Chapter 26: Silk Socks – See No Evil

The girl’s puzzled tone seemed to orbit through outer space before circling back into Wen Zhixu’s ears: “I just dui-ed her a couple times.”

Dui.

No one present understood.

Wen Zhixu pieced together some meaning from that bold tone. He instantly understood, looking down at Miss Zhao with condescension: “What Miss Lin said was merely tit for tat, far from being considered insulting.”

“…” As if doused with cold water, Miss Zhao froze in place, while the servants and maids around her looked utterly shocked – this was sheer defiance of natural order!

The rouge on Miss Zhao’s face spread all the way down her neck, making her resemble a thick, sturdy carrot.

Qingwu complained: “Second Young Master, she insulted my lady first!”

Miss Zhao’s attendants hurried forward to protect their mistress.

Six against one, several sharp gazes shot toward Qingwu.

Unable to contain her anger, Qingwu randomly grabbed two unlucky souls for support.

Unlucky Soul No. 1 Xie Qi: I was just passing by!

Unlucky Soul No. 2 Lin Pinyan: Sister, can I have some sugar-coated hawthorn? Just one piece.

Lin Xihe found herself sandwiched between them like the filling in a hamburger.

The two sides faced off, a major conflict ready to erupt at any moment.

“I never expected the legitimate daughter of Hanlin Academician Lord Zhao to possess such demeanor. I’ve learned something today.” Wen Zhixu’s voice held no inflection. “If you don’t wish to become tomorrow’s laughingstock, Miss Zhao, please return.”

“…”

Miss Zhao’s figure had vanished from sight. Tea house guests whispered among themselves as everything returned to silence.

Only the Floating Wave River rippled gently, rising and falling with Lin Xihe’s breathing, wafting a faint sweet-and-sour fragrance.

“Thanks for helping me counterattack.” Lin Xihe lowered her head to nibble her sugar-coated hawthorn. The vendor had disappeared without a trace, and she still had three pieces left – she needed to eat them sparingly.

Wen Zhixu stood beneath the willow tree, its drooping branches casting deep shadows over him. When Lin Xihe looked over, the corners of his eyes resembled willow leaves.

He turned slightly, his gaze tracing half of Lin Xihe’s profile.

Her cheeks were puffed up, chewing like a hamster. Children’s snacks – could they really be this delicious?

“What were you insulting me about just now?” he asked.

“I didn’t insult you.” Lin Xihe stopped eating, a few sesame seeds sticking to the corner of her mouth.

“You were insulting me in your mind.”

Lin Xihe was shocked by Wen Zhixu’s logic. Was this guy’s brain broken?

She maintained a wooden expression, meeting that handsome face: “What I’m thinking right now is stripping you naked, tying your hands and feet with iron chains, and whipping you fiercely with a small whip soaked in chili water. I’m doing all this to you in my mind… Well? Go report me to the authorities!”

“Lin Xihe!” Wen Zhixu’s face turned green with rage.

Xie Qi, who had been drawing circles nearby, nearly dropped his jaw in shock. He wanted to say something in Lin Xihe’s defense, but upon seeing Wen Zhixu’s dark expression, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

This woman was extraordinary, truly a heroine among women!

Lin Pinyan asked confusedly: “Sister, you want to torture brother-in-law?”

Wen Zhixu mentally calculated several versions of insults to throw back at her – no, according to her new terminology, this would be called “counter-dui.”

“A young lady, so sharp-tongued…” His words remained unfinished.

“Ah, the sugar-coated hawthorn vendor!” Lin Xihe grabbed Qingwu’s sleeve. “Quick, quick, I want another stick!”

Her skirt fluttered past, disturbing the willow catkins covering the ground.

“…”

Xie Qi had never seen Wen Zhixu bested before. Was this still the Wen Second he knew! Back in Zishan Hall, Wen Zhixu had dared to debate with the Crown Prince’s teacher – the Hanlin Expositor-in-waiting – right in the classroom, his words sharp and uncompromising.

