Chapter 47: Achan perfectly embodies the phrase "the fox borrows the tiger's might".

Achan's house was very large, but only she and Huiniang lived there. So they locked up all the other courtyards and only opened the main courtyard.

This was Lin Sui's first time entering such a large mansion without even servants. The entire mansion was empty and extremely quiet; even speaking loudly echoed.

If Lin Sui hadn't met A Chan twice before, she would have turned around and left upon seeing this house; it didn't look like a normal place for people to live.

Achan didn't think anything was wrong. She led Lin Sui through the hanging flower gate into the inner courtyard. There was still no sound inside, but there were many things piled up in the courtyard.

I was so engrossed in watching the excitement at the General's Mansion that I completely forgot about what I had bought.

Achan awkwardly explained to Lin Sui, "I just came back from the East Market with Huiniang, and I haven't had time to pack yet."

Chen Hui, who was in the small kitchen at the back, came out when she heard the noise. She was surprised to see that A Chan had brought someone back with her.

Ah Chan introduced the two to each other: "Hui Niang, this is Miss Lin Sui. Miss Lin helped me when my shop was smashed last time."

Chen Hui immediately remembered Lin Sui, and her expression softened. She said to her, "Hello, Miss Lin. My name is Chen Hui. You can call me Hui Niang, just like A Chan does."

“Hui Niang.” Lin Sui didn’t hesitate. She had witnessed Chen Hui’s prowess firsthand and knew that she possessed martial arts skills. No wonder the two of them dared to live in such a house.

Chen Hui said to A Chan, "I'll go cook. A Chan, you take these things back inside. Don't move anything too heavy."

"Okay." Achan obediently listened, and Lin Sui also stepped forward to help.

As for the heavy items Chen Hui mentioned, Lin Sui carried them all inside by himself.

Seeing Ah Chan looking at her in surprise, Lin Sui casually said, "I used to do all kinds of chores at home, including chopping firewood. This is nothing."

"Is it at the General's Mansion?"

“No, it’s at my house.” Lin Sui paused for a moment. “I used to live in the countryside with my grandma and my younger brother.”

Ah Chan recalled the rumors about Lin Sui and understood. With his own confirmation, those rumors seemed to be true.

Achan didn't ask any more questions. The two packed their things, and Chen Hui had finished preparing the meal.

Because guests had arrived, she specially prepared two extra dishes and also served Ah Chan a plate of roast chicken with the meat already removed.

The three of them set up a table in the main hall and sat down to eat together.

Chen Hui's cooking skills were excellent; after taking a couple of bites, Lin Sui's eating speed noticeably increased.

When Lin Sui was about 70% full, she noticed that Chen Hui hadn't touched her chopsticks much. She seemed to have only eaten the spicy blood tofu dish and hadn't touched the other dishes.

Ah Chan seemed used to it and didn't say anything.

Lin Sui then suppressed his doubts and did not voice them.

After dinner, Lin Sui hesitated about whether she should leave, but then A Chan pulled her and Chen Hui into playing cards.

The three of them played all afternoon, their faces covered in slips of paper, and none of them were willing to admit defeat first.

When it got dark and Lin Sui finally said she wanted to leave, Chen Hui persuaded her, "It's getting late, Miss Lin, why don't you stay here? The two side rooms in the courtyard have been prepared, we can each have one."

Lin Sui hesitated. In fact, she had nowhere else to go. Leaving here would only mean finding an inn to stay in.

It was the afternoon she spent there that brought her a rare moment of peace.

Since returning to the General's Mansion, she seems to be in a constant state of tension, arguing with everyone there. It's been a long time since she's had a leisurely day like this.

Achan skipped over the topic of Lin Sui leaving and said to Chen Hui, "Hui Niang, we're having braised noodles for dinner, and my roast chicken too."

"Okay, I'll go roll out the dough for you right away," Chen Hui replied good-naturedly, tearing off the note from her face.

