Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Lin Laodie was naturally unwilling to accept the verdict. After the court session ended, he immediately grabbed hold of Uncle Lin the Second and Uncle Lin the Third, demanding they explain themselves.

"You ungrateful lot, have you forgotten how I treated you in the past? For the sake of a little brat, you want to expel me from the clan? How could you do such a thing!"

The little brat, Lin Chunyan (a girl), stood by, calmly watching Lin Laodie's outburst.

From now on, Lin Laodie had no connection with them whatsoever. Any accusations of unfilial behavior or the responsibility of caring for him in his old age would no longer fall on her.

Uncle Lin the Second, on the other hand, was not as composed as Lin Chunyan. He clutched his head, tugging at his hair in distress.

"This is your own nephew! It wasn't easy for me to have such a son!"

Lin Laodie continued to rant beside them, even breaking into sobs at times, and he didn't hold back from physically lashing out at Uncle Lin the Second and Uncle Lin the Third.

But the two of them remained silent, crouching with their heads in their hands, not saying a word.

Lin Laodie soon grew tired from hitting them. Seeing them like this, he had no other choice but to sink down in frustration.

Meanwhile, Shi Niang was surrounded by creditors demanding compensation.

How could Shi Niang possibly afford that much money? She could only cast a pleading look at Lin Laodie, timidly approaching him for help.

Lin Laodie didn't want to give her anything, and the anger from being expelled from the clan still lingered in his heart. As Shi Niang approached, he slapped her, "It's all because of you, this spendthrift woman!"

Shi Niang covered her face in disbelief, but Lin Chunyan and Mrs. Zhang weren't the least bit surprised.

When men are unhappy or dissatisfied in the outside world, they often take it out on their wives.

This has been the case since ancient times.

Lin Laodie was never a good partner.

From the way he abandoned his wife and children, it was clear that he was a heartless man. If he could do such things to his own family, he could certainly do the same to others.

That slap left many people stunned. There were still quite a few onlookers at the entrance of the county office, and they started pointing and whispering about the scene.

Constable Sun frowned in displeasure at Lin Laodie and walked over to scold him a few times.

As soon as Lin Laodie saw Constable Sun, he immediately cowered, his previous arrogance gone.

Shi Niang continued to cover her face, staring at Lin Laodie in disbelief. Lin Laodie, feeling embarrassed, glared at her, "What are you whining about? We don't have any money left. Figure it out on your own."

After saying this, he turned back to talk to Uncle Lin the Second and Uncle Lin the Third, but the two of them, still shaken by the earlier slap, were slow to respond to Lin Laodie.

"Let's reconsider this. Even if I'm no longer part of the clan, Guangzong must remain. What has the child done to warrant this?"

Lin Laodie softened his tone, speaking with great sorrow, but the expressions on the faces of Uncle Lin the Second and Uncle Lin the Third no longer showed the same pain.

It seemed as if they had just realized that the person standing before them was a stranger, someone they had never truly known.

Shi Niang was still stunned. Seeing her pitiful state, Mashi felt too ashamed to continue pressing her for money and decided to wait until she recovered.

Lin Laodie, seemingly struck by another thought, insisted that the two of them couldn't make the decision alone, "And there's our younger sister. She's also part of our family. If she knew about this, she would never agree to expel me from the clan."

This younger sister had secretly learned the family's culinary skills years ago, leading to a falling out with the family, and her whereabouts were now unknown.

The murmurs from the onlookers grew louder, "This is nonsense! Since when do clan matters involve a young lady?"

"Yes, your little sister hasn't gotten married all these years, has she?"

Lin Laodie completely ignored this, fixating on it and looking over at Lin Chunyan, "And your shop-keeping skills were learned from our Lin family's teachings. Even though you're no longer part of our family, you should still pay us a master's fee!"

This was just plain ridiculous. Mrs. Zhang, seeing the madness in Lin Laodie's eyes, knew he had completely lost his cards and was now acting recklessly.

Lin Chunyan raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when suddenly a woman's voice came from the side, "So you were looking for me."

