Old Sun’s face turned pale with shock, and his two sons’ faces flushed with anger. They wanted to react, but Old Sun quickly stopped them.

He decided to be direct and asked Lin Shu to persuade Lin Yue not to get a divorce.

Lin Shu washed her hands and said, “Mr. Sun, it’s not that I don’t want to help. But tell me, does your daughter want to stay with me or with Lin Yue? If she wants to stay with me, I’d be happy to help. But if she wants to stay with Lin Yue, I can only do so much. I can’t force her every time, and you might end up resenting me.”

Old Sun tried to save face, “It’s not your fault. It’s mainly because Lin Yue insists on getting a divorce. He listens to you, so your words will carry weight.”

Lin Shu replied, “He never listened to me before. If he did, the sewing machine would have been returned already, wouldn’t it?”

Old Sun’s face burned with embarrassment.

He apologized again, “The sewing machine issue was my fault. I’m to blame for the embarrassment. I’ll discuss with my sons and arrange to buy a new sewing machine for your daughter. We’ll gather 200 yuan for it. If you agree, we’ll give this money to Lin Yue.”

Old Sun was making a significant concession.

He had hoped to avoid addressing the old issues and hoped that buying the sewing machine would stop Lin Shu from pressing for more details.

However, Lin Shu saw through their ulterior motives.

She refused to be swayed and gave them a harsh reprimand, practically stripping Old Sun’s family of their dignity.

Sun San added with a forced smile, “Third Sister, it’s all our fault. My sister is willing to apologize and admit her mistakes. From now on, the household will be managed by the elders. She is just a younger person and cannot take over. She has also agreed to work in the fields to earn work points.”

Old Sun’s efforts to manipulate the situation were met with Lin Shu’s stern response.

She questioned the Sun family’s actions and refused to be deceived by their attempts to blame the sewing machine for their troubles.

Old Sun was furious and humiliated, feeling as if his face had been thoroughly wiped clean.

His frustration was evident as he faltered, almost collapsing from the intensity of his emotions.

Lin Shu called out to her father-in-law, Old Lu , who quickly intervened to prevent Old Sun from causing any more trouble.

Old Lu gave Old Sun a sharp slap on the top of his head, a painful pinch to his nose, and a firm hit to the chest, bringing him back to his senses.

Old Lu helped Old Sun to sit under the eaves, asking if he had eaten yet.

Old Sun, pretending to be weak and disoriented, admitted that he hadn’t eaten properly for days due to the stress over his daughter.

Lin Shu was irked by their persistent attempts to shift the blame onto her family, making it clear that if they didn’t address the real issues, she wouldn’t be persuaded to let go of the matter.

At that moment, Sun Er rushed into the village, frantically asking about the Lu family’s whereabouts.

He informed them, “Dad, Dad, Xiao Hong… she jumped into the river!”

Old Sun was alarmed, shouting, “My daughter!”

Lin Shu seized the opportunity to suggest, “Mr. Sun, you should go check on her quickly. We wouldn’t want people to say that your daughter beat her mother-in-law and then threatened her family by jumping into the river.”

Her comment implied that Sun’s family might be trying to manipulate public opinion by creating a dramatic scene to blame Lin’s family.

She suspected that this was their attempt to continue pressuring her family.

Old Sun was caught off guard by Lin Shu’s sharpness.

His attempt to play the victim had backfired.

He sighed heavily, “Lin Shu, one must be tolerant and leave room for reconciliation.”

Fang Dihua wasn’t pleased with Old Sun’s attempt to deflect responsibility and responded, “Exactly. You should clarify the past issues properly. If you keep dragging this out, even if there’s no divorce now, the problems will resurface in the future.”

Old Sun and his sons were visibly displeased, feeling that Fang Dihua was meddling in their affairs.

Fang Dihua added, “Don’t underestimate my daughter-in-law. She may seem tough, but she has her principles and will stand firm. You should address the issues honestly rather than trying to shift blame.”

This exchange highlighted the deepening conflict between the two families, with Lin Shu and her allies refusing to be manipulated by the Sun family’s schemes.

Lin Shu realized that there must be some unresolved issues between the two families.

She didn’t want to waste more time and dismissed Old Sun, not giving him another chance to perform.

Old Sun was so furious he nearly spat blood as he left with his sons.

Sister Lu Da said “What happened back then was quite upsetting. My family knows about it. They took advantage of Lin Yue’s naivety and manipulated him. Despite being strong and handsome, Lin Yue was easily deceived.”

At the door, Old Sun and his sons were fuming.

Fang Dihua then asked, “So how did you manage to manipulate Lin Yue? Wasn’t it somewhat dishonorable?”

Sun Er retorted angrily, “Auntie, what are you saying? Lin Yue and my sister were caught in bed by me. How could that not be true?”

