Chapter 295: Chapter 136.2: The Scummy Brother (4)

Sometimes, Lin Shixing really hated this love. If she found out that they didn’t love her, she could abandon everything and leave. But the reality was that she knew they loved her, and she loved them too.

Because of this love, even though she hated, argued, suffered, felt hopeless, she still couldn’t let go of this family.

It felt as if her entire being had been split in half, the pain unbearable.

Lin Shixing felt dizzy and almost couldn’t stand. She gazed steadily at her parents in front of her and asked softly, “Dad, Mom, I ask you, am I your daughter or just an accessory?”

“You child,” Mother Lin quickly replied. “Of course, you’re our daughter, Shixing. Don’t provoke your father and quickly go inside. We’ll talk about your schooling with your father."

“What are you talking about?!” Father Lin was angry and charged forward to strike his wife and daughter with the broom in his hand.

The broom stopped in midair as Father Lin looked at his daughter, who showed no fear as she raised her swollen, bright eyes to him. He couldn’t bring himself to strike her.

In the end, he threw down the broom and shoved his daughter into her own room. He used a key to lock the door from the outside.

“You’re not allowed to eat today! Stay inside and reflect on your behavior. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the workshop!”

After causing such a disturbance, he no longer had the appetite to eat. He irritably declared that he wouldn’t eat and went to the balcony.

Lin Shiheng looked at his mother and said, “Well, Mom, let’s continue eating.”

What was once a happy family of four ended up with only two people eating dinner. Mother Lin ate absent-mindedly and then went to wash the dishes.

She had a habit of dancing in the square, and even though something had happened at home today and she didn’t feel like going out, Lin Shiheng urged and pushed her out the door.

As soon as Mother Lin left, Lin Shiheng immediately found the key and opened the door to Lin Shixing’s room. He snuck in and whispered shouted like a thief.

“Hey! Lin Shixing!”

Lin Shixing was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees and staring blankly at the tree outside the window. When she heard the voice, she turned around, revealing her swollen eyes.

“Get up, I’ll help you get to the bottom of this. Just listen quietly."

Lin Shiheng pulled her up and led her all the way to the balcony door, making a gesture to keep quiet and whispered, “You hide here, I’ll go to the balcony.”

Lin Shixing nodded silently and watched her 2 years older brother push open the balcony door.

Their father was smoking.

At least five cigarette butts could be seen in the ashtray next to him, indicating that Lin Shixing’s issue had seriously affected his mood.

“Dad.”

Lin Shiheng called out, also leaning against the railing like his father, looking at the sky outside, “Sister wants to go to school. Just let her go. Our family isn’t so poor that we can’t afford tuition.”

“You don’t understand. Girls going to school is useless.”

“Why is it useless? This isn’t the old society anymore, Dad. I know that in our family, you and Mom have always favored me over my sister, but my sister is also your child. Our family hasn’t reached the point where she has to drop out of school due to financial difficulties. I’m going to university with my poor grades, and she’s the top of her grade. What will she think if you make her drop out?”

“Let her think what she wants. I’ve raised her all these years. Am I still not doing enough for her?”

Father Lin took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled a breath of smoke, “You kids don’t understand the situation. Let me tell you; your sister is 17 this year. After the college entrance exam, she’ll be 18 years old. 4 years of university will bring her to 22 Can she date when she’s in school? She’ll only be able to do that after graduation. Then she’ll have to find a job. At best, she’ll earn the same salary I’m giving her now. Then she’ll get married and have a baby. It’s tiring to carry a baby for 9 months and take care of it after it’s born. Why isn’t your mother working? Isn’t it just to take care of you two when you were little. She could barely sleep six or seven hours a night. Either your sister works while taking care of the kids, exhausting herself to death, or she gives up her job to take care of the kids. When the kids grow up, and she wants to go back to work; who will hire someone who hasn’t worked for several years and has gotten older? Even if a company is willing to hire her, how high can her salary be?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Moreover, I’m not trying to fool you guys. It’s already hard enough for girls to find jobs, and even when they do, they have to face a lot of issues. Think about it, they get harassed by their bosses, get asked to accompany clients for drinks. Your sister happens to be good-looking, she’s likely to encounter these problems. After a successful client meeting, people would also gossip behind her back, saying that she got the deal by sleeping with someone...”

Realizing that he was talking to his son, not just a friend to gossip with, Father Lin quickly corrected himself and said, “Gossiping behind someone’s back, saying she’s achieving things through unethical means. Also, your mother mentioned wanting to participate in a singing competition. Do you know how dangerous the entertainment industry can be? There are drugs, x-rated things, and all sorts of nasty things. Can we really trust them? Your mother and I don’t expect you guys to be famous or successful, just live an ordinary life and don’t get into unnecessary trouble.”