This person had been standing there unnoticed, watching the whole farce clearly, and only now did she lift the veil from her head.

Inside was a face that wasn't very young. Lin Chunyan thought it looked somewhat familiar, but it wasn't until she saw Li Niangzi beside her that she realized something was wrong.

"Little sister!"

Uncle Lin and Uncle Lin had already shouted out, hurried over to Li Daniang, "When did you come back?"

"How have you been all these years?"

Just from Li Daniang's attire, it was clear she had been living well. Li Niangzi beside her blinked at the somewhat dazed Lin Chunyan and whispered, "My master."

Last time Li Daniang came back from Bian City with Zhao Xinghua, and when they went to thank her, Lin Chunyan had gone along. At that time, Li Daniang had only asked her a few more questions, which Lin Chunyan hadn't paid much attention to.

She had assumed Li Daniang only wanted to know the source of her ideas.

Lin Laodie's expression was a sight to behold. He had merely wanted to leverage Li Daniang's situation to make a point, not actually wanting her to return.

After all, Li Daniang had had a falling out with the family, and he had played a part in it.

Li Daniang looked at Lin Laodie with a half-smile, "What? Elder brother was just saying he wanted to find me, why isn't he coming forward to talk now?"

"Oh, right, because I've been expelled from the family, so I can't call you elder brother anymore."

After saying this, Li Daniang felt a wave of relief. Back then, she had merely picked up some family recipes, and while the old master hadn't said anything, Lin Laodie felt she had encroached on family property, things that wouldn't bring any benefit to the family, all benefiting her future husband's family.

Poor girl, she hadn't even been promised to anyone yet!

Lin Laodie was completely obedient to Lin Laodie, and after hearing this, she thought it reasonable and considered selling off young Li Daniang.

Yes, because she had secretly learned the cooking skills, she couldn't marry properly and had to be sold far away.

Lin Laodie's lips quivered, at a loss for words, while Sun the Constable began dispersing the crowd, "Since it's all clear, don't gather at the county office! Disperse!"

Mashi directly took Lin Guangzong onto the carriage and said to Lin Laodie, "If you pay, I'll return the child unharmed."

Caught off guard, Lin Laodie hadn't expected Lin Guangzong to be taken, his eyes nearly popping out, pointing at Mashi and Shi Niang with trembling hands.

He dared not confront Mashi, and now with Li Daniang here, it was inconvenient for him to talk to Uncle Lin and the others, so he could only continue to vent his anger on Shi Niang.

"How could you let this happen to our son? You useless woman, if it weren't for you breaking that bracelet, would my son have to suffer like this?"

He even went as far as kicking her a few times.

Lin Chunyan watched coldly and said to Lin Taohong and Zhang Xiaomei, "See, men hitting women always escalates. If you don't resist the first time, they think it's easy, and it only gets worse."

Lin Taohong and Zhang Xiaomei nodded in agreement, having seen many examples, like Madam Hong in their village.

Seizing the opportunity, the group all boarded the carriage to head back, with Li Daniang also being pulled aboard. Lin Chunyan still had many questions to ask.

Zhao Laicai had already fled with the cart when he saw things turning sour, hiding in an alley and watching from afar, afraid of getting involved if something happened.

Finally, only Lin Laodie was left there hitting Shi Niang. Even those who had previously despised Shi Niang now felt pity for her, pointing and whispering to each other.

Shi Niang had never been humiliated like this before. Fortunately, Lin Laodie was not very strong, and after a few strikes, he was out of breath and stopped.

Seeing Lin Guangzong being taken into the carriage, Mashi also felt troubled about the situation and asked Mrs. Zhang beside her, "What if they don't want him anymore? Wouldn't I be stuck with him then?"

Mrs. Zhang was utterly disgusted by Lin Guangzong, seeing his snot and tears smeared all over his face made her feel nauseous, so she turned her head away, "They will definitely come. Look at how they treasure their son, they'll probably be here soon."

Li Daniang, however, didn't feel awkward and simply said, "If it comes to that, I can look after him for a day. I don't have much to do anyway."

