Chapter 91 - 31: "Uncanny

Chapter 91: Chapter 31: "Uncanny

She spoke so earnestly that neither Xibao nor Lin Zheng said a word, both of them looking at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan met her aunt’s gaze, and the dark cloud hanging over her was scattered by a gentle ray of sunshine.

She nodded and solemnly replied, "I’ll remember."

Lin Zhao hugged her niece and whispered in her ear, "Let’s consider this our promise. Keep it in your heart, and don’t you ever forget."

"Mm-hm."

Mrs. Lin was not a soft-hearted woman. She was decisive and strong-willed, incapable of saying such sentimental things. Lin Shisheng, a no-nonsense man, was even less likely to do so. And as for Qiu Lian, she was a person who seemed to despise her own gender, and her words were always nasty and jarring. Therefore, this was the first time Lin Xuan had ever heard someone say words like, "I’m your safety net."

"Thank you, Auntie," the young girl said in a small voice.

A smile bloomed in Lin Zhao’s eyes. "What’s there to thank me for? I’m your aunt, and your dad is my own brother. In my heart, you’re no different from Da Zai and the others."

Lin Xuan had been afraid to get close to her aunt before, but over the past few days, she had grown to feel increasingly fond of Lin Zhao.

Xibao hugged Lin Zhao’s arm, a warm smile on her face, but she pouted with mock jealousy. "Auntie never even lets me stay over. Auntie is biased toward Xuanyuan."

’Lin Xuan suddenly felt like a bad kid. Sister Xibao says Auntie is biased toward me, and I can’t help but feel a secret thrill of joy. What does that make me, if not a bad kid?’

At that thought, the young girl’s face filled with shame. She lowered her head, abashed, not daring to look at Xibao.

Lin Zhao said nothing, simply wrapping an arm around Lin Xuan’s shoulders and pulling her closer. Then she smiled and retorted to Xibao, "And if I don’t invite you, you won’t come?"

"I’ll come!" Xibao’s face lit up in a smile. "If Auntie doesn’t invite me, I’ll just invite myself!"

"Anyone who wants to come is welcome."

Her second brother was taking the matter with Qiu Lian seriously, and Xuanyuan had taken her words to heart. The weight on Lin Zhao’s chest was lifted, and she could finally relax a bit.

Without waiting for the meal, she left her parents’ home.

As always, Lin Shisheng was the one to walk her back.

Lin Zhao was used to this.

Back when she was in school, she had never traveled to or from class alone. Her father had always escorted her. Once her older brothers grew up, the duty fell to them.

Dongfeng Team was not close to Fengshou Team. The path was overgrown and rarely traveled, and with Lin Zhao’s looks, it was hard for anyone to feel at ease about her safety.

「At that moment.」

There were no human voices on the road, only the whisper of the wind, the cry of birds, and the chirping of insects...

It was quiet, yet brimming with life.

"Second Brother, we’re building a brick house after the harvest rush, and I’ve already roped you and Eldest Brother in to help. You’ll stay at my place then." Lin Zhao remembered her second brother didn’t know about this yet, so she gave him a heads-up.

"You’re finally building a house!" Lin Shisheng laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling upwards. He looked steady and dependable.

Father Lin and Mrs. Lin were both good-looking, so none of the Lin children were unattractive. Lin Shisheng was nearly six feet tall, with the rugged look of a tough guy—thick brows and large eyes. Though he’d never been a soldier, he had been taught by Lin Heling from a young age to carry himself with discipline—to sit and stand with good posture, and his gait was steady and unhurried. In a rural area like this, he was truly outstanding.

’If he weren’t so outstanding... he wouldn’t have been ensnared by the Qiu Family through such disgraceful means.’

Lin Shisheng fired off one question after another. "If Eldest Brother and I are staying at your place, where will you, Da Zai, and the kids live? Are you going to stay with your in-laws? But don’t you dislike them?!"

Lin Zhao paused, taken aback. "I don’t dislike my in-laws. If I did, I wouldn’t have married Gu Chenghuai."

’Before the wedding, she had made sure to find out all about the Gu Family’s character. They were all honest, hardworking people. If they hadn’t been, she never would have agreed to the marriage.’

"Then why did you cause such a fuss to split the household...?" Lin Shisheng was confused.

"Those are two different things," Lin Zhao said, revealing her reasoning for the first time. "I don’t want to do chores, and I don’t want to listen to people droning on and on, lecturing me. That’s why we had to split the household."

"That’s it?" Lin Shisheng looked dumbfounded.

Lin Zhao tilted her head to look at him and retorted, "What else?"

"...Nothing." Then, a thought occurred to him, and he added, "But if you didn’t split the household, couldn’t you just contribute some money? Your in-laws wouldn’t complain then, would they?"

Lin Zhao was silent for a moment. "Well, that’s because I was trying to save money back then."

"You’re not the type to pinch pennies. The fact that you were trying to save money... it’s like you became a different person." Lin Shisheng found it baffling.

A world-weary look entered Lin Zhao’s eyes.

’She couldn’t figure it out either.’

"So it’s settled. After the harvest rush, you and Eldest Brother will stay at my place. I’ll take Da Zai and the kids back to the old family house."

Lin Shisheng thought of his sister’s vicious sister-in-law, and his brow furrowed. "Maybe not. That sister-in-law of yours..."

Before he could finish, Lin Zhao smacked her forehead. "Oh, I forgot to mention! Gu Xing’er was kicked out by her parents. She’s gone to terrorize Uncle Gu’s family now."

"?"

Lin Shisheng’s expression was indescribable. After a long moment, he asked, "His family... does she have some kind of leverage over them?"