Chapter 19: Concern for Her Dowry

Lin Zhiyi and her two older brothers turned their gaze simultaneously.

When they saw the Gu family members had arrived again, it was clear they wanted Gu Wanyun to separate from Lin Xiuran.

Gu Wanyun was standing beside her two children. The taller one, a seven-year-old nephew, Lin Zheng, and the other, a younger niece, Lin Lu.

Lin Lu, with tears in her eyes, tugged at Gu Wanyun’s clothes. “I don’t want Mother to leave. I don’t want Mother to leave.”

The four-year-old child understood the conversation between her mother and uncle, and when she realized they were going to take her mother away, she immediately began crying in fear.

Gu Xiang, her uncle, angrily shoved Lin Lu aside. “You little brat, get away!”

Lin Zheng, seeing this, bit Gu Xiang’s arm with all his strength. Gu Xiang, in pain, swung his other arm to strike Lin Zheng. “You wild brat, let go of me! Let go of me!”

His earlier sycophantic demeanor was completely gone, replaced by insults.

Gu Wanyun, who had been raised in a noble family, was momentarily stunned when she saw her son being hit.

When she recovered, she immediately pushed her elder brother aside and then shielded her two children behind her.

“Big Brother, as Zheng’er’s uncle, how could you speak to him like that?” she scolded.

Gu Xiang nearly stumbled, retreating several steps before he could steady himself.

Clearly, Gu Wanyun had used considerable force.

He couldn’t believe it. Everything he did was for his sister’s good. How could she be so ungrateful!

He raised his hand, about to strike Gu Wanyun.

“Hit me? Why should you hit me?”

She was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family and the mother of two children. How could she leave her young children behind when the Lin family was in trouble?

Lin Zhiyi hurriedly pushed her elder brother. “Big Brother, go quickly! Your wife is about to be hit, and you’re still standing there like a fool?”

“Oh.”

Lin Xiuran immediately snapped out of his stupor and hurried over.

Lin Zhiyi sighed. The original owner’s two older brothers only cared about their sister. If they had spent half of their attention on their wives and children, the women in the book wouldn’t have faced difficulties on the road to exile.

“Second Brother, you should go too, help Big Brother.”

Lin Xiuyan immediately responded, “Yes, I’m going now.”

Lin Zhiyi didn’t go over herself, and she didn’t know what her two brothers discussed with the Gu family. In the end, the Gu family left.

She only heard Gu Xiang shout, “Your sister, Lin Zhiyi, has already severed ties with your Lin family. How dare you harm my Gu family’s daughter?”

In the end, Gu Xiang left with a dark expression. He had come empty-handed and left empty-handed, not leaving anything for Gu Wanyun, and leaving behind the words: “Since she doesn’t want to separate, let her fend for herself.”

Gu Wanyun cried bitterly, and her second sister-in-law, Fang Luo, tried to comfort her. “Big Sister, please stop being upset. Look at me—since the Lin family fell, the Fang family has ignored me, treating me like I’m dead.

At least here, Gu family’s Big Brother wanted you to separate and return home, which shows he still sees you as family.”

Lin Zhiyi didn’t go over. She knew that neither her eldest nor second sister-in-law had any affection for her.

Since that was the case, she decided to stay out of their way.

When she saw Lin Xiuyan returning, Lin Zhiyi pulled him aside and asked, “Second Brother, has Father’s injury been treated?”

Lin Xiuyan nodded. “Don’t worry, Sister. It’s been taken care of. Someone in the prison hired a doctor for Father.”

“That’s good.”

Since Lin Fu’s injury had already been treated, and as a woman, it wasn’t appropriate for her to interfere further, Lin Zhiyi decided not to inquire more.

Just as she turned to leave, she saw several imposing figures heading in her direction.

Seeing that it was the people from the second and third branches of the family, Lin Zhiyi instinctively felt they were coming for her.

The leader was none other than the Lin family’s Old Madam, Wang Shi.

The Old Madam, Wang Shi, was fifty-eight years old this year, but her hair remained as black as ink, with only a few strands of silver at her temples. Her face was well-maintained, and her sharp, narrow phoenix eyes gleamed with a cold light.

