Who Touched Her Backpack
The brother-in-law was quite obedient—after saying a few words to Father Lin, he left.
Lin Xiumei then started settling the two children into bed. Watching their runny noses, Su Su felt that once they left, she’d probably have to take apart and wash all her bedding.
Fortunately, the quilts they were using had been brought over by Mother Lin from the front courtyard—but they were still their own family’s quilts.
Mother Lin liked children, so she played with them for a while. It took over an hour before they finally calmed down and went to sleep.
Su Su didn’t sleep well that night. There were suddenly too many people on the kang, which she wasn’t used to. And just as she started to fall asleep, one of the children got up to use the toilet, causing a long disturbance.
On top of that, everyone was busy early in the morning—she didn’t even manage to properly wash her face.
Once everything was ready, they all headed straight to Lin Donghe’s house, since the wedding procession would come in the morning.
Su Su didn’t know how to help much, so she just picked vegetables like everyone else and stood quietly to the side.
Around noon, she suddenly felt a wave of unease, as if something was about to happen.
Then a flash crossed her mind—it felt as though something unseen was telling her someone had touched her backpack. That was the only thing she had brought with her, and the most important one at that.
Without thinking, Su Su rushed out of Lin Donghe’s house and ran straight back to her own courtyard.
When she pushed the door open, she saw her elder sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their two children inside. Her room looked like it had been ransacked—even the kitchen had been searched. The two children were holding her backpack, pulling things out. Her underwear and wallet had already been taken out—thankfully not opened yet.
Su Su felt a surge of anger like never before. She shouted, “What are you doing?!”
The children, used to being yelled at, ignored her. One even reached for the cake she had brought. Luckily, they were only interested in food—otherwise, things would have been much worse.
Su Su didn’t hesitate. She climbed onto the kang, but her brother-in-law tried to stop her. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law, kids are just playing. I’ll tell your sister—”
Before he finished, she slapped his hand away.
She didn’t care who he was. She rushed forward, grabbed her belongings back from the children, stuffed everything into her backpack, and clutched it tightly. The children burst into loud crying because she had acted too forcefully without coaxing them first.
Ignoring them, Su Su held her bag and curled into a corner, saying coldly, “Please leave. Don’t come to my house again.”
“Sister-in-law, isn’t that a bit much? Is it really worth it over something like this?” Lin Xiumei said.
“Get out.” Su Su stared at her, enunciating each word through clenched teeth.
That backpack was everything to her. No one had the right to touch it—not even Father Lin or Mother Lin would get a pleasant reaction if they did.
As for Lin Chuan—she didn’t dislike him as much, but even he couldn’t.
Her brother-in-law frowned and said, “As if we want to come here. Your family used to be dirt poor, and now that you’ve got a bit of money, you look down on others? Fine, we’re leaving.” He picked up the child and walked out.
“Daqiang, Daqiang, we came here for the wedding feast—we should at least stay for the meal,” Lin Xiumei said, glaring at Su Su before chasing after him.
But as soon as they left, Su Su shut the door and locked herself inside. She was scared—terrified that the only thing she had brought with her would be taken.
Just as they reached the entrance, they ran into Father Lin, who asked, “Why are you here? Where are you going?”
“Going home. We don’t dare stay in your ‘precious’ place,” the brother-in-law replied.
“What happened?” Father Lin asked, confused.
Inside, Su Su thought: if Father Lin or Mother Lin sided with their daughter and son-in-law, she would go to Lin Chuan and never come back here again.
But unexpectedly, the brother-in-law twisted the truth, loudly saying, “We were just sitting at their place, and as soon as she came back, she got upset and kicked us out. I’ve never seen such treatment of guests. Just because she’s from the city, she looks down on people.”
What nonsense.
Su Su stepped out, no longer silent. She placed her backpack in the cupboard, opened the door, and stood at the entrance coldly. “Whether I know how to treat guests is none of your business. Even if I didn’t, last year I ran a literacy class here. People from all over the village came to learn. When did I ever kick them out?”
Their argument drew attention from the front courtyard, where guests had gathered for the wedding feast. Even the Lin brothers and Lin Donghe’s younger brother came over. Those who had attended her classes knew she was telling the truth.
“That’s because they were useful to you. Our family isn’t, so you don’t care,” the brother-in-law said slyly, holding a crying child to make it look like they were the victims.
Su Su slammed the door open. “Is this about usefulness? It’s about basic decency. I thought everyone knew not to touch other people’s things when visiting, but look at what you’ve done. You’ve checked all the food supplies in my kitchen, opened cupboards without closing them, and even turned my room upside down. If anything goes missing, should I come to you for it?”
