The bald man and his accomplices were taken away, and Widow Sun was labeled as a bad element, subject to village discipline.

In the village, those labeled as bad elements had to perform hard labor and daily self-criticism.

They were not allowed to lift their heads or walk upright until they cleared their names.

Her family was disgraced as well.

Widow Sun’s two sisters-in-law were particularly furious with her.

The bald man’s assumption that he would be back home in a few months was nothing but a delusion.

Unlike the future legal system, the commune had the authority to impose severe punishments.

For cases with severe consequences, the punishment was harsh.

While petty theft might result in a few months of labor reform, the bald man and his accomplices had planned to steal from the Lu family’s compensation fund and had been scouting for more theft opportunities.

Thus, they faced a minimum sentence of five years.

Lu Changfu, though not arrested, was terrified and stayed hidden at home, afraid to come out.

“We helped solve a big case!”

The next day, Lin Shu and Lu Shaotang took their two kids back to Lin’s Family.

As soon as they arrived, the kids, Panpan and Tiantian, started excitedly talking about their adventures.

The whole family was praising the kids to the skies.

Especially Lin Shu’s parents, who were completely convinced that the kids had a big role in catching the culprit.

The kids even made money selling tea eggs while they were in the hospital, more than Lin Shu’s grandparents probably could have.

Lin Shu’s parents were very impressed with their grandchildren.

Lin’s mother said, “You should find a good man and have another child like these.”

Lin’s mother mentioned this to Lin Xia over the next few nights, expressing that she didn’t want Lin Xia to remain single.

Lin mother couldn’t agree with that idea.

“You’re only 26. How can you not find someone else?” she said. “Just because Qi Lisheng was bad doesn’t mean all men are bad. Look at your brother-in-law and your third sister’s husband—aren’t they good men?”

Seeing how much Lin Xia treasured her younger sister’s children, Lin’s mother believed she would eventually remarry.

Tiantian snuggled in Lin Xia’s arms and said, “Second Aunt will definitely have a baby as good as me.”

Lin Shu laughed and said, “That would be wonderful.”

After a while, Lin Shu wanted to visit the next-door neighbors to give New Year’s greetings.

She thought her cousin might have also returned home.

Lin’s mother sighed and said, “No need to go. Their mother isn’t well and probably only has a few days left. Your aunt and uncle have already gone.”

Lu Shaotang asked Lin Shu to stay and talk with her parents while he took Lin Yue out for a walk.

Since Lin Yue and Lin Shu’s family had received help from the village leaders and the Zhou family during their tough times, Lu Shaotang, as Lin Shu’s husband, naturally wanted to visit them for New Year’s.

They brought extra gifts with them.

Lin Shu’s parents were worried about troubling him, but Lu Shaotang insisted it was the right thing to do.

Lin Shu told her parents not to worry and let Lu Shaotang go.

Even though he didn’t enjoy social events, he was happy to do this for his wife.

After all, visiting people during New Year’s would give them a sense of respect.

Panpan wanted to go too, eager to talk about the case they had solved.

Lu Shaotang didn’t mind the kids showing off.

In fact, he was happy to take them out.

They were quite confident and didn’t worry about appearing too boastful.

Let the Three Women Speak Privately, He Took Panpan with Him

As the three women were speaking intimately, two people came in from outside.

As soon as they entered, they loudly and warmly called out, “Bow to Fourth Aunt and Uncle, and wish them a Happy New Year!”

The visitors were Lin Mu’s eldest nephew and third niece, both children of her elder brother’s family.

Lin Mu’s previously relaxed face instantly became tense.

She always felt nervous around her own family.

She instinctively wanted to greet them, but Lin Xia stopped her.

Lin Xia said, “It’s Elder Cousin and Third Cousin. Happy New Year!”

Lin Shu also got out of bed but didn’t let Lin Mu get up.

She told her to stay sitting on the kang.

If possible, Lin Shu would prefer never to see the original owner’s maternal grandparents in this lifetime!

The original owner’s maternal grandmother, Xie Laotai, was a sweet-faced but cold-hearted person who lived a very clear-eyed and harsh life.

Her husband was an honest but weak man who couldn’t afford to marry at first.

