Chapter Fourteen: Father Lin’s Decision

At that moment, the atmosphere in the Lin household was painfully tense.

After hanging up, Mrs. Lin wore a heartbroken expression. Her eyes were swollen and red, showing that she had been crying for a long time.

Beside her, Mr. Lin sighed. “Why don’t we move out?”

Mrs. Lin looked at her husband. “Where would we go?”

“We could rent a place in the same community, or find somewhere nearby. When our daughter comes back, she can still live with us. Let the two of them stay here. Once the baby is born, we’ll still be close by. We can come over during the day to help soothe the baby and prepare meals, then return home at night.”

Mrs. Lin hesitated, then nodded. “All right. I’ll ask the property office tomorrow whether there are any vacant apartments for rent.”

“Good. Once we’ve found a place, tell our daughter that she can come home whenever she wants and doesn’t need to keep working away from home. I’ll never feel at ease with her living alone out there. When she comes back, she won’t have to live with her brother and sister-in-law. She’ll live with us.”

Mrs. Lin nodded. “All right. I’ll call my younger sister now and ask whether there are any vacant places nearby. We should move out as soon as possible. When I heard what Xiaoyan said just now… I couldn’t stop myself from crying…”

Thinking of her daughter, Mrs. Lin began to weep again. Her heart ached for her.

Mr. Lin could not help reproaching his wife. “You shouldn’t have brought that up just now. Xiaoyan must be upset.”

Hearing his reproach, Mrs. Lin was filled with regret. It was all because she had spoken too quickly.

“I… I actually wanted to hear our daughter say that she disagreed. Then I could have told our son and Lanlan not to turn Xiaoyan’s room into…”

As she spoke, Mrs. Lin’s eyes reddened again. “Oh, it’s my fault. All my fault. Xiaoyan must be hurting inside…”

With a sigh, Mr. Lin said, “You shouldn’t have mentioned it. Xiaoyan has always been sensitive and considerate. She knows how to read the room. She would rather suffer herself than put us in a difficult position, so she would never refuse…”

“I know… It’s my fault…”

…

While Mr. and Mrs. Lin discussed the matter in low voices in one room, Lin Hao was speaking to his wife about the same thing in another.

“Why did you tell Mom and Dad to turn Xiaoyan’s room into a nursery? The baby hasn’t even been born yet. Besides, even after the baby is born, it’ll still be so young that it’ll have to sleep with us. Is there really any need to prepare that room?”

Fan Lanlan was doing her skincare. At her husband’s words, her expression darkened as she turned to him. “What? Am I not allowed to prepare a room that belongs exclusively to our child?”

Lin Hao drew a deep breath. “Of course you’re allowed! But you have to consider our circumstances. If I had money, I’d simply move us into a bigger house. The child could have as many rooms as he wanted!

“But I don’t have money right now. This house was bought by Mom and Dad. They let their children live here—wouldn’t you say that’s reasonable? Xiaoyan is my sister and their daughter. What exactly do you mean by turning her room into a nursery? Are you trying to drive Xiaoyan out? Where is she supposed to stay when she comes back?”

Fan Lanlan was unconcerned. “Xiaoyan isn’t coming back anyway. Didn’t she say she was planning to find a job in Harbor City and earn money? Even if she does come home, it’ll only be for a couple of days during the New Year.”

“It would be such a waste to leave a room empty!”

“No! I won’t agree to it! That’s Xiaoyan’s room. Whether she comes back or not, it’s still hers. No one is allowed to touch it!”

Seeing Lin Hao’s resolute attitude, Fan Lanlan felt her temper flare. She forced it down. “Fine! We won’t touch it, then. Hmph! You’re arguing with me over something so trivial. Don’t you know that I’m pregnant and shouldn’t get angry?”

Lin Hao rubbed his face. He did not want to continue the argument. He needed to calm down, and so did she.

“I’m going to wash up. You go to bed first.”

With that, Lin Hao grabbed his clothes and left the room.

“Lin Hao!” Fan Lanlan shouted angrily.

Lin Hao ignored her and went to his parents’ room. When he saw his mother’s reddened eyes, he was overcome with guilt and remorse.

“Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. Lanlan didn’t mean it that way. Don’t worry—Xiaoyan’s room won’t be turned into a nursery. We’ll keep it for her. Even after she gets married, we’ll still keep it.”

Lin Hao gave his parents a sincere promise.

Mrs. Lin did not want to speak to her son. Ever since he had married, his wife had repeatedly made insinuating remarks in front of their daughter, whether deliberately or otherwise.

In the past, Mrs. Lin had endured it for the sake of family harmony.

But now? Having become pregnant, Lanlan had become even more overbearing!

Mr. Lin looked at his son and let out a heavy sigh. “Your mother and I have already discussed it. Tomorrow, we’ll look for a place to rent in this community or somewhere nearby. Once we find one, your mother, Xiaoyan, and I will move there.”

The moment Lin Hao heard this, his face filled with disagreement. “Dad, I don’t agree. This house was bought by you and Mom. It’s your home. If anyone is moving out, it should be us!”

Mr. Lin waved a hand. “I’ve made up my mind. Don’t argue. I know exactly how much you and Lanlan earn each month. The baby is about to be born, and your expenses will only increase. You two stay here.

“Your mother will come over during the day to cook and clean for you. After the baby is born, she’ll do the same—come over during the day, then we’ll return to our place at night. We won’t live under the same roof, and there won’t be so many conflicts.

“Actually, we should have done this when you first got married. It took conflicts arising before I finally… Ah, never mind. Go back to bed. Lanlan is pregnant, so don’t argue with her or make her angry. It isn’t good for her health.”

Lin Hao’s eyes reddened, and his heart ached unbearably.

Lin Xiaoyan had no idea what had happened at home. After applying the medicine, her eyes felt much better.

She had thought that after everything that had happened that day, she would suffer from insomnia again that night. Yet, contrary to expectation, she slept exceptionally well.

Early the next morning, when her alarm went off, Lin Xiaoyan was still groggy and had no idea what year it was.

She lay in bed for several minutes until she fully awakened, then quickly got up to wash. Looking at her left eye in the mirror, she saw that it was much better than the day before.

Happily, Lin Xiaoyan sent Dr. Yang a message on WeChat, telling him that her eye had improved considerably and thanking him again for his help the previous day.

Yang Lin soon replied, but his message contained only four words: “You’re very welcome.”

Then he sent another message: “Your eye is recovering well. Remember to eat light foods for the next few days.”

“All right. Thank you, Dr. Yang.”

After replying, Lin Xiaoyan picked up her things and left for work.

On the way, another matter weighed on her mind: the scenes she had “seen” the day before, and those people who had lain beside her on the operating table…

What should she do? Should she report it to the police?

But she had already reported it once. To do so again…

Forget it. She would just pretend she knew nothing.

Lin Xiaoyan consoled herself. In this world, the most important thing was to survive and protect her own life.