Chapter 3 Conflict

Chapter 3 Conflict

Li Chunxing knew that her daughter hadn't eaten anything, so she nudged Lin Laosi with her elbow.

Lin Laosi understood and quickly finished his meal, then went to talk to Lin Laotai about making egg custard for their daughter.

Lin Laotai had given birth to six children in her lifetime, four boys and two girls.

Lin Jianguo and Qin Qiaohua had one son and two daughters. Their son, Lin Feng, was seventeen this year, the eldest daughter Lin Lichun was sixteen, and the younger daughter Lin Lixia was thirteen.

Lin Jianmin and Zhao Xiuxiang had one daughter and one son. Their daughter, Lin Liqiu, was fifteen, and their son, Lin Shou, was thirteen.

Lin Jianshe and Sun Sipan had two daughters, the eldest Lin Lidong and the younger Lin Dongzhi, aged twelve and ten respectively.

Lin Laosi's full name was Lin Jianye, and his wife was Li Chunxing. They had two sons and one daughter: Lin Dong, Lin Nan, and Lin Xixi.

Lin Dagu was widely recognized in Linjia Village as having married well, marrying into a commune where she enjoyed the benefits of commodity grain. Because of this successful daughter and her son-in-law's prosperous family, Lin Laotai was very satisfied with her eldest daughter's good marriage.

For a country girl to marry into a commune and enjoy commodity grain was quite an achievement. The only flaw was that Lin Dagu's husband had a slight physical defect—a limp that wasn't very noticeable unless one looked closely, especially when he walked quickly.

The entire village was unaware of Lin Dagu's husband's limp.

It wasn't intentional concealment; Lin Dagu and her husband would bring their children back every year for the New Year, and no one had noticed. Lin Laotai wasn't foolish enough to mention it to others.

If it weren't for the limp, he wouldn't have had to marry a country girl.

The man's family had thought ahead, fearing that their son's defect might lead to his wife, who also enjoyed commodity grain, looking down on him over time. Out of concern for their child, they sought a country girl with good looks and a stable, capable personality to manage the household.

Coincidentally, the relative they approached was related to Lin Laotai's maternal family, which made the arrangement possible.

Lin Dagu, with her straightforward personality, managed both the household and external affairs efficiently. The following year, she gave birth to twin sons, earning her high regard from her in-laws.

Through her in-laws' connections, Lin Dagu now worked at a match factory, albeit as a temporary worker, which made many in the village envious. Securing even a temporary job required connections within the factory; otherwise, one wouldn't know where to start.

Lin Laotai also had a younger daughter, Lin Xuemei, who was half a year older than Lin Jianguo's daughter. She was studying in the commune's junior high school and would return home every weekend.

Lin Xixi marveled at the size of the Lin family.

Before she transmigrated, her family was small. As a child, she lived with her grandparents, and after they passed away, only a nanny remained to take care of her daily meals.

Other families in the village were similar to the Lin family. Nowadays, having many children was considered a blessing, and with more family members, outsiders wouldn't dare to bully them.

Lin Xixi needed time to sort out her thoughts. If she couldn't return, she had to figure out what to do next.

Given the hostility from the reborn female protagonist's family, befriending them was unlikely. Even if she extended an olive branch, they might not accept it.

She didn't intend to try to befriend them.

She wasn't foolish; even though the female protagonist hadn't been reborn yet, she knew it was impossible.

After transmigrating, Lin Xixi felt that she wasn't living in a book. The people around her had their own personalities and thoughts; they weren't just fictional characters.

Everyone was the protagonist of their own world. She wanted to take control of her own life.

She refused to follow the book's plot.

The path is made by walking. Don't be afraid; just move forward boldly.

Let the reincarnated girl go her own way, and I'll take my own path.

It's best if we don't interfere with each other.

If the reincarnated girl can't let go of her past grudges and keeps picking fights, Lin Xixi won't back down.

Sticking to her usual approach, she doesn't start trouble, but she won't shy away from it either.

Lin Xixi can promise not to stir up trouble, but her parents and brothers are another story.

