Chapter 38 — Shrewd Mother and Daughter
“How dare you speak like that? My mother is your elder no matter what—how can you talk to an elder this way? This is great unfilial conduct. You deserve to be thrown into a pig cage!”
Ling Xiaoying was only fourteen, and having been doted on since childhood by Ling Chenghu and his wife, she naturally lacked composure. Seeing Ling Jingxuan’s attitude, she rushed forward without thinking, pointing at his nose as she scolded him sharply. A heavy label of great unfilial behavior was firmly slapped onto Ling Jingxuan. Beside her, Jiangshi of the Ling family instinctively straightened her chest, chin lifted high in arrogance. Mother and daughter were cut from the same cloth—equally outrageous.
The reason they had come today was simple: they’d heard villagers say that the “freak” seemed to have struck it rich, buying a pile of goods. They’d come to take a look—and maybe take advantage of the situation while they were at it. But…
They seemed to have forgotten that Ling Jingxuan had been expelled from the Ling Clan five years ago by the old patriarch himself—his name even struck from the clan register. What kind of elders did that make them? Besides, the current Ling Jingxuan was no longer the obedient, submissive man he once was. Filial piety meant nothing to him anymore.
“Heh…”
A low, cool laugh suddenly sounded. The mother and daughter—who had thought they held the upper hand—both froze. Watching Ling Jingxuan cover his mouth and laugh lightly, Ling Xiaoying blurted out, “What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?”
“I’m laughing at your stupidity.”
The smile vanished in an instant. His refined yet gaunt face turned icy as Ling Jingxuan mocked her without restraint.
“You two haven’t forgotten that I was expelled from the Ling family five years ago, have you? For five years, you never once cared whether I lived or died—if anything, you probably wished we, father and my two sons, would die sooner rather than later. And yet today, on your very first visit, you suddenly claim to be my elders. Tell me—what kind of elders are you?”
“Even if we stretch it as far as possible and say Third Aunt Ling counts as an elder, it still wouldn’t be your place, Ling Xiaoying, to lecture me. Don’t forget—I’m older than you. You should be respectfully calling me ‘older brother.’”
When dealing with people this self-righteous and shameless, one could not show politeness from the start—otherwise, they would only push further and further. The original Ling Jingxuan had been too weak, which was why he had been bullied at every turn. To put it bluntly, he himself had given them the right to bully him. But he was no longer that man. If they thought they could bully him now? Not even in their next life.
“You—!”
Ling Xiaoying’s pretty little face flushed red with rage. Born to a farming household yet possessing slender, delicate fingers, she pointed straight at Ling Jingxuan. Her flat chest heaved sharply, clearly showing how furious she was.
Ling Jingxuan smiled faintly, leaning casually against the doorframe as he said coolly, “What? Did I say something wrong? Or would you like to go to your scholar father’s house, or the village head’s, or even the county magistrate’s, and argue it out?”
“Tsk, tsk… I really didn’t expect this, Sister Ying. You’re quite bold. An unmarried young lady who hasn’t even been betrothed yet, daring to get entangled with me—the disgrace of the Ling family. How about we hurry up and go to the county seat together?”
In ancient times, a girl was considered an adult at fifteen, eligible for marriage. In the countryside, some girls were already mothers at thirteen or fourteen. At fourteen, Ling Xiaoying was very much a grown young lady. Given Lingjia Village’s self-proclaimed ‘upright’ values, Ling Jingxuan would bet his head that she wouldn’t dare provoke him again—at least not right now.
“Mother…”
Sure enough, Ling Xiaoying pouted, then turned to cling to her mother’s arm, shaking it aggrievedly. Ling Jiang-shi had already caught the scent of meat wafting from inside the house—her attention had been on it the whole time. It wasn’t until her daughter tugged at her that she came back to her senses. She cleared her throat twice and put on an air of dignity as she said, “Your Brother Jingxuan is right. What kind of proper young lady behaves like that? You mustn’t do this again in the future.”
Anyone with eyes could see she had no sincerity whatsoever. Receiving her mother’s hint, Ling Xiaoying stopped talking, only shooting Ling Jingxuan a resentful glare. She had no choice—an unmarried girl’s reputation was more important than the heavens themselves. She hadn’t even been promised yet, and her mother had long said she’d marry her into a wealthy family in the city. Before that happened, her spotless reputation couldn’t be ruined by Ling Jingxuan, that freak.
“Jingxuan,” Ling Jian-shi continued, smoothly changing the subject, “Third Aunt has been here for quite a while now, and you haven’t even invited me in to sit. It’s scorching hot—are you trying to let Third Aunt die of thirst?”
As she spoke, she shifted her focus back onto Ling Jingxuan. The worms in her stomach were already wriggling with excitement from the repeated wafts of meat aroma drifting out of the house. Yet even at the end of her sentence, she still held her elder’s posture high, once again trying to slap the label of unfilial onto him—clearly having no idea of the situation she was actually in.
Truth be told, the old Ling family wasn’t poor. In Lingjia Village, they were even considered fairly well-off. They owned dozens of mu of farmland, had livestock, and the old patriarch earned stipends from teaching. Even with many mouths to feed, it wouldn’t be a problem to save ten or twenty taels of silver a year. And yet, the reality was that the Ling family hadn’t eaten meat in a long time. The old matriarch, who controlled the household finances, was extremely stingy, selfish, and biased. Aside from the old patriarch himself, no one regularly ate meat—not even her. So the moment Ling Jiang-shi and her daughter smelled meat, they couldn’t help swallowing repeatedly, wishing they could fly straight into the courtyard.
“My shabby thatched hut isn’t worthy of hosting you two great Buddhas,” Ling Jingxuan said coldly. “Third Aunt should return to your green-brick, tiled-roof house instead.”
Since she pretended not to understand, he decided to spell it out plainly. After speaking, he turned to close the door—but Ling Jiang-shi suddenly surged forward, shoved him aside, grabbed Ling Xiaoying, and forced her way into the courtyard. The once-light scent of meat seemed to grow even richer. The mother and daughter secretly swallowed again, heading straight for the kitchen.
“I’d advise you both to stop right there.”
He really had underestimated just how shameless this so-called rural village woman could be. Ling Jingxuan could no longer smile. In a few swift strides, he rushed ahead and blocked their path before they could enter the kitchen. His slender, handsome face was now steeped in icy menace.
“Entering private property without the owner’s permission is a crime. I can report you to the county yamen at any time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—under the Da Qing Law, trespassing into a private residence leads to prison. At the very least, you’ll be beaten with several dozen strokes. Third Aunt, I’m sure you wouldn’t want Sister Ying to be stripped bare and flogged in public, would you?”
Damn it. He’d seen shameless people before—but who the hell had ever seen ones this outrageous? Did they really think he was still that soft persimmon they could squeeze however they pleased?
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
