Chapter 25: Suspicion and the Source of the Fish Soup

The clan elder looked at the fish soup in his hands while Lin Luoxi gazed at him hopefully, unable to voice any rejection. He nodded, continually expressing his admiration for Lin Luoxi’s filial piety, and took a sip.

“Mm, not bad.” To his surprise, there was no muddy smell at all; it tasted great.

The warmth spreading through him was comforting. For an old man of his age, the yang energy was already sparse, and although it was early summer, he still felt a chill. After drinking this bowl of fish soup, he suddenly felt a lightness, reminiscent of his younger days, full of vigor and vitality.

The clan elder felt that after this bowl of soup, he could take on anyone in a fight and not lose.

“Delicious! Where did you catch these fish?” The fish from the eastern side of the village were certainly not this good.

“Just from the eastern side of the village!” Lin Luoxi answered honestly.

Had it not been for the fear that they might connect the loss of the old Lin family’s wealth to her, along with the worry of revealing last night’s series of events—which had surely awakened the entire village—she would have gladly shared more. So, she opted for a simple answer regarding the source of the fish.

However, the clan elder, being astute, began to suspect that Lin Luoxi was reluctant to share the specific location where they had caught such fresh fish.

“Impossible. We’ve eaten fish from there before, and they definitely don’t taste like this.” The fish from that area invariably had a muddy and fishy odor, no matter how it was cooked.

“Great-grandfather, we’re not lying! My brother is the most honest person around. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him!” Lin Luoxi was aware that the local fish couldn’t possibly have the same flavor; it had to be different by the time it reached her hands.

“Great-grandfather, we really did catch them from the eastern side of the village…” Lin Chengqian, picking up on his sister’s hint, immediately stood up.

“Could it be that we just hadn’t been using the right methods before?” Lin Chengqian had grown up in front of them, being honest and sincere; he would never lie.

Thus, when Lin Chengqian spoke, the clan elder genuinely believed they had indeed caught their fish from the eastern side of the village.

“Yes, Great-grandfather, we were mistaken before…” Lin Chengqian proceeded to explain to the elder all the methods Lin Luoxi had taught him the night before.

“I see.” After finishing the bowl of fish soup, the clan elder exchanged a few comforting words with Lin Dayou before turning to leave.

Following Lin Luoxi’s arrangement, even though the clan elder had come, the Lin family’s elder was in a room and did not make an appearance, creating the impression to outsiders that the old Lin family was still recovering from the blow.

Lin Luoxi was quite adept at playing the social game; she prepared a few big fish to send to the clan elder, and some for the village chief as well, ensuring their satisfaction and increasing their willingness to help in the future.

“Mom, Dad, you two rest well at home. My brother and I will go check on things in the mountains.”

After Lin Luoxi saw off the village chief and the clan elder, she greeted Lin Dayou and the others, then strapped on her backpack and pulled Lin Wenqian to head out.

“Sister, I want to go too!” Lin Luoning protested, seeing Lin Luoxi about to leave.

“Little sister, do you want to eat delicious food like this again?” Lin Luoxi looked at her younger sister’s big, watery eyes and found it hard to refuse. She resorted to tempting Lin Luoning with thoughts of tasty treats.

“I do!” Lin Luoning thought it made no sense that her desire for treats conflicted with wanting to go up the mountain.

“If you want to eat, stay home! My brother and I are going to the mountains to search for things, and if you come with us, we’ll have to divide our attention to take care of you, and we won’t be able to explore far at all.”

“Besides, as you have seen these past few days, the old Lin family is shameless and continuously tries to take things from us, even bullying our parents. Your task at home is to guard our house, understand?”

Seeing the aggrieved look on the old Lin family’s faces, it was clear they wouldn’t let things rest easily. Thus, leaving Lin Luoning at home to keep watch was the best option.

“Okay!” Feeling the heavy weight of responsibility, Lin Luoning dutifully agreed.

“Then, little sister, you stay home and guard the house, and we’ll be back very soon.” Lin Luoxi quickly pulled Lin Wenqian along and headed out.

“Sister, you haven’t even left yet, and you’re already promising little sister—aren’t you afraid of coming back empty-handed?” It was an old saying: don’t boast before setting out, as you might come back empty-handed.

Their father was a typical example; every time he left home, he’d paint big dreams for them, but he always returned empty-handed, which left them used to disappointment.

“Hmph, just watch!” Lin Luoxi refused to explicate further and led the way.

“Ah, she’s stubborn again, not listening to advice.” Lin Wenqian sighed helplessly as he chased after her.

“Hey, isn’t that Wenqian and Luoxi? Are you two heading up the mountain?” On the path, they met villagers coming down from the mountain who greeted them warmly.

Lin Luoxi knew that these villagers were not genuinely concerned for them but were eager to elicit gossip about their family from the children.

“Yes! Our family doesn’t have anything to eat right now, so we’re just going up the mountain to see if we can find any wild vegetables or something…” Lin Luoxi skillfully played the role of the wounded family member to the chatty villagers.

Not at all afraid of family secrets being exposed, she deliberately portrayed their situation as desperate, implying that the old Lin family was always scavenging what little they had left. These villagers could not help but pity them.

Upon hearing Lin Luoxi’s sob story, the villagers’ eyes gleamed with excitement. They pacified Lin Luoxi and her brother verbally while secretly itching to rush back to the village and gossip about what they had heard.

“It’s alright! As long as our family is still alive, our days will get better, Aunty. The time is getting late; we’ll head up the mountain now, or we won’t be able to find anything!”

Seeing the eagerness in the villagers’ eyes, Lin Luoxi understood their intentions. Without further ado, she adjusted the oversized backpack on her back and took Lin Wenqian along, giving the villagers a pitiful yet poignant sight as they walked away.

“Lin Luoxi, why did you tell those aunties how our family treats you? Don’t you know they’ll spread rumors about how we mistreat you?”

Having overheard Lin Luoxi’s complaints to the villagers, Lin Luodan, who had been hiding behind a big tree, couldn’t help but jump out to block Lin Luoxi and Lin Wenqian’s path.

“Hmph, you murderer! I haven’t told them how you tricked me down to the river and pushed me in!”

Lin Luoxi, seeing Lin Luodan dare to show her face, shot her a cold glance and retorted without holding back.