Noticing her self-combed hairstyle, Mrs. Zhang had her suspicions but didn't dare to ask.

When Li Daniang was expelled, Mrs. Zhang and others had already entered the house. They had some memory of her, and even though Mrs. Zhang wasn't involved in those matters, she still felt somewhat embarrassed.

Shortly after they returned, Sun Anyuan arrived with another carriage, and Uncle Lin and Second Uncle Lin got off, looking pale.

Second Aunt Lin and the others had been waiting anxiously. From afar, they could smell the fragrance of fried meatballs and rice cakes. Seeing them get off, they all came forward to greet them.

Li Daniang was the first to alight from the carriage, took a deep breath, and praised, "It smells amazing. Who cooked this? It's really excellent."

Wang Yingniang and Lin Cuixiang were puzzled by Li Daniang's arrival. Observing her looking around, Lin Chunyan stepped forward to explain.

"Auntie?"

Everyone looked shocked and curious, their eyes fixed on Li Daniang.

As soon as they saw Lin Guangzong alight, Lin Fengdie sprang up, "Why did they bring him back?"

Second Aunt Lin was equally clueless about what had transpired. Mrs. Zhang first quaffed a large cup of water before explaining to them, "This is a hostage, brought back by your second aunt-in-law."

Mashi was already regretting, "I was just trying to prevent them from getting away with breaking my bracelet."

With him already brought back, Mrs. Zhang glanced around, unsure where to place him.

"Bring him to my place first!" Second Aunt Lin spoke up, "Our place is big. You come over too later, don't leave tonight, let's have a good time together."

Hearing this, Li Daniang nodded. From the moment she got off the carriage until now, many eyes had been on her.

Second Aunt Lin and Li Shi weren't very acquainted, but seeing how Uncle Lin and Second Uncle Lin acted, it must be her.

"Didn't they say she left with a trading caravan?" Mrs. Zhao poked her head out to ask, it was such a coincidence.

Zhao Xinghua's excited expression clearly showed how thrilled she was.

Li Daniang didn't deny it, "I traveled around the outside world for many years, and only after making a name for myself did I head to Bian City."

Mrs. Zhang was already happily talking over there, "No wonder my Yan Niang's cooking is so good, it turns out there's a root to it."

She also remembered what Lin Laodie had said about apprenticeship fees and couldn't help but snort in her heart.

Although Li Daniang spoke lightly, the hardships she endured couldn't be explained in just a few words.

Lin Chunyan admired her from the bottom of her heart, "I am not as good as Auntie."

Li Daniang smiled, "When I heard them talk about it before, I thought it might be you. Calculating the age, it matched, but I didn't expect it to be true."

Zhao Xinghua was even more surprised by such good fortune, her voice trembling slightly, "If I had known earlier, I would have recognized my aunt outside."

Li Daniang smiled. She had kept this matter firmly in her heart, originally not planning to tell anyone, and even after returning, she hadn't thought about coming forward to recognize her relatives.

She wasn’t sure if these people were still the same as those who had chased them out back then.

Now it seemed her worries had been unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Li Shi noticed that Uncle Lin and the others didn’t look well. Remembering the meaningful glance Wang Yingniang had given her earlier, she understood everything. After talking with them for a while, she took Uncle Lin by the arm and headed back.

Second Aunt Lin didn’t linger either, taking Second Uncle Lin back to their house.

Everyone was very happy, but the gloomy expressions of these two were quite obvious.

As Uncle Lin followed Li Shi home, he sensed something was wrong. He kept his head down the whole way, not daring to speak.

Once home, Li Shi directly closed the main gate, dropping her usual tearful act. She grabbed a broom and marched into the house.

Uncle Lin was startled and hurried to stop Li Shi, “What’s wrong? Why are you so angry?”

Seeing that he still wanted to hide it, Li Shi went inside, found the medicine, and tossed it at Uncle Lin’s feet.

When he saw the medicinal herbs, Uncle Lin immediately clammed up.

“Where did you get this?”

Sweat had already broken out on Uncle Lin’s forehead. He had no idea how much Li Shi knew or what she was getting at.

