Chapter 300 - 298: Easily Scared

Chapter 300: Chapter 298: Easily Scared

"So my dear cousin taught you that word? No wonder." Lin Qiao said with a grin, twisting the knife. "After all, Cousin couldn’t even make it through the first year of junior high. How could she possibly know where it’s appropriate to use certain words and where it isn’t? No wonder people say being uneducated is a terrible thing."

"Exactly. If you don’t understand it, don’t use it and make a fool of yourself. Eldest Sister-in-law, you should really focus more on your own daughter. First, teach your own child what good manners are, then we can talk. As for other people’s children, you don’t need to trouble yourself."

Lin Qiao’s mother, not holding back in the slightest, followed up with another blow to Lin Qiao’s first aunt, her infuriatingly sweet smile still in place. "My Qiaoqiao has always been a great kid. Go ahead, ask around. Is there anyone in the village who doesn’t praise her for being polite and good-tempered? And that’s not all. The main thing is, she makes us proud. She’s a natural at studying, and we adults don’t even have to worry about her. Her grades are always at the top of her class. Several of her teachers have praised her to the high heavens, saying she’ll definitely get into a university when she’s older, find a respectable job, and be a successful person just like her uncle."

"You... you all... Don’t get so smug." Lin Qiao’s first aunt was so angry her lips were trembling. "My daughter is a great kid, too."

"Heh, she is pretty great. Just about three years older than Qiaoqiao, right? I heard she’s found herself a boyfriend from the next village over? I’m told his family is quite well-off, but his mother is a real piece of work. She’s been privately asking people in our village about Yan Zi, but from the sound of it, she seems to look down on her, doesn’t she? Saying your Yan Zi is over at their house all day clinging to her son, that they’ve already... tumbled into bed together... Tsk. I heard that woman is a formidable character. She’s even been telling people that her son is an only child, and she absolutely must have a grandson. So, her son not only has to find a girl with a proper, respectable job, but she also has to be able to give birth to boys. To be with her son, a girl has to give birth to a boy first, and only then will they consider holding a wedding banquet. Does this mean... your Yan Zi is pregnant?" Lin Qiao’s mother stared intently at Lin Yan’s stomach with a curious expression.

Lin Yan’s face turned as red as a monkey’s butt, and with a SWOOSH, she hid behind her mother.

Lin Qiao and her two younger sisters also stared curiously at Lin Yan’s stomach, only half-understanding what was being said.

"Don’t talk nonsense... My Yan Zi isn’t that... that kind of girl who would mess around with a man. Why do you believe outsiders instead of your own family?" Anyone could hear the lack of conviction in the first aunt’s voice. Lin Qiao’s mother didn’t say anything more, just let out a cold, sarcastic laugh.

"AHEM. Second Daughter-in-law, when you heard that woman saying such things, you should have marched right over and given her a good slap for your niece’s sake. How could you believe such nonsense from an outsider instead?" Lin Qiao’s grandmother chided Lin Qiao’s mother with a look of displeasure.

"I never saw the woman. I was just repeating what someone told me," Lin Qiao’s mother sneered. "But even if I had seen her, I wouldn’t have dared to actually go and slap her. It wasn’t my daughter she was talking about. What if Eldest Sister-in-law ended up blaming me for it? Then I’d be caught in the middle with no one on my side, wouldn’t I?"

"Forget it, forget it. Let’s not talk about all that nonsense. The reason we came today was because Qiaoqiao was teasing Yan Zi. It’s one thing for her to pretend she didn’t hear Yan Zi calling her from behind, but then she had to go and spout some nonsense, saying there’s something wrong with Yan Zi’s ears. Tell me, does that make any sense? If Qiaoqiao is supposed to be such a good student, what are you people teaching her at home? Does she have any manners at all?"

Lin Qiao’s grandmother knew her second daughter-in-law was no pushover. She had been fiery and unyielding back when she had no money and no son, and now that she had both, she was even more so... If this continued, her older daughter-in-law and eldest granddaughter would only be at a greater disadvantage. So, she quickly cut off the previous topic and redirected the line of fire back at Lin Qiao.

"Mom, Qiaoqiao already told me what happened. She really didn’t hear anyone call her name. But then Yan Zi jumped out and insisted she had. Qiaoqiao only mentioned what she’d heard about ear problems out of concern for Yan Zi. How did a simple act of concern for her cousin turn into ’teasing’ and ’having no manners’? That’s not a label we’re going to let you pin on our Qiaoqiao." Lin Qiao’s mother had already prepared her story. She would say the same thing no matter who asked, even her own husband. ’Besides, I’m not really lying. Qiaoqiao was right—Lin Yan didn’t actually call her by name. She just yelled "Hey." Who knows who she was yelling at?’

"What do you mean, something wrong with her ears? That’s complete nonsense! After we went home, our Yan Zi tested it dozens of times, and we all heard her just fine. Her hearing is perfectly normal," Lin Qiao’s first aunt said resentfully.

"First Aunt, that’s where you’re mistaken. If there’s really something wrong with your hearing, in the early stages, it might only happen occasionally. There’s a process to this illness. But if you really don’t believe me, then fine. In any case, I’ve told you out of the goodness of my heart. I even swore on our family’s bamboo grove. If you still don’t believe me, there’s nothing more I can do, is there?" Lin Qiao shook her head without a hint of guilt.

Her calm and composed demeanor actually managed to stun Lin Qiao’s grandmother, her first aunt, and Lin Yan. The three of them looked at each other, doubt reflected in their eyes. Lin Yan burst into tears again, tugging on her mother’s sleeve and wailing, "What am I going to do? If word gets out, who will ever marry me?"

’Were they really scared that easily?’

Lin Qiao secretly stuck out her tongue. Though she disliked Lin Yan, she didn’t actually want to harm her. So, she cleared her throat and said in a serious tone, "But Lin Yan, you don’t have to worry too much. Didn’t I say the illness has a process? I hear the process can be very long. As long as you keep a peaceful state of mind, it won’t act up easily. I’ve heard that for many people, the symptoms don’t start up again until they’re in their seventies or eighties."

"Really?" Lin Yan turned her head, her face a mess of snot and tears, and asked doubtfully.

"Really." Lin Qiao glanced at Lin Yan’s sloppy appearance with a bit of disgust and took a discreet step back, nodding with certainty. ’By the time she’s seventy or eighty, even if the "illness" doesn’t act up, her hearing will have deteriorated anyway, right?’ she thought. She couldn’t help but question her aunt and uncle’s parenting methods again. ’I really don’t get it. My eldest cousin is a grown woman. How is she still so easily fooled?’

"Ahem. Mom, Eldest Sister-in-law, did you come all the way over here today just for this?"

Lin Fu shot his daughter a meaningful look. He hadn’t been very suspicious at first, but after hearing her last few comments, he suddenly felt there had to be more to the story. However, now wasn’t the time to expose his own family. He gave his wife and eldest daughter a warning glance, planning to get to the bottom of what was really going on after he’d seen his mother, eldest sister-in-law, and niece out.

"Of course it’s not just about this."