The carriage stopped at the main entrance of the Lin Manor. On the green walls and white tiles of the main door, two red lanterns illuminated the horizontal board of the " Renji Family ". This horizontal board was said to have been bestowed by the imperial court in the early years and passed down from generation to generation by the Lin family. Behind it was a continuous greenish-black roof, at least seven meters deep.
As the group entered the manor, Madam Xie specially summoned a group of concubines and servant girls, repeatedly emphasizing that Lin Qinghan was the eldest daughter of the Lin manor and that they would serve her carefully. If she was negligent, she would be severely punished.
In his previous life, Lin Qinghan was very grateful to the Xie family for establishing her prestige for the first time she came to the residence. She cooperated very well and acted arrogantly. She did not expect that the Xie family wanted to stick a tricky and domineering stick on her, making everyone in the residence afraid and unhappy. This time, Lin Qinghan only smiled humbly and bowed to the ladies.
Water could carry a boat, and it could even capsize it. A seemingly inconspicuous and humble servant might very well help him at a critical time in the future.
Everyone in the residence had heard some rumors about Lin Qinghan's shrewdness and arrogance, so it was inevitable that they would be a little afraid of this young lady. But now, it seemed that this girl was so friendly and did not put on any airs. She even smiled at them and seemed to be very easy to get along with. They all thought that these rumors were definitely false.
"Alright, alright. I'll bring you to see your grandmother and father. They're looking forward to your return every day!”
"Yes, First Madam." Lin Qinghan replied politely with a hint of distance.
He had wanted to give Qinghan the image of a crafty and domineering person, but this cheap servant didn't fall for it. Madame Lin thought to herself.
The layout of the Lin Mansion was very grand. It was not as solemn and gloomy as an ordinary mansion. Instead, it had undergone a unique design. The roadside was filled with flowers and plants, separated by lush pine and cypress and a pond with glittering water. It was really a story every five steps and a scene every ten steps. No wonder it was said that the Lantern Festival held by the Lin Mansion and the Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Appreciation Poetry Festival were events that the talented scholars and beautiful women in the capital could not miss.
Lin Qinghan walked along the bluestone road and passed through the Jade Cloud Pavilion. The Sandalwood Residence next to the lotus pond was Old Madam Lin's residence. As soon as he walked in, he saw Lin Qingxue lying on Old Madam Lin's lap.
"Grandmother, granddaughter has been away for so many days. I miss you so much! Do you miss your granddaughter?"
Old Madam Lin looked at the girl in her arms dotingly. This granddaughter was sweet and loved to act coquettishly. She was also beautiful, so she naturally doted on her very much.
"My dear granddaughter must be tired from traveling between the capital and Jiangling. Let grandmother see if you've lost weight.”
Madam Xie put on a smile and went forward to salute,"Mother, how is Qingxue tired? There were carriages to pick her up all the way and the Wang family of Jinling treated her well. Moreover, it was the first time Qinghan had walked so far and she hadn't even said she was tired. As her sister, how could she say she was tired first?”
After hearing Madam Xie's words, Old Madam Lin raised her head and looked at the girl who had just stepped through the door. She looked up and down and said,"You are Qinghan? She had already grown up. Time really waited for no one!”
Madam Xie pulled Lin Qinghan's hand and said,"Yes, mother, look at Qinghan and Qingxue. They're both 15 years old this year.”
"Go and let your grandmother take a good look."”
At this time in her previous life, Lin Qinghan had heard from Madam Xie that her grandmother loved to be noisy. She loved to dress in red and purple and eat delicacies. In order to get her grandmother's love as soon as possible, Lin Qinghan did everything she could to please her, but every time, she made her grandmother very unhappy. In the end, her grandmother hated her more and more, and she didn't even want to see her.
