Chapter 159: The Twin Beauties

“Grandfather, you’ve lost again in this game.”

In the garden, Li Qingyun frowned at the chessboard while Dalang leisurely sipped his tea, waiting for his opponent to make a move. Suddenly, a petite girl in a plain white dress, her curly hair tied casually with a matching ribbon, bounced out from behind Li Qingyun. Another girl, slightly shorter and dressed in soft green, followed her. Both were stunningly beautiful, though the latter carried a wilder charm compared to the former’s delicate sweetness.

The sweet, teasing voice didn’t anger Li Qingyun. Instead, his worried expression vanished instantly, and his next words shattered Dalang’s composure.

“No, no, this game doesn’t count.”

“How can it not count, Father-in-law? You can’t just cheat like this.”

“Who’s cheating? Fang’er startled me and ruined my train of thought. Let’s start over.”

“Even before Fang’er arrived, you were already cornered. You lost fair and square—don’t blame Fang’er.”

“I don’t care. Let’s restart.”

“Father-in-law, if you keep cheating, I won’t play with you anymore.”

“I’m not cheating! It’s Fang’er’s fault. Let’s go again—I refuse to believe I can’t beat you.”

“You old fool! Pestering Dalang again!” A shrill voice rang out from beyond the garden. “How many times have I told you? Our son-in-law has his own responsibilities. Stop being so selfish and wasting his time. You never listen to me—just wait till I get my hands on you today!”

With a sweep of his hand, Li Qingyun gathered the scattered chess pieces into his bag, snatched the paper board, and vanished in a flash.

As soon as he disappeared, Madam Pan entered the garden, trailed by maids and servants. Dalang sighed in relief and stood to greet her, but she ignored him, scanning the garden instead. “Fang’er, where’s your grandfather? I just heard him—where did he go?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Fang’er replied, though her eyes flicked toward the garden’s side gate—a blatant betrayal that made Dalang and Sima Rusu stifle their laughter.

“You old rascal! Don’t you dare run!” Madam Pan hurried toward the gate, her entourage scrambling after her. Despite her spryness at over seventy, a fall at her age would be no laughing matter.

“Naughty,” Dalang chided, flicking Lin Fang’s forehead. “Don’t stay out too long—it’s hot, and you might get heatstroke. I have official business to attend to, and thanks to your grandfather’s antics, I’ll likely be late returning today.” With that, he strode out of the garden.

Once the maids cleared the table, Lin Fang and Sima Rusu sat down. “Guess what punishment Grandmother will give Grandfather if she catches him,” Lin Fang mused.

Sima Rusu bit into a pear. “What else? She’ll hide his pipe. Once his cravings kick in, he’ll obey her every word.”

Lin Fang grinned. “Hah! You really are my future sister-in-law—you know Grandmother’s tricks so well.”

Sima Rusu glared. “Nonsense! Who’s your sister-in-law?”

“Come on, Rusu, what’s holding you back?”

Lin Fang signaled her maid to leave with the others before pressing urgently, “So what if Fifth Brother is a bit chubby? He’s perfect otherwise. We grew up together—isn’t that better than an arranged marriage with a stranger? And you know how much my family adores you. Marrying him means no stifling rules—what’s not to love?”

Sima Rusu froze mid-bite, then swallowed slowly. “It’s not about him. He’s wonderful. I’m the one who’s unworthy.”

Lin Fang groaned. “Not this again! He’s said he doesn’t care—why are you so stubborn?”

Sima Rusu sighed. “He might not, but I do. If it were a stranger, infertility wouldn’t matter. But because it’s him, I can’t ruin his life.”

“You don’t know that!” Lin Fang snapped. “He only wants you. Forcing him to marry someone else just for children—is that really better? You know how he is—sharp in business but single-minded in love. He’s sworn not to marry if it’s not you. If you care for him, why torture you both?”

