Chapter 4: A Raucous Scene

Lin Junwan was wearing a枣-colored coarse cloth jacket. She stood in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by weather-beaten, mottled mud and straw walls. Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string, tracing winding paths down her cheeks before dripping onto her chest, soaking the faded, coarse fabric in a wet patch that mirrored the unspoken agony in her heart.

In her hands, she clutched a bottle of pesticide, the container shaking slightly with her tremors. Her desperate fingers had already slowly unscrewed the cap, and a pungent odor instantly permeated the air. Lin Junwan’s heart was filled with despair and helplessness; the dreams and hopes that had once shone like rainbows were now bursting like bubbles under the cruelty of reality. She had tried to struggle, tried to resist, but fate seemed to delight in tormenting her. As the saying goes, a rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune always plagues the wretched.

She already had someone she loved. Why was her mother forcing her so relentlessly?

"Child, don't do anything foolish!" Li Aimei’s voice, thick with sobs, came from the other side of the courtyard. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but Lin Junwan’s heart was already consumed by grief. She could hear no dissuasion, moving mechanically to bring the bottle to her lips.

At this critical moment, a large hand clamped onto her wrist, stopping the lethal act.

"What are you doing? Isn't there still me?"

"Brother! Wuwuwu!"

The moment Lin Junwan saw her older brother, Lin Junsheng, all her defiance instantly collapsed. She threw the bottle aside, lunged into his arms, and burst into loud sobs, letting out all the grievances she had endured over the past few days.

Lin Junsheng held his sister tightly, patting her back gently to soothe her trembling frame. "Silly girl, it’s alright, it’s alright. I won't sacrifice your happiness for my own. I definitely won't let you suffer any injustice."

These words were a promise to his sister and a vow to himself. He wanted to improve the family's situation, to ensure they were neither hungry nor cold, to be well-fed and warmly clothed. He wanted to build a house of blue bricks, just like the Old Branch Secretary and the Liu Chuangen family.

"What is the Lin family putting on today? Why all the crying and screaming, disturbing so many people?" Auntie Wang, standing at the edge of the village, cracked melon seeds while peering curiously into the Lin courtyard, her eyes gleaming with gossip.

"I heard that Aimei wants to arrange a 'swap marriage' for her son, Junsheng, but her daughter, Junwan, has someone she loves and refuses to agree," whispered Grandma Zhao, leaning in with a mysterious air. "Look at that pesticide bottle on the ground; could it be that Junwan just tried to..."

"Oh my goodness, that’s terrible!" Auntie Wang gasped, nearly dropping her melon seeds. "Junsheng was once the most sought-after bachelor in our village; so many families were hoping to marry into theirs. He was talented and hardworking, but alas, ever since he injured his leg, marriage has become difficult."

"Well, your Cuihua isn't married yet. Why don't you let her marry him?" Grandma Zhao teased.

Auntie Wang rolled her eyes: "Get lost, my Cuihua won't marry someone who..."

By now, many neighbors had gathered outside the courtyard, chattering incessantly. Hearing their idle gossip, Li Aimei felt a sharp pain, as if pierced by needles. She had originally acted for the sake of the Lin family’s future, wanting Junsheng to marry a wife to carry on the family line. Who would have thought a perfectly good intention would end up like this?

Guilt and self-reproach surged within Li Aimei like a tide. She sat powerlessly on the packed mud ground, slapping the earth with her hands. "It’s all my fault! I’m useless; I’ve made you all suffer. But wasn't I just trying to make sure the Lin family wouldn't die out? How will I face your father when I die?"

Her wailing was heart-wrenching. Lin Junsheng, busy comforting his sister, felt a complex mix of emotions seeing his mother like this. He knew this was all for his sake. He looked at her and pleaded, "Mom, please stop worrying. I will find a way to handle my own affairs."

But Li Aimei seemed not to hear him, continuing to sob. Her cries seemed to have a magical effect, infecting Lin Junwan, whose mood, having just stabilized, became agitated once more. She clung to her brother, weeping bitterly.

"Move! Move! Stop crowding here! Give them some space!" The Old Branch Secretary, holding a long, yellowed bamboo pipe, pushed through the crowd of villagers who were all too eager to watch the spectacle.

But the villagers were not so easily deterred; after all, life in the village was dull, and a piece of gossip like this was hard to come by. The Old Branch Secretary raised his pipe to intimidate them: "Are you leaving or not?"

Although the villagers were itching to continue prying into the Lin family's private affairs, the Old Branch Secretary’s authority in the village was unquestionable. His word carried more weight than the village loudspeaker. Looking at one another, they eventually dispersed, muttering, "Sigh, I really wanted to see how the Lin family's drama ends."

Once the villagers were mostly gone, the Old Branch Secretary slowly lit his pipe. He took a deep draw and exhaled a plume of white smoke.

"Junsheng’s mother, I have to say a few words to you about this," the Old Branch Secretary said, his voice low but carrying an unquestionable authority. "Last year, our commune held a meeting to discuss the revised Marriage Law. It reaffirms the freedom of marriage, monogamy, and the protection of the legal rights of women and children. What are you doing? Forcing a 'swap marriage'—don't you know that’s against the law?"

Li Aimei turned pale with fright. Arranging a swap marriage—how could that be against the law? She quickly wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve and defended herself: "How is this against the law? I’m doing this for the children’s own good!"

"For their good? You’re ruining them!" The Old Branch Secretary glared at her, his tone severe. "If you continue to be this foolish, you won't just fail to see your children married; you might not even see them at all!"

Hearing this, Li Aimei panicked. She certainly didn't want to end up in jail over this. The Old Branch Secretary’s persuasion was effective immediately. She waved her hands frantically: "No, no! I won't do the swap marriage anymore. I’ll never mention it again."

Seeing this, the Old Branch Secretary’s lips curled slightly; he knew his words had worked. "It’s good that you know. Obeying the law is more important than anything. Don't wrong the children."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Li Aimei nodded while wiping her tears.

The Old Branch Secretary turned to look at Lin Junsheng, who was secretly giving him a thumbs-up.