Ling Dapeng was working when he was suddenly called back by the supervisor, Li Fu.
"Pack your things, your people are here to pick you up." Li Fu received instructions from above. Only Ling Dapeng was leaving; Shishi seemed to have made some mistake and had been left at the manor.
Ling Dapeng had been waiting for this day, but when it finally came, he was a little stunned. He looked in the direction of the field where Shishi was working. These past few days, Shishi had been having nightmares every day. He deliberately didn't ask her about it, but seeing her suddenly haggard appearance, he felt bad.
“Manager Li, if Shishi asks me, just say I know everything she did,” Ling Dapeng solemnly said to Li Fu. “Don’t mistreat her.”
"If she wants to leave, let her leave. I don't want her anymore!" Ling Dapeng said hard, though he couldn't bring himself to say it to her face.
Li Fu didn't know what had happened, but judging from Ling Dapeng's tone, it seemed he didn't want this concubine anymore?
"Alright, alright, Second Young Master of the General's Mansion, if you become rich in the future, just don't forget the people on the estate," Li Fu said. He didn't know what the General meant by sending his long-lost Second Young Master to this estate instead of properly cultivating him in the General's Mansion.
Ling Dapeng quickly packed his things and left with Zhang Liang, who had come to pick him up. The carriage traveled for less than half an hour before Ling Dapeng arrived at another estate.
“This is Sister Tao’s estate. It’s not much land, only ten acres, and there are already five people farming it. When you go there, don’t say you’re Sister Tao’s son,” Zhang Liang said. “Don’t blame me for not warning you.”
Ling Dapeng nodded dejectedly, but immediately looked at Zhang Liang with longing and asked, "Then... when can I go back to the city? Are Xiaoyun and the child alright?"
"Just wait and see. Do you think Shishi won't come looking for you? Given the chance, she'll definitely run to the capital to find you, then come crying and begging for your forgiveness. Ling Dapeng, do you think you have the courage to refuse a woman who's always crying and wailing?"
Ling Dapeng was startled. The thought of Shishi possibly clinging to his leg and crying made him immediately back down.
Even after forgiving Shishi, Zhou Xiaoyun was determined to tear him apart. She herself was also a little scared. How could this woman be so vicious? If she hadn't discovered it early, Xiaoyun and her child would have been gone!
“Alright, I’ll stay here on this estate,” Ling Dapeng replied immediately.
Zhang Liang led Ling Dapeng inside. There wasn't much work to do here. There were chickens and ducks in the yard, as well as a pigsty. There were five people on the estate: two middle-aged couples and a middle-aged manager.
Zhang Liang only said that Ling Dapeng was a distant relative of the owner, young and strong, and was temporarily working at the estate. After explaining the situation, he left.
Ling Dapeng nodded sullenly. The manager, Lin Zhuangshi, was a kind-hearted man who told Ling Dapeng to set up the bed first.
“Brother, from now on, just focus on working at the estate. We’ve met the owner once; she’s a noble lady who’s very kind to everyone,” Lin Zhuangshi said to Ling Dapeng.
"Yes, I know," Ling Dapeng replied, adding in his mind: That's my mother!
"Keep up the good work. There's not much to do here, so no one is too tired."
"Oh, what about the wages?" Ling Dapeng couldn't help but ask.
"The wages are generous too, fifty coins a month," the manager said.
Ling Dapeng felt a pang of bitterness. He used to earn several taels of silver a month working at the restaurant! Thinking back to his past and comparing it to his present, he felt a deep regret.
But since things were already like this, Ling Dapeng decided to stay put for now, since this was his mother's estate after all.
When Shishi returned to her room, she discovered that Ling Dapeng's belongings were missing. She immediately became anxious and sought out the steward, who relayed Ling Dapeng's words to her. She collapsed to the ground in shock.
He knew! He knew everything!
“Young lady, you were brought here by the Second Young Master, so you were different from the others before. But the Second Young Master said he doesn’t want you anymore. If you want to leave, then leave. If you want to stay, then you’ll be like the other farmhands, understand?” Li Fu looked at Shishi and said with a stern face. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve this, since just a few days ago they were being asked to cooperate in playing tricks!
"No, Brother Dapeng won't abandon me!" Shishi said tremblingly. "I'm leaving. I won't stay here in this manor to die of old age. I'm going to find Brother Dapeng!" After months of hard work, Shishi was unwilling to let it all go to waste!
Seeing Shishi's expression, Li Fu felt some sympathy and suggested after thinking for a moment, "Tomorrow morning, the manor will have a carriage to deliver vegetables into the city. Why don't you take the carriage tomorrow?"
Shishi looked dazed, but could only nod in agreement. Without a carriage, how could she get back to the city?
"Manager Li, thank you!" Shishi stood up and went back to her room, looking dejected.
Outside, other people were gathered together, whispering among themselves.
"It seems like someone got killed. The wailing and howling a few nights ago was coming from her."
"I can't believe it. Such a small person, yet so ruthless. Didn't Ling Dapeng dote on her before? If she hadn't been so ruthless, she wouldn't have been abandoned. I heard she used to work at the Imperial Tutors' Office."
"Women from places like that can't be any good. Let's all move on, we probably won't see them again!"
Tao Wanniang learned from Zhang Liang that Ling Dapeng had been settled. She had a headache; all her sons were a burden, especially her second son. She hoped he could reflect on his actions at the estate. However, she guessed that Shishi would be arriving soon!
That afternoon, Tao Wanniang had just finished walking around the dessert shop when she saw Ling Yunzhou, who looked off, quickly walk in. As soon as he saw her, he pulled her directly into a private room.
"Ling Yunzhou, what are you doing?" Tao Wanniang didn't react for a moment and was pulled into the private room by Ling Yunzhou. Seeing that Ling Yunzhou's expression was not right, she shouted loudly.
"I've been drugged by the Princess!" Ling Yunzhou gritted his teeth and said, "Tao Wanniang, aren't you capable? Help me!"
Tao Wanniang's mind went blank for a moment. What drugging? She then remembered what Princess Rui had told her mysteriously earlier. "You weren't drugged with some kind of potent poison by the Princess, were you?!"
"Yes, that woman drugged me to see if I was really impotent. I endured it all the way out of the princess's residence. Tao Wanniang, help me!" Ling Yunzhou shouted urgently in a low voice.
Tao Wanniang laughed in exasperation. Did she have this obligation?
"There's ice in the restaurant, Ling Yunzhou, you wait here!" Tao Wanniang said through gritted teeth. She really didn't know what was going on in Ling Yunzhou's head. Did he want to take advantage of her?
Ling Yunzhou suddenly grabbed Tao Wanniang and pinned her against the wall.
"Huff, huff~" Ling Yunzhou gasped for breath, his eyes fixed on Tao Wanniang with a fervent look.
"This is... a dream!" Tao Wanniang swiftly took out a revolver from the storage cart in the system space, and then smashed it into Ling Yunzhou's temple with the butt. The force was so great that it knocked Ling Yunzhou unconscious.
Seeing Ling Yunzhou's flushed face, Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and then went to call her son.
"Take him to the backyard, put some ice in the bathtub, soak him in it, don't ask any questions, just do it!"
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