Chapter 470: Lin Family

Chapter 470: Chapter 470: Lin Family

"I didn’t expect this estate to be so grandiose," Mrs. Jiang said, curling her lips in disdain. Even before stepping inside, she could guess that the estate had at least four or five courtyards.

The courtyard where Mrs. Lin and her children lived in the county town was quite small. Mr. Lin certainly knew how to enjoy himself.

The gatekeeper, seeing the madam return, had already turned to go inside and report. Not daring to stop them, he let the group enter unhindered.

Gu Xingyang curiously turned her little head. She had just taken a long nap in the carriage and was now full of energy. This estate was quite well-built, even larger than their house in Tian Village.

"It seems the estate’s profits are quite good." Mrs. Qian and the others looked around as soon as they entered.

"That explains why some people are shamelessly plotting to get their hands on it," Mrs. Jiang remarked.

Bai Suihe, however, noticed a significant problem. When Mrs. Lin entered the estate, the servants didn’t come to pay their respects; instead, they actively avoided her. It was unclear whether the Lin Family’s management was simply chaotic or if the servants now answered to a different mistress.

"The servants in this estate are far too unruly," Bai Suihe said with a smile. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, pitched just right to reach Mrs. Lin’s ears. "The mistress of the house has returned, yet they don’t even come to greet her?"

"Now that you mention it, that’s exactly what’s happening," the other ladies chimed in, quickly realizing the underlying issue. United in their indignation, one added, "Why keep such insolent servants around? They should all be sold off."

Mrs. Lin’s eyes flickered. She finally understood why the atmosphere in the estate had felt so strange during her recent visits. The signs had been there all along; she only had herself to blame for not noticing.

She had only moved to the county town a few years ago to better care for her children, but that didn’t mean these servants could walk all over her. After all, she had always been the main wife of the Lin Family. Since her mother-in-law’s passing, she had held the servants’ indenture contracts. She was the one who controlled their fate. She had simply been too lenient, causing them to forget who their true master was.

But it didn’t matter. After this, she had no intention of keeping them around. Selling them off and buying a new, obedient batch wouldn’t be a loss for her.

When Mr. Lin, Lin Dali, heard a servant report that his wife had returned, he found it quite strange. "What nonsense are you spouting? Isn’t your madam sick?

"If she isn’t recuperating in the county town, why would she come back here?"

"It seems you do know I was ill, Mr. Lin," Hu Waner said as she stepped into the main hall. "As expected, now that you have someone new by your side, the life and death of the legal wife who bore your children no longer matters."

"Didn’t I already send someone to deliver tonics to you? Don’t stir up trouble here." Lin Dali frowned. "If you’re sick, you should rest properly in the city. Why did you come back?"

"Do you know why I fell ill?"

"Didn’t you suddenly fall ill while attending a banquet? I must say, you really need to take better care of yourself. Causing such a scene at someone else’s banquet is an absolute public disgrace." As Lin Dali spoke, his eyes were filled with disgust.

"Lin Dali," Mrs. Hu said, entering the room supported by her two daughters-in-law. "How exactly did my daughter disgrace you?"

Lin Dali hastily stood up, shooting a dissatisfied glare at Hu Waner before forcing a smiling face. "Mrs. Hu, what brings you here today? And ladies, have you been well?"

"We haven’t been well at all," Mrs. Hu retorted. "My daughter married into your Lin Family. She has managed your household, respected her elders, cared for your children, and served you as her husband. I don’t know what she did wrong to deserve this. Even when she fell seriously ill, you didn’t bother to ask after her once."

"Please, take a seat, Mrs. Hu. It’s just that there have been a lot of matters to handle at the estate lately. I was planning to visit the city as soon as I finished this busy spell," Lin Dali said, offering a dry laugh as an excuse.

"You seem to be living quite a leisurely life here, completely unaware of how difficult things have been in the city. Do you know why your wife fell ill at the banquet?"

Lin Dali thought to himself that since he wasn’t a doctor, how could he possibly know? However, he kept the smile plastered on his face and said, "Perhaps as she gets older, certain ailments begin to show. But don’t worry, Mrs. Hu. If she’s sick, we’ll get her treated."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Lin," Hu Waner interjected. "What a pity, though. Someone set their sights on our two estates and wanted to buy them at a low price. I was overcome with anxiety and indignation at the time, which is why I collapsed."

"You really are easily flustered. If someone wants to buy, we just refuse to sell. What’s there to panic about?"

"That was the Empress’s maiden family. Who would dare to refuse?"

Lin Dali’s eyes widened in terror. "Don’t talk nonsense..."

"Mrs. Lin isn’t talking nonsense," Mrs. Jiang said. Unwilling to stand at the door any longer, she led the group of ladies into the main hall. "We sisters came out today to help Mrs. Lin relax. I presume Mr. Lin welcomes us?"

Lin Dali felt a bit dizzy. What on earth was going on?

It was one thing for Mrs. Hu to show up, but there were so many other ladies as well. He occasionally interacted with certain families in the county town, so he recognized some of their faces. He inwardly cursed his wife. If she wanted to come back, fine, but she should have told him in advance if she was bringing guests so he could make arrangements. Besides, looking at her sickly state, was she even capable of managing things?

"Butler, go ask Ming Li to come and help. Tell her we have guests and need her to host them."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mrs. Hu, prompted by a nudge from her eldest daughter-in-law, asked coldly, "Lin Dali, who exactly is this Ming Li?"

If someone else had asked, Lin Dali wouldn’t have cared. But since it was his mother-in-law, his expression turned sheepish. "Well, my wife has been in the county town, hasn’t she? It wouldn’t be proper for me to not have anyone by my side..."

"Oh, so you took a concubine," Mrs. Hu said, feigning indifference as she asked casually. "Waner really is something. How could she not inform her maiden family of such a joyous occasion?

"When was she brought into the household? Did she sign a contract in front of Waner?"

"Well, our humble family doesn’t have that many rules. Later, the family will just have a meal together..."

"How can that be? Without rules, there is only chaos," Mrs. Qian interrupted before Mrs. Hu could speak. "Since it’s taking a concubine, it must be done according to the law. Could it be that Mr. Lin wants to favor a concubine over his legal wife?"

"Exactly. If everyone acted like Mr. Lin, it would be entirely improper. If the concubine has grand ambitions, she might plot for even more.

"The Late Emperor once issued a decree stating that blurring the lines between a wife and a concubine is the ruin of a family.

"Anyone who elevates a concubine to the status of a wife is to be punished with ninety strokes of the cane and forced to correct the error. Does Mr. Lin want to risk breaking the law?"

Lin Dali’s face turned pale. He finally realized that these ladies weren’t here as guests—they were reinforcements brought by Hu Waner. He wanted to settle the score with Hu Waner, but needing to save face, he could only offer a dry laugh and say, "How is that possible? Waner is my only wife. I wouldn’t dare have such thoughts."

"Oh, so it was a misunderstanding," a shrewd-looking lady said, looking Mr. Lin up and down. "Well, there’s no time like the present. Why not formalize the concubine today? That way, we can also share in the celebratory wine."