Flaxseed pouch

  As Lai Erjia's anger grew, Lin Jing's heart became increasingly calm.

  As for Lin Jing, he actually didn't know how Rongguo House handled Jia Min's death, whether anyone came or not, and who it was that came. However, no matter who came, Lin Jing had to guard against Lai Erjia sending a message back.

  So, some time ago, she would tell Lai Erjia's family which master of Rongguo Mansion was coming.

  "If it's the master, then so be it. If not, this woman will definitely have her suspicions aroused: it can be seen that Rongguo House doesn't take this deceased lady seriously, otherwise, even a 'concubine' would think of it, how could she not? Moreover, Lin Jing also whispered a few words about the relationship between sisters-in-law, which would surely lead this loyal nursemaid to have misgivings. In that case, how can they let this woman feel at ease and tell the secret to the person who comes?"

  It's just Jia Xun, that's all. Thinking of the few lines he had laid out a few days ago, and the closeness between Jia Min and her sister-in-law that he had detected that day, Lin Jing sneered in his heart and continued to add fuel to the fire.

  Then Lin Jing slightly lowered her head, and her face also turned slightly red, but this was not the kind of guilt in her heart, on the contrary, it was a hint of joy?

  Lai Erjia's eyes widened in anger, "You're really a despicable person! In the blink of an eye, Lai Erjia suddenly realized something. No wonder he wanted to inquire about Xiang'er's preferences and even pry into Rongguo Mansion's affairs, repeatedly saying that he would inform the person in power within Rongguo Mansion about some secret. So, his intention was this all along!

  This wretch is thinking of ways to restore her daughter's body and even dares to scheme for a good family!

  Just imagine, if she were to behave like this with a man at the gate today, outsiders wouldn't know and wouldn't comment on it anyway. But what if the masters of the Rongguo House found out that she was originally a girl?

  Will it still follow its own original idea, just grasping the handle of a small cheap trick? I'm afraid not, maybe it's just overthinking.

  After all, it's easy to change one's hairpin and hat, but it's not a good thing. The old lady won't make things difficult for her eldest daughter who left first. But what about the second wife? As the concubine of the young master of Rongguo Mansion and the illegitimate daughter of Linfu, she is quite suitable.

  Moreover, this can greatly save the face of the second wife and show her own magnanimity: look, the married lady has done something so sinful, taking a good girl to be a boy, it's unspeakable, giving her to Xue Pan as a concubine is also a way to save the face of the Lin family, otherwise, a girl from a respectable family being entangled with a man at the gate would be a shame.

  Although this girl is only eight years old! What's wrong with that, raise her for a few more years and then take over, as long as you slap her first, that's the right way!

  The second lady did just that, not only slapping the face of the first lady but also slapping the face of the Lin family. Lai Erjia thought back to when the lady was alive and discussed things with her mother's brother Shi Taigong, thinking that if it succeeded, even the eldest daughter would not be able to hold her head up in the future at Rongguo Mansion.

  Lai Er's eyes narrowed, this kind of thing absolutely cannot happen. The secret of this "illegitimate child" must not be leaked out. As the second lady is currently in charge at Rongguo House, so these slaves and servants who came, none can be trusted. Forget it, it's better to report to Old Lady herself face-to-face another day.

  As for Lian Er Ye, Lai Er Jia didn't even think about it.

  She took another look at Lin Jing, and Lai Erjia couldn't help but sneer in her heart. If it weren't for the fact that this cheap thing still had a great future ahead of her, she wouldn't be able to bear it. "I advise you, sir, to think about how to serve Master well and take good care of Miss instead. As for other things, it's better not to make too many plans." She said in a low voice, viciously, "Do you really think I can't deal with you? Some ideas are worth considering, but only if you have the chance to live."

  Cheng's successful sighting of Lin Jing's pale face prompted Lai Erjia to loudly say: "However, our Lin Mansion and Rongguo Mansion are quite close, our mansion's master and the future Baron of Rongguo Mansion, Xiang'er, should also be closer."

  Lai Erjia's words were stuck on "Dàye", but he didn't know that Lin Jing, whose face had turned pale, was already laughing secretly.

  Sending off the vigorous housekeeper with a sullen face, Lin Jing was happy on one hand and shook his head on the other. The Lai family's matriarch was indeed astute, but it was precisely her astuteness that gave him an opportunity to take advantage of. Sometimes thinking you're clever and getting what you want isn't necessarily a good thing! It's rare to be appropriately obtuse, being correctly confused is truly rare!

  At the same time, I also warned myself not to be too self-righteous. To others, this book is a novel, but to me, it's a real world. Even if that book can only serve as a reference, rather than a strategy for life.

  The following days were busy. The madam's natal family came, the mourning period was over, and it was time to hold the funeral. This time, it was different from White Auntie's. Old Master Lin Ruhai, due to his official position, had to personally escort Jia Min's coffin back to their ancestral home for burial. And as for Lin Jing, this son, he had to do things this way. By doing so, Lin Jing's status was also elevated.

  Then, Lin Jing smashed the flower pot, holding a mourning stick, in a sky full of flying paper money and mournful music, closely following behind the servant holding the white banner, stepping out of the main gate of Lin's mansion. Closely following behind her was Jia Min's coffin.

