"Bang!" A loud noise erupted as the door was forcefully kicked open, crashing against the wall and rebounding quickly.
The commotion at the old Liu family's place startled the neighbors, and several households in the alley dropped what they were doing and rushed out to see the excitement.
Ma Cuihua glared with red eyes at the man and woman entangled on the bed, rushed forward, grabbed Lin Qin by the hair, and dragged her off the bed, cursing hysterically, "Shameless slut, you dared to bring a wild man into my house, I'll beat you to death, you shameless whore!"
Ma Cuihua's mouth poured curses non-stop, one hand yanking Lin Qin's hair while the other hand slapped her face several times.
Lin Qin was jolted awake from the pain.
Seeing the familiar yet young face in front of her, hatred in her heart spread like wildfire, quickly consuming her. Even knowing she was dreaming, she retaliated without abandon, using all her strength to grab Ma Cuihua's hair and bit down hard on her arm.
"Ah!"
A shrill wail pierced the sky.
Ma Cuihua writhed in pain on the ground, dragging Lin Qin down with her, but Lin Qin did not loosen her bite.
Liu Yongguo and his wife did not expect the usually meek and easily bullied Lin Qin to fight back, clinging to Ma Cuihua like a mad dog, surprising them into inaction.
The first to recover was Ma Cuihua's youngest daughter, Liu Li, who rushed at Lin Qin, punching and kicking, "Let go of my mom, shameless bitch, let go of my mom!"
Lin Qin winced in pain, the sensation telling her that this was all real, not a dream!
Listened to the neighbors gossiping on the sidelines, she vaguely understood something.
She had been reborn! Back to the time when the nightmare of her previous life began.
It was these very people: Ma Cuihua, Liu Yongguo, Xu Manzhi, Liu Li.
They framed her for sleeping with a wild man, cementing her infidelity in her marriage, and even called her family over, leading to her being beaten by them.
No one listened to her explanations, and the result was her family taking her back amid scolding, forcing her to divorce.
Her village couldn't accommodate her, and with nowhere to turn, she chose to end her life by jumping into a river, only to be saved by another victim that same night by coincidence.
Though she survived, she lived under constant scrutiny, and her daughter was bullied and ridiculed because of her, living worse than cattle in the Liu family.
She herself was depressed every day, fell seriously ill in her forties with no money for treatment, endured two years of suffering, and ended her tragic life.
Seeing the man on the bed still motionless, clearly not yet awake, she realized she could only save herself now!
"Did you hear me tell you to let go of my mom, you shameless woman!" Liu Li raised her foot to kick down.
Lin Qin's daughter, Liu Yaya, rushed out in time, clinging to Liu Li's leg, "Auntie, don't hit my mom, don't hit my mom, my mom is not that kind of person, wuwuwu..."
Liu Li almost fell over from the embrace, angrily kicked Liu Yaya away, "You little brat, get lost!"
Liu Yaya rolled twice on the ground, crying out in pain.
Lin Qin's eyes burned with even more hatred as she let go of Ma Cuihua, got up from the ground, and gripped Liu Li's neck tightly, "If you bully my daughter, I'll kill you!"
Ma Cuihua screamed in terror and fear, slapping the floor, "Eldest, quick! Quickly kill this madwoman, she's about to kill your sister!"
Liu Yongguo and his wife rushed over immediately.
Knowing she couldn't win against them, Lin Qin decisively let go, her ten nails viciously scratched at Liu Li's face twice, pushing her towards Liu Yongguo and Xu Manzhi.
"Ah... my face, my face hurts so much! Mom!" Liu Li cried out in terror, clutching her face while falling into Liu Yongguo's arms, wailing.
Lin Qin's reaction caught everyone off guard.
Liu Yongguo was thoroughly enraged, "Bitch! I'll kill you!"
"Bang!" With a loud crash, Lin Qin threw a small clay jar of pickled vegetables at Liu Yongguo's feet, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Call the police! Call the police! Everyone, listen, I'm being framed! I don't even know the person on the bed! Whoever calls the police for me, I'll give them five yuan!"
The four members of the Liu family immediately changed their expressions.
Ma Cuihua screamed sharply, "Don't call the police! She doesn't have any money, don't believe her! Lin Qin, you have no shame, but we, the Liu family, want to save face! No one is allowed to call the police!"
Lin Qin sneered, "I'm telling you, I'm definitely reporting this to the police today! I admit to what I've done! But if I didn't do it, there's no way I'll let you pin this crime on me!"
The neighbors saw Lin Qin looking so firm and honest, unlike a liar, and considering her usual gentle and low-key behavior, not like a promiscuous woman, some began to believe her. But no one dared to act, for five yuan, they would offend the Liu family, which was certainly not a wise choice. Moreover, Lin Qin might not even be able to produce five yuan.
Seeing that no one was budging, Lin Qin's heart sank to the bottom.
At that moment, her father Lin Yi and her second uncle Lin Zhi and his wife Li Lian arrived.
Li Lian stormed into the room aggressively toward Lin Qin.
Lin Qin knew that this woman wanted to hit her.
As Li Lian raised her hand, Lin Qin quickly dodged.
Li Lian's slap hit the cabinet heavily, the sound of the impact itself was painful to hear.
Li Lian clutched her hand with her teeth clenched in anger, "You wretched girl! Doing such shameless things and you still dare to dodge! Our Lin family must have had the worst luck ever to give birth to a shameless bitch like you!"
Lin Qin's cold gaze swept over Li Lian, no longer recognizing her as a respected elder.
In her past life, it was Li Lian who spread rumors about her in the village, making it impossible for her to stay in Shanglin Village, ultimately leading to her suicide by drowning.
Li Lian was startled by Lin Qin's gaze, her scolding weakened, yet she still stubbornly reprimanded, "Did I say anything wrong? You did such a shameless thing, and now we're not allowed to scold you?"
Lin Qin didn't argue with her, only focusing on her simple-minded, lost father.
Now, Lin Yi was only in his early forties, yet his hair was half-white, looking so old and weary. He had no sons, only two daughters. The eldest sister married far away and only returned once a year for the New Year, leaving Lin Qin.
In her past life, after she survived her attempt at drowning but was too ashamed to return to the village, Lin Yi lived a lonely and poor life without her, often facing bullying in the village. Even during the village development compensation, he didn't receive fair treatment, all because of her!
Swallowing her anguish, Lin Qin approached Lin Yi, gritting her teeth, "Dad! Go to the police station and report this for me, I've been set up, and this has to be investigated!"
"What are you talking about?" Lin Yi gazed at Lin Qin in disbelief, then glanced at the Liu family, seeing their evasive eyes, his heart sinking a little.
Beside him, Lin Zhi frowned and said, "Niece, you can't say such things recklessly! You've already lost your reputation, and if you blow things up, your dad won't even be able to go out in the future!"
Lin Qin glanced at the hypocritical Lin Zhi, calmly smiling, "Thank you for the warning, Second Uncle, but I must call the police today! If the police also say I hired a wild man, I'll kill myself right here to give everyone an explanation! But if I didn't do it, I won't let anyone frame me!"
Lin Zhi looked at Lin Qin in astonishment. In his mind, Lin Qin was always a quiet, unassuming girl who rarely spoke. When did this girl become so fierce?
Lin Yi snapped out of it, nodding repeatedly, "Alright, alright, alright! Dad will go now."
He believed that the daughter he raised from a young age wasn't someone without a sense of propriety.
Just as Lin Yi reached the door, he paused and asked, "Which way to the police station?"