In the blink of an eye, the girl who had arrogantly run off earlier came slinking back.

Lin Xihe: “Got any copper coins?”

“You’re out of money?” Wen Zhixu instinctively tightened his grip on the silver ingot hidden in his sleeve.

“I only have silver ingots, and the vendors can’t make change,” she tilted her head, grinning at Wen Zhixu with a guileless, foolish smile, as if they were the closest of friends in all of Shengjing. “Lend me ten coppers.”

Her hand was already stretched out right under his nose. Not giving would be impolite.

Wen Zhixu wasn’t particularly keen on being polite.

Xie Qi pulled out a string of coins: “Miss Lin, please accept this.”

“Thank you, young man, but I want it from him.” Lin Xihe’s gaze shifted from Xie Qi back to Wen Zhixu’s face. “Didn’t I give you a silver ingot for the carriage fare? Did you spend it all on tea?”

A gentle breeze blew by, and a willow catkin landed on the crown of Lin Xihe’s head.

“Hurry up and give it to me, or there’ll be nothing left to buy!”

Wen Zhixu reluctantly fished out a few copper coins.

Lin Xihe, still sporting the willow catkin on her head, left satisfied.

Xie Qi was both impressed and amused by Wen Zhixu’s spinelessness, causing the latter to pull a long face and snap, “She’s out of her mind; I won’t stoop to her level. If you dare breathe a single word of today’s events, you’ll regret it.”

The farmer leaning against the ox cart chimed in with relish, “Regret it, regret it.”

The candied hawthorn vendor raised his straw pole and shouted after them, “Young master, wait! Miss Lin didn’t spend all the copper coins you gave her. She’s treating you gentlemen to candied hawthorns!”

The laundresses by the riverbank paused their pounding, watching intently as the young nobleman nibbled on the candied hawthorn.

Now the whole neighborhood knew.

.

Having paid Wen Zhixu a hefty sum for repairs, how could Min Shi and her daughter swallow their anger? Lin Zhirou was determined to marry into the Wen family, constantly thinking: since her money repaired the residence, she should be the one living there as its mistress.

She pointed directly to the root of all evil: Lin Xihe.

She aimed to tarnish Lin Xihe’s reputation, forcing the Wen family to annul the engagement.

Silver quietly flowed into the hands of laundresses, farmers, tavern waiters, and breakfast stall owners.

“Spreading rumors about a young lady’s lack of virtue? How vicious!” The breakfast stall owner was quite principled. “I won’t earn dirty money.”

The laundress said, “I heard Miss Lin is already mad and foolish? Let’s not exaggerate, just tell the truth.”

“Deal.”

The commoners accepted the broken silver Housekeeper Wang gave them.

In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, gossip had spread like wildfire.

Lin Xihe walked onto the third bridge, praying facing the shimmering river.

A rowing boat drifted leisurely, and the boatman, spotting the figure on the bridge, paused his pole and cried out, “The mad young lady from the Lin family is here!”

The bustling market fell silent, shops closed one after another, and the pipa music from the distant brothel abruptly stopped.

Qingwu, furious, threw her candied hawthorn skewer at the boat.

As they reached the rouge shop at the bridgehead, Lin Xihe’s gaze met the shopkeeper’s—smack, the two door panels slammed shut right in front of her.

In broad daylight, the shop was tightly closed. The situation was truly eerie.

The boatman’s words echoed, setting off a chain reaction. The gold and silver shop, the thread shop, the hair ornament shop, the comb shop… all shops favored by wealthy young ladies.

The shopkeepers looked panicked, and with a series of bangs, half the previously lively street was shuttered in an instant.

Lin Xihe stopped her impulsive maid and murmured, “The speed of closure is like dominoes falling.”

The master and servant strolled leisurely along the riverbank. A gentle breeze parted the drooping willow branches, revealing an unbroken line of white walls lining the path. Swallows carrying food in their beaks darted between the dark roof tiles… It was a scene straight out of a period drama.

