129: Chapter 35: Reminiscence_2 129: Chapter 35: Reminiscence_2 When the news that his younger sister almost miscarried reached him, he regretted it deeply, wishing he could bring her back.
Thinking of Lin Xiaole, whom he had recently pretended not to see, his heart ached in many ways.
Initially, their father always said that the four brothers together were not as good as their younger sister.
He disagreed at the ti, but now it seed that father was right; they were all good-for-nothings!
Seeing his younger brother like this, Lin Xiaolu also felt terrible, though his sister, close as she was, wasn’t as important to him as his own children.
He had no achievents to speak of, but he didn’t want his children to end up like him.
Without that dowry, his son wouldn’t have been able to afford schooling; how could he wish his son to co back and be a re farr like himself?
The four Lin brothers had their shortcomings: the eldest, Lin Xiaokang, was honest but not clever, no matter how hard he worked, it wasn’t enough to support his children; the second, Lin Xiaofu, was not only honest but also timid, never daring to voice his disagreents with his wife; the third, Lin Xiaolu, had no special talents, his only advantage was his clear view of reality and his readiness to compromise; the youngest, Lin Xiaoshou, had so spirit but lacked decisiveness, and with such a confused wife, he was often passive.
Such brothers had shaped Lin Xiaoguai’s lonely fate in her previous life.
When she was called to the transmission room for a phone call, Lin Xiaoguai thought it was her aunt wanting to discuss the items she had asked her brother to take back, so she went joyfully, only to hear unexpected news.
“What did you say, Xiao Niao is missing!?” Lin Xiaoguai exclaid, shocked.
“Yes,” Lin Xiaoxi’s voice ca heatedly over the phone, “Today Xiao Mao ca to crying, holding a letter, saying Xiao Niao was gone.
I read the letter, and Xiao Niao only ntioned wanting to work in the city; she said nothing else.”
After a pause, he repeated the words Xiao Mao had recounted from Xiao Niao, then said, “She might co to find you in Shanghai.
Keep an eye out; I will also check various stations.”
Although Lin Xiaoxi disliked those cousins, he couldn’t take it out on the children, especially since Xiao Niao clearly sided with his sister.
“Alright, I understand.”
After hanging up, Lin Xiaoguai murmured softly, “Taking as her mother?” It turned out her previous feelings hadn’t been wasted.
Her emotions were complex, filled with bitterness, worry, and…
regret.
Had she made a mistake initially?
The wrongdoers were her brother and sister-in-law, yet she threw out her affection for their children entirely.
She didn’t know if Xiao Niao had left ho in her past life; the girl did co to find her, but that was much later.
Back then, Xiao Niao had visited her with her husband and children, and her words from that ti suddenly beca clear in her mind.
“Aunt, if you don’t have children, I’ll be your daughter and take care of you in your old age.”
Thinking back, the girl’s expression had been so earnest; how could she have thought Xiao Niao ca to ridicule her, assuming her words were motivated by greed?
Lin Xiaoguai felt a bit of self-mockery.
She always thought she had lived the latter half of her previous life carefree and unrestrained, but perhaps she had overestimated herself.
Back ho, Lin Xiaoguai’s mind was still sowhat hazy, her past life’s events flickering through her mind like a slideshow, mories of Xiao Niao growing clearer.
Among those nieces and nephews, Xiao Niao, Xiao Mao, and Xiao Yu were sowhat special.
While the other sisters-in-law would also leave their children in her care, they never fully let go.
Her second sister-in-law truly didn’t care about her three daughters at all, focusing solely on having another son.
Disapproving of her sister-in-law’s behavior, she put even more effort into caring for these three nieces, and now it seed there was indeed little difference between her care and a mother’s.
From elentary school, Xiao Niao had beco her constant companion, following her everywhere she went.
When Xiao Niao was just two or three years old, she was frequently scolded by teachers for crying.
Once, Xiao Niao soiled herself in class, and the teacher angrily told her not to bring Xiao Niao any more.
She was so anxious that she and Xiao Niao both tearfully begged the teacher, who eventually softened.
Later, when their aunt refused to spend money on her daughters even for schooling, Lin Xiaoguai had no choice but to use old textbooks to teach them herself.
—Lin Xiaoguai was intelligent, but as a child in a rural area, she had to work apart from studying.
The reason she could later achieve the top provincial exam scores, surpassing city students who focused solely on their studies, was probably because she taught so much at that ti, solidifying her strong foundation.
Although Xiao Niao couldn’t receive formal schooling, she was the smartest among all the nieces and nephews, smarter even than the consistently high-performing eldest nephew, Lin Chao.
Lin Xiaoguai tried many tis to persuade her brother and sister-in-law to send her to school.
Each ti her brother seed inclined, but he always remained silent because of his wife’s opposition.
His wife really didn’t care about her daughters, not only skimping on their food and clothing but also hoping they would die from hunger or cold so that she wouldn’t have to pay fines for bearing a son.
Several tis the sisters nearly lost their lives; finally, Lin Xiaoguai couldn’t stand it any longer, took them to live in her own room, and shared her food and clothing with them.
The affection between aunt and nieces was genuinely deep.
Although she treated Xiao Mao and Xiao Yu no differently from Xiao Niao, they were much younger, and Lin Xiaoguai thought they might have forgotten about her.
But Xiao Niao was different; at fourteen, she clearly rembered everything and understood right from wrong.
She didn’t know whether this was good or bad for Xiao Niao.(To be continued.
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