Chapter 304 - 302: The Inside Story (Part 1)

Chapter 304: Chapter 302: The Inside Story (Part 1)

"Makes sense my ass," Lin Shouyi couldn’t help but curse.

A look of shock appeared on Shi Xiuhua’s face. In all these years, she’d always thought her father-in-law was good-tempered; she had never seen him curse at someone so openly. She couldn’t help but glance at Lin Ding in confusion. Lin Ding shook his head and nudged her toward the door. As she reached the doorway, she could faintly hear her parents-in-law’s conversation from inside—

Her mother-in-law, Liu Xiaoya, said, "Old man, don’t be so angry. All these years have passed, are you still clinging to that? If they were going to come, they would have come long ago... I reckon their chances were slim to none. Even if we don’t want to admit it, all hope was lost long ago. That being the case, it’s better that the secret is out. At least this way we’ll still have the second son. Getting him to show us some extra filial piety wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?"

"Just like a woman—all hair and no sense. What if there’s still a one-in-a-million chance?" came Lin Shouyi’s muffled voice. "I told you ages ago not to treat the children so differently, but you just wouldn’t listen. Now you’ve let things slip and made the second son suspicious..."

Hearing this, Shi Xiuhua felt a strange sense of unease. She looked up at Lin Ding, even more confused. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head and pointed upstairs. Shi Xiuhua nodded, and the two of them returned to their room on the second floor. She carefully closed the door before looking at Lin Ding and asking in a whisper, "Why all the secrecy? Is there something going on that I don’t know about?"

"That’s right." Lin Ding didn’t deny it, simply nodding with a sigh. "Today, Yan Zi really managed to ruin something my parents have been planning for half their lives."

"What could possibly take half a lifetime to plan?" Shi Xiuhua was shocked.

"Heh, you don’t really think Mom and Dad just picked the second son up off the side of the road, do you?" Lin Ding’s lips curled into a sneer.

"That’s what I was wondering. Back then, during all that chaos and war, Mom and Dad were fleeing with the whole family in tow. The journey itself was incredibly difficult, so why would they go to the extra trouble, out of the goodness of their hearts, to pick up a child abandoned by its parents?" Shi Xiuhua voiced the doubt that had just occurred to her, then added curiously, "Hurry up and tell me, what’s the real story?"

"The real story? Heh... It’s a long one."

"Don’t keep me in suspense. What really happened?" Shi Xiuhua’s curiosity was growing, and she was anxious to know the truth.

"The truth is, the second son’s birth parents weren’t just any wealthy family. Back then, our dad was just a servant in their grand mansion, and our mom had also served their Old Madam..." Lin Ding’s eyes narrowed as he began to recall the past.

"Wait a minute. Didn’t you say our parents used to run a small business when they were away? How did they suddenly become servants for a wealthy family?" Shi Xiuhua was stunned.

"You think running a small business was easy back then? Of course it was better to be attached to a rich family as a servant. It might not have sounded as respectable, but at least it was safe, and the pay was better." Lin Ding shot Shi Xiuhua a sideways glance, clearly displeased that she had interrupted him. "Are you going to let me finish or not?"

"Yes, of course, I’ll listen." Having lived with him for many years, Shi Xiuhua was well aware that Lin Ding had a bit of a ’young master’ temper in private. She scoffed inwardly but yielded verbally. "I’ll just wait until you’re finished to ask my questions."

"Hmph. If you interrupt me like that again, I won’t say another word." Lin Ding looked at Shi Xiuhua, displeased. He felt a bit awkward, airing his parents’ dirty laundry like this; it felt like a loss of face. But then he thought about the woman before him. She had been with him for half his life, had always been a decent, virtuous wife, and had borne him two sons and a daughter. She was someone he could trust. The time had come when he could tell her certain things. So, after a moment of discomfort, he continued.

"Our family’s surname is Lin. Coincidentally, the second son’s birth family was also named Lin. Same surname, but worlds apart in fate. Our family was so poor we could only work as servants, but their Lin family was immensely wealthy—stinking rich. In those days of war and chaos, anyone with a few guns could raise a troop and wander the land. Wherever they went, they’d try to fleece the local rich families for all they were worth. By all rights, a family like that should have been a prime target, a fat piece of meat for the taking. But the Lin family was a tough nut to crack. To protect themselves, they maintained their own force of armed men. Because of that, your average ragtag militia might come knocking to extort a small sum, but they’d never dare make any outrageous demands."

As he spoke, Lin Ding paused, a look of envy and longing on his face. It was as if he was vividly imagining the glorious days of the wealthy Lin family, a family he had never seen but only knew from his parents’ descriptions—a family so powerful that others were too intimidated to cross them...

Even without looking closely, Shi Xiuhua could easily see the wild jealousy in his eyes and heart.

She opened her mouth to ask a question, but then she remembered Lin Ding’s temper and subconsciously clamped it shut. As she waited in silence, she couldn’t help but recall how her parents-in-law had always treated the second son—the true child of the wealthy Lin family. The more she compared it to how they treated her own husband, the more alarmed she became. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. She was beginning to vaguely understand what her father-in-law’s "great plan of half a lifetime" was...

A shiver ran down her spine; she could hardly believe it. She didn’t dare press him with questions, afraid that Lin Ding would throw a fit and refuse to continue. So, she focused all her attention, pricking up her ears.

Seemingly satisfied with his reverie and Shi Xiuhua’s rapt expression, Lin Ding finally spoke again, his tone a mix of regret and schadenfreude. "Too bad for them. The Lin family had a good life, but if you walk by the river long enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet. That year, as it happened, the second son’s birth parents took some men with them on a trip back to his mother’s family home. The roads weren’t safe, so they naturally took guards with them. But they couldn’t leave the mansion unprotected, so they only took about half their men, promising to be back the next day, or the day after at the latest. Unfortunately, they didn’t return on time. Old Madam Lin was worried something had happened, so she sent half of the remaining men out to search for them. But before any news came back about the second son’s parents, Old Madam Lin received word that an old enemy of their family was on his way with a large force."

After that long speech, Lin Ding was thirsty and motioned for Shi Xiuhua to pour him some water. Shi Xiuhua, who was on the edge of her seat, cursed inwardly: ’He doesn’t have the life of a young master, but he sure loves putting on the airs of one.’ But she only dared to think it; she wouldn’t let a hint of her frustration show on her face. In the end, she obediently went to get the water. Only after Lin Ding had a drink did he nod in satisfaction and continue.

"Old Madam Lin got the news in advance and sensed that these visitors did not come in peace. To be on the safe side, she arranged for our parents to take the second son and leave the city first, to go stay with a farming family in the countryside. She also told them that if no one came for them after half a month, they should take the second son and go straight back to their own hometown. Later, when things were safe again, the Lin family would naturally send people to find them."