Chapter 84: Chapter 81: An Unexpected Arrival

“Alright!” Yang Liying followed her to the kitchen. After tasting the pea cakes, she couldn’t stop praising them.

Lin Lan put the rest on a plate and placed it in the basket Yang Liying had brought. “Take these back for Little Li and Little Yun to eat.”

Yang Liying laughed. “Ever since you started making them treats, the two sisters have gotten picky. They say the snacks their aunt brings them are awful.”

“As long as they like them, feel free to take some for them.”

Just then, a horn blared outside. The two women hurried out and saw Zhao Dehai returning with the soybeans.

When the vehicle door opened, Lin Lan was surprised to see that Lin Guoliang and Lin Guoqiang had come along. And they had brought someone Lin Lan would have never dreamed of seeing: Lin Yuezhen.

Lin Lan watched in confusion as Lin Guoqiang led a scraped-faced Lin Yuezhen into the yard. ’Was she abused by her brother and sister-in-law?’ she wondered.

Lin Yuezhen looked at Lin Lan, timid and pitiful.

“Yuezhen, we can talk in a bit.”

Lin Lan said soothingly, then brought a chair for her to sit on by the steps.

She went out to invite Li Hongmei and Old Chen inside to sit, but they both smiled and shook their heads, saying they had to hurry back to end their shift.

Lin Lan quickly went inside, grabbed some pea cakes for them, and told them to eat them on the road.

The group hastily unloaded the soybeans. After seeing Master Chen off, they moved all the sacks inside.

Only then did Lin Lan ask the Lin Guoliang brothers, perplexed, “Big Brother, what happened to Yuezhen?”

Lin Guoliang said, “Here’s what happened…”

It turned out that on the day Lin Lan had left, Lin Yuezhen had been on the mountain cutting pig feed when she rolled down a hill.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiuqing, who was also on the mountain cutting pig feed, saw her and carried her down the mountain to her younger brother’s house.

Lin Yuezhen’s sister-in-law blocked the door and wouldn’t let her in, calling her a jinx. She said they had no money to treat her injuries and that she could go die wherever she pleased.

Helpless, Zhang Xiuqing had no choice but to carry her back to her own home to find her in-laws. The old couple, Lin Changyou and his wife, quickly had someone take her to the brigade’s clinic.

The barefoot doctor examined her and said she was lucky. She only had scrapes and no injuries to her bones or flesh. He also said she had fainted due to malnutrition, which had caused low blood sugar.

He gave her an injection and mixed a bowl of glucose water for her to drink. A short while later, Lin Yuezhen woke up.

After waking up, Lin Yuezhen just wept in silence.

Seeing this broke the old couple’s hearts. Lin Changyou found a pushcart, took her to their home for a meal, and then brought her to the brigade secretary. Together, they went to Lin Guohui’s house.

Lin Guohui said that a married daughter is like spilled water. Lin Yuezhen’s household registration had been transferred to her husband’s family long ago, and he didn’t have any extra food for her.

The brigade secretary suggested transferring her household registration back under Lin Guohui’s name, but Lin Guohui refused, saying his son couldn’t afford to support an old spinster aunt.

He added that whoever wanted to take care of her could just take her home. They shouldn’t act like saints and pressure others into doing something they wouldn’t do themselves.

Lin Changyou understood he was being indirectly cursed. He looked at the pitiful Lin Yuezhen sitting by the door and remembered the care his older cousin had shown him in the past. He couldn’t bring himself to abandon her.

After thinking for a moment, he walked over to Lin Yuezhen, told her what Lin Guohui had said, and asked if she was willing to live on her own.

Lin Yuezhen was stunned for a moment. She glanced back at her younger brother and sister-in-law, who looked at her like she was a pile of dog crap, then threw herself down before Lin Changyou, kneeling and gesturing that she was willing to live on her own.

In the days since returning to her parents’ home, she had suffered more than in the past several decades combined. The insults from her sister-in-law, the cold glares from her brother… even her two nieces and nephews gave her dirty looks and constantly tried to drive her away.

She never dreamed that the younger brother she had doted on and carried on her back since childhood would treat her like this. From this day forward, she would act as if she had no brother.

