CH 3

Although she didn’t directly drink pesticides, this 1605 is a highly toxic pesticide. Even if she sipped a little with a bottle of water, it is still enough to kill someone.

Lin Lan only felt dizzy, ringing in her ears, and nausea. She prayed that the poison didn’t damage her liver, kidneys, and nerves.

After lying down for a long time, she didn’t feel so uncomfortable anymore so she wanted to move around.

The room was narrow and dark, and she almost tripped when she put her feet on the ground. Seeing that the broken grass curtain made the room dark and unventilated, she tore it off.

Xiaowang on the kang thought she was going to lose her temper again and shrank into the corner in fright.

Lin Lan strolled for two steps, and her chest felt tight and suffocated. She wanted to drink some water and then remembered that the earthen jar and bowl had been broken by the original owner.

She wanted to go to the hall to pour water to drink, but she was too weak and exhausted so she had to go back to the kang and sit down.

At this moment, Erwang came back. He put a leaf bag on the kang which had a few pieces of the grilled fish and two turtles.

Erwang grinned, “Mother, the fish has already been eaten by Sanwang. I am unwilling to eat it so I left it for you.”

Lin Lan knew it well, and glanced at him, “Erwang, your father is not at home. It is not easy for us to live each day. It is not a big deal to eat more and eat less. You can’t lie to your mother and play tricks.

Erwang smiled and said: “Don’t worry, mother. I have never lied to you before.”

Lin Lan just asked him to pour a bowl of water for her to drink.

Soon Erwang slipped back with the water and whispered: “Mother, it’s terrible. Grandfather and the others are hiding in the house, holding a meeting to decide how to deal with you.”

Lin Lan had already heard vague sounds from the main room before, mixed with the old lady’s cursing, and guessed they were discussing how to deal with the original owner.

She took the bowl, realized that the rim of the bowl was sticky, and she suddenly felt nauseous. When she brought the bowl to her mouth, she smelled a strange smell in the water, and she didn’t feel like drinking it anymore. 

She remembered that there was very little oil and water at home. Even if there is no detergent, this bowl should not be so dirty.

She endured the nausea and took a sip, thinking that in the future, she definitely had to keep the house nice and clean and not be this disgusting.

“Did your grandmother say she wants to drive me back to my maternal family?”

Erwang was surprised: “Mother, how did you know?”

From where they were, they couldn’t hear anything that they were saying.

Lin Lan snorted, “I just guessed.”

Er Wang looked at her, thinking that in the next moment, his mother would roll up her sleeves and rush over to make a fuss, and then subconsciously moved to the side to avoid being affected.

Lin Lan didn’t move like Erwang thought she would. Lin Lan put the bowl down, and asked, “Where is Sanwang?”

“He was being lazy while cutting the grass and went to the river again. Mother, wait till he comes back and I’ll punish him for you.” Erwang looked like a good older brother.

Lin Lan glanced at him, “Go to the hall to listen to what they say, and then come back and tell me.”

Erwang immediately went out, and Xiaowang in the corner crawled forward and said,  ” . . . to drive the Lin family out and split the family.”

Lin Lan looked at him curiously, and then remembered that although Xiao Wang has a lazy eye, his hearing is better than ordinary people’s, but later on, the original owner became more and more twisted. She used him to vent her anger and despised him. Since then, he had become a severely autistic patient.

At this moment, he was still a normal child. He just to spoke a little later than others.

Because the children call him a little blind boy and a little stupid boy, he became even less talkative, and there was no one to protect him so he naturally became more and more autistic.

Lin Lan waved at him. Xiao Wang didn’t respond, she had to say: “Xiao Wang, come here.”

Xiao Wang crawled to her side.

Lin Lan coaxed him in a soft voice, “What did you hear them say? Tell your mother everything.”

At first, Xiaowang could only say a few words. Under Lin Lan’s guidance, he was slowly able to say a whole sentence.

Through Xiaowang’s broken vocabulary, what they were saying was the same as what Lin Lan guessed.

After a while, Er Wang returned to report what he heard which confirmed Lin Lan’s guess.

Sure enough, the old lady first said that she wanted her son to come back and divorce her, and she had already sent a telegram to Han Qingsong. The old man disagreed. He felt that they had already been in-laws for so many years, and it wasn’t okay to be so cold. It didn’t look good, and it made their family lose face. They also supported separating the family. It seems that the eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law’s family agree with separating the family. After all, the husband and wife together were the main laborers in the family and worked the hardest. But second brother and second sister-in-law disagreed. This was probably because they wanted to spend Han Qingsong’s money but also wanted their eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law to do more work so they could relax.

“What my grandmother means is that my father’s allowance should be given to her to hold onto, not a cent given to Mother. She doesn’t even think of giving us a couple of points. She said that besides a few rations left, there was nothing else, and they needed to earn their own work points to eat.” Erwang said angrily, “Mother, you say, how can they be so low, keeping Father’s allowance and not giving it to you. And they still want us to earn our own work points for our meals? Aren’t eldest uncle and second uncle are both at home earning work points? Why don’t they go out and earn their own money to spend?”

Lin Lan motioned to him to calm down, “Your father will come back in a few days and talk about it.”

Erwang looked at her in surprise, why didn’t my mother bother? Momma and they all said they were going to kick her out, why didn’t she fight?

