Lin Wen and Lin Meng came out of the schoolhouse. Lin Meng was brimming with excitement all the way home, hopping and skipping as he chattered nonstop. Today, his essay had received an “excellent” grade—an unprecedented achievement—and he couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Lin Wen was happy for him too, though not as unrestrained, occasionally responding with a word or two while maintaining his usual gentle and refined demeanor. Qi Biao, as always, wore his signature expressionless, cool face as he walked to Lin Wen’s right. The only difference today was the addition of a little follower behind him—a child no more than seven or eight years old, his face still full of childish innocence.
“Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master, there’s an uninvited guest at home. Zhou Yu has already rushed back ahead of you. You should hurry home too.”
The three of them had been strolling leisurely when Zhou Yu suddenly overtook them from behind, accompanied by several workers from the fishery. Bringing up the rear was Zhou Yu’s youngest son, Zhou Sanxiao, whom Lin Meng promptly grabbed to ask what was going on.
Having spent the past few days running messages back and forth, Zhou Sanxiao was no longer as awkward as when he first arrived. His tongue had loosened considerably, and he quickly relayed the situation in full.
That morning, after Lin Wen and Lin Meng had left for school, everyone had gone about their usual tasks as usual, carrying out their daily routines in an orderly manner. Suddenly, more than twenty people barged in, four of them carrying a sedan chair. When the sedan was set down, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen stepped out, declaring that she had come to “pay respects to her elder sister.”
No one recognized this girl—not even Liu Ma, who had once been Pan-shi’s personal maid and later her personal attendant. But Liu Ma had seen this kind of spectacle more than once before. This was clearly a provocation. Without needing to spell it out, it was obvious who the target was: their own First Madam.
This wasn’t the first time Li Cuimei had encountered such a situation. In the past, there had been women who came knocking, claiming to be Lin Dalang’s “bosom friends.” But never before had anyone been so brazen. Feeling irritated, she simply instructed Liu Ma to send them away without even showing her face—not out of fear, but out of sheer indifference.
Unexpectedly, the girl refused to back down, whether coaxed or threatened. She even accused Li Cuimei of disrespecting her elders, claiming that she had come on behalf of her grandfather to visit his grandnephew. For Li Cuimei to dismiss her without even meeting her was, in her words, “greatly unfilial.” From her insinuations, Liu Ma deduced that this was none other than Gao Linglong, the granddaughter of Old Man Gao, whom Pan-shi had once mentioned—the girl who had been obsessed with marrying Dalang.
Lin Dalang’s grandfather and Old Man Gao had been close friends for many years, making the two families old acquaintances. Given this connection, Liu Ma, as a servant, didn’t dare act on her own and went inside to consult Li Cuimei.
If this was indeed Old Man Gao’s granddaughter, then by family ties, Gao Linglong should have addressed Li Cuimei as “sister-in-law.” Yet she had entered demanding to “pay respects to her elder sister.” Li Cuimei, who had thought herself numb to such provocations, was now furious. She told Liu Ma, “Ask her: if she claims to be Old Master Gao’s granddaughter, does she have any proof of her identity? None of us have ever seen her before—how can we just take her word for it?”
Gao Linglong had pursued Lin Dalang relentlessly in the past, only to be repeatedly rejected. Eventually, Dalang had made it clear that his family elders would never allow a second woman into the Lin household, forcing her to reluctantly give up and accept an arranged marriage.
Recently, however, Gao Linglong had overheard her grandparents mention that Lin Dalang had moved out and set up his own household. Seizing on this, she reasoned that since he was no longer under his elders’ control, she could act freely. After confirming the news, she impulsively gathered her usual attendants and set out, fully expecting to become Dalang’s concubine—or even his primary wife if he grew tired of his “ugly” first spouse.
She hadn’t anticipated Li Cuimei’s countermove. Gao Linglong wasn’t some noblewoman who carried identification—what proof could she possibly provide?
Unwilling to retreat empty-handed, Gao Linglong insisted on staying until Dalang returned to vouch for her.
The idea of letting her stay was laughable—peace would be impossible. Did this girl really think everyone else was as foolish as her? Liu Ma naturally refused, suggesting she lodge at an inn in town instead. But Gao Linglong refused, demanding to stay in the vacant main house on the west side of the compound—after all, as a guest, she deserved proper accommodations.
The fact that she knew such private details about the household sent a chill down Liu Ma’s spine. Clearly, the family’s leniency toward its servants had backfired—someone had dared leak domestic affairs to outsiders. Once this was over, she would have to urge the First Madam to establish stricter household rules.
