Chapter 68: The Cult of Legitimacy and Illegitimacy

Chapter 68: The Cult of Legitimacy and Illegitimacy

"Ah!" The screams grew increasingly louder.

Lu Mingchao: ...

Suddenly, her fear vanished.

It turns out that courage is relative.

"Lu Mingchao?"

Hearing the voice, Feng Jinyu peeked out cautiously through a gap between her fingers.

The red lantern cast a dim, flickering light on their faces, creating a blurry interplay of light and shadow. The surroundings were pitch dark, exceptionally eerie and terrifying.

Feng Jinyu's mother tightly shut her eyes and tugged at her, "Why are you answering so carelessly?"

"Haven't you heard the old folks say never to answer if someone calls your name at night?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

Lu Mingchao waved the red lantern in her hand, "It's me."

"Hurry up and get in."

Feng Jinyu's mother, skeptical but hopeful, opened her eyes. When she saw the donkey cart clearly, her heart leapt with joy, but she stayed cautious. "Do you remember what you yelled at me for?"

Lu Mingchao frowned in recollection, "Auntie, do you want to be Xie Yan's child's stepmother too?"

"Or should I just hang myself at your doorstep?"

"Is that really scolding?"

In the dark, Feng Jinyu's mother's face flushed instantly.

Not out of shyness, but sheer embarrassment.

Xie Yan also looked at Lu Mingchao in surprise, wondering what other untold story this was.

Feng Jinyu's mother as the stepmother to his child?

Lu Mingchao pinched Xie Yan's hand, playing the victim, "It was just because I didn't know your age back then, one thing led to another, and I made a wild guess."

"You really have the nerve to guess," Xie Yan sighed helplessly.

"Get in, I'll sit up front with the driver."

Hearing this, Feng Jinyu's mother and Feng Jinyu brushed off the weeds and dirt and quickly climbed onto the donkey cart.

"Xiao Ming, that was my fault, let's not bring it up again, it's too embarrassing for me to face you."

As soon as she got on the donkey cart, Feng Jinyu's mother spoke with an awkward smile.

Lu Mingchao smiled, "Isn't this because I was afraid Auntie Feng would think I was a mountain spirit?"

"Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it."

Feng Jinyu's mother sighed in relief, her gaze lingering on the small red lantern swaying in Lu Mingchao's hand with mixed emotions.

This was the first time she felt that the festive red lantern could have such a terrifying and eerie effect in the desolate countryside.

"Why are you crying?" Lu Mingchao handed Feng Jinyu a handkerchief and asked softly.

Feng Jinyu pouted and sobbed softly.

"Lu Mingchao, that Old Scholar is no good!"

As soon as Feng Jinyu spoke, the tears she had been holding back burst forth uncontrollably, like a river overflowing its banks.

Feng Jinyu's mother was exasperated. "Little sister, enough with the tears."

The red lantern and her wailing made it feel like a ghost was out for revenge.

"Lu Mingchao," Feng Jinyu tightly grasped Lu Mingchao's cloak with one hand, "that Old Scholar said if I enter his household, I must perform the rituals of a concubine before his late wife's memorial tablet every day."

Lu Mingchao was shocked.

Performing the rituals of a concubine before his late wife's memorial tablet every day?

The obsession with hierarchy between legitimate and illegitimate children?

She never expected to meet someone so obsessed with the hierarchy of legitimate and illegitimate children.

"That Old Scholar—no talent, just a bunch of rules."

"A toad—ugly and full of schemes."

Feng Jinyu stopped crying, tears hanging on her eyelashes, staring unblinkingly at Lu Mingchao.

She loved how Lu Mingchao always put her thoughts into words so perfectly.

"Is he really looking for a wife, or just a free maid to serve his family?" Lu Mingchao cut straight to the point.

Feng Jinyu wiped her tear-streaked face with the handkerchief and said fiercely, "Noble scholars? Full of poetry and refinement? Yeah, right."

"I didn't see any of that."

"Three people stuffed into a moldy shack—that’s noble?"

"His triangular eyes, bulbous nose, and big ears matched his condescending tone. I saw no refinement—just arrogance and half-baked knowledge."

"If this is what scholars are like, I’d rather marry a farmer—at least he’s honest."

At the mention of the word "scholar," the disgust in Feng Jinyu's tone seemed ready to overflow.

Lu Mingchao frowned, biting her lip. "Jinyu, don’t lump all scholars together. Reading should make you better, not arrogant."

"If reading makes you arrogant, you’re no true scholar."

Feng Jinyu snapped, "Tomorrow, I'll have my parents go and settle accounts with that deceitful matchmaker."

Lu Mingchao frowned, hesitant to crush Feng Jinyu’s hopes.

Feng Jinyu’s mother would never risk offending the matchmaker.

The matchmaker had connections everywhere, and her sharp tongue could destroy the Feng family’s reputation in an instant.

Feng Jinyu’s mother still dreamed of her marrying well.

The Feng family isn't just Feng Jinyu by herself.

The night wind howled as Feng Jinyu fell silent, resting her head quietly on Lu Mingchao's shoulder.

In Changxi Village,

After saying goodbye to the Feng family's sisters-in-law, Lu Mingchao headed home.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home," Lu Mingchao called out cheerfully.

Yunniang, cradling Jingyi in her arms, looked anxious. "Why are you so late? Did something happen in the city?"

Lu Mingchao smiled reassuringly. "No, everything went smoothly."

Yunniang eyed him suspiciously, giving him a once-over before finally relaxing.

"That's good to hear, that's good to hear."

Lu Mingchao passed over a woven bamboo basket. "Mom, I met some kind-hearted people in the county town. They thought I was kind and fair, so they gave me these."

Yunniang paused, speechless...

Did she really seem that gullible?

"Then I'll go whip up a few more dishes."

Yunniang grabbed the produce basket and headed to the kitchen.

Lu Mingchao handed out the stuff she brought back and then told Lu Yao all about what happened in the city that day.

Lu Yao's cunning mind should not go to waste.

"Is it really ruined?" Lu Yao was surprised.

"Pretty much." Xie Yan did not speak too definitively.

Lu Yao absentmindedly rubbed the book he was holding. "If it's ruined, it's ruined."

"Chaochao did a great job."

"This is like fighting evil and doing good."

"After what was said in the county court today, the Sun family would think twice before seeking revenge."

"However, the most cunning in the Sun family is not Old Master Sun, but the eldest son, Sun Zhiye."

"I've been at Qingyun Academy for a while now, and I've heard some good things about Sun Zhiye from classmates."

"A good reputation?" Lu Mingchao frowned in doubt.

Can a white dove come from a flock of crows?

Is it underestimating the crows, or overestimating the white dove?

Lu Mingchao had her doubts.

Lu Yao gave a nod. "Yes, it's a solid reputation."

"Some admire his business savvy, while others praise him as a kind-hearted gentleman."

"He took the Sun family's business to the provincial capital and used the earnings to help a few struggling scholars."

"Whenever his name comes up, people speak of him with both admiration and regret."

"They see him as the only shining light in the otherwise tarnished Sun family."

"It was a one-sided admiration."