The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Chapter 151 A Clear Mind

Sun Taohua followed behind Lin Dachun, her steps unsteady, her eyes red and swollen.

She dared not look up, but stared at Lin Dachun's heels, walking step by step with trepidation.

When they arrived at their own doorstep, the gate to their courtyard was tightly shut.

Lin Dachun took a deep breath and patted the door.

After a while, rustling sounds came from inside. It was Wu Xin, Sun Taohua's mother, speaking with a mix of sleepiness and impatience: "Who is it? So late at night..."

"I am Lin Dachun." Lin Dachun's voice was deep.

There was a moment of silence inside the door, then the bolt clicked, and the door opened a crack.

Wu Xin peeked out and saw Lin Dachun, then saw his daughter Sun Taohua with her head down behind him. Her expression changed instantly.

"Brother Dachun? This is..." Wu Xin didn't finish her sentence, her eyes fixed on Sun Taohua, "You brat! You dare come back!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Sun Taohua.

Lin Dachun stepped forward and stood between them: "Sister-in-law, let's talk this out."

"Speak properly?" Wu Xin's voice shrilly. "What's there for me to talk to her about? Brother Da Chun, this is a family matter, don't interfere!"

"I'm in charge." Lin Dachun's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness. "Move aside, I need to say a few words to you and Brother Sun."

Before Wu Xin could say anything more, Sun Taohua's father, Sun Jun, roared gruffly from inside the house: "Who is it? What's all the noise about?"

Lin Dachun pushed Wu Xin aside and walked straight into the courtyard.

Sun Jun, who had just gotten up from the kang (a heated brick bed), wearing an old jacket and slippers, was taken aback when he saw Lin Dachun: "Brother Dachun? What's wrong?"

Sun Taohua followed Lin Dachun into the courtyard and stood beside him, her head bowed even lower, her body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.

When Sun Laoshuan saw her, he flew into a rage, grabbed a broom leaning against the wall, and was about to hit her: "You good-for-nothing! You dare to run away!"

Lin Dachun grabbed the broom: "Brother Sun, don't do it yet. I'm asking you, is it true that you're going to marry Taohua to that cripple at the east end of the village?"

Old Man Sun got even angrier when he was stopped: "So what if it's true? So what if it's false? It's my daughter's wedding, what's it to you?"

"Peach Blossom is only twenty-three, while that cripple is over fifty and has a limp. This isn't marrying off a daughter, it's ruining her! If you marry her off like this, her life is over." Lin Dachun's voice also rose.

"Harm your daughter?" Old Sun sneered. "Da Chun, you're a father too. Tell me, this girl is twenty-three and still unmarried. What does she look like in the village? A virgin? Bah! She's practically an old maid! Her reputation is ruined! Who would want her?"

"Now even if the matchmakers offer money, they won't come. Before, there were so many men who wanted to marry my daughter, the doorstep was practically worn out. But after the affair with Lin Liang was exposed, no one from our Sun family has come to act as a matchmaker anymore, and no man wants secondhand goods. Do you understand?" Sun Jun shouted.

Wu Xin also came over, her eyes red, but her words were sharper than knives: "Brother Dachun, it's not that we don't want to marry into good families, it's just that nobody wants us. Second-hand goods become money-losing goods. If that cripple is willing to pay, then this deal is worthwhile."

"Exactly!" Old Sun slammed the broom on the ground. "Three hundred yuan! That's enough for our old couple's funeral expenses!!"

Hearing these words, Lin Dachun felt a surge of fire rising in his chest, making his head buzz.

"Is this how you parents act? She's your daughter!" Lin Dachun roared.

"A daughter is like a tree that grows up and leaves home. If she doesn't marry, will she still eat our food? She can't carry on the Sun family line," Sun Jun replied.

"You're confused. You're confused, Sun Laoshuan! Isn't your wife a woman? Without your wife marrying into the family, would your family line continue? Isn't your mother a woman? If your mother hadn't given birth to you, would you have Sun Laoshuan? Would you be able to continue the family line?" Lin Dachun's words were so reasonable.

Lin Dachun has a very open and honest heart.