After Guicheng moved out, Li Cuimei had considered partitioning the courtyard into smaller units. But Dalang had advised against it, explaining that the family behind them planned to move to Shengcheng that winter. He had already negotiated to buy their property, intending to merge the two courtyards and renovate them properly. Thus, the layout remained unchanged.
Anyone entering the gate and passing the screen wall would have a clear view of the entire courtyard. The moment Gao Linglong spoke, her attendants, without needing directions, headed straight for the west wing. She was forcing her way in.
Aside from Granny Zhou and Liu Ma, the only servants left in the household were children. Gao Linglong’s entourage, however, not only outnumbered them but were also older—the youngest being fifteen or sixteen, and the manservants all strong and burly. Realizing they were outmatched, Zhou Sanxiao dashed off to the fishery for reinforcements.
As they hurried back, Lin Wen stopped Zhou Sanxiao and sent him to the construction site to fetch Sixth Brother. With the ongoing building work, there were plenty of laborers—most of them from Sixth Brother’s village—who would surely come to help.
Upon entering the courtyard, Lin Wen and Lin Meng gasped. Zhou Yu and the fishery workers stood facing off against the intruders’ servants, armed with sticks and clubs. Zhou Erxiao, Granny Zhou’s daughter, had mobilized all the young maids to block the west wing’s entrance. The standoff was tense, and it was clear their side was losing.
The girl who must have been Gao Linglong was saying, “Sister, why must you be like this? As a businessman, Dalang can’t possibly remain stagnant. Since you dislike social engagements, why not let me handle them for him? With you managing the household and me handling external affairs, we could support him together—wouldn’t that be ideal?”
Li Cuimei sat before the door, holding Lin Fang in her arms, her expression icy. Liu Ma and Granny Zhou stood guard beside her, while Lin Cuie and Lin Juan flanked her from behind. Little Lin Wu, gripping a small whip, stood fearlessly by his mother’s side, glaring at Gao Linglong. Lin Fang, far from crying or showing the fear typical of a child, instead radiated anger—her expression almost adult-like. The blood tumor on her face had darkened to a purplish-red, making her appear even more terrifying than usual.
Signaling their followers to assist the maids, Lin Wen and Lin Meng swiftly took positions on either side of Li Cuimei.
“Let go of my young lady!”
Gao Linglong had been mid-sentence when a pair of hands suddenly clamped around her throat. Before she could even scream, she was silenced. Her attendants shouted threats but didn’t dare intervene—the dark-faced youth holding their mistress wore a murderous glare, his bloodthirsty eyes enough to make anyone faint from terror.
Sixth Brother, leading a group toward the courtyard, suddenly remembered: while his sister-in-law didn’t know Gao Linglong, he did. Their grandfather had once taken him and his elder brother to stay at the Gao residence for a time. Though a decade had passed and they were no longer children, there was still a chance Gao Linglong or her servants might recognize him—which could ruin his sister-in-law’s plans. Explaining this to his companions, he stayed outside the gate, pacing anxiously.
The sudden arrival of dozens of people turned the tide instantly. The servants hastily stuffed the unconscious Gao Linglong back into the sedan chair and fled in panic, pursued all the way out of Liangping Town before they dared stop to catch their breath.
Afterward, Liu Ma interrogated the household to uncover who had leaked their private affairs. The answer was frustrating: Zhou Erxiao admitted she had been the one. Someone had given her a bowl of braised pork in exchange for information—nothing harmful, just questions about the household—so she had answered honestly.
Zhou Erxiao was a simple-minded, burly girl with a bottomless appetite. As long as you fed her, she’d do any task or answer any question truthfully—no matter how private. Trying to teach her to lie was pointless; she’d just call you a bad person. She was, in essence, mentally deficient. While everyone usually found her amusing, today’s incident proved she couldn’t be indulged any longer. She needed to learn a lesson.
“Twenty strokes of the rod and no food for two days. Remember—anyone who repeats this offense will face harsher punishment.”
Though Li Cuimei had never punished a servant before and found it hard to stomach, the day’s danger compelled her to wave Liu Ma off to carry out the sentence.
“Madam, might this lowly one have a word with you in private?”
Qi Biao’s earlier intervention had been the turning point of the entire confrontation—cutting off the snake’s head first. Impressed by the boy’s quick thinking, Li Cuimei dismissed the servants, keeping only Lin Fang by her side as she waited for him to speak.
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