Chapter 469: Zhuangzi

Chapter 469: Chapter 469: Zhuangzi

The dodging gazes of those men had already explained everything.

Mrs. Lin nodded with a cold sneer. "Truly a dog that bites clearly needs to be taught a lesson."

The two sisters-in-law of the Hu Family watched the scene angrily. If not for the ladies behind them who had come to watch the spectacle, their situation today would have been very difficult.

For these burly men to trap them here wasn’t just to ruin their sister-in-law’s reputation, but also to destroy the Hu Family. It was truly malicious.

"Sir, may I ask which household you are from?" Mrs. Lin alighted from the carriage. However, having not yet fully recovered from her severe illness, she nearly stumbled the moment her feet touched the ground. Fortunately, Mr. Lin had quick reflexes and hastily supported her.

"My lady’s surname is Bai," Lin Wei replied. He directly offered the Bai Family name, fearing that this lady wouldn’t recognize them if he mentioned the surname Gu.

"So it is Mrs. Gu." Mrs. Lin curtsied slightly. "Thank you for today. I will definitely pay a visit to express my gratitude another day."

"You are too polite, Mrs. Lin. I was only acting on behalf of my Family Head today. After all, these men were also blocking my lady’s path."

With his sword still pointed at the enemy, Lin Wei couldn’t properly return the bow. He simply gave a slight nod, then turned to point his blade at the thugs. "Have you thought it through? What are you going to do next?"

"We’ll clear the way right now," the man at swordpoint stammered, his face turning pale with fright. The chill radiating from the blade seemed to pierce through his skin and seep into his bones. He feared that if he hesitated a second longer, the other party might draw blood.

"Boss, but..."

"But what? Hurry up and move the carts!" These fools didn’t even realize the situation they were in. The other side had numbers and weapons. Were they supposed to block the way with their lives?

The other party had only given them a few taels of Silver; it wasn’t worth risking their lives over.

Hearing this, the men gritted their teeth and dragged their carts backward.

Lin Wei didn’t mind their sluggish pace. With a flick of his wrist, he swung his sword directly toward a tree by the side of the road. Before the crowd could comprehend the meaning behind his action, with a loud CRASH, a tree as thick as a man’s thigh toppled over.

At once, the men’s movements became exceptionally swift. They practically spun their carts around on the spot and hurriedly drove away.

"Thank you, sir." Mrs. Lin felt even more confident now. "I will definitely pay Mrs. Gu a visit later."

Lin Wei couldn’t make decisions for his masters, so he cupped his hands in a salute and stepped aside. The carriages sped along the road, facing no further obstructions this time.

When Bai Suihe and the others heard Lin Wei’s recount of the events, they immediately understood. This was the doing of either Mr. Lin or that pretty widow. If Mrs. Lin and her group had returned on their own, there was no telling what might have happened along the way.

"This shouldn’t be Mr. Lin’s doing, right? These are his wife and children after all," Madam Li murmured to herself. "Besides, Mr. Lin is about to take the imperial examinations, and he is the eldest grandson of the Lin Family..."

There was no need for her to analyze it; everyone could guess that it was most likely the work of that widow.

They just hadn’t expected the other party to be so audacious. She hadn’t even married into the family yet, but she already dared to act like this. It seemed she was bold because she thought she was untouchable.

"A woman’s audacity is given by a man," Mrs. Qian scoffed coldly. "That Mr. Lin isn’t innocent either. He might not be the instigator, but he is the one who brought all this trouble."

Bai Suihe was a bit curious. "I forgot to ask, what does this Mr. Lin look like?"

Could he be the reincarnation of Pan An? Otherwise, why would they stage such a massive drama just for the two manors under his name?

"Heh," Mrs. Jiang sneered. "Do you know what ’short and ugly’ means? It’s the perfect description for Mr. Lin."

Mrs. Jiang lived the closest to their home and had run into him before. As soon as she said this, the other three ladies felt it was rather surreal.

Bai Suihe asked, "Then what are they fighting over?"

"What else could it be? They’re fighting over those two manors. It’s very difficult for a widow to remarry well," Mrs. Jiang said. "I reckon that widow doesn’t look that great either, otherwise she wouldn’t have settled for Mr. Lin."

Inwardly, she thought, "Bai Suihe is indeed a legitimate daughter of the Bai Family. She doesn’t even care about a manor."

If Bai Suihe knew her thoughts, she would have cried foul. She had bought so many manors recently, and the most expensive one was only a few hundred taels of Silver. Due to the local terrain, there were no vast expanses of farmland. Therefore, no matter how big a manor was, it would at most be several dozen to a hundred acres.

She had forgotten that in this era, it was common for people to sell their sons and daughters just for a bite of food.

With the road ahead clear of obstacles, they soon arrived at the Lin Family Manor.

Here, two villages were connected, and the two manors accounted for ninety percent of the land.

In this remote area, a local wealthy landowner like Mr. Lin had quite a bit of influence.

So many carriages entering the village caused the people who were busy in the fields to stop their work.

They were very curious. What VIPs were visiting the Lin Family today? Why were there so many carriages?

Most of them were villagers from the two villages. Apart from their own land, they mostly rented and farmed the Lin Family’s fields.

"Who came today? Why are there so many carriages?"

"Don’t you think the first carriage looks familiar? It looks like the one Mrs. Lin usually uses."

"Mrs. Lin is back? Good heavens, there’s going to be a good show now."

"A good show? Should we go watch?"

"Sigh, we can’t. We’re nobodies whose words carry no weight. Even if we can’t stand the sight of it, we wouldn’t dare offend anyone. But from the looks of it, Mrs. Lin has probably found a lot of helpers. No matter how formidable Widow Ma is, can she fight against so many people alone?"

"So what? She has the biggest backer. Look at how Mr. Lin is completely mesmerized by her now. No matter how capable Mrs. Lin is, can she really go against her husband?"

Now, these people had no mind to continue working and gathered together to whisper among themselves.

The carriages came to a halt. No matter how grandly the Lin Mansion was built, it couldn’t accommodate over a dozen carriages at the same time. Everyone parked from a distance and began to tour this small manor on foot.

Mrs. Lin was in no rush to enter. Instead, she waited until they arrived outside the Lin Mansion, bowed to them gracefully, and said, "Thank you for accompanying me on this journey today. Today is the auspicious day our estate takes a concubine for my husband. I hope all of you ladies will join in the festivities."

The ladies, who had originally come to watch the drama thick-skinned, now had their eyes light up. This was great! They had been formally invited, which meant they could spectate openly and justifiably.

Holding Gu Xingyang, who had already woken up, Bai Suihe stood out somewhat in the crowd.

She was the only one who had brought her family along to watch the drama. She truly had a big heart.

However, many of the ladies here recognized them. They kindly waved at Gu Xingyang, who was curiously observing her surroundings. Considering the scenes they were about to witness, they decided to rest their eyes on this adorable child first.

Mrs. Lin didn’t know Bai Suihe, but she recognized Lin Wei. At this moment, he was guarding the rear with another sturdy man, one on the left and one on the right, making them very easy to identify.

She nodded at Bai Suihe, took a deep breath, and turned around to lead the way into the mansion with her three sons.