Chapter 490: The Social Butterfly – Daily Gossip in the Courtyard of the Sickly Young Lady

Chapter 490: The Flower Butterfly—The Frail Aunt’s Daily Drama in the Courtyard

Lin Qing gave Cen Xi a puzzled look. Had she misunderstood just now?

Cen Xi smiled at her.

Mother Lin continued grumbling without pause, "That wasn’t even the worst part. When I told him I wanted to learn how to play Go too, he actually gave me the cold shoulder!"

She looked completely heartbroken. "I just wanted to learn so I could play with him at home. And he had the nerve to give me the cold shoulder..."

"It’s his fault. I’ll definitely scold him when he gets back!" Lin Qing instantly took her mom’s side, thinking her father was clearly in the wrong. How could he treat her mother like that?

Cen Xi’s gaze shifted slightly. He thought he might understand his father-in-law’s reasoning—it was just jealousy. Not only that, but he’d also misunderstood his mother-in-law’s intentions.

He probably assumed Mother Lin admired that strange old man, which stirred up his jealousy. And when she mentioned wanting to learn Go, he thought she intended to learn from that man, pushing his jealousy over the edge and leading to this whole mess.

After a while, Lin Qing finally soothed her mom. "Mom, just wait. I’ll go teach Dad a lesson right now!"

"You better give him a good scolding!"

"Mm-hmm, I will!"

Cen Xi watched as Lin Qing bolted out of the house and quickly disappeared into the courtyard. He couldn’t help but worry—had his wife misunderstood the situation?

If Lin Qing knew what he was thinking, she’d probably smack him. How could she possibly misunderstand something so obvious?

At that moment, Father Lin was proudly flaunting his new Go set to every old man he knew—and even those he didn’t!

Initially, jealousy had clouded his judgment, but after some fresh air, his resentment faded, replaced by a happy glow in his heart.

Holding the Go board and pieces, he marched to the park on the front street with such confidence that anyone could tell he was in high spirits.

"Hey, Old Wang! Guess what? My wife gave me a Go set!"

Old Wang blinked. "???" What?

"What did you say? Go?" The old man named Wang focused on the board in Father Lin’s hands.

"Yep, that’s right—Go. Look, my wife gave this to me. It’s a special gift from her."

"..."

Old Wang, a widower, felt like he’d been hit with a brutal blow.

A wife? Must be nice to have one!

Well, he didn’t!

Envy! Jealousy!

Father Lin seemed to sense this and grinned even more smugly.

Old Wang clenched his jaw in frustration, but Father Lin paid no mind. After showing off to him, he moved on to the next old man.

The entire afternoon, he never once let go of that Go board or actually used it—he just kept flaunting it to everyone he met.

By the time Lin Qing arrived at the front street park, she could hear her father’s voice from down the street, sounding clearly thrilled.

Glancing up, she saw her old father flitting around them like a butterfly.

Moving closer, she actually noticed looks of complete misery on the faces of the group of old men.

Lin Qing blinked. "Uh..."

She hadn’t paid attention earlier, but now she realized that the only voice in the whole area seemed to be her father’s. "Uh..."

Curious, Lin Qing stayed silent for a moment, listening from the side.

After listening, Lin Qing thought: *Holy crap, Dad, you’re unbelievable!!!*

"Ahem!" Lin Qing cleared her throat lightly.

The next second, the group of old men looked over eagerly: *A savior! What took you so long? Hurry, hurry, get your dad out of here!*

Lin Qing suddenly felt a little embarrassed and gave an awkward smile.

"Sweetheart!" Father Lin exclaimed happily, looking at her. "Did your mother send you to call me home for dinner?"

Lin Qing glanced at the group of old men and could practically see their souls crumbling—she even sensed a vibe of utter defeat emanating from them...

She shuddered, and quickly shook her head, trying to dispel the mental image.

*Never mind, never mind. I’d better take my old man away as soon as possible!*

"Dad, dinner’s almost ready. Have you finished your game?"

"Done, done!" Though he hadn’t moved a single piece all afternoon, he clutched the board tightly. "Let’s go now!"

The moment they left, the old men all sighed in relief.

They truly hadn’t expected Old Lin—who usually seemed so quiet and reserved—to be just as nonstop with his chatter as the neighborhood busybodies!

Honestly, they were actually a little jealous.

So, after Lin Qing and her father walked away, one of them muttered sourly, "Old Lin’s living the dream! A filial daughter and a wife who spoils him like that." *He’s really one of a kind among us old folks.*

"You said it!"

...

On the way home, Father Lin was still buzzing with excitement, and he continued rambling on—only now, his audience was his daughter, Lin Qing.

"Hehe! Sweetheart, look, your mother is so good to me..."

Lin Qing listened silently, giving him a sidelong look: *Pfft. So, you *do* realize the ‘good wife’ you’re bragging about is still mad at you?*

Father Lin caught her look. "Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"

Lin Qing felt both exasperated and amused. "Well... Dad, Mom’s still angry with you, you know?"

"Huh? Why?" He’d totally forgotten he’d been sulking earlier before leaving the house.

Lin Qing explained honestly, and Father Lin was momentarily stunned. He wanted to argue, but then he thought back—yeah, that *had* actually happened. "I... I..." He finally deflated. "That was my fault."

Then it suddenly hit him why he’d been sulking, and he complained to Lin Qing, "But—but your mother said she wanted to learn Go from that old man!"

Lin Qing stared in disbelief. "Dad, could it be that Mom meant for *you* to learn from him first and then teach her? Or maybe for both of you to learn together?"

Father Lin blinked in confusion. Is that what she meant?

Lin Qing: ...

Well, what else?

Father Lin instantly realized how wrong he had been. The next second, he quickened his pace, eager to hurry home and apologize to his wife, begging for forgiveness!

Lin Qing could only shake her head from behind.