Just from this point alone, Old Lady Lin and Old Man Lin were a couple so selfish it was nauseating. Soone kindly saved their child and lost their life, yet instead of properly handling the aftermath..., no, if they hadn’t taken care of what followed, the couple’s disappearance couldn’t have gone unnoticed, could it? "Sister-in-law, do my dad’s biological parents have graves?"
"Yes." Lin Baojuan nodded, "Dad told mom to bring the bundle and my second brother back ho. He called people to help dredge the river. By the ti they dredged them up, they were so swollen they were unrecognizable. They filed a report but never found out where that couple was from. They were buried in Dalin Village’s graveyard."
"So, that couple were my real mom and dad?" Lin Baohe’s sad smile surfaced, "I’ve always treated that couple’s story as just that, a story, but now I find out, I too am a part of the story."
"Dad..." Chuxia looked at him worriedly, unsure of how to comfort him. No matter who you are, being told at the age of forty that the parents who raised you not only weren’t your biological parents but could possibly be your enemies or indirectly the killers of your biological parents... it was just too cruel.
"Second brother..." Lin Baojuan also wore a face full of worry. This secret had weighed on her heart for over thirty years. As she aged, her guilt grew heavier, which was why she chose to reveal it, but she also truly feared that by doing so, she might lose this brother.
No matter whether it was to repay a favor or redeem a sin, her affection for this brother was the deepest!
"Baojuan, you’ll always be my real sister." Lin Baohe looked at Lin Baojuan seriously, "Thank you for telling your second brother, so I won’t live in confusion for the rest of my life."
"Do you want to find out who your real parents were?" Lin Baojuan asked.
"The likelihood is very small, but still, I want to make every effort. I will ask mom and dad for the bundle belonging to my real parents, hoping there’s sothing inside that can prove their identity. Of course, after so many years, it’s possible they sold those things long ago. But no matter what, I have to try."
Whether I find it or not, I’ll fulfill my duties as their child. Chuxia, from now on, I’ll join dad every year in visiting your grandparents’ grave. They sacrificed their lives to save soone else’s child, which is enough to show they were kindhearted, good people. Dad is proud to have had such parents!"
...
After their fallout with Old Master Zhang and Old Lady Zhang, Old Man Lin and Old Lady Lin hid in their house and never went out again. During these days, there was no shortage of gossip about them. They wanted to lay low until the attention subsided.
Sitting inside with nothing to do, the old couple grew more and more uncomfortable with each passing day. Initially, they thought they could secure a bright future for their grandson. Now, instead of helping, they might have hindered him. The more they thought about it, the angrier they got at their second son. Was their current predicant not because of his undutiful behavior?
"I should have strangled him with my own hands, that ungrateful brat without a shred of humanity!" Old Lady Lin cursed through gritted teeth.
"Enough, no use talking about what can’t be helped." Old Master Lin took a drag from his tobacco pipe and let out a deep sigh, "Such misfortune for our family!"
"Stop trying to sound so clever!" Old Lady Lin gave him a scornful look, "Go sit at Laoer’s Ho for a while. We’ve been cooped up for so long we’re practically sprouting mold."
"Laoer’s Ho wishes they could stay as far away from us as possible right now. You want to sha yourself by showing up there?" Old Master Lin looked at her with disdain, "After all these years you still haven’t understood, Laoer and Laoer’s Wife are only good for eating and drinking together, not for working together. Given our current situation, if you show up, Laoer’s Wife might just chase you out with a broom. Go on, try it if you don’t believe ."
"I won’t go!" The old lady pouted. Hearing Shuanshuan’s crying from the eastern room, she frowned in annoyance, "iqing, bring Shuan over here. I’ll soothe him."
Liu iqing, driven to her wit’s end by Shuanshuan’s tantrum, hurriedly carried the child over and placed him in front of Old Lady Lin: "Granny, I leave Shuan in your care. I’ll go and cook."
"Wah, wah, wah..." Originally tired and ready for a break, Shuanshuan turned his head to see Old Lady Lin’s squinting eyes and imdiately started to wail again at full force.
"Shuanshuan, Shuanshuan..." Old Lady Lin murmured his na as she picked him up and gently patted him. Strangely enough, with her rhythmic patting, it didn’t take long before the little guy drifted off to sleep with a snore.
Watching the little great-grandson placed on the edge of the Kang bed by Old Lady Lin, Old Man Lin couldn’t help himself, "This temperant is quite similar to Baohe’s when he was little."
Of course, he was referring to his own biological son.
Old Lady Lin’s face imdiately darkened at the ntion of that na, haunted by the image of the swollen, pale little corpse...
After Old Master Lin spoke, he too sighed and fell silent.
The already oppressive atmosphere suddenly dipped even lower.
Children are the most sensitive to feelings. Shuanshuan, who had been sound asleep, suddenly began to cry again with flailing legs. This ti, no matter how much Old Lady Lin tried to soothe him, he couldn’t be cald.
Just as Zheng Sanqiao, who had been visiting, hurried over to take Shuanshuan away, not even glancing at Old Man Lin and Old Lady Lin.
"That woman!" Old Lady Lin muttered hatefully through clenched teeth, "She looks down on us like we’re nothing. Does she think she’ll really be able to leave us behind? Hmph, let’s see if I won’t deal with her when the ti cos!"
Old Man Lin’s brows furrowed tightly: "You should accumulate so virtues with your words, or else in the afterlife, they might co looking to settle scores with you!"
"Go ahead and curse . If they co looking to settle with , they won’t leave you out!" The old lady responded, looking outside with a gleam of delight in her eyes, "They’re coming, they’re coming..." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welco to vote for it with recomndations or monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.)
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