"Take back that 'innocent maiden' act; I’m not falling for it!"
Gu Fang had always despised Lin Zhiyan’s tendency to put on airs, but since her mother-in-law doted on the girl, she had always turned a blind eye. However, just moments ago, when Madam Wan had come to verbally abuse her mother-in-law, Lin Zhiyan had stood by and watched the spectacle with amusement. That was something Gu Fang could no longer tolerate.
"Only noticing your aunt now? When your biological aunt was over here throwing a tantrum earlier, didn't you look like you were enjoying the show quite a bit?"
Lin Zhiyan’s face flushed red, then turned pale. She looked as though she were about to burst into tears, yet she stubbornly held them back, calling out weakly, "Aunt..."
Seeing this, Lin Yue felt a pang of reluctance. After all, Lin Zhiyan was the daughter of a close friend, her own niece, a child she had raised by her side since she was little. In Lin Yue's heart, Lin Zhiyan and Luo Xueyao were both her daughters. Caught between her daughter and her niece, she could only act as a mediator.
Lin Yue reached out and took Gu Fang’s hand, whispering gently, "Alright, alright, Fangfang. Go check on the children and help Lan'er."
With her mother-in-law having spoken, Gu Fang had no choice but to bite her tongue. She didn't leave, however; she just kept glaring at Lin Zhiyan, her gaze sharp enough to carve flesh.
Luo Xueyao curled her lips into a smile and patted the back of Gu Fang’s hand to comfort her. "Erbao’s hair is itching a bit. Sister-in-law, could you help her with that?"
Luo Xueyao had cut Erbao’s hair yesterday, but her technique was poor, and the child had been uncomfortable ever since. Hearing that Erbao was in distress, Gu Fang threw one last glare at Lin Zhiyan before hurrying off to the child.
Luo Xueyao smiled and linked her arm with Lin Yue’s, cooing softly, "I want to lean on Mother."
Lin Yue reached up to gently pat her daughter’s hand, smiling warmly. "Look at you, still acting like a spoiled child even at your age."
Luo Xueyao rested her head on Lin Yue’s shoulder, rubbing against her like a cat. "With Mother around, Yaoyao will always be a little girl! Mother, there’s still a long road ahead—Yaoyao is going to hold onto Mother the whole way!"
"Yes, yes, Mother will lean on you as we go."
Lin Zhiyan lowered her eyes to hide the thick disgust and deep hatred she felt for Luo Xueyao, trailing slowly behind them. She loathed Luo Xueyao—loathed her so much that even every strand of the girl's hair seemed to reek. Before Luo Xueyao had appeared, she had been the only young lady of the Prime Minister’s household, the one everyone held in the palm of their hand. But ever since Luo Xueyao arrived, everything changed. Although her clothing and food were the same as Luo Xueyao's, the servants' title for her had changed from "Young Lady" to "Cousin," and the love of her aunt and cousins had gradually shifted to that wretched girl.
Why! Was it just because Luo Xueyao had come from Lin Yue’s womb that she could steal the life that rightfully belonged to her?
Adjusting her emotions, she lifted her head, once again the delicate, pitiable girl without a mother. "Aunt, I’m hungry... We didn't have anything to eat when we set out this morning... I... the steamed bun I saved from yesterday was snatched away by my aunt this morning to give to Hongcai..."
In the past, whenever Lin Zhiyan said things like this, Lin Yue would surely feel pained for her being bullied and would compensate her by buying her clothes and jewelry. But today, before Lin Yue could speak, Luo Xueyao cut in.
Luo Xueyao’s eyes curved with a smile. "Cousin, you’ve been living quite well in the Ministry of Personnel prison, haven’t you? You even have buns to eat and can manage to save one! It’s nothing like us—we’ve been in that cell for days, eating moldy flatbread and drinking nothing but sour rice water. Look at you, you haven't even had to take off your outer layers; as expected, Uncle really has his ways!"
Lin Yue, who had been feeling guilty for implicating her brother, suddenly realized after hearing this that the Lin family’s situation was far better than the Luo family’s. They didn’t even look like they had been raided; there wasn't a single smudge of dirt on them. And all along this journey, Lin Zeng hadn’t even bothered to ask his sister how she had been since the raid or what grievances she had suffered in the prison. Even if the Lin family had been implicated by the Luo family, didn't they enjoy the glory of the Lin family's position precisely because of the Luo family's favor?
The warmth in Lin Yue’s eyes faded by half. She said softly, "It will be noon soon. The bailiffs will need to rest, and they will serve food then."
Lin Zhiyan had not expected Lin Yue to say such a thing. She was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered, clutching her collar and whispering, "I'm just afraid that when they serve the food, Father will still be biased and give my share to my little brother..."
Luo Xueyao, acting like an innocent, naive girl, tilted her head at Lin Zhiyan and offered a suggestion: "Haven’t you been with the Second Prince the whole way? If Uncle tries to snatch your food, just tell him it’s an offering for the Second Prince! No matter how bold Uncle is, he wouldn’t dare snatch food from the Second Prince."
Lin Zhiyan felt a surge of joy. This idiot had actually maneuvered the topic to the Second Prince herself—that made things easy. She raised her misty, teary eyes toward the men of the Luo family and raised her voice slightly: "The Second Prince didn't eat this morning either, and he is hungry now..."
Luo Xueyao giggled. "Cousin, you’re truly a loyal subject. So, it turns out all this talk was just to beg for food for the Second Prince?"
Lin Zhiyan hurried to say, "How could a prince beg for food..."
"True, a prince wouldn't beg for food; a prince has heaven-sent abundance." Luo Xueyao pointed to the bailiffs approaching them and offered a kind reminder: "Cousin, if you keep gossiping here, I’m afraid you’re going to get whipped!"
Lin Yue didn't understand why the two girls had to argue every time they met, but seeing Lin Zhiyan’s pitiful appearance, she couldn't bring herself to be heartless. She asked Luo Xueyao, "Do we... still have any food?"
There was a hint of pleading in Lin Yue’s eyes. Since she had hidden so much food in the Goddess Space, surely it wouldn't hurt to take out a little to help Lin Zhiyan?
Luo Xueyao spread her hands and pointed to Dabao nearby. "There’s only this much in the bundle Uncle Zhong gave us, and the last meat bun is in Dabao’s hands."
Lin Zhiyan immediately walked over to Dabao, using the tone of the Big Bad Wolf coaxing Little Red Riding Hood: "Dabao, that meat bun in your hand—would you like to give it to your aunt?"
Dabao nodded readily: "Okay!"
Lin Zhiyan was overjoyed. Just as she reached out to take it, Dabao turned and handed the oil-paper-wrapped meat bun to Luo Xueyao: "Aunt, eat!"
Luo Xueyao reached out to ruffle Dabao’s hair, her voice filled with unconcealable laughter. "Dabao is such a good boy, but you should eat the bun yourself. Aunt is an adult; adults don't snatch food from children."
Lin Zhiyan’s face changed colors like a neon light. She wasn't stupid—how could she miss the sarcasm in Luo Xueyao’s words? This Dabao was a wicked little thing, too. Did he only have room for one aunt in his heart? It was all Gu Fang’s fault; when the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones are askew. A child raised by such a malicious woman was born a bad seed!
Lin Yue had never expected Lin Zhiyan to actually reach out and snatch food from a child. Her expression grew cold, and her eyes filled with profound disappointment.
Luo Xueyao persisted, "Begging for food from a child—Lin Zhiyan, you really have no shame!"