How vexing—the silver in her purse simply refused to be spent today.

Qingwu pointed brightly toward a corner: “Miss, look! That’s an old-established pharmacy! I’ll go ask about Huaruishi right away!”

Lin Xihe’s puppy-dog eyes welled up with shimmering tears: “My precious son is counting on you.”

A faint sound of a carriage halting reached her ears.

Turning around, Lin Xihe met someone’s downward gaze.

The young master leaned idly against the carriage window, having regained his composed and elegant demeanor, and studied her with a faint, mocking smile: “Son?”

“…”

“Sis—” Lin Pinyan’s head popped out from inside the carriage, only to be shoved back by Wen Zhixu’s palm.

A son? Where did Miss Lin get a son? Xie Qi, the newly appointed coachman, didn’t dare breathe too loudly: this gossip was too explosive for him to digest all at once.

Lin Xihe smirked at the carriage window: “What impressive sharp ears! It’s the Jade Emperor’s loss that you’re not employed at the Southern Heavenly Gate.”

The carriage curtain was yanked down, concealing the young man’s livid expression.

Muffled sounds came from inside the carriage: “Sis… I meant to pick you up… to return to the manor together…”

Xie Qi felt like kowtowing to Lin Xihe: “Lady Lin, let’s meet another day.”

“Bye-bye~” Lin Xihe raised her paw and waved it randomly, using the motion to cover a big yawn.

The carriage departed in a cloud of dust.

Wen Zhixu, as if guided by some unseen force, glanced back.

The figure—more tired than a dog, greedier than a pig, and sharper-tongued than a myna—vanished into the depths of the alley, leaving no trace.

As expected, the pharmacy had no Huaruishi. After Qingwu slipped the shop assistant two taels of broken silver, she obtained a crucial piece of information: deep within the limestone cave behind Shu Shi An lay abundant Huaruishi.

The shop assistant’s account closely matched the information provided by Qian Daifu.

In other words, Shu Shi An held promise.

Lin Xihe clenched her fist: “First thing tomorrow, we go to Shu Shi An.”

“Miss, that place is forbidden!” Qingwu regretted her words. Had she known, she wouldn’t have told her mistress.

Shu Shi An was a major taboo in the manor. Going there without Lin Zhaoheng’s permission was a serious transgression.

.

The spat between the two young ladies, Lin and Zhao, at the tea garden was quickly seized upon by street vendors.

Two-copper candied hawthorn sticks, paired with the freshest and juiciest gossip, spread their sweet-and-sour flavor through every street and alley.

To make matters worse, the rumors deliberately spread by Min Shi and her daughter coincided with the gossip.

Gossip combined with rumors, a powerful alliance, instantly swept through Shengjing.

Her new embroidered shoes chafed her feet, and Lin Xihe regretted it so much her intestines turned green. Had she known, she would have hitched a ride in Wen Zhixu’s carriage.

Passing by a shoe shop, she noticed a swaying sign at the entrance, the characters for “Inner Height Increase” flickering in and out of view.

The wind rocked it back and forth, also stirring up the memory of her bickering with Wen Zhixu at this very shop’s doorstep.

When he told her to add more layers of insoles, was he mocking her for being a short stump?

Lin Xihe strode into the shop and, sure enough, found insoles about an inch thick displayed inside.

It seemed the shopkeeper had stolen her idea, using her concept for business. Merchants truly had clever minds.

A short, lavishly dressed man was browsing shoes, but the shopkeeper’s silver tongue failed to persuade him.

The deal fell through.

The shopkeeper’s gaze met Lin Xihe’s, and his face paled—it was that plague-bringer from the Lin manor! Hadn’t his wife just been gossiping about this very Miss Lin?

The subject of the gossip had appeared even faster than Cao Cao.

Lin Xihe: “Talking behind my back?”

The shopkeeper: “…” He was genuinely afraid this young lady might go berserk and punch him.

