Seeing that there was no one around, Lin Siyu finally lowered her voice, sounding somewhat annoyed, "Big brother, what are you doing? Couldn’t you have saved me some face in front of all those servants?"
"Saved some face?" Lin Yongcheng laughed as if he had heard a particularly funny joke, which drew side glances from people at the back door.
"Keep your voice down!" Lin Siyu really wanted to grab the big rock beside her and plug up his stinking mouth!
Lin Yongcheng snorted coldly, "Lin Siyu, Maternal Aunt Lin! You know about saving face, huh? Do you know the humiliation I, your big brother, just suffered in front of those servants? Huh? I am your big brother, after all, and they all treated me like a beggar. Lin Siyu, didn’t you always say that Master Magistrate dotes on you, that he complies with everything you say? Then how come you couldn’t even enter through the main gate and had to use the back door?"
Lin Yongcheng’s mockery was like a loud slap harshly striking Lin Siyu’s face. Why? She too had asked why when her mother sold her to the Master Magistrate as a concubine for the sake of these two brothers! But what was the result? Who would consider her feelings?
Both brothers used her as a stepping stone for a brighter future, while her parents saw her as a cash cow, sending letters every few days, either demanding silver or asking her to rescue Lin Yongle from jail. She didn’t have the ability to do so, and Lin Jiazhong even went out of his way to send a letter just to scold her. She hadn’t told anyone about it and had just bottled it up inside, but she had made up her mind – she wouldn’t care about the family’s affairs anymore, since she had been sold by them for silver and had long been estranged from them.
"Let go!" Lin Siyu was already frantic and growled out a command. Lin Yongcheng figured that she was far enough from the back door and wouldn’t be able to escape, so he hummed and let go of her hand.
Lin Siyu looked at her sleeve, dirty from his pulling, and was so angry that her veins almost bulged. She said sternly, "Lin Yongcheng, I just called you big brother out of respect for the years we’ve spent together. But you, shameless, dare to complain about losing face. Do you know what kind of life I lead in the Li Mansion?"
Lin Yongcheng rolled his eyes, showing utter contempt for what Lin Siyu said.
Lin Siyu nearly shouted, "From the moment our parents sold me, you should have known I came here for your sakes! They only see you as their sons; have they ever treated me as their true daughter? Since my birth, they must have been scheming for my future. Is it just because I’m prettier? Being pretty means being sold off like an object? And to an old man at that!"
"That was your own willing choice too; I heard from mother that when Aunt Lin asked for your opinion, you answered ’yes’!" Lin Yongcheng didn’t feel the slightest pity for Lin Siyu. Although their parents indeed favored him and his brother, Lin Siyu’s current predicament wasn’t entirely their fault. Lin Siyu herself was also to blame.
Lin Siyu bit her lip, unable to refute. Indeed, when she had heard from Aunt Lin, she hadn’t wanted it, but what about it? It was only after she had been snubbed by Xia Zheng at Lin Yuan’s house did she resolve to marry into the Li Mansion as a little concubine. Ultimately, it was indeed her own willing choice.
Lin Yongcheng didn’t want to listen to her useless ramblings anymore. He sniffed and felt his heart starting to itch, his body uncontrollably uncomfortable as if many ants were crawling on him.
"Enough already, stop talking about useless things, and hurry up, hand over the silver!" Lin Yongcheng extended his trembling hand and awkwardly twitched his neck.