Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 6 Clarifying Rumors
It was almost 3 a.m. when the three of them returned to Shanglin Village. The hardworking elderly people in the village had already gotten up in the dark to start fires, and they could hear noises coming from several courtyards.

Lin Yi skillfully took out the key from the kitchen in the yard, opened the door, and let Lin Qin and the child in.

The house where Lin Yi lived consisted of only one room, which was partitioned with wooden boards. There was barely any space in front of it, except for a dining table and a few low stools. Behind the wooden boards was a bed, where Lin Yi slept.

Under the bed were piles of fertilizer bags of all sizes, some containing clothes and others old things that Lin Yi treasured but no longer needed.

The house is small, but it is neat and clean.

There was also a small back door on the side, which opened to a tiny courtyard. Opposite the back door was a shed, where she and her older sister Lin Ying used to live.

Lin Qin led Liu Yaya to open the door of the shed and took out candles to light.

The shed originally only had one wall, which belonged to someone else. Because the two girls in that family couldn't fit in the wall, Lin Yi asked the family for permission to borrow their courtyard wall. He then collected some broken bricks and built the walls on both sides, forming an open-air "口"-shaped courtyard. He then built another wall in the middle, forming a "日"-shaped structure, and added a roof to half of it, creating a shed. That's how a habitable shed was built.

If this were in the north, winter would be unbearably cold, but this is the south, where at most there are frosts in winter, and it never gets below freezing. Living in a house like this is not a problem. The weather is warming up now, and she and her child can stay here for several months.

"Yaya, how about you live here with Mommy from now on?"

Lin Qin sat on a small stool, hugging Liu Yaya as she asked.

She originally intended to clean the house, but found it quite clean. She guessed that Lin Yi cleaned it regularly, so she didn't need to get her hands dirty.

Liu Yaya nodded emphatically, looked up at Lin Qin's head wrapped in gauze, and carefully touched it with her little hand, "Mommy, does your head still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, Mommy, it doesn't hurt!" Compared to what she had experienced in her previous life, she didn't care about this little injury.

Liu Yaya breathed a sigh of relief and gave a sweet smile. "Mommy, let's get some rest! Grandpa said you need to sleep more, and Yaya won't bother you!"

Lin Qin's nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She lay down on the bed as her child wished and asked softly, "Yaya, if Daddy and Mommy get divorced, will you go with Mommy?"

She had always wanted to ask this question in her past life, but unfortunately she never had the chance.

Liu Yaya looked at Lin Qin with innocent eyes, "What is divorce?"

Lin Qin was speechless for a while before explaining, "Divorce means that Dad and Mom will separate and will never be together again. Mom will also stop staying at your grandma's house. In that case, do you want to go with Mom or live with Dad and Grandma?"

"Then I want to go with Mommy, wherever Mommy goes, I'll go!" Liu Yaya clutched Lin Qin's clothes tightly, her voice choked with sobs, "Mommy, please don't leave me, okay?"

"Okay!" Lin Qin hugged Liu Yaya tightly in her arms and secretly vowed that she would never abandon her daughter again in this lifetime!
The mother and daughter fell asleep in each other's arms.

Early the next morning.

Lin Qin was awakened by the sound of voices outside the door.

Liu Yaya was still asleep, so she didn't dare to disturb her. She carefully got out of bed and went to the front yard.

Lin Qingxiang, who was carrying a hoe and preparing to go to the field, saw Lin Qin with her head wrapped in gauze and his expression was extremely exaggerated. "What happened? Who did this? It couldn't be your wicked mother-in-law, could it?" Yesterday, the Liu family sent people to the village to look for Lin Yi, which caused quite a stir. As soon as they entered the village, they said that Lin Qin had cheated on him, and the news spread throughout the village.

When Lin Qin saw that the visitor was a kind-hearted uncle who was close to Lin Yi, she immediately greeted him obediently.

"Uncle, I was framed by the Liu family and injured. I called the police yesterday, and they have taken care of it."

Lin Qingxiang was startled. "Call the police? What's going on?"

Lin Qingxiang had a loud voice, and all the aunties, grandmas, and grandmothers living next door showed up. They also wanted to hear the gossip about Lin Qin. If she really cheated on someone, it would be a disgrace to Shanglin Village. In feudal society, she would have been drowned.

Lin Qin wanted this effect, so she immediately pretended to be pitiful, her eyes red with righteous indignation as she denounced all the evil deeds of the Liu family.

"I know, they just think I'm uneducated and have a daughter, so they want to get rid of me before Liu Yongming graduates and gets a job, to make room for the new guy!"
They really went all out with that blow; I even saw blood on my head. They not only knocked me unconscious, but they also knocked out an innocent Tanka person. Do you think I could have just not called the police?
If they succeed, my reputation will be ruined! Those utterly depraved people will get their comeuppance sooner or later!

Lin Qingxiang was furious when he heard this. He rushed into the kitchen and dragged Lin Yi, who was cooking, out of the room. Lin Yi was still holding a pair of firewood tongs.

Lin Qingxiang was so angry that he cursed, "Your daughter has been bullied like this, why are you still cooking? Come on! I'll go with you to the Liu family to demand justice!"

Lin Yi was both amused and exasperated, struggling to speak. "No need, no need. My girl is amazing. She caused a huge scene at the Liu family's house last night, alarming the police, the neighborhood director, and all the neighbors."

The Liu family lost a lot of money this time; I bet her mother-in-law is so heartbroken she can't even eat.

The elderly women who were listening to the gossip initially didn't believe Lin Qin was truly innocent, but when they heard that even the police and the street director had been alerted, it was clear how big the matter had become. Now that Lin Qin was standing there unharmed, it was obvious that the problem really lay with the Liu family.

An old woman stared at Lin Qin's head and clicked her tongue in concern, saying, "You can't be careless with head injuries. Has everything been taken care of?"

Lin Qin nodded obediently, "I went to the health center last night to have a doctor apply medicine. I plan to recuperate at my dad's place until I'm fully recovered."

The old woman came into the house, took out two eggs, and stuffed them into Lin Qin's arms. "Let your father stew some eggs for you to help you recover. Look at you, you've been married for a few years and your in-laws have treated you so badly! You were never this miserable when you were at your parents' home!"

The other women then noticed that Lin Qin was wearing tattered clothes that had been patched many times, and her shoes had several holes in them.

Before getting married, she probably weighed over 90 pounds, but after having a child, she not only didn't gain weight, but became skin and bones, looking like she weighed less than 90 pounds.

Her miserable appearance further confirmed the fact that Lin Qin was being abused by her in-laws.

Immediately, everyone began to condemn the Liu family, cursing Ma Cuihua for being inhuman and Liu Yongguo and his wife for being despicable. As a result, Liu Li's reputation also suffered.

Lin Qin looked down at the two eggs in her arms, a slight smile playing on her lips.

This time, she seized the initiative and told the truth before Li Lian could spread rumors about her. She believed that these gossipy villagers who considered themselves righteous would definitely spread her tragic experience everywhere.

She didn't expect the rumors to affect the Liu family, but they could create an image of the victim and pave the way for the divorce later.

(End of this chapter)