The Lin Family Rises Again

Lin Su took it, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Young Master Lin, do you have any other conditions?" Ding Hai felt reassured.

Lin Su lowered his head and saw Xiao Yao. The girl was holding her belly with both hands, leaning contentedly in her chair, as if she didn't want to move for a while.

"Xiao Yao, what do you want?"

Xiao Yao stood up straight: "Two roast chickens!"

Everyone's eyes went wide...

Xiao Yao looked at this one, then that one, and leaned awkwardly against Lin Su: "Or... just one will do... Xiao Tao hasn't eaten yet..."

Lin Su tapped her head, at a loss for words.

Her vision was a bit small, but the fact that she still remembered her little sister hadn't eaten at a time like this was commendable.

Ding Hai laughed: "Ten roast chickens, ten jars of good wine, ten sheep—send them to Lin Manor!"

"Yes!" The beauty Smiled Brightly and turned to leave.

"Alright, Boss Ding, the poem—delivered within three days!"

Ding Hai's heart finally settled, Grinning with Joy.

Lin Su turned to Bao Shan: "Mr. Bao Shan, that Golden Pearl... give it to me. After all, it's a gift from that girl to me..."

Bao Shan's eyes went wide: "That's a fox demon!"

"She's no ordinary fox demon..."

"What?"

"She's a female fox demon!"

Pfft—someone sprayed wine from their mouth.

Mr. Bao Shan raised his hand, and the Golden Pearl was Handed Over to Lin Su.

"Boy, 'Passion since ancient times always brings pain, why must the mortal world add heartbreak again?' Be careful—don't go and get yourself killed..."

Passion since ancient times always brings pain, why must the mortal world add heartbreak again?

Good poem!

Did you write it yourself?

Did it reach five-colored radiance?

A glint flickered in Lin Su's eyes...

At Lin Manor, it was already afternoon.

A group of young servants in blue carried ten roast sheep, ten chickens, and ten jars of wine to the front gate.

The four imperial characters "Marquis of Dingnan's Estate," which once shone for ten miles, were long gone. Only two lonely words hung above: Lin Residence.

These two characters were written by Lin Jialiang himself. With his skill, they could have shone brilliantly in the night, but these were dim and faded—because words follow the heart. When he wrote them, his heart was shrouded in darkness, and the words he wrote were equally dark.

There was no gatekeeper.

Lin Residence—what could be inside?

Even a thief would walk out with tears in his eyes. Who was there to fear stealing from?

The dozen or so men pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard directly. The yard was overrun with weeds, a scene of decay.

In the East Courtyard, Lin Jialiang lay still, his eyes tightly shut.

He wasn't asleep, nor had he fainted. A shadow had been lingering in his heart all along—that day at the Jade Fragrance Tower, on Mid-Autumn Night, the fragrant smoke curling, the room filled with spring's warmth. Her face behind the thin smoke was as beautiful as a celestial being, her eyes full of feeling, her voice clear and elegant...

"Young master, may I ask you one question?"

"Speak!"

"A brothel is no final home—where should this body go?"

He told her: "My father returns to the mansion in three months. When the peach blossoms bloom, I will open the side door for you."

She smiled: "Then my farewell banquet will be set for April." At that moment, the smile on her face was as delicate as peach blossoms...

Time flowed, flowers fell and flew. Soon it was March. His father did not return to the mansion; instead, he was escorted to the capital for execution. The marquisate was stripped, the family fell from grace.

The peach blossoms—he watched them bloom, then wither...

The person of those days—today was her farewell banquet. After the farewell banquet, whose home would she fall to...

Spring had faded, he was ill. The past was beautiful, but the future—he could see no path ahead.

The Impermanence of Worldly Affairs, only futile melancholy. Today, the marquis's estate was a mess of scattered feathers...

Madam Lin and Xiao Tao sat by his bed, not disturbing him, not speaking, for an entire morning...

Suddenly, a commotion came from outside. Madam Lin was slightly startled: "Someone's come in. Xiao Tao, go take a look..."

Xiao Tao walked to the door and opened it. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the golden-roasted sheep and roast chickens. Since the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate fell, how long had it been since she'd seen meat? She was starving. Was she seeing roast sheep everywhere? Xiao Tao closed her eyes, shook her head, then opened them again—still roast sheep and roast chickens...

"Please inform the madam. I am the manager of Haining Tower. Young Master Lin won First Prize at today's Poetry Gathering, and Haining Tower has specially sent these small gifts to express our respect!"

"What?" Madam Lin shot up, as if suddenly reconnected after a power outage, her face flushing red.

Lin Jialiang's eyes snapped open, filled with disbelief. Am I dreaming? Third brother won first prize at a poetry gathering? Third brother? He'd have a better chance winning first prize at cockfighting and dog racing—what does a poetry gathering have to do with him?...

Roast lamb, roast chicken, fine wine filed in one after another, Xiao Tao's saliva flowing uncontrollably...

But Madam Lin went to the door herself: "Shopkeeper Li, why you?"

The man before her was no waiter at all. He was a middle-aged man of imposing bearing. Before the Lin family fell, Madam Lin had accompanied her husband to a banquet at Haining Tower and seen him once. This shopkeeper was no ordinary figure—why was he personally entering the Lin residence?

Shopkeeper Li gave a slight bow: "Greetings to Lady Lin! Your son's poetic talent is peerless. Blessed by the Saints with a Literary Root, he will surely be a figure like a phoenix soaring in the sky. Li is fortunate to share a hometown with the Lin family and should have come to pay respects long ago. Arriving only today is already a discourtesy; I hope the Old Madam will not take offense."

How could this be? Madam Lin's lips trembled: "My son... my son... has poetic talent? And was granted a Literary Root?"

"More than just poetic talent—he is a peerless genius! As soon as the Third Young Master's two Seven-Colored Poems emerged, not only will Haining be remembered through the ages, but the entire region of Quzhou gains three parts more spring charm. Congratulations, Old Madam!"

He bowed once and withdrew.

Madam Lin's whole body greatly shook. Her illness seemed to heal completely in that moment. She hurried to the bedside: "Second Son, what... what is this? Did you write poems for him?"

Lin Jialiang looked utterly bewildered: "No, I didn't... How could I possibly write a Seven-Colored Poem?... My Poetic Dao Attainment can't even touch a Golden Light Poem..."

A call came from outside: "Mother, Second Brother..."

"Third Brother is back..."

Madam Lin whirled around to see Lin Su and Xiao Yao. Lin Su, who had left home in the morning looking limp and weak, was now beaming. Xiao Yao was also... oh, no, she was greasy-faced...

"San Lang, you..." Madam Lin threw out all her questions at once and received affirmative answers immediately.

"What exactly happened?"

Lin Su explained: "Mother, I... it must be Father's spirit in heaven blessing me. I suddenly felt my literary path open wide, as if aided by the gods..."

That was the one good thing about feudal society—anything inexplicable could be blamed on spirits and gods, and it seemed an answer was found at once. Everyone in the room had a look of "so that's how it is"...

Madam Lin was also beaming: "San Lang, come with your mother to pay respects to the Lin family's Founding Ancestors and thank your father's spirit in heaven..."

They left. Lin Jialiang watched them go, a trace of sorrow just suppressed by joy now rising again...

There was something he hadn't had time to ask, or perhaps, didn't dare to ask.

He wanted to ask how Yu Lou was...

In truth, he already had an answer in his heart, but it was an answer he dared not confirm...

The Lin family had fallen to this state. He hadn't even attended her Ci Lou Banquet today. The promises of the past were already withered flowers of yesterday. Since Zhang Xiu had set his mind on it, who in the world could escape his poisonous hand? Especially a helpless woman like her...

Lin Jialiang coughed violently again...

Suddenly, a figure appeared by his bedside: "Husband!"

Lin Jialiang jerked his head up. Standing before him, gently smiling with tender eyes, was none other than Yu Lou.

Lin Jialiang's whole body stiffened, almost unable to believe his eyes.

"Yu Lou... is it really you?"

"Husband, have you forgotten... On the day Yu Lou left the establishment, you opened the side door for me!"

Her gentle voice reached him, and Lin Jialiang felt as if in a dream...

Yu Lou tenderly pressed herself into his arms: "Yu Lou left the establishment today and dared not inform you. I planned to come quietly tonight, but you already knew, and had your third brother bring me such a fine poem. With a husband's heart like this, why need Yu Lou care about others' opinions? From this moment on, I belong to you, husband..."

Lin Jialiang's heart shook violently. Poem? What poem?...

Lin Su and his mother finished an excruciatingly long and complex ancestral rite and left the Ancestral Hall.

As they returned to Second Brother's East Courtyard, they both stopped.

Someone came out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl. Though dressed in plain clothes now, she was still Peerless Elegance.

"Sister Yu Lou!" Lin Su smiled. "You're here!"

"Third Young Master!" Yu Lou said. Her gaze fell on Madam Lin, and her expression shifted slightly.

She vaguely guessed the identity of the woman before her. This was the only obstacle to her entering the Lin family—if there was still an obstacle. Back when Lin Jialiang wanted to take her in, it was rejected by the Marquis and his wife because of her brothel background.

Why? In this era, marriages were about matching families. Wealthy families only married other wealthy families. Officials and their children rarely took in brothel women. Playing with them was fine, but giving them a title was a stain.

Though the Lin family had fallen, they were still a wealthy family. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Would the Madam change her views? Yu Lou had no confidence...

"Sister Yu Lou, this is my mother!" Lin Su made the introduction.

Yu Lou bowed deeply: "Yu Lou greets... Madam!"

Madam Lin's face changed like the wind and clouds. She nodded stiffly but said nothing.

Yu Lou saw this expression. As a woman who had thrived in the world of wind and moon, how could she not understand? Her heart grew uneasy...

Lin Su said: "Sister Yu Lou, you should take the soup to my brother first."

Alright! Yu Lou rose and went inside.

Entering the room, Yu Lou helped Lin Jialiang up and fed him soup with a spoon. Steam rose, and her eyelashes trembled slightly...

"Yu Lou, what's wrong?"

"Husband... the lady... the lady is quite displeased. I fear Yu Lou will ultimately..."

Ah? Lin Jialiang's heart sank heavily.

In the courtyard, Madam Lin slowly turned her gaze to Lin Su: "San Lang, this... this won't do!"

"Mother means Sister Yu Lou and Second Brother? It won't do?"

Madam Lin nodded slowly.

"Why?"

Madam Lin sighed: "San Lang, you are still young. There are many things you do not understand..." She explained her thoughts in detail.

Lin Su said: "Mother, there are indeed many things I do not understand, but there is one thing I do: when a person stands in this world, character comes first. The Lin family has fallen to this state; even our own servants have scrambled to flee. Sister Yu Lou could have accepted the Zhang family's thousand liang of silver as a betrothal gift and lived in silk and finery from then on, yet at this moment, she chose to return to the Lin family. How precious is that? If we shut her out, who in this world would not feel a chill in their heart?"

Madam Lin was moved.

Lin Su continued: "As for the impact on Second Brother, Mother need not worry. Sister Yu Lou only asks to be with Second Brother forever; she cares nothing for status or title."

Madam Lin's eyes lit up: "As long as it doesn't affect your Second Brother, then naturally I won't be such a cold-hearted person! Let her come over. I will talk with her."

Lin Su entered Second Brother's room. The nervous Lin Jialiang and Yu Lou both looked up at him at the same time, their eyes filled with a mix of fear, uncertainty, and a hint of resentment.

"Sister Yu Lou, my mother wants to have a word with you."

Yu Lou trembled slightly: "Alright, I'll go right away!"

She cast a deep glance at Lin Jialiang, then lowered her head and left the room.

"Third Brother, what... what does Mother think?" Lin Jialiang's hands were trembling.

"Second Brother, rest assured! Mother has already agreed!"

With that one sentence, Lin Jialiang suddenly felt a breath rush from the soles of his feet straight to his brain. All the knots in his heart dissolved at once, and his illness was half cured.

And Yu Lou, who had just stepped out of the room, also shuddered all over. Her steps became light.

She talked with Madam Lin for a long time in the main wife's room, then came out. When she emerged, her cheeks were flushed, and the knot in her heart was completely untied.

Madam Lin's mood also brightened. She gave orders regarding household affairs: "Haining Tower sent so much meat today. We can't finish it all. Send some over to Mei Niang and Old He." Mei Niang and Old He were both members of the Lin household. When the Lin family tree fell and the monkeys scattered, most of the family had run away. Mei Niang and Old He were exceptions. When the Lin family had no food, they left to reduce expenses, took odd jobs outside, and occasionally left two or three steamed cornbread buns quietly at the front gate—this had deeply moved Old Madam Lin.

Old Madam Lin's grand act of "in poverty, endure hunger in silence; in prosperity, aid the world" was not witnessed by the Lin brothers. They had much more to talk about.