Seeing his prolonged silence, Li Shi’s tears fell first, “So, you’re hiding things from me now? What’s the point of our life together then?”

She then started to gather her things.

Li Shi’s family lived far away, and going back would be a hassle. As she packed, she really thought about going back to visit.

Seeing that she was serious, Uncle Lin rushed to stop her and confessed everything, “I just heard Zhao Laicai calling me, thinking that after all, we’re brothers, so I went to check on him.”

Li Shi stopped packing and jabbed Uncle Lin’s forehead in frustration, “So you went to give him the medicine?”

Uncle Lin nodded and then shook his head, “When I got there, I heard the eldest brother still plotting against Yan Niang and the others, so I didn’t deliver the medicine.”

Li Shi was speechless, “Stop calling him ‘eldest brother’—it’s bad luck!”

She paced back and forth a few times, her anger growing with each step, and finally vented her anger by whacking Uncle Lin with the broom a few times.

“You’ll have to tell Yan Niang about this yourself later. Yingniang and the others have already seen it, and it was she who told me about it.”

Uncle Lin turned pale.

He naturally knew that everything they had now was because of Lin Chunyan’s support. But if Lin Chunyan found out about his little schemes, would she still help their family?

Originally, their family had a lukewarm relationship with the main branch. Li Shi had even had a few disputes with Mrs. Zhang, and when they were in trouble, they hadn’t thought to lend a hand.

Seeing Uncle Lin’s poor complexion, Li Shi’s heart softened, “Look at you, so spineless. I’ll go with you when the time comes. Yan Niang probably won’t say anything, but you must apologize properly.”

Uncle Lin thought that since everyone was eating at Lin Chunyan’s house, it wasn’t a good time to visit, so he suggested waiting a bit before going.

He also felt somewhat ashamed.

Li Shi snorted, “Then let’s go wait at Second Aunt’s place first.”

Second Aunt Lin also thoroughly questioned Second Uncle Lin when they got home, fearing he might do something impulsive. However, after being reprimanded by Second Aunt Lin, Second Uncle Lin didn’t do anything.

“It’s just seeing the eldest brother kneeling before me, crying and pleading, it was really...”

Uncle Lin didn’t know how to describe it; he just felt deeply sad.

"That’s all their own doing," Second Aunt Lin said bluntly. "They chose their own path, so just act like this person never existed."

Looking towards that house, she added, "But now that your sister’s back, we need to treat her well and not let her feel hurt again."

Uncle Lin quickly nodded, "Of course. When Mother did those things, I couldn’t say anything, but I was really worried too."

Second Aunt Lin was reassured, "Good, you understand how serious this is. Make sure to tell Third Brother and the others later."

After Lin Chunyan returned and washed up, Mrs. Zhang brought out a brazier for them to step over. She wasn’t scared in the hall, but when she thought about it later, she broke out in a cold sweat.

Still, settling Lin Laodie’s issue made her feel relieved.

Lin Chunyan stepped over the brazier, and Liu Niangzi even brought some sesame leaves, saying they could use them in a bath to wash away bad luck.

Once that was done, Lin Chunyan finally had time to check out the rice cakes Wang Yingniang had steamed in the kitchen.

"This must’ve taken a lot of work."

The rice cakes were layered with yellow rice flour, dates, and red beans. Even without sugar, they were surprisingly sweet.

"I was so anxious at home, just sitting around was unbearable," Wang Yingniang complained to Lin Chunyan. "Next time, you’ve got to take me, no matter what."

"Got it. It’s just that the carriage was too crowded."

After sharing a few laughs, Lin Chunyan went to invite everyone to try the rice cakes.

Li Daniang was the first to try the layered rice cake, mentioning that back home, they usually steamed them as buns.

"This version tastes even better, and it’s packed with more filling."

Li Daniang thought Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang’s skills were very good. "No wonder my little apprentice straightened up after visiting here just once."

Mrs. Zhang then remembered who her little apprentice was—it was Jiang Jinyao, who had come to cause trouble. "She really put us through the wringer, bringing all those fancy things to challenge us."

