Chapter 3: Keep Your Opinions to Yourself

Second Sister-in-law Hu didn’t mind the awkwardness at all; she picked up Mother Xu’s bowl of porridge and started shoveling it into her mouth. To everyone’s astonishment, in just a few gulps, she’d eaten more than half the bowl. If Mother Xu hadn’t snatched it back quickly, she might have finished every drop.

“There’s nothing, no sand at all. This porridge is delicious,” Second Sister-in-law Hu gave her a thumbs-up.

After speaking, she even circled her lips with her tongue, licking every last crumb into her mouth, determined not to waste a single bit.

Xu Lin’s lips curved into a faint smile. Of course it was delicious; it was cooked until the rice released its oils.

The neighbors, watching this scene, suddenly understood. The Xus were just looking for another excuse not to let Xu Lin’s child eat. Tsk tsk, a family so heartless and rotten—such treatment of their eldest daughter would surely bring regret sooner or later.

For a moment, everyone was talking at once, their criticism aimed squarely at the Xu family, urging them to treat the child better.

Old Lady Xu’s face flushed red, her neck bulging with anger as she waved her hands to drive the crowd out.

“Get out, all of you! Blind fools, don’t dirty my house. Out, out! Get out now!”

Old Lady Xu was a shrew, and an especially unreasonable one at that. Once she started, the neighbors were quickly driven away.

After slamming the door shut, she glared furiously at Xu Lin. Xu Lin met her gaze with a cold sneer, a smile that made Old Lady Xu feel uneasy.

This wretched girl seemed off today. Before Old Lady Xu could explode, Mother Xu, still puzzled, took a sip of porridge.

Immediately, she choked and spat it all out.

To Mother Xu, it felt as though she hadn’t drunk porridge, but a mouthful of sand.

Looking at the sand spilled on the ground, the Xu family was dumbfounded.

“You little wretch, you—”

Old Lady Xu pointed at the sand, ready to curse her out, but before she could say anything coherent, a heavy slap landed across her face.

Xu Lin rushed forward, raising both hands and raining down blows on Old Lady Xu’s wizened face.

You old hag, I’ve wanted to hit you for ages! For all your bullying, your curses, your wickedness...

Xu Lin unleashed her fury, beating Old Lady Xu into a swollen mess before anyone in the family could react.

She caught sight of Father Xu rushing at her; without a word, she spun and kicked him straight in the groin.

Father Xu’s eyes bulged in pain, his face turning the color of raw liver as he doubled over, clutching himself and howling in agony.

Anyone passing by might have thought a pig was being slaughtered in the Xu household.

The neighbors who had been shooed away lingered outside, gossiping in low voices, cursing the Xu family for their cruelty.

Xu Lin, sharp of ear, caught the gossiping outside and immediately shifted tactics.

She landed a punch on Old Lady Xu’s throat, silencing her, then straddled her and continued pummeling.

Old Lady Xu stretched out her hands, pleading for help. Mother Xu, snapping back to her senses and ignoring the sand in her mouth, rushed over to rescue her.

But she hadn’t accounted for Xu Lin’s strength—she was just offering herself up. Xu Lin didn’t slap Mother Xu’s face this time, but pinned her down and beat her, avoiding the spots that might hurt less, and using just the right amount of force to leave no visible marks.

“You little wretch, how dare you hit me!” Mother Xu was stunned, unable to believe this meek girl would dare fight back.

“Heh, you old hag, you’re the one I’m beating,” Xu Lin sneered, landing another punch on Mother Xu’s throat, rendering her voiceless.

Now Mother Xu couldn’t curse or call for help.

Her beloved son and daughter were so shocked by Xu Lin’s ferocity that they simply sat at the table, gawking, making no move to intervene.

It was Father Xu who managed to recover a little, gritting his teeth through the pain and shouting, “You two, go help your mother!”

“Oh! Oh!” Xu Kun came to his senses, cursing loudly as he charged at Xu Lin.

“Shameless troublemaker, are you trying to rebel? I’ll beat you to death!”

A boy schooled by Old Lady Xu, his mouth was full of insults—never a decent word.

In her previous life, Xu Lin had wanted to beat him countless times, but had always held back because he was the only male heir of the Xu family.

But now? She didn’t care if he was the only son. He was no good, and if he died, he’d deserve it.

Xu Lin delivered a few heavy punches, leaving Mother Xu powerless to resist, then turned to face Xu Kun and Xu Nuan.

The first punch left Xu Kun speechless; the second silenced Xu Nuan. After that, she alternated between punching Xu Kun and kicking Xu Nuan.

The room echoed with the sound of fists on flesh—a sound that stirred the blood.

Old Lady Xu wept, reaching out to protect her precious grandson.

Mother Xu crawled forward in desperation, wanting to take the beating for her darling son.

Father Xu, ignoring his own pain, hurried over to save his beloved boy.

Xu Nuan: ... She can’t see me, right? Does this mean I’m not being beaten?

Seeing another target present herself, Xu Lin immediately abandoned the two smaller ones and turned on Father Xu.

Her first punch landed on his solar plexus, draining his strength.

The second struck his throat—if he couldn’t speak, then let him be silent.

The third hit his kidneys, ensuring he’d suffer from urinary problems ever after.

The fourth, the fifth...

Xu Lin unleashed thirty-two punches in total, each one solid and merciless, leaving both Father and Mother Xu rolling their eyes in pain.

Blowing on her fists, Xu Lin felt much of her pent-up anger dissipate.

She glanced at the sky; it was getting late. To think that the very first day of her second chance should exhaust her so much.

Hmph, a family of villains—with not a shred of care for anyone but themselves.

She strode over to Xu Nuan, who looked up at her like a startled doe, and asked loftily, “From now on, I’ll sleep in your room. You can sleep over there,” Xu Lin pointed to a corner of the main room. “Any objections?”

Xu Nuan: ... Objections!

“If you have objections, keep them to yourself. If you dare utter a word,” Xu Lin shook her small fist, “I’ll beat you again!”

Xu Nuan hurriedly shook her head. No objections, not a single one.

Hmph. Xu Lin swept a proud gaze around the main room; no one dared meet her eyes. Only then did she enter Xu Nuan’s room.

Once inside, she locked the door, threw herself onto the bed, and finally let out a sigh—the exhaustion washing over her entire body.

With a thought, Xu Lin vanished from the bed and entered her own private space, heading to the courtyard bathhouse where she immediately drew a tub of hot water.

After a moment’s thought, she added half a bucket of spring water before undressing and slipping into the bath.

Soaking in the water, she gazed at her own thin, gaunt body, crisscrossed with bruises of all shades, and thought she’d gone too easy on them.

This was a family of jackals—no good from oldest to youngest, tormenting her daily with beatings and insults, always finding new ways to make her suffer.

Xu Lin couldn’t understand it. People say that even a dog, if you raise it long enough, grows attached. Why were their hearts so hard?

Wiping her face, Xu Lin began to plan her future.

Today was February 1, 1975—her sixteenth birthday. It would be more than two years before the college entrance exams were reinstated.

She only had a primary school education. She’d have to find a way to get her middle and high school diplomas if she wanted to take the exams.

She remembered that, in her past life, the day after her birthday, the educated youth office came to say that their family had too many children and qualified to send someone down to the countryside.