Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 696 - 571: Psychological Manipulation and Scheming
At this side, Jiang Jiangyu lowered her head and walked quickly out of the Big Courtyard, walking for two bus stops before finally breathing a sigh of relief when she saw no familiar faces under the bus stop sign nearby.
A bus wobbled to a stop, and without bothering to queue, she quickly got on. It was rush hour, people were crowded together, and she felt a surge of frustration.
After finally changing buses twice, spending an extra five cents, she returned safely, and it was already past seven in the evening.
Under the night sky, Jiang Jiangyu’s expression alternated between twisted and thoughtful, continuously changing. No one knew what she was thinking or what she had decided.
Fortunately, she didn’t encounter anyone on the way; the old men sitting farther away, enjoying the evening, were engrossed in their chess games. The darkness concealed all ugliness, and no one paid attention to outsiders.
As she pushed open the courtyard door, apart from the orange light in the living room, the sound of cicadas, and the croaking of frogs, it was unexpectedly quiet, and to Jiang Jiangyu’s surprise, nobody was home.
Aunt Lin heard the noise and emerged yawning from Mrs. Lin’s room.
Seeing her, Jiang Jiangyu asked, "Why isn’t anyone home? Do you know where they went?"
"After dinner, the old chief took them out together, but they didn’t say where they were going. Have you eaten? Should I cook something for you?"
Jiang Jiangyu wasn’t in the mood to eat. She shook her hand, "No need. You go rest, I’ll go accompany Mrs. Lin."
Yawning, Aunt Lin nodded gratefully and said, "I’ve cleaned up. Now that Mrs. Lin hasn’t slept yet, if she doesn’t feel sleepy at the usual time, she will wink at you three times with her right eye and you can feed her a pill. The medicine bottle is on her bedside table, don’t give her too much."
Jiang Jiangyu impatiently waved her hand for her to go rest and entered Mrs. Lin’s bedroom herself.
Smelling the sour scent in the air, Jiang Jiangyu approached the bed and watched Mrs. Lin open her eyes to glance at her, then tightly close them again. The contempt in those eyes made her suddenly laugh aloud.
Mrs. Lin opened her eyes to look at her.
As Jiang Jiangyu laughed, she suddenly covered her mouth, looking at Mrs. Lin, both sets of eyes meeting, and a sudden sorrow welled up within her, making her nose tingle. Remembering the days when she used to flatter and ingratiate herself in front of her, tears streamed down. Nowadays, she was fallen and didn’t need her to please her, but still longed for the past days.
Mrs. Lin looked at her in surprise. This second daughter-in-law, apart from being silly, was usually carefree but had never seen her cry so sadly. She tried to turn her head to look outside the door, but it was closed and she couldn’t see outside.
In desperation, Mrs. Lin kept winking at her. Why was she suddenly crying with her mouth covered? Did something happen to someone at home? Otherwise, why was no one around?
Jiang Jiangyu wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and said softly, "Mom, I have no one to discuss things with. What do you think our family should do? If only you hadn’t had a stroke, you could teach me.
Tonight, Dad and they have definitely gone to find someone for connections again. Big Brother hid his application report from Dad to go to another place, and it’s already approved. Once they leave, what will become of our Victory brothers? Better families don’t want to marry them, and those who aren’t good enough don’t match my sons..."
Mrs. Lin silently listened to her complaints, observing her expressions, noticing no hint of lying. Her gaze gradually grew colder.
"...Mom, when I heard what the two brothers said, I almost fainted. Since when have my sons been despised? A few years ago, how many families smiled and wanted to be related to us? Every year during New Year and first month of the lunar year, as soon as we returned, how many people brought their daughters to see you, eagerly wanting to marry the two brothers."
When Mrs. Lin heard her recounting what her grandsons said, she understood her husband’s intentions and closed her eyes tightly.
Abandon? Back then, she also cultivated her sons and grandsons with one hand. She didn’t expect her honest and straightforward husband to fully internalize it, and now he even learned to use tactics.
For the sake of offspring, he was willing to abandon his longtime wife. Great, just great! The good men she personally trained truly lived up to her judgment, becoming like each other subtly through influence.