Right now, she can't come up with a good plan. She can't just tell them that their family is destined to be cannon fodder in a story, and that Lin Dongzhi, the ten-year-old second daughter of her third uncle, is about to be reincarnated.

They'd probably think she's lost her mind or been possessed.

In short, they wouldn't buy it.

She gave herself a mission: to change her parents and two brothers as much as she could before the female lead is reincarnated.

This seems pretty tough.

But it's not completely out of the question.

She'll take it one step at a time.

She happened to see a little girl about her height coming through the door, carrying a basket of pigweed she'd gathered outside. She was skinny and small, her face smudged with dirt, her features hard to make out, and her hair a tangled mess.

Sun Sipan came over and took the basket from her, "Dongzhi, why are you so late today? Did you see your sister? Your grandma saved some food for you in the kitchen—go eat."

Lin Xixi's heart skipped a beat. This was the female lead—no wonder she hadn't spotted her at dinner earlier.

"My sister's behind me, catching bugs for the chickens," Lin Dongzhi said, putting down the basket and walking past Lin Xixi. Noticing Lin Xixi's stare, she turned and glared, "What are you staring at?"

So even before the reincarnation, they didn't get along.

Lin Xixi felt relieved. She didn't need to waste time trying to befriend the female lead; she wasn't one to chase after someone who didn't want her around.

Lin Nan rushed over, standing protectively in front of Lin Xixi, "Hey, brat, don't think I won't smack you for messing with my sister!"

Sun Sipan set down the basket and hurried over, "Nan Nan, your sister wasn't bullying her—they were just playing!" Then she gave Lin Dongzhi a light smack, "Dongzhi, say you're sorry to your sister."

Lin Dongzhi stubbornly insisted she hadn't done anything wrong, hadn't bullied anyone, and that Lin Xixi had looked down on her first.

"It's fine, third aunt," Lin Xixi said, tugging at Lin Nan, "Second brother, let's go back inside."

Lin Dongzhi glanced at Lin Xixi's clothes, which, though patched, were cleaner and less ragged than her own, which were caked in dust and mud. At ten years old, she already understood beauty and ugliness, "I don't need your phony kindness."

"You're so ungrateful—" Lin Nan snapped.

Li Chunxing came over carrying a bowl of steamed egg.

Lin Nan quickly complained to her, "Mom, Lin Dongzhi is bullying Xixi."

Li Chunxing immediately got upset, protective of her child, "Third sister-in-law, you need to discipline your daughter properly, or else I, as her aunt, can help you with that. Your fourth brother and Dongdong are out, otherwise your fourth brother could also help teach your niece.

Our Xixi was born prematurely, she's been weak since she was little, it hasn't been easy raising her. Dongzhi is the older sister, she should be taking care of her, not bullying her."

Sun Sipan quickly tried to appease, "I know, I know, fourth sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll talk to Dongzhi properly when we get back. You don't need to do any kitchen work later, I'll take care of it."

Lin Dongzhi was indignant; usually, her mother wouldn't stand up for her in such situations.

Even someone like Fourth Aunt knows how to protect her own kid, so why doesn’t her own mother know?

Although she resented it in her heart, it was still her own mother. Her mother was never idle, dead tired from a day’s work. Lying on the heated platform at night, her back was almost too sore to straighten, yet she still took on more chores, shouting:

"Mom, aren’t you beat from working all day? Why are you doing her chores!"

Sun Sipan quickly covered her mouth, stopping her from saying more.

Li Chunxing handed the bowl to Lin Nan and said, "Take your sister to the room to eat. Third Sister-in-law, since you can’t teach your daughter, I’ll do you a favor and teach her some manners. I’m her Fourth Aunt, her elder, and she should show me some proper respect."

"Fourth Sister-in-law, kids don’t get it, don’t take it to heart."

"Winter Solstice, hurry up and say sorry to your Fourth Aunt." Sun Sipan’s tone was serious; this time she meant it.

Old Lady Lin shouted from the room, "What’s all this noise? If you don’t want to stay at home, then get out."