Chapter 16: Putting the Entire Troublesome Family in Their Place
Meanwhile.
In a small courtyard with a single-story house, Widow Liu brought out two enamel cups filled with cool boiled water, smiling as she said, “Brother Lin, have some water with Dawei. You must be thirsty after your journey.”
Father Lin accepted the cup with a smile. “Thank you.”
Widow Liu glanced curiously at his legs. “Brother Lin, what happened to your legs...?”
Father Lin replied, “Oh, a thief broke into our house last night, and I got hurt while dealing with him. It’s nothing serious, just need a few days to recover.”
Widow Liu’s expression became somewhat complicated. “Your daughter Xiaodou broke her leg a while ago too. How is it that both father and daughter ended up with broken legs...?”
“It was just an accident,” Father Lin replied with an awkward laugh before getting to the point. “My daughter’s leg is almost healed. About her marriage to your son, when would it be convenient for you to proceed?”
“No rush,” Widow Liu arched her brows. “I’d like to think it over a little longer.”
Father Lin hurriedly asked, “Do you have any concerns?”
“Since you ask, I’ll be frank,” Widow Liu looked him in the eye. “I’ve heard your daughter Xiaodou may have some issues. There was such a commotion at your house last night, yet she didn’t notice at all?”
Though her own son wasn’t the brightest, he was her flesh and blood, and she didn’t mind. But when it came to choosing a daughter-in-law, it was different. The girl had to be smart and capable—only then would the next generation turn out well.
Father Lin paused before explaining, “My daughter just overslept last night, nothing else is wrong with her, you can rest assured.”
“I see...” Widow Liu sounded hesitant.
Just then, an old matchmaker woman entered, dressed all in red with a large red flower on her head—the very same Wang Matchmaker Father Lin had met at the hospital earlier.
She greeted Father Lin and discreetly informed Widow Liu that, after a whole day searching, no family was willing to marry their daughter to a fool. At first, the three hundred yuan bride price had attracted many, but once word got out that the fool had beaten one wife to death and crippled another, no one dared consider it further. It was understandable—only those who truly didn’t care about their daughters would agree to such a match. The Lin family happened to be such people.
Widow Liu’s expression darkened at Wang Matchmaker’s words.
Just then, the fool burst from the house, waving a kitchen knife and shouting, “Mom, I want a wife! I want a wife to play with me!”
He wore a gray short-sleeved shirt, was covered in mud from head to toe, even his face smeared with it. His behavior was no different from a two- or three-year-old child.
“Son, why are you playing with a kitchen knife? Give it to me,” Widow Liu hurried over, snatching the knife from his hand.
Father Lin and Lin Dawei exchanged glances, both visibly surprised. Though they’d heard from Wang Matchmaker that the fool was slow, they’d assumed he could at least care for himself. Clearly, he was utterly clueless.
“No! That’s mine! You can’t take it!” the fool shouted, punching Widow Liu in the face. Having snatched back the knife, he kicked her several times, snarling, “How dare you take it! You wicked thing!”
Widow Liu cried out in pain from the ground, “Oh, son, be careful with the knife, you’ll hurt yourself...”
Even in such a state, her only concern was whether her son was hurt. Truly, a doting mother ruins her son—she had spoiled the fool rotten.
Lin Dawei watched in stunned silence. But when he remembered that Lin Xiaodou would marry this fool, he felt a sense of satisfaction. That wretched girl was always causing trouble—let two lunatics deal with each other and see who comes out on top.
Father Lin’s eyes flashed. When he’d first decided to marry his daughter to the fool, he’d felt a twinge of guilt. But that had been entirely washed away by Xiaodou’s outburst last night. Even witnessing the fool’s violence now, he felt nothing. As long as he got the bride price money, that was all that mattered.
After kicking Widow Liu a few times, the fool lost interest, took the knife, and ran off to chase chickens.
Widow Liu straightened herself up and, coming back out, said, “Brother Lin, let’s discuss arranging the children’s marriage...”
...
That night, Father Lin and Lin Dawei returned home with cheerful faces.
Mother Lin had just come back from the hospital after getting stitches. Seeing them, she poured out her grievances about what had happened that evening. “That wretched girl is out of control—I can’t take it anymore!”
Father Lin patted her hand. “Don’t worry, she’ll be leaving this family very soon...”
He glanced toward the storage room in the corner, giving his wife a meaningful look. “Come, let’s go to our room—I’ll explain everything.”
No one noticed a small figure quietly slipping off a wheelchair and darting into the storage room.
Inside, Lin Xiaodou had just finished a meal in her secret space. Seeing her little companion, Tiao Tiao, return, she placed it in her palm and entered the space together.
The moment they arrived, Tiao Tiao began wildly gesticulating, eager to report.
“Squeak squeak squeak!”
“You’re saying that fool is terrifying, and he’ll kill with a kitchen knife?”
...
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”
“You’re saying my father won’t let me get married openly, but plans to have me tied up and sent to the fool’s house in the middle of the night?”
...
“Squeak~~~”
“You want to know what ‘cooked rice is done’ means? Oh, it means once the rice is cooked, it can be eaten, with no chance to refuse.”
“Squeak!”
“That’s exactly what it means. I can’t tell you more—some things aren’t suitable for children!”
“Squeak!”
The fluffy little creature turned away in a huff, leaving only its back.
Helpless, Lin Xiaodou took out a piece of fresh beef to coax it. Jumping spiders could eat a variety of things, insects or meat alike. That afternoon, she’d fed it some beef, which it especially liked. At the familiar scent, Tiao Tiao immediately forgave her, munching contentedly while continuing its report.
In the end, with its furry little paws waving in a blur, Lin Xiaodou learned everything that had happened.
So, Father Lin and Lin Dawei had gone to Widow Liu’s to arrange her marriage to the fool. Widow Liu had actually suggested waiting a few days for the families to hold a wedding feast, but Father Lin refused. He worried about her stubbornness causing trouble and wanted to have her drugged and tied up in the middle of the night, then sent straight to the fool’s house—once the deed was done, everything would be settled.
Widow Liu was, of course, happy to agree—as long as Xiaodou married her son, she didn’t care how it happened. The two discussed the details and agreed to act the very next night.
Lin Xiaodou listened with mixed feelings.
A midnight tryst with the fool?
Father Lin was clearly out to ruin her reputation for good—a truly vindictive man.
She’d originally planned to venture into the black market soon, but that would have to wait. First, she needed to deal with this family of scoundrels!