Chapter 47 Part 1

Lin Xianing had known since she was little that retreating in front of a pack of ruthless wolves was useless. Even if you beat them until they were bruised and bleeding, they wouldn’t learn their lesson.

In the face of absolute profit, life and death hardly mattered.

If you won, it meant a lifetime of wealth.

Lin Xianing gripped the hand of the person beside her tightly. A family like the Lin Family wasn’t something you could just walk away from. Even if you handed over all your businesses and assets, escape was impossible.

As long as you were alive, you could still form marriage alliances to bring benefits to the family.

Few Lin Family children had control over their own marriages.

Back then, to avoid being controlled by her family, Lin Xianing had separated her household registration, keeping the booklet in her own hands.

Grandma Lin had naturally helped with that. The Lin Family had been very unhappy about her independent household registration—no one else in generations had done it.

But when Grandma Lin spoke up, everyone had to shut their mouths.

That was also why Lin Xianing had been able to marry Le Yiqiu without her family’s interference. Luckily, it had been Le Yiqiu she’d married.

The thought of her wedding being arranged by the family, with no say of her own, had prompted Lin Xianing to go through Grandma Lin for the household separation right away.

Father Lin and Mother Lin had been very unhappy about it. So what? They could complain to Lin Xianing all they wanted, but in front of Grandma Lin, they didn’t dare breathe a word.

Le Yiqiu felt Lin Xianing’s hand squeeze hers just a little tighter. She gripped back, holding firm.

Unaware of the full extent of Lin Xianing’s inner turmoil, she simply sensed that her wife might need some reassurance.

No one spoke as they entered the Ancestral Hall. Le Yiqiu stayed silent, squeezing gently to let Lin Xianing know she was right there.

For the incense offering in the Ancestral Hall, as a third-generation member, Lin Xianing wasn’t the eldest grandson, but she was the oldest legitimate daughter. She had to kneel before the spirit tablets, reciting prayers and blessings.

It was a habit passed down from Grandma Lin. These duties had originally fallen to Eldest Brother Lin.

Once, when he had slacked off and missed the time, Grandma Lin had made four- or five-year-old Lin Xianing do it instead. Over time, the habit stuck.

Le Yiqiu noticed the unhappy look in Eldest Brother Lin’s eyes as Lin Xianing performed the prayers.

As the first child born in the Lin Family’s third generation, he had been spoiled rotten from the start. Whenever there was something good to be had, if he was up for it, no one else got a turn.

That was the advantage of being born a year earlier. If he’d been like Eldest Uncle Lin—mediocre but rule-abiding, without chasing grand achievements—he might have followed in his father’s footsteps. As the eldest grandson, he could have become the next family head.

But Eldest Brother Lin hyped up every minor accomplishment a hundredfold, marketing himself as some elite talent. To this day, Eldest Uncle Lin hadn’t confirmed his status.

At lunch, when he’d interrupted the criticisms aimed at them, it was only to show off his authority as the next family head—not to help them.

In fact, he was itching for them to slip up.

That was why he’d immediately scolded them for arriving by bicycle: first, to catch them in a mistake, and second, to flaunt his position.

Just as Lin Xianing had said, don’t think a Lin Family member speaking up for you makes them a good person. They only did it if it benefited them.

If targeting you benefited them more, they’d do it without hesitation—just like Eldest Brother Lin.

Le Yiqiu rested her hands on her abdomen. When Eldest Uncle Lin called for a bow, she bent slightly at the waist, then tilted her head to glance at Eldest Brother Lin’s expression.

He barely bent at all, keeping his head high. His eyes bored straight into Lin Xianing as she prayed, the venom in his gaze like he wanted to devour her whole.

Lin Xianing sensed his stare. Her lips kept moving through the prayers, but she flashed him a faint smile—mockery clear as day.

In fact, the first year Eldest Uncle Lin became family head, he’d proposed changing the prayer leader. How could his son, the eldest grandson, not take on such an important role?

Third Uncle Lin had been blunt: Eldest Brother Lin had been replaced for his own mistakes. They could skip Lin Xianing, but not put him back in.

If it wasn’t his own son, it certainly couldn’t be Eldest Brother Lin’s. And so, in the years since Grandma Lin’s passing, Lin Xianing had continued handling the prayers.

Truth be told, Lin Xianing had no interest in dealing with so much family business. But since they insisted on targeting her, if performing the prayers got under their skin, why not?

When people came bullying right to your door, you didn’t just defend—you struck back.

While waiting for the killing blow, annoying them along the way made Lin Xianing very happy indeed.

Le Yiqiu spotted the smile tugging at Lin Xianing’s lips and chuckled inwardly.

Lin Xianing could be so scheming at times—no one here was her match.

Le Yiqiu lowered her gaze with a smile. The more she learned about Lin Xianing, the more that contrasting side of her drew her in. She simply couldn’t get enough.

Some people were like that—the deeper you understood them, the deeper you fell in love.

She straightened up with the others ahead of her, then quietly stepped back to the side.

She ignored the rest of the Lin Family now, her eyes fixed on Lin Xianing.

Lin Xianing was dressed all in black today. Her ankle-length coat hid her figure, but the belt at her waist accentuated her slim silhouette perfectly.

Surrounded by the incense smoke in the Ancestral Hall, she gained an ethereal beauty.

Lin Xianing stood tall and straight, a string of wooden beads on her wrist—the material indistinct.

Le Yiqiu knew nothing about them; she only thought Lin Xianing looked stunning in this outfit.

