Lin Father and Lin Mother were really educated by this; no one had ever taught them like this before.

Lin Shu secretly gave her two children a thumbs up.

Lin Father was thinking about what he could do to earn the leaders’ praise and enhance his own prestige.

Lin Mother said, “I’m not that shameless; I don’t mind being embarrassed,” but she was actually considering which busybody she could fight with.

…

At this time, Sun Xiaohong was having a meal with her son at her parents’ house.

Sun Old Lady: “Why didn’t you bring your son-in-law? He’s so easily influenced. If you don’t keep an eye on him, he might be deceived by your mother-in-law and third sister-in-law.”

Sun Xiaohong: “Hmph, their family is a bunch of cowards. They don’t dare to do anything. How can my third sister-in-law dare to deceive anyone? She’d scare herself to death if she tried.”

Sun Old Lady: “Then why did you lock the door and run back?”

Sun Xiaohong, stubbornly: “Wasn’t it because I was afraid of what the neighbors would say? What if she went mad after her husband died? I suspect her mother-in-law forced her to go crazy. You don’t know, her sister-in-law dragged her here.”

Sun Old Lady: “So what? Last time her eldest sister-in-law came over… Do you think her mother-in-law might come next time?”

Sun Xiaohong, stubborn yet feeling insecure: “My third sister-in-law’s mother-in-law is very tough. I heard she’s unbeatable in a fight.” She turned to look at her father and brothers: “Are you up for it?”

Old Sun: “We can’t fight with her mother-in-law over a sewing machine. We’re in the wrong.”

Sun Xiaohong: “Anyway, I won’t return it to her. It was mine when I got married, and it’s still mine.”

Sun Second Brother, a straightforward and boisterous man: “Sister, don’t worry. If anyone dares to take your stuff, I’ll beat them.”

Sun Xiaohong immediately became happy: “Brother, you better keep your word.”

Just then, there were also loud announcements outside about the commune selecting tractor drivers.

…..

As the sun began to set, Sister Lu came over carrying a basket, calling out, “Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law!”

Lin Shu hurried out to greet her, insisting she come in for some water.

Sister Lu Da was reluctant but decided to stay and chat with Lin’s parents, as it was still early.

Lin Father and Lin Mother warmly welcomed Sister Lu Da, offering her specially made brown sugar water.

Sister Lu declined, saying, “I’m not thirsty,” and gave the water to Tiantian and Panpan instead.

She looked towards the back of the house, where she noticed heads peeking out, presumably eavesdropping.

Thinking about what her mother had said, she raised her voice, “Auntie, if there are any issues in this house, have your brother go to Lu Family Village to speak up. My mother-in-law said that family matters…”

She even peered out the back window, raising her voice further, “If anyone tries to bully the Lin family, they’re actually bullying our Lu family. My mother-in-law says there’s no need for men to get involved.

She can handle it all by herself. If they run their mouths, she’ll shut them up; if they’re itching for a fight, she’ll beat them up.”

The heads peeking out the back window immediately disappeared.

In the neighboring house to the east, Lin Auntie quickly crouched down to avoid being spotted by Sister Lu Da.

Lin Father and Lin Mother were somewhat stunned, unsure of what was happening.

Lin Mother even felt a bit embarrassed, thinking, “This isn’t going to upset people, is it? The neighbors will think we’re bullying and overbearing.”

She wanted to tell Sister Lu Da to be quiet but was too embarrassed, so she awkwardly fiddled with her toes.

Sister Lu Da seemed to have found a new sense of confidence, feeling as mighty as Mu Guiying from the opera.

Lin Shu took the opportunity to flatter her, saying, “Sister-in-law, you’re like the reincarnation of Mu Guiying!”

Lin Mother secretly kicked her daughter under the table, but ended up kicking Lin Father instead.

Lin Shu, still thinking about the sewing machine, checked the time and said her goodbyes to Lin Father and Lin Mother.

Before leaving, she told them, “Sometimes, keeping the peace and being kind doesn’t earn you respect from others. You have to be forceful.”

Lin Mother, worried about what others might think, hurriedly pushed her daughter, saying, “Stop talking.”

Sister LuDa had already put Panpan and Tiantian in the front basket.

Her own basket contained fabric she had bought from her family’s home and some tomatoes from her family.

Lin Father and Lin Mother also packed some things for Lin Shu.

Rural families didn’t have much to offer, so they gave her eggs, which Lin Shu refused since her own chickens and ducks provided enough.

She also declined vegetables, as her own gardens had more than enough.

Lin Shu knew that her parents hadn’t planned properly. “What are you going to do when Sun Xiaohong comes back making a fuss?”

Even though the sewing machine wasn’t actually Sun Xiaohong’s, and she couldn’t really cause trouble about it, unreasonable people often act that way.

