Chapter 67: Chapter 67 Exposed_1
Chapter 67: Chapter 67 Exposed_1
“San Niang, don’t worry, my dad would never like that annoying woman, and we won’t let her bully you. I’ll protect you,” San Lang, the little bootlicker, said eagerly to Lin Yue, clearly trying to demonstrate his loyalty. Lin Yue encouragingly patted San Lang’s little shoulder. It was good to see someone so young knowing to look out for her. This behavior deserved encouragement and praise. He should keep it up.
Er Lang, however, was somewhat disapproving of his younger brother’s actions. “Hmph, San Niang doesn’t need your protection. Even Auntie, as formidable as she is, got neatly dealt with by one of San Niang’s tricks. Not only did she lose Silver but also was punished by the village head and our third uncle to kneel at the ancestral hall. Let alone this woman, she’s certainly no match for San Niang.”
“Of course she does need me, I helped against Auntie too. And I said all the things Erhu taught me in front of the village head and our third uncle—that’s why they believed San Niang. I did protect her. Why do you look down on me, Erhu?” San Lang argued defiantly, desperately trying to prove his worth and not to be belittled by Erhu.
Zhao Erhu initially wanted to praise the children for their cleverness, knowing they would speak for him in front of Lin Yue, which would surely clear any doubts she might have about him. But the more he listened, the more something seemed off, and suspicion flashed in his eyes.
When Lin Yue had been pushed to the ground by Auntie, her head bleeding, he felt extremely anxious and couldn’t think much of it, assuming Auntie had simply bullied his wife. Now, reflecting on it, he realized that Auntie, despite her usual erratic behavior, would never have been so reckless as to be so violent without fear of reprisal. After all, causing actual injury was a different matter from the usual minor scuffles. Besides, Auntie had come to their house before and, despite turning things upside down, had never damaged anything; and even with the Li Family’s temper, things had never escalated to such an extent.
Even if Zhao Erhu wasn’t the sharpest, he wasn’t easy to fool. Upon careful analysis, the events of that day had too many loopholes, and when Auntie later tried to defend herself, Zhao Erhu assumed she was just trying to shirk responsibility and didn’t believe her. With Auntie’s track record, it was natural for him to side with his young wife over her. Now he wondered if Auntie had indeed been wronged—no wonder he felt a sort of tragic fury in Auntie’s eyes that day, something like grief and indignation. The usually overbearing Auntie, finding herself framed and unable to vindicate herself, had a reason to be furious. Zhao Erhu found himself almost admiring his cunning little wife, even if he couldn’t show it.
Seeing Zhao Erhu’s expression, Lin Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and she inwardly cursed, ‘Damn it.’ She had only told the kids not to blab outside, forgetting to warn them against their own father as well. Now, just a few careless words had given them away.
Although Lin Yue knew Zhao Erhu disliked his aunt, she was still his relative, and Zhao Erhu seemed to her quite an upright person. If Auntie had truly done something wrong, Zhao Erhu would naturally be on her side, but if he found out that Auntie had been framed by her, Lin Yue felt uneasy, unsure how Zhao Erhu would react upon learning the truth, whether he would blame her.
Feeling nervous, Lin Yue watched as Zhao Erhu sent her back to their room and then took the children to the main house for an ‘interrogation under duress.’ The kids had some backbone when dealing with outsiders, but facing their own father, with just a few intimidating words from Zhao Erhu, they dared not conceal anything, confessing the entire incident from beginning to end.