  Daiyu also wanted to follow the coffin, but her illness was still lingering, and it was such a sad journey, how could she bear it? Lin Ruhai just shook his head in disapproval, while Lai Erjia's family tried to persuade her with all their might. The little girl could only cry out in sorrow like a cuckoo shedding blood, watching as her mother's coffin was carried away.

  Jia Lian, as a representative of his wife's family, followed closely behind the hearse and set out on the road.

  Yangzhou is not too far from Suzhou in Lin Jingyuan's mind. However, this journey was quite arduous for Lin Jing.

  As a filial daughter to see off the funeral, she had to get up early every day to kowtow and offer incense, kneel down to ask the hearse to set off, and at night, burn paper money and mourn by the coffin. Along the way, she also had to wail from time to time under others' reminders, holding a mourning stick and so on, it seemed like there was no break at all. Day after day, Lin Jing's throat began to feel hoarse and sore.

  As for food, because it was a mourning period, they could only eat vegetarian dishes. Because it was inconvenient on the road and the servants were not careful, it was just plain vegetables and tofu every day. Lin Jing was exhausted after a day of traveling and didn't feel like eating when he saw the bland vegetables and tofu. The taste was far inferior to that of the Gaofeng Temple, and he lost his appetite. Although he wanted someone to prepare some delicious food, what could be done in this situation? If they really did that, they would probably not make it to the next meal, and rumors about Lin Jing's lack of filial piety would spread, such as being greedy for food during the funeral procession, etc. Lin Jing's rosy cheeks, which had been nourished at the Gaofeng Temple, began to turn pale.

  That night, Lin Jing returned to the house after burning paper money and had not yet lain down to catch his breath when he heard someone knocking on the door. "Brother Jing, may I come in for a chat?"

  It can be heard that it is Jia Lian outside the door.

  Although Lin Jing was exceptionally affectionate on the day this person arrived at Lin's residence, after Lin Jing achieved his goal, he lost the spirit to continue pretending with this person, and the two became indifferent to each other. On the contrary, Lai Erjia thought that his harsh words had taken effect, and every time he saw Lin Jing, the respect on his face couldn't hide the disdain in his bones.

  What is this person doing here at this time?

  They've come looking for him, so Lin Jing had no choice but to get up and greet them, no matter how tired he was.

  Jia Lian didn't seem to have suffered much from the journey, probably because he had just washed and changed his clothes, and even the dust of the road had been completely removed, so that he still looked quite spirited.

  Please come in, take your seats as host and guest. Lin Jing wanted to exchange a few more pleasantries, but Jia Xian directly got to the point, "Although Auntie has passed away, you, as her filial son, must be heartbroken, but you can't neglect your own body either. This journey is already exhausting, and if you continue to indulge in grief, forgetting to eat and drink, how will you hold up?"

  Lin Jing was stunned, she knew that Jia Xian was in charge of miscellaneous affairs at Rongguo Mansion and should be a clever person. It seemed that he had seen the laziness of those servants and her own difficulties with his own eyes, but she didn't expect him to be so eloquent.

  Lin Jing was taken aback, Jia Xian smiled slightly and continued, "I just told someone to instruct the chef to prepare a few vegetarian dishes casually. It's not tasty for one person to eat alone, so, Brother Jing, take pity on me and have lunch with your second brother, okay?"

  Just then, they heard the waiter knocking on the door, saying that the vegetarian dishes ordered by the guest had arrived. Jia Lian hastily asked someone to bring them in. The waiter and a colleague quickly brought up the dishes, placed them on the table, said "Enjoy your meal, sir!" and withdrew.

  Lin Jing looked at the table, four cold dishes, a plate of Four Happiness roasted tofu, a plate of Malan fragrance dried, a plate of green bean roasted crispy, a plate of Eight Treasure vegetarian duck, four hot stir-fries, eight treasure upper vegetarian, five treasure stewed Tang cabbage, clear stir-fried double mushrooms, oil braised tender bamboo shoots, a large bowl of watercress clear soup, two bowls of fragrant rice, the table was filled to the brim.

  Taking advantage of Lin Jing's daze, Jia Xian pulled him to the table and pressed him down into a seat. By the time Lin Jing came to his senses, he had already been stuffed with a bowl of rice.

  Lin Jing was just too tired, and his appetite had been ruined by those stir-fried vegetables with tofu, but now this delicious dish had awakened his craving. Under Jia Yu's persuasion, he ate a full meal. In the end, Jia Yu was worried that the child would eat too much and harm himself.

  In the following days, every time he had a meal, Jia Lian would always ask Lin Jing to accompany him. Not only that, but during the day, he also asked his servant Xing Er to send water over to Lin Jing, which was sweet and added with honey to soothe the throat.

  One evening, she secretly had Wang Er send over a few sets of fine hemp undergarments and subtly hinted that although they were wearing mourning clothes on the outside, it was better to wear fine hemp next to their skin. If it still felt rough, as long as they said something, he would go get some cotton fabric and secretly have them sewn inside.

  Although later generations all boast that hemp and other natural fibers are good things, in ancient times, wearing mourning attire made of coarse hemp was absolutely abrasive. Lin Jing's body had long been worn sore from it. Now, looking at these sets of undergarments, he felt a bit dazed.