noffsinger Chapter 275 The Lin Family Searches for Relatives
Chapter 275 The Lin Family Searches for Relatives
These local gifts were prepared long ago by Bai Jingzhou and Gu Wenxuan to be given to the members of the caravan as a token of gratitude for their care along the way.
The items are not expensive, but I bought each one with careful consideration.
Bai Jingzhou is a social elite. As long as he wants, he can quickly get along with anyone.
Although Gu Wenxuan, Fang Youfu and others didn't get along much with everyone, they were straightforward and sincere, and their temperaments were very much to the taste of the lower-class people who didn't have any ulterior motives. The people in the caravan traveled with them and got along very well with them.
Even the Lin family, who had the lowest presence, improved the caravan's stereotype of "scholars" because of their good manners and gentle attitude towards others.
As they were about to part, the caravan received this unexpected gift, and they couldn't help but feel reluctant to part with Bai Jingzhou and his party.
However, all good things must come to an end. They have their work to do, and Bai Jingzhou and his group must fulfill their promise until the Lin family is safely reunited with their clansmen.
The next day, the caravan set off early for Haizhou. The Lin family also packed up and went to their house in the county town to look for someone with anticipation and trepidation.
The Lin family had a mansion located in Tongfu Lane in the county town. Since they were going to look for relatives, the Lin family did not bring too many people with them. Only Gu Wenxuan, Jia Yuelan, Gu Wenhai, Gu Wenche, and Bai Jingzhou went with them as relatives and bodyguards.
As for Fang Youfu and others, Gu Wenxuan planned to let them go out for a walk on their own, but they didn't want to waste money, so they simply stayed in the inn to look around.
Gu Wenxuan knew that they were used to being frugal, so she did not force them. She told the innkeeper to remember to deliver food to their courtyard at noon, and also confirmed the types and quantities of the food to prevent Fang Youfu and others from going hungry again. Then she followed the Lin family to Tongfu Lane.
The Lin family was very nervous and felt homesick. The closer they got to the place they longed to go back to and the relatives they wanted to see, the harder it was for them to calm down.
Gu Wenxuan and the others did not say anything extra to comfort them. This special state of being both excited and nervous, and unable to control all the thoughts in their minds, could not be changed by a few words from others.
A group of more than ten people got into two horse-drawn carriages, and the driver brought by Gu Wenxuan from the farm took them to the Lin family's house in Tongfu Lane.
After arriving at the place, Brother Lin got out of the car, took a deep breath and went over to knock on the door.
The other members of the Lin family who got off the car behind him turned their heads to look at the exterior of the house. They found that the house was well maintained, and they couldn't help but feel relieved.
However, soon their "relief" turned into "worry".
Hearing someone knocking on the door, the doorman opened it a crack and asked who Brother Lin was and who he was looking for.
Brother Lin gave his name and asked to see the current head of the Lin family.
The concierge was stunned for a moment before saying, "You have the wrong person. My master's surname is not Lin."
The Lin family was struck by lightning. They never expected that their old house in the county town had changed hands.
Seeing that all the Lin family members were standing there in a daze, Bai Jingzhou took a few steps forward, quickly stuffed a piece of silver into the doorman's pocket, and then began to ask him for information in a gentle voice.
After receiving the money, the concierge immediately told Bai Jingzhou and his group all the news he knew.
According to him, the house and the servants in it were bought by the new owner from a broker about three years ago. The new owner of the house is not a local and does not live here permanently. He only stays in the house for a short time occasionally when he comes to do business.
Bai Jingzhou gave the other party another dime and asked him to ask the other servants in the house to find out which broker their new owner had bought the house from.
The doorman held the silver and turned around quickly to help Bai Jingzhou inquire.
Everyone waited at the door for about fifteen minutes. The doorman came back trotting and told Gu Wenxuan and the others the name and address of the broker that he had learned from the steward.
After thanking the doorman, everyone went to the man's house.
Father Lin had no impression of the broker, but he was very familiar with the broker's address. Sure enough, he went to ask and found out that the broker was the son of a broker he knew.
The brothel broker he knew died during the war, and his son followed in his footsteps and also became a brothel broker.
The Lin family father and son revealed their identities and gave the broker some benefits.
When the broker heard that they were here to look for their relatives, he immediately told the Lin father and son everything he knew.
According to him, the Lin Mansion in Tongfu Lane was indeed sold through him about three years ago, and the person who came to him for help in selling the house was none other than Lin's father's younger brother.
The other party did not tell him the specific reason for selling the house, but as a broker, it was necessary for him to be well-informed, especially for a well-known and wealthy family like the Lin family, which he always paid close attention to.
He told the Lin father and son that at that time the Xiang family had a daughter who became a concubine of the rebel king in their area, and the Xiang family became powerful as a result. Then they targeted the Lin family, which had always been suppressing their family.
The Lin family was originally among those that the rebel king was trying to win over, but after the rebel king announced the "talent show", the Lin family immediately arranged marriages for all the girls over ten years old in the family.
At that time, there were a total of six unengaged girls between ten and fifteen years old in the Lin family's direct branch and the side branches within the fifth degree of mourning. The Lin family had to arrange their marriages properly in a short period of time, which required a lot of favors and a lot of thought.
The short-sighted Xiang family chose a completely opposite path from the Lin family. They did not even wait for the "draft" to officially begin, but took the initiative to send the girl from the third branch of the legitimate family over.
Of course, as a relatively well-known small aristocratic family, the Xiang family also gained a lot of benefits because they set a good example for other aristocratic families.
The Xiang family's targeting and exclusion of the Lin family was one of the benefits they gained.
As the first and second ranked families in the county, it is certain that there is competition between the two families. With the support of the rebel king behind them, the Xiang family, which has always been the second, began to suppress the Lin family unscrupulously.
In addition, there were other small noble families who were originally oppressed by these two families and took advantage of the situation to scramble for a piece of the pie. The Lin family soon fell into decline and went from being the top noble family in the area to a ruined family that everyone could step on.
In order to save the lives of their relatives, they sold almost all the shops and houses in the city, and the farms and orchards outside the city at a low price. Now the direct branch of the Lin family has fallen to the point where they can only make a living by working hard in the fields like ordinary farmers.
This is all thanks to the current emperor who defeated the rebel king in time, otherwise the Xiang family would have planned to wipe out the Lin family completely.