novelden Chapter 292 Encountering an Old Friend in Peach Blossom Town
Chapter 292 Encountering an Old Friend in Peach Blossom Town
Lin Shu and the others looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man of medium build carrying a hoe, standing not far away, staring at them with wide eyes and a look of inquiry on his face.
"Uncle Tiezhu?" Su Mu recognized the person at a glance.
Uncle Tiezhu was known in Peach Blossom Village for his love of watching excitement. He was present when the gambling den came to collect debts and when Lin Shu and Lin Dafeng broke off their marriage.
Uncle Tiezhu then noticed Su Mu. Looking at the luxurious brocade on the other man's body, he couldn't help but scrutinize him closely from head to toe. Only after confirming that he was absolutely certain did he dare to speak:
"Su Mu, oh my, it really is you guys! I was wondering if I had mistaken you for someone else!"
After speaking, he turned his gaze to Lin Shu and her group, glanced around, and asked curiously, "Who are these people?"
Su Mu smiled and explained gently, "These are all the wives of the mistress. We just happened to be passing by and thought we'd come back to visit."
Looking at the distinguished young men before him, Uncle Tiezhu couldn't help but marvel inwardly: Good heavens! Lin Shu has truly made it big! Just two years ago, Lin Shu was a pitiful little girl, unloved by her mother and orphaned by her clan!
Thinking this, he immediately perked up, his face beaming with a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile, and he warmly said to Lin Shu:
"Sister Shu, I heard you took some kind of exam, something like 'hand'? Oh, it means you got first place, that's really amazing..."
Lin Shu simply nodded slightly to the side, her face expressionless, her attitude neither warm nor cold, showing no particular enthusiasm.
As Uncle Tiezhu was talking, he seemed to suddenly remember something important, and he abruptly threw the hoe on his shoulder to the ground.
As he ran in one direction, he didn't forget to give instructions to Lin Shu and the others:
"Sister Shu, please watch the hoes for your uncle. I'm going to find the clan chief and the village head for you. Please wait for me to come back..."
Lin Shu didn't want to wait, but a figure suddenly rushed out from the shadows. The figure had messy hair, walked with a limp, was thin and bony, and looked as if it hadn't been washed in years. It smelled sour from afar.
Lin Shu didn't want to stay here any longer, but just then, a figure suddenly rushed out from the shadows.
The man's hair was a mess, knotted up in a mess; he walked with a limp, his body was thin and bony; he exuded a pungent, rancid smell that could be smelled from a distance, making people want to frown.
"Ah...!" Feng Yu's chubby face trembled with fright, and she quickly hid behind Lin Shu.
Lin Shu's gaze sharpened as she stared intently at the person. Who was this person...?
Upon seeing Lin Shu, the man became extremely agitated, pointing at himself with his intact finger, his mouth opening and closing but unable to utter a word, only managing some indistinct sounds from his throat.
Just as the man's hand was about to touch Lin Shu, Uncle Tiezhu, who had just left, rushed over with several neatly dressed old women.
One of the elderly women, leaning on a pearwood cane half a person's height, looked very old, but her voice was surprisingly loud. She sternly rebuked them:
"Who let her out? Take her back and keep a close eye on her!!!"
As soon as she finished speaking, two young village women dressed in hemp shirts and short jackets rushed forward and reached out to grab the man.
The man seemed terrified, gesturing repeatedly to Lin Shu, his sunken eyes filled with regret and pleading.
When the two village women saw that she was not cooperating, they didn't waste any more words and just started beating her.
The fists landed on the man again and again, making dull thuds.
The man trembled all over in pain, but because of a problem with his throat, he couldn't make a sound and could only let out some weak whimpers.
Seeing the brutal scene of blows landing squarely, and the sight of the person being beaten in excruciating pain yet unable to utter a sound, the men all showed expressions of pity.
"Sister Shu is back? Come, come, the clan has prepared a feast to welcome you back." The old woman with a cane stepped forward and smiled obsequiously.
This old woman was the former village chief of Peach Blossom Village, and now she has become the head of the pavilion in Peach Blossom Town.
The other women who came with her were the patriarch and several elders of the Lin clan. They stood behind the village head, all wearing ingratiating smiles.
After the pavilion chief finished speaking, seeing that Lin Shu didn't answer but instead frowned at the person who had been beaten, his heart skipped a beat. To avoid her misunderstanding that he was abusing his power, he quickly explained:
"The clan is growing stronger and stronger now, and it also takes in some widows, widowers, and the lonely. This person is one of them, but she's not very bright. Hope you weren't scared."
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Shu's husbands with a fawning smile, her eyes filled with a hint of flattery.
Lin Shu then turned around, her eyes fixed on the pavilion chief, her voice calm yet carrying a sense of profound insight:
"One should be lenient when one can. She has already been punished and probably won't live much longer, so why torment her like this!"