Mother Lin, hearing the commotion, rushed inside. She was familiar with where everything was kept and immediately saw that things had indeed been rummaged through—especially Su Su’s backpack, which had been moved from its usual hidden place.
Her expression darkened. “Did you go through Su Su’s things?”
Lin Xiumei quickly shook her head. “No, no—it was the children. They were hungry and just rummaging.”
“Hungry? Then why were they going through my backpack?” Su Su shot back. “If children don’t know better, shouldn’t the adults?”
“You’ve got some nerve talking. Isn’t it just some indecent clothing in your bag that you don’t want people to see? Straps here and two lumps there…” the brother-in-law gestured crudely.
Su Su froze, then gritted her teeth. “That’s women’s underwear, you shameless man!”
She looked for something to hit him with—but before she could act, something black suddenly came down and struck Daqiang hard on the back.
He groaned and fell to the ground, unable to get up for a moment. Father Lin stood there, holding a shovel, continuing to strike. “You bastard! Get out of here and don’t ever come back!”
Lin Xiumei rushed to stop him. “Dad, stop hitting him—he’s holding the child!”
“Holding? He was pinching the child to make him cry! Doing such disgraceful things and still trying to use a child as a shield—heartless scum! And you—this is your husband. Why didn’t you stop him? Are you useless?” Father Lin pointed at his adopted daughter and scolded her harshly.
“He wasn’t wrong. Those things are indecent. Who knows where she got them from to seduce men?” Lin Xiumei always listened to her husband. After so many years, it had become a habit.
So at this moment, she immediately spoke up for him, completely forgetting that this was her maiden family’s home.
Su Su felt wronged, but she did not cry. Instead, she looked at Lin Xiumei mockingly. “That’s because you’re ignorant. Women in the south already wear this kind of thing now. Besides, who talks about their own sister-in-law like that? Which man did I seduce? Go on, tell me.”
She did have a good temper, but she was not someone others could push around as they pleased. If they wanted to bully her, they had to see whether she was willing to be bullied. She could say unpleasant things too. She refused to believe they were in the right after rummaging through someone else’s things.
Mother Lin had long known what sort of people this adopted daughter and son-in-law were. In the past, they had pitied Lin Xiumei for having no parents and had spoiled her wholeheartedly. But after she married, she no longer treated this place as her home. Their hearts had long grown cold over it. Who would have thought she would now come back and offend their daughter-in-law?
This daughter-in-law was someone everyone was satisfied with. Most importantly, their son was satisfied with her. After she had been here for so long, they all knew what sort of temperament she had. Apart from their son, she had barely spoken alone with any other man.
So of course, they believed her.
“Don’t come back again. Just treat it as our family raising you for nothing all these years. Go. Don’t come back.” Mother Lin waved her hand and signalled for her sons to drive them out.
Lin Hai also disliked hearing them insult his sister-in-law, so he reached out and dragged that so-called brother-in-law outside.
Lin Xiumei had not expected her parents, who used to side with her, to drive them away so decisively. Unwilling, she said, “Mother, why are you chasing us away? She’s clearly the outsider.”
“Oh, listen to what you’re saying. She is the daughter-in-law the Lin family spent money to marry in. The children she gives birth to in the future will carry the Lin surname. You’re the outsider. Haven’t you heard that a married daughter is like water poured out?” Widow Qiao from the village was also there, and she spoke up for Su Su, who had once given her things and helped her gain some reputation.
This was indeed true. A married daughter was like water poured out, so Lin Xiumei was the outsider.
“They promised my father they would raise me. Then they should raise me for life.” Lin Xiumei shouted out what she truly thought, only to realise that the faces of the people around her had turned ugly, especially Father Lin’s.
He had never been a man of many words. Now, hearing Lin Xiumei say this, he finally understood that this girl was an ungrateful wolf. He did not owe her father anything. He had only agreed to raise his brother’s daughter because they were blood brothers. He sighed and said, “I did promise your father I would raise you. But from the moment you insisted on marrying this man, our family no longer had any duty to support you. Even one’s own sons and daughters may not be supported for life, let alone someone who is not our biological child.”
Lin Xiumei froze completely. She had never imagined her maiden family would reject her.
Fortunately, Eldest Aunt arrived at that moment and said a few words to smooth things over. Their family was holding a wedding today, so everyone gave her face and did not continue. But Daqiang refused to let it go. He twisted his aching wrist and stood up. “We came here to drink wedding wine and give gift money, but after being treated like this, we’re unhappy. Let this shameless woman pay our gift money for us. I’m injured all over, so she should pay my medical fees too.”
Eldest Aunt heard this and thought, wasn’t he just a scoundrel?
