Chapter 9: You Wretched Girl, Just You Wait

Seeing his mother’s heartbroken expression,
Lin Dawei’s words of blame stuck in his throat.

He scratched the back of his head, curious:
“How did that ugly freak get so strong last night? One kick and I was sent flying. Scary as hell.
She’s not possessed by a ghost or something, right? She’s never been that aggressive before!”

As soon as he said that, Father Lin scolded him immediately:
“Shut your mouth! What nonsense are you spouting!”

This area is very strict about cracking down on superstitions.
Saying things like ghosts or spirits could get you in serious trouble.

If someone with ill intent overheard and reported it, it’d be a disaster.

Father Lin had an old friend whose five-year-old child had been sick for a long time with no diagnosis.
The elders secretly invited a so-called “mystic” who claimed the child was possessed by an evil spirit and needed to be steamed in a pot for 30 minutes to be cured.

The idea was so absurd, the elders didn’t dare tell the parents.

While the child’s parents were at work, the elderly grandparent burned wood to boil water and put the child in the pot.

At first, the child thought it was fun sitting in the pot and didn’t cry or fuss.

Thinking it was nothing serious, the grandparent went off to chat at a friend’s house.

But the chat dragged on, and an hour passed without her realizing it.

She suddenly remembered and rushed home, only to find a horrifying scene.

Her precious grandson had been boiled alive…

After this incident, the daughter-in-law lost her mind.
The grandparent, full of guilt, hanged herself.
The old friend was fired from the factory due to the scandal.

As for that so-called mystic, they had long since vanished with the money.

The incident caused a huge uproar. Every factory put up big-character posters and broadcast public messages.

They emphasized cracking down on feudal superstitions and warned of severe punishment for violators.

Thinking of all this, Father Lin’s face turned serious:
“Dawei, never bring up this kind of topic again, do you hear me?”

“Got it.”

Lin Dawei muttered begrudgingly, clearly unconvinced.

“What are you yelling at the child for? He was just curious and asked casually.”

Mother Lin defended her son and explained:
“I told you all before—that girl is strong, but no one believed me.
She could carry a big bucket of water at just three years old, and she’s always been bold and unruly.
If I hadn’t kept suppressing her all these years, how would she have become so obedient?
I thought her spirit was already broken. Never thought she’d cause such a ruckus last night.”

As she spoke, Lin Dawei suddenly remembered something.
In fact, he had regained consciousness briefly after being knocked out last night.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw that ugly freak with a terrifying look, pouring salt on his mother’s face.

He also heard her chilling words:
“Since you ruined my face back then, I’ll ruin yours too.”

The voice was cold and cruel, and he passed out again from fear.

Now hearing his mother’s explanation, Lin Dawei suddenly blurted out:
“Mom, did you… back then when her face got burned with boiling water—did you do it on purpose?”

A flicker of guilt flashed across Mother Lin’s eyes, but she quickly yelled in dissatisfaction:
“What kind of question is that?! Do you think I’m that heartless? Would I hurt my own child?!”

Lin Dawei pursed his lips and didn’t call her out.

As long as she was good to him, he didn’t care what happened to that ugly freak.

Father Lin said, “Now that we’re both injured, let’s focus on recovering in the hospital. Everything else can wait.”

Mother Lin asked, “What about the canning factory…?”

Father Lin replied, “Don’t worry. I already asked Old Chen to talk to the management. We’ll probably get medical leave approved.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Mother Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
But then frustration returned to her face.

With this kind of injury, it would take ten days to half a month to recover. That’s a long time off work—and half the wages gone.

That wretched girl really was a harbinger of misfortune, sent here to curse her.

Lying in bed, Mother Lin’s mind drifted to the past.

When that wretched girl was born, people already said she didn’t look like either of them.
She didn’t believe it back then.

But as the girl grew up, her looks became more and more striking—nothing like their family.

Some gossipy people even said she had an affair and bore someone else’s child.

When the rumor reached Father Lin, he was furious. Their home was filled with endless quarrels.

Truth be told, Mother Lin did have some guilt.
She had a first love when she was young, but they got separated during a famine.

They reunited years later—both already married.
Still, they rekindled their feelings in secret for a while before eventually parting ways.

Not long after he left, she discovered she was pregnant.

At the time, she had also been intimate with her husband, so she wasn’t sure whose child it was.

But once Lin Xiaodou was born, it was clear she didn’t resemble her husband at all.

When the rumors started circulating again, Mother Lin got scared.

To protect her reputation and preserve the family’s peace, she decided to abandon Lin Xiaodou.

When Lin Xiaodou was three, she deliberately told her to carry boiling water—
And let that scalding pot pour right over the child’s face.

That was exactly her plan.

Only by ruining Lin Xiaodou’s face would people stop commenting on her looks.

That strong-willed girl was hard to tame. This would also crush her spirit and make her more obedient.

She thought everything was under control, that the wretched girl was firmly in her grasp.

Who would’ve thought she’d one day fight back?

Mother Lin touched the painful scars on her face, her eyes dark and venomous.

If she had known this girl was so hard to control,
She should’ve just killed her back then—
Then none of this would be happening.

Regret filled her heart.

The girl must’ve snapped from being pushed too far.
Once she calmed down, she’d go back to being that obedient puppet.

Then, they could marry her off to that fool’s family—
Let the fool and his widowed mother torment her for life.

She was looking forward to seeing that girl cry and beg at her feet.

Hmph.
You wretched girl, just you wait!