Chapter 18: The Bitter Aftertaste

Granny Fu came back to find half the wall collapsed. She blinked in confusion.

“It was fine before I went to the fields. How did it just fall apart?”

Lin Qinghuan gave a noncommittal smile.

“Probably needs to be rebuilt. It’s just a mud wall, after all.”

Granny Fu didn’t think much of it. She put the vegetables and chicken she had gathered into her basket.

“If you need any vegetables, just come pick them from the field. I’m an old widow, I can’t eat all of this. It’s a shame to let them rot.”

Lin Qinghuan shouldered her basket and headed out as she replied, “I understand, Granny Fu. I’ll be coming to bother you often from now on.”

Granny Fu beamed happily. Because of her reputation as a jinx, many people avoided interacting with her, afraid that any association might affect their own families.

Only Lin Qinghuan didn’t care about such things, always calling her ‘Granny’ this and ‘Granny’ that.

After she left, Zhang Cuihong gritted her teeth and muttered a few curses. She closed the door and headed toward the Lin family.

As for the Lin family, because of the severed relationship with Lin Qinghuan and her brother, they had not only lost two laborers but also thrown away ten silver taels. It was a complete loss. Not a hint of a smile could be seen on anyone’s face.

Dinner was still made by Old Madam Lin, the same watery sweet potato cornbread. Lin Jiadong took one look and couldn’t stomach it.

Old Madam Lin had no choice but to take out a boiled egg and hand it to him.

“Here, eat the egg, then have some of the rest.”

Lin Jiadong’s face lit up with joy. He wolfed down the fragrant egg in a few bites.

He was the only one in the family treated to an egg. Lin Yanhong and Lin Yanlan could only watch with envy.

They didn’t dare ask for an egg, knowing it would bring a scolding from their grandmother.

“Mother, Yanhong and Yanlan are also children of the Lin family. You can’t be so partial. Even if you boiled one egg for them to share, that would be something,” Big Aunt muttered under her breath, unable to bear her two daughters being treated unfairly.

As daughters-in-law of the Lin family, she was inferior to the second branch in every way because she had given birth to two girls. Now even the children were ranked, with Lin Jiadong lording over them.

Old Madam Lin glared at her fiercely.

“What do girls need eggs for? No matter how much they eat, they’ll still end up belonging to someone else’s family. Stop your nagging!”

Big Aunt dared not say another word. She ate her cornbread in silence.

The bland taste made her think of Lin Qinghuan’s virtues. Back when Lin Qinghuan was around, even this food had flavor.

“Mother, this time you really picked up a sesame seed and lost a watermelon. You shouldn’t have coveted Master Liu’s betrothal gift. It would have been better to keep Lin Qinghuan at home to serve us for life.

If she didn’t marry, so be it. We wouldn’t have lost anything. Now look what happened. Not only do we have no one to cook, wash clothes, chop wood, or gather wild vegetables, but we also lost ten taels.”

Second Aunt, relying on the fact that she had borne Lin Jiadong, the family’s meritorious son, usually spoke with more authority. This time she dared to directly criticize Old Madam Lin.

Lin Daguo said nothing, but his gloomy expression spoke volumes.

Because of the matter of Lin Qinghuan marrying Master Liu, they had failed to keep her, lost money, and ruined the family’s reputation. In the future, people would think they had driven their own granddaughter to sever ties.

“Now you all come to blame me? Why didn’t you say anything when I first proposed marrying that wretch off for the betrothal gift? You all wanted a share of the benefits, but now that things have gone wrong, you push the blame onto me?”

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