“Try calling him ‘bastard’ one more time! You insolent brat with no respect for your elders! Have I given you too much face?”
Song Jinyao raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap.
Not enough!!!
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Three more heavy blows followed in quick succession.
Lu Chuan was stunned.
He covered his cheek with one hand, his mouth hanging wide open.
How could Mother hit him again? He couldn’t believe it.
The crisp, loud sound of those slaps made it clear she had used full force.
Lu Xiao and Lu Yue hunched their shoulders, both inwardly gasping.
Fourth Brother must be in so much pain!
Serves him right for running his mouth!
Got what he deserved, didn’t he?
The fourth brother is just foolish!
Mother is emotionally unstable right now.
Why did he have to choose this moment to compete for favor?
Lu Xiao and Lu Yue felt a faint sense of schadenfreude—thank goodness those slaps hadn’t landed on their faces. How would they face the guests later?
“Mother, my face hurts.”
The pain in his cheek was so real he couldn’t even pretend it was a dream. He pouted, tears glistening in his eyes.
Imitating how he used to whimper as a child, he thought Mother would apologize as she always did after punishing him, then give him something nice to make up for it.
Lu Chuan felt deeply wronged.
Why was he always the one getting hit?
He had been slapped more times than Second and Third Brother!
Mother used to be so gentle with them—why had she become so strange since last night?
He had been calling Lu Yuan a bastard for ages, so why today—
Lu Chuan couldn’t figure it out.
But he decided: if Mother apologized properly and bought him that Dawan horse he’d been eyeing, he might reluctantly forgive her this time.
Yet, Lu Chuan was disappointed.
Song Jinyao didn’t comfort him at all.
“Eat, eat, eat—that’s all you ever think about! Even when you’re full, you only know how to infuriate people. Skipping one meal won’t kill you!”
“And why are you still clutching those shoes? Do you want to wear a dead man’s shoes? Aren’t you afraid of bad luck?”
“Even if you did, just look at those hooves of yours—do you think you could even squeeze them in? Pig brain!”
Not only did Song Jinyao not comfort him, she unleashed another torrent of scolding, snatching the shoes and throwing them directly into the fire basin.
The flames roared upward, casting flickering shadows across everyone’s faces.
She took in the shifting expressions of shock, resentment, and grievance on her three rebellious sons’ faces and sneered inwardly.
This doting mother act—she was done with it!
She let out a breath.
Then, enunciating each word clearly, she declared, “Listen. From now on, aside from using the restroom and eating, none of you—Second, Third, or Fourth—are to take a single step outside the Ling Tang. Kneel properly before your father’s coffin and atone for your sins.”
Song Jinyao emphasized the words “atone for your sins” heavily. This time, none of the three sons dared to voice any objection.
What a joke—Mother’s slaps were for real!
Lu Yue shrunk back slightly.
He resolved inwardly to maintain a safe distance from Mother in the coming days.
Seeing her three rebellious sons cowed, a flicker of amusement danced in Song Jinyao’s eyes.
That’s more like it—when brothers suffer, they should suffer together.
She had hit hard; Lu Chuan’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, a pitiful sight.
But Song Jinyao felt not an ounce of pity. The son she had birthed was nothing but an ungrateful piece of roast pork!
This pain was nothing compared to even one ten-thousandth of what she had endured in her past life.
After hitting him, Song Jinyao felt a little more at ease.
Actually, she had considered taking turns disciplining those three ungrateful sons, but unfortunately, Lu Chuan was always the unlucky one closest to her. When she needed to vent her anger, naturally she’d grab the nearest target.
[Is Song Jinyao willing to hit her own son again?]
Lu Yuan was completely stunned, oblivious to the commotion in the Ling Tang.
He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the back of his hand.
There seemed to still be a lingering warmth where Song Jinyao had just held his hand.
Earlier, was Song Jinyao really concerned about him, as Lu Chuan had said?
She had even stood up for him.
Lu Yuan didn’t dare to believe it. He felt that such thoughts were nothing but wishful thinking.
How many years had it been?
He could hardly remember.
Song Jinyao’s gaze toward him had always been cold and detached, filled with impatience and disdain.
When had she ever looked at him with the gentleness she showed today!
Hmm, it must have been a trick of his eyes!
With that thought, the confusion in Lu Yuan’s eyes instantly vanished. But as soon as he lifted his head, he heard Song Jinyao say, “Yuan’er, you’re too thin. I’ve asked Fang Momo to prepare some chicken soup for you. Remember to drink it later.”
Lu Yuan: “……”
Suddenly, he was at a loss again!
Lu Chuan still couldn’t grasp the situation, grinding his teeth in resentment: Why is Mother so kind to a stepson? Lu Yuan is just a motherless bastard!
But he didn’t dare to voice those words aloud.
Just then, a clamor arose in the courtyard—more guests had arrived to offer condolences.
A flicker of understanding passed through Lu Yuan’s eyes as he suddenly realized the truth.
So that was it.
With so many people coming and going in the estate these past few days, Song Jinyao was merely putting on an act to avoid gossip. Soon enough, she would revert to her old attitude toward him.
“Mother, I’ll go have my meal now. Please entertain the guests first. I’ll return shortly.”
His tone was distant, his expression cold. Lu Yuan strode out of the Ling Tang—
“Yuan’er—”
Song Jinyao watched her stepson’s tall, slender figure, his plain white mourning robes billowing in the wind, and felt a pang of sorrow.
Never mind.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Rebuilding her relationship with her eldest son wouldn’t happen overnight either.
“Madam, the guests are waiting,” the maid Baishuang reminded her softly.
“I know.”
Song Jinyao withdrew her gaze and instructed Baishuang, “You don’t need to stay with me. Go take care of Chen’er instead.”
