Chapter 23: Night Visitor

“I’m perfectly fine!” Wen Lan smiled slightly at Father Lin. At a time like this, she certainly couldn’t tell him that she wasn’t actually Lin Furong but a modern-day freelancer who had traveled through time—someone skilled in gourmet food, wilderness survival, and even had a certified professional wellness license.

Because even if she told the Lin family, with their current understanding of the world, they wouldn’t believe her. At best, they’d think she had gone mad or was mentally unstable.

“Father, Mother,” Wen Lan assured them sincerely, “after everything I’ve experienced, I, Lin Furong, am no longer the girl who blindly listened to others. From now on, I won’t just live a good life—I’ll find ways to make money and be filial to you both.”

As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and knelt down in front of the Lin couple. She felt it was necessary to bow on behalf of Lin Furong.

With her parents still alive and younger siblings to care for, Lin Furong choosing death had been a great act of unfilialness.

This bow was more than anything Wen Lan’s way of expressing Lin Furong’s apology to her parents.

“You child, what are you bowing for!” Father Lin quickly pulled her up, his eyes already brimming with tears. “It’s enough that you know you were wrong. Now that you’ve found a good family, just live well with that hunter. The wedding ceremony doesn’t need to be grand.”

Hearing that, Wen Lan let out a huge sigh of relief.

Just then, a dog’s bark rang out from outside. Wen Lan listened carefully—it was Tie Jiangjun barking in the yard.

Immediately after came a loud woman’s voice. She scolded the dog while yelling toward the house, “Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law? Oh my, why is there a dog in your yard? Sister-in-law, hurry and open the door! Sister-in-law!”

When the Lin couple heard the voice, their expressions turned unpleasant. Especially Lin Furong’s mother, who stood in the main hall with hands on her hips, glaring sideways at the door and muttering, “Coming over here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping… That old hag from the Song family definitely came with bad intentions.”

This Mrs. Song was one of the gossiping women Qingfeng had seen earlier at the riverside, and she was also the Lin family’s neighbor.

Wen Lan figured this neighbor auntie had seen her enter the house and had rushed over to snoop around.

Clearly, she was just here to stir up trouble.

Mother Lin realized this too. She tugged Wen Lan’s arm, motioning for her to hide in the room.

“No need to hide,” Wen Lan said. “She’s only here because she saw me come back. If I hide now, she’ll only have more to gossip about. And it’s not like I’ve done anything wrong—why should I hide?”

Wen Lan thought, if she did hide, who knows what this Mrs. Song would say to the rest of the village tomorrow. The last time she’d been dragged back by the Meng family late at night, it wasn’t supposed to be a public scene—yet by the next day, the entire village knew.

Credit for that news spread, of course, belonged to none other than this gossipy neighbor.

Having made up her mind, Wen Lan walked ahead of Mother Lin and opened the door herself.

Outside, Mrs. Song was stuck at the gate, unable to move forward or backward thanks to Tie Jiangjun.

“Tie Jiangjun, come here.” Wen Lan called out softly, and sure enough, Tie Jiangjun obediently padded over and sat beside her, glaring warily at Mrs. Song.

“Ohhh~” Mrs. Song dragged out her tone in feigned surprise upon seeing Wen Lan, clearly about to start gossiping.

Wen Lan beat her to it. “Oh my~ isn’t it our dear neighbor, Auntie Song? Out so late and still not in bed? Are you patrolling the village tonight on behalf of the security team?”

There had long been rumors in the village that this Auntie Song was having an affair with the village security captain. Wen Lan deliberately brought it up to jab at her.

But Auntie Song wasn’t easy to provoke. When she heard Wen Lan’s jab, she didn’t even blush. Without missing a beat, she swayed her large hips and waddled straight up to Wen Lan.

“My dear niece, you’re back?” She smacked Wen Lan’s shoulder with one plump hand, her greasy smile practically dripping off her face.

She continued, “I heard that hunter from the mountains proposed to you. Auntie is truly happy for you! I saw you come back so late and just had to come offer my congratulations!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she brushed past Wen Lan and squeezed herself inside through the door.