“Mother, they want to drive us out!”

Lin Lan said, “I know, I won’t let them succeed.”

Separating the family is fine, but how can you keep the money earned by the Third branch [1] but kick out the Third branch’s wife and children?

No way!

Erwang stared at Lin Lan as if he didn’t recognize her.

Lin Lan touched Xiaowang, smiled approvingly, and praised him, “Xiaowang is awesome! What you just said is almost the same as what your brother said.”

Mother praised him!

She praised him like she praised his sister and brother!

Xiaowang looked up at her with wide eyes, trying to see her face clearly.

Seeing that the child was so excited that he was about to faint, Lin Lan quickly rubbed his head again. He seemed to like her touch a lot, and the furry head rubbed her hand like sunflowers look for the sun.

Inexplicably, Lin Lan had a feeling of deja vu. She was frightened and withdrew her hand quickly.

Xiao Wang felt his mother’s disgust, the light in his eyes dimmed again, and the whole body shrank back down again.

Lin Lan’s heart felt a bit sour. She didn’t. have the heart to bear it and smiled. She turned to the window with her face, motioning to go there to listen.

Xiaowang thought that his mother was playing games with him, and his eyes were shining with joy.

He crawled down the kang. Although his eyesight was not good, he was familiar with the environment around him, and he didn’t bump into it. He stepped on a small tree stump bench to eavesdrop from the window.

Erwang was dumbfounded. What’s wrong with Mother?

Although he thought it was strange, he didn’t want to be left behind so he ran outside again to eavesdrop.

Just now, his mother actually praised that little fool and didn’t praise him for what he said. He can’t be left behind.

Lin Lan hugged Xiaowang and listened for a while. Even though she was a chill person, everything that she heard made her angry. The old lady Han is really good enough. It was wrong to take the initiative to make a fuss and look for death, but the old lady is not much better. She was probably on par with the original owner.

Not to mention anything else, the money Han Qingsong earned. The old lady only gave good things to her younger son and daughter. They were obviously the sons and daughters of two poor and middle peasants, but she had to be the same as the young masters of the landlord’s family. But the children in the family qre so young that they can’t go to school. They all have to cut grass, pick up dung, and go to the fields to earn work points. Everyone is dark and thin. She who doesn’t like children even feels bad for them.

No matter how bad the original owner was, how could she not feel bad for her children? Of course she wants to earn money to improve the lives of my children.

She had an idea right now and said a few words to Xiaowang, “Do you know what you have to do?”

Xiaowang nodded, “Mother, I know what I have to do.”

Lin Lan brought him down, “Wait until they have left and then go.” She smoothly took out a wooden stick.

Xiaowang was so frightened that he immediately hid in the corner, thinking that his mother was going to hit him again.

Lin Lan hurriedly said: “Xiaowang, Mother is giving this to you to use so you won’t run into anything when you walk.”

Xiaowang’s eyesight is not good. Staying all day was not good for him. In the future, she wouldn’t be able to watch over him all the time so she needed to let him practice walking around by himself.

If she had money, she would first take Xiaowang to go get his eyes checked and get treatment early. Maybe his eyes could be fixed to a certain extent.

Xiao Wang just laughed, “Okay, Mother.” He used the wooden stick to find his way out.

Lin Lan greeted Erwang when he came back again and said a few words.

Erwang hesitated, “Mother, we are stuck with grandmother. Don’t you already know that?”

Lin Lan said: “After the separation, you don’t want to follow your mother? Do you want to follow your grandmother?”

Er Wang immediately shook his head, “Of course, I will follow Mother. My eldest brother will definitely want to follow Grandmother and abandon Mother, but I am not like this.”

Lin Lan said: “Your eldest brother will not abandon Mother. Your eldest brother is a man, and he knows how to protect your mother and you guys after our families separate. Go ahead.

After the meeting in the main house was over, the men left the house, and the women stayed at home to cook, Er Wang and Xiao Wang went to the main house as Lin Lan ordered.

Sister-in-law Han and the old lady went to the vegetable garden. Sister-in-law Han was cooking, and there were many children in the family. As long as she made sure the kids didn’t fall and get hurt, everything would be fine, and she didn’t have to care a lot.

Soon, Erwang took something, headed back to the east wing and handed it to Lin Lan. “Mother!”

This is Lin Lan and Han Qingsong’s marriage certificate, similar to a primary school student’s certificate, with one-inch photos of the two people.

Lin Lan above was young and pretty with a bit shy and bold gaze. Han Qingsong next to her was dressed in a military uniform, sitting upright and handsome. They matched each other quite well.

It’s just that there are a few small holes in Lin Lan’s photo which look like she was stabbed by a needle.

Originally, having their own marriage certificate in their own house was good enough, but old lady Han insisted on putting her son’s marriage certificate in her own house, saying that it was as nice as a painting and looked good.

Lin Lan rolled up the marriage certificate and said with a smile: “Erwang, Mother promises you that after the separation, your mother will let you have a good life, and let you eat noodles made with white flour, eat meat, eat sugar, and go to school!”

Notes: 

[1] Third branch – Lin Lan’s husband is the third son of the family so his family is considered the Third branch. For the first son, the eldest brother, his family is the First branch. For the third son, his family is the Third branch. The Chinese is 三房 (san fang) which directly translates as “third room”, but Third branch seems to make more sense in English.