There weren’t many servants in the estate, and with the funeral arrangements requiring extra hands, Song Jinyao sent Baishuang to attend to her youngest son.
Baishuang hesitated for a moment. “Madam, will you be alright alone?”
These past few days had been chaotic, and she hadn’t had a moment to care for her mistress, which made her uneasy.
“It’s fine. Things will settle down after these busy days,” Song Jinyao replied calmly.
This time, Baishuang didn’t hesitate. She acknowledged the order and turned to leave.
Indeed, the young master had been cooped up for too long and was growing restless. Baizhi alone might not be able to handle him.
Sure enough, when Baishuang arrived at Lu Chen’s courtyard, she saw a small figure stubbornly trying to rush out.
Baizhi was sweating profusely as she tried to stop him, but she didn’t dare use force for fear of hurting the young master.
“Master Chen, it’s crowded and chaotic up front. How about Sister Baizhi plays with you inside?”
Baizhi’s voice trembled slightly. Usually, the young master was well-behaved and never cried or made a fuss. But these past two days, for some reason, he kept trying to go outside.
Just moments ago, she had only stepped away to fetch some food from the kitchen, and when she returned, the little one had nearly made it out of the courtyard.
The past two days had seen many people coming and going in the mansion, with the main gate wide open. If the young master were to go out and get lost, she would be unable to atone for it even with ten thousand deaths.
Yet Baizhi’s words had no effect. Lu Chen continued to rush toward the courtyard gate like a puppet on strings, as if under some soul-snatching spell, unaware of what was drawing him beyond the wall.
Baizhi wondered inwardly: Could it be the bond between father and son?
Did this foolish little young master know that the master had passed away?
“Young Master Chen, please play quietly inside. Madam said she would come to see you later. If you go out now and Madam can’t find you, what should we do? Be good now—Sister Baizhi will get you some osmanthus cakes and a little sugar figurine, alright?”
Something in her words must have pleased the child, for Lu Chen suddenly grew still.
He lifted his palm-sized face to look at Baizhi, his expression completely blank, like a porcelain doll without a soul.
The next moment, he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Lu Chen could not speak!
Yet Lu Chen was not mute—he simply could not speak.
Watching from a distance, Baishuang felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
How could such a young child suffer from such a strange illness?
How pitiful—
After Baishuang left, Song Jinyao straightened her mourning garments and went out alone to receive the guests.
Truly, times had changed. In the Song Family’s most glorious days, she had been surrounded by servants.
Back then, she found them bothersome and would often slip away from her maids and attendants to sneak out of the mansion for fun.
But now, when something happened, she didn’t even have enough people to order around.
During the three days the Ling Tang was set up, those who came to offer condolences would simply burn a stick of incense for the deceased, exchange a few words of comfort with the family, add their funeral gifts, and then leave.
The head of the household did not offer meals.
The grand ceremony would be held on the day of the burial.
Although the task of keeping vigil had been assigned to the three ungrateful ones, the daily mourning rituals at dawn and dusk had exhausted Song Jinyao.
Rubbing her sore lower back, she sighed: At forty, one really isn’t as strong as the young!
But to keep up appearances, she had to endure this much fatigue.
The real difficulty was—
She truly couldn’t cry.
Later, she racked her brains and came up with a solution.
She would dab chili water on her sleeves and, when others were around, pretend to wipe her eyes with the treated fabric.
Tears would then fall in streams.
After doing this a few times, her eyes turned red and swollen, looking quite frightening.
Those who saw her couldn’t help but sigh over her deep affection for her husband, pitying her and remarking, “Heavens, look how she’s cried herself to such a state!”
Indeed, her cousin-in-law from the clan had been holding her hand and comforting her for half an hour.
“Sister-in-law, I know you and Xiuyuan shared a deep bond, but as one woman to another, I must advise you: the dead are gone, and we, the living, must look ahead. You’re still young and beautiful—it won’t be hard for you to find another match in the future.”
“Don’t worry about the children objecting. They’ll have their own families and lively lives in time, while you’ll be left all alone. Why put yourself through that?”
“Look at the Liu family’s daughter-in-law—she slaved for her in-laws her whole life for a dead man, and what did she get in the end? Nothing but scorn from all sides.”
“If you choose not to remarry, that’s fine too, but you must take care of yourself. As for the children, just do your best—there’s no need to sacrifice the rest of your life toiling like a beast of burden.”
“Cry all you want, but don’t ruin your health. I’m speaking to you like family when I say these heartfelt words – in this life, your body is the only thing truly yours. If you cry your eyes out here, who knows, maybe Xiuyuan has already married some ghost bride in the underworld!”
Hearing her clan sister-in-law Li Shi’s words again after a lifetime, Song Jinyao’s state of mind was completely different.
In her previous life, when she heard Li Shi say this, she only thought the woman callous – what parent wouldn’t work themselves to the bone for their children?
But hearing it again in this life, she found it deeply comforting.
Li Shi genuinely meant well for her.
And lived with far more clarity than she ever had!
A faint ache spread through Song Jinyao’s chest as scenes from her past life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
Some pains had seeped deep into her bones!
Some grudges demanded vengeance before she could rest in peace!
After a dazed moment, she sniffled and grasped Li Shi’s hand earnestly. “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
Every day and night, she rehearsed the steps of her revenge – against Lu Xiuyuan and those three little beasts.
And against Jing City—
So she truly did know what she was doing!
After seeing Li Shi off, the sky had darkened completely. With no more visitors expected, she instructed the eldest Lu Yuan and the second daughter to take turns watching the three ungrateful wretches, then retired early to her room, sleeping her first peaceful night since rebirth.
On the third day after the grand funeral, the burial day soon arrived—