Chapter 9: Robbed Clean

Lin Zhiyi looked up and saw it was Fang Mama’s son—Da Lin.

She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Before Da Lin could speak, Lin Zhiyi quickly scrambled to her feet.

“Miss, quickly, get on the carriage.”

The carriage moved slowly along the empty street, and before long, it arrived at Fang Mama’s home.

“Miss, do you really intend to go to Fangzhou with the master and madam?”

Fang Mama couldn’t help but wipe her tears.

Their young miss had never suffered like this before.

Since the Lin family fell into misfortune, the Qin family, with its heart of stone, not only cast her out but also wanted to seize her dowry.

Fang Mama had raised her, and just thinking about it made her heart ache.

“I’ve made up my mind. Fang Mama, take care of your health in the future.”

Even though the Lin family had fallen, with her parents and two older brothers’ love, it would still be better than staying in the capital.

Moreover, she wouldn’t be wronged. The dowry in her space was more than enough for her and the Lin family to live on for a lifetime.

Fang Mama was reluctant to part with Lin Zhiyi. “Miss, Fangzhou isn’t as prosperous as Chang’an. I’m just afraid you’ll find it hard to adapt.”

Lin Zhiyi could feel Fang Mama’s genuine concern for the original Lin Zhiyi.

“Fang Mama, I’m no longer that noble young lady. Now that the Lin family has fallen, as their daughter, how could I stand aside?”

Fang Mama was surprised to hear this. When the Lin family had just fallen, she had gone to the Qin family to find Lin Zhiyi, but she had been driven away without even entering the door.

The doorman had even claimed it was Lin Zhiyi’s order.

“Miss, the road to exile is harsh. How about letting Da Lin drive the carriage and take you directly to Fangzhou? You can wait for the master and madam there.”

Traveling to Fangzhou by carriage?

Lin Zhiyi considered it but, thinking of how the original Lin Zhiyi’s parents had died during their exile, she hesitated.

“No need, Fang Mama. I can endure this hardship.”

Although Fang Mama was heartbroken, she knew that Lin Zhiyi had made up her mind and didn’t try to persuade her further. Instead, she made a decision to sell her house and accompany Lin Zhiyi to Fangzhou.

The next morning.

When the Qin family woke up, they found the situation had changed.

Since Old Madam Qin had arrived in the capital, she had made a few acquaintances with noblewomen and learned from them how to set rules for her daughters-in-law.

Therefore, she had gotten used to waking up early.

It wasn’t until Lin Zhiyi had been sent to the back courtyard that she instructed Fang Mama to inform Lin Zhiyi that she no longer needed to follow the morning and evening rituals, to avoid seeing Lin Zhiyi’s face.

As soon as Old Madam Qin opened her eyes, she instinctively reached for her wrist. When she touched it, her expression changed immediately. She shouted, “Ah~! Where is my gold bracelet?”

Her favorite item was the pair of large gold bracelets Lin Zhiyi had given her. Once she put them on, she never took them off.

In Qin family village, only the village chief’s wife had such a luxury. Everyone else could only envy her.

And the village chief’s wife’s gold bracelet wasn’t even half as heavy as hers.

Since her son passed the imperial exams, she had come to the capital to discuss his marriage. When she returned to the village, she proudly wore two large gold bracelets, which were of exceptionally fine craftsmanship.

She had paraded around the village, subtly showing off.

Now, the whole Qin family village knew that Qin Lang had passed the imperial exams and had allied with the powerful Lin family in the capital.

Now that her large gold bracelets were missing, this was truly a catastrophe for her.

She screamed, “Wang Mama!”

Wang Mama rushed in and was shocked when she saw Old Madam Qin’s face. “Old Madam, your face…”

The words she had wanted to say got stuck in her throat.

The reason was that the room was empty. Apart from the bed, there was nothing else. Even the wardrobe and chests were gone.

Old Madam Qin had not yet realized this.

“Where are my gold bracelets?”

“Old Madam’s gold bracelets… weren’t they on your wrist?”

Wang Mama stared harder, and when she looked again, Old Madam’s wrist was bare. There were no gold bracelets.

This was a disaster. Since Wang Mama had been assigned to serve Old Madam, she had never seen her take those bracelets off. Every night, Old Madam would check them before going to sleep.

“Reporting to the Old Madam, I do not know.”

Moreover, what about the injury on her face?

“It must have been you who stole them! You’re the only one who comes and goes from this room!”

Old Madam Qin’s words had some truth.

Since Qin Lang married Lin Zhiyi, he had given Old Madam many fine gifts.

Old Madam, who had always lived in poverty, had never seen so many beautiful things. She had ordered that only Wang Mama be allowed to enter her room, since she didn’t trust the servants.

Wang Mama immediately knelt down. “Old Madam, I would never dare, even if I had ten lives.”

Old Madam Qin glared at Wang Mama. “It really wasn’t you?”

Before Wang Mama could answer, they suddenly heard a sharp scream from outside, clearly the voice of Qin Yuelian.

“Yuelian, what’s wrong? Wang Mama, help me dress.”

Since moving into this house, Old Madam Qin had gotten used to being served by her servants, even for things like dressing.

When she saw that Wang Mama had not moved, she was about to scold her, but then realized the room was empty. Her clothes were gone.

She no longer cared about getting dressed properly and rushed to put on her shoes to go out, only to find that her shoes were also gone.

She cursed, “Who dares to come steal from the Qin residence? If I catch them, I’ll skin them alive!”

She shot a glance at Wang Mama. “Give me your shoes.”

Old Madam Qin put on Wang Mama’s shoes and rushed outside.

Seeing Qin Yuelian sitting in the hallway, only wearing her undergarment and pants, Old Madam Qin hurriedly asked, “Yuelian, what happened?”

Qin Yuelian wiped her tears and said, “Mother, my clothes and jewelry are gone. Has our house been robbed?”

Since she was young, Qin Yuelian had worn rough cloth and eaten wild vegetables. The clothes and jewelry she had were more precious than life to her.

No, they were more important than life.

She had suffered so much, and the Qin family had lived frugally, sacrificing so her brother Qin Lang could go to school. She had finally obtained these fine clothes and jewelry, and now they were gone. This truly felt like a death blow.

Old Madam Qin was startled. Could it really be that the Qin family had been robbed?

Looking further, her eldest son and daughter-in-law had come running, also only in their undergarments. “Mother, our house has been robbed.”

Qin Lang’s third brother also arrived, his old wound flaring up again. “Mother, everything in my room is gone. Was this the work of those dog servants?”

Hearing the commotion, Qin Lang woke up.

Today was his big day, the day he was marrying He Jiaojiao. He had to wake up early to prepare for the bride’s arrival.

When he saw that it was still barely dawn, he grumbled about why his mother and family were making such a noise.

He reached out for his outer garment but didn’t find it. He became irritated and called for a servant, but no one came.

Putting on his shoes, he walked outside and entered the inner courtyard, where he found his family gathered. Frowning, he asked, “What are you all doing here?”

When Qin Lang spoke, everyone turned to look at him, their faces filled with disbelief.

Old Madam Qin gasped. “Second son, where is your hair?”