"There's also sweet wine. I bought it in the East Market before. The shopkeeper said it can help you sleep if you drink it at night."

Chen Hui immediately shot her a sharp look: "You can't drink, so it's perfect for Miss Lin to drink."

Achan shut her mouth, feeling wronged. Lin Sui was interrupted by Achan and couldn't bring himself to say anything about leaving.

The noodles for dinner were only prepared for Achan and Lin Sui. Chen Hui also poured Lin Sui a glass of sweet wine. She tasted it and found it to be very sweet, just as Achan had said.

She had never drunk alcohol before, but after only two glasses of sweet wine, she felt quite tipsy.

Next, without Chen Hui pouring the wine, Lin Sui took the small wine jar and poured himself another cup.

She drank two or three more cups like that.

Achan was worried that Lin Sui would have a headache the next day if she drank too much, and was about to take her wine glass away when she suddenly saw Lin Sui crying.

"I really want to go home," she mumbled.

Achan and Chen Hui exchanged a glance, and Chen Hui gently patted her back: "Then let's go back and take a look."

“But Grandma is gone, and my brother won’t let me go home. He was injured by Lin Heng and his leg was broken. He may not be able to take the imperial examinations anymore, but he won’t let me go back to see him. Do you think he resents me?” Lin Sui raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion.

At this moment, she was completely different from the unruly Lin Sui of the daytime, who wouldn't even yield to her own mother.

Chen Hui sighed softly: "No, you and your brother grew up together, how could he blame you?"

"Yes." Lin Sui nodded. "Xiao Luo is the best to me."

After that, Lin Sui mumbled a few more words, then tilted her head and fell asleep.

Chen Hui settled Lin Sui in the west wing, while she went to the east wing.

After cleaning up the dishes and washing up, Achan read a new book of supernatural tales for a while, then blew out the candles and went to sleep.

She felt like she hadn't slept for long before she suddenly became fully conscious.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a bright room, lying on a spacious and exquisite wooden bed.

Looking down, I saw that both hands were hairy.

She belatedly realized that she had not woken up, but had simply entered a state of introspection once again.

Her left front paw was clean, while her right front paw was bound with a black chain.

She nudged the chain with her left paw, and it made a series of cracking sounds before suddenly snapping.

The chains transformed into black runes she had seen before but didn't recognize. She quickly memorized two simple ones, and then the runes disappeared.

Another chain broke.

Achan placed her two paws together, rested her head on them, and began to think hard.

After helping Xiaolin last time, one of the chains broke; this time, after helping Huiniang, the second chain broke.

It seems that as long as she keeps helping others, she will have a chance to break free from her shackles.

But at the same time, she also realized that these chains of unknown origin were not a constraint imposed on her by the rules of heaven and earth.

Achan knew very well that her actions in helping Xiaolinshi and Huiniang, from a certain perspective, were not acts of kindness. Helping a dead person at the expense of a group of living people—no rule dictates such a biased approach.

These chains seem to be man-made, but who would have set them up without her noticing?

Why was she locked up?

Achan had many deep questions in her mind, but unfortunately, no one could answer them for her now.

She closed her eyes, her consciousness left this place, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Ah Chan vaguely heard someone speaking in her ear.

"She has a fever; we need to get a doctor."

It was almost past Chenshi (7-9 AM), and Achan still hadn't gotten up. Chen Hui was about to wake her up when she noticed that Achan's cheeks were flushed and her body temperature was noticeably higher.

Seeing this, Lin Sui went to the outer room to wash a handkerchief, folded it, and placed it on A Chan's forehead. Then she said to Chen Hui, "I know this place well. I'll go and fetch a doctor."

"good."

Lin Sui hurriedly walked out, and almost bumped into someone as soon as she opened the gate.

When she stopped and looked up, she found that the person blocking her way was her father.

