Chapter 10: Going to Liu Li’s School

At that time, it was said that the Liu family was very poor, but Liu Yongming had done well by passing the high school entrance exam. Even if things didn’t go well after graduation, he could at least work in a factory. Lin Yi agreed to the marriage precisely for this reason.

Who would have thought that Liu Yongming married Lin Qin for her dowry!

Now Lin Yi regretted it so deeply he wished he could jump off a building.

Fearing he might lose control, Lin Qin quickly wiped her tears and said, “Dad, life must go on. Yaya is still young. We can’t fall apart. You have to help me.”

Lin Yi, his mind blank, muttered absentmindedly, “Help... Dad help you... Dad’s the one who’s let you down!”

He cried even harder.

Seeing her father’s despair, Lin Qin’s resentment overwhelmed her reason. “Dad! I have a plan. Trust me. I won’t let any of those who bullied us mother and daughter go unpunished. I’m serious!”

Lin Yi wiped his tears and shook his head repeatedly. “Child, you can’t do something foolish!”

“Dad, don’t worry. I won’t be impulsive anymore. Let’s wait until the child is discharged before we talk.” Lin Qin patted Lin Yi’s shoulder and led him back to the ward.

Chen Wenjun was there, holding a toy to cheer up Liu Yaya.

That scene vaguely reminded Lin Qin of many things from her past life. When Chen Wenjun’s son, Chen Ping’an, was ill, he had patiently comforted him for a long time. He had treated her like a child when she was sick. Now, he was doing the same for Liu Yaya.

Lin Yi quietly watched from behind Lin Qin, saying nothing.

The elderly woman in the next bed praised Chen Wenjun to Lin Qin: “Your man is quite something. It’s rare to see a man so willing to comfort his daughter like this. I even misunderstood him during the day. I’m sorry about that.”

Lin Qin smiled awkwardly and gave up explaining.

Because Liu Yaya neither cried nor made a fuss, Lin Qin and Lin Yi dared not make any noise either. They silently watched Chen Wenjun soothe her to sleep.

Once the child was asleep, the adults all tacitly slowed their breathing.

Chen Wenjun silently gestured that he was about to leave.

Lin Yi immediately went out to see him off.

“Thanks so much for today. If you hadn’t been running around, I wouldn’t have known what to do with my daughter!” Lin Yi sincerely thanked Chen Wenjun.

Chen Wenjun smiled generously. “No need to be so formal. Lin Qin has had a hard life. I didn’t realize before, but this time, after being inexplicably trapped by the Liu family, I finally paid attention to their affairs.

I heard that she and her daughter worked like slaves in the Liu family, but those people never treated them like human beings. Lin Qin endured the smaller things before, but last time, they pushed her too far.

Now it’s getting worse—they even resorted to pouring boiling water. From what I see, the Liu family isn’t a place for decent people. If the child goes back, who knows what will happen to her!”

Lin Yi nodded dumbly, his eyes devoid of any light. After seeing Chen Wenjun off, he hunched over, leaning against the wall, and walked heavily back into the ward.

In the following days, he waited day and night, hoping Liu Yongming would come to see the child or that someone from the Liu family would come to apologize.

But he got nothing.

On the fifth day of the child’s hospitalization, Liu Ling arrived.

Lin Qin thought she had come for money and immediately pulled out a few one-yuan bills to give her.

Liu Ling hurriedly waved her off. “Sister Lin Qin, I just thought since you haven’t returned for so many days, I’d come see how the child’s doing.”

The elderly woman in the neighboring bed had already been discharged, and no new patients had been admitted to this ward for the time being. Lin Qin had no reservations and lifted the shawl from Liu Yaya’s back to show Liu Ling the wound.

Liu Ling was immediately shaken to her knees, her teeth chattering. “So serious! That crazy woman Liu Li actually did such a terrible thing to a child!”

Lin Yi couldn’t help but step forward and ask, “Daughter, Liu Li hurt Yaya like this, and the Liu family hasn’t said anything?”

Liu Ling opened her mouth but then looked at Lin Qin and Liu Yaya with newfound pity. “Uncle, Xu Wanzhi was also scalded. I heard her buttocks, thighs, and back were badly burned. She went to a clinic and didn’t come to the hospital.

The Liu family claims Yaya was naughty and bumped into Xu Wanzhi, causing her to spill hot water on herself and Yaya, and they say Sister Lin Qin is lying and slandering Liu Li.”

“Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!” Lin Yi clutched his chest and fell back onto a chair.

Lin Qin was terrified and shouted, “Doctor! Doctor...”

Liu Ling also panicked and hurried to help.

After a while, Lin Yi recovered, but Lin Qin, still worried, insisted he get checked.

Lin Yi didn’t want to worry his daughter more, knowing how hard things already were, but he reluctantly agreed to the examination, his heart aching over the expense.

Seeing no serious problems, Liu Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

As she was about to leave, Lin Qin quickly handed her a wad of cash. “I borrowed three yuan from your grandmother, three from Aunt Lanhua next door, two from Uncle Fu, and two from Uncle Yang. Please help me repay them.”

She didn’t intend to return to the Liu family, at least not while she was so weak and alone.

Liu Ling looked down at the money, uneasy. “Sister Lin Qin, aren’t you afraid I’ll embezzle your money?”

“I trust you!” Lin Qin replied without hesitation.

Liu Ling nodded repeatedly. “Okay! I’ll repay them for you as soon as I get back.”

Lin Qin saw her off downstairs. Watching Liu Ling get on her bike, she casually asked, “Liu Li is in Class 3, Grade 9 at No. 2 Middle School, right?”

Liu Ling nodded. “Yes, right next to my class.”

Lin Qin thanked her again and watched her leave.

The next day, the doctor said Liu Yaya could be discharged after one more day of observation.

Lin Qin rented a stretcher from the hospital for a day, informed the attending doctor, and, together with Lin Yi, carried Liu Yaya out.

The nurse assumed the child was restless and wanted to go out to play, so she didn’t think much and let them leave.

The two carried the child all the way to No. 2 Middle School.

At that time, although the school had a gate, security was not as strict as it would be years later. Visitors only had to inform the guard to be allowed entry.

Lin Qin claimed she needed to see her niece in Grade 9 about something.

Since Grade 9 was on the third floor, the guard didn’t bother to deliver the message and told Lin Qin to go in herself.

Father and daughter carried Liu Yaya as they walked toward Class 3 of Grade 9.

Passing by Class 2, Liu Ling saw them and was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out.

Class was in session.

Zhang Hua, the homeroom teacher of Class 3, saw the commotion and immediately put down his book and came out. “Comrade, what business do you have here?”

In front of everyone, Lin Qin knelt down and sobbed loudly, “Teacher, Liu Li in your class wants to kill us mother and daughter. My daughter has suffered terribly because of her. I beg the school to help me!”

Zhang Hua retreated in shock and suddenly turned to Liu Li, whose face had gone pale. “Is this... some kind of misunderstanding?”

Tears streaming down her face, Lin Qin revealed the wound on Liu Yaya’s back for all to see.

The group of inexperienced boys and girls were all deeply shaken.

Even Zhang Hua covered his mouth in shock. “This... was done by Liu Li?”