Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties-Chapter 57 - Disgrace
57: Chapter 57 Disgrace
57 -57 Disgrace
Lin Chun looked at his younger brothers and sisters laughing and joking with a big smile, feeling that at this moment, their house finally had the warmth, relaxation, and joy of a home.
After leaving Lin Xia’s place, Lin Chun passed by Zhao Da Nainai’s house while riding his bike and unexpectedly saw Xu Haihua talking to a man at the side of the gate.
He adhered to the principle of “mind one’s own business,” pretending not to see anything and rode straight past them.
But he couldn’t help wondering, who was that man at Zhao Da Nainai’s house?
Jiang Mingyuan asked impatiently, “What do you want from me by calling me out here?”
Xu Haihua bit her lower lip and asked, “Brother Mingyuan, did Lin Xia and the others send you any dumplings?”
Jiang Mingyuan shook his head, “No, why would they send me dumplings?” He was puzzled.
Xu Haihua looked indignant on his behalf, “Brother Mingyuan, look, you helped Lin Xia yesterday;
they’re eating dumplings today, how could they not send you some?
How can they be so heartless!
They don’t know how to repay a kindness!”
“Xu Haihua!
If there’s nothing else, I’m heading inside, I have things to do at home!”
Jiang Mingyuan didn’t think there was anything wrong with Lin Xia’s family not sending him dumplings; on the contrary, it would be problematic if they did.
Without talking about others, his mother and sister-in-law would definitely dig deep, wanting to know what was going on.
After he explained, it might even cause misunderstandings from them.
Xu Haihua couldn’t understand why Jiang Mingyuan was suddenly so cold towards her; he wasn’t like that when they were kids, “Brother Mingyuan, why have you become like this now?
I came with good intentions just to remind you so your kindness won’t be taken for granted!”
“I don’t need you to worry about my business!” Jiang Mingyuan left her with that sentence and entered the gate.
Xu Haihua was so angry her eyes reddened, and she stamped her foot in frustration, “If I had known you were like this, I wouldn’t have bothered telling you!
If it weren’t for your good relationship with my brother, I wouldn’t even care about you…”
Her response was only the sound of Jiang Mingyuan opening the door and entering the house.
…
When Lin Chun got home, the lights in the Eastern House were on.
He went straight back to the Western House; he was not in the mood to inquire about Lin Qiang’s condition anymore.
He had helped Qian Chunli’s mother get to the hospital that morning; that was a significant favor, which he considered his moral and ethical duty fulfilled.
In the Eastern House, Lin Qiang lay weakly on the north kang bed, his eyes closed in deep sleep.
Qian Chunli was sitting on the south kang bed, looking haggard, while Lin Yu lay in bed, also not asleep.
Both of them heard the noise of Lin Chun returning to the Western House, but neither had the heart to say anything.
After a while, Lin Yu asked softly, “Mom, is what you told me really true?
Did Lin Qiang say how it happened?”
She had gone to a classmate’s house to do homework last night and came back a bit late.
Just after she lay down, Lin Qiang began to retch, vomiting profusely, followed by diarrhea, which eventually turned watery, and then he developed a high fever.
However, when she entered the room, she indeed smelled something foul; she thought it was Lin Qiang’s smelly feet unwashed, not realizing he had stepped in poop.
It was only now that her mother had whispered the truth to her, making her feel nauseous.
Qian Chunli wiped tears with a sigh, “I asked him yesterday, and he just said he accidentally stepped on it and then washed it off at the riverside!
When I asked him more, he became angry with me.
Now with him being this way, I dare not ask anymore!
I’m afraid his illness is because he got chilled; the night was not warm, and coming back wearing his wet shoes and socks guaranteed he’d fall ill.”
“Mom, stop crying!
And don’t ask anymore!
Lin Qiang cares a lot about his image!
To him, this is a humiliating matter!” Lin Yu felt disgusted just thinking about it.
“I reckon it’s not just a chill he’s caught, but probably some fright as well!
