Knowing that Shunzi was unlikely to reform so easily, Lin Yuan still added another warning.
"But," Lin Yuan cut him off, issuing yet another caution, "if you do not change your ways and I catch you committing offenses again, I will show no mercy and personally send you to the Yamen Jail to reflect thoroughly on your actions!"
"No, no, I will change, I definitely will!" Shunzi said, waving his hands repeatedly as he made his promises.
Lin Yuan gave Liuzi a look, signaling him to send Shunzi away.
Xia Zheng raised his hand to straighten a few stray hairs beside Lin Yuan’s temple, "Just like that, you’re letting him go? He’s a thief, after all."
Lin Yuan pursed her lips, "It’s not letting him go; it’s giving him an opportunity to rectify his behavior. If he can truly turn over a new leaf, that would be a good thing. If not, heaven’s net is vast and loose but misses nothing — the gods have eyes and will surely make him taste the bitterness of his actions."
"So, you’re just playing the Good Samaritan, sending that fool, Meng Chunyan, back home?" Xia Zheng raised an eyebrow, feeling that this girl was not that kind-hearted.
After Doctor Hu diagnosed that Meng Chunyan’s pastries contained Five Stones Powder, she had ordered her servants to send Meng Chunyan and her maid back to the Meng family in her own carriage.
Thinking of Meng Chunyan’s disheveled state, Lin Yuan smiled, "What do you think?"
Xia Zheng curled his lip, it certainly wasn’t out of goodwill; she just wanted to show off her generosity in front of everyone.
However, now it seemed that this small gesture had indeed earned her a lot of attention. In the following days, the story of how Lin Yuan, the proprietress of Rice Flower Fragrance, had generously sent home Miss Meng’s family despite past grievances and exposed the Century-old Cake Shop’s crime of secretly adding Five Stones Powder spread throughout Zhuma Town. Compared to the sordid Century-old Cake Shop, the clean and hygienic reputation of Rice Flower Fragrance seemed even more precious, naturally leading to a booming business.
But compared to Lin Yuan’s stroke of good fortune, Meng Chunyan was rather unlucky. Intending to collide with someone else’s carriage, hers ended up being wrecked. When she demanded compensation, she was humiliated by the discovery that her brand new carriage was actually a used one of five years! Even more infuriating for her was the fact that she had to be sent home by Lin Yuan, a woman she had always looked down upon!
Although she was loath to admit it, the reality was right there for all to see. The comfort and luxury of Lin Yuan’s carriage made Meng Chunyan feel even more aggrieved when compared.
So, as soon as she entered her home, she stormed into her elder brother Meng Yuanjian’s room, demanding an explanation!
Meng Yuanjian, the eldest son and the only boy in the Meng family, had been spoiled since childhood, treated like an ancestor — but unexpectedly, such pampering had turned him into a good-for-nothing. If he wasn’t at home messing around with the maids, he was out gambling with a bunch of fair-weather friends.
Since it was not yet time for him to marry, Madam Meng dared not overtly take a concubine for him. Where was the sense in taking a concubine before the legitimate wife was even present?
But because he behaved , there was not a single lady willing to marry into the family. Therefore, she could only turn a blind eye, allowing him to cause havoc with the maids in the household.
When Meng Chunyan barged into her brother’s room, Meng Yuanjian was in the midst of teasing a maid. Both were shocked when Meng Chunyan suddenly entered.
Meng Chunyan, with eyes blazing and nostrils flaring, scolded the maid with her hands on her hips, "Get out! You shameless thing! Daring to climb onto your master’s bed — be careful or I’ll have you sold to a brothel!"
The maid bit her lip, gathered the clothing Meng Yuanjian had removed, and hurriedly ran out.
Once the maid had left, Meng Yuanjian became unhappy. He was in high spirits, and here was his sister, who failed to see the room was occupied, scaring off his beauty and then glaring at