Chapter Seventy-Six: He Who Harms Others Ultimately Harms Himself

The person behind her reached out, clearly intending to push her into the pond. However, as she drew near, Lin Sangqian had already sensed something amiss. The moment the hand touched her, she swiftly turned to the side, dodging the attack. The would-be attacker couldn’t stop in time, lost control, and ended up tumbling headfirst into the pond with a loud splash.

Lin Sangqian fell silent. Good grief, she was only here to deliver a sachet—why go to such lengths to harm her?

The pond was not deep. After a few flailing attempts, the girl—dressed as a maid—stood up, soaked and thoroughly disheveled. Lin Sangqian regarded her with a wooden expression. This is why one should never harm others; ill deeds always come back around.

“What are you doing?” the maid beside Lin Sangqian scolded. “Who are you trying to startle?”

Everything had happened so quickly that no one else had seen clearly. They simply assumed Hong’er had slipped by accident.

“I—I wasn’t paying attention while walking…” the drenched maid, Hong’er, muttered softly.

Truthfully, she was jealous of Lin Sangqian. Serving in Kangya Courtyard, she’d heard Lin Sangqian had managed to earn thirty taels of silver there in one go. Consumed by envy, she’d wanted to teach Lin Sangqian a lesson. Who would have guessed that she’d end up in the pond herself?

“You weren’t frightened, were you, little miss?” another maid asked with concern.

“I’m fine, thank you, sister.” Lin Sangqian smiled sweetly.

“That’s good. Let’s go. Xiaohong, get out of there quickly. What a sight it would be if the masters saw you like this!”

“I know…” Xiaohong glared resentfully at Lin Sangqian’s retreating figure, but there was nothing she could do.

Not far off, someone else was watching Lin Sangqian with great interest. He’d seen everything clearly: the quick-thinking girl had deftly avoided harm and let her would-be assailant suffer instead, only to feign innocence afterward. How fascinating—he’d never encountered such a girl before.

Guan Yanqing didn’t linger long and soon left as well.

...

Before heading home, Lin Sangqian stopped by the butcher’s, planning to buy a few pounds of pork for a spicy stir-fry later. Upon entering, she noticed another woman already there, someone who looked vaguely familiar.

After pondering a moment, she broke into a smile. “Sister Gao?”

“Oh, who’s calling me?” Sister Gao turned and, seeing Lin Sangqian, looked momentarily surprised.

“Aren’t you… my young mistress’s friend?” Sister Gao approached, her face kind and friendly. “Is the young mistress living with you now? How is she? Ever since she left home, I’ve worried so much. But the master and madam won’t let me visit—I have no choice…” As she spoke, she even managed a few genuine tears.

Lin Sangqian was taken aback. If this was an act, then Sister Gao’s skills were truly remarkable. Could she have been wrong all along? Was Zhao Lan’er’s mother’s death really unrelated to Sister Gao?

“Don’t worry, Lan’er is doing very well. She’s helping me with work, and I treat her well,” Lin Sangqian said with a smile. “But she does miss home a lot. How is everyone there?”

“All is well—tell her not to worry,” Sister Gao replied.

“That’s good to hear. It’s just that she misses her mother terribly.” Lin Sangqian sighed. “Tell me, how could such a thing happen out of nowhere…”

“Yes, my poor lady… Why couldn’t she see past her troubles!” Sister Gao was about to cry again when Lin Sangqian asked directly, “Did Lan’er’s mother really take her own life?”

Sister Gao’s expression didn’t change at all. She only nodded sadly. “Yes, she was a tragic woman.”

“I see. I suppose that’s fate,” Lin Sangqian said. “By the way, Lan’er says she really misses your noodles—she says yours are the best.”

At this, Sister Gao’s face froze for an instant, but she quickly recovered and laughed. “Noodles aren’t anything special. The young mistress flatters me.”

Lin Sangqian didn’t miss that brief shift. Her eyes darkened as a cold smile flickered within.

Previously, Zhao Lan’er had recalled that, when she found her mother’s body, there was a half-eaten bowl of noodles beside her. At the time, she’d been so distraught that she cried over her mother, not noticing when the bowl disappeared. Later, she realized that if her mother had been poisoned, the culprit likely tampered with those noodles. Zhao Lan’er had also said that, after Xue Meier married in, her mother became very cautious. So how did anyone get the chance to slip in poison? Lin Sangqian reasoned it was because Sister Gao had made the noodles—and her mother trusted her.

Now, Sister Gao’s reaction at the mention of noodles was indeed odd.

“Well, miss, you go ahead and buy your meat—I’ll be off now.”

“All right.”

Sister Gao left quickly. Lin Sangqian bought two pounds of pork and headed home.

Afterward, she told Zhao Lan’er about the encounter. As she listened, Zhao Lan’er’s fingers clenched tighter and tighter.

“If it really was her…” Zhao Lan’er’s eyes reddened, “I will make her pay for my mother’s life!”

“Calm down first,” Lin Sangqian said, squeezing her hand. “Think—does Sister Gao have any family or close friends?”

“Her husband was our family’s… the Zhao family’s coachman,” Zhao Lan’er recalled. “I remember she had a lover—a carpenter. She often gave him money, but my mother and I didn’t think much of it.”

“A lover? Do you know his name?”

“I’m not sure.”

Lin Sangqian nodded. “Whatever happens, don’t act rashly. Don’t ruin your life for the sake of a bad person. The law is just—I believe it will not shield any criminal.”

“Mm…” Zhao Lan’er nodded. “I’ll listen to you.”

Though Lin Sangqian was several years younger, Zhao Lan’er had always trusted her advice.

That evening, after dinner when everyone had left, Lin Wenyen approached Lin Sangqian hesitantly. “Sister, our demand for chicken feet is too high. I couldn’t buy any fresh ones today. What should we do?”

Lin Sangqian was momentarily stunned—she’d forgotten about that. They needed about fifty pounds of chicken feet daily now, a considerable amount, and she was also particular about their quality. Should she exchange for them from the system’s space? But she was still hoping to save up a thousand points soon.

After some thought, she said, “Go check the butcher’s again tomorrow. I’ll ask Manager Lu if he knows of any local farms.”

If they could buy directly from a farm, things would be much simpler.

“All right.”

Early the next morning, Lin Sangqian went to Fuman Restaurant with Aunt Niu, having hired two ox carts to help transport the chicken feet. Entering through the back, after handing over the goods, Lin Sangqian heard a commotion out front. She went to look and saw Qian San boasting at the entrance of Wanhua Restaurant.

“Wanhua Restaurant has new dishes—come and try!”