Chapter 471: Catching a Thief

Chapter 471: Chapter 471: Catching a Thief

"This is all so rushed..." Lin Dali’s eyes darted evasively. Ming Li had already suffered enough grievances by following him. He was the one who had agreed not to make her perform the concubine’s tea ceremony to his wife; how could he go back on his word now?

However, he clearly underestimated the determination of these madams to crack down on such improper conduct.

Before he could even finish his sentence, someone immediately cut him off. "What’s so rushed about it? Taking in a concubine doesn’t require that much preparation. As it happens, I come from a family of scholars and farmers, so I can help draft the contract. I’ll even see the good deed through to the end and send it to the government office to be filed on your behalf."

Lin Dali’s face darkened. This was his private family matter. What right did these women have to interfere and cause trouble?

He desperately wanted to drive them all out, but one glance reminded him that he couldn’t afford to offend a single person here. There were even a few unfamiliar faces whose backgrounds he didn’t know, so he dared not say another word.

Hu Waner looked at the butler, who was still standing there, with a half-smile. "I’ve only been away from the manor for a short while. Why has the butler forgotten his manners upon seeing me? Or has the manor already changed its mistress?"

The butler broke out in a cold sweat from fright and hastily bowed with utmost respect. "Greetings, Madam. Your hurried return today caught us a bit off guard. Blame my old age and slow reactions. Please don’t take offense, Madam."

Madam Li sized the old butler up and down. He was only in his early forties or fifties, yet his brain was already failing him. She couldn’t help but chuckle. "Mrs. Lin, isn’t this your fault? The butler is already so old, why are you still overworking him like this?

"There are countless matters, big and small, to handle in this manor. Since he’s no longer up to the task, he should step down and make way for someone more capable.

"If you don’t have a suitable candidate, I can introduce one to you later. At the very least, they won’t forget who their master is."

The butler lowered his head even further. He knew these women came with ill intentions today, but he hadn’t expected the first fire to burn him right after the master.

"You have the indentured contracts of all these servants, right?" Mrs. Jiang walked over and stood beside Hu Waner. "Or is your title as Mrs. Lin just an empty shell? Is Mr. Lin actually the one managing the inner courtyard?"

Hearing this, Lin Dali grew anxious. This sounded terrible—what grown man managed the inner courtyard of a household?

"Mrs. Jiang, please don’t speak nonsense. The servant contracts in my manor are all in my wife’s hands," he quickly defended.

"Oh, is that so?" Mrs. Jiang tutted, shaking her head as she scrutinized the butler and the servants of the Lin Family. "Then Mrs. Lin really needs to discipline them well. The rules in your manor are far too lax, and that’s not a good thing."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mrs. Jiang," Hu Waner said. "This is indeed my negligence, which led them to forget the proper respect for hierarchy. I will certainly clean house later to prevent certain people from getting too big for their boots and forgetting their rightful place."

The servants of the Lin Family trembled in fear. They were already regretting their actions. They never should have listened to Widow Ma’s instigation or taken her bribes. Even if they wanted to acknowledge her as their master, they should have waited until she held their indentured contracts.

Their earlier behavior had thoroughly offended the madam. She was unlikely to let the matter drop easily, meaning they were in grave danger.

"Since everyone is so interested in this concubine, butler, go and invite her over."

After speaking, Hu Waner greeted the accompanying madams. "Let’s not just wait here. Come sit in my courtyard first."

Lin Dali felt a chill run down his spine. He hurriedly stood up and said, "I haven’t had anyone clean your courtyard yet. If you take them there now, it would be a slight to our esteemed guests. I’ll have someone prepare a banquet right away. For now, let’s take a stroll around the estate; there are a few nice scenic spots."

"Master, you’re truly confused," Hu Waner countered. "Everyone is tired from the journey. Naturally, we should find a place to rest first, have some tea, and eat some pastries. That is our proper way of treating guests."

With that, Hu Waner immediately led the group toward the backyard. Mrs. Qian and the others quickly followed suit. They had all come to support Mrs. Lin, so they naturally knew who to listen to.

Bai Suihe told Lin Wei and the men to wait outside. Since they were heading into the inner courtyard, it would be inappropriate for them to follow.

"Mother, there’s a good show waiting for us now, believe it or not," Gu Xingyang said. "Mr. Lin didn’t want us going to the backyard, so I’m afraid there’s something fishy going on inside."

"Then tell me, what kind of fishy business?" Bai Suihe asked.

"Hehe, I don’t believe you haven’t guessed it, Mother. Someone has probably already usurped her place and made themselves at home."

"You sure know a lot, don’t you?" Bai Suihe remarked.

"Of course. In the modern world, if there was one thing we had in abundance, it was soapy drama series. Later on, when we scrolled through short videos, my favorite thing was reading the comment sections. That was way more interesting than the videos themselves." Gu Xingyang’s tone was full of nostalgia. Those days were pretty good too. Even though she didn’t have a physical body and couldn’t eat or touch anything, she had plenty of spiritual nourishment.

Bai Suihe shook her head and followed behind the crowd.

They were only here today to watch the show and offer their support. Everything else would be left to Hu Waner; all they needed to do was stand in the background and cheer her on.

The moment Hu Waner stepped into her own courtyard, she collided right into a gaudily dressed woman walking out.

The woman was wearing a crimson silk dress, her head adorned with gold hairpins. Followed by two servant girls, she put on the perfect air of the legal mistress of the house.

Seeing the familiar set of jewelry on the woman’s head, rage surged in Hu Waner’s heart. She marched straight over and, before the woman could react, delivered a solid slap.

Unfortunately, having just recovered from a serious illness, she lacked the strength. The slap only caused the woman’s face to tilt slightly. The woman stood her ground and glared angrily at Hu Waner.

"Such colossal audacity! Where did this wretched servant come from, daring to touch the master’s belongings?" The two young madams of the Hu Family, who had been supporting Mrs. Hu, exchanged a look. They immediately handed the elderly madam over to another family member and lunged forward.

They had come here this time specifically to back up Waner. Seeing that this woman was the very culprit they were after, they naturally showed no mercy.

They lunged at her, landing several crisp SLAPS before shoving the woman to the ground. They swiftly yanked the jewelry off her head. "This is the dowry we prepared for Waner! Why is it on your head?

"Well, well, well, it turns out the Lin Family has produced a thief! Hurry and send someone to call Lin Dali here. If we don’t beat this thief to death today, he still has to give us an explanation!"

"Exactly! With just this one courtyard, things are being stolen. Who knows how Lin Dali usually runs this household!"

The two servant girls tried to step forward to help, but Hu Waner pointed at them. "Who are you? How did you enter my courtyard?"

"Someone come! Seize them immediately. I’m taking these thieves to the authorities!"

The servant girls and old maids who had followed them inside were too terrified to move. At this moment, they didn’t know who to listen to.

The onlooking madams shook their heads. The rules of the Lin Family truly left much to be desired.

Mrs. Lin hadn’t even been divorced yet. Had her influence already faded away so completely?

Bai Suihe sneered, "Mrs. Lin, your discipline is lacking. Would you like us to lend you some people to use?"

Hearing this, the other madams’ eyes lit up. They immediately ordered the servant girls and maids beside them to step forward. "Go help Mrs. Lin catch the thieves!"