In her hand, the ebony dragon-headed cane had been replaced with a simple wooden cane, but even with the light ankle chains, she walked with a commanding presence, appearing even more robust than Lin Fu and Song Ruolan.

She fixed her cold gaze on Lin Zhiyi and asked, “I heard you were divorced by the Qin family?”

Wang Shi wasn’t Lin Fu’s biological mother, but his maternal aunt, and she was also the second wife of Lin Taiye, the Lin family’s patriarch.

When Lin Fu’s biological mother passed away, he was still young. The Wang family proposed sending one of their younger daughters to marry Lin Taiye as his second wife.

At that time, Lin Taiye, worried that his son would be mistreated if he married another woman, agreed, thinking his niece would treat Lin Fu well.

But it turned out that Wang Shi never truly cared for her nephew and nearly caused his ruin.

Afterward, Lin Taiye had sent Lin Fu to be raised by his maternal grandmother, and it was there that he grew into the man who would bring glory to the Lin family.

Before Lin Fu’s grandmother passed away, she left all of her savings to him, which made Wang Shi bitter with envy.

Lin Zhiyi, however, remained calm. “So what if I was divorced?”

She had already realized from the original owner’s memories that she should avoid flaunting her wealth.

If they knew how much her dowry was, and since the Lin family hadn’t divided their assets, the Old Madam would likely be eyeing it.

Madam Zou, speaking ill of her, added, “Mother, Zhiyi must have been divorced by the Qin family because she’s been immoral.”

Seeing Lin Zhiyi in such a fallen state, she couldn’t let go of the opportunity to mock her.

Lin Zhiyi raised her gaze and saw that it was her second aunt, Madam Zou, speaking.

Since Lin Ershu (Second Uncle) had little ambition and an ordinary appearance, he had married into a prominent family as a secondary son-in-law.

The original owner, with her free-spirited personality, had always looked down on the second branch of the family, and since the Lin family’s entire household relied on her father, Lin Fu, the original owner had often offended Madam Zou.

“So, Second Aunt, what do you mean? If a woman is divorced, she’s immoral? Then what about my cousin, Jingzhu? If she were divorced, would she be immoral too?”

Lin Jingzhu was Madam Zou’s eldest daughter.

After the Lin family’s fall, Lin Jingzhu had frequently gone to the prison to take care of her father, bringing food for her parents and grandmother.

Naturally, every time she brought food, the second and third branches of the family received their share, while only the first and fourth branches were excluded.

The fourth branch, Lin Si Shu, was born from Lin Taiye’s concubine.

Hearing Lin Zhiyi curse her daughter, Madam Zou was instantly enraged. Her face turned red as she shouted, “Lin Zhiyi, you truly are venomous. Since you were divorced, you wish for Jingzhu to be the same as you. What a pity! Jingzhu is the mistress of the household in her in-laws’ family. How could she be like you, a bringer of misfortune?”

It seemed that Madam Zou had found an outlet to vent all her pent-up frustrations.

“Mother, ever since Lin Zhiyi married, she took so many things from the Lin family as her dowry, and that’s why the Lin family has fallen. It’s certainly because of her bad luck.”

Third Aunt, Madam Zhou, also chimed in, “Yes, the Lin family is ruined because of this bringer of misfortune!”

Old Madam Wang slammed her cane against the ground several times, saying, “Where’s the dowry? Give me the dowry, and I’ll allow you to go to Fangzhou.”

Lin Zhiyi smiled faintly. “Then there’s no need for you to worry, Old Madam. The dowry was already seized by the government and given to the Qin family. Even if it wasn’t, it’s none of your concern.

Moreover, even if I go to Fangzhou, it seems you won’t be able to stop me!”

She chuckled inwardly. They were eyeing her dowry, but it wasn’t something they would get their hands on.

Old Madam Wang slammed her cane again, fury radiating from her. “Since you’ve been divorced, then you should hang yourself. The Lin family can’t afford such a disgrace!”