On the way to the front hall to attend the family feast, it became obvious to Ling Zhang that the atmosphere in the mansion had changed. Those servants who used to greet him with a smile now merely gave him respectful bows.
The reason for this was obvious.
Ling Zhang didn’t find this to be all that bad. Besides, he was no longer the man he used to be. Asking him to revert back to his usual laughing self was completely impractical.
When he arrived at the front hall, Ling Zhang noticed that in addition to Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhaowen and Ling Maomao, Fu Caiwei was also there. Ling family was a relatively small family, so unlike other families, they weren’t too finicky when it came to certain rules.
Fu Caiwei was waiting in front of the hall. Her eyes brightened the moment she noticed Ling Zhang’s approaching, “Come on over here. The weather has gotten colder. You should help yourself to some hot soup.”
Ling Zhang hurried forward to greet his aunt. “Aunt, you shouldn’t stay out here for so long. It’s too cold out here.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Fu Caiwei answered.
The two of them entered the hall together, where they saw Ling Maomao running out excitedly.
Moments before Ling Maomao reached Ling Zhang, Ling Zhaowen cleared his throat, causing Ling Maomao to stop short. Reluctantly, Ling Maomao changed his demeanor into a respectful one. “Big brother,” Ling Maomao greeted.
With his back to his father, Ling Maomao made a face at Ling Zhang. “My father’s eyes are so sharp,” he whispered.
Ling Zhang’s eyes softened and he winked at Ling Maomao furtively.
The brothers walked hand in hand until they were standing in front of the table. Ling Zhang bowed to Ling Xingzhong and Ling Zhaowen in greeting. Then, he and Ling Maomao took their seats at the table.
Fu Caiwei placed a bowl of soup in front of Ling Zhang, “Here, drink it while it’s still warm.”
Ling Zhang thanked his aunt and took a sip of the hot soup. Although the soup was a bit hot, it was delicious and fragrant. Warmth spread out in his stomach after he swallowed it, expelling the coldness he had felt during the way here.
He knew that his aunt had prepared the soup the moment he drank it. How long had it been since he last tasted his aunt’s soup?
Ling Zhang lowered his head slightly, not daring to expose the intense emotions in his eyes. He finished the soup slowly. Once he had calmed himself, he looked back up again.
He didn’t notice anything strange in his grandfather and his uncle’s expressions since he got here. Their faces looked completely normal as if they had no idea about the things that had happened in his yard.
“Hurry up and dig in, everyone. I’m sure you’re all starving after the long day,” Ling Xingzhong said, which prompted everyone to pick up their chopsticks.
Ling Maomao was sitting next to Ling Zhang. After two mouthfuls, he reached out and carefully placed a piece of meat in Ling Zhang’s bowl. “Here, big brother. Chicken thigh, your favorite.”
Ling Zhang glanced down at the meat in his bowl and swallowed the feelings of bitterness that had risen inside him. Then, he returned the favor by putting a piece of Ling Maomao’s favorite meat into Maomao’s bowl. “This is your favorite,” he said.
Ling Maomao laughed happily. He briskly picked up the meat that Ling Zhao had picked for him and took a big bite.
Ling Zhang did the same for his grandfather and uncle too. He couldn’t do the same for his aunt, though. It would be inappropriate for a man to place food into a married woman’s bowl unless he was the woman’s husband. Instead, he whispered to his aunt to eat more.
Ling Maomao copied his brother’s actions; he started placing food into the bowls of Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Just help yourself and don’t worry about us,” Ling Xingzhong said in a stern voice, despite the smile on his face.
Ling Maomao sat back down obediently and started biting into the meat that his brother had given him.
“Grandfather, uncle and aunt, I have something to tell you later.” Ling Zhang said.
The elders must have known about what had happened in his yard. Ling Zhang was sure of it. Ling Zhang could pretty much guess as well why none of them had confronted him yet. Even if the elders trusted him, he still owed them an explanation.
Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei shared a look with each other. They already had an idea as to what Ling Zhang wanted to say.
“Sure. We’ll head to the side hall after the meal,” Ling Xingzhong said. “We can have the conversation there.”
Ling Maomao gave Ling Zhang a look of dissatisfaction, “Big brother, why can’t I be included in the conversation?”
Ling Zhang stroked the back of Ling Maomao’s head and said, “That is a grown-up matter. I’ll tell you about it once you’re a bit older, okay?”
Ling Maomao curled his lips, “When can I have my coming-of-age ceremony?”
“You’ll have your ceremony when you’ve grown much taller,” Ling Zhang answered.
Ling Zhang’s words filled Ling Maomao with a feeling of hopelessness. With his current body height, it would take forever for him to become as tall as his big brother!
The heaviness in Ling Zhang’s heart was considerably lightened by Ling Maomao’s presence.
After the family feast, the whole family (sans Ling Maomao) gathered in the pavilion. Ling Maomao was brought to the bath by the steward.
Ling Zhang came clean to his grandfather, uncle and aunt. He hid nothing from them and told them everything Dongshan and Dongsong had done. He also told them about the evidence he had found that confirmed their guilt.
Ling Xingzhong’s face turned livid after he had heard everything. Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei were furious as well.
“You did well. Keeping such treacherous servants in your service will be an extreme threat to you and the Ling family,” Ling Xingzhong said.
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t realize anything wrong with those two. And because of that, you nearly fell into a trap. I’m so sorry.”
“Please, don’t say that, Aunt. None of this is your fault. Dongsong and Dongshan had been with our family ever since they were little kids. They’d always been by my side to serve me. It’s my fault for not being strict enough with them,” Ling Zhang said.
No, this wasn’t his aunt’s fault. If it weren’t for his rebirth, he himself couldn’t have seen through their deception either.
“The fact is that these things are hard to prevent. Looks like we need to carry out Zhang’er’s suggestion as soon as possible. The ranks of our servants need to be reshuffled. The possibility that there are more people like those two in our family doesn’t sit well with me,” Ling Zhaowen said with a serious expression.
