Chapter 69

Lin Mother was right; in nearby relatives' and neighbors' homes, most of the men went out to work, and if they could save three or four ten thousand yuan a year, it was already quite difficult.

If there were elderly people at home who could help take care of the children, the couple could go out to work and save about five or six ten thousand yuan.

If the children were old enough to work, they could earn money, but with at least two children, there were too many expenses.

The Lin family was better off because they had gone out early and had already established themselves. This year, they saved more than seventy thousand yuan.

Adding the eighty thousand yuan Lin Mu saved this year, the total would be one hundred and fifty thousand yuan.

This figure would likely shock the villagers.

Lin Mother's current wish was to maintain this income and for the family to live peacefully. This way, when Lin Mu and his two siblings grew up, the family wouldn't have to borrow money from everywhere.

This was already the kind of happy life that most parents could only dream of.

Therefore, in the end, Lin Mu couldn't persuade them.

The sixty thousand yuan was hidden deep in the wardrobe by the bed, and Lin Mother planned to have Lin Father deposit it in the bank in the nearby town the next day.

...

The next day was the 29th of the lunar month. To deposit the money, the Lin family decided to go to the town to buy things for the New Year.

Fish, eel, lotus root, free-range chicken, lean pork ribs, new clothes for Lin Ye and Lin Lin...

Because of the income Lin Mu brought to the family, everyone was incredibly happy today. Lin Mother, who was usually frugal, was unusually generous, buying all kinds of fish, meat, and clothes. She didn't hesitate to buy things that the two children craved.

Since the living conditions of the grandmother's family in the neighboring village were also poor, Lin Mother bought an extra portion to send to them in the afternoon.

The big shopping spree cost only one or two thousand yuan, but it made the whole family happy and brought them a rare moment of family enjoyment.

Even the second aunt's family, who lived in the town, envied Lin Father and Lin Mother's generosity this year.

On the way back, Lin Mu, riding a bicycle, took some of the meat and turned toward the grandmother's house.

After lunch, the elderly were comforted, praising their grandson for being considerate. Lin Mu, who had been taken care of by his grandmother since he was young, missed her terribly after half a year. They chatted until three or four in the afternoon before he left.

"You don't like the meat? Then don't eat it! It's not like there's no rice for you to eat! If you think I can't cook, go to your younger son's house for the New Year. They have money now, so why stay in our poor home!"

As soon as he returned, he heard the scolding from the neighboring yard. The voice was clearly that of the sharp-tongued woman from Lin Zheng's family.

At home, only Lin Mother and the two children were there; Lin Father was not around.

Frowning, Lin Mu asked and found out what had happened.

This year, the elderly were staying at Lin Zheng's house for the New Year. Although they had already given some things to the elderly, after the big shopping spree, Lin Father took a fish and a few pounds of lean meat to Lin Zheng's house.

This was a local custom, but the amount given was entirely up to the descendants' filial piety, with no strict rules.

When he delivered the items, there was no problem, but at lunchtime, an issue arose.

Perhaps intentionally or unintentionally, the meat cooked for lunch might not have been to the elderly's liking. The elderly didn't say anything at the time, but before dinner, they mentioned to the woman to cook the meat a bit longer.

Just this one sentence made the woman fly off the handle, and she started arguing with the elderly. Lin Father had been there for about twenty minutes, and the situation was still the same.

Lin Mu frowned, told Lin Mother to stay at home, and went over.

Many villagers had already gathered in Lin Zheng's yard. Seeing Lin Mu, they nodded in goodwill. Some who were unhappy with Lin Zheng's family already had a look of schadenfreude on their faces.

"Did you bring the things, but not let the elderly eat them? Do you have a reason for that?" Lin Father asked, barely suppressing his anger.

Lin Zheng squatted to the side, smoking sullenly, not helping either side.

The elderly stood in the corner, angry and frustrated but not daring to say anything.

When Lin Mu walked to his side, the elderly's eyes welled up with tears, almost spilling over.

He was old and now relied on his two sons. If he offended the woman from his eldest son's family, his future life would be extremely miserable.

He had worked hard all his life, but he never expected that the son he had raised from a young age would treat him like this.

The woman, holding a rolling pin, seeing that Lin Mu didn't speak up, forcefully retorted, "Who said I didn't let him eat? The meat is on the table. If he doesn't eat it, whose fault is it? If he thinks I can't cook, let him find someone who can cook better! We have many children, so what if they eat some meat? Do I need you, Lin Wei, to scold me?"

Lin Zheng's eldest son, Lin Changling, who was taller than Lin Father, stood next to the woman, looking at Lin Father mockingly.

Seeing that Lin Father was there, Lin Mu didn't speak up.

But the woman mistook this for fear and thought Lin Mu was afraid of Lin Changling.

The more she talked, the more she gained confidence. She waved the rolling pin as she spoke and, to suppress Lin Father's spirit, used the rolling pin to push his arm.

To protect his father, Lin Father endured it, but the woman became even more arrogant and swung the rolling pin at him.

"Bang!"

A shadow of a stick flew up and landed in the empty pigpen nearby.

Lin Mu had rushed over in a few quick steps and kicked the rolling pin out of the woman's hand.

"There you go, you bad seed! Changling, beat him up!" The woman screamed, seeing her eldest son by her side, her arrogance returning.

Lin Changling stepped forward, his eyes unfriendly. "Was it you who scared my parents before?"

Standing at 1.8 meters tall, he was muscular and half a head taller than Lin Mu, giving him a strong sense of intimidation.

Lin Mu, however, was not bothered and sneered, "I'm just amused by your family. The men are spineless, and the women are shrews. You don't even respect your own elders, and you dare to act tough in front of me, Lin Mu? You call yourself a man, but your actions are shameful and worse than a dog!"

"Good!"

"An educated child knows right from wrong!"

The surrounding villagers cheered in agreement.

Chen Shaofei stepped forward, "Lin Mu is right! Lin Changling, if you were a man, you would advise her to respect the elders. How can you be such a grandson?"

Lin Mu was surprised. The last time Chen Shaofei came back, he had tried to cause trouble for Lin Mu and was beaten. He had been more subdued since then, but now he was actually standing up for him?

"Exactly, exactly! Not respecting the elders, what face do you have to speak?"

A few other young men who were friends with Chen Shaofei also stepped forward.

Seeing that the crowd was growing, Lin Changling, though not afraid, was worried about more people joining in. He quickly said, "Lin Mu! This is our family's business. Do you want to get outsiders involved?"

Lin Mu laughed and nodded to Chen Shaofei, signaling that he didn't need help.

"Lin Changling, what you said just now, I did do it. If you're not convinced, come over! Acting tough in front of me, do you really think you can get away with it just by being unreasonable?"