Chapter 2
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Every day at eight o’clock in the morning to update, see you there~(づ￣3￣)づ╭~——– —- The Ling family is a prestigious family in Dingzhou, with a genealogy that goes back ten generations
The ancestor of the Ling family was once a high-ranking official of the second grade, and owned thousands of acres of land and wealth
Unfortunately, the children and grandchildren are not as good as one generation, to this generation, the family business is only half of the ancestor
Old Master Ling died early, leaving behind four sons and one daughter
The eldest son, the fifth son, was the first son, and the second son, the fourth son, was the son of the concubine
Master Ling was successful in the examination and now serves in the Ministry of Public Works
The second master has not made much progress in his studies, and he has donated the seventh grade to the county magistrate, and is on his way to take up a new post
The Third Master Ling died at an early age
The fourth master broke his leg riding a horse when he was a teenager, and then he was able to fix his leg bone, but he fell into the problem of walking
So he stopped studying and helped take care of the Ling family’s stores and farms
Ling Fifth Master is quite some talent, but unfortunately, bad luck, after winning the lift, so many years have not been able to go further
So he has become a celebrity, all day long to call friends and drink wine, poetry, flowers and paintings, in Dingzhou city is quite famous
Ling old lady has been widowed, guarding the ancestral property of the Ling family, will be four sons and a daughter raised
Although her treatment of her two sons was not as good as that of her first son, it was still generous
In the Ling family, Mrs Ling’s status is extremely high
Sons filial piety needless to say, several daughters-in-law in front of Ling old lady respectful, a group of grandchildren are scrambling to please
Ling old lady most valued is the eldest grandson of the eldest house Ling Ji, the favorite is the fifth house of the twin siblings
Ling Jingshu is beautiful, talented, understanding, gentle and obedient
Ling Xiao was smart since childhood and was known as a child prodigy
After his accidental blindness at the age of eight, he was even more pitied and has been raised in the lap of Old Mrs Ling
It is only natural that Mrs Ling favors both siblings
The Ling family’s ancestral home has been handed down for more than a hundred years, and the carved beams and painted buildings bear the patina and vicissitudes of time
Ling Jingshu stood outside the Yonghe Hall, looking at the familiar grass and trees, there was no nostalgia in her heart, only sadness and desolation
In her previous life, during the first three years after she got married, she and her mother’s family were quite close
At that time, except for the regret of her twin brother’s early death, she only felt that everything was smooth and happy
However, the so-called happiness was only an illusion
When the relentless wind and rain came, the people around her tore off their false masks one by one, revealing their hideous faces
Combined forces pushed her into the abyss of endless
A crisp voice interrupted Ling Jingshu’s disorganized thoughts, “Slave girl greets Miss Nine”
Ling Jingshu raised her eyes
This was Old Madam Ling’s eldest maid, Mo Kwai
Mo Kwai is sixteen years old this year, born fair and charming, slender, eyes curved when she smiles, quite valued by Ling’s old lady: “The old lady has been thinking of Miss Nine for the past two days, and just now heard that Miss Nine is well enough to come and greet her, the old lady couldn’t be happier
Please go in with the slave girl”
Ling Jingshu did not say anything, only nodded, pulled Ling Xiao’s hand and stepped into Yonghe Hall
Mo Kwai was slightly stunned, only feeling that today’s Ninth Miss seemed a little different from previous days
Where is the difference, for a moment, but can not say
Mo Kwai fixed his mind, threw this flash of thought to the back of his mind, and quickly stepped after him
Just walked to the inner hall outside, then heard a naive and cute young girl’s voice: ”
Grandmother, there is still half a month to go before your seventieth birthday
My granddaughter has made a smudge for you by hand, if the needlework is not done well, grandmother don’t dislike it”
Old Mrs Ling’s laughter came out, “Sister Xian’er made it with her own hands, how could I not like it”
Ling Jingshu’s footsteps slightly lurched
There is still half a month to go before her grandmother’s seventieth birthday
All the tragedies of her previous life started from this birthday
The heavens had allowed her to be reborn at this point in time, just to let her open her eyes and choose once more, right?
