Chapter 130: Friends

Everyone looked closely and realized that the person who had arrived was none other than Guan Yanqing.

The waiter’s legs trembled in terror, and he nearly fell to his knees. "Young Master Guan..."

This teahouse belonged to the Yu family. Everyone knew that Guan Yanqing and Yu Jingxiao were as close as brothers. Furthermore, Guan Yanqing came from the capital and possessed a mysterious and noble status that no one dared to offend. Upon recognizing him and recalling his own words just moments ago, the waiter felt as though half his soul had vanished in fright.

"Young Master Guan," Lin Sangqian said with a smile, greeting him.

"So, you are a friend of Young Master Guan! Look at this mess..." The waiter laughed awkwardly, then raised his hand and slapped himself across the face. "It is all my fault for being blind and offending such an esteemed guest. I beg you, please be the bigger person and do not hold this against me..."

Lin Sangqian sneered, "If Young Master Guan had not arrived just now, what did you intend to do?"

The waiter felt a pang of guilt. He had indeed intended to use his position to bully Lin Sangqian and Lin Wenyan along with the others. However, Guan Yanqing had arrived just in time, so he hadn't actually done anything yet.

"Anyu," Guan Yanqing instructed calmly, "fire all of these waiters and banish them from the town."

Before leaving, Yu Jingxiao had handed over the management of all Yu family properties in town to him; he naturally had the authority to do this. Keeping such staff would only bring trouble to the teahouse.

"Yes, Young Master."

"No, please! Young Master Guan, we will never dare to do it again!" The waiters wailed, but Guan Yanqing did not even glance at them. He simply asked Lin Sangqian, "Miss Lin, what brings you here?"

"We are looking for someone," Lin Sangqian replied. "We are looking for Mr. Yan, the accountant here."

"I see," Guan Yanqing nodded. "Follow me inside."

Lin Sangqian happily followed him into the teahouse. Sometimes, knowing the right people really did have its benefits.

Guan Yanqing had them taken to a spacious private room and served the finest tea, which made Lin Sangqian feel a bit embarrassed by the special treatment.

"Little sister, Young Master Guan seems quite good to you, but I still cannot forget how he bullied a child at the Fuman Restaurant before," Lin Wenyan said, frowning.

"Big brother, you’ve misunderstood. That child was a thief who stole his money," Lin Sangqian quickly explained.

Lin Wenyan was startled, then nodded. "It seems I was the one who wronged him."

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and Mr. Yan walked in. Still looking anxious and fearful, he was taken aback when he saw them. "It's you two?"

Someone had just told him that an esteemed guest wanted to see him and urged him to hurry to this room. He had been wondering who could possibly be asking for him—had he committed some offense? He never expected it to be the two children from the Lin family.

"Mr. Yan," Lin Sangqian and Lin Wenyan stood up.

"How did you find your way here? And why did they say you were esteemed guests?" Mr. Yan asked curiously.

"That is not important, Mr. Yan. Please, take a seat."

Mr. Yan sat down across from them, and Lin Wenyan poured him a cup of tea. He took a sip and said in surprise, "This is the finest tea in our teahouse."

He had originally assumed the Lin family were just ordinary people who had recently moved from the countryside to the town. Seeing this, he realized he had underestimated them; their status was not ordinary at all. Mr. Yan felt a bit nervous. If they found out about what happened in that courtyard...

"Mr. Yan, I will get straight to the point," Lin Sangqian said. "Is there anything you hid from us when you rented that courtyard to us?"

Mr. Yan’s expression stiffened, and after a long silence, he said, "Since you are asking, it means you must already know something."

"I have indeed heard a few things," Lin Sangqian said. "People have died in that courtyard, and more than one."

"No, only one!" Mr. Yan quickly clarified. "I know you must have heard those nasty rumors about the first owner’s wife having an affair, but those are baseless. My older brother was the first owner of that house."

"So, your brother really did abuse his wife and drive her to commit suicide?" Lin Sangqian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. Yan looked defeated. "Yes..."

Because his sister-in-law had taken her own life, the local magistrate could not do anything to his brother. But his brother had been terrified and moved away.

"The room where she committed suicide was later turned into a storage room. We didn't want anyone else living in that room," Mr. Yan said with guilt.

Lin Sangqian suddenly remembered that Lin Shuimei had stayed in that storage room. Ugh.

"Then why didn't you say anything when you rented it to us?" Lin Wenyan asked with some dissatisfaction.

Although they did not believe in ghosts, such a place made one feel uneasy. Besides, knowing that his brother—that scoundrel—was still living freely made him feel uncomfortable.

"I... I was afraid that if you knew, you wouldn't want to rent it..." Mr. Yan stammered. "The courtyard has been empty for so long, and it won't sell. It's such a waste..."

"You were deceiving us!"

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault," Mr. Yan quickly said. "Please, don't be angry. If it really comes to it, I will refund... half of the rent you paid!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Sangqian did not pursue the matter further. After all, the courtyard was a pleasant place to live, and the site of the death was only the storage room. It was true that there had been strange crying sounds last night, but Lin Sangqian did not believe in supernatural events. Since Mr. Yan had already agreed to refund half the rent, she did not want to be overly aggressive. However, once Lin Hongda returned, they would definitely need to discuss moving; she would not continue to rent Mr. Yan’s courtyard.

"Is there anything else you are hiding from us?" Lin Wenyan asked.

"No! Really, there is nothing else."

Lin Wenyan told him about the crying sounds from last night. Mr. Yan was stunned. "This... this can't be, right? Although everyone says the house is cursed, nothing has ever happened before! Do you really believe there are ghosts in this world?"

"I don't," Lin Sangqian said. "It's just that the matter is indeed suspicious."

Since they couldn't get any more information from Mr. Yan, Lin Sangqian and Lin Wenyan prepared to head home. As they left, Lin Sangqian ran into Guan Yanqing again. To express her gratitude, she politely invited him to their home for dinner. Guan Yanqing, naturally, did not refuse.

Thus, Lin Sangqian and Lin Wenyan boarded his carriage. It was very spacious, with a small table inside holding tea and refreshments. Lin Sangqian was envious, thinking that one day she would also buy a carriage like this.

Back home, they ran into Mother Xia. When Mother Xia saw them stepping out of such an elegant carriage, her eyes widened.

"Sangqian, girl, your family is truly blessed!"

Lin Sangqian smiled and said, "This isn't our carriage; it belongs to a friend."

Hearing the word "friend," Guan Yanqing felt an urge to tug at the two little buns of hair on top of Lin Sangqian’s head. Seeing that Mother Xia didn't seem to believe her, Lin Sangqian decided not to explain further.

They walked into the Lin family courtyard, and Lin Wenyan closed the door. Guan Yanqing suddenly remarked to Lin Sangqian, "That woman from just now—there is something strange about her."