Lin Youwen, with reddened eyes, was about to walk out the door when his mother rushed over and grabbed him.
"Youwen, you're a scholar. Even if you go to the Zhou Family, what good can you do? Sit down and listen to your cousin finish speaking."
The young man shook off his mother's grip, cursing angrily with righteous indignation.
"Mother, I'm going to demand an explanation from the Zhou Family!
Uncle has been gone for just a few months. Shouldn't Madam Zhou at least observe widowhood for a year, if not remain faithful to her late husband?
Even if she's in such a hurry to remarry, how can she treat her late husband's children so cruelly? Madam Zhou clearly took all of Uncle's family assets, and Zhou Chengguang repeatedly promised to treat my sixth brother like his own son!
Why is it that they've gotten both money and reputation, yet they still refuse to treat my young brother and sister well?
This is too much! It's absolutely outrageous!"
Lin You'an's crying suddenly stopped, doubt flashing in his eyes. What did Second Brother mean by saying Madam Zhou took all the family assets?
His confused look was caught by Lin Yuanshan. Seeing this nephew, known for his intelligence since childhood, now looking completely bewildered, the shrewd middle-aged man immediately sensed something was amiss.
"Lin Youwen, sit your ass down. Wait until I've gotten to the bottom of this before taking any action."
With his father speaking up, Lin Yousheng quickly ran over and pulled his brother back to sit at the table. Lady Liu also lowered her head, glancing indifferently at her nephew and niece from the other branch of the family, showing no particular warmth on her face.
She merely turned her head to instruct her eldest daughter.
"Fen'er, take Fang'er and Fei'er to the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water for your cousins to bathe later."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
Knowing her mother wanted to send the children away, Lin Fen'er obediently stood up and called to her two younger sisters.
"Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister, you two go to the back of the courtyard and bring some dry grass. I'll go scrub the pot."
"Alright, Third Sister."
The three sisters quickly left.
Lady Liu's eyes then turned to her daughter-in-law. Under her mother-in-law's gaze, Madam Zhang reluctantly returned to her room with a gloomy face.
At this point, only Lin Yuanshan and his wife, their eldest and second sons, and Lin You'an with his mother and child remained in the room.
"Lin You'an, give the child to your aunt to hold, and come sit down to talk. And this young lady, you're a guest here, please have a seat as well," Lin Yuanshan invited.
Though he didn't know her identity, since she had escorted his nephew and niece back, he couldn't be so discourteous as to leave her standing there.
Chu Chi took several seconds to react, then blinked and stepped forward, sitting down in a daze.
Lin You'an turned his head to look at this reassuring presence of martial prowess before steadying himself and handing the now-awake Lin Wanwan to Lady Liu.
"Thank you, Aunt."
"Mm."
Lady Liu took the child with an expressionless face and sat down to the side. Noticing the little girl's flushed cheeks, she quickly unwrapped the several layers of tattered cloth. Placing her hand on the baby's back, she found it warm and covered in sweat.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she reached for a large porcelain bowl on the table. She poured some warm water from a nearby teapot and used a spoon to feed it to the child, one small mouthful at a time.
Throughout the process, her face showed no smile, but her movements were very gentle.
Lin Yuanshan looked at Lin You'an, his tone and attitude neither particularly good nor bad.
"Tell me, what's going on here? Weren't you the Zhou Family's precious darling just a few months ago? How have you ended up in such a miserable state now?"
"Uncle," Lin You'an blinked his eyes pitifully. Lin Yuanshan scoffed coldly, unmoved.
"Don't try that pitiful act with me; it won't work. Back then, you were willing to believe your mother and cut ties with me to follow Madam Zhou. So why are you coming back to our Old Lin Family now?"
"Father!" Lin Youwen called out in dissatisfaction, trying to stop his father's cold words.
"Sixth Brother is already miserable enough. Why do you have to bring up the division between our families?"
"Hah, how am I the one bringing up family divisions? We are clearly two separate families now!" Lin Yuanshan's smile carried a hint of mockery.
"Just because you're young doesn't mean the things you've done can be erased!"
Lin You'an grew more and more confused, asking perplexedly,
"Uncle, what do you mean? What exactly have I done to deserve such cold treatment from you?
This is the home of the Lin Family Clan, and my sister and I are Lin family descendants. How can we not come back?"
Growing more indignant as he spoke, he was still young after all, and couldn't help blurting out what was on his mind.
"It was clearly you and the Zhou Family who took advantage of my young age and loss of a father to divide up the family fortune that my father left for us siblings.
And now you have the audacity to act so righteous!
Uncle, if you were to meet my father in the underworld someday, would you have the face to call him your brother?"
"Bullshit! I've lived an upright and honest life. I wouldn't feel guilty facing your father not just in the underworld, but even if he were standing right here in front of me!"
Lin Yuanshan's large hand slammed down on the table. The bowls and plates nearest to him jumped, making a clattering noise. The young Lin You'an was startled and instinctively sought protection behind him.
Chu Chi indeed reacted immediately.
Though her mind was slow, her reflexes were certainly not. Even if she couldn't quite understand what these people in the room were saying, she could clearly see this man frightening her son.
A delicate jade-like hand swiftly followed, landing on the table with a tremendous bang!
The entire tabletop instantly shattered into four or five pieces. Cups, saucers, bowls, and chopsticks all crashed to the ground, smashing to bits.
...
Everyone in the room was struck speechless by this sudden turn of events.
After a good ten breaths or so, the tall and sturdy Lin Yousheng finally reacted. He quickly pulled his powerless brother and terrified mother behind him, then looked at Chu Chi, swallowed hard, and said nervously,
"Miss... I mean, esteemed expert, let's talk this over calmly. There's no need for such anger."
Father and son Lin exchanged a shocked glance.
Laymen focus on the excitement, while experts see the skill!
As people who made a living as armed escorts, they had some martial arts skills. From that light, effortless palm strike, they could immediately tell that this woman was definitely a trained fighter, and possibly a true master!
Lin Yuanshan's expression changed as well.
He cupped his hands in salute and apologized,
"I have given great offense, and I hope the young lady will not take it amiss. It's just that the actions of the younger generation in our family have angered this uncouth man greatly, and I momentarily lost control of my strength."
Indeed, in this world, one hard truth applies everywhere: those with the strongest fists earn the most respect.
Just look at Lin Yuanshan's attitude now, so much better than when he was speaking to Lin You'an earlier.
