Chapter Fifty-Nine: Lin Shuimei Suffers Humiliation

If it had been the old Lin Sangqian, marrying Wu Kuan would have meant marrying above her station. But the Lin Sangqian of today was clever and spirited, at times possessing a maturity far beyond her ten years, and her family’s circumstances were steadily improving—to the point that they could even move into town. Painful as it was to admit, Aunt Wu understood that Wu Kuan was no longer a match for Lin Sangqian.

Of course, she would never say this to her son. She simply went back to her room to look for something to wear. They were to visit someone’s home shortly, and naturally, she wanted to dress a little better.

That evening, Aunt Wu’s family and Uncle Qin’s family both came to Lin Sangqian’s house. With Liao Shuxia’s help, Lin Sangqian had prepared a sumptuous table: crispy sweet and sour pork, kung pao chicken, sweet-and-sour fish, braised eggplant, stir-fried pork, mapo tofu, vinegared cucumbers, and a big pot of pork rib and tofu soup. There was rice and steamed buns in abundance, and she had even specially fried a mountain of potato chips.

The two visiting families weren’t well-off themselves and had never seen such a feast—especially with so many meat dishes! They could hardly believe their eyes. There weren’t enough seats at Lin Sangqian’s small table, but no one minded; the men simply held their bowls, standing or squatting, eating heartily.

Qin Qiudie had been afraid to come at first, but thinking of Lin Sangqian, she mustered her courage and joined in. She sat right beside Lin Sangqian, who kept picking out dishes for her. Qiudie ate with her head lowered, not saying a word, her cheeks flushed, feeling deep admiration for Lin Sangqian.

Sister Sangqian was so capable—one day, Qiudie too wanted to be someone just as remarkable!

After dinner, everyone chatted merrily for a while, only parting ways when yawns began to spread through the room. Before leaving, they all helped clear the dishes.

Aunt Wu’s family was walking home in high spirits when they ran into Li Fulan.

“Oh, Sister Wu,” Li Fulan greeted her with a smile. “Where are you coming from?”

Aunt Wu didn’t like her, so her tone was cold. “None of your business.”

Li Fulan glanced in the direction Aunt Wu had come from, her eyes narrowing. “Did you just come from Old Third Lin’s place?”

Having just eaten, Aunt Wu and her family still carried the scent of food on their clothes. Li Fulan, with her sharp nose, caught it immediately.

She sounded sour as she said, “Ah, so that’s it—you went to eat a nice meal at Old Third Lin’s!”

“So what?” Aunt Wu couldn’t help snapping back. “I wanted to, and so did they.”

“Tch, those people from Old Third Lin’s family are really heartless—when they have something good, they never think of their own relatives, only outsiders!” The more Li Fulan spoke, the angrier she became.

Aunt Wu almost laughed at her. “You from Old Second Lin’s family have the nerve to say that? When you divided the family, you took everything that was supposed to go to Old Third Lin. Now you think you still have a claim?”

Seeing Li Fulan left speechless, Aunt Wu gloated. “Let me tell you: tomorrow, Old Third Lin’s family is moving to town. Don’t think you can bother them anymore.”

“What did you say? Old Third Lin’s family is moving to town?” Li Fulan was stunned. “How? Where did they get the money? Did they buy a house in town?”

“None of your damn business!”

Aunt Wu shot her a fierce glare and left with her family.

Li Fulan stood frozen, her face pale, sweat breaking out on her forehead. She had never even considered moving to town—how could that wretched Old Third Lin’s family manage it? Not long ago, they could barely put food on the table... How could they possibly have the money for a house in town? But that hardly mattered. What truly stung was that she wouldn’t be able to get a share of it herself!

The more Li Fulan thought about it, the angrier she became. She stomped over to the eldest Lin’s house to find Lai Ruyu.

Lai Ruyu had been about to drive her away, but when she heard Li Fulan’s quick explanation, she was dumbstruck. Once she recovered, she joined Li Fulan in cursing.

Lin Shuimei overheard their conversation. She wandered out, dazed, not knowing how long she walked before she realized she’d left her house. The villagers went to bed early; by now, most homes had already blown out their candles. The road was pitch black, and Lin Shuimei began to feel afraid. She hurriedly turned back towards home.

She hadn’t gone far when she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind.

“Aah!” Lin Shuimei screamed, her body going limp. The person behind her quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t scream—it’s me!”

The voice was familiar. Lin Shuimei hesitated. When he removed his hand, she frowned. “Tian Liu?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Shuimei.” He gave a sly chuckle.

Fury surged in Lin Shuimei, and she pushed him away at once. “How dare you show your face to me, Tian Liu? Do you remember what you promised me? How many days has it been, and you still haven’t done it!”

Tian Liu scratched his head. “I want to, but I haven’t found a chance yet. Don’t worry, just give it a little more time—I promise I’ll get that little brat for you.”

“There’s no more time!” Lin Shuimei shouted, her voice breaking with tears. “Don’t you know? They’re moving to town tomorrow! If you don’t teach Lin Sangqian a lesson now, you’ll never get another chance!”

“That broke Old Third Lin is moving to town?”

“Ha! I should’ve known I couldn’t count on you! Useless thing!” The thought of having been kissed by him made Lin Shuimei sick to her stomach. She turned to leave, wanting nothing more to do with him.

But Tian Liu grabbed her back.

“What did you just say? You dare call me useless?” His face darkened.

Lin Shuimei, blinded by fury, didn’t care. “That’s right, I said you’re useless!”

“Fine. I’ll show you right now whether I’m useless or not!”

With that, he dragged Lin Shuimei off to the side.

“What are you doing!” Now fear crept in. “Let go of me! Somebody help!”

Her cry was cut short as Tian Liu pulled her in front of him, clamped his hand over her mouth, and all but carried her behind a large tree.

“Heh, you little minx, I’ve been wanting to have my way with you for ages. Now’s my chance, I’m not missing it!” Tian Liu leered, reaching to tear at her clothes.

“Let me go!” Lin Shuimei was terrified. She had dreams of marrying into wealth—how could she allow herself to be defiled by this disgusting man?

“If you don’t give in to me, I’ll tell everyone in the village that you made me go after Lin Sangqian!” Tian Liu threatened viciously. “Let’s see what you do then!”

Panic flooded Lin Shuimei—she knew he was capable of it.

Seeing her freeze, Tian Liu smiled in satisfaction, stroking her cheek. “That’s better. Be obedient.”

With that, he eagerly began ripping off her clothes.

As she felt her garments being stripped away, one by one, Lin Shuimei was overwhelmed by anguish. Powerless to resist, she could only close her eyes in utter despair...