Lin Xihe paused for a breath. Had she been too fierce?

She composed her expression, managing her features carefully, and pointed toward the shop entrance. “Boss, set up a blackboard here and write this advertisement.”

The shopkeeper’s wife hurried over upon hearing the commotion, shielding her husband like a hen protecting her chicks. People in ancient times weren’t well-educated, and facing a woman rumored to have returned from the dead—who wouldn’t be terrified?

The “female ghost” let out a soft laugh. “Still want to make a fortune or not?”

The shopkeeper and his wife both jolted, their desire for wealth overriding their fear.

Lin Xihe instructed, “Inner Height Increase shoes, indistinguishable from ordinary footwear, will help you stand tall and straight. Write this on the blackboard: ‘A full seven chi of height, achieved instantly.'”

An expert! The shopkeeper’s wife’s eyes lit up, and her gaze toward Lin Xihe shifted entirely.

“Miss Lin, my apologies for earlier rudeness,” the shopkeeper bowed with clasped hands. “Might I ask what a blackboard is?”

Ah, blackboards hadn’t been invented in this era. Lin Xihe gestured the size. “Prop up a wooden board this big, decorate the frame a bit—make it eye-catching.”

The shopkeeper’s wife spoke respectfully, “Miss Lin, if you could also grace our Inner Height Increase insoles with a name, it would be even better.”

“Call them ‘Rising Step by Step.'”

“Brilliant!”

Being the wife of a shoe shop owner, she immediately noticed Lin Xihe’s discomfort. She fetched a pair of exquisitely embroidered slippers from the back. “Your embroidered shoes don’t fit well, do they? If you don’t mind, wear these for now. Someone, prepare a carriage to escort Miss Lin back to her residence.”

The shoe shop’s carriage was naturally no match for the Wen family’s carriage.

Qingwu played the role of a blind masseuse, kneading Lin Xihe’s feet. The carriage rocked and swayed, making Lin Xihe dizzy and disoriented.

Wen Zhixu had just entered the estate when the sound of a carriage stopping came from the lane outside.

The steward had been waiting at the gate for some time. “Second Young Master, the old master has just woken up feeling unwell and is calling for you.”

Wen Zhixu cut straight to the point. “Grandfather naturally falls ill when he can’t see the thorn in his side.”

Everyone in the Wen residence knew that the thorn in Wen Hongyuan’s side was none other than the young lady from the neighboring Lin estate.

It was a day off from court, and without his archrival to spar with, Wen Hongyuan felt restless all over.

The servants looked pleadingly at the second young master, hoping he could soothe the old man’s temper.

To their surprise, upon hearing the carriage outside, Wen Zhixu turned and left.

“Chaos, chaos,” the steward lamented. Though the second young master had a notorious reputation outside, he had always prioritized filial piety at home. How could he disregard the old master now?

What had come over him?

The Lin estate stood grand and imposing, yet a shabby carriage was parked at its gate.

Wen Zhixu twirled a stick of candied hawthorn in his hand—such coarse fare was only fit for street urchins.

A maid jumped down from the carriage, causing the wheels to jolt abruptly. Then, a voice from inside complained, “Oh no, I’m out of money. I still need to tip the coachman.”

Wen Zhixu’s guess was right: Lin Xihe had returned.

But her muttering puzzled him. Was the Lin estate about to have its assets seized by the court? For a legitimate daughter to ride in such a humble carriage…

Then he heard the maid respond briskly, “Miss, I’ll ask the gatekeeper for some.”

Even the personal maid of a noble young lady had no loose change. Wen Zhixu reached a conclusion: the Lin family was truly broke.

As the plump figure disappeared through the Lin residence gate, a slender hand emerged from the carriage compartment—far more delicate than the maid’s thick wrist. What a jest of the Ning Dynasty—since when did a young mistress become twice as slender as her maid? This Lin Xihe, with her foolish demeanor—might she be secretly bullied by the servants?

