Page 185

"Exactly, Lucky Star! I wonder if Lin Jianling and his wife realize they personally drove out their own Lucky Star from their house, will they die of regret?"

"Regret? What’s the use of regretting? Hey, why do I feel like Lin Yuan only started to become a Lucky Star after she left the Lin family? Could it be that the so-called disaster star wasn’t her at all, but rather someone from her side of the family?"

"It’s very possible. Just look at Lin Siyu, wasn’t she sold by her own mother? And Lady Yang, that old woman, I saw her yesterday, oh my, she’s become so thin, really doesn’t look like her old self anymore."

Listening to the villagers gossip back and forth, Li Feng’e’s face turned white and then red.

It was true that Lin Yuan made money, it was true she built a new house, and it was true she’d had a stroke of good fortune.

To tell the truth, could she not feel regret?

But what good would regret do? She had sold that girl more than once; for sure the girl must hold a grudge against her by now.

Who knows if putting on such a big show today isn’t just to spite their Lin family!

With this in mind, Li Feng’e felt even more embarrassed to stay, and she decided to head home with her eldest son in tow.

Lin Yongxi was just over two years old. Seeing his mother suddenly wanting to go home, he made a fuss wanting to watch the fireworks.

Li Feng’e usually doted on her twin sons, giving them whatever they wanted, but today her demeanor changed as she gave her son a hard slap on the behind and growled, "We’re almost being laughed to death here, and you still want to watch fireworks!"

No sooner had she turned to leave with her child than she saw a group of people coming out of Lin Yuan’s house, chatting and laughing spiritedly. Li Feng’e’s feet froze, her desire to depart halted by curiosity.

Today was an auspicious day for starting construction, and Lin Yuan had someone set up the fireworks, purchased in advance by Xia Zheng, early in the morning at the entrance.

She wanted everyone in the village to know that they were building a new house, a red brick house at that.

Of course, part of the reason for putting on such a big display was to bring glory to her parents, and the other was to cause annoyance to those on the other side; she had long noticed the more well-off they were, the more frustrated those people became.

She wanted to cause them frustration. They had bullied her family for so long, and adding a little frustration was actually letting them off too easy.

The first to come out from the courtyard were Chief Sun and the laborers, followed by Lan Hua’s family and Chief Sun’s sister-in-law’s family. Loudmouth, always one to avoid the limelight, quietly followed his youngest son, standing off to the side in the corner.

The last to come out were the members of Lin Yuan’s family.

Today, they were all dressed to the nines.

The three sisters were all wearing the small fashionable long skirts hand-made by Lady Liu, all cute and pink.

Chief Sun’s sister-in-law even did up their hair in pretty doll styles.

After days of care and nourishment, the sisters had gained some weight, their skin had turned whiter, they looked more energetic, and their smiles were captivating.

The three girls, dressed in identical clothes standing together, were each strikingly beautiful, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Many of the old women whispered to themselves that the most beautiful woman in Lin family hollow wasn’t that pretentious Lin Siyu at all; just look at Lin Yuan, how handsome and delicate she was.

Xia Zheng held a lit incense stick in his hand, standing beside Lin Yuan with a grim face. He was dumbstruck by her outfit this morning, but now, seeing so many young men and bachelors ogling her, he really wanted to wrap the girl up in a thick quilt until only two eyes were visible.

No, not even the eyes should be shown; her eyes seemed to speak for themselves. He would cover everything, pick up even a strand of her hair if it fell, not to let anyone else have it!

At this moment, Lin Yuan of course did not notice Young Master Xia’s grumbling; she was looking back at Lin Jiaxin, who was being pushed over by Liuzi.

For today’s groundbreaking ceremony, she had specially asked Lin Ershuan to work overtime for several days to make the wheelchair.

Although some parts were still a bit rough, it was already suitable for seating a person.

Lin Jiaxin was dressed in a deep blue robe, wearing new black cloth shoes made by Lady Liu, and because there was a joyous occasion in the family, and this was his first time appearing before the villagers in a wheelchair, Lin Jiaxin, in his thirties, was as excited and happy as a child.

Lady Liu, who followed her husband, was also caught up in his enthusiasm, her somewhat chubby face beaming with smiles.

With one hand, she stroked her eight-month pregnant belly, and with the other, she rested it on her husband’s shoulder, walking slowly over.

Today, she was wearing a bright red long skirt that Lin Yuan had custom ordered in town.

Lady Liu always said that with her current large belly, wearing her old clothes was fine, so she never agreed to make new clothes for herself.

Left with no choice, Lin Yuan had to order a set, and now with her mother’s increased body weight, she did not want her to stay up all night toiling over making clothes.

When Lin Jiaxin’s family appeared, the spectators immediately erupted into excitement.

Some were saying that the three Lin sisters looked as pretty and clean as porcelain dolls, others envied Lady Liu’s new clothes and remarked on her good fortune, while some pointed at the wheeled chair Lin Jiaxin was sitting in with faces full of curious scrutiny.

Lin Ershuan paid the most attention to the wheelchair; hearing everyone whisper about this gadget, and although he’d anticipated it would draw a lot of curiosity, the reaction was even more significant than he had imagined.

The more he listened, the more thrilled he became, his grin so wide that even his wife couldn’t bear to look.

Sister Gui Zhi chuckled and gave him a slap while Lin Ershuan scratched his head and gave his wife a silly grin.

Lin Yuan softly asked her parents if they felt uncomfortable and only relaxed when she saw both smiling and shaking their heads.

She subtly scanned the crowd and sure enough, saw Li Feng’e standing in a corner, stealthily looking their way.

Li Feng’e’s eyes, filled with both envy and jealousy as if she wanted to strip Lady Liu naked, were hard for Lin Yuan to ignore.

She sneered coldly and, when Li Feng’e’s gaze fell on her, Lin Yuan glared back fiercely.

Shaken, Li Feng’e shivered and, holding her son, hid again behind someone else.

However, when she peeked over again, Lin Yuan was already calling Chief Sun and others to light the firecrackers.

Li Feng’e exhaled in relief, wondering if she had been mistaken just now.

Upon hearing the firecrackers were about to be lit, Xiao Linshuang excitedly clapped her hands, jumping and shouting.

Lin Wei, afraid that she would be hurt by the firecrackers, quickly pulled her over to her side and cautiously stood closer to Lady Liu herself.

She had heard from her eldest sister about these things; if not handled carefully, it was easy to get injured.

No one in Zhuma Town knew how to make firecrackers; they had to be bought from a larger city.

This glorious and arduous task naturally fell upon Young Master Xia.

Lin Yuan wanted twenty firecrackers, just the simplest kind that could make noise, but they still cost her ten taels of silver, causing her much distress.