Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Just as they had guessed, as soon as they returned home, Gu Yeshi had already sent his housekeeper to each household to apologize on his behalf. Although they only gave them some pastries, at least their attitude was there.

This day was one of utter humiliation, leaving everyone with a spectacle.

As for why he didn't go to their shops himself, it was all because of his deep-seated pride. He felt ashamed for cleaning up the messes left by women, and these merchants weren't worth his personal visits.

The next day, at the invitation of several ladies, Bai Suihe met at a teahouse to listen to storytelling.

Bai Suihe listened to those old, worn-out stories, which were all read verbatim from storybooks.

Initially filled with a sense of novelty, it quickly became rather dull in less than fifteen minutes.

But seeing the other ladies listening with great interest and occasionally offering praise made her feel somewhat out of place.

"What's wrong? Was today's story not interesting?" Mrs. Qian asked, somewhat puzzled. This was a good point.

“I’ve read this kind of storybook before,” Bai Suihe certainly couldn’t spoil the fun, “so I knew the ending from the beginning. Do you want me to tell you the ending now?”

Mrs. Qian quickly waved her hand, "Then forget it, I'll just listen to the storytelling instead. The process is quite important."

“Reading books and listening to audiobooks are two different things,” Madam Jiang interjected. “I received some new information today. Would you like to know it?”

Anyway, the storytellers always tell similar stories, so you can stop in the middle to gossip a bit.

"Stop keeping us in suspense, let's just get straight to the point."

Mrs. Jiang, "Do you still remember Mrs. Lin who fainted yesterday?"

"what happened?"

"He developed a high fever last night, and I heard it hasn't subsided yet."

Bai Suihe couldn't help but prick up her ears, "Were you too frightened?"

"Maybe so, but she's far too timid. She was so scared she had a seizure, and then she got a fever. I never knew she was like this before." Madam Qian tried hard to recall. The other person seemed to have little presence, but she shouldn't be so incompetent.

“Besides the possibility that she was scared halfway, it was also because of the mess her family made,” Mrs. Jiang said, with some sympathy. “My family lives not far from them, so I know a little more about it than you do.”

The Lin family wasn't exactly a prominent family in the county. They only owned two estates, and their meager assets supported their livelihood in the county.

However, Mr. Lin was quite farsighted. He supported his children and grandchildren who were capable of studying. His wife was also very fertile, giving birth to three sons and three daughters.

The eldest son passed the preliminary examination two years ago and is preparing to take the county-level examination this year. The children are also quite obedient, making it a relatively harmonious family.

However, these good days changed drastically this year. She wasn't in the county town with her son; Mr. Lin was managing two estates in the countryside. After the New Year, he became involved with a pretty widow from the village. While it's not unusual for a man to be lustful, the pretty widow was ambitious and unwilling to be a concubine, expressing her willingness to be with both men.

Seeing Bai Suihe and the others looking at her with inquisitive eyes, Madam Jiang felt very satisfied. Today's news was exciting enough, and she even asked and answered her own question, "You must be very curious about what 'big at both ends' means?"
"Let me tell you, it's that widow who said Madam Lin should manage things in the county town, while she'd reluctantly work with Master Lin managing two estates in the village." "Is this widow a stunning beauty?" Madam Qian asked curiously. "Have you seen her?"

"Where should I go to see her?" Madam Jiang was also very curious. "It was only when Madam Lin went back home for the New Year that she discovered the clues and that's when things started to get out of hand."

But that Mr. Lin is no good either. He's now blinded by women and listens only to that pretty widow, even finding her words quite reasonable.

They said they would let Mrs. Lin and her children enjoy a comfortable life in the county town, and they would take care of the affairs of the estate.

Bah! That's a shameful thing to say. How could they say such a thing? The Lin family only has two farms that are promising. How is Mrs. Lin supposed to live in the county town with her children?

Besides, his three sons are still studying at the academy, their lives are in their hands, and he might have to rely on that pretty widow in the future. That's why he's feeling rather depressed.

Bai Suihe rested her chin on her hand and said, "Since that's the case, I think it's a good idea that Madam Gu wanted to buy their estate. If they sell the estate and Master Lin is willing to live in the village with that pretty widow, then let them be."

Madam Qian and the others stared intently at Bai Suihe. Madam Li even slammed her hand on the table, saying, "Yes, isn't this a great idea? Since they can't have it anyway, then nobody else can either."

Madam Qian nodded in agreement. If she were Madam Lin, she might have readily agreed. With Master Lin being so domineering within his own household, would he dare to challenge the Duke's Mansion?
Madam Jiang sighed, "While this is very satisfying, it's really not a good solution."

Although the estate will be sold and a sum of money will be obtained, it certainly won't reach Madam Lin's hands.

At that point, she and her children will have even less of a way to survive.

"What's the point of living, anyway? They work so hard to have children for the Lin family, only to find themselves old and faded, and then someone else comes along to reap the benefits."

Apart from Bai Suihe, which household didn't have concubines, illegitimate children, or illegitimate sons and daughters? If they were to ask themselves honestly, if they encountered such a heartless widow, they would probably be so angry that they would fall ill.

Bai Suihe couldn't change the patriarchal system of ancient times, so she could only tell herself that she had to uphold the last line of defense no matter what.

If Gu Kaiyuan develops ulterior motives in the future, she can raise the child on her own. However, the thought of this makes her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“Suihe, you are different from us. You have the Bai family to rely on, so Master Gu will definitely not…” Madam Qian saw Bai Suihe lost in thought and her face was also a little pale, so she wanted to speak up to persuade her.

Bai Suihe shook her head with a wry smile, "Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? When that time comes, I'm afraid I will give in."

"Are you stupid? How can you say such a foolish thing? Even if it really comes to that, we still have to get hold of their indentures. As long as we control their lives, no matter how capable she is, she'll have to submit."

Bai Suihe: "What if we encounter one of those charming widows you mentioned before? What methods do you think we could use to deal with her?"

Bai Suihe also wanted to take this opportunity to see what good ideas they had. This was a legitimate mistress in ancient times. If you dared to jump out and criticize her, people would say you were jealous.

If we can think of a way, we might be able to help this Madam Lin, which would be a way of repaying her kindness in shielding us from disaster. (End of Chapter)