Lin Guoqiang and his wife Ma Lingfang were not striking in appearance, but Lin Xiaoguai choose to inherit only the best traits from both parents, growing up to be like a finely carved jade that everyone couldn't help but love. When she was around three or four, Lin Guoqiang realized his daughter had an excellent mind, far smarter than he had been as a child. From that point on, Lin Guoqiang devoted all his energy to cultivating his eldest daughter, yielding stars but not the moon, and sent her off to school early, leaving his four sons behind to fend for themselves.
Ma Lingfang always looked up to her husband, so when he doted on their daughter, she did the same.
Although Lin Xiaoguai's four older brothers were never much to speak of in terms of accomplishments, they adored their sister, who might as well have been their own daughter, so it could be said that Lin Xiaoguai grew up surrounded by boundless love.
She lived up to expectations, always coming first in her class, and driven by her father's hope, even the tumultuous times couldn't dampen her passion for study. Later, when the college entrance examination was reinstated, she smoothly secured the top score in the province and was admitted to Capital University.
By that time, Ma Lingfang had passed away, and Lin Guoqiang's health was declining, but he hid this from Lin Xiaoguai so as not to worry her.
As a result, when Lin Xiaoguai returned home with such a grand honor, Lin Guoqiang was beaming with pride, smiling like the warm March sun, as he chatted with Lin Xiaoguai before sleep, praising how she had brought honor to the family. It took Lin Xiaoguai over half an hour to coax him to sleep.
After he went to sleep that night, Lin Guoqiang never woke up again.
Lin Xiaoguai had always been close to Lin Guoqiang. If the limit of affection one could offer was one hundred percent, then Lin Guoqiang occupied at least sixty percent of Lin Xiaoguai's heart.
When Ma Lingfang died, Lin Xiaoguai had been deeply saddened, but it didn't compare to how she felt now, as if half the world had collapsed, leaving her life without purpose. That night, she was so distraught that she became delirious, and it was her sister-in-law who supported her at the funeral.
Yet unexpectedly, due to such an indulgence of her emotions, Lin Xiaoguai was sold off.
From the engagement to marrying Shen Chi, Lin Xiaoguai was in a daze throughout, only briefly snapping out of it on her wedding night due to the physical pain.
She thought there could be no bride more tragic or absurd than she was.
Later, as her fever gradually subsided, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment, filled with trepidation and helplessness.
The sixteen-year-old girl woke up to find herself in a completely new environment, surrounded by strangers, with the so-called husband nowhere to be found, and every gaze upon her devoid of any kindness.
It was a testament to Lin Xiaoguai's strong will that she didn't fall apart.
Looking back on that period now, Lin Xiaoguai found it suffocating, every word and action was cautious, questions lingered in her heart yet she dared not ask, and she couldn't refuse her mother-in-law's commands, going along with things just to understand her situation.
In the end, due to a child's mischief she endured unbearable pain, seething with anger but not daring to speak out, and due to a single disparaging comment from her mother-in-law, she didn't dare to react and ended up losing her own child, along with the ability to become a mother.
Her most pathetic and weakest moment must have been then.
Lin Xiaoguai's life, when summarized, was somewhat ridiculous. She was born into a world of affection, but because her parents were old and died before she could stand on her own, she lost her protection and was betrayed by her brother and sister-in-law. Yet even though her situation was tragic, it wasn't entirely without hope for redemption.
Though she didn't understand why, Shen Chi was genuinely good to her. As a husband, Shen Chi, who at 26 was already a captain in the army, was without a doubt someone deserving of dependance, despite being burdened with a host of troublesome relatives, he himself was top-tier.
Lin Xiaoguai herself having been admitted to university, nobody could say that Shen Chi was out of her league. Moreover, with the death of Lin Guoqiang, everyone knew her chances of continuing her studies were slim, and even Lin Xiaoguai herself barely held any hope that her brother and sister-in-law would finance her education.
Both were attractive in their own right, and neither were spiteful individuals, so even if the start wasn't ideal, over time they'd surely smooth things out and live a good life together.
But fate just couldn't let things be so accommodating. Lin Xiaoguai miscarried and lost her ability to have children.
It seemed like fate always withheld a little something at crucial moments, causing Lin Xiaoguai to miss happiness by a hair's breadth.
Lin Xiaoguai was filled with hatred; she hated the Shen Family and Shen Chi for leaving her alone to face his relatives when they were newlyweds, and she hated herself most of all.
Her child had died from a push by Shen Chi's nephew, because of the cruelty of Mrs. Shen, Shen Chi's absence from the home, and ultimately because of her own psychological frailty which led to a sense of despair.
"Chi, over here, over here!" As Shen Chi walked out of the hospital, he heard someone calling him from across the street.