"...Father, what are you doing here?" Lin Sui paused slightly when he saw Lin Cheng, and his expression turned somewhat cold.

She had some expectations for her biological father, and Lin Cheng did not disappoint her. However, he shared his fatherly love equally with all the children, including Lin Ting.

This made Lin Sui realize one thing clearly: if she wanted to stay in the General's Mansion, she had to live with Lin Ting. No one would drive Lin Ting away because of her likes or dislikes.

Call her vicious or selfish, she simply can't stand Lin Ting and won't compromise.

Lin Cheng looked at his daughter, who was only up to his chest, and saw the sharpness and indifference in her eyes. He said gently, "I heard you had a fight with your mother. Even if you were angry, you shouldn't have run out of the house alone."

Lin Sui scoffed. So, according to her mother, she ran away on her own. Why didn't she dare to tell the truth?

“There’s a difference between being kicked out and running away on your own, Father. You’re not young anymore, and you’re a general after all. Don’t just listen to what others say; think about it for yourself.”

Lin Cheng was taken aback when his daughter suddenly lectured him.

Seeing that he was still blocking the way, Lin Sui impatiently nudged him and said, "Please move aside, my friend is sick and I need to go get a doctor."

Lin Cheng wasn't angry, just a little surprised; the child's grip was quite strong.

Seeing that Lin Sui was in a hurry to leave, he instructed the person behind him, "Go and fetch the physician from the manor."

The guards behind him turned and ran towards the general's mansion across the street.

Lin Sui stopped in her tracks, her tone slightly hesitant: "Thank you."

"We're all family, no need to say thank you."

Lin Sui twitched the corner of her mouth but remained silent. In that family, hardly anyone treated her like family.

Soon the physician was summoned. Lin Cheng stood at the door. Even if Lin Sui didn't understand the rules, she couldn't leave her own father outside. She led the doctor in herself.

After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Come in, but my friend is a woman, so it's not convenient for her to see you."

Lin Cheng smiled but didn't say anything, and followed Lin Sui into the house.

Chen Hui came out to greet them upon hearing the voices. She saw that beside Lin Sui, there was a doctor carrying a medical kit and a man who seemed very dangerous to her. This man was probably quite powerful.

Lin Sui saw Chen Hui rush out and hurriedly said, "Hui Niang, quickly send a doctor to examine A Chan."

"Okay." Chen Hui agreed, then looked at the person behind Lin Sui, "And who is this?"

"My father."

Lin Cheng's gaze passed over Lin Sui and immediately fell on the mark on Chen Hui's forehead. He instantly knew what this woman, who looked no different from a living person, was.

The biggest source of amusement in the court recently is that Marquis Zhenbei offended Bai Xiuming because of a living corpse, resulting in Bai Xiuming impeaching him and causing him to lose the merit he had just earned.

He just didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that the zombie lived right across from his house.

"General Lin." Chen Hui nodded slightly to him, then turned and led the doctor into the main room.

After examining Achan's pulse, the doctor looked relieved: "This young lady has just caught a cold. Her forehead temperature isn't high. She'll be fine after taking two doses of medicine and resting for a couple of days."

"Then I'll trouble you to prescribe the medicine, doctor." Chen Hui breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the doctor's words.

Achan's health has always been weak, but fortunately she is not seriously ill today.

After the doctor finished his examination, Chen Hui learned from him that he was the physician of the General's Mansion. When she saw him out, she thanked Lin Cheng as well.

"Thank you, General Lin, for sending your physician to help."

"You're welcome." Lin Cheng, as expected of someone who had been on the battlefield, was still able to speak to Chen Hui calmly even though he knew her identity. "I must thank you for taking my daughter in yesterday."

Chen Hui smiled and said, "General Lin, you flatter me. Miss Lin was just invited to our residence yesterday."

She glanced at Lin Sui as she spoke, and Lin Sui nodded: "Yes."

