“Mother, Third Madam looks so pitiful.”
“Not a single member of her family came to see her off.”
“Unlike you. Your parents and brothers all came to bid you farewell.”
“It really shows how respected you are in your family.”
The moment Lan Luoyun said this, everyone froze.
Lin Nancheng was stunned.
Chu Yi-niang was stunned.
Even Lan Luoyun’s younger sister Luoyu and her younger brother, who had come to see her off, were bewildered.
Why is Big Sister praising Su Shi again?
Hasn’t she already seen through that woman’s vicious nature?
Su Yuping herself was equally confused.
Over the past two days, Lan Luoyun had alternated between opposing her and praising her.
It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Did that fall damage her brain?
Is she sane one moment and confused the next?
Unable to figure it out, Su Yuping snorted.
“My status in my family doesn’t need your praise.”
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
Lan Luoyun smiled sweetly.
“Mother, your father and brothers must treasure you greatly.”
“They probably gave you plenty of things before you left.”
“Unlike Third Madam, whose family didn’t even show up.”
Hearing this, Su Yuping felt pleased.
“Of course they did.”
“My family gave me plenty of valuable things.”
“Not like the rest of you poor wretches.”
Even while boasting, she couldn’t resist insulting others.
Lan Luoyun immediately clapped her hands.
“Wonderful!”
“Mother, since you’re now a member of the Lin family, anything given to you belongs to the Lin family as well.”
“You certainly can’t keep it all for yourself.”
“If you have good things, you should share them with everyone.”
Only then did Su Yuping realize she had walked straight into a trap.
Her face immediately darkened.
If her brothers were still here, she would have had them teach this troublesome girl a lesson.
“You little brat!”
“You tricked me!”
Lan Luoyun immediately widened her eyes innocently.
“Mother, how could I possibly trick you?”
“You’re the mistress of the Lin family.”
“People like Third Madam are suffering so much right now.”
“You wouldn’t abandon them, would you?”
Those words finally pushed Su Yuping over the edge.
“I’ll skin you alive today!”
Shrieking, she lunged toward Lan Luoyun.
Lan Luoyun simply stepped aside.
Su Yuping missed completely.
With a loud thud, she crashed face-first onto the ground.
The silver she had secretly hidden on her body scattered everywhere.
The crowd instantly surged forward.
Everyone began scrambling to pick up the coins.
Some people even stepped directly over Su Yuping while grabbing the silver.
The scene descended into complete chaos.
Nearby, Lin Nanhao and Lin Yaru rushed forward to help their mother.
Unfortunately, too many people were competing for the money.
The siblings couldn’t stop them.
Meanwhile, Su Yuping rolled around on the ground while screaming and trying to protect her silver.
Seeing the disorder, Lan Luoyun quietly withdrew with her sister, Lin Nancheng, and the others.
At that moment, several soldiers noticed the commotion and hurried over.
“What are you all shouting about?”
“Behave yourselves!”
As they spoke, they began swinging their whips.
The crowd scattered immediately.
Soon only three people remained at the center of the chaos.
Su Yuping.
Lin Nanhao.
Lin Yaru.
Without hesitation, the soldiers lashed them repeatedly.
“You old hag!”
“Stop screaming!”
“You’re making a racket!”
Another whip cracked through the air.
Then another.
Su Yuping had already been trampled and humiliated.
Now she was being whipped in public.
Never in her life had she suffered such treatment.
In her mind, there was only one person to blame.
Lan Luoyun!
Desperately, she crawled up and grabbed one of the soldiers’ legs.
“Sir!”
“She started all this!”
She pointed toward Lan Luoyun in the distance.
At the same time, she secretly slipped a few pieces of silver into the soldier’s hand.
After accepting the bribe, the soldier naturally stopped whipping her.
Instead, he turned and walked toward Lan Luoyun.
Seeing this, Lin Nancheng immediately instructed Lan Luoyun to stay with the children.
Then he stepped forward himself.
Nobody knew exactly what he said.
But after speaking with him for a short time, the soldier simply turned around and left.
He never bothered Lan Luoyun at all.
Watching this happen, Su Yuping nearly exploded.
Not only had Lan Luoyun escaped punishment—
She had wasted silver for nothing.
Her hatred deepened yet again.
Still, after the beating she had just received, she no longer dared make trouble.
Supported by Lin Nanhao and Lin Yaru, she limped away miserably.
From a distance, Lin Yixiao watched everything unfold.
All he felt was embarrassment.
Choosing a wife truly matters.
Even at a time like this, she still can’t stop causing trouble.
Meanwhile, the Old Madam remained silent as always.
Although she said nothing, she carefully observed everyone.
Who had received supplies?
Who had hidden valuables?
Who might still possess resources?
Her mind was already calculating.
And somewhere in those calculations, Lan Luoyun had become a target.
Unfortunately for the Old Madam, Lan Luoyun wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Compared to the dangers ahead, the old woman’s schemes hardly mattered.
Soon, the time for farewells came to an end.
Most of the families had already delivered travel supplies and final gifts.
One of the soldiers stepped forward and shouted:
“Time’s almost up!”
“If you have anything left to say, say it now!”
“We’ll be moving out shortly!”
Lan Luoyun reluctantly said goodbye to her grandmother and younger sister.
When her sister climbed into the carriage, her eyes were swollen red from crying.
Her grandmother wasn’t much better.
Even after boarding, tears continued to stream down her face.
Still, there was one comforting thought.
Seeing Lan Luoyun stand up to Su Yuping and defeat her so easily had eased some of her worries.
As the carriage slowly rolled away, Lan Luoyun watched it disappear into the distance.
Her heart felt heavy.
Silently, she made a promise.
I will survive.
I will reach Gannan.
And one day, I will reunite with my family.
All around her, similar farewells were taking place.
Families embraced one another.
Tears flowed freely.
Relatives clung to each other, unwilling to part.
Even among the crowd’s sorrow, however, one person remained unusually quiet.
The Old Madam.
While everyone else wept, she continued observing.
Counting.
Calculating.
Determining exactly who had received what.
The old woman’s abacus was still clicking away inside her head.