Chapter 53: Lin Xinrou Is Pushed Down

Jiang Xun not only cooked the meal but also prepared hot water. Lin Jingyue smiled, fetched some water to take a bath, changed into clean clothes, and washed her dirty ones before sitting cross-legged on the heated brick bed and taking out the letter.

There was no signature on the letter.

She tore open the envelope to find two thin sheets of letter paper.

“Jingyue, may this letter find you well. I apologize for writing out of the blue and disturbing you. I am a close friend of your mother…”

The letter explained his identity and said that due to work, he had been away from An City for more than ten years. Upon returning, everything had changed. The previous package had been prepared by him, and she could use it with peace of mind. Her mother had once helped him, and he felt indebted to her kindness.

Beyond that, he also recounted some recent events in An City.

Her father had lost his job and his money. He insisted that Hu Cuiqi had taken it to support her family, and now he was freeloading at the Hu house, eating for free and causing chaos—chickens flying, dogs jumping, and constant uproar.

The couple quarreled every three days, with a major fight every five—never a dull moment.

Then there was the Wu family. Because they had failed to sabotage her job, they had spent a fortune to get Wu Shanshan a temporary position.

But the letter’s author remarked that the Wu family was celebrating too soon.

Vague and cryptic, the words left Lin Jingyue puzzled.

At the same time, she felt a sense of strangeness.

Who was this person who had suddenly appeared? In her memory, her mother had never mentioned any close friends, let alone a benefactor.

Lin Jingyue pondered for a while and muttered, “Could it be one of my mother’s old admirers?”

Unlikely—a rival in love would hardly be so generous to the daughter of his adversary.

Lin Jingyue was certain she was her father’s child, as she bore some resemblance to him.

No way she was mistaken.

What was going on?

Lin Jingyue frowned, deciding that tomorrow she would return the items to the address and write a letter, asking them not to send anything again.

She wasn’t short of money or supplies; things of unclear origin were best avoided. Now that she understood the situation, she couldn’t keep them.

Who knew what the sender’s true intentions were?

With her mind made up, Lin Jingyue let it go. She took a walk through her space; the rice would be ready for harvest in about half a month, presenting her with a new problem.

How to thresh the grain?

She rummaged through the warehouse and, in fact, found a threshing machine. Of course, it was a scaled-down farm space—basic equipment would be there.

The next day, Lin Jingyue went to the county seat again, sent the package back to the original address, and then returned.

“Comrade Lin, you’re requesting leave every other day—are you here to support rural development or just to go sightseeing?” In the afternoon, as she went to collect a sickle for cutting pigweed, Sun Lanlan kept pursing her lips in annoyance.

What a waste of Jiang Xun’s attention, she thought. Such a lazy girl—what does she have besides her looks?

Lin Jingyue was baffled. Things had been quiet for a while—why the sudden outburst?

“Did you take gunpowder today?” she asked, puzzled.

Sun Lanlan choked on her words, glared fiercely at Lin Jingyue, and handed her a sickle at random.

“Hurry up and go cut the pigweed. If you don’t turn in two baskets today, just try me.”

Lin Jingyue took the sickle, walked a couple of steps, then turned back, “How much I turn in is none of your business.”

“You—”

Before she could say more, Lin Jingyue had already walked away, leaving Sun Lanlan fuming like a toad.

On the mountain, after Tie Dan and Da Wa had finished gathering a basket of pigweed, they brightened upon seeing Lin Jingyue. “Sister Lin!”

“My, you two are amazing!” Lin Jingyue feigned surprise at the full basket.

The two children immediately straightened up with pride.

These days, since Lin Jingyue had learned how to gather pigweed and often found good spots for it, the other children no longer clustered around her; most of them had chores at home.

Only Tie Dan and Da Wa, both spoiled by their families, spent their days playing.

“Sister Lin, here’s the pigweed for you,” Tie Dan said, glancing at her with a hint of caution.

“Great, here are some candies for you,” she replied, handing them each two creamy White Rabbit candies.

Da Wa accepted them, but Tie Dan hesitated.

Lin Jingyue smiled gently, “What’s the matter? Don’t like candy anymore?”

“No, no, Sister Lin, it’s just, my aunt…”

Seeing the conflicted look on Tie Dan’s face, Lin Jingyue couldn’t help but laugh. “You are you, your aunt is your aunt.”

Tie Dan was a precocious child, already aware of grown-ups’ affairs.

He sighed with relief, happily unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth.

The world of children was just that simple.

Lin Jingyue quickly carried a basket of pigweed to report for duty, just in time to see Sun Lanlan with the scorekeeper. Seeing her so efficient, Sun Lanlan’s eyes bulged as if she’d swallowed a fly. Lin Jingyue flashed her a provocative grin and darted back up the mountain.

Once again, Sun Lanlan was left seething.

“Ha ha… cough, cough…” The scorekeeper couldn’t help but laugh, earning a glare from Sun Lanlan, who then looked skyward and down at the ground.

For her second basket, Lin Jingyue took her time; after all, she didn’t depend on these work points for a living.

She dawdled until four or five in the afternoon, then brought back only half a basket. The scorekeeper said, “Comrade Lin, this isn’t enough.”

“Then just give me half a work point.”

“….”

Scoring half a point, Lin Jingyue left cheerfully under the scorekeeper’s speechless gaze.

As she arrived at the brigade office, she saw a commotion in the distance—a group of people carrying a stretcher.

She stepped aside in confusion.

“Comrade Lin, your sister has had a miscarriage!” Aunt Liu, who had joined the crowd, brightened upon seeing Lin Jingyue.

What the hell!

Lin Jingyue was taken aback. Was Qian Guihua really that ruthless?

Lin Xinyou’s pregnancy had always seemed stable.

“It was Comrade Wang who pushed her!” Aunt Liu declared, eager for drama.

Lin Jingyue, “???”

Had Wang Xueping lost her mind? Why would she do such a thing?

“What nonsense! Get her to the hospital!” The brigade leader came out and, seeing the crowd had stopped, his face darkened.

“Hospital for what? She’s just a wretch. Does she even deserve a hospital? The child’s gone anyway—take her home, if she survives, she survives, if not…”

“Shut up!” Qian Guihua rushed over, but before she could finish her tirade, the party secretary cut her off.

He shot her a fierce glare—talking like that would ruin their family’s reputation. Useless woman.

“To the hospital!” he declared decisively.

Without further delay, those carrying Lin Xinyou moved immediately. Someone went to get a cart, and both the brigade leader and party secretary looked grim.

The group bustled off, and shortly after, Lin Xinjian and Zhao Hua caught up.

Seeing Lin Jingyue by the roadside, Lin Xinjian gave her a vicious glare before running on.

Zhao Hua hesitated, cast a complicated glance at Lin Jingyue, and then followed.

Lin Jingyue was left utterly bewildered.

Not until she returned to the educated youth dormitory did she hear the full story from Chen Chunlan.

Chen Chunlan had completely fallen out with Wang Xueping and never liked Lin Xinyou either; with both in trouble, she could only feel delighted.

“Oh, Comrade Lin, you haven’t heard, have you? We have a murderer in our dorm now!”