During his years in Beixing, Lin Nancheng had developed the habit of sleeping lightly and remaining alert at all times.
That was why he immediately noticed when someone approached.
After being caught, Lin Yaru and Lin Nanhao still refused to admit what they were doing.
“We were only coming to take a look!”
“Who stole your clothes? Don’t falsely accuse us!”
With that, the siblings tried to leave.
The commotion woke everyone in the cell.
Including Lan Luoyun.
She had hoped for a good night’s sleep, only to have it ruined by these two fools.
Needless to say, she was not pleased.
And she certainly wasn’t about to let them leave so easily.
“In the middle of the night?”
“Do you two have a habit of watching people sleep?”
Her voice rang through the prison.
Instantly, everyone’s eyes turned toward Lin Yaru and Lin Nanhao.
Whispers spread throughout the cell.
At that moment, the Second Madam deliberately raised her voice.
“Watching people sleep?”
“How disgusting!”
“Looks like everyone will have to be careful while sleeping from now on!”
Madam Han of the second branch had always been outspoken.
She had long despised Su Shi’s arrogant behavior.
Now that she had learned Su Shi’s children were sneaking around in the middle of the night, she naturally wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.
“I never expected our Lin family to produce such embarrassing people!”
Chu Yi-niang immediately followed up.
Bullying my daughter-in-law? As if I’d let that slide.
Soon everyone joined in.
One accusation after another.
Lin Yaru and Lin Nanhao quickly became furious from humiliation.
“What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Lin Yaru roared.
She was still unmarried.
If word spread that she enjoyed peeping on people while they slept, her reputation would be ruined.
She had never expected a single sentence from Lan Luoyun to leave her in such a miserable position.
“We came to get clothes!”
“What can you do about it?”
Unable to endure the accusations any longer, she finally admitted her true purpose.
Even then, she remained shameless.
They had clearly come to steal clothing.
Yet she described it as simply “getting” them.
And she said it with complete confidence.
“We came to get clothes for Father.”
“Look how cold he is!”
“Do you even have a conscience?”
Lin Nanhao hurriedly added.
The two siblings thought that invoking Lin Yixiao’s name would leave Lan Luoyun speechless.
Unfortunately for them, she wasn’t buying it.
“If Father needs anything, we’ll personally deliver it to him.”
“But don’t use Father’s name to cover up your actions.”
“Father has spent his entire life as an upright man.”
“He has never stolen from anyone.”
Lan Luoyun fired back immediately.
Hearing her words, Lin Yixiao felt a wave of comfort.
The surrounding family members nodded in agreement.
But Lin Yaru and Lin Nanhao still refused to give up.
“This household belongs to the Lin family!”
“Everything here belongs to everyone!”
“What gives you the right to keep it all for yourself?”
Lan Luoyun snorted.
“The clothes you’re wearing belong to the Lin family too.”
“Why don’t you take them off and share them with everyone?”
The siblings instantly turned red with embarrassment.
They knew they were in the wrong.
If they stayed any longer, they would only humiliate themselves further.
In the end, they slunk away in defeat.
Lan Luoyun had originally planned to teach them a harsher lesson.
But it was already late at night.
Continuing the argument would only disturb everyone’s rest.
There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with them later.
After returning to their corner, Lin Yaru and Lin Nanhao vented all their frustration on Lin Yaxin.
For the past two days, they had been constantly bullying the poor girl.
Lan Luoyun had noticed everything.
However, she still didn’t fully understand Lin Yaxin’s personality or thoughts.
For now, she chose not to intervene.
Meanwhile, Su Yuping was practically exploding with anger.
She had just watched her son and daughter get thoroughly humiliated by Lan Luoyun.
Yet she could do nothing about it.
What frustrated her even more was that the Old Madam had failed to support her twice in a row.
Still, the Old Madam was the only ally she had left.
Lin Yixiao clearly wasn’t going to take her side.
No matter how dissatisfied she felt, she still had to rely on the elderly matriarch.
Quietly, Su Yuping shifted closer to the Old Madam.
Soon the two women were whispering together in a corner.
There was no need to guess.
They were undoubtedly plotting something.
Lan Luoyun wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Let them scheme all they wanted.
She would handle whatever came her way.
Soldiers block soldiers.
Water blocks water.
Eventually, everyone settled down to sleep.
Tomorrow would bring an even greater battle.
At dawn, the prisoners were awakened by the jailer’s shouting.
“Everyone get up!”
“Come collect your food!”
“Eat quickly and prepare to leave!”
This time, nobody complained about the rock-hard steamed buns.
Everyone obediently accepted their share.
Hunger had taught them a lesson.
As usual, Lan Luoyun secretly pulled several pastries from her storage space.
This time she gave one to Lin Nancheng as well.
Then she took another pastry, broke it in half, and handed the pieces to Chu Yi-niang and Third Madam.
“Eat quickly.”
“Don’t let anyone see.”
It wasn’t that she was being stingy.
The fewer people who knew about her storage space, the better.
For now, all she needed was to make sure her closest family members weren’t starving.
Lin Nanxuan, Chu Yi-niang, and Third Madam stared at the pastries.
Although they were hungry, none of them wanted to eat.
Instead, they wanted to save the food for Dabao and Erbao.
Only after Lan Luoyun repeatedly persuaded them did they finally take a few bites.
Just as they finished, the jailers began urging everyone to prepare for departure.
“Mother, where are we going?”
Dabao and Erbao asked curiously.
Lan Luoyun thought for a moment before answering.
“Father and Mother are taking you on a trip.”
The twins blinked in confusion.
“Mother, what’s a trip?”
“Where are we going?”
Even Lin Nancheng had never heard the word “trip” used in this way.
However, after witnessing Lan Luoyun’s unusual behavior over the past few days, he was no longer surprised by anything she said.
“A trip means going out to play.”
“This time, we’re going somewhere very far away.”
The moment they heard they were going out to play, the twins became excited.
They clapped their tiny hands enthusiastically.
Watching their innocent joy, Lin Nancheng’s heart ached.
He felt he had failed his wife and children.
They were being sent into exile.
Yet Lan Luoyun could describe it so lightly, turning a tragic journey into an adventure for the children.
Her strength amazed him.
And perhaps for the first time, he truly began to understand just how resilient his wife really was.