Chapter 433: Chapter 433: Suffer in Silence
"Get up, both of you. What exactly happened? Sit down and tell me slowly," Old Master Lin said with authority.
Although Mr. Lin couldn’t stand this daughter-in-law, Lin Mingjun was his biological grandson, after all, so he still had some affection for them.
So he also sat down to listen, no longer interrupting the mother and son’s tearful complaints.
Lin Mingjun sat in the courtyard crying for a good while before he stopped, and then Third Aunt Lin continued the waterworks.
The mother and son recounted what had happened at the Mu Family’s home in great detail, but from their own perspective.
Their perspective was that they were completely blameless; everyone else was at fault.
Wiping her tears, Third Aunt Lin said, "Grandfather, Father, I went to the banquet at my great-aunt’s with my mother and eldest brother.
My son, Ming Jun, took a fancy to the Mu Family’s young master’s female caregiver, but who would have thought that caregiver would show him no respect at all.
She even had the audacity to slap me several times and then pushed Ming Jun to the ground.
I was furious, so I told that caregiver that we are from the Lin Family, a family she can’t afford to offend.
But not only was she not afraid, she arrogantly said, ’The Lin Family? Who do they think they are?’ So we had no choice but to come back and tell you."
Old Master Lin frowned as he listened, mulling over the situation.
’According to my third grandson’s wife, the caregiver must be quite beautiful. For Ming Jun to publicly profess his love for her, she must be as gorgeous as a goddess.’
’And for the eldest brother of the Bao Family to be willing to offend the Lin Family rather than reprimand that caregiver, the girl must have a powerful background.’
The eldest master of the Bao Family was a high-ranking official in the Imperial City. His son, two younger brothers, and nephew all held high positions in the military.
’If he doesn’t dare to offend her, then there’s even less our Lin Family can do.’
’Besides, the main branch of the family overseas has already sent people to tell us to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble.’
’It seems this time, my grandson’s wife and great-grandson will just have to suffer in silence!’
He felt helpless, but Old Master Lin still asked with concern, "Who did the Mu Family invite today?"
Third Aunt Lin lowered her head, choked back a sob, and said, "The grandfather and grandson from the Li family, old man Xiao from the Xiao Family, old man Han from the Han family..."
"The Li family? Do you mean the Li family whose second son holds a higher position than your eldest brother?" Old Master Lin was stunned.
"I... I think so. The young man did look a bit like him," Third Aunt Lin replied, the realization dawning on her late.
She had been too furious at the time to pay close attention. Looking back now, it was no wonder her eldest brother wouldn’t help them.
As she was lost in self-doubt, her father-in-law said sarcastically, "Third Aunt Lin, don’t you understand? Even your own Bao Family wouldn’t dare help you. Why did you insist on asking for trouble?"
Third Aunt Lin and Lin Mingjun were speechless.
’What’s the point of having such a useless grandfather!’
Just then, the matriarch of the Lin Family, Wang Shuping, came to invite Old Master Lin to dinner and happened to overhear her father-in-law’s words.
She asked in surprise, "Third Sister-in-law, Ming Jun, you two were beaten today? Who had the gall to do such a thing?"
But inwardly, she was thinking: ’Good! Wonderful! No wonder her face is swollen up like a pig’s head.’
’Which hero was it that struck the blow? If they had hit her a little harder, I’d have to treat them to tea!’
Third Aunt Lin always used her maiden family’s power to disrespect her, her eldest sister-in-law, and would even bully her behind Old Master Lin’s back.
"Eldest Aunt, it was just some clueless caregiver who, thinking she was pretty, dared to look down on me."
"A mere caregiver?" Wang Shuping’s sharp voice echoed through the Lin Family courtyard. She was so disappointed!
"Eldest Daughter-in-law! What’s with all the shouting? Have you forgotten your manners as the family matriarch, causing such a commotion?" Mr. Lin flared up again.
’I can’t stand either of them,’ he thought. ’The eldest one is so vain and materialistic she abandoned her former husband to marry my outstanding eldest son.’
’The third one is arrogant and bullies people with her connections, and she’s raised my grandson to be an ignorant brat who stirs up trouble everywhere.’
’And my own father still thinks I’m a good-for-nothing. What’s so wrong with enjoying a bit of romance and art!’
"Father, I apologize. I lost my composure. Grandfather, for a mere caregiver to dare to strike a member of the Lin Family—we can’t let this matter rest."
"Indeed, we cannot let it rest. Tomorrow, you will take Third Daughter-in-law with you to find that caregiver," Old Master Lin said sternly.
Wang Shuping was inwardly resistant, but she said obediently, "Grandfather, let’s go eat. Tomorrow, I will go with Third Sister-in-law to have a good talk with that caregiver."
"Hmph. You? You think you can go confront her? Even I came back having suffered a loss," Third Aunt Lin sneered at Wang Shuping.
"I’m going to reason with her, not to pick a fight," Wang Shuping said with an air of righteousness.
"Correct. The eldest daughter-in-law has a point. The Lin Family can’t be bullied by just any Tom, Dick, or Harry," Old Master Lin said resolutely.
"Great-Grandpa, Grandpa, I want to go beat up the bad person too," Wang Shuping’s young son, Lin Mingwen, said innocently.
"Good, good! Our little Xiao Wen is all grown up now. He already knows how to bring honor to the Lin Family," Old Master Lin said, bursting into laughter, amused by his little great-grandson.
"Great-Grandfather, tomorrow I’ll go with Eldest Aunt and Xiao Wen to reason with that caregiver," Lin Mingjun chimed in.
His great-grandfather wouldn’t help him, and his grandfather was a spineless coward. He was seething with resentment.
But he didn’t dare say it out loud. He usually relied on the Lin Family’s reputation to act like a tyrant outside.
’After dinner, I’ll go cry to Dad. He’ll probably help me get that rose with thorns back.’
Gu Jiaojiao, however, had no idea the Lin Family was coming to cause trouble for her. She had already finished dinner.
She had taken a bath in her personal space and changed into a nightgown. The slip was thin, and under the moonlight, a cascade of black hair was draped over her shoulders, her eyes slightly downcast.
She no longer had the stunning, glamorous impact of the daytime, but instead possessed a different kind of gentle, alluring charm.
At this moment, the room was filled with a sweet fragrance unique to a young woman. With every breath Su Shuochi took, he inhaled her scent.
This was a man who had been through battlefields filled with a hail of bullets, a man who had walked the line between life and death.
He had witnessed too much death and separation, experienced the hypocrisy of power and profit, and finally returned home to recuperate after a severe injury.
He had thought he would be permanently paralyzed from the waist down, lonely in his bed for the rest of his life. He never imagined that one day a woman would share his bed.
But by a twist of fate, he had met her.
They had come together for their own separate reasons, but in the course of ordinary life, they had truly fallen for each other.
Their relationship had not only passionate love, but also its share of setbacks and upheavals.
Unconsciously, she had stolen his heart, and like a greenhorn experiencing love for the first time, he wanted to show her everything he was.
They would spend the rest of their years together. A fiery heat ignited in the depths of Su Shuochi’s calm, pool-like eyes, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
He moved to sit beside her, and with a simple crook of his large hand, he easily pulled his little wife into his arms.
His voice was a little low. "Wifey, let’s go to sleep."
"Mm."
In the dim room, by the light of the moon, one could faintly make out the rise and fall of silhouettes and the sound of soft whispers...