At this moment, Lin Donghe also arrived. After understanding what had happened and seeing Su Su’s face flushed red with anger, he frowned.
“We invite people to give wedding money because we treat them as relatives. But if you’re going to be unreasonable and make trouble like this, then don’t come to our house anymore either.” Lin Donghe had never thought well of this brother-in-law. Usually, he was cowardly to a frightening degree. Whenever he wanted something from the Lin family, he never came himself and only sent Lin Xiumei. Two years ago, after failing to borrow money, he kept her from returning home for two or three years. When she gave birth, he sent word everywhere so people would come and give money, but then found an excuse not to host a feast and drove them away.
This time, perhaps he had come for Su Su. That was why he had rummaged through her backpack. The children rummaging was fake; most likely, he had been looking for money.
It could be said that he had guessed the truth. This man really had planned that.
“We came all the way from home, and this is how you treat us?”
Daqiang had not expected Lin Donghe to chase him away too. Wasn’t he getting married? Did he not want gift money?
“Marriage is a major life event and a happy occasion. If we entertained someone like you, even the marriage would feel unlucky.” Su Su glanced at their family and said, “Sneaking around like thieves and still having the nerve to stand here. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
After saying that, she turned and went back inside. She was so angry she felt dizzy and did not want to see this family anymore. She had not fully recovered after donating blood, had slept badly the night before, and now felt as if she were floating.
She had only said it in anger. Who would have thought someone on a bicycle would suddenly rush over and say, “Daqiang, hurry back home and take a look! I ran into someone from your village outside. They said your house somehow caught fire, and the village is trying to put it out.”
“What?” Daqiang immediately stopped making trouble, picked up the child, took his wife, and ran.
Su Su froze too and said helplessly, “I only said it casually.”
Mother Lin said, “Lin Hai, follow them and have a look…”
“I’m not going. I still need to eat.” Lin Hai snorted and ran toward Lin Donghe’s house.
Mother Lin could do nothing about it. What her daughter and son-in-law had done today really was wrong. So she said to Su Su, “Go inside first. When it’s time to eat, I’ll have someone call you.”
“Mm.” Su Su went back inside to check her backpack. Ever since she had brought the backpack with her, she knew exactly what was inside.
After checking, she discovered that only one lighter was missing. Nothing else was gone.
That lighter was not actually hers. It belonged to a male classmate. When they were on the coach, he was afraid his craving for cigarettes would act up, so he had asked her to hold it for him and return it when they arrived. She had never really thought of it as hers. But it did exist. It had always been kept in the bag with her cosmetics, yet now it was gone.
Thinking of the fire at her eldest sister-in-law’s house, could it really be retribution?
She zipped the bag shut, then suddenly remembered she had not checked whether the money in her wallet had been touched. She quickly opened the bag again to look. But then she discovered the lighter had returned. That spot had clearly been empty just now; Su Su was certain of it.
Could something that was stolen return by itself? What if she had used it herself?
She took the lighter to the stove and lit the fire, then deliberately placed it beside the stove and left it there.
She went back to sit on the kang for a while before Lin Hai came to call her to eat. Before leaving, she saw the lighter was still by the stove. She wondered whether, when she returned tonight, it would automatically go back.
When she arrived at Lin Donghe’s house, she found that their dishes were not as good as what had been served at Lin Chuan’s wedding. There were only six dishes, and not much meat.
But for a wedding prepared in such a hurry, this was already quite decent.
As part of the Lin family, she could not sit at the first table. She could only stand to the side and help serve dishes, rice, and sometimes pour wine.
Mother Lin had taught her all of this and would not let her make a fool of herself. Su Su was genuinely obedient too and did not mind the reminders.
As for what had just happened, no one mentioned it again. After all, this was someone else’s wedding day.
At that moment, Lin Donghe and Qin Yueyue came out to toast the guests. However, Qin Yueyue’s complexion did not look too good, and her smile seemed forced.
Didn’t she love the male lead? She had even given herself to him. Since that was the case, why not live properly with him?
Su Su did not think too much about it. She stepped aside and smiled as she watched them toast the men, women, old, and young people of the village.
The two of them only held one cup and took a small sip at each table as a gesture. Since everyone knew it was their wedding night, no one pushed them too hard to drink, unlike during Lin Chuan’s wedding, when there had been some troublemakers.
During the process, Qin Yueyue even choked a little after drinking. Lin Donghe patted her back and said, “After the toasts are done, go rest in the back room.”
“Mm.” Qin Yueyue glanced at Su Su and said, “Comrade Su, if you have time later, come sit in the back room?”
“No, after I finish eating, I still have to go home and heat the kang.” Su Su had no intention of getting involved with the female lead again. This girl was full of schemes, and who knew whether she would calculate against her family.
