Xie Jinlan was about to retort, but Lin Shu cut her off, “By the way, last year when the Sun family came over to cause trouble, why didn’t you come to support us? No one was there for us, and we were completely drained by the Sun family! You didn’t see how they came at us like bullies; we were no match for them. They made my mother so sick, she ended up in the hospital without money, and my second sister had to borrow from the leaders. You know my money is all with my mother-in-law; I didn’t have a single penny.”

“So you only think of family when it’s convenient for you? When there’s something to gain, but never when there’s a need?”

The siblings’ expressions changed.

They knew about the trouble with the Sun family, but their grandmother said that once a daughter is married, she’s like spilled water—there’s no looking back at her family’s issues.

Their grandmother also said that Lin Yue’s divorce was not only a disgrace for the Lin family but also reflected badly on the Xie family.

She was even thinking of finding new, reliable partners for Lin Yue and Lin Shu to avoid further scandal.

Previously, when Lin Nai was alive, she controlled everything, and Xie Jinlan couldn’t interfere.

Now that Lin Nai was gone, Xie Jinlan felt she should have a say in Lin Yue and Lin Shu’s matters.

However, when Lin Shu’s husband returned, she had to let that go but still had her sights on Lin Yue.

Xie Jinlan and Xie Jinkui had been raised by Old Lady Xie, who never hid anything from them.

She was genuinely good to her favored people and maintained good relationships with others, but she was extremely harsh and calculating toward her less favored children and relatives.

Hearing Lin Shu’s remarks, Xie Jinkui didn’t know how to ask his aunt to share the medical expenses for his grandmother.

He muttered, “The Sun family… were they really that bad? I heard that my sister’s husband is back—didn’t he do anything about it?”

Lin Xia replied, “Cousin, what are you thinking? My third sister’s husband isn’t someone who would just go and fight people!”

Xie Jinlan, seeing that Lu Shaotang and others weren’t around, asked, “What about Uncle and Brother-in-law?”

She wasn’t interested in discussing the Sun family or Lin’s mother’s illness.

Her goal was different from Xie Jinkui’s. While Xie Jinkui wanted continuous financial support from his aunt, she wanted to find a good match for herself.

Their grandmother used to handle everything and now wanted to ensure she found a good partner to support her and her elder brother in the future.

Lin’s mother mentioned that she had gone out for New Year’s greetings and invited them to have tea and snacks while showing concern for how the old lady was doing.

Xie Jinkui, feeling embarrassed by Lin Xia and Lin Shu’s cold attitudes, eagerly took this opportunity to embellish his story.

Xie Laotai’s “illness” was largely a matter of convenience.

If she wanted to appear sick, she could easily look pale and weak the next day, making it seem like she was on the verge of death within ten days.

Her children and grandchildren would then be compelled to visit her, bringing money and gifts.

When she felt it was enough, she’d start to recover almost immediately.

This tactic of feigning illness was a way to extract money from her family, and she had used it successfully with her eldest son’s family.

Xie Jinkui reassured, “Fourth Aunt, don’t worry. Grandmother isn’t seriously ill; it’s just her old ailments acting up. She always says that when she was young, the family was so poor that they barely had enough to eat. She’d drink water to stave off hunger and chew on grass roots when they had nothing else, even eating worms she’d find as a rare treat.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes. “Grandmother suffered a lot. Back then, during the winter, she had no cotton clothing and had to work outside, bundling leaves and dry grass around her to stay warm. Her body was covered in frostbite, and the leaves even started to grow on her…”

Lin Mu, already emotional, started crying uncontrollably. “My poor mother…”

Lin Xia and Lin Shu exchanged glances.

Their mother had been emotionally manipulated again.

Every time she heard about her mother’s hardships and poverty, she would feel a pang of sympathy.

But Lin Mu’s confusion was understandable—these were her mother’s hardships!

Xie Laotai projected an image of a self-sacrificing, suffering mother in front of her children and grandchildren. In reality, what had she truly suffered?

When there was something good to eat at home, Xie Laotai always made sure she had the best portion.

When there was cotton, she made sure it was used to warm her own body.

The ones who truly suffered were Lin Mu’s siblings and her.

As children, they were expected to work hard while barely having enough to eat.

They lived like wild weeds, struggling for survival—whether it was stealing crops or gnawing on roots.

They lived in harsh conditions, often going hungry.

During the harsh months of early spring, they were forced to eat whatever they could find, including insects, to stave off starvation.

Despite this, they were frequently beaten and scolded by Xie Laotai while trying their best to work hard and avoid eating at home.

Lin Shu and Lin Xia had heard these stories from their elder aunt and grandmother when they were young.

Their elder aunt was responsible for cooking and housework and often got punished for secretly saving food for her younger siblings.

The younger aunt, starving, would go to relatives’ houses to get some food.

The younger uncle, being a boy, could sometimes get food from his grandfather.

Lin Mu, at around ten years old, went to Lin’s family village to dig for potatoes, as it was far from Xie’s family and would not bring shame to her parents even if she was caught and beaten.

