Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Getting Repayment

Lin Yang had meant to hurt her, but instead, her father-in-law got hurt, leaving her feeling terrible, wishing she had been the one injured.

Nan Nan’s feelings were plain to see. Zhang Xiaofeng noticed immediately and reassured her, "This isn’t your fault. Even if the Lins are family, charging in to grab things and make a scene is unacceptable."

"That’s right, Nannan," Granny Lu added. "Go stay with A Hang and don’t overthink it. Leave this matter to us."

What could Lin Nannan do? She was no match for the other two, so she had no choice but to agree.

Entering the room, she met Lu Hang’s worried gaze and grumbled, "Can I beat up Lin Yang?"

Clueless about his wife’s strength, Lu Hang tactfully replied, "Beating him up isn’t satisfying. He’ll just be sore for a few days and then dare to do it again next time. Why not make them pay for the medical bills instead?"

Lin Nannan’s eyes lit up in agreement. "You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that? The Lins only care about money. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so reluctant to call off the engagement back then."

The Lu family still had quite a bit of money with the Lins. She needed to find a way to get it all back.

She’d rather give the money to anyone *but* the Lins.

Seeing she wasn’t out for blood, Lu Hang sighed in relief and said dotingly, "Then let’s bleed them dry—make sure the Lins avoid us from now on."

The Lins had gone too far—first they refused to call off the engagement, then they pulled a scam, and now they were causing such a scene. If they weren’t taught a lesson, they’d dare to stir trouble again. So Lu Hang encouraged the idea, wanting the Lins to fear them.

"That’s a great idea! I can’t stand them!" Lin Nannan grew more excited the more she thought about it and couldn’t help but praise, "Lu Hang, you’re so smart! I’ll make sure the Lins pay dearly."

As the two plotted away inside, Lu Ming returned with the doctor.

Though just a village physician, the man had some skill. After examining Lu Fang, he set the bone with a sharp *crack*. Lu Fang winced, but the pain faded fast, and the soreness disappeared.

"Try moving it," Dr. Wei said softly.

Lu Zheng stood and walked around, declaring, "Dr. Wei, you’re a miracle worker! I’m completely fine now—no pain at all."

"Dad, muscle and bone injuries need a hundred days of rest!" Lin Nannan, reminded by Lu Hang, stuck her head out to scold.

Zhang Xiaofeng caught on immediately and nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Don’t move recklessly!"

Lu Fang obediently complied, making Dr. Wei fight a smirk.

They were all making decisions without even consulting him, the actual doctor. Though he found it funny, he didn’t expose them.

On his way over, he’d already heard about the incident involving Lu Fang and wasn’t fond of the Lins either.

Given their scheming and boastful nature, few people liked them anyway.

With Lu Fang out of danger, the Lu family relaxed—but they were still out for blood.

This time, without Lin Nannan needing to step in, Granny Lu led the rest of the Lu family to confront the Lins, causing a huge uproar in the village.

Unable to resist, Lin Nannan slipped out to tag along after getting Lu Hang’s approval.

...

The Lins were scared at first, but once they calmed down, they thought they’d overreacted.

Lin Yang was just a kid who’d pushed someone by accident. Would the Lu family really go after a kid?

They shouldn’t have fled in panic but should have taken the opportunity to grab the Lu family's belongings—that would’ve made today’s trip worth it.

What a shame—after all the commotion, they gained nothing and were scolded instead.

Lin Donglai was furious and lashed out at Lin Nannan with a stream of curses, while the rest of the Lins chimed in. Not a single decent person in that family.

"Lin Donglai, come out here!" Zhang Xiaofeng stormed into the Lin family’s courtyard and shouted.

Hearing Zhang Xiaofeng's voice from inside the house, Lin Donglai’s scalp tingled with dread.

He had little interaction with Zhang Xiaofeng, but she was known in the village for being fiery and fiercely protective.

Lin Yang had injured Lu Fang, and these people were clearly out for blood.

Outside were onlookers and the Lu family. Lin Donglai had no desire to step out, but he couldn’t hide like a coward. So he walked out calmly and apologized to the Lu family, feigning calm.

"My dear in-law, I truly apologize," he said humbly, with sincerity. "It’s all because A-Yang and his sister are used to joking around and went too far. He accidentally pushed A-Fang down. Before you even arrived, we’ve already given him a good beating. Please, since he didn’t mean it, let it slide this time!"

"The child may be ignorant, and we won’t blame him. But what about you?" Zhang Xiaofeng snapped. "Your whole family stormed into our house, trying to steal our meat and hurt someone—what’s the meaning of this?"

Lin Donglai’s face burned under their stares, but the more tense the situation, the more he had to keep his cool. He lowered his voice and said, "We didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that Nan Nan didn’t return home after the wedding, and we were worried she wasn’t doing well, so we went to check. Who’d have thought it’d cause all this trouble!"

"I don’t care about your so-called misunderstanding. Lin Yang hurt my husband, so your family must cover the medical costs. And since we’re busy in the fields, you should send someone to help with the work." Zhang Xiaofeng shot back directly.

"This… isn’t that a bit too much? The child was ignorant—a good thrashing should suffice. How can you demand both money and labor?" Lin Donglai gritted his teeth, refusing to pay a single cent.

Zhang Xiaofeng let out a bitter laugh, staring at Lin Donglai. "Don’t think I came here just to argue with you, Lin Donglai. If you make life hard for the Lu family, I’ll make sure the Lin family suffers too. Go ahead and test me!"

"Is this turning kinship into enmity? After all, Nan Nan married Lu Hang from our family. If not for the monk’s face, then for the Buddha’s—how can you be so harsh on a child?" Old Mrs. Lin, seeing her son falter, immediately played the victim to condemn Zhang Xiaofeng. To the uninformed, it might seem like Zhang Xiaofeng was being unreasonable and bullying them.

"Wasn’t it your family who started this feud?" Zhang Xiaofeng, unyielding, raised her voice. "You switched the brides, and we didn’t even protest. Did you think we were easy to bully?"

"Exactly! Before, we didn’t know Nan Nan’s capabilities and thought Lin Qingqing was better. Of course, in marriage, you’d pick the better one. But the Lins knowingly sent poor, simple-minded Nan Nan to the Lu family—what kind of scheme is that? It’s obvious! And now you want to talk about kinship with Xiaofeng? Isn’t that a joke?" Someone ruthlessly exposed Old Mrs. Lin’s intentions without any respect for her age.

"It’s because the Lu family wasn’t as bad as they thought, so they got jealous and wanted to claim this marriage to take advantage!"

"Their scheming is written all over their faces—as if no one can see it!"

The crowd took turns tearing into the Lins, trampling their dignity into the ground. The Lins were seething, fists clenched, and Lin Qingqing was humiliated to the point of tears.

Their words would greatly affect her marriage prospects. If things went badly, she might end up marrying someone even worse off than Lin Nannan.

Zhang Xiaofeng was pleased that so many villagers had sense and pressed Lin Donglai even harder. "If you don’t settle this, I’ll have the village chief bring in the magistrate!"

The implication was clear to everyone.

Remembering what happened to Han Li, Lin Donglai shuddered. "Do we really need to escalate this over nothing?"