Lin Changyou quickly helped her up. He gathered the uncles and elders of their clan and, in front of the brigade secretary, they negotiated and wrote up a formal document.

From now on, Lin Yuezhen would live on her own, and she would have no further connection to Lin Guohui’s family.

But when Lin Yuezhen left to live on her own, she didn’t even have a thatched hut to her name. Where she would live became a problem. Seeing everyone else pretend it wasn’t their business, they dusted off their hands and left.

Lin Changyou had no choice but to take Lin Yuezhen home. He discussed it with Wu Shufen, and the old couple thought of Lin Lan, all alone in Lexing with Little Douzi in such a large courtyard. If someone were to climb in and hide in the house, she would surely be at a disadvantage.

They had watched Yuezhen grow up. She had a good character and temperament. It would be better to send her to their daughter’s place to keep her company. She could also help with housework and watch Little Douzi.

If a suitable man came along, they could marry her off. If not, they would get a plot of land approved for her in the brigade and build a couple of rooms. And if they were no longer around, they would have their sons look after her.

After the old couple made their decision, they told Lin Yuezhen. She happily agreed and gestured to them that she would work hard and help watch the child when she got to Lin Lan’s house.

Once the decision was made, Lin Changyou went to Lin Yuezhen’s ex-husband’s place to transfer her household registration back. Today, he went with them to town to register her back with the Shilian Brigade before having the Lin Guoliang brothers bring her to Lin Lan’s house.

After Lin Guoliang finished his explanation, Lin Lan nodded. “Alright. She can stay here and help me. In the future, if a suitable family comes along and she’s willing, she can go. If not, I’ll give her the money to build a house in the brigade.”

Seeing that she agreed, Lin Guoliang turned to his younger brother and laughed. “Guoqiang was afraid you wouldn’t agree!”

Lin Lan turned to Lin Guoqiang and rolled her eyes at him. “You brat, is your sister that heartless in your eyes?”

“Well, it’s because of how you used to be!” Lin Guoqiang said and then ran off.

Lin Guoliang added, “Little Lan, Yuezhen may have a disability, but she has a good heart and is a steady worker. With her here, things will be easier for you.”

Lin Lan nodded. “Big Brother, I know what’s right.”

Lin Guoliang then took a watch from his wrist. “This is Dad’s watch. He told me to give it to you.”

“Me? Dad’s…” Lin Lan’s lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

Lin Guoliang patted her shoulder and comforted her gently, “Don’t cry, Little Lan. When you make money in the future, you can buy Dad a nice one.”

“Mhm!” Lin Lan nodded firmly and put the watch on her wrist.

In the main room, Yang Liying had also heard about Lin Yuezhen’s ordeal from Zhao Dehai. “She’s had such a bitter fate,” she said sympathetically. “It’s good that she’s here. She can help Lin Lan and keep her company.”

She then pointed to the high pile of sacks. “With all these soybeans, where did you get the money to pay your father-in-law?”

Zhao Dehai said gratefully, “My father-in-law helped us get a thousand jin of soybeans. We still owe him eighty yuan. He said we should give the money to Lin Lan instead.”

Yang Liying nodded. “I suppose that’s the only way. Your father-in-law has really helped us out a great deal.”

Lin Yuezhen sat anxiously on the steps, worried that Lin Lan would send her back to Shilian.

Lin Guoqiang ran out and said to her, “Yuezhen, my sister said you can stay here without any worries. She said she’s glad to have the company now that you’re here.”

Lin Lan, who had followed him out, looked at Lin Guoqiang. She hadn’t expected her seemingly reckless younger brother to be so thoughtful with his words.

She smiled and walked forward. “Yuezhen, what Guoqiang said is exactly what I mean.”

Yuezhen looked at Lin Lan, tears welling up in her eyes. She stood up and gestured gratefully, “Thank you, Little Lan. Thank you!”

Yang Liying came out and laughed. “Lin Lan, you’ll have company from now on.”

Lin Lan smiled and nodded. “Exactly. Just me and Little Douzi here at night can be a little scary.”

Lin Guoqiang pouted. “You women are just timid.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep