Chapter 375 - The Gentle General
Chapter 375 The Gentle General
Despite the fact that Ms. Tian had just returned to the mansion, she was one who was used to labor.
She had not forgotten the protocol in the mansion.
Therefore, she had gone to the kitchen early in the morning to prepare the young master and mistress’s favorite food for their breakfast. In the meantime, she got to meet and greet her old-time co-workers.
Everyone had heard the news that Elder Miss Lin was going to bring Ms. Tian to the prince’s mansion and therefore they said many words of flattery to her.
However, Ms. Tian was still hesitant about this plan. She had always been a cautious and low-keyed character. The sole purpose of her going to the prince’s mansion was that she could continue to keep an eye on Elder Miss Lin and so making sure she was not taken advantage of.
The table was filled with both her brother’s favorite breakfast as well as hers. She was thankful that after she transcended time and space to come to this place, she had the special trait of not putting on weight even after eating a lot.
As a result, she could go all out to enjoy delicacies for now.
“What do you think these men did to warrant they being eradicated?”
Earlier, Lin Nansheng had made a visit home in a hurry with his father. He was grateful to the point of tearing up when he saw that his younger sister had fully recovered as in the beginning.
However, when he went back, he was starting to feel that his younger sister was actually way too intelligent!
Although the children of the Lins had inherited the family’s traits of courage and wisdom, his little sister had transformed from a lady in the house into an advisor who was able to plan victory from a thousand miles away. This did not make much sense to him.
Nevertheless, he was very certain that this amazing girl was indeed his younger sister even though it felt like a tangled-up knot in his heart. Despite all this, he had complete trust in her.
However, there was a hint of testing in his tone of voice. He could not help being curious about Lin Mengya’s limit.
How could Lin Nansheng’s intention to test her escape the highly intelligent Lin Mengya?
To Lin Mengya, her brother was perfect in every expect, only he was too competitive.
On the surface, it seemed that he went along with what his little said in all things, however, he had long wanted to pitch against her in terms of their ideas.
To be honest, Lin Mengya was far from her brother in terms of her skills in martial arts and war strategies.
However, if they were to compare their ability to read the human mind with many twists and turns, her straight-forward brother would not be able to match up to the little girl who was full of sly tricks up her sleeves.
“Naturally I don’t know what they did. Anyways I’m going back to Prince Yu’s Mansion soon. My dear brother, I’m afraid you’ll have to handle the matter in the Marquis Zhennan’s mansion. Oh yes, there seemed to be a big problem in the pond in the backyard. Please don’t go near it lest any accidents happen to you.”
Lin Mengya had created a snare for her elder brother quietly. Lin Mengya knew Lin Nansheng’s character too well. The more she tried to stop him from doing something, the more he would go ahead.
Serve him right to collude with Long Tianyu and keep the reason for his visit home a secret from her. Since they each had secrets, Lin Mengya would wait and see who could keep the secret right to the end.
“The scenic pond? Ya’er, are you keeping something from me?”
As Lin Mengya expected, her brother was to become impatient after her implied mystery. It was just too bad that she would be leaving for the prince’s mansion in the afternoon and her brother could not follow her.
She could not help but laugh secretly to herself. Was it not merely a secret? She could easily cook up one or two.
The dragon turtle might be a formidable creature, but Lin Nansheng was definitely capable of dealing with it. Moreover, with Lin Mengya’s reminder, Lin Nansheng would not be bothered.
What was more, it was their mother’s dying wish that the scenic pond not be destroyed.
Elder Brother was a filial son and would surely not go against his mother’s dying wish. For this reason, Lin Mengya had nothing to worry about, so she leisurely helped herself to a cup of fragrant tea after she finished her food.
The only regretful thing for her would be the fact that she would not be able to witness her elder brother turning all nervous and panicky.
After breakfast, Lin Nansheng helped Lin Mengya tidy up the rest of their mother’s belongings she left behind.
After some considerations, Lin Mengya decided to leave the medical books in her father’s study. No matter how audacious Shangguan Qing was, she would not dare to touch those medical books which her father always go through each time he came home.
Of her mother’s belongings which she had already tidied up, she left a few items for her brother as a memento, she put the rest of them into a big box.
“My dear little sister, can’t you stay a few more days?”
As Lin Nansheng called to mind the silly little girl who used to trail behind him while calling out to him, “Elder Brother, Elder Brother”, he felt nostalgic and could not bear for her to turn into an elegant young lady all of a sudden.
Lin Nansheng was overwhelmed by a feeling of loss.
“Dear Brother, this place will always be my home. If you miss me, you can come to the prince’s mansion to look for me anytime.”
In fact, after she took over this body, she always felt a familiar feeling of strangeness whenever she thought about the Marquis Zhennan’s mansion.
Deep in her heart, she much preferred Liuxin Courtyard, the place where people accepted the new her completely.
Every plant and tree here belonged to the past Lin Mengya, the pitiful young girl. On the other hand, only the things in the Liuxin Courtyard truly belonged to her.
“Yes, I know that. You be careful while in the prince’s mansion. While Prince Yu would not let you suffer in any way, you still need to be cautious in everything.”
Lin Nansheng instructed as he was not totally at ease with the situation. Lin Mengya did not know whether to laugh or to cry at her brother’s words. Ever since she came to this world, she finally had the opportunity to experience the tenderness coming from a man of iron.
If the enemies and comrades of her valiant father and brother turned into submissive little lambs when they were around her, their jaws would drop from shock and disbelief.
“Elder Miss Lin, Madam and Second Miss are here.”
When this endearing brother-sister pair heard these words, their attitude turned cold in a split second.
Lin Mengya pondered for a moment purposely exposed the corner of her coat and pretended to be unbothered. The mother-daughter pair really did not know to behave tactfully to have appeared at this time.
Ms. Tian brought the two people into Lin Mengya’s bedroom. Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu appeared frustrated, perhaps because of their repeated failure.
At present when they came before Lin Mengya, it seemed that they could not even be bothered to put on a fake smile.
“Mother, Younger Sister.”
Lin Mengya greeted them, adhering to the etiquette. She bowed slightly as paying her respect.
“Erm, I heard you are going back soon, so I’ve come to see if you still need anything.”
From the moment she entered the room, Shangguan Qing’s eyes were like X-ray, scanning the entire room and scrutinizing every item in it.
Lin Mengya raised her eyebrows a little as she felt perplexed. Shangguan Qing had obviously come from a much more prestigious family. Her courtyard and house would be much more splendid and luxurious than everything in this old room.
However, she was looking at Lin Mengya’s belongings in such a way, unless…
“Thank you for worrying about me. I’m not wanting in anything here.”
Lin Mengya purposely took one step to her left thereby blocking Shangguan Qing’s vision of the pile of her mother’s old clothes.
It seemed that she was guilty and did not want people to see what was there in her room.
However, the more she tried to block their view, the more Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu desired to see what it was.
It was Lin Nansheng’s cold stare that deterred them from taking any action.
“Oh, these must be the items Elder Sister left behind. Ya’er, only you would be so sweet to go through them, but they are now so old and torn, and it must be awkward for you to bring them back to the prince’s mansion. Why don’t you leave them here? I will get someone to mend them before sending them over to you. What do you think?”
Shangguan Qing always managed to find noble excuses for her actions.
In the past, she had remained in Prince Yu’s Mansion and refused to leave, citing the reason that she missed her daughter.
Now, she was trying to keep the belongings of Lin Mengya’s mother citing the reason that they needed mending.
Given how much she cared about her own interests, she was not going to let this go so easily.
“Don’t bother, Mother. I’m bringing these along with me as a memento. They may be torn and tattered, but that’s how it should be kept, in their original state. Please allow me to bring them along with me, considering how much I miss my mother.”
Lin Mengya knew better than anyone else how much Shangguan Qing hated her mother.
By reasoning, Shangguan Qing, the Second Miss of Shangguan Family was indeed being short-changed when she married Lin Mengya’s father, a widower at that time. It puzzled Lin Mengya that Shangguan Qing was willing to do this.
“Alright then, it must have been so much for you. I had been personally handling all the matters in the mansion these years, I’ve neglected taking good care of all three of you, children. Men, make a record of every item here so Master can have a look at the list when he returns. Be careful lest you break any of Elder Sister’s old belongings.”
Even she had failed to block Lin Mengya from taking these things away, at least she had to see what they were.
Lin Mengya sneered, standing by the side.
Although she was not clear what Shangguan Qing’s intention was, using her father to stop her nonsense was the best way about it.
Lin Mengya could only nod in agreement as she let the mother-daughter pair look on while she packed. They must be feeling anxious since they could not lay their hands on those items.
“Rest assured that they wouldn’t be able to take anything belonging to Mother.”
Lin Mengya was not aware when Lin Nansheng walked up behind her and spoke softly to her.
With Baizhi and Ms. Tian looking on, they could only look on and not touch those items.
When the mother-daughter pair saw those delicately-made clothes, decorated with all kinds of precious stones and gems, Lin Mengwu was especially jealous.
If not for Ms. Tian’s severe expression on her face, coupled with Baizhi’s stare, perhaps Lin Mengwu would have appropriated them to herself.
“There are altogether thirty-six items, Madam and Second Miss. I’ve recorded them all down. Also, Ms. Tian and I had shown and explained every item to you. Is there anything else I can help with you?”
There was a cold look of jealousy in Lin Mengwu’s eyes, as she thought, “That wretched Ruyue, who used to cry for mercy when I beat her, but now Lin Mengya has her back so she despised me.”
At that instant, Lin Mengwu almost could not suppress her anger. Looking up suddenly, how she wished she could give Baizhi a tight slap.