Chapter 27: The Path Ahead Must Be Walked Alone

He had been worried that Lin Xiang would be taken advantage of by her aunt. However, it turned out that his concerns were unnecessary; he had yet to meet anyone whose wit could rival Lin Xiang’s.

Inside the room, Lin Xiang looked at her mother with a faint, cryptic smile. "If you feel uncomfortable living in this house and want to go live with Auntie, that's not impossible. In any case, I'll be eighteen in two months, and I can take care of myself."

Mother Lin laughed sheepishly. "It’s just that I knew you had secured the job quota, and I was so proud that I couldn't help but let it slip. When your aunt asked me for help just now, didn't I refuse to speak up for her?"

Lin Xiang was almost amused to the point of anger. She had finally figured out her mother’s personality: a typical bully at home who cowered before outsiders. She was both selfish and greedy, prone to picking on the weak while fearing the strong.

Having transmigrated here for some time, Lin Xiang had always found her mother’s feelings toward her contradictory. If you said she loved her daughter, she always prioritized her own comfort when it came to food. If you said she didn’t love her, she still performed the duties of a capable mother. Today, Lin Xiang finally understood why. Her mother hadn't helped her aunt earlier not because of some sudden moral awakening, but because Lin Xiang had stood her ground, making the aunt appear clearly weaker. Her mother no longer feared the aunt, so she naturally sided with her own daughter. Furthermore, she wanted money. While she had boasted about the job quota to her aunt out of a sense of vanity and a lingering fear of her, the promise of five hundred yuan was enough to suppress that fear.

"In short, if you still value our bond as mother and daughter, stop thinking about the job quota. I will reiterate: I am going to school. Whether you support it or not, I am going."

"But... that's five hundred yuan," Mother Lin muttered softly.

Lin Xiang kept her smile. "Regardless of the amount, I earned it myself. No one but me has the right to make decisions for me."

She wasn't just a transmigrator who felt responsibility rather than deep affection for this mother; even if it were her own parents or a lover, she would not allow anyone to interfere with her life choices. One had to walk their own path in the future. Even if a choice was wrong, one had to endure it, whether on their knees or in tears. If someone else made the choice for her and the path turned out difficult, could she blame them?

Seeing Lin Xiang’s firm attitude, Mother Lin finally said nothing more. Lin Xiang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Her mother didn't have any major flaws, and she didn't truly want to break ties or damage the relationship the original host had with her. She simply didn't want anyone pointing fingers at her while she was forced to stay here before returning to her own life.

"Mom, believe me. Even without the textile factory quota, even without those few hundred yuan, I will ensure you live a good life." As she spoke, Lin Xiang took out two ten-yuan notes from the envelope, thought for a moment, and put one back. "Here is ten yuan for you to keep. You can use it to buy whatever you like."

Mother Lin didn't stand on ceremony; she took the money and tucked it into her pocket. Glancing at the envelope, she said, "Keep the remaining ten yuan for your tuition and textbooks. If you need more, just say so; I have money here." She muttered under her breath, "Anyway, I don't really have anything to spend money on; isn't it all being saved for you?"

"Alright, I understand. You must be hungry. Shall I go make dinner?"

Mother Lin’s mood instantly shifted from stormy to overcast. "What are we having?"

"Vermicelli!"

Lin Xiang thought the matter of the quota was over, but no sooner had she finished cooking the vermicelli than her aunt returned, this time bringing along a girl about Lin Xiang’s age.

As soon as Yu Fang stepped into the house, she sniffed the air. "What is that smell? It’s so fragrant." Without considering herself a guest, she walked straight toward the kitchen. "Auntie, what are you making? I haven't eaten either; can I have a bowl?" The aroma had triggered her appetite; there had to be meat!

Yu Fang searched the room for meat, ignoring the two bowls of noodles on the table. It wasn't until she failed to find any meat in the kitchen that she looked at the table and realized the scent was coming from the bowls. "What kind of noodles are these? They smell so good." She reached for the chopsticks, but before she could touch them, her hand was struck hard by another pair of chopsticks, leaving two red welts instantly.

"Lin Xiang, are you crazy? Why did you hit me?" Yu Fang shrieked, clutching her hand.

Hearing the commotion, the aunt rushed into the kitchen. Without asking about the rights or wrongs, she pointed at Lin Xiang and cursed, "You unwanted little brat, how dare you hit my Fangfang!"

"Yes, yes, I’m unwanted, unlike your daughter, who has a whole crowd of men following her around to choose from!"

"You have a foul mouth! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother!"

Just as the aunt reached for a broom, Lin Xiang grabbed both of them and dragged them out of the kitchen. With her raw strength, she threw both mother and daughter to the ground. The dirt floor of the Lin courtyard was uneven, and as Yu Fang fell, she braced herself with her palms, leaving them scraped and red. She held her hands up, crying to her mother, "Mom, look at my hands! It's all Lin Xiang’s fault. Teach her a lesson for me!"

The aunt was furious and slapped Yu Fang across the head. "Crying, crying, that's all you know how to do! You’ve cried away all your luck!" She continued, "Both of you are daughters; look at how capable Lin Xiang is, and look at you. Aside from crying, what else can you do?"

Yu Fang stared at her mother in disbelief, unable to imagine such words coming from her. Just today—no, just days ago—her mother had been bragging that she was far superior to Lin Xiang and would find a husband a thousand times better. Why was she saying she was inferior now?

Too angry to speak, Yu Fang stood up, sobbing, and intentionally gave her mother the silent treatment. The aunt ignored her and walked straight to Lin Xiang. "I won’t hold the business of you hitting Fangfang against you. Let’s discuss the quota again. I can’t come up with five hundred yuan, but how about fifty?"

"You've slashed a zero off the price with one breath. You’ve got some nerve; I doubt even eighteen slaps could wipe that much shamelessness off your face."

"Lin Xiang, is that how you talk to your elder?" the aunt shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Don't give me that 'elder' act; do you even deserve it? You haven't even taught your own daughter well, and you come running into someone else's house to lecture their daughter? If you're so capable, go get a quota for your own child yourself. Why are you begging me?"

When Yu Fang walked in, she hadn't even called her "Auntie," instead reaching out to snatch food like a thief. How was she any different from a bandit?