Lin Xue immediately lashed out, "You worthless brat, say that again! Who are you kicking out?"
Sizhe's expression darkened instantly. He hated it when his aunt called people "worthless brats"—she used to say the same thing about his late mother.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Lin Xue by the wrist and dragged her out of the house. "You insulted my sister and my mother. From now on, I don’t recognize you as my aunt, and don’t you dare step foot in our home again!"
Sizhe’s grip was strong, and Lin Xue felt like her wrist might dislocate as he yanked her all the way out the gate.
When Nan Sheng returned from work, she immediately noticed something was off with the kids—their eyes were red, clearly from crying.
"Big Bro Sizhe! Qiqi! Who upset you?"
Earlier that day, Secretary Ma had received approval for his application. Given the dire situation in Xiaoling Village, the higher-ups had agreed to send experts to assist. The good news had put the entire town government in high spirits, and Nan Sheng had spent the morning slacking off after distributing ice blocks, even planning to make butter-fried shrimp for dinner.
Now, her good mood was completely ruined.
Qiqi’s lips trembled before tears started rolling down her cheeks.
"Aunt Lin Xue cursed at us!"
"She called me a worthless brat!"
"She said Big Bro and I are motherless bastards!"
"She called us jinxes!"
"And she tried to steal our food!"
Hearing his sister recount the insults, Sizhe’s eyes welled up again. The words "motherless bastards" cut deep.
After Lin Xue left, the more he thought about it, the more it hurt, and he couldn’t hold back his tears. Seeing her brother cry, Qiqi got scared and started sobbing too.
Even the neighbors came over several times, thinking something terrible had happened in the Lin household!
Nan Sheng pulled both children into her arms, her voice soft yet firm.
"Don’t listen to Lin Xue’s nonsense. My Sizhe and Qiqi are neither worthless brats nor jinxes. You’re my most beloved son and daughter. And how are you motherless? I’m right here!"
Qiqi was easier to comfort—she’d mostly cried out of fear from seeing her brother upset, along with the sting of the insults. But Sizhe was genuinely heartbroken. Even Nan Sheng’s past scoldings and spankings hadn’t hurt him this badly.
After downing a glass of ice water, Nan Sheng headed straight to her in-laws’ house, assigning Sizhe the task of cooking to keep his mind occupied.
At Granny Zhang’s doorstep, she ran into the old woman’s daughter-in-law feeding the chickens.
"Lin Han’s wife, what happened with your kids? My mother-in-law went over twice, but they wouldn’t say a word. It’s worrying us sick."
Nan Sheng sighed. "It’s all because of that troublemaker Lin Xue. She’s been freeloading off her parents without a word of complaint from us, and now she’s gone and cursed my children, calling them motherless. I’m going to settle this with her!"
The woman, recognizing it as a family matter, didn’t pry further. Inside, she muttered to her mother-in-law about how Lin Xue had grown up so inconsiderate despite being married.
The poor kids had already suffered enough losing their mother young. Just as they were starting to bond with their stepmother, someone had to dredge up old wounds.
No wonder they cried so hard.
When Nan Sheng arrived at the old Lin residence, she marched straight into her in-laws’ room. Eldest Brother Lin’s family was eating, and Zhou Wei remarked,
"Sister-in-law looks furious! Is this about Lin Xue? She was in a foul mood when she came back earlier, ranting nonstop."
Sizhong and Sicheng, who’d been eating at their second aunt’s place for days and had grown fond of her, immediately dropped their chopsticks and ran to their grandparents’ room.
They arrived just in time to see their second aunt laying into their aunt Lin Xue—and it looked brutal.
Fan Shuting shouted, "Sizhong! Sicheng! Stop your second aunt!"
She then tried to reason with Nan Sheng. "Lin Han’s wife, let’s talk this out. Don’t start hitting people the moment you walk in—the children are watching!"
The two-year-old twins were wailing from the commotion. Lin Guozheng couldn’t physically intervene with his daughter-in-law, leaving Fan Shuting to step in—though she ended up taking a few swipes herself.
By the time Nan Sheng was restrained, Eldest Brother Lin and Zhou Wei had joined the scene.
Zhou Wei gasped. "What’s all this fighting about? Sister-in-law, did Lin Xue steal your food?"
She wasn’t just making assumptions. Her sister-in-law often visited their house too, eyeing their grain like it was her own. Even an extra bowl of rice would send Lin Xue into a fit of indignation.
Zhou Wei had privately made a pact with her husband: no handouts to her own family, and none to his sister either. Their priority was saving up for Sizhong’s future marriage.
Lin Guozheng knew Nan Sheng’s temperament well—she was fiery but never picked fights without cause.
"Lin Han’s wife, if you’ve been wronged, just say so. If Lin Xue messed up, I’ll deal with her. But you can’t just barge in and start hitting people. Do you even respect your elders?"
Nan Sheng shoved her nephews aside, not sparing the old man any courtesy either. Being polite didn’t make her a pushover—blind obedience had no place in her world.
"This mess is your fault—yours and Mom’s—for failing to raise your daughter right. My Sizhe and Qiqi suffered because of it. We all know why Lin Xue’s been hanging around our place lately. Why didn’t you stop her?"
Lin Guozheng flushed. He’d assumed his tough daughter-in-law wouldn’t let Lin Xue take advantage, so he hadn’t interfered.
Fan Shuting’s face burned too. Being accused of poor parenting by her daughter-in-law was anything but pleasant.
She yanked the sobbing Lin Xue forward. "Out with it! What did you do at Lin Han’s place? Why did you bully Sizhe and Qiqi?"
Lin Xue tearfully showed the bruises on her wrist from Sizhe’s grip.
"Mom! Look what they did to me! Who’s bullying who here?"
Nan Sheng scoffed. "You deserved worse. What kind of aunt calls her own niece and nephew ‘jinxes’ and ‘worthless brats’? Or tells them they’re motherless? You had a mother—so where’s your decency?"
The accusation hit Fan Shuting like a slap. If Zhou Wei had said something like that, Eldest Brother Lin would’ve torn her head off.
Damn, her sister-in-law had guts!
Nan Sheng’s confidence came from her hefty savings and stable job. She wasn’t afraid of alienating her in-laws—she’d never bow her head to anyone in this family.
She coldly added, "Old Man, I’ll humor you this once. How do you plan to fix this?"
Lin Guozheng was at a loss. Beating or scolding Lin Xue? Nan Sheng had already done both—and clearly, that wasn’t enough for her.
With his second son’s promising future and Nan Sheng’s government job, he couldn’t afford to let them drift away from the family.
Gritting his teeth, he declared, "Wife, pack Lin Xue’s things. She’s going back to her husband’s house tomorrow. If she doesn’t change her ways, she’s not welcome here anymore!"
Lin Xue gaped at her father, as if she hadn’t heard him right.
Fan Shuting stayed silent, resisting the decision.
Last time Lin Xue had walked back to her in-laws’, she’d suffered terribly. Knowing her daughter’s husband’s family was starving, Fan Shuting couldn’t bear to send her back.
And Nan Sheng—she’d already hit and berated Lin Xue. What more did she want?
In Fan Shuting’s heart, blood still ran thicker than water.