Hearing her say that, Lin Cheng felt somewhat gratified. He knew that his daughter had always been very withdrawn, so seeing that she had made a friend was a good thing. Although the friend's identity was somewhat questionable, he didn't point it out.

He then said to Lin Sui, "Sui Sui, I heard yesterday that Gao Luo was injured. I have already sent someone to deliver the money and also invited a doctor to accompany him. Don't worry."

Hearing his words, Lin Sui was not happy. He only mentioned the way to make amends, but did not mention Lin Heng, who had harmed her brother.

"I understand." Lin Sui's tone turned cold.

Lin Cheng remained patient and said, "Your older brother is back today too, the whole family is gathered here, you should go back too..."

Lin Sui interrupted him, "I'm not going back. I'm worried about Achan being sick. I want to stay here."

She knew what Lin Cheng wanted to say, but she didn't want to see their family reunite at all.

Lin Cheng frowned slightly. At this moment, Chen Hui spoke up, "If General Lin doesn't mind, Miss Lin can stay at our residence for a while, so that she won't still be thinking about it after she goes back."

Remembering his daughter's words before he entered the house, Lin Cheng finally agreed.

Lin Sui stayed at A Chan's house for a few days. During this time, Lin Cheng came again and took her back to the mansion. They stayed at the general's mansion for two days before she ran back.

Achan knew that Lin Sui and her mother didn't get along, so she didn't ask any more questions.

The weather was fine that day, and the three of them planned to go to the horse market. When they opened the door, they saw two carriages parked in front of the General's Mansion across the street. Maids and servants were helping Yao Shi and Lin Ting into the carriages, while Lin Heng was riding on horseback. They seemed to be about to go out.

Upon seeing Lin Sui emerge, Lin Ting suddenly stopped, walked around the carriage, and approached them.

When Lin Sui saw her, she was like a hedgehog covered in thorns, so sharp that it was hard to get close to her.

Lin Ting stood a few steps away from her and smiled at her: "Sister, are you going out for a walk to clear your head?"

"What's it to you?"

"It's nothing serious. I'm just letting you know that Mother has received an invitation from Princess Fu Ning and is going to take my second brother and me to the Lotus Garden to admire the lotus flowers. So please don't go back to the manor for the next few days, so that no one will be there to cook for you."

Lin Sui had no interest in flower viewing to begin with, and Lin Ting's words did not bother her at all.

But Lin Ting was not willing to let it go, and added, "Oh, by the way, Princess Fu Ning specifically instructed my mother not to bring someone like you... who doesn't know manners, to her garden."

Lin Sui's face darkened. The last time Lin Ting had caused a scene at the Princess's banquet, claiming that she had stolen her fiancé, which greatly displeased the Princess.

It seems that her mother said something that shifted all the blame onto her, allowing Lin Ting to escape unscathed.

“To say such things to one’s elder sister, Miss Lin can hardly be considered polite,” Chen Hui said casually from the side, then turned to Lin Sui and said, “Miss Lin, we still need to go see the horses, let’s not waste time.”

"Okay." Lin Sui ignored Lin Ting and left with A Chan and the others.

Lin Ting watched Lin Sui's retreating figure, her expression gradually darkening.

Everyone who has met her likes her, but Lin Sui and the people around her always find fault with her, and she hates this exception.

On the way to the horse market, Achan suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Why don't we just buy a carriage? They want to go to the Lotus Garden to admire the flowers. I happen to have an estate near the Lotus Garden, where there are also lotus ponds. Let's go admire the flowers there too."

Lin Sui blinked, wondering to herself, "Is it really that casual?"

Chen Hui smiled and said, "Alright, I don't have anything to do lately anyway. I haven't been to that estate before, so I should go and take a look."

Then she turned to Lin Sui and said, "Miss Lin can also take this opportunity to visit your brother outside the city. The manor should not be far from the village where your brother lives."

Hearing her say that, Lin Sui wavered: "Alright then."

