CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22: DO YOU WANT TO MARRY HER?

The village chief and the team leader arrived even before the police, constantly inquiring about Lin Qin’s condition.

Lin Qin, with tears in her voice and feeling helpless, said, "Ever since my dad got injured, I didn’t dare to sleep too soundly, afraid he might call in the middle of the night. I woke up when I heard sounds in the courtyard. At first, I thought it was a cat, but soon the wind blew in from the door. I knew it wasn’t a cat; a thief must have broken in.

At that moment, I hid there with a stick. I didn’t plan to kill anyone, but he lunged at me. I was terrified, and by the time I came back to my senses, he was already like that."

She still doesn’t know who that person was, her heart filled with endless fear.

Most villagers are understanding and know Lin Qin has it tough, so hardly anyone sympathized with the thief who got beaten to death.

When the police arrived, everyone spoke up for Lin Qin, mentioning Lin Yi’s injuries, Lin Qin’s difficulties, and condemning the thief’s behavior.

The police checked and found that the thief was still alive, just barely hanging on, and immediately instructed the village chief to gather people to send the thief to the hospital.

Lin Qin couldn’t leave as she needed to take care of Lin Yi. The police didn’t force her to go to the station to make a statement. They left after investigating the scene at dawn.

Because of the big incident at home, bringing Liu Yaya back had to be temporarily postponed.

People in the village were all talking about how difficult Lin Qin’s situation was, except for Li Lian, who was fuming. She had planned to take advantage of Lin Yi’s injury to force Lin Qin to remarry, to get hold of Lin Yi’s house and land. Once Lin Qin remarries, they could naturally take over Lin Yi’s land.

But Lin Qin was obstinate, refusing at all costs. Her plan with Qian Dashan was to publicly assault Lin Qin, spread some rumors, and then even if Lin Qin was unwilling, she would have to marry.

Everything was planned perfectly, but unexpectedly, someone interfered, and that person got beaten half to death by Lin Qin, scaring Qian Dashan away.

What a useless man! Deserves to be an old bachelor!

Liu Yongming and "Fang Yin" were equally furious.

"What did you say? The ruffian who went to steal got beaten to death by Lin Qin?" "Fang Yin" was in shock, unable to accept the fact.

Liu Yongming was even more frustrated, his expression sinister enough to kill.

He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and said slowly, "I understand now, that woman is going all out. We need a long-term plan to deal with her. For now, she’s bound to be on high alert; we’ll make a move when she lets her guard down."

"What about that ruffian? Will his family come after us?" "Fang Yin" was more worried about getting dragged into the mess.

Liu Yongming shook his head, looking anxious, "They shouldn’t. I didn’t say anything to him, just told him Lin Qin had five hundred yuan, and he went to steal on his own. What does it have to do with us?"

"Fang Yin" gritted her teeth in hatred, "That bitch is just too lucky. Every time we tried, she managed to sidestep it! It’s really like she’s seen a ghost!"

Liu Yongming paused, his face turning even paler, "Now that you mention it, you’re reminding me. Ever since we tried to frame her, everything has gone catastrophically wrong. Maybe she really has seen a ghost!"

"Fang Yin" shivered, continuously slapping Liu Yongming, "Stop scaring me! Let’s end this quickly before things get worse."

"Fine! We’ll end it tomorrow," Liu Yongming agreed readily.

Since the ruffian was taken away, Lin Qin had been on edge at home, jumping at any little noise outside the yard.

Watching her distress, Lin Yi couldn’t help but worry, "It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gotten injured, you wouldn’t be struggling this much."

Lin Qin shook her head, "Dad! It’s not your fault. I’m just afraid troubles like this won’t ever end."

Lin Qingxiang and Lin Shaojun told others that he came for her divorce settlement money, but she knew the real intention was much darker. That night, he also had lewd intentions, maybe wanting both money and flesh.

She could guard against them for now, but not forever.

After this incident blows over, someone else might make a move on her.

Lin Yi sighed deeply again.

Early the next morning.

Chen Wenjun brought Liu Yaya back to Shanglin Village.

Liu Yaya hadn’t seen her mom in days. Upon seeing Lin Qin, she ran over, "Mom, I missed you! Didn’t you say you’d come see me? You broke your promise!"

Lin Qin hugged her tightly, heart aching, "Mom missed you too, but there were just too many things at home. I really couldn’t come to get you."

At that moment, Lin Qin was extremely relieved that Liu Yaya wasn’t by her side during the incident. She couldn’t even imagine what might have happened if the child had been there.

Chen Wenjun, looking serious, pressed further, "I heard people at the village entrance talking about you killing someone. What exactly is going on?"

He couldn’t believe that Lin Qin would do such a thing.

Lin Qin, her eyes red, shook her head vigorously, "I don’t know... that night a thief sneaked into my house. I didn’t realize at first and just kept hitting. When I finally realized, he was already lying in a pool of blood. I didn’t mean to kill anyone!"

Thinking back to that terrifying night, Lin Qin was still shaken.

Chen Wenjun glanced at Lin Yi, who was sitting on a chair in the main room, unable to move, and after some thought, he stepped forward and said, "Uncle, this won’t do. Your body still needs several months of recovery. What if more people break into your house next time?

We can’t just wait around to die. I think you should come live with me for a while. My home is on a boat, thieves can’t easily get on. I can also lend Lin Qin a hand, and it’ll be more convenient for you to recover."

Lin Qin was tempted but didn’t want to decide on her own, so she looked to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi was silent for a moment, then said to Lin Qin, "Go to the field and bring back all the vegetables that can be eaten."

Hearing this, Liu Yaya excitedly followed behind Lin Qin, "Mom, I’ll go with you."

Lin Qin agreed, took a large basket, and headed toward the vegetable field.

On the way, she asked Liu Yaya about her life on the five-pavilion boat.

Liu Yaya was so thrilled she was gesturing wildly, "Mom, I played cat’s cradle with Brother Ping’an on the boat, also played with stones. Uncle Chen took us fishing, picking river snails, and he even caught a small turtle for us. It’s very tiny, and I’ve kept it, just kept it on the boat."

Seeing her daughter’s joy, Lin Qin felt better too, "Why didn’t you bring it back?"

Liu Yaya shook her head, "The little turtle’s home is in the river. If we don’t want to keep it, we’ll let it go home. If we bring it back, I’m afraid we might raise it poorly."

Seeing her child’s compassion, Lin Qin didn’t say anything more.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi also asked Chen Wenjun about Liu Yaya’s life on the boat.

Chen Wenjun was honest, "Yaya got a little seasick. During the day, I took them to the small uninhabited island on Nanxi for stone collecting and fishing. When it started getting dark, we’d return to the boat. As soon as she got on, she’d lie down in the rear cabin and fall asleep quickly. She seemed to have enjoyed the past few days."

Lin Yi smiled contentedly and looked deeply at Chen Wenjun, "Now that it’s just the two of us, be honest with me, what’s the deal between you and Ah Qin? Do you want to marry her?"