She also asked where Jiang Jinyao was now, "Why didn’t she come back with you?"

"We lost touch for a while, and I was really worried, but just the other day, I got a letter saying things in Bian City have calmed down."

Zhao Xinghua froze mid-bite, and everyone else turned to look at Li Daniang.

Out of everyone, she was the most well-informed.

Li Daniang didn’t hold back, telling everything she knew, "King Zhao and the Ninth Prince are locked in a fierce battle. Apparently, King Zhao lost the upper hand at first, which is why his mansion got surrounded."

"But King Zhao isn’t one to mess with—he struck back fast, and the two sides went back and forth for nearly a month."

Everyone gasped. Luckily, they were far from Bian City, or they would’ve been caught up in it for a month.

Madam Bai’s letter has been delayed, likely because things in the city aren’t great either.

"Fortunately, neither side gained the upper hand, and then the Emperor woke up."

The palace coup failed, and everything turned into chaos. When the Emperor woke up, he nearly choked and had to lie back down, coughing up blood.

"What happened later?" everyone quickly asked.

"In the end, of course, they were all put under house arrest, and King Liang stepped in to handle the government temporarily."

Everyone sighed in unison upon hearing this. Lin Chunyan looked worriedly at Zhao Xinghua, who quickly composed herself, exhaled, and said, "Since there’s no more war, does that mean Madam Bai is also out of danger?"

"I’ll write them another letter soon."

In any case, this was truly good news, no wonder the county magistrate was willing to hold court now.

If the situation remains stable for another half a year, the brothers can resume handling the goods.

Lin Chunyan smiled and called over to Zhao Linglan and her sister, "Didn’t you say you made some gluten last time? Let’s grill it tonight!"

Seeing her so cheerful, everyone eagerly agreed. Li Daniang, curious to try it, decided to stay.

"I’ll take a walk around the village too. It’s been almost a decade since I last came back."

However, she was accustomed to wearing a veil hat, and not many people recognized her as Zhao Xinghua and Lin Taohong accompanied her around.

"It’s really changed now."

Li Daniang sighed with emotion, "Not to mention other things, even the walls aren’t something just anyone could build."

Zhao Xinghua eagerly led Li Daniang to the greenhouse site. Seeing Maiya still there, she urged him to go home, "You don’t need to keep an eye on the wood ear mushrooms all the time. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not in a hurry," Maiya grinned sheepishly, "I’ll stay here a bit longer. My sister will come find me soon."

Zhao Xinghua thought for a moment and said, "Yan Niang is making grilled gluten tonight. Your sister might go too, so you can come along."

Li Daniang, however, was examining the wood ear mushrooms and asked in surprise, "Can these really be cultivated?"

Maiya chuckled beside her, "They can grow, but not much. Elder Sister Yan said I should keep trying; maybe I’ll figure it out."

"Growing them is already amazing!" Li Daniang’s astonishment deepened, "It makes me want to pitch in too."

Zhao Xinghua was delighted, and Lin Taohong beside her grinned foolishly, "Auntie, if you’re up for it, we’d all be thrilled."

When Zhou Wanniang and the others join, their business will surely grow.

Li Daniang spoke with genuine sincerity. She couldn’t stay with the Wang family forever, and her identity was too sensitive. Living in the village felt just right for her.

When they returned, the courtyard was already bustling with young ladies. Some were helping with skewers, some with gluten, and others setting up the grill and stove.

These young ladies chattered and laughed together, a delightful scene.

"Looks like it might snow soon. Should we go inside?"

"No way, the snowball’s inside. We can’t barbecue properly there."

Afraid it might really snow, they moved everything under the shed.

Dong Taoyu pointed at the bricks and tiles across, "It’s only been a few days since I last came, and there’s already so much piled up?"

Lin Chunyan wasn’t embarrassed by their teasing. After a glance, she said, "Even after the house is built, it’ll take a while to decorate. Who knows how long it’ll be before we can move in."

Everyone laughed along, and someone asked Wang Yingniang, "When does Guan Dalang plan to build the house?"

