Chapter 39: The Lin Family's Concubine-born Daughter

Lin Jinyan maintained a faint smile, watching coldly from the sidelines. Seeing the Old Madam take Zhou Yuexue's hand with a look of pity and asking if she lacked anything, and seeing Zhou Yuexue respond tenderly, appearing to share a deep bond of grandmotherly affection, Lin Jinyan stood up.

"Grandmother, please continue your conversation with Cousin. Yan'er should head back to soak in her medicinal bath. I shall take my leave for now and come to pay my respects to you tomorrow morning."

The Old Madam said with heartache, "Go back and soak quickly. It is so pitiful that you have to endure such hardship at such a young age. Is Manao taking good care of you?"

Lin Jinyan smiled and said, "How could anyone by Grandmother's side be anything less than excellent? Aunt said I am already fine and only need to soak in the medicinal bath for two more days, so please do not worry. Yan'er will soak obediently and nurse herself back to health so as not to trouble Grandmother."

Her well-behaved and sensible demeanor directly captured the Old Madam's heart. The old woman repeatedly instructed Lin Jinyan to rest well and not to rush to pay her respects.

Once she stepped out of the gates of Songmao Hall, Lin Jinyan's smiling face vanished.

That wench Zhou Yuexue actually dares to set her sights on the Gu family? Wishful thinking!

While she was cursing Zhou Yuexue in her mind, a thin and frail figure appeared ahead to the side. Seeing that Lin Jinyan had noticed her, the figure spoke timidly

"Miss... Eldest Miss, are you alright now?"

Lin Jinyan froze for a moment before recognizing her: this was Lin Wanrong, the concubine-born daughter of her Second Uncle, Lin Siran.

She was only two months older than Lin Jinyan and was the person with the least sense of presence in the entire Lin residence.

The Lin family had strict discipline; they did not allow concubines, let alone mistresses.

Lin Wanrong was the result of a single night of passion for Lin Siran. Her biological mother was a musician of low status. After a night of passion following a bout of drinking, Lin Siran had not informed his family for fear of his father's reprimand.

Not long after Gu Qinglan passed away from postpartum hemorrhage, this musician arrived at the door clutching a baby girl, saying she truly lacked the means to raise the child and could not simply let her starve to death. Out of desperation, she sent the child to the Lin family, seeking neither wealth nor status, only that the child grow up safely.

When Lin Yanqing learned of this, he flew into a rage and severely punished Lin Siran, hating him for his lack of character and his corruption of the family reputation.

Despite his anger, Lin Yanqing ultimately could not bear to be heartless toward the infant, as she was, after all, of the Lin bloodline. He gave the musician some silver to send her away and allowed the child into the household, instructing his second daughter-in-law, Lady Liu, to ensure the child was well-fed and clothed so she could be raised properly.

Although Lady Liu was extremely resentful, she followed Lin Yanqing's orders. She assigned two maids and found a wet nurse to raise Lin Wanrong. Unless absolutely necessary, she never visited and never allowed Lin Wanrong to linger in her presence.

Because Lin Siran had been punished due to Lin Wanrong, he felt no affection for her; they only saw each other during festivals, and he did not allow Lin Wanrong to pay her respects to her parents.

The brothers Lin Siyuan and Lin Siran had separate courtyards but had not yet split the household.

The West Courtyard was assigned to the second branch, Lin Siran. Everyone in the West Courtyard knew there was a "young lady" named Lin Wanrong who held the title in name only, but the new servants arriving in other courtyards did not even know such a person existed.

In her past life, Lin Jinyan had only seen Lin Wanrong a few times. In her memory, the girl had always been this timid and cowardly.

Lin Jinyan remembered that in her past life, Lin Wanrong married a *juren* (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) who had no family background, and the couple lived harmoniously.

After marrying him, she searched diligently for her biological mother and used her dowry to purchase a residence to settle her. When Lin Wanrong's mother-in-law found out, she even came to the Lin residence to cause a scene.

Thinking of how such a timid person as Lin Wanrong could actually exhaust her dowry to settle her biological mother, Lin Jinyan felt a sense of goodwill toward her.

The world is full of ungrateful and heartless people. If one were in Lin Wanrong's position, most would likely find ways to please their husband's family and keep their origins a secret, let alone seek out and settle their biological kin.

(End of Chapter)