If it weren’t so cold, swapping it for a tangzhuang would make her even more striking.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but Lin Xianing’s aura felt entirely different.

She’d always had a detached air, uninterested in everything. Now she seemed even more ascetic, like a solemn monk.

The more restrained she appeared, the more it stirred desire.

Finally, Lin Xianing noticed Le Yiqiu’s burning gaze.

Though her prayers were half-hearted, Lin Xianing had been devoting most of her attention to Le Yiqiu.

Le Yiqiu stared like a desert traveler desperate for water.

And Lin Xianing was that life-giving oasis.

The look made Lin Xianing flush, her ears turning pink.

As an entertainer, she attended countless events each year. Thousands of fans staring at her had never made her shy.

Yet here, in front of Le Yiqiu, a single glance was enough to leave her bashful.

Le Yiqiu bit her lip to stifle a laugh.

Lin Xianing finished reciting, slipped the booklet into her pocket, and walked over to her side.

“Are you cold?”

Ignoring everyone else, Le Yiqiu took Lin Xianing’s hand. “It’s freezing.”

Lin Xianing’s hand was icy, like touching a block of ice—bitingly cold.

She clasped it tighter, trying to warm it with her own.

Feeling the warmth in Le Yiqiu’s palm, Lin Xianing leaned against her shoulder, pressing their bodies close.

More than an hour later, the incense offering finally ended. The shivering Lin Family members couldn’t wait to get back to a heated room.

The earlier generations had it better—they could stay inside the Ancestral Hall. The rest had stood outside, where it was even colder.

They felt their bodies freezing solid. Used to pampered lives, when besides New Year had they ever endured such misery?

Even inside the Ancestral Hall, Le Yiqiu felt the chill.

The group followed behind Eldest Uncle Lin and the others as they left, heading back to the Small Courtyard to change clothes before dinner at the restaurant at five-thirty.

They’d barely eaten lunch and had been standing for so long—their stomachs were empty and rumbling painfully.

Le Yiqiu and Lin Xianing wove through the crowd together. She kicked the stand up on the bicycle parked to the side.

The metallic clack halted everyone in their tracks.

Following the elders, they’d been stepping lightly. That jarring sound drew looks from Eldest Uncle Lin and the rest.

Seeing Le Yiqiu pushing the bicycle, displeasure crossed Eldest Uncle Lin’s face clearly.

Not just him—Father Lin and Lin Manhe frowned too. Though brothers, they looked nothing alike.

Eldest Uncle Lin had the face of a shrewd merchant. Father Lin was more scholarly, the type of ancient literatus immortalized by his brush.

As for Third Uncle Lin, he looked like a street thug—slouched and irreverent.

Then there was Lin Manyue, her face set in a scowl like everyone owed her money.

Of the four siblings, Father Lin did seem the most approachable.

No wonder everyone went to him to settle their issues.

“Xiaxia, that live-in spouse of yours doesn’t know any better—don’t you either?”

Eldest Uncle Lin launched right into criticism, aimed straight at Lin Xianing. “Riding bikes to the Ancestral Hall? Should I fetch a sedan chair for you two? What about the rules?”

Le Yiqiu’s hands stiffened on the bike. Picking a fight again? They’d only been at the Lin Family for a day—did everyone have to target them once?

Being hounded all day long—if not for Lin Xianing, she would have snapped long ago. Why hold back?

Her temper wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.

For those she liked, she could be an obedient little puppy. For people she despised, why play nice?

If Lin Xianing hadn’t asked her to stay quiet, she wouldn’t have held her tongue.

Luckily, Lin Xianing wasn’t one to be trifled with. If he dared speak up, she wouldn’t hold back either.

“Rules? Do the rules say anything about not riding bikes?”

“Speaking of rules, I just remembered something, Uncle. I recall Grandma saying that if Big Brother didn’t want to come pay respects to the ancestors, he never had to again.”

“After he was late that time, Grandma banned him from the Ancestral Hall. How many years since Grandma passed, and here he is again?”

“Grandma’s watching from inside, you know.”

Lin Xianing’s words jogged everyone’s memory of the incident. They probably hadn’t forgotten—only held back from mentioning it because of Eldest Brother Lin’s status.

These past few years, with him acting like the young master of the house, plenty of people had been fed up.

The Lin Family belonged to everyone—not just Lin Mancheng’s branch. His constant posturing grated on nerves.

Third Uncle Lin was the most vocal dissenter. “If Little Nine hadn’t brought it up, I’d have almost forgotten. Oldest, who gave you the guts to defy Grandma?”

“Your dad, maybe?”

Third Uncle Lin spoke up without fear of quarreling with juniors—his words went straight for Eldest Uncle Lin.

Lin Manhe raised a hand, dismissing the younger generation. Those who stayed were the four brothers and their spouses, plus the involved parties: Eldest Brother Lin and Lin Xianing.

Le Yiqiu, as a spouse, wasn’t leaving either.

At the same time, she understood why Third Uncle Lin looked down on Lin Manhe. With handling like this, what was the point of living to sixty-something?

If it were her, she’d explain it right there in front of everyone to avoid future doubts.

Eldest Uncle Lin might think it unnecessary to justify himself to juniors, or that their opinions didn’t matter.

But he needed their support for his future duties as family head—unlike what Third Uncle Lin and the others could offer.

Eldest Uncle Lin lacked awareness of his role. He put on the airs of a patriarch but shirked the responsibilities. Selfish and dim-witted.

No wonder Third Uncle Lin refused to submit. Who would follow a family head like that?

Once most people had left, Eldest Uncle Lin led the remaining group along.