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The Ling family is a well-known family in Dingzhou, and their family tree can be traced back to ten generations. The ancestors of the Ling family once served as high-ranking officials and invested thousands of acres of farmland and wealth.
It's a pity that each generation of children and grandchildren is not as good as the previous generation. By this generation, the family business is only half of that of the ancestors.
Mr. Ling died early, leaving behind four sons and one daughter. Uncle Ling and Fifth Master Ling are direct descendants, while Second Master Ling and Fourth Master Ling are both concubines.
Uncle Ling passed the Jinshi examination and now works in the Ministry of Industry.
The second master, Ling, had not made much academic achievements, so he became a seventh-grade county magistrate and went to work abroad.
Mr. Ling died at an early age. Fourth Master Ling broke his leg while riding a horse when he was young. Later, the leg bone was repaired, but he still had trouble walking. He simply stopped studying and helped manage the Ling family's shop and farm.
Fifth Master Ling is quite talented and learned, but unfortunately his luck is bad. After winning the imperial examination, he has not been able to make further progress for so many years. He simply became a romantic celebrity, spending all day drinking with his friends, writing poems, admiring flowers, and painting, and became quite famous in Dingzhou city.
Old Mrs. Ling has been a widow, guarding the Ling family's ancestral business and raising four sons and one daughter. Although his treatment of the two concubines was not as good as that of his legitimate sons, he could still be considered generous.
In the Ling family, Mrs. Ling has a very high status. Needless to say, the sons are filial, the daughters-in-law are respectful in front of Mrs. Ling, and the grandchildren are vying to please her. Mrs. Ling's most valued one is Sun Lingji, the eldest room eldest, but her favorite is the twins in the fifth room.
Ling Jingshu is stunningly beautiful, talented, considerate, gentle and gentle.
Ling Xiao has been smart since he was a child and is known as a child prodigy. After being accidentally blinded at the age of eight, he was even more pitiful and had been raised under the lap of Mrs. Ling.
It is natural that Mrs. Ling prefers her two siblings.
The Ling family's ancestral home has been passed down for more than a hundred years, and the carved beams and painted buildings reveal the mottled and vicissitudes of time. Ling Jingshu stood outside the Lama Temple, looking at the familiar plants and trees. There was no nostalgia in her heart, only sadness and desolation.
In the first three years after she got married in her previous life, she had a fairly close relationship with her natal family. At that time, except for the regret of the early death of her twin brother, she only felt that everything was going as she wished and she was happy and contented.
However, the so-called happiness is just an illusion.
When the ruthless wind and rain hit, the people around him tore off their hypocritical masks one by one, revealing their ferocious true faces. Together they push her into the abyss of eternal destruction...
A crisp voice interrupted Ling Jingshu's chaotic thoughts: "My slave, please send your regards to Miss Ninth."
Ling Jingshu raised her eyes.
This is Mo Kui, the maid next to Mrs. Ling.
Mo Kui is sixteen years old this year. She is fair-skinned and charming, with a slim figure. When she smiles, her eyes are crooked. She is highly regarded by Old Madam Ling: "Old Madam, I have been thinking about Miss Jiu these past two days. I just heard that Miss Jiu is in good health." Come and say hello, the old lady is extremely happy. Please go in with Miss Ninth as your servant."
Ling Jingshu didn't say a word, just nodded, took Ling Xiao's hand, and stepped into the Yonghe Hall.
Mo Kui was slightly startled, feeling that Miss Ninth today seemed a little different from the past.
What's different, I couldn't tell at the moment.
Mo Kui gathered his nerves, put this fleeting thought behind him, and quickly chased after him.
... ...
As soon as I walked outside the inner hall, I heard the voice of a cute and cute girl: "...Grandma, your seventieth birthday is only half a month away. My granddaughter made a forehead wiping for you and did some needlework. If your son doesn’t do well, don’t be dissatisfied, grandma.”
Mrs. Ling's laughter came out: "Sister Xian made it with her own hands, how could I not like it?"
