Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 373 - 370: Compassion, But Not Excess

After Lin Mengyi’s funeral, Lin Lu brought her two daughters-in-law to visit Lin Wanwan. This time, they didn’t accuse her of causing Lin Mengyi’s death, but rather to complain and borrow money.

The real culprit who killed Lin Mengyi had already paid with their life. That night’s fire was so intense that the smell of burning flesh lingered in the air.

Lin Wanwan originally thought they would tie the person to a stone and sink them into the sea again, but unexpectedly, they cremated the body to ashes instead.

Well, better than throwing corpses into the sea all the time; otherwise, Lin Wanwan would be afraid of going to the local beaches to gather seafood in the future.

July and August are idle farming months. Guofu’s family wants to rebuild their house, and clan members can help move stones and lend a hand.

But one can’t expect to eat braised pork when there’s only a dish of soy sauce at home, can they?

But indeed, Guofu’s family only had a dish of soy sauce.

Lin Wanwan had expected they would come to her for money.

Back then, they didn’t even have money for Lin Mengyi’s coffin, and the clan had to pool resources to buy it; where would they find extra money to build a house?

However, looking at their demeanor, it didn’t seem like they were asking to borrow money; rather, they were demanding it.

Especially Lin Lu’s self-righteous attitude, and the way she kept calling young Qingyu her dear granddaughter, made Lin Wanwan quite displeased.

Having made her unhappy, how could they possibly get any money from her?

Lin Wanwan told young Qingyu to take her little entourage and animal gang outside to play with friends, not to stay and listen to gossip.

She herself didn’t want to bother speaking much with these illiterate, feudal peasants, just glancing at Yun Shang, who naturally understood and stepped forward. After paying respects to Lin Lu, she calmly said, "It’s not that my lady isn’t willing to lend, but you still owe my lady ten taels of silver for the winter melon seedlings; adding debt upon debt is unpleasant to hear."

"Huh? The winter melons were already stolen, and besides, my son is gone; why should we still pay?" Lin Lu was shocked. Isn’t it said that debts die with the person?

Yun Shang laughed coldly, "Aunt, how amusing. Isn’t repaying debts a natural obligation? Back then, when you took the seedlings on credit, it was under your family’s name. Now that both Mr. Meng Zhong and your family are here, why don’t you have to repay it? Perhaps we should go to the clan leader to decide what should be done."

At the mention of the clan leader, Lin Lu’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t sway that man, whose one word could expel them from the clan. How could she dare to cause trouble at the clan leader’s place?

"Hehehe, no need to bother our clan leaders and elders. For Wan Niu, it’s just a small thing between her fingers, right? Besides, we have no choice now. Our living place was burned down, and the children can only squeeze into the grass sheds by the ancestral hall at night. It’s fine if it doesn’t rain, but what if it does?"

"Exactly, so Mr. Meng Zhong and the elders in your family should work harder while it’s the idle farming season. Go climb the mountains a few times to collect stones and get the house built soon.

Every year, the typhoon season can arrive suddenly, and there’s no time to delay. Instead of chatting with us here, Aunt, it would be better to go back and weave a few more fishing nets to exchange for money."

Yun Shang played the role of advising earnestly, making Lin Lu’s chest heave with anger.

Lin Wanwan leaned on the side of the Imperial Concubine Couch, observing her neatly trimmed nails, saying nothing.

Those children were truly pitiful, but the actions of Lin Guofu and his wife were disgusting.

Why did they think she was someone to be taken advantage of so easily?

Borrowing money with such an entitled attitude, no matter how much it is, it’s not yours, so why are you eyeing it?

Previously, they blamed Lin Mengyi’s death on her, which already made Lin Wanwan very angry. Considering their treacherous logic, it was already generous of her not to kick them while they were down. It was impossible for her to give them any extra help.

Ultimately, Lin Lu and her two daughters-in-law left without borrowing a single cent from Lin Wanwan. Instead, they were almost forced by Yun Shang to press their fingerprints on the IOU for the ten taels of winter melon seedlings, scaring them away, saying that such matters should naturally be signed by the men.

Lin Lu’s eldest daughter-in-law, Ms. Gong, had always been silent. She was forced to come by her mother-in-law to borrow money but hadn’t uttered a word since stepping into Lin Wanwan’s courtyard.

The younger daughter-in-law, Ms. Lin Sun, almost got sent back to her parents’ home before, so naturally, she didn’t dare make noise now. Feeling unsure, she also became silent and introverted.

Ms. Lin Sun was able to stay thanks to the clan leader’s intervention, who said that since the three children had lost their father, they couldn’t be without a mother. Otherwise, wouldn’t the old couple have to raise the three kids themselves? Or leave the three children to the elder brother’s family?

Even though Lin Mengzhong was clumsy, he wasn’t dumb. Now, with elderly parents and young children, he was the only strong laborer in the family. How could he take on three more dependents?

Although the two nephews needed to carry on the family line, they weren’t his own blood. He’d rather care for his own daughter than nephews!

Daughters are his own flesh and blood!

He wasn’t worried about having no one to offer incense to him in the future. As long as things went smoothly till his old age, and he could be buried in the ancestral tomb, with his memorial tablet in the ancestral hall—even if no one offered sacrifices directly to him—during Qingming and New Year’s Eve, there would always be clan kin to open the ancestral hall for communal offerings. He wouldn’t truly lack for incense.

His eldest daughter is now a group leader in the school, often receiving cake rewards. Perhaps in the future, she could achieve something worthwhile, marry a good man, and allow him to drink a few extra bowls of son-in-law wine!

Although Ms. Sun wasn’t great at it, she could always weave fishing nets or sit at home weaving linen cloth to earn some money; it would be barely enough for a meal, and raising her own three children was still feasible.

As an uncle, he had no issue helping a little, but he couldn’t take on everything. So he and his wife desperately pleaded for their sister-in-law, allowing her to stay at Lin Family Manor.

The old couple had always favored the younger son and eldest grandson. Now that the younger son was gone, but the eldest grandson was still there, they realized it was true; they couldn’t let the eldest grandson be without both a father and mother.

Thus, they endured their anger and allowed Ms. Lin Sun to stay, but from then on, scolding and beating became a regular occurrence, and they only gave her thin gruel.

Speaking of eating, their whole family was miserable, and so were the children. They recently relied on a meal provided by the school, having nothing for breakfast or dinner.

The pile of grain snatched from the fire now was all controlled by Lin Lu.

Without a division of family assets, all the family’s money and goods were managed by Lin Lu. Now that their family was decimated, the old couple held onto their food even tighter.

Lin Mengzhong’s two daughters had their parents to protect them, managing to sneak a meal at night. Ms. Sun, not having enough to eat herself, couldn’t care for the children.

Lin Wanwan privately instructed Mrs. Lin Qian from the school kitchen to give this family’s children extra food. But these were under-the-table arrangements; on the surface, Lin Wanwan wouldn’t offer help.

Mrs. Lin Qian was wise not to mention anything to anyone, and the other cooks assumed she just pitied those children.

Lin Wanwan wanted everyone to see that just because you’re poor and miserable, it doesn’t make you right. Whether you have a house or food is none of my concern. If I choose to help you, it’s out of kindness; if I don’t, no one can utter a word against it.