Gu Ruyi couldn’t blame her husband. She had long known there was only one man with true love and affection like Zhou Jinyu, while other men were just ordinary folks.
"...Mom, do you think Dad will make up his mind tonight? We have begged our elder sister’s husband several times, but they won’t even see us, and even our eldest sister doesn’t recognize us. I really didn’t expect her to be so ungrateful. Didn’t you raise her, and when her husband disappeared, we relatives stayed with her, or else she would have died long ago..."
Mrs. Lin closed her eyes, but couldn’t block out her daughter-in-law’s nagging voice. When she thought of that fool Lin Lishan, she felt so angry. That ungrateful creature, like her mother, couldn’t unhook her leg as soon as she saw a man.
"...If Dad really did this, what should we do? It’s so pitiful for you to be all alone, with no one to associate with. He’s so heartless, you spent your whole life with him, how could he not ask his old chief for a favor? As long as the chief says a word, who dares to resist."
Mrs. Lin sneered in her heart. If she could turn back time, there was still hope. A paralyzed old woman without her maiden family, who would care about her?
This is fate. This is Gu Ruyi’s fate. Wanting a man who lives for her and dies for her, it won’t happen in this life, only can rely on the next life.
"...Mom, such a day must never come. Those days might as well end with an early death, at least then it would be over and done, and even in death, I could enter the Lin family’s grave..."
Mrs. Lin opened her eyes and glanced at her. Seeing her genuine tears, she closed her eyes again. Inwardly she scoffed, does she care about the Lin family grave?
"Mom, I just went to the Big Courtyard and heard that the Zhou Family has achieved great success again. Do you say that even when their family is so glorious, they aren’t satisfied and still hold onto past issues? Many people say that as long as our elder sister’s husband says not to pursue it, then our family will be fine, and even you won’t be dealt with.
Why are they so ruthless? Your health is so poor, if you’re really imprisoned, that’s a death sentence in jail, isn’t it? What’s there, how can anyone stay with those people of lower status?
Mom, many people outside now look down on us, even the youngest sister refuses to come over, her husband lied to us saying his mother broke her leg. How could these ungrateful people just abandon you..." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Mrs. Lin opened her eyes and looked at her, blinking constantly. Unfortunately, Jiang Jiangyu kept her head down crying, not noticing her expression at all.
Mrs. Lin didn’t know if her daughter-in-law was deliberately or unintentionally poking at her most painful spot with every word.
Yes, all of them have abandoned her! Her eldest son is secretly applying to leave for another place, her youngest son is far away, her little daughter hides at her in-laws’, and her husband wants to abandon her.
She, Gu Ruyi, has her day too, something she never expected.
After a long time, she heard the old man’s voice and others outside, Jiang Jiangyu quickly wiped her tears, her eyes red and swollen, then leaned over to look at Mrs. Lin, "Mom, Dad and they are back, should I call them over?"
Mrs. Lin shook her head vigorously from side to side.
"Okay, okay, I won’t call them over. How about I let your eldest grandson come over to keep you company? If that’s okay, blink your left eye."
Mrs. Lin blinked her right eye three times, then looked towards the medicine bottle on the bedside table.
Understanding, Jiang Jiangyu nodded, took out a pill, helped her take it, and watched her close her eyes. She was about to put the cap back on the medicine bottle when she suddenly heard her youngest son’s voice outside.
"Mom, is Grandma asleep?"
Jiang Jiangyu quickly put down the medicine bottle, rushed to the door and opened it, "Keep your voice down, your grandma just took her medicine, don’t disturb her, let her sleep well."
Lin Dingli pushed open the bedroom door, entered quietly, and said, "Dad drank too much, go take care of him. I’ll just take a look at grandma and leave."
Mrs. Lin heard her grandson’s footsteps stopping by her bed, waited a while, listened to his long sigh, and his heavy footsteps gradually leaving.
The moment the door closed, she opened her eyes, her gaze complex as she stared at the door for a while, then stared blankly at the nearby medicine bottle.
