After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 47

Old Man Lin sat down in the main chair with a sullen face and without saying a word. He took out his pipe and started puffing away. His face was dark and inscrutable amidst the swirling smoke.

Old Mrs. Lin sat down directly on the stool opposite Song Jinhua, her eyes still filled with anger as she stared straight at her.

Lin Fu stood in the center of the main room, feeling the oppressive atmosphere. He recalled the attention he received at his second brother’s house today and his mother’s scolding during the banquet. Comparing this to the behavior of his wife and daughter today, he felt his face burning with embarrassment.

His chest heaved a few times, and finally he couldn’t hold back any longer, growling at Song Jinhua:

“What kind of behavior is this today! Huh? It’s Sangsang’s engagement day, and all the elders and villagers are here! And you all just give me attitude and walk away! Where do you think I am? Where do you think my parents are?!”

Song Jinhua was already angry, and when her husband yelled at her as soon as he returned, she exploded. She stood up abruptly and shouted, “What did I do? What did I do! Jiao’er wasn’t feeling well, so what’s wrong with us coming back first? Did you expect us to stand there watching them show off and put on a smiling face? Lin Fu! Are you even our support? You didn’t dare utter a word when others bullied your wife and daughter, but now you come back and act all high and mighty with us!”

“Shut up!” Old Mrs. Lin slammed her hand on the table. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. “Song Jinhua! You still think you’re right? Who’s bullying whom today? Huh? It’s a joyous occasion for the second branch of the family, and you two have had long faces the whole time. Do you think no one can see that? Don’t think I don’t know what Jiao’er is thinking! She just can’t stand to see Sangsang doing well! She can’t stand that Sangsang has found a sincere and devoted young man who’s willing to do anything for her!”

Her gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over Song Jinhua and then glancing at the tightly closed door. Her voice was icy: “Let me tell you, stop being so arrogant, thinking you’re so great just because your daughter snatched a scholar! Whether Zhang Mingyuan is good or bad, time will tell! Zhou Han may have a bad reputation, but he’s reliable, magnanimous, polite, and knows how to care for people! Ask yourselves, can the Zhang family afford that dowry, that oxcart, that sentiment? Does Zhang Mingyuan have that kind of heart for Lin Jiao’er?”

These words were like sharp needles, piercing Song Jinhua and Lin Jiao’er’s hearts. Song Jinhua opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself at a loss for words, and could only turn her head away angrily.

Hearing his mother’s words, Lin Fu felt even more ashamed. He pointed at Song Jinhua and said with a pained expression, “Did you hear what I said? You’re all just jealous! You can’t stand seeing the second wife doing well! Let me tell you, Song Jinhua, from today onwards, you better behave yourself! If you dare to gossip or cause trouble outside, especially in front of the second wife, don’t blame me for not showing you any mercy! And Jiao’er too! You’ve spoiled her rotten! She has no manners whatsoever!”

“I…” Song Jinhua wanted to argue.

“What do you mean, ‘you’!” Old Man Lin finally spoke, slamming his pipe heavily on the corner of the table with a dull thud. His cloudy eyes were filled with disappointment and warning. “This family isn’t your place to stir up trouble! If you don’t restrain yourselves and ruin the reputation of the Lin family as a whole, and affect the relationship between Fu-ge and his brothers, I’ll see who you rely on in the future!”

Even the old man, who usually didn’t interfere much, had spoken up, and Song Jinhua completely lost her temper. She lowered her head dejectedly, muttering, “I know… I won’t say it again…”

Grandma Lin stood up, walked to Lin Jiao’er’s room, knocked on the door, and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, “Jiao’er, come out! What kind of skill is it to hide in your room? You need to think carefully about what happened today! Stop living in your own wishful thinking all day long! Whether Zhou Han is a good match or not, time will tell, but your rudeness and jealousy today have truly disgraced your parents and our Lin family! From now on, keep your mind straight!”

No sooner had Old Madam Lin finished speaking with an air of authority and admonition than Lin Jiao’er’s tightly closed door was suddenly pulled open from the inside with a loud bang, slamming against the wall behind her and startling everyone.

Lin Jiao’er stood at the door, her hair disheveled, her carefully applied makeup ruined by tears, her eyes red and swollen, her once beautiful face distorted by extreme anger and grievance.

Her chest heaved violently as she pointed at the people in the main room, especially her grandmother and father, her voice shrill and almost cracking, screaming with a sob:

“Yes! I just can’t stand to see Lin Sang doing well! So what?! And what about you? Aren’t you all turning around and licking Zhou Han’s boots now?!”

Her gaze swept fiercely over Old Mrs. Lin and Lin Fu, her tone filled with sarcasm and resentment:

“Grandma! Dad! What did you say before? Huh? Didn’t you say that Zhou Han was a scoundrel, a hooligan, a living hell? Didn’t you say that Second Uncle was foolish for pushing Sister Sangsang into a living hell? What? Today, when you saw the silver that people brought, saw the oxcart, and smelled the aroma of meat, you all changed your tune? You all said he was a ‘good young man,’ ‘broad-minded,’ and ‘well-mannered’?!”

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, tears mixed with resentment streaming down her face:

“You’re all just after his money, aren’t you?! You all change your tune so quickly! You were the ones who looked down on his reputation before, but now you’re praising him for being hardworking and down-to-earth! How hypocritical and snobbish you are!”

“Jiao’er! What nonsense are you spouting! Shut up!” Lin Fu was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he stepped forward to stop her.

“I won’t stop!” Lin Jiao’er seemed to have gone all out, abruptly shaking off her father’s hand as he tried to pull her away. Her voice became even sharper. “You all think he’s so wonderful now, but isn’t it all because of that dowry? My brother Mingyuan is a poor scholar; he can’t afford those things now! But he has a bright future! He might become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and an official! At that time, Zhou Han, whom you’re currently fawning over, won’t even be worthy of carrying his shoes!”

Her words were spoken with an almost desperate defense, as if she wanted to prove that her initial choice was not wrong and to regain the face and confidence she had lost that day by belittling Zhou Han and praising Zhang Mingyuan.

“You…you scoundrel!” Old Mrs. Lin was so angry at her outrageous and heart-wrenching words that she trembled all over. She pointed at Lin Jiao’er and couldn’t say anything else for a long time.

She never imagined that her granddaughter, who was usually just a bit spoiled, would be so extreme and mean-spirited.

Song Jinhua was terrified and quickly stepped forward to cover her daughter’s mouth: “Jiao’er! Stop talking! Are you crazy?!”

Lin Jiao’er pushed her mother away forcefully, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked at her family members who were angry, shocked, or embarrassed. She felt only utter irony and sorrow.

She finally screamed hysterically, “All you care about is money! Just wait until my brother Mingyuan gets into high school, then we’ll see if you regret saying those things to me today!”

After shouting, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears. She turned around abruptly and rushed back to her room, slamming the door shut with a deafening roar, leaving the main room in a deathly silence and filled with the lingering smoke of battle.

Lin Fu stood there dumbfounded, his face turning pale and then red. For the first time, he realized so clearly that his daughter’s mind was probably already twisted and she was not as simple as he had imagined.

Grandma Lin slumped back into her chair, her chest tight with worry. She was furious at her granddaughter’s defiance and rudeness, but even more alarmed by her undisguised contempt and envy of money, and her unwavering obsession with a vain future.

The air inside the old house seemed even colder and more biting than the winter nights outside.