Chapter 241: Chapter 240: The Whole Village Came to Watch the Drama
Just now, Lin Wanwan and Village Chief Wu took a shortcut through the fields to the public cemetery. The villagers working in the fields could easily guess what the two were up to when they saw them.
Immediately, some villagers who couldnât resist watching the drama put down their hoes and ran to the Gong familyâs fields to spread the news.
Yesterday, the Gong family had a big fight with Lin Zhantian and his wife. Although the Gong family had a slight advantage, it wasnât very satisfying because the Lin family came with the property deed to reclaim their house.
When they heard that today it was just Lin Wanwan, a young girl, who came, the Gong family was instantly excited.
A little girl head, canât handle you?
At this moment, Lin Wanwanâs phone rang. It was a timely call from Lin Zhantian.
Lin Wanwan quickly left the cemetery, answering the phone as she walked.
Lin Zhantian was very angry about Lin Wanwan abruptly leaving yesterday, not answering their calls, or replying to their messages.
Lin Wanwan just listened to his complaints, staying silent.
Village Chief Wu frowned at the group of people aggressively approaching through the fields, and then at Lin Wanwan walking towards the main road, waving his hand towards the Gong family, shouting, "Donât come here, if you want to cause a scene, not here where youâll disturb the ancestors. Letâs go, and talk at your house."
Then he yelled at Lin Wanwan heading towards the main road, "Hey, Deyanâs daughter, come over, letâs go to your in-lawsâ house together to discuss matters."
After finishing the call with Lin Zhantian, Lin Wanwan informed him she was in Huiping Village, accepted his "concern," and subtly expressed her hope that he would come to support her.
Then, she put away her phone, nodded to Village Chief Wu, and walked back, neither too close nor too far, keeping her distance from the group, maintaining a distance from the Gong family.
She didnât want to argue with the Gong family outside the cemetery where her parentsâ ashes were, so she ignored their various accusations and scoldings.
If I canât hear it, itâs just nonsense.
Lin Wanwan slightly raised her head, ignoring the gazes on her face, determined in her heart that sheâd rather throw her money at the village chief, throw it on the road, than give it to the Gong family. Let them see but not touch, unsatisfied!
As long as theyâre not satisfied, Iâll be satisfied.
Even if they abandoned me, itâs considered they donât have the responsibility, but still wanting to seize the house my parents left for me to rely on, thatâs intolerable!
She could obviously live less difficultly, with rental income as a subsidy, her grandparents would have an easier time raising her.
In her grandpaâs final days in the hospital, money wouldnât have been such a concern.
Both the Gong family and Lin Zhantian could be considered as striking her when she was down.
Even Confucius said, "Repaying resentment with virtue, how do you repay virtue?" Of course, you repay virtue with virtue, and resentment straight on!
If it were simply about the house, Lin Wanwan would have delegated everything to a lawyer, no matter how much trouble or time it might take, she wouldnât care, after all, itâs just spending money, she could wait it out.
But now it also involved relocating her parentsâ graves, Lin Wanwan had no choice but to sit down and talk with the Gong family.
The villagers who got the news, unless very busy in the fields, all came by.
Missing out on drama was not an option.
It was said that Lin Deyanâs daughter had grown up and was coming to fight her uncle for the house, such fresh and juicy drama couldnât be missed.
Thatâs how it is in rural areas, fart on the east side of the village, and the west side can smell it. Whether itâs a happy or sad occasion, thereâs always a crowd to join in.
Yesterday, the Gong family and the Lin couple had a big tussle, half the village ran over to watch, and nothing stayed secret for long.
Lin Wanwan and the Gong family sat around the square table, while the wall in the room was lined with neighbors eager to watch the drama.
The scene looked like a public trial.
Sitting at the head, Village Chief Wu was the first to speak, "Yesterday, this young girl came to me, saying sheâs Deyanâs daughter and wanted to offer incense to her parents. Itâs a rightful thing, I surely couldnât stop her."
Then he turned to Lin Wanwan and said, "So, you should explain to your in-laws about buying a plot for your parents to be buried, and see what they say."
Lin Wanwan looked up at the old Gong couple and said, "This morning when offering incense, I saw my parentsâ urns still on the wooden shelf, I donât understand what custom this is, but the old saying goes, let the dead be at rest in peace, so I want my parents to be buried."
The Gong familyâs over-eighty-year-old couple were still very spry and sharp, not showing any signs of weakness or confusion. Upon hearing Lin Wanwanâs words, they snorted coldly, and burst into a rapid-fire tirade in Mian dialect.
Lin Wanwan was rather thankful the old couple couldnât speak Mandarin, and she couldnât understand the local dialect. Otherwise, in front of so many onlookers, should she return the curses or just ignore them?
Actually, Mian dialect is quite close to Hai Cityâs dialect, and Hai Cityâs dialect shares many of Yongchengâs linguistic roots, so theyâre not too far apart. Speaking slowly and listening patiently could facilitate communication.
But when both parties are filled with anger and unwilling to communicate well, the exchange becomes difficult.
As long as Lin Wanwan didnât concentrate on listening and analyzing, what came to her ears from them was no different than flies buzzing.
The Gong couple finished their tirade, faces flushed and veins popping.
Lin Wanwan just looked innocently at Village Chief Wu, speaking in Mandarin, "Village chief, I canât understand what they said."
Gong Keyi felt frustrated, as if they were throwing punch after punch only to hit a pile of cotton.
Before Village Chief Wu could speak, Uncle Gong Dewang chimed in, glancing at Lin Wanwan with his accented Mandarin, reprimanding, "Now that youâre grown and capable, the first thing you do on returning is pick a fight with the family elders, right? You havenât called on your in-laws, nor your uncle and aunts, your eyes are just fixated on the Gong familyâs house! Are you so blinded by money?"
Lin Wanwan didnât want to engage in his topic, and still addressed Village Chief Wu, "Village chief, I want to have my parents buried, and what do my grandparents say? I didnât understand what they just said."
Village Chief Wu coughed and said with a frown, "Your in-laws mean, you donât hold the Gong surname now, havenât offered incense to your dad for years, so you donât need to manage anymore."
Gong Dewang promptly added, "Thatâs right, youâre from the Lin family, if you want to ensure you can offer incense to your parents peacefully in the future, donât meddle in the Gong familyâs matters, and stop thinking about the house in Hai City."
Lin Wanwan understood, they wanted to use her parentsâ ashes to manipulate her.
She immediately said, "Village chief, I think Iâm now an adult, and I can completely make my own decisions about my parents. Besides, Iâm not asking for anything unreasonable, just to let my parents rest in peace, is that wrong? Should such a thing be opposed too?"
Resolutely avoiding engaging with the Gong familyâs subject on the house, she focused solely on the reburial issue.
The villagers listening to the gossip began to chatter, but Lin Wanwan didnât bother to pay attention to what they were saying.
Just neighbors, opinions not important.