Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 614 Lin Family

Although no one in the Lin family served as an official, their ancestors were once prominent and even produced a minister of the second rank. The three-courtyard house, although it has gone through many ups and downs, still exudes a solemn and dignified style.

The copper rings on the vermilion lacquered gate had long been polished to a shine, and the plaque with the words "Lin Mansion" hanging on the lintel was made of the finest golden nanmu wood. Although the paint was a bit mottled, it showed the weight of time.

Before the carriage came to a complete stop, Song Ying heard a familiar voice, "Grandma!"

She lifted the curtain and saw Lin Wenxuan standing outside, with a woman in her early thirties wearing a crimson silk gown with a double-breasted collar standing next to him.

"Huh? Junior sister, you're hungry too!" Lin Wenxuan was pleasantly surprised. Then, he spotted Yuan Qing again, "Why are you here too?"

Yuan Qing smiled back, lifted the curtain, and together with Song Ying helped Doctor Lin get off the carriage.

The woman took two steps forward, a perfectly composed smile on her face. "Aunt, you've had a hard journey. The master and my eldest brother are in the study, and my eldest sister-in-law is busy preparing the meal, so she couldn't spare the moment, so she asked me to come and greet them."

Doctor Lin nodded slightly.

The Second Madam looked at Song Ying and Yuan Qing again, "Who are these two?"

"Song Ying, my apprentice, this is Yuan Qing."

Song Ying keenly sensed something strange in the concise words and cold attitude. It seemed that his master didn't have a good relationship with this lady.

She is so old, yet she traveled thousands of miles with the Shen family to Qingshui County. Could there be other reasons, such as a bad relationship with her family?

Thoughts raced through her mind, but she showed none on her face. She knelt before the woman and said politely, "Song Ying greets the Madam."

Yuan Qing was also a thoughtful person, so he naturally noticed that there was something unusual in the relationship between Dr. Lin and his family.

In theory, it was because of Doctor Lin that the Lin family was able to survive. Now she is one of the oldest elders in the family. When she returns this time, the whole family should come to welcome her.

However, only the second wife came with a group of younger generations to greet them. The etiquette was quite perfunctory.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, the courtyard was paved with neatly laid bluestone slabs, moss growing in the gaps, adding a touch of ancient charm. The railings of the corridors on both sides still retained the swastika pattern popular in the previous dynasty.

When they reached the second gate, the Second Lady turned to the maid beside her and instructed, "Please prepare two guest rooms in the east wing and take the two guests to settle down first."

"Just clean up a room." Doctor Lin pointed at Song Ying, "She can live with me."

The second lady was surprised, but she didn't say much. She asked two maids to take them there.

Song Ying's eyes flashed. She had been in the Shen Mansion for so long, so she naturally knew the rules of these official families.

Normally, they are the younger generation, so when they go home, they have to pay their respects to the elders, and peers should also greet each other and get to know each other.

The Second Madam doesn't treat them as her juniors.

She was a little surprised. Since she became his disciple, no matter what their attitude was, people who knew her treated her as a junior in terms of etiquette. She never expected that the Lin family would be so cold.

She smiled, "Master, we'll go first then."

Doctor Lin nodded and continued, "You go first. Tell the maid if you need anything. Treat it like home. Have a good rest for two days. In a few days, ask your senior brother to take you out for a walk. The capital is prosperous and it would be nice to broaden your horizons."

Before Song Ying could speak, Lin Wenxuan took the initiative and said with a smile, "You used to take me out to play. Now that we're in the capital, it's my turn to take you out. I guarantee you'll have a great time."

"Then I'm looking forward to it. If I don't have enough fun, I won't go back."

Lin Wenxuan laughed, "I wish you wouldn't go back."

After chatting for a while, Song Ying and the other girl left with the maid.

Just as I walked a short distance, I heard the voices of a group of boys and girls calling "Auntie". I guess it was the younger generation of the Lin family paying their respects to Doctor Lin.

In the main hall, after the younger generation had paid their respects, the old man of the Lin family drove them all out. He frowned and asked, "Little sister, have you decided to overturn the verdict?"

Doctor Lin nodded, "Yes."

Old Master Lin's brow furrowed even more tightly. "I've already made it very clear in the letter: the timing is not right. This matter is too cryptic, and there's little chance of overturning the verdict."

"I have a detailed plan. Whether or not we can overturn the verdict this time is not important. What's important is pointing out the mistakes in the case files and letting the world know that Master was wronged, and the Jiang family was wronged!"

"The Jiang family is already wiped out. Even if the verdict is overturned, what good will it do? Can they still come back to life?" Old Master Lin leaned back in his chair dejectedly. "Everyone in the court, civil and military, knows that they were wrongly accused. But what good is that?"

"It's useful. The Jiang family has a good reputation for many years. We can't just take the blame for someone else without knowing the reason!"

The brother and sister had long been divided on this matter, and neither could convince the other. Doctor Lin did not want to say much, and simply said, "I have made up my mind on this matter. Even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will go through it. Don't worry about it, big brother."

Old Master Lin was furious. "Your last name is Lin, and you think this is just your business? There are dozens of people in the Lin family, and you can just say 'don't bother' and deny them anything?"

Doctor Lin was a little impatient. "I've already said it before. I have a perfect plan. The Lin family will not be implicated."

Old Master Lin paused, "What complete plan?"

Doctor Lin spoke patiently.

"What kind of foolproof plan is this? He's the emperor. If he were to act rogue, even a mountain of ironclad evidence would be overturned, let alone just pointing out a single flaw. You're crazy to sacrifice so many favors for an uncertain outcome."

Doctor Lin's patience ran out, and he sneered, "Don't worry, I will never use my family's favors."

Old Master Lin was speechless. There was no favoritism in the family nowadays. Wasn't this a deliberate mockery of him?

The brother and sister broke up unhappy.

On the other side, the maid took Song Ying to a beautiful courtyard.

The small door with hanging flowers was hidden behind the green bamboo. Above the door lintel hung a plaque with the words "Qiu Yue Ju" written in beautiful calligraphy. Song Ying recognized it at a glance as Doctor Lin's handwriting.

The pink walls on both sides were covered with rose vines. It was the end of the rose flowering season, and the green leaves were lush and dotted with a few withered flowers.

The maid who led the way said, "This is Master Lin's boudoir. The young ladies in the mansion have begged countless times to move into this courtyard, but Master Lin never agreed. I never thought he would actually take the initiative to let you live here."

"Lord Lin?" Song Ying was surprised.

The maid covered her mouth and chuckled, "Although our mistress is a woman, she has a position in the Imperial Hospital. Can we call her Lady Lin?"

But when other men become officials, few of their servants call them "sir" directly.

Song Ying quickly realized that this was because her master had never married and her family knew how to call her, so they chose this name.

She sighed a little. A woman's home is when she gets married, and an unmarried woman's status in her parents' home is always temporary. If she doesn't get married, she has to think about how to address her.

The courtyard gate suddenly opened from the inside, and two older maids came out. The maid who led the way hurriedly introduced them: "This is Master Lin's apprentice, Miss Song Ying. Master Lin specifically ordered that she live here."