He thought he would die a bachelor, but when he finally married Xie Laotai, she had him tightly under her thumb.

She had her first daughter and son, hoping they would provide for her in her old age.

The second daughter and son were just backups.

Other children were considered a burden.

She didn’t want to give birth to or raise them.

Her third son was abandoned in the cold right after birth and froze to death.

The third daughter was thrown into a urine bucket to drown.

The eldest daughter, feeling sorry for the third brother, secretly rescued the youngest sister, cleaned her, and took care of her, but she still died before reaching a full month.

The fourth daughter, who was Lin Mu, was similarly cared for by the eldest daughter after being rescued from the urine bucket.

---

Perhaps because she was so ruthless and didn’t spoil her children, they ended up being quite filial.

When it came to the grandchildren, who didn’t have to be raised by her, she changed her strategy and became adept at winning their favor.

She favored the eldest grandson and third granddaughter from the main branch, but she also manipulated relationships among other children and parents according to her own needs and preferences.

For example, she incited the second son’s children to be estranged from their own mother, making them think she was a good person.

There were similar issues with her daughters’ families, either inciting discord between daughters and sons-in-law or between children and their parents.

Lin Mu’s family wasn’t affected by her manipulations, so she worked to create discord between the children and Lin Mu.

She brainwashed the most beautiful Lin Shu with things like “Don’t be like your grandmother(Mother of Lin’s Father), that old fox,” and..

“When you grow up, you must make money from your in-laws to support your maternal grandmother and maternal younger siblings,” shedding tears as she told the young original owner, “Your mother can survive…”

“It wasn’t easy raising children back then. Many families couldn’t keep their children alive. Your mother and I managed to raise four daughters, and I really suffered a lot. Other families with too many children who couldn’t survive would just abandon them to the wolves or dogs…”

She often told the children how hard it was to raise them, describing how she was so hungry she sometimes had bones exposed and lost several teeth just to save food for them.

But in reality, whenever there were some good things at home, she would secretly eat them herself, hiding it from the other children and her eldest son.

Old Lady Xie(Lin Mu’s Mother) never thought she did anything wrong.

She believed it was common for parents to abandon or mistreat their children if they couldn’t provide for them, and she felt she had no choice.

She not only wanted to control her own children but also wanted to control all her grandchildren, expecting them to give her money and support her and her eldest son.

For her children other than the eldest son, Old Lady Xie was demanding: if you brought gifts to her home, she’d prefer you not stay for a meal and just leave quickly.

But she would bring just a couple of rotten radishes to your home, eat and drink, and then expect you to give her some meat as a return gift.

In the past, Lin Nai’s(Lin’s Grandmother) family didn’t take much advantage of the Xie family—just the New Year’s gifts and five dollars a year in respect.

Many daughters didn’t give money to their parents’ home when they visited, as farmers only earned a few dollars a year.

Everything at home needed money for food, clothing, firewood, and other necessities.

After the second daughter married and Lin Nai passed away, the Xie family saw less of the Lin family, especially since the Sun family was more powerful and Lin’s maternal family couldn’t gain much benefit from them.

Since Lin Yue’s divorce, the Xie family started probing for more money.

Especially after Lin Yue’s divorce, with him and Lin’s father working as tractor drivers earning wages and extra income, the Xie family grew envious.

Old Lady Xie sent her eldest grandson to test Lin’s mother repeatedly, trying to get money in various ways.

Lin’s mother, being blunt and unsure how to refuse her family, was helped by Aunt Lin in turning them down.

Aunt Lin said that Lin Yue still needed to remarry and pay for the bride price, and with all the expenses for food, clothing, and raising children, there was no extra money to give away.

Lin’s mother was too embarrassed to tell her daughter about the demanding relatives, fearing it would upset her and worsen the situation with her already difficult divorce.

Today, the second day of the New Year, was supposed to be a day for daughters to visit their maternal families.

Instead, they went to Lin’s mother’s house, which was unusual.

Lin Shu sensed they were likely asking for money.

As Lin Shu and Lin Xia walked into the living room, they saw their eldest cousin, Xie Jinkui, and third cousin, Xie Jinlan, entering one after the other.

Xie Jinkui was 35 this year.