So Achan picked out a horse, bought a carriage, and the three of them bought a lot of food along the way, and headed straight for the village in the suburbs.

Even though they had already left the city, Lin Sui still felt that this trip had been a bit too casual, but A Chan and Hui Niang didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it.

It seems that quite a few families have been invited to go out of the city to admire the lotus flowers today. Carriages of nobles or high-ranking officials pass by on the official road from time to time. Ah Chan and her friends are not in a hurry. When they pass a teahouse, they even stop and ask for tea.

The tea stall was set up by the roadside, with two people who looked like merchants sitting inside, along with a few villagers who were passing by and had dark tans from the sun.

When one of the villagers saw Lin Sui alighting from the carriage, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed, "Isn't this Gao's Xiao Sui?"

Lin Sui looked over, her expression softening considerably, and greeted the group: "Uncle Fugui, Aunt Fugui, Grandma Wang San."

These people were villagers from the village where she used to live. They were all elders who watched her grow up and had a good relationship with her grandmother.

"Oh, it really is you, Xiao Sui! It's been two years. I heard from Xiao Luo that you went back to your hometown. How have you been lately?"

"Everything is fine." Lin Sui's voice softened. "I heard Xiao Luo hurt his leg. Is he alright?"

"He's doing great. A doctor visited him a while ago and said that as long as he takes good care of himself, he'll be able to walk normally and getting married will definitely be no problem," Uncle Fugui said with a smile.

Lin Sui didn't laugh; she knew her younger brother didn't want to get married.

Since these were people Lin Sui knew, A Chan ordered two more pots of tea and two plates of snacks, and sat down to chat with them.

Speaking of Lin Sui's younger brother's broken leg, Grandma Wang lowered her voice and said, "Xiao Luo is already very lucky. He only lost his leg when he encountered the mountain king, but he survived. I heard that someone from the next village went up the mountain and never came down again."

Seeing that Achan was listening intently with wide eyes, Aunt Fugui couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's not as mysterious as you make it out to be. That mountain lord was killed by the officials from the capital a long time ago. If you ask me, that old man He from the neighboring village clearly ran away to hide in the mountains because he owed gambling debts."

Grandma Wang disagreed with this statement: "How do you know there's only one tiger on the mountain? Maybe there's another one that hasn't been caught yet?"

Aunt Fugui also got serious: "Our village's hunter Zhang spent the night in the mountains, and he came down the next day completely unharmed."

Uncle Fugui chimed in, "Indeed, Zhang the hunter caught quite a few wild rabbits, and even gave my family half of one. I just don't know why he didn't sell it in the city?"

"Maybe they think wild rabbits aren't fetching a good price. Hunter Zhang said there are too many wild rabbits in the mountains, and recently a lot of people in the village have been going into the mountains to catch them. You shouldn't go; be careful not to run into danger," Aunt Fugui warned Uncle Fugui.

"I know, you're such a coward." Uncle Fugui didn't argue and just chuckled in response.

After listening to the group chat for a while and drinking two cups of tea to quench their thirst, Achan and her companions bid farewell to Uncle Fugui's family and Grandma Wang. They heard that they were going to the village in a few days, and Grandma Wang even said she would treat Achan to a meal.

After parting ways with the villagers, perhaps having learned about her younger brother's recent situation, Lin Sui's mood improved considerably.

After traveling for another hour, they finally arrived outside the village.

Achan discovered that Princess Fu Ning's Lotus Garden was not far from her estate; it seemed to be in the mountains not far away. To get to the Lotus Garden, one had to pass through here, and there were several carriages slowly moving along the roadside.

After Achan and her companions alighted from the carriage, a plump woman came out to greet them, her expression wary upon seeing them: "Who are you?"

“The owner of this estate,” Achan replied, “send the estate manager out to see me.”

The woman looked Achan up and down a few times, then turned and ran back. After a while, a middle-aged man came out with a few people, walking out unhurriedly.