“This is such a great job, it would be difficult to find another opportunity like this if we miss it. If it weren’t for her own good, do you think I would go around begging and pleading for them to keep the job for her?”

Lin Shiheng still didn’t take it seriously and said, “Dad, you’re being too extreme. It’s not Lin Shixing’s fault that she’s good-looking. You can’t just cut off her opportunities now just because of some potential unpleasantness in the future.”

“Besides, you say you’re doing it for her own good, but this idea is very wrong. If you don’t tell her, how will she know? She might even think that she’s not your real daughter.”

“You kids don’t understand anything. Alright, alright, it’s so windy outside. Go inside.”

Father Lin wasn’t willing to compromise with his children. He had received a certain education and experience since childhood that wouldn’t allow him to do so.

So he pushed him away.

“Okay.”

Lin Shixing didn’t argue and asked, “Then I’ll go inside. Dad, aren’t you coming in?"

“No need, I’ll smoke a bit longer. Hurry up and go inside.”

Father Lin impatiently threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray and lit another one.

Lin Shiheng opened the balcony door and saw Lin Shixing squatting on the ground, covering her mouth and crying.

He pulled her into the room.

Holding his sister’s shoulders, he gently patted her and impatiently said, “Stop crying.”

At this moment, Lin Shixing didn’t have the mood to dwell on his tone.

She leaned tightly against her brother’s embrace, tears wetting his clothes, and sobbed, intermittently saying, “I want.,.1 want to go, I really want to go...l like singing, brother, I really want to go...”

“Go, go, go. We’ll go today.”

Lin Shiheng patted her shoulder.

“Stop crying. When have you ever been so soft towards me since childhood? You’re making me panic by crying.”

“I mean, don’t you have savings in your hands? Just run away. Why bother asking Mom and Dad for their opinions? Our generation and their generation aren’t separated by a ditch, but a gulf. Even if you cry to death today, they won’t agree.”

Lin Shixing cried and hiccuped, saying, “But I’m not an adult yet. If they go and bring me back... hick... I still can’t go.”

“Why do they have to do this, why...hick! They say they’re good to me, but they’re also bad to me. Why, just because I’m a girl? Just because...hick! I’m not a son? Why can’t they be good to me, like other parents of daughters...”

She cried so hard, as if she would pass out the next moment.

Lin Shiheng could only pat her shoulder and back to calm her down, “Don’t think too much about it. Our parents’ minds are rigid. Imagine if they suddenly started to care about you, your first reaction would be, they’re possessed, right?"

“Here’s what we’ll do; you participate in the competition, win and earn more money. You can earn as much as you want. When you get married and have a daughter, you can treat her as well as you want your parents to treat you. How about that?”

“Okay!” Lin Shixing responded heavily with a tearful voice and a thick nasally tone, “I want three daughters."

“Sure, sure, sure.”

“If it’s a boy, I’ll teach him to be humble, courteous, and take care of his sisters."

“Okay, okay, okay.”

“It can’t be like you, always bullying me.”

“Hey, come on, are you heartless? Who’s comforting you here? Look, you’ve cried all over my clothes. Get up, tidy your clothes, and get your ID.”

Lin Shixing, still swollen-eyed, got up but was still a bit confused, “Where are we going?”

“Where else? I’m taking you to the competition!”

20 minutes later, a still-dazed Lin Shixing stood with Lin Shiheng at the window.

“Do you still remember when we used to sneak out from here to play when we were kids?"

Lin Shiheng’s expression was nostalgic, “Back then, I let you go down first, then called our parents to catch you. What a wonderful childhood it was.”

Lin Shixing gritted her teeth silently and endured.

“So, are we going down from here?”

“Are you stupid? Mom’s not here, Dad’s on the balcony, and no one’s watching the door. Why use the window when we have a door to walk out of?”

Lin Shiheng looked at his sister in surprise, his gaze looked like he was looking at a silly fool.

Lin Shixing: “...”

She saw her unreliable brother finish talking and then tore a piece of paper, scribbling on it.

[Dear Mom and Dad,

The family quarrels have left me heartbroken and in unbearable pain. The world is so big, and I want to go out and explore. This might be considered running away from home, and I’m taking my little sister with me. I’ve decided to take her to the Philippines since I heard there are many job opportunities for migrant workers there, and we have already arranged for a boat to take us there tonight. It might be difficult to contact us in the short term or even for the rest of our lives, and we might never see each other again. But it’s okay, my sister and I will always miss you.

With love, Shiheng (hugs and kisses)

P.S. The above is not true. We are only going to participate in a competition and travel at the same time. Our phones are always on, and we have money and all our documents. We won’t take any unlicensed transportation, and we’ll be in touch at all times. We’ll be back in two weeks.

Do you think it’s easier for you to accept that we’re just going to a competition instead of running away to the Philippines forever?

Please call me when you see this. Muaach—]