The pavilion chief was taken aback, realizing that Lin Shu had recognized him. He was momentarily speechless, and his smile became somewhat stiff.
Indeed, the mute woman in front of them, who looked like a beggar, was none other than Lin Dafeng, Lin Shu's mother from the previous sixteen years.
The pavilion chief was instructed by Ling Huanan not to reveal the matter of Xue Wen and his daughter, so he vaguely guessed Lin Shu's identity.
Out of fear of the Prince of Dingbei and still harboring resentment towards Lin Dafeng for deceiving her, she directly poisoned Lin Dafeng's voice, rendering her mute. She also subjected Lin Dafeng to constant torment, which is why Lin Dafeng has become the inhuman and ghostly creature she is today.
Lin Shu's sudden arrival today was something she never expected.
Seeing that Lin Shu had spoken, the pavilion chief naturally complied, saying, "Sister Shu is right, she's right!"
After saying that, she quickly ordered someone to take Lin Dafeng away.
Next, the village head, beaming with joy, excitedly told Lin Shu about the development of Peach Blossom Village.
She enthusiastically introduced things, such as how Peach Blossom Village has now been changed to Peach Blossom Town, and a clan school has been established. The villagers are now well-fed and clothed, and their lives are getting better and better... and so on.
As she spoke, she observed Lin Shu's expression with an extremely respectful attitude, which was rather strange.
Lin Shu finally understood that the clan school Han Shuang mentioned must be the Lin clan school. Lin Shu didn't say anything more about it.
Finally, having said their piece, the pavilion chief invited Lin Shu to a banquet, but Lin Shu declined.
She then returned to Dongshan Town with her husband.
On the road.
Song Yun looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask:
"My lady, why is the village chief being so polite to us this time?" He wasn't like this before when he threatened to exterminate Lin Shu's clan; he was very fierce then.
"Presumably, they are wary of the wife's current status," Su Mu replied calmly and steadily, without even raising his eyebrows.
Song Yun pursed her lips, then pulled Feng Yu, who looked eager to learn, into a whispered conversation. During the conversation, they heard something about 'snobbishness and bullying the weak and fearing the strong.' The other husbands also quietly gathered around to listen to Song Yun's badmouthing of the pavilion chief. In the end, they all looked at Lin Shu with sympathetic expressions.
Then he pulled Feng Yu, who was eager to learn, aside and whispered to him. During this time, you could hear things like "snobbish, bullying the weak and fearing the strong."
Hearing this, the other husbands also quietly gathered around to listen to Song Yun badmouthing the village head.
After listening, they all looked at Lin Shu with sympathy, as if they felt indignant about the unfair treatment she had suffered.
Seeing this, Lin Shu shook her head helplessly, gave everyone except Su Mu a light flick on the forehead, and then said:
"She is an insignificant person to begin with, and her attitude or whether it changes has nothing to do with us."
Feng Yu was the first to react. Covering her forehead and puffing out her cheeks, she pounced on Lin Shu: "Lin Shu is biased. She doesn't hit her older brother. I'll bite you—woof~!"
After saying that, she revealed her white teeth and gently touched Lin Shu's neck, looking like a spoiled little animal.
Song Yun's eyes lit up as well, as if he had been inspired by Feng Yu, and he rushed over as well: "Little brother Feng Yu, let me help you!"
The two pounced on Lin Shu at the same time. Caught off guard, Lin Shu was violently struck and fell onto the thick blanket...
Immediately afterwards, Li Huanzhi, Xu Jingyun, and Ji Heng also came over. As if they had planned it together, they specifically targeted Lin Shu's ticklish spots and sensitive areas.
Xu Jingyun teased with a smile, "Ah Shu~, you've finally met your match..."
After they had played to their hearts' content, the husbands sat down properly, their smiles still lingering on their faces.
Only Lin Shu, her clothes disheveled, her hair loose, and her eyes somewhat unfocused, lay quietly on the carpet.
Looking at her like this, anyone who didn't know better would think Lin Shu had been abused.
After a short while, Lin Shu slowly sat up, glanced around at her seemingly obedient husbands, and finally fixed her gaze on Su Mu, who had a dignified and aloof expression. Her tone, unusually tinged with a hint of grievance, said:
"Amu, you're not helping me at all."
Su Mu suppressed a laugh and said seriously, "I helped, but the younger brothers were playing too wildly..."
The chubby boy tilted his head and whispered to Song Yun, "Big brother is lying. He's the one who tore Lin Shu's clothes open just now..."
Although the sound was very soft, the carriage was only a small space, so naturally everyone heard it.
Lin Shu looked at Su Mu with a half-smile, her eyes seeming to say: I never knew Amu had this side to him...
Su Mu felt a little embarrassed and annoyed by the stare, his eyes darted around, and his ears turned red...
Finally, someone burst out laughing first, and then laughter echoed throughout the carriage.
The laughter continued unabated, audible from afar, and lingered for a long time...
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