Wang Yingniang wasn’t as bold as Lin Chunyan. Every time she heard such questions, she couldn’t help but blush. Seeing Lin Chunyan deliberately teasing her, she couldn’t resist pinching her cheek, "Why are you shifting the blame?"

As they joked, Guan Dalang’s brothers arrived carrying something. Seeing so many young ladies from afar, they were too shy to come in, only blushing and signaling to Wang Yingniang.

"Go get it, Sister Yingniang."

"Don't keep Brother Guan waiting too long."

Wang Yingniang scoffed at them before walking over, "What is it?"

Guan Dalang, also feeling a bit embarrassed from the laughter, steadied himself and said, "It's some birds and bird eggs that we three brothers caught up the mountain."

Lihua walked over to the other side to talk to Guan Erlang, "When did you go up the mountain?"

Guan Erlang hadn't noticed before, but after being teased so much, he realized that Lihua was quite willing to talk to him, and only then did he realize her feelings.

As Lihua spoke to him, his face turned red.

Lin Chunyan watched the two from a distance and joined in the laughter, embarrassing Wang Yingniang so much that she put down the items and hid in the kitchen.

Huan Jier, puzzled, tugged at Niuniu and asked, "Why are they laughing so much? Isn't it nice that they brought us things?"

Niuniu didn't understand either. The two children sat by the fire, waiting to eat the roasted dates, glancing back at the women who were laughing and joking together, and said with a chin in hand, "Growing up doesn't seem so great; people just become silly."

While they were having a lively time, Lin Laodie was deeply worried. The thought of Lin Guangzong in their hands made him extremely anxious, and as soon as he returned, he demanded money from Shi Niang.

Shi Niang had been pelted with eggshells by the old woman earlier and couldn't help but carry a foul smell. At first, she was angry and refused to hand over any money.

Lin Laodie, growing impatient, paced around the room several times before asking Shi Niang, "Where have you hidden the money? Guangzong is your son too, and he was taken because of you. How can you not care now? Besides, it was you who broke the bracelet!"

His anger and frustration spilled out, and Shi Niang glanced back at Lin Laodie, "He is my son, but I truly have no money on me. The bracelet has nothing to do with me..."

Before she could finish, Lin Laodie began rummaging through their belongings.

They didn't bring much, and Lin Laodie quickly went through everything, but he couldn't find any money.

He refused to believe that Shi Niang had no money, his eyes reddened with frustration, and he kept repeating that Guangzong was still in their hands.

"Those brats must really hate Guangzong. Think about what our son is going through now!"

Shi Niang bit her lip and remained silent. When Lin Laodie couldn't find anything, his gaze finally settled on Shi Niang.

He stared at her for a moment, then without a word, began roughly searching her.

Shi Niang was no match for Lin Laodie's strength. Even though Lin Laodie was injured, she was easily pushed to the ground.

A cry of surprise escaped Shi Niang's mouth as she struggled a few times but couldn't break free, and had to let Lin Laodie search her.

At that moment, Shi Niang's mind flashed to Mrs. Zhang, who was so strong that she could easily push Lin Laodie to the ground.

If only she had that kind of strength, she wouldn't have to endure beatings.

After searching around, Lin Laodie did find a few coins, but the amount was really not enough for what Mashi had demanded.

He was so anxious that he paced back and forth in the room, cursing Lin Chunyan and the others, and even Shi Niang was not spared.

Shi Niang was frightened by Lin Laodie's frenzied state and thought about sneaking out, but Lin Laodie saw her and without a word, slapped her.

"They've expelled me from the clan, and now you want to run away too?"

Shi Niang's whole body trembled as she watched Lin Laodie stagger around the room after hitting her, his gaze finally settling on her again.

Shi Niang couldn't help but shiver, suddenly having a bad premonition. She didn't dare to struggle or run anymore, instead crawling forward a few steps and offering, "Don't worry, I'll write to my brothers and ask them to send some money!"

"I'm Guangzong's mother, how could I not care for him? I, I'll go to the village later and see, there must be a way to bring him back."