Chapter 289 - 240: Nothing’s More Delicious Than Dumplings

Chapter 289: Chapter 240: Nothing’s More Delicious Than Dumplings

"My father offended a steward at the mines and had his legs broken. My brothers went to reason with them and were beaten up too. They even threatened to take my sisters-in-law and sell them to a brothel! Now I’m trapped here, utterly helpless. I can only beg you to save us, Young Master!"

"Is what you’re saying true?"

Lin Shi looked up, her tear-streaked face a picture of pitiable beauty. The large apples swaying on her chest and the curve of her waist as she knelt on the floor were certainly alluring.

’But if she thinks this is enough to control me, she’s seriously underestimating me.’

"Young Master, every word I’ve said is true!" Lin Shi said urgently, grabbing Tang Wen’s hand.

"Because I hid my identity, the people at the mine don’t know I married the Eldest Young Master. They think I married a merchant from a faraway land. Plus, I often sent money and grain back home, so my father and brothers were living comfortably. That’s why they were targeted."

Lin Shi knelt on the floor, looking up at Tang Wen with eyes full of desperation, terrified he wouldn’t believe her.

Back then, in order to marry Zhao Zhe, she had fabricated a story about coming from a noble family.

Because of that, she couldn’t acknowledge her own parents and could only treat them as distant relatives, helping them out from time to time.

Tang Wen mused, "Why come to me with such a small matter? Since you could convince Liu Bing to fetch me, why not just ask for his help?"

A mere steward at a mine probably doesn’t have any powerful backers.

Even if he did, Liu Bing is an Extraordinary of the gang. He could just go and intimidate the man a little, and he would surely back down.

But Lin Shi shook her head. "You don’t understand, Young Master. Liu Bing is a man who follows the rules. Knowing him, even if I begged him and he agreed to help, he would tell you beforehand."

"Oh?" Tang Wen raised an eyebrow, his face full of disbelief.

"He’s also rather weak-willed. Zhao Zhe used to always force him to do shady things. I know he’s a filial son. Back when he was just an ordinary Martial Artist, I specially hired a disciple of Elder Liu from the Jingyi Medical Clinic to help nurse his mother back to health. Because of that, he was the one who helped me deliver money and goods to my family."

’I see.’

Combining that with Liu Bing’s style—an Extraordinary who referred to himself as "this lowly one"—Tang Wen felt he was starting to get a grasp of his personality.

’Coveting his sister-in-law was probably something he wasn’t capable of.’

Tang Wen nodded and asked, "You’ve been in the gang for so many years. Haven’t you made any other connections?"

’Other connections?’

Lin Shi shook her head, a blank look on her face. "Even if I did, they only showed me respect because I was Madam Zhao."

It was true, now that she thought about it.

Other than Lin Ya Huan, who had stayed of her own volition, not a single person had come to visit her.

Even Liu Bing had only come because she’d paid the Guards at the door with Gold to summon him.

"Alright. I understand the situation. I’ll arrange for someone to investigate and get justice for your family."

"Thank you, Young Master!" Lin Shi’s eyes filled with gratitude.

Tang Wen pulled her up from the floor and turned to leave.

Lin Shi grew anxious and grabbed his arm. "Young Master, you’ve saved my entire family. You must stay for a meal, no matter what. Let me show my appreciation."

She was under house arrest and couldn’t go out.

But getting ingredients to cook for herself occasionally wasn’t a problem.

His elbow sank into something warm and soft. Tang Wen’s heart skipped a beat, and his feet stopped in their tracks. "Oh? So, Sister-in-law knows how to cook?"

"I can cook a little. I hope you won’t mind my humble skills, Young Master."

A strange feeling welled up in Lin Shi’s heart. ’Young Master Tang Wen, why is he suddenly calling me that?’

’Could it be that he has... that kind of fetish?’

’If so, I have to seize this opportunity.’

Lin Shi had lost her backer, lost her freedom, and now her family was in trouble.

She was going crazy with her desire to find someone to rely on!

Now that Tang Wen had agreed to help, she naturally wasn’t going to let him go so easily.

Tang Wen gently pulled his arm free. "Alright, then. Just a simple bite. No need to make it too complicated. I have to go into seclusion tonight."

As his arm left her embrace, Lin Shi felt a pang of disappointment. ’Lin Shi, oh, Lin Shi, what are you thinking! Young Master Tang Wen is clearly an upright gentleman. Otherwise, if he wanted to have his way with you, wouldn’t it be as easy as visiting a brothel?’

The lives of both her and Zhao Zhe were in Tang Wen’s hands.

If he wanted something to happen, all he had to do was hint at it. Would she dare to refuse?

"Madam, what are we eating?"

Lin Shi snapped back to reality, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Our options are limited, so I’ve made a few side dishes and some dumplings."

"Dumplings," Tang Wen said, staring at her.