Otherwise, with his strong physique, he shouldn’t be this sick!” Qian Chunli always believed in these things, so whenever something happened, she would think along those lines.
“So what do we do, Mom?
Shall we go see Old Widow Huang and have her take a look at it?” Lin Yu knew there was an Old Widow Huang who specialized in dealing with such matters, and she and Lin Qiang had often sought her aid since they were young.
“Then I’ll take a day off tomorrow and go to her place to ask!
If it really is some bad luck, medicines and injections won’t do the trick!”
Qian Chunli wiped away her tears, the corners of her mouth, anxious and distressed, had developed a shiny blister within a single day.
“Xiaoyu, I am really afraid he might be getting picked on outside and then comes home and is afraid to tell us the truth!”
Lin Yu thought it unlikely, “Mom, don’t worry about it!
Who would bully him for no reason?”
At this moment, outside the gate, in the night, two men’s figures were sneaking around, peeking into the yard.
These two were none other than Lin Qiang’s bad influences, Mangzi and Dahai.
The pair had attempted to rob Lin Xia with Lin Qiang yesterday, and Mangzi even got beaten up by a guy Lin Xia knew, Brother Mingyuan, which left them both feeling unsettled.
However, they hadn’t seen Lin Qiang at all today, so they figured they’d come over to his house to check on him.
After all, he had been beaten up because of them, so they thought they should at least give him some money to spend.
“Dahai, the lit room over there, it’s Lin Qiang’s, isn’t it?” Mangzi asked while holding his stomach, which still hurt from the kick he received from that guy yesterday.
He could hardly straighten his back with the pain.
Dahai looked over at the yard again, “I think so.
He said he lives in the same room as his stepfather, and usually, if there are elders in the house, they live in the Eastern House!”
“So what should we do?
Just knock on the door and look for him?” Mangzi hesitated.
It was quite late, and he wasn’t sure if Lin Qiang’s stepfather had come back home.
Dahai glanced at the moon, “I think we should wait until tomorrow morning to confront him.”
“Okay!
Then we’ll come back tomorrow morning!” Mangzi whispered.
“Everyone in his family goes to work or school, so once they’re all gone, if he’s home, we can just go in and find him!”
After all, there are some things that aren’t appropriate to discuss in front of others.
…
The group, including Lin Xia, had eaten their fill, and because they had been frying and boiling dumplings in the afternoon, the kang was piping hot.
Lying on the heated kang, Lin Xia felt both comfortable and refreshed, and she peacefully slept until dawn.
Early in the morning, Lin Xia made a meal with meat and oil for Lin Dong and Lin Qiu.
She placed green onions, soy sauce, and salt at the bottom of the bowl, adding freshly steamed rice while it was still hot, and scooped a small spoonful of solidified white pork fat from a small jar, mixing it all together.
The dish was so fragrant that Lin Qiu and Lin Dong each devoured a big bowl of it.
Lin Xia managed only a few bites before she started feeling a bit sickened by the grease.
In the end, Lin Dong polished off what she left behind, and then happily went off to school.
Lin Xia rode her bike to the market, where she bought some small radishes and mustard greens.
Seeing the cabbages were fresh and solid, she also purchased a couple. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
With home-grown carrots and rutabagas available, she picked up a few of those as well.
Lin Xia thought it over; if she were to make pickled veggies, she needed to have chilies and celery to make it tasty.
Buying a bit of this and a bit of that, she filled the rear rack and the cloth pouches hanging on the handlebars of her bike.
Just as Lin Xia was about to get on her bike, she spotted Jiang Mingyuan two meters ahead, holding a vegetable basket.
The two of them seemed to notice each other at the same time and exchanged smiles.
Lin Xia asked with a smile, “Brother Mingyuan, you’re buying groceries as well?”
Living in the same nearby area, it was natural to run into each other.
However, a question flickered through Lin Xia’s mind.
At this time of day, he was out shopping for groceries; didn’t he have work?
