Chapter 155 Visiting Xihan
Xie Sangning's remarks about training dogs caused a moment of silence in the hall.
Lin Ziyuan's face turned deathly pale; the flame of his admiration was extinguished, leaving him only bewilderment.
He opened his mouth, his voice dry and weak, carrying the helplessness of a young man whose faith had crumbled: "You...you might as well have continued lying to us..."
He preferred to believe that his cousin was a pure saint rather than face the stark reality.
Xie Sangning's gaze fell on his face, her eyes still devoid of warmth, but less mocking than before, replaced by a stern scrutiny: "Liar you?"
She tilted her head slightly, as if she had heard some childish suggestion, "And then what? Let you indulge in blind worship of me? How is that any different from training a dog?"
She picked up the teacup, her fingertips gently tracing the warm rim of the cup.
"Worship can blind you. It makes you abandon independent thinking, unconditionally believe every word and decision of the person you worship, and even glorify all their actions. Over time, the person you worship becomes the only standard answer. At that point, what about your own minds? What about your own judgment?"
Her gaze swept over the Lin family members: "Precisely because you are my family, not those tools that need to be united to serve me or take the fall for me, I need to expose you to my true self. I don't need you to worship me; what I need is for you to understand me, to comprehend the logic behind my actions, and even, one day, to question me."
"Unconditional trust is foolish, and blind worship is an even greater shackle."
"Regardless of the relationship between the Xie and Lin families, from the outside perspective, we are all in the same boat. I need you to grow, and I need you to be my support. I also hope that the Lin family members can keep a clear head, have their own ideas, and be able to distinguish right from wrong. This is the foundation that a family can truly stand on, rather than relying on the halo of one person."
These words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart.
Silence fell in the hall again, but this time it was not silence of shock and disappointment.
Just then, Mr. Lin, who was sitting at the head of the table, let out a long breath.
In his cloudy old eyes, there was no disappointment, no blame, but a slow appreciation.
He looked at Xie Sangning as if he were getting to know his great-granddaughter all over again, each time bringing him a different surprise.
“Sang Ning, girl…” Lin Zhu broke the silence, “You said that your heart is not entirely good, and I understand that. You calculate the gains and losses before considering feelings and favors when you do things, and I understand that as well.”
He picked up his teacup and took a sip.
“But,” he put down his teacup, his gaze sharp as he looked at the still dazed Lin family members, “a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions! A single thought can make all sorts of things happen. In this world, the most practical way to judge whether a person is good or evil, right or wrong, is to look at what they ultimately do and what the consequences are.”
"No matter how she calculated or weighed things in her heart, Sang Ning truly transformed this desolate and barren land into the oasis it is today! She established a clinic, saving Aunt Zhang's daughter-in-law and grandson, and saving countless people who might have died from hunger, cold, and disease! She enabled the children here to go to school, learn to read and understand principles! She ensured that the young and strong here had land to cultivate, jobs to do, and the strength to protect their homeland!"
Lin Zhu's gaze swept over the crowd, tinged with disappointment: "You only saw the schemes she laid bare to you, and you were terrified, feeling like the sky had fallen? Why don't you think about the people of Xihan who are able to eat their fill, stay warm, survive, and have hope because of her? Are their lives, their joys, fake?"
He raised his voice slightly, his tone questioning: "Which of you do you think is more deserving to be called a good person: someone who can pretend to be a good person for a lifetime and bring blessings to the local people, or someone who has a kind heart but accomplishes nothing, or even does good deeds but ends up doing bad things?"
These words dispelled the confusion on the faces of the Lin family members. Yes, regardless of Xie Sangning's motives, she had indeed saved countless lives and changed the fate of countless people!
Isn't this the greatest good?
Lin Zhu looked at Xie Sangning with a complicated expression: "Sangning, you may not consider yourself kind, and may even be somewhat... cold-hearted. But you are self-interested, not selfish. You don't have the kind of compassionate love that the world admires, but what you have done has truly benefited a corner of the world! Isn't that enough?"
Xie Sang sat quietly, listening to every word Lin Zhu said.
After this conversation, the mindset of the person who came out of the house changed again.
Right now, everyone is discussing going to the street to take a look.
Yesterday's brief glimpse was enough to amaze him, and Magistrate Qu was already waiting at the gate of the mansion. Today, he personally led the Lin family to visit.
At that moment, the Lin family saw him as soon as they stepped outside.
"Old Master Lin, distinguished guests! Now that you've come to Xihan, you must see our strength and character! This is not just for show! Please! Please follow me!"
Like a child eager to show off his favorite toy, he led the Lin family members, each with a different expression, out the door.
The sunlight in Xihan City is more intense and harsher than that in Jinling.
Our first stop was the Crafts Workshop in the west of the city.
Beneath the massive sheds, there was none of the leisurely and sluggish atmosphere typical of Jiangnan workshops.
The sound of the hammer striking was deafening, yet the rhythm was melodious.
The shirtless men had bulging muscles, and sweat streamed down their bronze backs.
Lin Ziyuan looked on with curiosity, pointing to a wooden frame in the corner that was taller than two people and had a complex structure, and asked, "Magistrate Qu, what is that? It doesn't look like a waterwheel..."
"Young Master Lin," Magistrate Qu said proudly, "that's the oil press that our young lady oversaw the improvement of! It's 30% less labor-intensive than the old one, and it produces 20% more oil! It's all thanks to the meshing of gears; it's incredibly ingenious!"
He deliberately raised his voice to drown out the noise, saying, "As the young lady often says, 'A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools!'"
Wei quietly tugged at Zhao's sleeve: "Second sister-in-law, look at those women..."
Her gaze fell upon the area where spinning and weaving took place.
Dozens of strong women sat in front of spinning wheels, their fingers flying across the spinning wheel. Their movements were swift and efficient, their eyes fixed straight ahead, their expressions focused.
Zhao looked in that direction and saw that the women's eyes lacked the gentle shyness of the Jiangnan embroiderers; instead, they were sharp, focused, and carried a heavy, powerful force.
Their bare forearms had clearly defined muscle lines, showing the strength of years of hard work, and their backs were ramrod straight.
"This...this strength, it's like someone who can work in the fields..."
"That's right, everyone here... looks like they're on edge, holding back their energy."
Magistrate Qu, with his sharp ears, overheard this and immediately laughed loudly, explaining, "The women of Xihan hold up half the sky! They're skilled at everything: spinning and weaving, cultivating the land, and taking care of children! If anything happens, they can grab a weapon and get to work! The young lady said that survival doesn't discriminate between men and women, young and old; if you have the strength, you must use it!"
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