Qin Yueyue looked hurt, then lowered her head and returned to the back room.
Speaking of which, she was quite interesting. Although Lin Donghe’s family was better off than Father Lin’s family, their living arrangement was not as well organised. The two of them lived in the back room, and the main room and back room were only separated by a glass wall. Even a small movement could be heard.
If husband and wife wanted to do anything, how could they possibly enjoy themselves? Anyway, when she and Lin Chuan were together, if she could not cry out, she would probably suffocate.
Cough. Why was she thinking about that? Truly shameless.
No, they were already husband and wife. What shame did she need?
She withdrew her gaze, not knowing that this had hurt Qin Yueyue’s feelings. Qin Yueyue felt that Su Su must be secretly mocking her — mocking her for refusing to marry Lin Chuan and enjoy that nice separate courtyard, only to squeeze into a small dark room with Lin Donghe. She really was a bit foolish. She had avoided Lin Chuan, but had not avoided Lin Donghe. This was her fate in this life. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt as she entered the room.
Su Su did not look at her again. After finishing helping with the guests, she sat at a table with Mother Lin to eat.
By the time the second round of guests sat down, only four dishes were left, and they were all leftovers. Su Su did not really want to eat them, so she only had a few bites of mixed-grain rice before putting down her chopsticks and going home.
Mother Lin did not stop her, because she could tell her daughter-in-law was a little unwell.
After all, she had donated blood before. Others did not know, but her son had told her. Still, she did not say much. This was ultimately the young people’s own matter, and she did not want to interfere too much and make people dislike her.
After Su Su returned home, she heated up some food and ate it alone. But her heart still felt a little empty. Since Lin Chuan had left, this was the first time she missed him this much. She wondered what he was doing. In this era, there were no mobile phones, so video calling was impossible.
Suddenly, she thought of the lighter she had left there while eating. Just now, when she lit the fire, she seemed to have used it. That meant if someone else stole something from her backpack, it might automatically return, and the person might even suffer retribution. But if she herself took something and tossed it anywhere, it would be fine. It would not return automatically.
That was truly magical.
But thinking about how those people had touched the things in her backpack today, she wanted to take them out and wash them. Then she thought that putting them back into the backpack was equivalent to refreshing them once, so she did not feel so disgusted anymore.
Now she had become lazy too. Clothes she took off would not be washed; she would simply ball them up and put them into the backpack, and they would automatically become clean. But this only worked on things she had brought with her. Other things would not work.
Finally, Lin Donghe’s wedding was over, and she could sleep alone in her room again. The weather was gradually warming, so they did not need to burn as much firewood as before. She wondered whether, once the busy farming season began, she should go visit Lin Chuan.
She did not know when she would be allowed to accompany the army. In the book, Lin Chuan had not applied for it, because his mother had not allowed it. Mainly because the little widow he married later was somewhat improper, and his mother feared she would embarrass him if she went.
She was not improper. Surely she could go, right?
After finally sleeping well, she got up the next day and went to the front courtyard for breakfast, only to see Eldest Aunt sitting on their kang crying. She could not help asking, “What happened?”
“It’s nothing. Your food is in the pot. Take it out and eat.”
After Mother Lin said this, she continued comforting Eldest Aunt. “Young people are all unsettled like this. They quarrel at the slightest thing. It’ll be fine after a while.”
“Your son and daughter-in-law are newly married too, but I’ve never seen them quarrel. When they go out holding hands, people envy them. Look at my two — it was only their first wedding night, and they already started fighting. His father and I couldn’t even properly advise them. In the end, we moved to the west room and squeezed in with our younger son, just so they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. But they still argued all night.”
Eldest Aunt wiped her tears as she spoke, then said, “If it really doesn’t work, we’ll divide the family.”
“What family are you dividing? Your daughter-in-law is leaving in just over a month. If you divide the family, where will your eldest son go?”
“I have no choice either. We can’t have the three of us move out and leave the whole household to them, can we?”
Mother Lin glanced at Su Su and said, “Make do for a few days first.” She comforted Eldest Aunt a little more and sent her out. Then she looked at Su Su. “Su Su, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
Su Su nodded. In truth, she had guessed Mother Lin’s meaning, but she did not really want to state her position.
“Qin Yueyue will be leaving in just over a month anyway. How about letting the young couple stay at our house for a few days, and we go stay in the back courtyard?”
“That’s fine.” As long as they were not occupying her little home.
Mother Lin relaxed when she heard her agree. “Don’t worry about the family being noisy either. Spring ploughing is about to start. Your father-in-law and younger brothers will have to get up early to collect manure for work points, then go up the mountain to deliver manure. They won’t have much time at home.”
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