Ling Jingshu paused slightly.
Grandma's seventieth birthday is only half a month away... All the tragedies in the past life started from this birthday. God allowed her to be reborn at this time just to let her open her eyes and choose again!
This time, she will never make the same mistake again!
Ling Xiao didn't know why Ling Jingshu stopped, and asked in a low voice in confusion: "Ah Shu, what's wrong with you?"
Ling Jingshu quickly came to her senses, knowing that Ling Xiao couldn't see her, she still forced out a nonchalant smile: "It's nothing, let's go in and pay our respects to grandma."
The first person who caught the eye was Old Mrs. Ling sitting at the top.
Mrs. Ling is already seventy years old, her hair has turned gray, her forehead is full of wrinkles, but her eyes have not become cloudy due to age, and occasionally there is a shrewd light.
Sitting on the left side of Mrs. Ling is her second aunt, Mrs. Yue.
The girl in pink clothes next to Yue is about fifteen years old, with pink face and peach cheeks, and lively eyes. She is the eighth cousin Ling Jingxian who just acted coquettishly to Mrs. Ling.
On the other side of Mrs. Ling, the fourth aunt Wang was sitting. Next to Wang, there was also a young girl in her prime, beautiful and quiet, her sixth cousin Ling Jingwan.
Ling Jingshu's eyes quickly swept across the crowd and landed on the face of the woman wearing a silver-red satin coat.
He is about 27 or 28 years old, with slightly small eyes, a slightly wide mouth, and a small red mole on the corner of his lip. The facial features are not particularly beautiful when viewed separately, but when put together, they have a different kind of charm.
This woman is none other than Ling Jingshu's stepmother, Mrs. Li.
The moment the familiar face came into view, Ling Jingshu could hardly restrain her surging hatred, and subconsciously squeezed Ling Xiao's hand tightly.
Ling Xiao was caught off guard and gasped in pain. The pain reached his mouth, but he swallowed it. Holding Ling Jingshu's trembling right hand with her backhand, she was secretly worried.
After waking up today, Ah Shu seemed a little weird...
It's better not to make any noise, so as not to make grandma unhappy.
... ...
Ling Jingshu quickly came to her senses, took a deep breath in her heart, then walked forward with a smile and saluted Mrs. Ling: "Shu'er, please give my regards to grandma."
I had a high fever for two days, and the fever has just subsided. My voice is lower and hoarse than before, but it is still pleasant to the ear.
Mrs. Ling looked at Ling Jingshu and waved to her with a smile: "Sister Shu, come to grandma quickly and let grandma have a good look."
The smile was as kind and gentle as ever.
It was as if she was still the grandmother who had always loved her.
But Ling Jingshu clearly remembered how cold and ruthless her face was when she suffered humiliation at her husband's house and desperately fled back to her parents' house for help. She ordered her to be tied up and sent back to her husband's house without mercy... ...
In Mrs. Ling's heart, the Ling family's family business reputation always ranks first. How could a mere married granddaughter take it to heart no matter how much humiliation she suffered
Ling Jingshu's fingertips were cold, but a respectful and gentle smile appeared on her face. She pulled Ling Xiao and walked to Mrs. Ling together.
Mrs. Ling took Ling Jingshu's hand and immediately frowned: "Why are your hands so cold? Are you wearing too few clothes?"
No matter how cold your hands are, they can't compare to the coldness in your heart.
Ling Jingshu lowered her eyes and responded softly: "It's Shu'er's fault for making grandma worry."
"Yes, my cousin Shu has been ill for the past two days, which has made my grandmother very anxious." Ling Jingxian interrupted with a smile, looking at Ling Jingshu who looked slightly pale and thin but did not lose her beauty at all, a trace of jealousy flashed in her eyes.
Ling Jingshu, who is only fourteen years old, is not only stunningly beautiful, but also has superb skills in cultivating famous peonies, which makes all her cousins pale in comparison.