In the end, she found out that it was the Xie family and Lin Qingxue who were lying to her. Old Madam Lin was a reserved person and lived a simple life. When she got older, she lived in seclusion and hated extravagance the most. Moreover, she had just returned to the Lin residence and her grandmother had not seen her for more than ten years. Their relationship was not that close, so if she wanted to get closer to her grandmother, she had to first get her grandmother's pity. In her previous life, she had rushed into her grandmother's arms as soon as she entered the door like Lin Qingxue. It was too rash.
Qinghan didn't step forward. She bowed to her grandmother and kowtowed three times before saying sincerely,"Grandmother, your granddaughter has been away for many years and has never had the chance to be by your side as a filial grandchild. Please don't blame your granddaughter.”
Old Madam Lin, who was originally happy with Lin Qingxue in her arms, suddenly felt sad. Looking at the girl who bowed to her, she thought about how she was also a granddaughter, but she had been alone for so many years and had not received any love from her family. She felt extremely sad and heartbroken.
"My good granddaughter, quickly get up. How is this your fault? Grandmother has let you down…" With that, tears streamed down her face and she couldn't help but help Qinghan up.
Looking at the girl's thin figure and teary eyes, Matriarch Lin felt even more touched and guilty.
"My good child, it's good that you're back. It's good that you're back.”
Madam Xie's face darkened, but she tried her best to hide it. She could not let everyone know that she was very dissatisfied with this. Lin Qingxue's smile froze on her face. She had wanted to put on a show of affection and make Lin Qinghan an extra person, but she didn't think that she would become the extra person.
After Old Madam Lin and Lin Qinghan finished their greetings, she pointed at the person who had just walked in and said,"Your father is here too.”
Lin Qinghan raised her head and saw a middle-aged man in court clothes walking into the hall. He was 42 or 43 years old, tall, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes. He was in high spirits. This was her father.
"Qinghan greets father."
"Get up quickly, child. It's been a tough journey. There's no need for such a big bow between us father and daughter.”
Father Lin was still wearing his court clothes. It was obvious that he had rushed back to see her after the morning court session. He had not even had the time to change.
"Qinghan, I let you live in Jinling for more than ten years, and my father didn't visit you often.”
In her previous life, she resented her father for appointing Madam Xie as the First Madam not long after her mother passed away. She resented her father for sending her to Jinling. In addition, Madam Xie told her that her father liked quiet children and hated talkative people the most. She warned her to speak less or not speak in front of her father. Therefore, at this time in her previous life, she kept silent and did not say a word, causing her father to lose face. After that, their father-daughter relationship had been very distant.
"I know that Father is doing this for my own good. How can I hate Father? I know that you've been thinking about me all these years. I've been thinking about you in Jinling too.”
Madam Xie didn't expect Lin Qinghan to say such words. This girl had been silly since she was young, and she didn't look like someone who would say such pleasant words. Her fanning the flames on the road these days didn't have any effect. What was going on recently? What went wrong? Madam Xie clenched her fists tightly, her red nails digging into her palms, leaving red marks.
Father Lin was very moved and patted Lin Qinghan's shoulder, saying gratefully,"Good daughter, you're really my good daughter.”
Matriarch Lin nodded her head lovingly." She's as sensible as her mother."”
Although this girl was raised in a merchant family, her bearing and temperament were not inferior to that of a legitimate daughter of a big family. Her mother, Wang, was also extraordinary in her bearing. As soon as she entered the capital, many sons of high officials did not forget her and wanted to marry her. Old Madam Lin recalled. However, when he looked at this girl closely, he felt that something was wrong. It seemed that her appearance was quite different from when she was young. It was also different from her mother's appearance. However, women changed when they grew up. It was normal for Qinghan to look different from when she was young. Moreover, the portrait in Jinling was handed over once a year, so it was not surprising that her appearance slowly changed.
"Ah, look at me. I was so busy talking that I forgot that the food was already served.”Madam Xie sneered.
"Let's start the banquet." Old Madam Lin said with a smile.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。