Zheng Ruilian had a deep impression of Sister Xiang, whom she hadn't seen for a long time. Sister Xiang and her husband were both orphans adopted by Lin Xizhen Lin Xiao qia. Zheng Ruilian even remembered the date she was found, because it was the day she gave birth to her Second Son, Lin Xiao qia. Just as Lin Xizhen was instructing the steward to distribute Red packet as rewards to everyone in the household, a servant reported that two more abandoned babies had appeared outside the Lin Family's gate that day.
It was common for wealthy families to find one or two abandoned babies outside their doors. The result was usually that the wealthy family would have their servants help send the child to an orphanage. Some kind-hearted people would leave three or five yuan for the orphanage to make rice noodles for the abandoned babies, as a good deed.
On the day Lin Xizhen gave birth to Lin Xiao qia, two abandoned babies, a boy and a girl, appeared outside the Lin Family's gate. Overjoyed at having a son, Lin Xizhen didn't send the two babies to an orphanage as usual. Instead, he felt the two children were blessed and raised them in the Lin Family. The boy was named Youxiang, nicknamed Xiangge'er, and learned martial arts from Lin Xizhen's men, with the intention of having him serve as a loyal servant in the opium trade. The girl was named Feng Ling, nicknamed Sister Ling, and stayed in the mansion, learning cooking and etiquette from the household maids. By the time they were sixteen, both abandoned babies had grown into adults, clever and capable in the mansion. Lin Xizhen arranged for them to get married. Lin Xizhen even said that when Lin Youxiang and Sister Ling were in their thirties or forties, they would be the male and female stewards of the Lin Family. After their marriage, Feng Ling was addressed as Sister Xiang- in-law Xiang.
Lin Xizhen liked the two children and even arranged for someone to help them find their parents and Sister Ling based on the notes and tokens they left behind when they Lin Youxiang abandoned. He gave their parents a sum of money to buy Hongkong Land in the countryside, which made the two children even more grateful and more determined to stay in the Lin Family.
Unfortunately, a year after their marriage, Lin Youxiang never returned from her first voyage at sea, dying in a shootout with opium dealers. The young Sister Xiang became a widow and decided to completely shave her head and never remarry, devoting herself to working as a servant in the Lin Family.
However, to avoid being tainted by bad luck, the first wife's family stopped letting her help with chores. Later, Sister Xiang served in Zheng Ruilian's room, but after serving for a short time, the first wife's family probably intervened and sent her to serve Lin Yujing. Later, when Lin Yujing got married, she was directly arranged to be sent out with her.
Madam Zheng always felt sorry for Sister Xiang; she had a bad life and was a woman with a tragic fate.
Seeing Sister Xiang, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, appear at the Lin Family, Madam Zheng went over and wanted to take Sister Xiang's hand and speak to her affectionately.
Sister Xiang gave a somewhat forced smile, hesitated for a long time, and finally knelt down in front of Zheng Ruilian with a thud.
Zheng Ruilian was startled by Sister Xiang's actions and ordered her servants to help pull Sister Xiang up. Sister Xiang, with tears in her eyes, remained silent. Zheng Ruilian waved her hand, instructing two maids to move away, before holding Sister Xiang's hand and saying with emotion:
"Have you been wronged? Has your family suffered a disaster? I know you've endured hardship following Miss Liu all these years. Miss Liu is also short of money and food. If you need money, tell me, and I can give you a thousand or two to tide you over."
She thought that Sister Xiang had come to see her because she was short of money or had been wronged at home and was too afraid to see Hong Lanfang, so she secretly wanted her help.
"Second Madam, someone kidnapped me and threatened to make me come back to deliver a message to you. They said if I didn't agree, they would go to the countryside to cause trouble for my family. I have done right by my parents, brothers, and other relatives all these years. My parents abandoned me back then, and it was you, Master and Madam, who raised me with compassion. I didn't want to come back to deliver their message, but... but I was really afraid of the message I was asked to deliver, so I couldn't help but come back anyway," Sister Xiang said, wiping away her tears.
Zheng Ruilian's eyes widened. "Is there no law anymore? Someone kidnapped you? What message did they give?"
She was a traditional woman with little worldly experience. In her memory, apart from Lin Xizhen's untimely death, the Lin Family had always been peaceful. Even when the Japan invaded Hong Kong and the Lin Family moved to Guangzhou, no one in Guangzhou dared to bully or provoke them, let alone after Lin Xiaoze Lin Xiaohe returned to Hong Kong and took over the Lin Family.
"They told me to tell you that the Third Young Master used tricks and schemes, first causing the Eldest Young Master to be in a car accident and almost die, and now he's had the Marine Police arrest the Second Young Master..." Sister Xiang said, sobbing as she lowered her head.
Zheng Ruilian swayed slightly, and when she interrupted Sister Xiang, her voice trembled. "A-Ze was in a car accident? A Qia was arrested by the police?"
When Lin Xiaoze was in a car accident, he specifically instructed Lin Xiaohe not to tell his two mothers so as not to worry them. He only told Lin Xiaohe to tell them that he had gone to Japan to discuss business. Therefore, Zheng Ruilian really did not know that her son had been in a car accident.
Hearing that one of her two biological sons almost died in a car accident and the other was imprisoned, the fact that she could still stand here with barely any strength was a testament to the confidence she had gained from living in the Lin Family and experiencing many big scenes. An ordinary woman would probably have been crying her eyes out or even fainted from shock.
Sister Xiang's hands were aching from Zheng Ruilian's grip. Worried that the other woman might be overwhelmed by shock and anger, she quickly supported her and explained, "Second Madam, it's possible that those people deliberately sent me to scare you. Don't take it seriously... Have someone inquire to find out the truth."
"Yes... yes." Zheng Ruilian came to her senses and looked steadily at Sister Xiang: "Aze and A Qia will be fine, they will be fine. I'll send someone to ask the Madam first. If something happened at home, she will definitely know."
Sister Xiang hesitated for a few seconds before speaking again, "But those people said that it was the Third Young Master who plotted against the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Master, and what about the First Madam..."
"I'll have someone go out and investigate." Zheng Ruilian took a deep breath and smiled at Xiang Sister Xiang. "No way, A-Ze has been treated like his own son by the First Madam since he was a child. How could she let... let Ah Xiao scheme against him?"
The last half-sentence was almost impossible for Zheng Ruilian to utter if she hadn't clenched her teeth.
Chapter 411 The Phone Call Lin Xiaohe Made
"Mr. Song, I just received news that Lai Man-yau and Yan Hung have taken Lin Xiaohe to the Central Police Station." Ji Wenming had just finished making a phone call outside, returned to the interrogation room and said to Song Tianyao, "Members of the Political Department of the Police Force have taken two eyewitnesses from Fuyixing, the body, and the murderer Liao Jingxuan to the Central Police Station. It's impossible for Lin Xiaohe to get out anytime soon. However, Yan Hung said that Lin Xiaohe managed to make a phone call while he was in the hospital, after learning about the news in the newspapers."