Everyone knows Mrs. Ling's preference for Ling Jingshu.
She spent a lot of time trying to make her grandmother happy. But as soon as Ling Jingshu arrived, her grandmother immediately only had Ling Jingshu in her eyes.
Ling Jingshu smiled at Ling Jingxian: "With cousin Chenghuan at my knees, how can my grandma still think about me?"
Ling Jingxian was only one year older than her and had always been competitive. She always competed with her and even fell in love with the same man. It's a pity that Ling Jingxian has a high ambition and a poor life, and has never won the competition.
Old Mrs. Ling listened to the jealousy between the two granddaughters, and felt great relief. She laughed loudly and said, "Okay, you two are my grandmother's favorites. Without either of you, it won't work."
My daughter-in-law and granddaughters all burst into laughter.
The children and grandchildren of the Ling family all study at home during the day, and even the youngest Ling Huo has begun to read. Usually there are only women in the inner house, and the only male is Ling Xiao.
After Mrs. Ling asked Ling Jingshu a few questions with concern, she looked at Ling Xiao and said lovingly: "Sister Shu has been sick for the past two days, and you have been eating and drinking without worrying. Now that she is well, you should rest assured. Come on!"
Ling Xiao smiled shyly: "Yes, my grandson has let her worry about her."
Mrs. Ling smiled and said: "Grandma is born to work hard, so it's nothing to worry about. As long as you are all well, grandma will feel at ease."
The love and pity are beyond words.
A trace of jealousy quickly flashed in Ms. Li's eyes, but a smile appeared on her face: "My mother-in-law is a bodhisattva with a heart. All the children and grandchildren of our family are looking forward to a few words of praise from my mother-in-law. It's me who is the daughter-in-law." Yes, I am shamelessly looking forward to my mother-in-law’s pity!”
Old Mrs. Ling laughed heartily at this witty remark.
Among the four daughters-in-law, the eldest daughter-in-law Sun lives in the capital with her eldest son, and the remaining three daughters-in-law live in the old house of the Ling family.
The second daughter-in-law, Mrs. Yue, is shrewd and mean, while the fourth daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wang, is flexible.
Li's family background was not high, and she was the step-in-law of Fifth Master Ling. However, after all, she is the daughter-in-law of her biological son. In Mrs. Ling's heart, she was born a little heavier than the Yue family and the Wang family.
Mrs. Li was sharp-tongued and eloquent, and she deliberately coaxed Mrs. Ling. Soon, Mrs. Ling's attention was diverted from Ling Jingshu's siblings.
"My mother-in-law's seventieth birthday is coming soon. My uncle's family left the capital more than half a month ago. Counting the days, we should arrive in Dingzhou in seven or eight days."
Mrs. Li knew Mrs. Ling's thoughts well and told Mrs. Ling what she wanted to hear: "The Lu family also came back from Jizhou specially. It has been eight years since my daughter-in-law married to the Ling family, and she has never seen anyone marry far away." Where is my sister-in-law! This time I have the opportunity to get close to her."
Mentioning the young daughter who was married to Jizhou for many years and has never returned to Ningxia, Mrs. Ling's eyes suddenly softened: "Yes, Ah Hui was married to Jizhou. In the past twelve years, we have only exchanged letters, and I haven't seen her for a long time. If it hadn't been for me this time It’s my seventieth birthday, I’m afraid she may not come back.”
Mrs. Li immediately took over the conversation with a smile: "I'll take advantage of this opportunity and let my sister-in-law stay with me for a while."
Yue and Wang also laughed and echoed in unison.
Ling Jingshu's expression did not change when she heard the word "Lu family", but her right hand curled up in her wide sleeves tightened.
His nails dug into his palms, and it stung.
Anger and hatred were like hot lava, roaring and surging in his heart, almost rushing out of his chest.
At this moment, the porter ran in with a happy face and reported: "To inform the old lady, the steward waiting at the dock has returned with a message. My aunt's boat has arrived at the dock."
... ... (To be continued)