This time, she would never repeat her mistakes!
Ling Xiao did not know why Ling Jingshu stopped and asked in a puzzled low voice, “Ah Shu, what’s wrong with you?”
Ling Jingshu quickly came back to her senses, knowing that Ling Xiao could not see, she still squeezed out a smile as if nothing had happened, “Nothing, let’s go in and greet our grandmother”
The first thing that catches her eye is Old Mrs Ling sitting at the top
Old Mrs Ling was already seventy years old, her hair had long been gray, the corners of her forehead were full of wrinkles, but her eyes were not cloudy due to old age, and occasionally flashed with a glimmer of shrewdness
Sitting on the left hand side of Ling old lady, is the second aunt Yue
The pink-clothed girl beside Yue was about fifteen years old, with a pink face and peach cheeks, and soulful eyes, and was none other than Ling Jingxian, the eighth cousin sister who had just pampered Ling’s old lady
On the other side of Ling’s old lady, sat the fourth aunt Wang
On Wang’s side, there was also a young girl in her prime, beautiful and quiet, sixth cousin Ling Jingwan
Ling Jingshu’s gaze swiftly skimmed over the crowd, landing on the face of the woman wearing a silver and red satin jacket
Around twenty-seven or eighteen years old, her eyes were slightly smaller, her mouth was slightly wider, and there was a small red mole at the corner of her lips
Her features were not particularly beautiful when viewed separately, but when combined together, they had a different kind of charming flavor
This woman was Ling Jingshu’s stepmother, Li
The moment the familiar face came into view, Ling Jingshu was almost unable to restrain her raging hatred and subconsciously clenched Ling Xiao’s hand
Ling Xiao was caught off guard and drew in a breath of cold air, the cry of pain reached his lips but he swallowed it
He backhanded Ling Jingshu’s right hand, which was constantly trembling lightly, and secretly worried in his heart
After waking up today, Ah Shu seems to be a little strange
It’s better to keep it quiet, lest grandmother be unhappy in her heart
Ling Jingshu quickly came back to her senses, took a deep breath in her mind, then smiled as she walked forward and bowed to Elder Mrs Ling, “Shu’er greets grandmother”
The fever had been high for two days and the heat had just subsided, her voice was a bit lower than usual, but still melodious and pleasant
Old Mrs Ling took a look at Ling Jingshu, smiled and waved at her, “Sister Shu, come to grandmother quickly, let grandmother take a good look”
Her smile was as loving and gentle as usual
It was as if she was the same grandmother who had always loved her
But Ling Jingshu clearly remembers, when she was humiliated in her husband’s home desperate to escape back to her mother’s home for help, this face is how cold and hard and merciless, without pity, ordered people to tie her up and send her back to her husband’s home
In old Mrs Ling’s heart, the reputation of the Ling family’s family business will always be at the top of the list
A mere granddaughter who had been married off, how could she take any more humiliation to heart
Ling Jingshu’s fingertips are cold, but her face ripples with a respectful and supple smile as she pulls Ling Xiao along with her to walk in front of Old Mrs Ling
Old Mrs Ling pulled up Ling Jingshu’s hand and immediately frowned: “Why are your hands so cold, are you wearing less clothes”
How can hands be as cold as the coldness of the heart
Ling Jingshu lowered her eyes and answered softly, “It’s Shu’er’s fault for making grandmother worry”Yes, Cousin Shu has been sick for the past two days, which has made Grandmother anxious”
Ling Jingxian interjected with a smile, looking at Ling Jingshu, whose face was slightly pale and thin, but whose beautiful demeanor was not in the least impaired, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes
At only fourteen years of age, Ling Jingshu not only had a beautiful face, but also had a skillful hand in cultivating and planting famous peonies, which made her cousins pale in comparison
Old Madam Ling’s favoritism towards Ling Jingshu was well known
She had put in a lot of effort to make her grandmother happy
But once Ling Jingshu arrived, grandmother’s eyes were immediately focused only on Ling Jingshu
Ling Jingshu smiled at Ling Jingxian, “With Cousin Xian at her side, how could Grandmother think of me?”