Unfortunately, she almost poisoned herself by eating sprouted potatoes, but Lin Father managed to save her.

This backstory often came up during arguments between Lin Xia and Lin Mu, where Lin Xia would blame her mother for constantly seeking sympathy while neglecting the real struggles of her siblings.

Lin’s father had quietly advised her that her maternal uncle’s family wasn’t very good to their children.

Since then, Lin Xia stopped arguing with her mother and began confronting her maternal aunt and others who came to the house asking for things.

She was so fierce that even Old Lady Xie scolded her for being selfish and warned her that she might not get married if she kept acting this way.

Lin’s mother used to be very understanding about how hard it was to raise children.

After she married, she worked tirelessly and didn’t dare to take anything from the family.

Instead, she would save from her own meals to support her parents.

As a result, she was so hungry that she lost her first child.

It wasn’t until she had angered Lin Nai by her excessive frugality that she started speaking harshly.

Lin Nai criticized her for not knowing her place and reminded her of how Old Lady Xie had frozen her third son to death and tried to drown her and her third sister.

“Your maternal family treats you like grass, and you think that’s a blessing? If you and your big brother get cornmeal, your big brother gets steamed buns every meal. You still feel sorry for him?”

“Why don’t you pity yourself?”

“How shameless are you?”

Lin’s mother finally regained her senses.

She felt more sympathy for her husband and children and stopped saving food to support her parents.

However, her second aunt and uncle were severely exploited.

To ensure that the second child kept working without being a burden, Old Lady Xie married him off in his thirties to a woman in her forties with some intellectual disabilities, without paying a bride price.

The couple has no children and works like beasts of burden in the Xie household, starting work as soon as they open their eyes and never eating at the table.

The second aunt worked at home until she was twenty-eight, when she married a 36-year-old bachelor.

Although there was little bride price, she didn’t have to deal with in-laws and had to help at her parents’ house during busy farming seasons.

Old Lady Xie claimed that raising children was difficult, and many families abandoned their daughters.

She didn’t, and even raised them up, so they should repay her. If they didn’t, she considered them ungrateful.

The second aunt’s husband was a simple, unremarkable man, and most of their earnings were taken by Old Lady Xie.

Compared to them, Lin’s mother had truly escaped hardship.

Old Lady Xie had always controlled her children tightly from a young age.

Now, her children actively showed filial piety without needing to be coerced or complained about.

Old Lady Xie had a good reputation outside and rarely caused trouble.

For example, when she asked Lin’s mother for things and was refused, she didn’t create a scene.

She had her eldest daughter-in-law ask Lin Shu for things, and even when Fang Dihua stopped her, she didn’t cause a fuss.

Lin Shu said, “Mother, your heart condition still isn’t fully healed. The doctor said you shouldn’t be exposed to the cold. It won’t help to worry about Grandma’s illness and make yourself anxious. You should stay home and take care of Bao’er. Tomorrow, the three of us will go visit Grandma.”

Lin’s mother wiped her tears, recalling the hardship of foraging for roots in her childhood and the hunger she endured.

The pain felt like having a huge hole in her stomach, burning and aching intensely.

She understood how difficult things were, so when she heard that Xie Jinkui had experienced such hardship back then, she instantly empathized and felt very heartbroken.

It was hard to say whether she was more heartbroken for her mother or for herself—either way, it was just uncomfortable.

Xie Jinlan said to Lin Shu, “Have My brothers-in-law arrived? Let them come too. Grandma is also thinking of you, saying you’re like her precious granddaughter.”

Lin Shu gave her a glance and replied, “Sure.”

Xie Jinlan smiled and looked at Lin Shu’s clothes, noticing they were a bit different from others’.

Today, Lin Shu wore a blue diagonally striped coat.

At first glance, it looked like everyone else’s, but on closer inspection, it was different. It wasn’t a straight cut but had a waist!

Wearing a padded jacket with a cinched waist—how stylish!

Her pants were also slim at the cuffs, so even with padded pants, they didn’t look bulky like everyone else’s.

And she was wearing a shirt underneath? How did she manage to show such a large white collar?

The collar was dazzlingly white, making Lin Shu’s skin look even fairer and more delicate.

It was really showing off.

In the dead of winter, wearing a shirt under a padded jacket—did she have that?

It must have been bought by Lu Shaotang from somewhere else.

She had seen a similar shirt worn by the daughter of a village secretary in the city. It was bought from the Dahuicheng market, and the collar wasn’t as nice. It cost ten yuan!

That girl said the styles in Hong Kong were better—celebrity-style hairdos, red lipstick, and big collars were so fashionable.

That kind of shirt cost twelve yuan.

Was Lin Shu’s shirt like that?

She immediately felt envious and jealous. Why did Lin Shu get to have it first?

She was only a year younger.

Meanwhile, Xie Jinkui was being very sweet, constantly showing concern for Lin’s mother, calling her “Auntie” repeatedly.

Lin Shu noticed how skilled he was.

No wonder he was the most beloved grandchild of Old Lady Xie.

He would turn his back on you the moment he was done with you.

But when he wanted something, he was all warmth, as if they had never been apart.