In the front yard, Lin Shilang ran ahead while Lin Cui’e chased after him, shouting incessantly, “Give it to me, Brother Shi, give it to me now!”
Lin Shilang tossed the gauze flower in his hand up and down as he ran, eventually throwing it high into the fruit tree. Lin Cui’e pretended to call out toward the courtyard gate, “Brother Liu, you’re back! Come help me! Brother Shi threw my flower up the tree!”
“Good sister, I was just teasing you. No need to trouble Brother Liu. I’ll get it down for you right now—ah—”
Before Lin Shilang could move, he felt a tight grip around his waist. Looking down, he saw a leather whip coiled around him. Before he could even cry out, he was yanked backward, and a cloth—hastily snatched by Tong Shi from the clothesline—was stuffed into his mouth. Lin Shilang struggled, but his hands and feet were already bound.
Tong Shi threw Lin Shilang to the ground and raised the long leather whip, lashing him with a series of sharp cracks.
Everything happened so fast that Lin Cui’e was momentarily stunned, only able to cry out, “Auntie, Auntie!” She had never seen her usually kind and gentle aunt in such a ferocious state.
Lin Boshi and Dong Shi rushed out upon hearing the commotion, but before they could speak, Tong Shi brandished the whip and snapped, “Silence! If you don’t want this household to suffer because of Shilang, keep your mouths shut. After I’ve taught this little beast a lesson, I’ll deal with the two of you next.”
Lin Boshi seethed with anger but dared not speak, forced to watch helplessly as Lin Shilang writhed on the ground. Dong Shi shrank back in fear, while Lin Cuiping didn’t even step outside. In truth, Tong Shi wasn’t striking him hard—her whip cracked loudly but only the very tip, if at all, touched him. She was merely trying to scare Shilang.
“Auntie, please calm down. Even if Shilang has done wrong, we should at least know the reason before punishing him. Beating him without explanation won’t solve anything.”
Tong Shi, who had her back to the courtyard gate, hadn’t noticed Lin Liulang’s arrival. Hearing his voice, she turned to find him kneeling before her. “Auntie, whatever Shilang’s mistake, it’s my fault as his elder brother for failing to teach him properly. I apologize on his behalf.”
Having vented her anger with a few lashes, Tong Shi now smiled at Liulang. “Apologize to me? No need. He hasn’t offended me.”
Lin Boshi snapped, “If he hasn’t offended you, why whip him?”
Tong Shi hauled Shilang up and strode toward the main house. Though furious at her rudeness, Lin Boshi and Dong Shi hastily stepped aside. Inside, Tong Shi dumped Shilang on the floor. Dong Shi rushed to untie him, and once freed, Shilang burst into loud, pained wails.
“Hmph,” Tong Shi snorted, and Shilang immediately quieted, reduced to whimpers.
“Shilang, I’ll ask you questions, and you’ll answer truthfully. If you lie or blame others, remember—I have more than one whip, and more than one kind.”
Trembling, Shilang replied, “Yes, Auntie. I’ll answer honestly.”
“Good. Did you say that your eldest sister-in-law is ugly, that her marrying your eldest brother was like a toad eating swan meat, and that your brother avoids coming home because he despises her?”
“Yes, but I heard it from Mother. She said Sister-in-law couldn’t get married back then and shamelessly forced herself on Eldest Brother. Mother pitied him for lacking a caring wife, so she sent Cousin to Shengcheng to keep him company. They might even have a child by now.”
Tong Shi turned to Lin Boshi, her face full of scorn. “Eldest Brother, it seems sending Chunhong away back then left Sister-in-law quite resentful.”
Lin Boshi snorted and looked away.
Tong Shi continued, “Shilang, did you say Fang’er was possessed by a demon, that her survival last time was because Heaven failed to take her, leaving her soul trapped and her mind addled? That if she died, the household would prosper?”
“Yes, Mother said that too. She said Fang’er would die sooner or later, and Sister-in-law was wasting food and money keeping her alive.”
“Shilang, where did you say these things?”
At this thunderous question, Shilang shuddered and crawled behind his mother. Though Second Brother wouldn’t whip him, his slaps and kicks were no less terrifying.
“Speak!” Liulang roared, startling Shilang into a tearful cry: “At school!”
“What?!”
Lin Boshi and Liulang exclaimed in unison. Liulang grabbed Shilang by the collar, hauled him up, and slapped him hard. “You idiot!”
“Liulang, how dare you hit your younger brother in front of me? Do you even respect your mother?”
*Slap!* “You foolish woman!” Lin Boshi struck Dong Shi before she could finish, silencing her instantly.
Uninterested in the family’s infighting, Tong Shi strode out with her whip. Earlier, Lin Cui’e hadn’t followed them inside and now stood weeping softly under the tree. Seeing Tong Shi approach, she shrank back step by step. Among the siblings, Tong Shi favored Cui’e—spirited yet sensible, kind-hearted despite Dong Shi’s poor influence. She’d meant to comfort the girl but, seeing her fear, decided against it and left the courtyard.
Late that night, Lin Fang felt something wet and ticklish on her face. Rain? Then she heard stifled sobs and realized—Mother was crying again. Second Brother had mentioned she cried daily, hiding it during the day and weeping secretly at night. After Shilang’s nonsense today, she must be even more heartbroken.
Second Brother said Mother’s eyes were ruined from crying. Desperate to distract her, Lin Fang tried to make noise but lacked the strength. In frustration, she attempted to yell, “Stop crying, or you’ll go blind!” But she forgot—she was just a frail three-month-old. Her “shout” came out as a feeble whimper, weaker than a kitten’s mewl.
Yet it worked. Mother stopped crying, holding her breath. The effort exhausted Lin Fang, but as she drifted off, she heard Mother murmur, “Was that Fang’er crying? No… I must’ve imagined it.” Gritting her tiny will, Lin Fang forced out a few more pitiful cries.
“Auntie! Fang’er is crying!” Mother’s voice was now joyful. To Lin Fang, the exhaustion was worth it.
“I heard it too.” Tong Shi lit a lamp and hurried over.
Lin Fang’s face was flushed, her tiny mouth slightly open as she panted from the exertion. To Tong Shi and Li Cuimei, it seemed she was still crying weakly. Before sinking back into sleep, Lin Fang thought wearily, *Mother, please don’t cry again. Do you know how hard it is to comfort you like this?*
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