Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 705 - 078 Hotpot, shared expense_1

Chapter 705: 078 Hotpot, shared expense_1

"Why didn’t you watch over him? He is your own grandson, don’t you want to see him well? You think he has disgraced you, disgraced the Lin family, so you want to kill him, don’t you?"

Facing her eldest son’s increasingly cruel interrogations, Lady Yang’s already withered and sallow face became even paler, her cloudy eyes also beginning to emit a sense of desperation.

Just as Lady Yang was trying to muster a defense for herself, the elderly and authoritative voice of the village chief rose from the crowd.

"Lin Jiazhong, Lady Ma! Lin Yongle is your son, caring for him is your responsibility as parents. Now that your son has had an accident, instead of looking for your own responsibility, you even blame your own mother, truly unfilial!"

Leaning on his cane and assisted by his son, the old village chief stepped out of the crowd, a look of heartache passing over Lin Yongle’s lifeless body on the ground, then settled his gaze on Lady Yang, sighed heavily, and instructed his daughter-in-law to help Lady Yang up.

"You didn’t watch over your son and now you blame others. Your mother had no obligation to watch him for you!"

Ever since Lin Jianling had a stroke, the village chief had been utterly disappointed with Lin Jiazhong, and now, he couldn’t believe that his own son had frozen to death outside, only to have the blame placed on the grandmother. If he as a father couldn’t watch over his child, what good was it to blame the elderly!

The village chief’s cane struck the snowy ground twice in fury and he angrily said, "Lin Jiazhong, I have told you before, your son often climbs outside by himself, you were supposed to keep an eye on him, even confine him if necessary. But you just wouldn’t listen! If you had watched over your son more closely, would today’s incident have happened?"

Lady Ma was speechless, Lin Jiazhong’s face shifted from red to white, his eyes reddening as they swept over his own mother’s face before looking towards his son.

The village chief, too, was sympathetic, understanding the heavy heart of a father who had just lost his son, so he refrained from lecturing further. He was simply puzzled as to where the couple had gone on New Year’s Eve instead of staying at home.

"You keep saying your mother didn’t watch the child, but I ask you, where were you two? Why weren’t you at home watching the child?"

The village chief’s words struck Lin Jiazhong and his wife like a muffled blow, causing their complexions to change suddenly, silencing their cries and insults.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, the village chief’s white eyebrows furrowed, and he asked again, yet they still remained silent, tight-lipped.

In the crowd, the Lin Fugui family exchanged glances; Lan Hua’s mouth opened to speak but was pulled back by Aunt Wang, who shook her head indicating her not to speak.

Lan Hua and the others’ reaction went unnoticed by Lin Yuan, but she was very puzzled by the reaction of Lin Jiazhong and his wife—what exactly had happened to these two?

The dead were already gone; finding whom to blame was of no use anymore. Lin Jiazhong and Lady Ma sobbed as they carried their son’s body back to their house. Lin Yongle had poor mobility and couldn’t have crawled far; he had almost certainly frozen to death right at their doorstep.

Lin Jiaxin watched them struggle with the body, his feet shifted as if to move, but in the end, he just couldn’t take that step forward.

Lady Yang, supported by Da Han’s wife, had just reached the doorway when Lady Yang graciously convinced her to leave. The house was already in disarray, it was better not to let outsiders in and lose more face.

After they brought their son’s body into the house, the grand door of the old residence shut with a bang, and immediately, Lady Ma’s wails could be heard from within the courtyard.

"Let’s go back," Lin Jiaxin said, pressing at his temple and taking his daughter’s hand to head home.

The news of Lin Yongle frozen stiff in the snow spread quickly throughout the village, leaving many who were close to him without the heart to continue visiting around for New Year’s greetings. Lin Jiaxin returned home in a dark mood, unable to manage a smile even upon seeing his son.

Lady Liu was puzzled, so Lin Yuan recounted the events that had just taken place.

Lady Liu sighed, glanced at her husband, and said softly, "And here I thought it was your grandfather—ah, Yongle was only in his teens, I didn’t expect him to be gone just like that. And him, with his leg disabled and his mind not quite right, why was he constantly trying to get outside? Was there something he wanted to do or someone he wanted to see?"

Lady Liu’s seemingly casual question struck a chord in Lin Yuan’s heart. Lin Yongle’s crawling outside was no secret in the village; she had heard Lan Hua mention it several times. Initially, she hadn’t taken it seriously, but now, with the boy gone, she suddenly had an ominous premonition. Could Lin Yongle’s intended destination have been her home? Maybe, he wanted to find her?