Seeing her alight, Wen Zhixu stepped aside.

She was lightly curling her ten fingers, examining her neatly trimmed nails. The nail surfaces, painted with rouge, gleamed under sunlight streaming from the eaves, the specks of crimson appearing exceptionally vivid. Her smug, smiling eyes curved into crescent moons.

“What a pity,” Lin Xihe mused absently. In modern times, this outfit would pair perfectly with blue-and-white porcelain nail art.

Habitually, she nibbled her nail, only to find most color had faded. “Such shoddy work dares to cost me two taels of silver?” she exclaimed, feeling cheated.

“…” Wen Zhixu remained silent briefly. This wasn’t the Lin family’s poverty—it was her squandering all funds on frivolities.

Lin Xihe shuffled in place, scanning left and right for Qingwu. The carriage driver was waiting anxiously.

Just then, the setting sun cast long shadows against the high outer wall, revealing a figure standing within the shaded area.

Lin Xihe gasped in surprise. “Trying to scare me to death?”

Wen Zhixu: “Passing by.”

“Oh, I see—you fancy yourself a stone lion.” Lin Xihe bounded toward the majestic stone lion flanking the gate, patting its cold stone head as if teasing a husky.

Wen Zhixu inwardly regretted his decision. He should have returned home to humor his grandfather instead.

That cranky old man was easier to deal with than her.

“Hey,” Lin Xihe said while stroking the lion’s head, though her eyes drifted toward the candied hawthorn in Wen Zhixu’s hand. “Got any money left?”

“…” He knew it!

“I even treated you to that tanghulu earlier.”

“The coins for the tanghulu were, if I recall, lent to you by me,” Wen Zhixu emphasized the word “lent.”

“I paid your ride-hailing fee first.”

“It’s perfectly reasonable for my family’s carriage to charge a fare when carrying passengers, isn’t it?”

Lin Xihe fell silent.

The shoemaker-turned-driver never expected payment. Seeing Miss Lin and Second Master Wen arguing over such trivialities, he hurriedly interjected, “Young master, young lady, please don’t let small matters harm your harmony.”

Harmony?

Their gazes clashed wordlessly, neither yielding. After a tense moment, both coldly looked away.

Qingwu brought silver and gave the driver some broken fragments, which he accepted with repeated thanks.

But Lin Xihe found this insufficient. She personally retrieved a silver ingot from Qingwu’s purse and bestowed it as an extra reward.

The driver nearly fainted from happiness.

Someone else nearly fainted from rage.

“Lin Xihe, what is the meaning of this?”

By Lin Xihe’s own logic, his “ride-hailing fee” amounted to just one ingot, yet she’d given the driver far more.

“Paying for the ride,” Lin Xihe replied, already subtly shifting her footing as she sensed his impending outburst. “He traveled a longer distance—what’s wrong with charging more?”

“How can my carriage be compared to his?”

“Next time I’ll pay you Didi premium rates, alright?”

Didi premium? Wen Zhixu didn’t understand the term, but anything from Lin Xihe’s mouth was surely insolent.

Seeing his temper flare, Lin Xihe shrank back like a nimble fish and darted away.

“Close the gates! Close them!”

Just as the gates began shutting, Wen Zhixu spotted her running so frantically she’d lost a shoe. She returned barefoot in her silk socks, picking up the shoe while sticking out her tongue briefly.

Do not look upon impropriety.

Wen Zhixu’s gaze abruptly sharpened, coming to rest precisely on her pale silk socks. Yet Lin Xihe actually lifted the soiled foot, hopping twice on one leg while casually brushing away the dust from her sock sole.

Did she even know what shame was? Where was the slightest demeanor befitting a young lady of noble birth?

.

After washing her hands, Lin Xihe carefully examined the injury beneath the bird’s wing. Que Er seemed somewhat more spirited, gently pecking at her fingertips.