Being Old Lady Xie’s favorite eldest grandson, he was well cared for and didn’t experience much hardship, looking more like he was in his late twenties.

Same goes for Xie Jinlan, because she sought to win Xie Laotai’s favor, she enjoyed the best food and clothing at home without having to do any work, and was pampered into a delicate, tender-skinned beauty.

Her skin was fair, and she was quite good-looking.

Xie Laotai and her elder aunt constantly praised her beauty, claiming she was prettier than the “old fox” and “little fox” of the Fourth Aunt’s family, which made her unreasonably confident, thinking she was even more attractive than Lin Shu.

With such high self-esteem, she aimed to find a partner better than Lin Shu’s. She insisted on someone tall, handsome, wealthy, and at least someone with a city job and salary.

Maintaining this mindset, she was picky and selective, not settling for less. At 21, she still hadn’t found a suitable match.

When the siblings arrived, Xie Jinkui felt a bit intimidated upon seeing Lin Xia.

Xie Jinlan, upon seeing Lin Shu, was immediately envious.

Despite the cold winter, Lin Shu’s skin was still as white and moist as ever, with rosy, well-hydrated lips, not showing any dryness or peeling.

Lin Shu looked much prettier than before.

She was instantly filled with jealousy.

Xie Jinkui said, “Sisters, your grandmother is ill. Is Fourth Aunt at home?”

Lin Mu responded, “Jinkui and Jinlan, come in quickly. It’s so cold outside.”

The siblings clearly didn’t expect Lin Xia, who was known for her bold and blunt nature that often embarrassed others.

“Fourth Aunt, my grandmother is sick and is on an IV drip,” Xie Jinkui said, avoiding Lin Xia and wanting to immediately deal with Fourth Aunt.

As Lin Xia was about to retort, Lin Shu squeezed her hand and said, “Elder Cousin, my mother was also on an IV drip not long ago and had to stay in the city hospital for several days. The doctor said she shouldn’t go out, mustn’t be exposed to the cold, and should stay home to recover.”

Seeing Xie Jinkui’s confused expression, Lin Shu sneered inwardly.

Whether your grandmother is ill or not, my mother was really hospitalized.

Why didn’t you visit her then?

Xie Jinkui’s well-laid plans were disrupted by Lin Shu.

He had planned to come and inform Fourth Aunt, hoping to take her to care for their grandmother.

He intended to come bearing gifts, money, and good things for the New Year.

Although Lin Mu and Lin Father had visited their maternal home before the New Year, bringing gifts and five yuan, Xie Laotai wasn’t satisfied.

With her son being a tractor driver earning a salary, her eldest and second daughters in the city, and her third daughter’s husband being a well-paid officer, Xie Laotai expected to receive respect and financial support from her granddaughter.

She believed that if they didn’t give her money, they must have given it to someone else, so Xie Jinkui was expected to provide.

Xie Laotai knew Lin Shu’s husband was back and earning a lot of money.

She wanted to extract money from her granddaughter.

If they couldn’t get money from the Lu family, they had to figure out a way to get it from Lin’s mother.

“Your grandmother is sick. Your mother is there taking care of her. As a close granddaughter, how can you not visit? Not going would be unfilial!”

“There’s no sense of family or kindness!”

Before Xie Jinkui arrived, he never expected to be turned down.

He thought Lin Shu’s soft nature and her weak will, once away from her mother-in-law, would make her easy to manipulate.

Although they had heard Lin Shu received praise from the commune or somewhere, they didn’t believe it was her own ability and thought it was just the Lu family’s doing.

Now, with Lin Shu turning down his request in advance, he didn’t know what to do.

He couldn’t directly ask for money, could he?

Xie Jinlan had red-rimmed eyes and said, “My grandmother was unwell before the New Year. She kept saying she missed you and my cousins. She said that when Lin Shu was little, she loved visiting her grandmother’s house. Since she got married, she doesn’t visit much. Is it because her mother-in-law is strict? My grandmother is heartbroken and keeps crying.”

Lin Shu replied, “Didn’t I visit my grandmother’s house a couple of times when she was ill? I thought your family had a fox spirit issue, and that’s why I went to see.”

The siblings were furious, their faces changing color.