By the time Si Nian and Zhou Yueshen received the news, Lin's mother had already been taken to the hospital.
Si Nian was aware that the Lin family's financial success would inevitably stir envy and resentment in some.
But she never imagined that Uncle Lin's family could sink to such depravity.
Zhou Yueshen rushed back from the pig farm and took her to the town hospital on his motorcycle.
That afternoon, the Lin children were also notified one after another.
When Lin Xiao picked up his younger brothers, Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan also learned about the incident.
Remembering their kind and gentle grandmother, the boys' faces paled at the news of her injury. Clutching their little sister, they hurried after the others.
Lin's mother was indeed hurt—her head had been split open, requiring over a dozen stitches.
The sight was horrifying and infuriating.
Yet not a single member of Uncle Lin's family, the perpetrators, had shown up.
Only Lin's father, whose mobility was impaired, and Zhou Suisui stayed by her side.
Si Nian watched as her father wiped away tears, her heart burning with both rage and guilt.
Lin Xiao's eyes were red with fury, his hands itching to strangle Lin Wei.
Lin Feng and Lin Yu wept uncontrollably, their faces streaked with tears and snot.
Si Nian struggled to contain her anger. If not for her, her mother would never have suffered like this.
But Lin's mother, noticing her daughter's tense expression, softened her voice to reassure her: "It's alright, Si Nian. I'm fine. Don't blame yourself—this wasn't your fault. It's over now."
The truth was, Old Lady Lin had always been domineering. Their refusal to share meat last time had already sparked resentment. This time, when they demanded she teach them her techniques, Lin's mother refused.
With Lin's father backing her, Old Lady Lin saw it as a challenge to her authority and lashed out.
When her husband stepped in to push her away, the rest of the Lin family joined the fray.
Handicapped by his bad leg, Lin's father was no match for them. Lin Wei, Eldest Uncle Lin's ruthless son, swung a stool at him under the guise of "filial duty."
Without hesitation, Lin's mother threw herself in the way—and was struck bloody.
Only then did the Lin family panic.
After hurling a few guilty curses, they fled. Villagers, shocked by the violence, helped rush her to the hospital.
Now, Eldest Uncle Lin's family and the elderly Lins were pretending nothing had happened.
But Si Nian, seeing her mother's forced optimism, refused to let it go.
"Mom, how can we just move on? If we tolerate this, they'll only push further. This time it's violence—next time, it could be murder. And they'll keep getting away with it."
Lin's mother paled.
Lin Wei was already a known troublemaker—a thief and a brawler with a record of reports against him. Hot-tempered and shameless, he was capable of anything.
If they swallowed their grievances now, what would stop him next time?
Worried, Lin's mother sighed. "Then what should we do?"
Si Nian's voice was firm. "This is a society of laws. We report them—for assault and provocation."
She then turned to her father, who seemed to have aged a decade in a day.
"Dad, do you want Mom to endure this injustice... or do you want to demand justice for her?"
These were his own elder brother and parents.
In an era where filial piety outweighed all else, Si Nian couldn't be sure what Lin's father would choose.
But if he chose his parents over letting his wife endure humiliation, such a man was someone she absolutely despised.
Not to mention, Lin's mother had gotten injured protecting him.
Lin's father's eyes turned red with guilt: "Nian Nian, your dad failed your mom."
Si Nian nodded and looked at Zhou Yueshen.
Zhou Yueshen withdrew his gaze and gave a slight nod. The two of them went to the police station together.
Soon, Eldest Uncle Lin's family—who had been playing dead—along with Old Lady Lin and Old Man Lin were summoned.
When the police arrested them, the entire family was still eating and chatting.
Upon hearing that it was the second son’s daughter who had reported them, they were utterly shocked.
Lin Wei, who had done the beating, was naturally among them. The group was escorted to the hospital.
Old Lady Lin, humiliated by the ordeal, lashed out the moment she saw her second son, his wife, Si Nian, and the others: "You little vixen! Like mother, like daughter—should’ve made my son divorce you back then! Ungrateful wretch, how dare you report your own elders to the police..."
Her words were so vile even the officers couldn’t stand it. One of them barked a warning, and Old Lady Lin finally shut up.
Lin's mother flushed with anger. In the past, her mother-in-law had shamed her for her looks, accusing her of being promiscuous and seductive.
Now, she was even insulting her daughter.
Zhou Zehan, hearing the old woman call his mother names, shouted angrily, "You’re the bad one here, you old fox! Your whole family’s a bunch of vixens!"
As soon as he finished, the children all glared at the Lin family with hatred.
Si Nian nearly choked on her own saliva.
Beside her, Zhou Zedong tugged at her hand and whispered fiercely, "Mom, they insulted you. From now on, they’re my enemies."
The officers nearly lost their composure, quickly covering their mouths to maintain a stern expression.
"So, you admit you were the ones who caused these injuries? Who did it? Step forward," one officer demanded coldly.
Lin Wei, who had a prior record for assault, was trembling with guilt and tried to hide.
Lin Xue glanced at Si Nian and immediately knew that she and Zhou Yueshen must have intervened—otherwise, her uncle’s family would never have dared to involve the police.
Her eyes flickered, and she stepped forward, speaking sweetly: "Uncle, Aunt, Cousin Nian, Brother-in-law Yueshen… We’re all family. A little roughhousing between siblings is normal. There’s no need to make such a big deal out of it."
Si Nian turned to her with a cold smirk. "Oh? So we’re family now? I’ve never heard of any family smashing stools over their own kin’s heads. Where was this ‘family bond’ when you were beating her? My mom needed over a dozen stitches—and you call that ‘roughhousing’? If I beat you half to death right now, would that just be ‘normal’ too?"
Lin Xue’s face paled, then flushed with anger.
Even the officers were stunned. Beating one’s own aunt to such an extent and calling it "roughhousing"? What kind of warped morality was that?
Wang Cui, seeing her daughter speechless, glared daggers at Si Nian.
"It was just an accident! Right, Second Brother and Sister-in-Law?"
Her threatening gaze bore into Lin's father and mother.
Old Lady Lin on the side narrowed her triangular eyes, not even bothering to give the family a second glance. "Just get them out of here, and we'll consider this matter settled. Otherwise, this old woman won’t let either of you off the hook! Ungrateful wretches."
Old Man Lin, though he also felt the beating had gone too far, cared more about his pride. Being reported to the police by his own son and daughter-in-law, then dragged away in front of the entire village—his dignity had been trampled. Naturally, his expression was far from pleasant.
"Second Son, you’d better discipline your wife and daughter properly!"
A quick note: The last chapter unexpectedly ended up being 4,000 words long. If anyone finds inconsistencies, please revisit the previous chapter—my apologies for the confusion!