Ling Jingxian was only a year older than her, and had always been competitive, competing with her at every turn, even falling in love with the same man as her
It was a pity that Ling Jingxian’s heart was high and her life was thin, and she never won the competition
Old Mrs Ling listened to the two granddaughters fighting over jealousy, her heart was greatly relieved, and she laughed aloud, “Alright, both of you are grandmother’s heart, which one is not good enough without the other”
The daughters-in-law and granddaughters all laughed heartily
The Ling family’s children and grandchildren all read at home during the day, and even the youngest, Ling Jie, was initiated into reading
On weekdays, there are only women in the house, and the only male is Ling Xiao
After asking Ling Jingshu a few questions with concern, Old Mrs Ling looked at Ling Xiao and said lovingly, “Sister Shu has been sick for the past two days, and you’ve been restless and anxious as well
Now that she is well, you should feel relieved!”
Ling Xiao smiles coyly, “Yes, grandchildren let grandmother worry”
Old Madam Ling smiles, “Grandmother was born to be a laborer, so it’s not a big deal to worry more
As long as all of you are well, grandmother’s heart will be at ease”
The love and compassion was overflowing
Li’s eyes quickly flashed a trace of cynicism, but her face piled up a smile: “Grandmother is a Bodhisattva, our family of children and grandchildren, who do not look forward to the mother-in-law praise a few words
Even I, as a daughter-in-law, am shamelessly looking forward to my mother-in-law’s pity!”
Old Mrs Ling was amused by this playful remark and smiled happily
Of the four daughters-in-law, the eldest daughter-in-law, Sun, lived in the capital with her eldest son, and the remaining three daughters-in-law all lived in the Ling family’s old mansion
The second daughter-in-law, Yue, is shrewd and mean, and the fourth daughter-in-law, Wang, is flexible
Li’s background is not high, and is the fifth master Ling’s stepfamily
However, in the end, it is the daughter-in-law of the first son
In the heart of Ling old lady, born than Yue’s Wang’s a few points heavier
Li’s eloquent, clever tongue, again deliberately coaxed Ling old lady
Soon, Old Mrs Ling’s attention was diverted from Ling Jingshu’s siblingsGrandmother-in-law’s seventieth birthday is just around the corner, the eldest uncle’s family left from the capital more than half a month ago, and counting the days, they should arrive in Dingzhou in another seven or eight days”
Li knew Ling’s old lady’s mind well, and picked what she loved to hear: “Lu’s family also made a special effort to come back from Jizhou
My daughter-in-law has been married to the Ling family for eight years now, and has never met her sister-in-law who married far away!
This time, I can say that I have the opportunity to be properly close to her”
Mentioning her young daughter who had been married far away in Jizhou for many years and had not returned to her home, Old Mrs Ling’s gaze immediately softened, “Yes, Ah Hui was married far away in Jizhou, and in the past twelve years, there have only been letters exchanged, and I haven’t seen her for a long time
This time, if it wasn’t for my seventieth birthday, I’m afraid she might not have come back”
Li immediately laughed and took over the conversation, “Take advantage of this time, you can stay with your little aunt for a few more days”
Yue and Wang also laughed and chimed in
When Ling Jingshu heard the word Lu family, her expression did not change, only that her right hand, which was shrunken in her wide sleeve robe, was gripped a little tighter
Fingernails pinched into her palm, a burst of stinging pain
Anger and hatred were like burning magma, screaming and churning in her heart, almost about to burst out of her chest
Just at this moment, the concierge ran in with a happy face and reported, “Reporting to the old lady, the steward who waited at the pier has sent a message back, the boat that aunt granny took has already arrived at the pier”