The Lin brothers sat down sheepishly, "Father, are we just going to let our little sister suffer like this?"
Old Master Lin sighed, "How many times have I told you? Being bullied doesn't always require immediate retaliation. There's always a tomorrow. Also, one doesn't always have to resort to violence to punish someone; there are many ways to do so. Stay calm and take your time."
"Eldest and second brothers, what the old master says is right. Someone like Li Shan will be punished by heaven anyway. It's unwise to get yourself into trouble for such a person. You are Lin Mei's support. If you get implicated in this matter, Lin Mei will surely be sad," Zhang Erniu said.
Old Master Lin glanced at Zhang Erniu and nodded approvingly.
"You two go and bring the girl back. It's not right for her to stay at someone else's house. If people find out, they'll think our Lin family is abandoning their daughter for the sake of some ridiculous face," Old Master Lin instructed.
Zhang Erniu quickly interjected, "Uncle Lin, Lin Mei is not in a condition to be moved. The doctor said she needs to rest for a confinement period."
Old Master Lin pondered for a moment, "That's true. Then let's do this. Old woman, you go with them to take care of her. Although the Qi family is good to the girl, with something like this happening, it's not the same as having a close relative by her side."
Old Madam Lin wiped away a tear, "That's true."
Zhang Erniu also felt that having Lin Ruixue's mother go to take care of her would not only be more convenient but also provide Lin Ruixue with more support, helping her to recover from her grief sooner.
"Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin really think things through."
Aunt Lin quickly packed, shouldered a small bundle, and urged Zhang Erniu to leave.
Zhang Erniu bid farewell to the Lin family, helped Aunt Lin and Li Hu into the cart, and drove off with the mule cart.
As dusk fell, the group arrived at the Qi residence.
Upon entering, Aunt Lin first went to see Madam Yun and Qi Zhenzhen, thanking them profusely. Her daughter had suffered such a great injustice, and without their care, she didn't know what state she would be in now.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Aunt Lin hurried to Lin Ruixue's room.
Seeing her closest relative, Lin Ruixue's pent-up grievances surged forth, and she collapsed into her mother's arms, weeping uncontrollably.
"Good child, don't cry, don't cry. Mother is here, Mother is here," Aunt Lin patted Lin Ruixue's back to comfort her. "You child, why didn't you send word home when you were so far along? You just endured it. If you had told us earlier, wouldn't your father and brothers have come to defend you? Even if he was determined to ruin the marriage alliance between the two families, he shouldn't have succeeded so easily."
Lin Ruixue cried for a long time before stopping, choking out, "Mother, I also didn't expect him to be like this."
"Don't think about him anymore. Recover your health, and later Mother will find you a good family, and let Li Shan regret it," Aunt Lin said.
Lin Ruixue shook her head, "Mother, I don't want to get married anymore. Even someone like Li Shan can change his mind. I'm afraid... I'll just live with Hu Zi. After spring, I want to go to the county town's school with Hu Zi, and I'll set up a noodle stall there. Oh, and in a few days, I'll discuss with Zhenzhen about letting our family handle the kimchi business. It can bring in an income of one tael of silver a day, which is much better than your father going out to sea."
"That won't do. How can Mother bear to see you all alone?" Aunt Lin shook her head.
Lin Ruixue gave a wry smile, "Anyway, I don't want to think about this for now. Mother, let's let things take their course."
Aunt Lin also knew she couldn't push too hard, "Nod, okay. Mother will help you keep a good eye on things this time."
Two days after Aunt Lin arrived, the two Lin brothers also came to the Qi residence, bringing over twenty fish, all frozen in ice blocks. In addition, they brought five taels of silver and insisted on giving it to Qi Zhenzhen. In their words, having their person stay here was already causing enough trouble, and they couldn't bear to trouble the Qi family for food and drink.
Unable to refuse, Qi Zhenzhen accepted it. However, when the Lin brothers left, she returned the money to them, saying she wanted to invite them to send more fish over regularly. The river in Xinghua Village only had one river, and the river fish had a muddy taste, unlike the freshness of sea fish.
"It's just a few fish, and you still gave them money!" Aunt Lin chided. "Fish are not rare where I come from."
"But we don't have them here. My mother and I both love them, and we can't eat them often," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile.
Having interacted for these two days, Aunt Lin had already figured out Qi Zhenzhen's character. She was straightforward and unpretentious, with a good disposition, and genuinely cared for her daughter. Therefore, Aunt Lin truly liked Qi Zhenzhen.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Erniu and Zhang Xiaoniu arrived early.
Zhang Erniu carried a wild chicken, which he bashfully presented to Qi Zhenzhen, saying it was for her to recuperate.
Qi Zhenzhen looked at him suspiciously. Why would she need to recuperate? The only one in the family who needed to recuperate was Lin Ruixue.
Seeing Zhang Erniu's awkward demeanor, a suspicion flashed through Qi Zhenzhen's mind. Could he have some ulterior motive?
Qi Zhenzhen remained calm, "Brother Zhang Er, I've eaten too much meat during the New Year. I feel disgusted seeing meat now. Please take it back for Brother Zhang and the others to eat."
Zhang Erniu was a little anxious, "That, that, that..."
"Brother Zhang Er, there's no one else here, so just say it. This wild chicken isn't for me, is it?" Seeing his reaction, how could Qi Zhenzhen not know his intentions? Recalling Zhang Erniu's inexplicable nervousness around Lin Ruixue earlier, what else was there to understand? Zhang Erniu had taken a liking to Lin Ruixue.
Zhang Erniu's face turned red. The usually straightforward man was now like a shy young bride, stammering and unable to speak.
Qi Zhenzhen grew anxious, "Brother Zhang Er, speak up."
"I just saw that Sister Lin and her mother looked too weak. I heard that stewed wild chicken soup is nutritious, so I, I brought it over. What do you think? I'm a grown man, I can't just say this openly, can I? What would Aunt Lin think if she knew? And Sister Lin..." Zhang Erniu spoke incoherently.
"So, Brother Zhang Er, you've taken a liking to Sister Ruixue? When did this happen?" Qi Zhenzhen suppressed her surprise.
"The day I came to your house to deliver peach branches, she bumped into my arms. You all saw it. On the way back, Xiaoniu told me about her experience, and I haven't been able to get it off my mind. I find myself thinking of her from time to time, and I don't know what's going on. I just can't stand to see her suffer," Zhang Erniu said, lowering his head. "Miss Qi, please don't tell anyone. She just went through this. If I were to express my feelings now, wouldn't it seem like taking advantage of her situation? I, I want to wait until she has recovered before I confess my feelings."
"Help her recover?"
"I heard from Hu Zi that after spring, Lin Mei will go to the county town to set up a noodle stall. See if you can arrange something for me so I can go to the county town too?" Zhang Erniu stared intently at Qi Zhenzhen, his face full of hope.