Chapter 25: Practically Speaking, She Was the One Being Sold

The water from the basin splashed across the floor in an instant, and the clothes she had finally managed to wash fell into the mess.

She pointed at the Brigade Leader’s nose and lashed out, "You’ve never cooked a meal in your life, so how could you know the state of this house? Not to mention the sugar jar is scraping bottom, even the salt and oil are gone! Our oil ration for the month was used up at the beginning, and that precious sugar coupon we finally managed to get was sent back to your precious daughter-in-law's maiden home. I’d love to host the girl, but where am I supposed to conjure up white sugar for you?"

"Look at you, you’re the Brigade Leader, yet you’re completely blind to the destitution of your own home! I’ve had enough of this life. From now on, whoever wants to eat can do the cooking, and whoever gets their clothes dirty can wash them themselves. I’m done serving you!"

The Brigade Leader frowned and pulled his fuming wife back. "Enough! I only said one thing to you; why are you rattling on and on? Hui-fang is heavily pregnant; it’s not convenient for her to do such chores. Besides, the child she’s carrying is your grandchild—what’s wrong with taking care of her a little?"

"The child Qian Hui-fang is carrying doesn’t share the Huang surname! That’s seed from your Zhao family, so if anyone is going to serve her, it should be your own Zhao family!"

Lin Xiang knew nothing of the troubles at the Brigade Leader’s house. At that moment, she was lying in bed, continuing to mull over the idea of opening a sweet potato starch workshop.

Lin Xiang had read this book quite carefully, and she still held faint impressions of several key plot points. She remembered that after the male lead recovered from his illness, he had done some small business at the year-end fair to earn money, all in a rush to pay back Liu Pei for the anti-inflammatory medicine she had bought him. However, he hadn't even had a chance to warm that money in his hands before Mother Lin demanded it the moment he got home.

Lin Xiang knew that in the correct timeline, the announcement to resume the college entrance exam would come in mid-1977, the exam itself would be in mid-December, and by the end of the following year, the Reform and Opening-up policy would allow for free trade. There was at least another year to wait. She wondered if, during this year, small-scale business was permitted within specific limits—such as at a quarterly market—or if the policy had simply loosened without being widely publicized. Only by clarifying this could Lin Xiang decide on her next steps. After all, this was a book world; many timelines were based on the author's whims and differed from reality.

She decided to find someone nearby to ask around tomorrow to get a sense of things, and later, when she went to town, she could probe the officials' attitudes. As she thought about it, Lin Xiang drifted off to sleep. In her dream, that strange male voice came to find her again.

She had thought that by finally earning the male lead’s favor, she would be able to go home, but she was told that while the male lead did have good feelings toward her, it wasn't enough to sustain her return; she needed to keep up the effort. Lin Xiang nearly cried in her dream.

The next morning, Lin Xiang treated herself to a rare sleep-in. She was still deep in conversation with the God of Dreams when her bedroom door was violently kicked open from the outside, followed by her being hauled out of bed with great force.

Groggily, Lin Xiang managed to pry her eyes open just a slit. "What are you doing at my house so early?"

"Early? It’s already past eight! Take a look at yourself—is there any other young woman in this village who acts like you, lazing in bed and refusing to get up?" Aunt Lin launched into a tirade, belittling Lin Xiang’s every trait. "Your mother used to brag to me all the time about how capable you were, claiming you’d surely snag a factory worker’s family in town. Looking at you now, I doubt even the decent lads in this village would give you a second glance!"

Lin Xiang’s sleepiness vanished instantly. She rolled up her sleeves. "Listen here, Zhao, if that’s how you’re going to talk, I’m going to have to object!"

"I, Lin Xiang, have been lazy since I was a child. I had my father to spoil me before, and now I have my brother to dote on me. They don’t want me to do chores, so what of it? I’m not eating your rice, so it’s not your place to come here and boss me around!"

"You, you, you..." Aunt Lin’s finger trembled as she pointed at Lin Xiang, her eyes filled with accusation, as if Lin Xiang’s defiance was some unforgivable sin.

Yes, respecting the old and cherishing the young was a traditional virtue in China. As a model citizen, Lin Xiang usually upheld this ideal. But that only applied to elders who deserved it. For those who lacked the dignity of their age, the fact that she had only rolled up her sleeves to snap back instead of physically attacking her was a testament to her kindness! Because Aunt Lin was the epitome of someone who lacked the dignity of her years!

Lin Xiang let out a cold snort and forcibly pushed down the finger Aunt Lin was pointing at her. She didn't control her strength well, and Aunt Lin’s face twisted in pain.

"Lin Xiang, you’ve truly gone mad!"

Aunt Lin swung her other hand into a slap aimed at Lin Xiang, but it was caught mid-air. Lin Xiang, who had been gleefully preparing to counterattack, was surprised to find someone had intervened.

"Aunt, Xiang-xiang just slept a little late; she hasn't committed any grave error. As an elder, isn't it a bit uncalled for to come in here and slap her?"

The male lead was so handsome! Lin Xiang scrambled off the bed and hid behind Lin Yun, then furtively pointed her right index finger at Aunt Lin. "Brother, she just scolded me. She called me a waste of space, and she also... anyway, she said such horrible things, belittling me like I’m worth nothing! Brother, am I really as terrible as she says?"

Even though he knew Lin Xiang was putting on an act, seeing her look on the verge of tears stirred a protective instinct in Lin Yun. He shielded her tightly behind him, using his height advantage to look down at Aunt Lin. "I already made it clear to you before: our two families are cutting ties. Don't come bothering us again. Since you came here looking for a tongue-lashing, don't blame your nephew for being impolite!"

Aunt Lin hadn't expected the usually timid Lin Yun to dare speak to her like this. She pointed at herself, incredulous. "Lin Yun, do you know who I am?" How could he talk to an elder that way!

Lin Yun remained expressionless. "Of course I know. You're the one who, the moment your brother-in-law passed away, tried to sell your widowed sister to an old widower for a dowry. You're worse than an animal."

"Oh, and that's not all. You were jealous that your niece was prettier than your own daughter, so you secretly took a dowry from Wang the Lame in the next village and tried to marry her off! If my mother and I hadn't discovered it in time and saved her, who knows what kind of life she'd be living now!"

What? She had been sold too? Although it was the original owner who had been "sold," the person currently occupying this body was her. If you did the math, that meant she had been sold! Lin Xiang only knew that the day after her father died, Aunt Lin had tried to goad her mother into marrying a local widower, but she hadn't known about this part!

A moment ago, her hatred for Aunt Lin had been triggered by the original owner's memories, but now, she hated her for real!