Chapter 12: Jiangcheng Yarn Factory—Lin Xiaomeng
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“Am I talking nonsense? I think you’re just too embarrassed to admit it,” the middle-aged man retorted, completely unfazed by the woman’s scolding, his face full of provocation as he stared at her.
“Other families cram four or five people into one courtyard, and here you are, with no children, selfishly occupying such a large yard. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“It’s just a mattress; you can’t even dry it inside your own big yard, so you have to hang it right at my courtyard gate. Who would believe you have no ulterior motives?”
The middle-aged woman clutched her chest, clearly furious.
“How shameless! You’re talking nonsense. I live in this big courtyard because my late husband earned it with his life. The factory has no objections. Who do you think you are? If you want to live in a courtyard this big, have your husbands earn it for you. How dare you bully a widow like me? You all have some nerve.”
Her words were harsh, and the woman standing beside the man was the first to refuse to take it lying down. She raised her palm, ready to slap the middle-aged woman.
Lin Wei quickly stepped forward, grabbed the woman’s wrist, twisted it behind her back, and pushed her away with controlled force.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man snapped angrily, “Who are you? This is workers’ housing. Where did this stranger come from? You have no business meddling in this.”
“Weiwei, Yuanyuan.”
“Auntie.”
Indeed, the woman who had been arguing over the burned mattress was none other than Lin Xiaomeng, her aunt.
The middle-aged man looked at the two children in front of Lin Xiaomeng, the large pile of luggage on the ground, and clearly understood the situation.
His anger instantly turned to mockery. “Oh, what a poor relative you have, bringing a little boy along. Don’t tell me you came here just because you knew about your aunt’s courtyard and wanted to sponge off her.”
“How can you talk so filthy...”
The middle-aged man cut her off, sounding even more smug. “Am I wrong? These kids clearly come from the countryside. That big pile of luggage must be all their belongings. They’re either here to sponge off her or to freeload. Nothing good will come of it.”
“I’m just saying, a widow living in such a big yard is bound to cause trouble. Your wages are your own business, but this is the factory’s property. Workers can’t live here because outsiders like you move in. Is that fair?”
“Is that fair to you?” Lin Wei asked coldly. “You were the one who burned my aunt’s mattress first, almost setting fire to the whole neighborhood’s bedding. And now, to escape responsibility, you’re trying to make this about the house.”
“What? You think if we shift the blame, the mattress burning will just be forgotten?” Lin Wei shouted. “Neighbors, listen up! Today this man burned my aunt’s mattress. If nothing is done, and he gets bolder, who knows? Tomorrow he might set my aunt’s house on fire. These houses are all connected. Imagine the damage and who will be affected.”
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“Burning stuff may seem trivial, but if someone’s on a night shift and the kids are home asleep, and no one notices in time, it could be dangerous. Everyone knows how deeply children sleep — you can’t even wake them up by shouting.”
The middle-aged man tried to drag the issue into everyone’s interest, and Lin Wei did the same.
Since everyone lived in this area, it naturally meant they all had a place to stay. Even if the houses weren’t perfect, there was no urgent rush. But safety was paramount. If this man truly intended to cause a serious fire, what would happen if they were on night shift and left their children at home—
“Oh my, I hadn’t thought of that before. My husband is away on a business trip, and I have a lot of night shifts this month. If a fire really breaks out, what will happen to my little one?”
“Right, my mattress was also singed a bit, smelling burnt. With prices so high now, a mattress isn’t cheap. I was just about to talk to him, but he diverted the issue.”
“No way. This could be a big or small problem. I’m going to call the security team. This matter must be addressed.”
The mention of the security team instantly made the man nervous.
“No, it’s just a burned mattress. Do we really need to call the security team?”
“Is it just about the mattress? This is about the children’s safety,” Lin Wei said with a smile at the corner of her mouth.
“Exactly. You’ve done this kind of thing more than once. What if you get into another fight with Xiaomeng, get angry, and actually set her courtyard on fire? My family lives right next door to Xiaomeng. My two kids are only six this year, about to start school. We can’t afford this kind of risk.”
“My family’s the same. Your house is on the left, mine on the right, and I have elderly relatives who can’t move. Who can bear this? No, we must call the security team.”
The neighbors chimed in together. The middle-aged man anxiously looked around, then finally shot an angry glare at Lin Wei.
“You’re really vicious.”
“I’m just stating the facts. How is that vicious? Look at how petty you are.”
The middle-aged man ground his teeth. “You brought so many things here. You dare say you didn’t come to take over your aunt’s house?”
“Those who don’t know better might think you’re standing up for my aunt. You’re just as narrow-minded as you claim others are,” Lin Wei sneered. “I’m not here to take over the house. I’m here to attend university in Jiangcheng. I just came early to get used to the environment.”
“Good thing I came early; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how her neighbors usually bully her. Do they really think no one stands up for the Lin family?”
Lin Wei’s momentum grew stronger. The middle-aged man, originally a pushover, shrank further in front of her.
“Who bullied her?”
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“Yes, you didn’t exactly bully anyone. You just burned my aunt’s mattress with a cigarette butt. By the way, where is the security team? Haven’t they arrived yet?”
“Hey, hey, no, no, no, don’t call the security team. What do you actually want?”
“Compensation. Damaging someone’s property isn’t unreasonable to ask for compensation. A mattress doesn’t cost that much.”
The middle-aged man was reluctant. “That was old. It’s been used for many years.”
“My aunt still uses her things even after many years. If you hadn’t burned it, she would have continued using it. Now that you’ve destroyed it, what’s wrong with paying for a new one? If you don’t agree, that’s fine, but then…”
“Fine, I’ll pay.”
After some grumbling between the man and the woman beside him, they begrudgingly handed over money for the mattress.
Seeing the man take out money, the neighbors who had been singed by sparks quickly gathered around him.
“Xiao Wang, you can’t play favorites. You’ve compensated Xiaomeng for her mattress, but we also got burned. Even if you don’t pay us in full, you should compensate us some.”
“Yeah, my quilt was singed too.”
“Mine too.”
The neighbors swarmed around the middle-aged man named Xiao Wang. Lin Xiaomeng seized the moment to pull Lin Wei and Lin Yuan inside her home, closing the courtyard gate behind them.
In the living room, Lin Xiaomeng threw the luggage to the floor and coldly sized up the brother and sister.
“No good comes from sudden attentions from strangers.”
“Tell me what you came for first. Although you helped me just now, I’m not sure I’ll help you. I might even mock you harshly.”
“Auntie, my father is dead.”
‘Bang.’
The glass cup Lin Xiaomeng had just lifted fell to the floor and shattered.