The old Housekeeper brought over a dish of rice porridge and reported on its condition: “Young Miss, the little master had some rice broth around mid-morning, rested at noon, and passed some waste after waking.”

Lin Xihe asked further: “Is it normal?”

The Housekeeper looked troubled: “A bit loose.”

“Was it covered with a blanket? Remember to keep its belly wrapped.”

“It was covered.”

Drawing from her previous life’s experience rescuing stray cats and dogs, she knew diarrhea wasn’t good for small animals.

She fed it some millet porridge using a thin bamboo spoon, softly comforting: “Good bird, eating will help you recover. I’ll go find fluorite tomorrow.”

Lin Zhaoheng returned covered in travel dust, heading straight to Tinghe Courtyard upon arriving home.

“He’er!”

“Shh!” Lin Xihe hastily set down the small bamboo spoon, pressing her index finger to her lips.

Lin Zhaoheng immediately fell silent.

The Housekeeper nearby quietly explained: “Master, the little master is eating now and mustn’t be startled.”

Lin Zhaoheng’s sharp gaze swept around the room. The troublemaker Lin Pinyan wasn’t present, but since when did Tinghe Courtyard acquire a “little master”?

“Father.” Lin Xihe was growing increasingly comfortable with the address.

His precious daughter no longer called him “Bà,” and Lin Zhaoheng wasn’t quite accustomed to it.

Before court earlier, while waiting in the preparation hall with other civil officials, he had asked his colleagues. Lord Yan, who came from humble beginnings as a top scholar and grew up in common neighborhoods, told him that “Bà” was an affectionate term for father used by common children, a relatively recent trend in the streets.

Lin Zhaoheng: “Calling me Bà is fine too.”

Following his daughter’s gaze, he finally noticed the listless little creature.

“Keeping a bird?”

“Just temporarily caring for it for someone.” Lin Xihe said reluctantly. “Once it recovers, it needs to be returned.”

“Couldn’t you just buy it?” Lin Zhaoheng’s voice rose slightly. Someone else’s bird deserved to have his daughter personally attend to it? What nerve!

He regretted the words immediately. His daughter had just recovered from serious illness and needed utmost quiet. To cover his embarrassment, Lin Zhaoheng picked up the small spoon and took a mouthful of porridge.

Tch. Bland and tasteless.

Lin Xihe hesitated: “Bà, that’s…” Bu Bu’s food.

Unexpectedly, Lin Zhaoheng slapped the spoon onto the table, scowling at the servants: “Is this how you serve the young lady? Not even a proper side dish? Are we short on household provisions?”

“Sis! Grubs, earthworms, chrysalises! Bu Bu’s side dishes are here!”

Lin Zhaoheng turned at the voice to see his tall, sturdy yet childlike son rushing in. The boy’s hands were cupped like bowls, holding a cluster of dark, wriggling insects.

Lin Zhaoheng: “…”

Lin Xihe, who feared insects, fled directly to the backyard.

Lin Pinyan received an uncompromising scolding from Lin Zhaoheng and left in tears.

Quiet returned to the room.

“Why did you scold him? Isn’t he your son?” Lin Xihe had never understood Lin Zhaoheng’s attitude. Weren’t ancient people supposed to favor sons over daughters? She hadn’t seen the slightest sign of favoritism toward Lin Pinyan.

“That’s different.” Lin Zhaoheng looked at his daughter, complex emotions shifting in his gaze, ultimately condensing into a soft sigh. “He’er, the day after tomorrow is the first of the month. Shu Shi An will be distributing porridge. Go get a bowl of plain porridge on your father’s behalf.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Xihe felt as if struck by lightning. She had only transmigrated a few days ago—was the Lin family already bankrupt? No, perhaps it was even worse. Had the Lin family gotten involved in a crime punishable by the extermination of nine clans?!

Wait… what was that name again?

Lin Zhaoheng repeated, “Shu Shi An.” He swiftly observed his daughter, trying to detect any trace of abnormality in her subtle expressions.

Would she resent him? Blame him?