didn’t agree either.

Out of spite, the uncle conspired with others to lure Yiran away, leading to her tragic death in a distant place. Because of that, the Lin family suffered ruin: Wang Fang (their mother) died of grief, the eldest brother was killed in a car accident, and the second brother was stabbed and gravely injured. The family was destroyed.

Thinking of this, Lin Yiran clenched her teeth in hatred. Once the matter with Lin Jianshan was resolved, she would make sure her mother stayed far away from her grandmother and uncle.

“I understand, Second Sister-in-law. Let’s just stay alert. If Uncle really comes next rest day, I’ll take Mother into town.”

“All right. Your second brother and I will send him away if he comes. We’re used to handling this.” With that, her sister-in-law felt much more at ease.

Their father came home, and the family sat down for lunch. Afterward, Yiran took the fruits out of the well, kept half, and shared the rest for everyone to eat.

Once the meal was done, her sister-in-law returned to her sewing. Yiran washed the dishes and then read a storybook before taking a nap. When she woke, it was nearly five o’clock.

Stretching lazily, she stepped outside. The courtyard was quiet. She wandered over to the vegetable patch, where they had planted a few vegetables and, at her insistence, some watermelons.

The watermelons were nearly ripe, and she was already imagining how good they would taste. Just then, noise erupted outside—the villagers were saying someone had fainted.

Her second sister-in-law came running in, smiling with excitement.
“Little sister, come see! The police came to Aunt Zeng’s house. They said Lin Jianshan was caught gambling in a group and even fighting. He’s going to be locked up for half a month. Aunt Zeng fainted on the spot!”

When Lin Yiran heard the news, she knew her second brother’s plan had worked.

Ashamed, Lin Jianshu quickly shut the gates as soon as the police left.

That evening, the eldest brother’s family returned, and the second brother came back from town as well. Aunt Zeng regained consciousness and wailed like a ghost, insisting on saving her son. She claimed he was innocent—until Lin Jianshu slapped her across the face.

Although Yiran disliked Aunt Zeng, she despised Lin Jianshu even more. Back when he was competing with her father for the village chief’s position, he had pretended to be righteous while pushing Aunt Zeng to the front lines.

As for his children, he always favored sons over daughters. Lin Jianshan had turned out this way because of his indulgence. And now he even vented his anger on Aunt Zeng. To Yiran, he was utterly contemptible.