Lin Shi’s cheeks grew even redder. This was the first time in her life she had ever tried to seduce a man. "I hope you won’t mind, Young Master. After all,"

She paused, her face so red it looked like it might start bleeding, but she still managed to get the words out: "After all, nothing’s more delicious than dumplings."

After saying it, she didn’t dare to look at Tang Wen and fled to the kitchen outside.

Settling back onto the wooden sofa, Tang Wen understood. It seemed this sister-in-law’s plan was to test him!

’In a situation like this, how could I possibly back down?’

’This is the perfect chance to challenge my own weakness!’

He sat on the sofa like a conquering hero, as if he were the master of the house.

The door opened, and Lin Ya Huan entered carrying a tray. On it were six small dishes: sliced ham, roasted chicken, vegetables, and assorted fruits.

After setting down the dishes, Lin Ya Huan brought in a jar of wine from outside and said softly, "Young Master, this is medicinal wine. We specially asked Elder Liu to prepare the herbs for it. It’s been warmed. Please, have a taste. The mistress is boiling the dumplings and will be here shortly."

As she spoke, she poured the amber liquid into a pitcher, and from the pitcher, she poured a cup.

"How thoughtful." Tang Wen’s Constitution was such that he wasn’t worried about poison, so he raised the cup and drank it in one go.

The wine was aged and not particularly strong, but the taste wasn’t great either. It was heavy with the flavor of herbs.

"It’s alright."

The words had barely left his lips when Tang Wen suddenly felt a warmth spread from his lower abdomen.

HISS!

’This wine takes effect much faster than it goes to your head.’

As Lin Shi’s personal handmaiden, Lin Ya Huan’s status was technically that of Zhao Zhe’s concubine.

Naturally, she understood the properties of this wine.

But she hadn’t expected Tang Wen’s body to be so much stronger than Zhao Zhe’s. Just one cup was enough to produce a change.

Not daring to delay, she got up, grabbed a cushion, and knelt beside the sofa, pressing her body against him. Her upper body rested directly on Tang Wen’s lap as she poured him more wine.

Adding fuel to the fire!

Who could possibly endure this?

CREAK... The door opened.

Tang Wen was startled and tried to stand, but Lin Ya Huan held him down.

When Lin Shi saw their position, she froze. ’Did things progress this quickly?’

She exchanged a look with Lin Ya Huan; the mistress and servant had a perfect understanding.

Seeing the medicinal wine in her hand, Lin Shi instantly understood: ’The Young Master drank the medicinal wine. His fire is burning too strong.’

She smiled faintly, her long legs carrying her over as she brought two plates of dumplings.

Seeing the uncomfortable Tang Wen, she felt even more delighted. ’This was the right move. It seems the Seventh Young Master hasn’t experienced a situation like this before.’

’He really is an earnest gentleman!’

After all, when it came to seduction, her greatest fear was that Tang Wen was a seasoned veteran of the brothels who would get dressed and deny everything the next morning.

She and her servant would have no one else to turn to and would truly have to spend the rest of their lives in this small courtyard.

A soft presence appeared beside him as Lin Shi sat down, pressing herself tightly against Tang Wen’s side.

The apples were squeezed, turning into apple pie.

Tang Wen inwardly exclaimed, ’Holy hell! I knew I was being tested today, but I didn’t expect it to get so intense right from the start!’

Lin Shi reached out and picked up two cups of wine. "Young Master, you saved my family. You have shown me great kindness. I toast you."

With that, she offered one cup to Tang Wen.

As he reached for it, she pulled her hand back and said playfully, "Toasting you like this... wouldn’t that make Shishi seem too insincere?"

With that, she tilted her head back and downed both cups of wine at once, holding the liquid in her mouth.

Her beautiful little face puffed out slightly.

Her hazy eyes drew closer.

"Madam, this—mmph!"

For the first time, Tang Wen’s mouth was sealed by another’s.

With both cups of wine now in his stomach, the fiery sensation was even stronger than before. He frowned.

Lin Shi poured another cup and leaned in. "Young Master, why don’t you bestow your favor on this girl once? The moment she saw you, her legs went weak!"

Tang Wen was happy to oblige. He relaxed his legs, his expression becoming one of pleasure.

He drank a few more cups of wine.

Finding her hair bothersome, Lin Shi sat up straight and tied it into a married woman’s bun.

The movement stretched the lines of her upper body, outlining the shape of the apples.

Tang Wen couldn’t tear his eyes away. He casually picked up a dumpling and popped it into his mouth.

"Lotus root and pork filling. Your cooking is excellent, Madam."

"Nothing’s more delicious than dumplings, right?" She giggled, then glanced down. "Speaking of which, I’m the Eldest Young Master’s wife. What should the Seventh Young Master call me? And this little minx is the Eldest Young Master’s concubine. By that logic, she’s your little sister-in-law, too!"

Tang Wen sucked in a sharp breath.

’Looks like my challenge to overcome my weakness is doomed to fail today!’