Chapter 22: Is It Possible You Can’t Feed It?
“This is your Old Lin Family’s business. Even if I had money, I wouldn’t lend it to you. Instead of wasting time here, you might as well hurry home and have your mother think of a way for you.”
“Lin Xin, can you really bear to see me die without helping? We used to be sisters!” Lin Duo never expected that even after saying so much, Lin Xin remained unmoved, and her eyes couldn’t help but turn red.
“After our father died, he even manifested to sever ties with the Old Lin Family. Your grandfather also admitted with his own mouth that my father wasn’t his biological son. What kind of sisters are we? Think about how you treated me before with your conscience. You have the face to mention ‘sisters,’ but I don’t even have the face to hear it.”
“Fine, even if we’re not sisters, I’m so pitiful now—can’t you just lend a hand to save me?”
“Don’t try moral kidnapping on me; it doesn’t work. After all these things, I have no morals left when it comes to you Lin family people.” This time, Lin Xin didn’t wait for Lin Duo to speak again and directly quickened her steps toward home.
Lin Duo stayed in place watching Lin Xin’s back, the resentment in her eyes almost overflowing. The person who originally lived worse than her now could escape the Old Lin Family’s big group of blood-sucking vampires and live a good life free from oppression on her own. Why!
After a long while, she stomped her foot hard. “Lin Xin, you’re forcing my hand. Since I can’t live well, you won’t get to live your little days carefree either, hmph!”
Lin Xin didn’t take this small matter to heart at all. She didn’t think Lin Duo could do anything to her. As for Lin Nan, she just needed to keep a good eye on him these days; worst case, she’d take him wherever she went!
But this Old Lin Family was really something—they actually thought of marrying Lin Duo off to Zheng Tuhu as a concubine. That was truly shameless with no bottom line!
Who didn’t know that Zheng Tuhu was about the same age as Lin Laosan, both thirty-seven this year? He had married three wives before. The first two died from heavy bleeding when he beat them while drunk during their pregnancies, and the third ran off with a peddler taking his money.
And they were so eager to marry Lin Duo off to a man like that.
Lin Xin suddenly thought that if there hadn’t been the severing of ties and exposing that her father wasn’t Old Man Lin’s seed, she might have been the one married off to Zheng Tuhu.
Ugh~ Too disgusting. It seemed she still needed to remind Lin Nan well: whenever he saw anyone from the Old Lin Family, no matter who, he should run at the sight of them.
No, just running might not work. Lin Nan was small with short legs. If the Lin family people were determined to catch him, they’d surely get him every time. She still needed to find a way to get him a bodyguard. Big Tiger would be great, but unrealistic. It looked like she’d have to go into the deep mountain another day to get a wolf cub or tiger cub.
Having made up her mind, Lin Xin opened the door and entered her home. The one person and one tiger lounging in the courtyard sunbathing immediately came up enthusiastically. The tiger’s hind legs still weren’t very usable, so it just wagged its tail vigorously.
“Sis, you’re back! Tired?” Little Nan Nan, the caring one, ran up to help Lin Xin put down the back basket, then used his little sleeve to wipe away non-existent sweat for her, fetched a stool to pull her to sit, and used his little hands to fan her face vigorously.
Although most of what he did was useless, seeing his busy little figure bustling around, Lin Xin sincerely felt that this younger brother was worth raising.
She smuggled out two strings of grapes and a few kiwifruit from the space using the back basket. “Nan Nan, these are what sister found in the mountain. Try them and see if they’re good!”
“Okay, thank you sister. I’ll eat with sister, and Big Cat too.” At his young age, Lin Nan had already become a qualified water carrier master, not leaving out either the person or the tiger.
“Nan Nan, you eat them yourself. Sister already ate. Big Cat only likes meat, not fruit.”
“But sister said only eating meat is bad for the body; it still needs to eat some fruit.” Lin Nan answered seriously, and carefully plucked a grape and stuffed it into the tiger’s mouth.
Lin Xin looked at it sympathetically, thinking to herself that she could only help it this far.
The tiger was leisurely closing its eyes to sunbathe when suddenly a round little thing was stuffed into its mouth. It gently pushed it out with its tongue full of barbs, and the grape rolled away. This let the tiger see its true face—it was a wild fruit. It disdainfully spat once, closed its eyes again, and also tightly shut its mouth.
Lin Nan was dumbfounded. The grape was small and quite sweet—why wouldn’t Big Cat eat it?
He looked to his sister for help.
Lin Xin had no choice but to explain to him: “Big Cat’s stomach can’t handle fruit. Feeding it this will make it sick.”
“Ah?” Lin Nan widened his big eyes, then gave Big Tiger a very sympathetic look: “Big Cat is so pitiful. It can’t eat such delicious fruit. Sis, from now on let’s pick things it can eat to feed it!”
Lin Xin: “······” Is it possible that you have no ability to feed it, and instead it has to feed you!
Just like that, they happily decided on the tiger’s menu. Then Lin Xin began preparing the meal for two people and one tiger.
Big pot stewed duck, beggars’ chicken, stir-fried vegetables, steamed egg custard, rice—solid four dishes that everyone ate very satisfactorily.
After Lin Xin washed the dishes and bowls, she looked at the sky. Dark clouds covered the sun, and the courtyard no longer felt warm. A breeze brought waves of chill; there would probably be rain tonight or at night.
Lin Xin thought about processing the wild boar, wild goat, and roe deer from the space, so she discussed with Lin Nan who was squatting on the ground wholeheartedly grooming Big Tiger:
“Nan Nan, our trap caught a wild boar yesterday. Sis plans to take it to town to sell. You stay home with Big Cat and wait. Don’t open the door no matter who knocks, okay?”
Lin Nan blinked his big eyes thinking for a bit, then nodded obediently: “Sis, come back early. Big Cat and I will miss you.”
“Okay.” Lin Xin ruffled his little head. With good food these two days and good mood, Lin Nan’s originally straw-like hair had become moisturized, and the texture was much better than before.
Without Lin Nan this little burden following, Lin Xin utilized the supernatural ability user’s physical advantage to the extreme, arriving in town in just half a shichen.
She didn’t rush to sell the prey but first wandered around. She found there were only two high-end restaurants in town: one called Fu Shun Ju, three stories, decorated gorgeously with a strong nouveau riche vibe; the other called Ding Shi Fang, also three stories, not as flashy as Fu Shun Ju, even seeming a bit ordinary, but in Lin Xin’s eyes, it exuded understated luxury everywhere.
Probably because they had passed mealtime, both restaurants didn’t have much foot traffic.
Lin Xin thought for a bit, bought a package of osmanthus cake from the pastry shop, and took it to Ding Shi Fang. As soon as she entered, a shop assistant with a cloth over his shoulder came up enthusiastically: “Miss, are you dining in or taking out meal? It’s past mealtime, so not many dishes to choose from. You can come in and look.”
“I’m not dining in or taking out. I’m a villager from a nearby village. I hunted some wild game in the mountain and want to ask if you buy here.”
“This little one can’t make the decision. Miss, wait here a bit; I’ll call the shopkeeper over.”
Lin Xin thanked him and stood waiting in an inconspicuous spot. So far, she was satisfied with this restaurant. The shop assistant’s attitude was enthusiastic but not fawning, and he didn’t look down on her ordinary clothes. As long as the shopkeeper’s price wasn’t too outrageous, she decided to sell all future prey here.
