Chapter 73 A Life of Wealth and Prosperity
Grandma Lin's voice was soft and gentle as she looked at the younger generation with kindness. Her wholehearted concern for the younger generation gave Lin Zhaozhao the illusion of being immersed in a sweet dream. In reality, this feeling was too unfamiliar to her, yet she couldn't help but indulge in it.
"May everything go smoothly and without worry for us, and may we find a suitable husband."
"Mother, the man I'm looking for must be able to beat me first." Lin Yangyang, shameless, went along with it and bluntly stated her requirements.
"Shameless."
The Lin family was filled with joy, while the western outskirts of the city were deathly still, with the government maintaining strict controls at every level, and most of the people huddled together in fear.
A few, dissatisfied, shouted, "Why are you locking us up?"
"Today is New Year's Eve. Everyone else is feasting on fish and meat, while we ordinary folks are just suffering here, starving."
"Why can't we move if we're not sick, healthy, or have committed any crimes? The child has a persistent high fever; it would be good to call a doctor."
The West Market was in chaos, with some even going so far as to confront the heavily guarded constables head-on. However, they were outmatched and were quickly subdued and brought to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, Chen Song explained, "According to our investigation, the West Market has a persistent high fever, suspected to be caused by the plague. To prevent the situation from escalating out of control, the West Market has been temporarily sealed off. I am aware of the questions you just raised. As long as you cooperate actively, someone will deliver medicine and food to your door."
"Really?"
"It sounds nice, but once you leave, it's all just empty talk."
During the argument, Chen Song brought out the surplus grain and distributed some to everyone, which finally calmed things down.
However, after Chen Song left, the constables split into three groups and began to roam the West Market. Anyone familiar with the West Market would surely see through it: the government was using the plague as a pretext to eliminate the locals of Huichun and to seal off the refugees who had fled to Huichun.
As dusk fell, the East Market was brightly lit. A group of people were beating drums and gongs, led by a Taoist priest with an otherworldly air, and surrounded by onlookers.
"This is Master Gaoxuan from Yuqing Temple. It is said that his divination is extremely difficult to obtain. I wonder who has such a generous idea to invite Master Gaoxuan here."
"Speaking of which, the recent resurgence of spring has been quite strange. It's usually spring-like all year round, but this year there was a sudden heavy snowfall, which killed many people. Later, some people had high fevers that wouldn't go down, and even seeing doctors and taking medicine didn't help. They died from the fever."
"With Master Gaoxuan here, he can perform a ritual to cleanse the impurities, suppress evil spirits, and restore a peaceful and serene environment."
Amidst the various opinions, Master Gaoxuan began his ritual. The banner was hung high, fluttering even without wind, and the wooden sword was brandished. It seemed gentle, yet it carried a force that could pierce the air. Coupled with the intimidating incantations, the people around were stunned. With devout hearts, they waited for what would happen next, only to see Master Gaoxuan looking at the divination results with a slight frown.
"Logically speaking, Huichun should be peaceful and prosperous, and nothing out of the ordinary should happen. As far as I know, it must be that a very unlucky person has offended it, causing Huichun to suffer an undeserved disaster."
"Master Gaoxuan, could you possibly figure out who it is?"
Those who obstruct the Spring Festival travel rush must not be let off lightly.
"To confirm, we need to consult a divination." Master Gao Xuan took out a copper coin, and after a few clicks, he gave his answer: "According to the divination, this person is settled in another place, has one son, is widowed and brothers are harmed, and has strong yin energy. She lives in the place where the east and west markets of Huichun meet. Due to favorable timing, location and people, her fortune was extremely good, and she once boosted the wealth of Huichun. However, this ebb and flow led to the disaster in Huichun."
"The area where the East and West markets meet? And it's rented to someone from out of town, Lin Chun, doesn't that perfectly match the house you rented out?"
"Has given birth to a son? And is she widowed and has brothers? And she lives in the southeast direction of the government office—this must be Lady Lin of the Lin Family Fruit Shop!"
This direct mention of names caused an uproar, with everyone exclaiming, "Now that you mention it, it really does seem to make sense!"
"That Lin Niangzi became famous for selling potted plants, and not long after, it snowed again."
“I think it’s not just that; those who fled famine and came back to find spring are also culprits.”
"Master Gaoxuan, if it really is that Lady Lin, how should we resolve this?" Seeing the rising momentum of the people around her, Lin Jinxiu pressed her advantage and stirred up the waters even more.
“The best course of action is to move out of the mansion and relocate to the edge of the West Market for more than two months to resolve the issue. However, to confirm this, we need to examine the woman’s face.” Master Gao Xuan still looked inscrutable. Upon hearing this, someone quickly got up to lead the way.
As soon as Master Gaoxuan made a move, the others followed suit.
Lin Zhaozhao was oblivious to the impending crisis and was happily enjoying her New Year's Eve dinner with her family.
After they had eaten enough, Li Xiujuan began giving the younger generation lucky money. The money was in money bags sewn by Li Xiujuan, with dense stitches revealing lifelike little animals, which delighted the younger generation.
This was the first time Lin Zhaozhao had ever received New Year's money in her life. Logically, she should have been overjoyed, but for some reason, a strong sense of unease welled up from the depths of her heart.
She believed in her sixth sense, because it had helped her survive countless crises during the apocalypse.
So she immediately used her supernatural ability to sense things, and then she discovered that, for some reason, a group of people were marching towards the Lin family, and Lin Jinxiu was among them, looking smug and self-satisfied.
That face gave Lin Zhaozhao an urge to tear it apart.
Before Lin Zhaozhao could think, there was a knock on the door. Lin Zhaozhao got up, stepped into the courtyard, and opened the door. She wanted to see what big move Lin Jinxiu was planning.
The gate was wide open, and a large group of people stood outside. The leader was an old Taoist priest with a long beard. He looked Lin Zhaozhao up and down without any restraint. The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed. Judging from her face, she was destined to be widowed, brotherly, and childless, and live a lonely and miserable life. But in a moment of confusion, the situation was completely reversed, and she was born into a life of wealth and no worries.
After a short while, his expression returned to normal, and Master Gaoxuan's face suddenly turned cold. "It was this woman who caused this."
"You shameless hussy, you're not satisfied with ruining your own men and brothers, you even have to come and wreak havoc on our Huichun City."
"It's all because of you that Huichun was forced to lock down the city, which led to the snow disaster."
"Before you refugees came to Huichun, everything was fine. It's all your fault. Get out of Huichun and go back to your own wretched land."
"They're all ungrateful bastards."
From the few words she spoke, Lin Zhaozhao finally pieced together the truth of the matter. It turned out that the long-nosed old Taoist priest had used divination and his reputation to shift the blame for Huichun's misfortune onto her. What a joke!
If that's the case, is she still here?
It's obvious that the culprit is Lin Jinxiu, who stood in the crowd watching coldly. Her smug look made it seem as if she could get what she wanted once she was done with her.
Tsk.
The outsiders, seeing that Lin Zhaozhao remained unmoved, rushed in and started smashing things in the courtyard. Li Xiujuan and Lin Yangyang naturally objected and immediately started fighting back.
"What are you doing? Stop it all!" In the chaos, people rushed in from outside. The leader was Qin Yi, followed by a large number of constables, including some of Qin Yi's thugs.
Upon seeing her, Qin Yi smiled freely and tenderly, his gaze filled with deep affection, yet the smile did not reach his eyes.
Lin Zhaozhao understood perfectly well that Qin Yi was conspiring with Lin Jinxiu to force her to submit.
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