Fang Dihua sneered, “If he was involved with your sister, why didn’t you report him to the commune for misconduct? If it was mutual consent, why was he caught in such a trap?”

Sun Er was caught off guard because he had orchestrated the trap himself.

Old Sun, realizing the Lu family’s intention to embarrass him and unwilling to assist further, quickly urged his sons to leave.

Lin Shu’s confrontation with Old Sun seemed to have the effect of exposing the truth, and the Lu family took great pleasure in the outcome.

Fang Dihua suggested that Old Sun’s sons should write a letter about what happened, believing that their sons would appreciate such transparency.

Sister Lu Da admired Lin Shu greatly, nearly to the point of reverence, and praised her openly, causing Sister Lu Er to become even more annoyed.

Fang Dihua noticed and jokingly said to Sister Lu Er, “You should be careful; too much draft can make your face crooked.”

Sister-in-law Lu Er, feeling threatened by what she perceived as Lin Shu’s manipulation, believed that Lin Shu had allied with her mother-in-law and Sister Lu Da to target her.

After breakfast, Fang Dihua suggested that Sister Lu Da accompany Lin Shu back to her family’s home, fearing that Old Sun might cause trouble.

Once everyone else had left for work or school, Lin Shu took the children to play and then returned home to find Sister-in-law Lu Da preparing a bone-cutting knife.

“Big Sister-in-law, let’s go take a look. We’re not going to kill anyone, so you don’t need to bring a knife.

Sister-in-law Lu Da: “But I think carrying a knife adds to my authority! Can Mu Guiying not carry a sword?”

Lin Shu: “….”

The two sisters-in-law entered Lin’s family compound, striding south from the northern side.

Sister-in-law Lu Da’s imposing manner scared Zhao Mother and the nearby women, making them quickly retreat.

Even though it was work time, the alley of Lin’s family was still crowded with layers of old men, old women, and children.

It seemed like all the idle people in the village who weren’t working had come over.

Seeing Lin Shu and Sister-in-law Lu Da arriving, they all stepped aside, saying, “Lin Shu has come back, quickly let her in.”

“Mu Guiying is here, don’t block her way, be careful or she might punch you to death.”

Old Sun and his sons were huddled in the main room, smoking dry tobacco, causing the room to be filled with smoke and choking.

Lin Yue was also sitting in the main room, remaining silent.

Sun’s wife and a daughter-in-law were in the west room with Sun Xiaohong, who was crying.

Lin’s mother had been scared by Sun Er and was hooked up to an IV drip again, lying on the kang (a traditional heated bed) looking weak and ill.

Her complexion was sallow; she was genuinely sick, not pretending.

Lin’s father sat beside her, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief.

He hunched over, his head hanging down, looking like he had aged ten years.

Lin Auntie, Zhou Mother, the wife of the brigade secretary, the daughter-in-law of the brigade leader, and a few other women were all present.

The small three-room house was packed to the brim.

Many others were crowding in the yard.

Lin Yue’s voice was hoarse: “Sister, Big Sister-in-law.”

Lin Shu nodded and went into the room to see Lin’s mother, “Mother, you’ve suffered.”

Lin’s mother weakly replied, “I said don’t bother with the IV drip, it’s too expensive. Your father and your brother insisted I have it.”

Sister-in-law Lu Da: “Auntie, no matter how expensive it is, it’s not as important as life.”

Lin’s mother: “It’s fine, I’m fine. Just need to rest for a few days.”

Sun Er growled: “As for the past, it was mutual. Why are you digging up old grievances now and forcing us to admit our mistakes? What did we do wrong?”

Lin Shu turned to look at Lin Auntie.

She said, “Auntie, when Grandma was alive, she said our family would rely on you in the future. You are older and more experienced, you’re fit to be in charge.”

Lin Auntie wasn’t originally a very formidable person, but seeing Lin’s mother and father unable to get up these days made her anxious.

Zhou Mother and the other women also encouraged her to confront the Sun family.

Now that Lin Shu said this, she immediately felt like with Authority, Aunt Lin felt a surge of responsibility as the head of the family.

Although she had previously resented her mother-in-law’s strictness, she now recognized that her mother-in-law had made good decisions for the family, particularly in arranging marriages for her granddaughters.

However, the grandsons had not fared as well, so it was up to her, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family, to take charge.

She took a deep breath and declared loudly, “Why are you shouting? If it was a mutual decision, why was there a need to catch someone in the act? And now, you’re bringing your daughter here to force a marriage!”

Old Mrs. Sun was furious, “What about the past? My daughter…”

Aunt Lin retorted, “What about it? Look at her! My nephew is a hundred times better than your daughter!”

The two women began exchanging personal insults.