Lin Father and Lin Mother were indeed stunned.

They hadn’t thought about that.

They were only focused on extinguishing the current fire—Lin Shu’s outburst—so they just gave her the sewing machine.

What if Sun Xiaohong comes back and causes a scene?

They hadn’t thought that far ahead.

They might have to figure it out then.

How to handle it?

Ask for the sewing machine back to appease the daughter-in-law? Or buy another one?

They had always dealt with trouble by first satisfying whoever made a fuss.

Lin Shu said, “Here’s what we can do. I’ll have Lin Yue stay at my place tonight. Since he’s not working anyway, you can stand your ground a bit when Sun Xiaohong comes back. It’s only because you were so easy to bully that she ended up marrying into our family.”

Lin Mother felt embarrassed as her shortcomings were exposed.

She regretted it, but when faced with the situation, she couldn’t come up with a good solution.

They always just muddled through, and the situation got worse over time.

Now that Lin Shu had pointed it out, Lin Mother felt a sharp sting of shame, embarrassed and a bit angry, “Enough, don’t bring up old matters in front of your Sister Lu Da. What’s done is done. The child is already born; what can we do now? We just have to accept it.”

Lin Shu knew it was futile to make them understand right away.

The saying “You can’t make a drum sound without a heavy hammer” applied here—they would never resist on their own.

In the original plot, Lin’s parents remained under Sun Xiaohong’s thumb until their deaths, living a humiliated life.

In the end, Lin Mother couldn’t even get a bowl of egg custard.

Without intervention, they would continue down the same path.

But courage isn’t something that can be trained; you either have it or you don’t.

Some people are just bullied until the end.

All she could do was teach them the most practical approach for now.

She whispered instructions to Lin Mother.

Lin Shu and Sister Lu Da, with the two children, walked north along the village road.

On the way, people peered out but didn’t come out to greet them, clearly feeling guilty.

Sister Lu Da suddenly pulled out a knife from her waist, revealing a sharp bone-cutting knife with a wooden handle!

Lin Shu was startled, “What’s going on? Where did you hide that?”

Sister Lu Da, acting dramatically, held up the knife and said, “Today, when I went back to my family, my father gave me this bone-cutting knife, saying it’s very useful.”

Then she turned towards those peeking people…

Sister Lu Da raised her voice and gestured towards the crowd, causing several people to immediately withdraw their heads in fear.

This was a gift from her father to Old Man Lu.

He thought that it would be good for his future son-in-law to carry a knife for self-defense during his medical visits.

Pan Pan and Tian Tian’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Wow, what a great knife!”

Zhao Laosan, hiding behind a haystack at the edge of the village, saw the two sisters-in-law approaching and quickly ran away in fear.

After they left, Lin Father and Lin Mother returned home to continue their work.

When Aunt Lin came back with the news, she immediately began to scold them as soon as she entered the house:

“Are you both foolish or just too honest? How could you let her in during the mourning period? This will hinder our family’s luck.”

“What kind of mothers are you who don’t consider their son’s future?”

She complained loudly.

Aunt Lin always believed that once a daughter is married off, she’s like spilled water, and a visiting daughter is a guest.

As for her and Lin Mother, they are sisters-in-law and should stick together.

In the past, Lin Father might have been unhappy but would just keep it to himself, and Lin Mother would try to placate him.

She didn’t think about it much at the time, so when the daughter returned, she felt too embarrassed to drive her away.

She thought that next time, they could just not let her in.

Now, both were affected by Lin Shu’s craziness, the scolding, and the brainwashing, making their minds a bit twisted.

Lin Father remained silent, while Lin Mother continued her sewing work without saying a word.

Aunt Lin: “Hey, I’m just thinking about our Lin family’s future. Why aren’t you speaking up?”

Lin Mother, rubbing a large needle on her forehead, sighed, “Big Sister, why didn’t you come over to support me earlier? You’re her eldest aunt, almost like her second mother. You could have intervened, but instead, you only spoke from the sidelines.”

“If you had come over, you wouldn’t have been able to escape her madness. You should have seen how it would turn out. Don’t just stand there making cynical comments.”

Aunt Lin was stunned.

She hadn’t expected Lin Mother to have such a change in attitude.

Just yesterday, she hadn’t been like this.

Could madness be contagious?

Aunt Lin felt a shiver down her spine, realizing it was best to mind her own business and go home.

She didn’t even bother to take the peaches and hurriedly left, feeling goosebumps on her arms.

Who would dare eat Lin Shu’s peaches!

What if she really was cursed?

Anyone seeing the previously timid and reserved woman now standing at the crossroads, hands on hips, shouting and scolding her family, would feel uneasy.

A woman whose husband has died should really not be provoked; she’s truly mad!

From then on, Lin Shu became famous in Linjia Village for her craziness.