Of course, it wasn't really about the key. Even if she had it, Mother Lin wouldn't open the door.
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Lin stomped her foot in frustration, her hands on her hips as she scolded Mother Lin. "You're so thoughtless! How could you let an outsider get a hold of the key?"
The 'outsider' Old Lady Lin referred to was, of course, Li Hua.
In her eyes, any woman who married into the family was an outsider, someone to be wary of. However, Mother Lin had a different view, refusing to fight with her daughter-in-law, Li Hua, over the key.
Mother Lin saw through this, yet she firmly expressed her thoughts. "Li Hua is not an outsider. She is my son's wife, my daughter-in-law."
Mother Lin had been treated as an outsider in the Lin family for decades, and she didn't want her daughter-in-law to go through the same dreadful experience.
Mother Lin was grateful for Gu Zi's return. She was like a lucky star, illuminating their lives.
Finally, the family could stand tall, say what they wanted to say and protect those who needed protection. She couldn't continue to be weak.
Old Lady Lin's forehead creased in irritation, her already harsh face looking even more displeased.
She disagreed with Mother Lin's words, saying, "Your words are ridiculous! Ah
Jie, go get an axe and break the door open."
Lin Jie had already fetched an axe from the kitchen. As he prepared to break down the door, Mother Lin rushed over to stand in front of it. "How could you do this? Lin Jie, put down the axe, or I'll call the police."
Lin Jie, spoiled by his family and knowing that his uncle and aunt were easy to bully, wasn't afraid of Mother Lin. He grinned and said, "This is what grandma asked me to do. Isn't Uncle's house also Grandma's house? Aunt, are you going to let Grandma go to jail?"
With that, Lin Jie made a move as if to break down the door of another room.
Mother Lin was so anxious that she started to cry. She thought to herself, how could she still be so useless? She couldn't even protect the house her daughter and son-in-law had given her. She was filled with regret.
"Lin Jie, put the axe down. You're too much. Your grandma was joking, and you really took it seriously. Look how scared your aunt is!" Lin Laoyao's wife stepped forward, taking the axe from her son's hand and setting it aside.
Lin Jie understood his mother's intentions. It was fine to scare them a little, but actually breaking down the door would lead to a difficult situation. Besides, he didn't want to ruin the door.
It was such a nice wooden door; it would be a shame to break it.
He quickly put on a more agreeable expression and said, "I was just teasing Aunt. Aunt, you won't be angry, right? I'm the younger generation, please be understanding!"
As he spoke, Lin Jie cupped his hands in apology, his tone casual and nonchalant.
Lin Laoyao's wife also hurried to pull Mother Lin aside, apologizing for her son's inappropriate behavior.
Mother Lin could see through their act. They were trying to intimidate her, to give her a slap and then a sweet date. But at least they were willing to back off a little; they probably wouldn't dare to do anything rash.
As Lin Laoyao's wife exchanged pleasantries with Mother Lin, she ran her hand over the door of the room, greed flashing in her eyes.
These were all solid wood lacquer doors, very valuable. Su Shen was truly wealthy. If she had a daughter, there was no way Gu Zi would have had the chance to marry him.
What did it matter if Gu Zi was from the city? If she was truly successful and capable in the city, why would she willingly return to the Lin family, marrying into the countryside?
Now, she had just married a good man and gained some power. Lin Laoyao's wife was waiting for a chance to use the old lady to suppress Gu Zi's arrogance, to see how the girl would continue to be arrogant.
Lin Laoyao's wife often passed by this house when she went in and out of the village, but she had never been inside. She had thought it was nice just by looking at it from the outside.
Now that she was inside, it was indeed nice. The more she looked, the more she wanted to move in tomorrow.
But she hadn't expected that the house was now occupied by the least successful second family.
However, she wasn't worried. Anything the second family had that she wanted, she had always been able to get. It was just a matter of time.
Right now, the most important thing was to get Lln Lao'er's family to give her money. Besides, her son Lin Jie could drive. She was thinking of asking Gu Zi to talk to Su Shen, to arrange a delivery job for Lin Jie at the pig farm.
She had heard that the job was easy, just driving deliveries to the city every day. The key point was that Su Shen was generous with his employees and paid a good salary.
So, although she had to get her hands on the retirement money, for now, she couldn't completely offend Mother Lin.
With these thoughts in mind, she said to Old Lady Lin, "Mom, you're too much. You're already old and still love to joke around. She will definitely give you the retirement money, don't worry.. Let's talk about Lin Jie's job, okay?"
...