Sima Rusu shook her head. “But ‘there are three forms of unfilial conduct, and the worst is to have no descendants.’ I can’t make him unfilial.”

“Ugh! Even my parents don’t care—why are you stuck on this?”

They’d had this argument countless times, always ending in stalemate. Lin Fang fumed silently while Sima Rusu stared blankly at her half-eaten pear, the garden falling into heavy silence.

After Sima Xin awoke from his six-month coma, careful nursing by Tong-shi restored his health, though his movements and mind remained slower, leaving him somewhat dull. Following a long talk with her father, Chen Dong informed Lin Fang that “Chen Dong” no longer existed—only Sima Rusu remained.

With Sima Xin incapacitated, his neglected businesses had crumbled. He dismissed his staff, leased the shops, sold their Bai Shui Town home, and built a new house on the land Sima Rusu had purchased. She moved in with Chen Shiyuan, whom Sima Xin adopted as his godson, renaming him Sima Shiyuan. He also brought his youngest son, Sima He, home from Teacher Shen’s care, and the four lived quietly together.

Once Lin Zhen’s black fungus farm was established, ten-year-old Sima Rusu took full charge—the dynasty’s youngest (and first female) farm overseer. Juggling work and household duties honed her already bold personality into formidable competence.

Free of responsibilities, Sima Xin wandered the area with Sima He. Though the boy never responded, Sima Xin treated him like any other child—teaching him objects, explaining sights, reading to him—hoping one day to hear “Father” and see him live normally.

After moving in, the once-withdrawn Sima Shiyuan blossomed with a father, motherly sister, and brother, no longer fearing abandonment. He now attended the Lin family school and even played with classmates.

Unlike Lin Fang, whose poison required only antidotes, Sima Rusu’s condition demanded years of careful regimen. By fourteen, she’d improved greatly—except for irreversible infertility. When Lin Wu asked his mother to propose, she refused.

“Enough about me,” Sima Rusu finally broke the silence. “What about you? With so many suitors, how have you not chosen one? You’re at the perfect age—any later, and you’ll be leftover.”

Lin Fang scoffed. “Don’t exaggerate. Our family rules say men marry at twenty, women at eighteen. I’ve got three years left.”

“Please,” Sima Rusu rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me. We know each other too well. Is there someone?”

“Who could there be? Unlike you, running wild everywhere, meeting all sorts of men. With these tiny feet, I can barely walk or run—just stuck at home. Besides family, who do I even know?”

Sima Rusu wasn’t fooled. “You might not go out, but that doesn’t stop people from coming in.”

“So what? Those visiting Grandfather are old men; Grandmother gets old ladies; Father gets middle-aged men; Mother gets middle-aged women; Second Brother and his wife are in the capital; Fifth Brother meets businessmen; and my visitors are mostly girls—aside from you, none I like much.”

“Spare me the act. Sweet-talking elders might work, but not me. That dark, brooding guy—not a Lin—don’t think I haven’t noticed. His eyes follow you everywhere. Don’t pretend you’re oblivious.”

“What if they do? He says he sees me as a sister.”

“Sister? The way he looks at you is anything but brotherly—more like a lover gazing at his muse. Is he married?”

“Not that I’ve heard.”

“He looks about twenty-four or twenty-five.”

“Mm, same as Auntie—twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five? An old man! Still unmarried—could he be waiting for someone to grow up?”

“Stop it! His reasons are his own. Second Brother said Yi-ge’s family background is complicated. Marriage means constraints—he’s avoiding that.”

“What’s so complicated about his family?”

“Who knows? He won’t say, and I can’t ask.”

As they chatted, a tiny figure wobbled into view. Spotting them, she squealed, “Fang-jie! Ru-jie!” and toddled over.

“Careful, Xixian!” Lin Cui’e—now a mother of two—hurried after her. “Your sisters aren’t going anywhere. No need to rush—you’ll fall!”

Her six-year-old son, Xitai, was likely elsewhere while little Xixian took her first unsteady steps.