Chapter Twenty-Four: Dog Eat Dog

“Yes, it’s time to send them to school,” Liao Shuxia said, “The eldest is fourteen, isn’t he? I don’t think he even recognizes many characters yet!”

Lin Sangqian nodded, saying, “At their age, it’s a bit late to start school, but it’s still better than never going at all.”

“Daughter, are you going to attend as well?” Lin Hongda asked.

Since they were all from the modern era, none of them held the old belief that girls shouldn’t attend school.

“Dad, I already graduated from university back in the modern world,” Lin Sangqian replied, half laughing and half crying. “Though the academy here is different from our schools, I never planned to take the imperial exams anyway, so there’s really no need for me to go.”

Sending the three brothers to the academy—who knows, maybe one day they’d pass the exams and bring honor to the family!

The three chatted as they ate, and in the end, managed to finish all the food. Their stomachs were so full they slumped in their chairs, sleepy and content.

Suddenly, an urgent voice sounded from outside.

“Lin Third! Third family! Sangqian girl! Are you home?”

Lin Sangqian immediately woke up. “Is that Aunt Wu’s voice?”

“Of course it is,” Liao Shuxia sat up straight, “Did something happen?”

“Come on, let’s go take a look,” Lin Hongda said.

The three of them went outside and indeed saw Aunt Wu standing at their gate.

Seeing them, Aunt Wu hurriedly said, “You’d better come quick! The eldest family and the second family are fighting! No one can pull them apart!”

At her words, Liao Shuxia couldn’t help but gloat, “Those two are fighting? Now that’s a show worth watching.”

In truth, Aunt Wu had come to call them over for the spectacle, since everyone disliked Liao Shuxia and Lai Ruyu.

“Where is it?” Lin Sangqian asked.

“At the second family’s place.”

The four headed toward Li Fulan’s house. Lin Hongda asked, “Aunt Wu, do you know what they’re fighting about?”

“I don’t know the details, but I heard it’s because of your mother.”

Lin Sangqian’s lips twitched, struggling to suppress her amusement.

She knew it—the fool Lin Shuimei had definitely fallen into a trap. Lai Ruyu was not much smarter; once Lin Shuimei told her, she’d storm off to confront Li Fulan.

As they approached Li Fulan’s house, a loud commotion could already be heard—shouting, crying, and voices trying to break up the fight.

Lin Sangqian held back her laughter and ran over with the three adults.

In the courtyard, Lai Ruyu and Li Fulan were locked in a furious brawl. Their hair was disheveled, their clothes torn in several places. They seemed completely mad, intent on hurting each other, and not even their husbands, Lin Shengrong and Lin Jiantong, could pull them apart. Even when separated, they immediately lunged for each other again.

Lin Sangqian hadn’t expected the fight to be so intense. Clearly, their surface harmony masked deep-seated resentment; today’s incident was merely the trigger.

Lin Zhangshi stood in the courtyard, her face dark with rage, shouting angrily, “Outrageous! These two women have gone mad!”

Li Fulan’s two children stood to the side, crying in fear.

Lin Sangqian felt no sympathy. Li Fulan’s children, like Lin Shuimei, were troublemakers.

Lin Shuimei was there as well. She wasn’t crying, just standing there dumbly, as if stunned.

“What’s going on here?” Aunt Wu pulled another aunt over, gossiping.

“I heard Lai Ruyu suddenly showed up at the second family’s house, just as they’d finished cooking. She freeloaded a meal, then pointed at Li Fulan, cursing her with every nasty word she could think of, saying there’s no way she’d let old mother be dumped at her house, she’d never take care of her…”

Liao Shuxia laughed mercilessly, “Coming to pick a fight and freeloading a meal first? That’s shameless beyond belief.”

“Who can argue with that? Oh, Third family, you’re here too.”

Someone spotted Lin Hongda and said, “Lin Third, you should try to mediate. It’s your Lin family’s business, and it won’t look good if they keep making a scene.”

“I’m not getting involved,” Lin Hongda replied. “If I get dragged into this mess, who am I supposed to turn to for help?”

Just then, Lin Shuimei noticed Lin Sangqian in the crowd, pointing at her and shrieking, “It’s her! She’s the one who told me Second Aunt didn’t want to take care of Grandma!”

Her shout shifted every gaze onto Lin Sangqian—even Lai Ruyu and Li Fulan paused their fight to look her way.

“You little brat, what nonsense are you spreading?” Liao Shuxia’s face darkened. “What does this have to do with my daughter?”

“It was her!” Lin Shuimei shouted. “If she hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have said anything to my mother, and this fight wouldn’t have happened!”

“So it’s you, you troublemaker!” Second Uncle Lin Jiantong stormed over, rolling up his sleeves, hand raised to slap Lin Sangqian.

But Lin Hongda reacted swiftly—before Lin Jiantong’s hand could fall, Lin Hongda kicked him, sending him tumbling.

“You think you can hit my daughter? Am I dead to you?” Lin Hongda’s voice rang out fiercely.

Lin Jiantong sat up, hands supporting him, dazed. Was he just kicked by Third Brother? That weak, easily bullied brother?

No wonder everyone said Lin Third was a changed man—he’d dismissed it, but now he saw it was true.

“You…so you want to fight me, Third Brother?” Lin Jiantong finally came to his senses and stood, clutching his aching stomach as he hollered.

“You tried to hit my daughter, everyone saw it!” Lin Hongda refused to back down. “I’m her father—do you expect me to stand by and watch her get slapped?”

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