At the foot of the barren mountain lies Linjia Village.
Since the winter rain a few days ago, the weather has been getting colder and colder. Even though everyone is wearing thick clothes, the cold wind can still make your bones shiver and your lips tremble.
Old Mrs. Lin peeked through a crack at the kiln outside, shivering from the cold, and curled her lip indifferently.
"The magistrate really knows how to find people. He actually brought those refugees here to fire the kiln. I wonder what they'll do with all those bricks they make."
"Old man, what do you think our ancestors were thinking? Giving the village houses to these refugees, do you think they can live on the mountain for generations? Don't they plan to come back?"
"Don't meddle in what the ancestors decided. You should think about how to find your son!" Old Master Lin really thought that his ancestors were acting very absurdly, actually letting the houses built by generations of ancestors live in the homes of refugees.
But he also knew that he had no say in the matter with his ancestors, and no matter how much he cared, it would be useless. He might as well find his son and bring him back.
When her second son was mentioned, Old Mrs. Lin rolled her eyes: "That second son is no easy task either. There's been no news for so many days. It's so cold outside, and I don't even have a cotton coat. How am I supposed to go looking for him?"
Grandpa Lin did have a thick cotton coat, but how could he possibly go out by himself?
So, they still haven't found their son and can only complain to each other there.
Just as Grandma Lin gritted her teeth and decided to go outside to take a look, there was a rapid knocking on the door.
When they opened the door, they saw a familiar figure standing there. Lin Erluo's hair was frozen solid, his lips were trembling, and he rushed in with his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, quickly boil a bucket of hot water to warm my son up!" Old Master Lin exclaimed.
Before long, Lin Lian's mother came over with a bucket of water. She looked somewhat reluctant, but if she didn't do chores at home, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin wouldn't give her food, so she could only serve them here.
"This is... Sister-in-law?" Lin Erluo exclaimed in shock.
He had always heard that his sister-in-law was a noblewoman from the capital, as beautiful as a fairy, and he had secretly envied his elder brother countless times.
Now that Lin Erluo has taken a closer look at his sister-in-law's appearance, he has nothing to say. She is no different from his wife, Wu Cuiying. He has been envious of his elder brother for so long!
"Second son, why have you been searching for so many days? What's wrong with that little slut? Does she even want to live a normal life anymore?" Old Mrs. Lin said with a dark face.
Her son has been searching for so long; once her second son's wife comes back, she'll definitely give her a good talking-to!
"Mother, don't worry about it so much!" Lin Erluo felt a little aggrieved at this thought.
"Why don't you just mind your own business? She's my daughter-in-law, I am..."
"Mother, shut up! Don't mention this person again!" Lin Erluo's face was ugly.
Grandma Lin across the way finally realized something was wrong. She glanced at her second son's face and muttered, "If she doesn't want to talk, she doesn't want to talk. Anyway, she can forget about ever stepping into this house again!"
Seeing her son's face grow increasingly pale, she finally fell silent.
After being steamed by the heat, Lin Erluo finally caught his breath. He remembered the earthen kilns by the door and then asked about Linjia Village.
"Your ancestor led the whole village to live in the wilderness. I think she just lived too long and has something wrong with her!"
"The house in Linjia Village was also given to these refugees. Every day, these people are outside firing kilns, making our family live in constant fear."
How could Old Mrs. Lin not be afraid? These were refugees! What if those people were unhappy and robbed them of their belongings? Where would she go to seek justice?
"It's so cold, is our ancestor really not planning to come back?" Lin Erluo asked calmly.
"It seems they don't plan to come back, taking so much grain with them!" Old Mrs. Lin couldn't help but gasp when she thought of the portion of grain she had secretly seen.
But she didn't care. What good was good food? It was so cold up there on the barren mountain. How could it be more comfortable than her own home?
"How much grain did they take away?" Lin Erluo wondered.
"That must be several hundred shi, or even several thousand shi, right? I reckon they won't have to worry about anything for the next year!" the old lady exclaimed dramatically.
"There's no way there's that much. What we saw back then was at most a little over a hundred shi of grain. You're just exaggerating!" Old Master Lin glared at him angrily.
"How am I exaggerating? This is just what we've seen. What about what we haven't seen? During this period, everyone in our village has been hoarding grain. Who knows how much they've hoarded?"
"Besides, you know the old ancestor's status. She probably has a lot of money. How could she not afford to buy food?"
The old lady jumped up and down.
"Mother, what exactly is the identity of our ancestor?" Lin Erluo asked curiously.
He didn't care that the villagers respected their ancestors so much; he just thought it was because they had lived a long time.
The old ancestor didn't stay in Linjia Village often; instead, she traveled all over the country. He had only seen her once in his life, and the old woman never mentioned giving them money. Why should he respect her?
Grandma Lin pulled her son over and muttered to herself for a long time.
The old man didn't say anything. Normally, this kind of thing shouldn't be told to the younger generation, but the ancestor had already left with the other villagers, and only he was left here. Why couldn't he say it?
"Mother, you said that our ancestor was once a princess?" Lin Erluo's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"Then our ancestor must have had a lot of wealth, right?"
Grandma Lin nodded, her tone tinged with bitterness: "Your father is her adopted son, but I haven't seen the old ancestor give him much. I bet she's secretly hiding a lot of good stuff!"
Lin Erluo seemed to be deep in thought; he felt that he had found an opportunity.
"By the way, where's Lin Lian? Didn't they say she came back with my sister-in-law?"
"Don't even mention that brat! She's hardly ever been home since she came back. She's always running off and disappearing without a trace. We can't count on her at all!" Old Mrs. Lin said angrily.
"Alright, I got it." Lin Erluo soaked in the hot water for a bit, then quickly put on his clothes and ran out.
"Son, what are you going to do now?" Old Mrs. Lin exclaimed in surprise.
"You all stay home and don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!"
Lin Erluo ran far away, and he squinted to find one of the mountain peaks. With a sigh, he resignedly climbed up.
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