Before Achan could speak, the head of the manor said, "The owner of this manor is the Lady of Jinyang Marquis. Who are you to dare impersonate her?"

Achan took out a document and said, "This is an official document; this estate now belongs to me."

Instead of reading the document, the man reached out to tear it up.

However, as soon as he reached out, Chen Hui grabbed his wrist and flung him away, sending him flying several meters away and rolling to the side of the road.

Achan opened her mouth slightly and exclaimed, "Huiniang, you've become stronger again."

Chen Hui replied, "No, I just learned some techniques for generating force."

After they finished speaking, they looked at the head of the village. This man didn't seem to be unaware of the situation; rather, he was doing it on purpose.

The village headman sat up from the ground and, seeing a nobleman's carriage passing by, began to wail, "Someone's been assaulted! Someone robbed the village and now they want to beat people up!"

The carriages, which were already moving slowly, came to a complete stop.

The curtain of one of the carriages was lifted, revealing Xue's face.

The head of the estate clearly recognized Madam Xue and quickly got up from the ground and ran to Madam Xue's carriage: "Madam, you are clearly the owner of this estate, but this person inexplicably says that the estate belongs to her."

With the help of her maid, Madam Xue stepped down from the carriage. The other carriages stopped moving forward, and the people inside all craned their necks to look out.

Xue, who looked much thinner than before, came up to Achan and looked her up and down for a while before saying, "You can't take this estate away without my consent. I want to buy it. You can name your price."

The headman chimed in, "That's right, the people in our village only listen to the Lady Hou; we don't recognize anyone else."

The men brought out by the head of the estate also echoed in loud voices: "We only recognize Lady Hou."

Achan ignored Xue Shi and said only to the head of the manor, "Since you don't acknowledge it, then from today onwards you are no longer the head of the manor."

"Why should I? I've lived in this manor for over ten years, and the Lady of the Marquis hasn't said a word. What right do you have to drive me away?"

Madam Xue smiled slightly, seemingly agreeing with the manor manager's words.

This estate is full of her people. With just one word from her, even if Ji Chan has the land deed, she can't take this estate away.

She had already planned a way to deal with Ji Chan, but she didn't expect that Ji Chan would only come to the manor today and happen to run into her.

“Just because…” Before Achan could finish speaking, her eyes suddenly lit up.

She waved repeatedly to the man riding a horse not far away, saying, "Lord Bai, over here."

Upon suddenly hearing a familiar voice, Bai Xiuming reined in the horse and turned around.

He was somewhat surprised to see Achan here. His dragon-blooded horse had not received any command, but it trotted over to Achan's side.

"Are you in trouble?" Bai Xiuming sat high on his horse, glancing at the unruly headman and Lady Jinyang beside him.

“That’s right.” Achan sighed softly, “The Lady of Jinyang Marquis may be dissatisfied with Lord Bai’s demand for my mother’s dowry that day, otherwise she wouldn’t be so aggressive today.”

She clutched her chest and coughed heavily a few times, looking as if she was about to faint at any moment: "Just now, the Lady of Jinyang Marquis tried to force me to sell the estate to her."

Feeling Bai Xiuming's gaze, Madam Xue felt a chill run down her spine: "Lord Bai, Ji Chan misunderstood me."

"Is it really a misunderstanding?" Achan blinked, her tone innocent.

"certainly."

"And what about the head of the village? He just threatened me."

Madam Xue took a deep breath: "Anyone who dares to threaten their master should be sent to the authorities for investigation and punishment."

“Then I’ll trouble Lady Jinyang to help deliver it to the authorities,” Achan said softly.

Madam Xue forced a smile, and amidst the wailing of the village head, the guards beside the carriage stepped forward and tied the man up.

Bai Xiuming only said one sentence from beginning to end, but A Chan perfectly demonstrated the meaning of "borrowing the tiger's power".