"First bow, to the heavens above—"
"Second bow, to the ancestors—"
"Third bow, to the parents—Rise!"
Outside the Qin Family Ancestral Hall, Long Yue watched as Wuyou stepped into the hall, bowing to the ancestors under Elder Qin’s clear recitation, officially entering the Qin family register, and she smiled.
"This is the best outco; now we can leave with peace of mind!"
There was nothing here they were attached to, except this deeply affectionate and noble-hearted uncle. Now that the true Young Master Qin has returned, and Elder Qin has found his life’s purpose, his days will be more fulfilling, allowing them to let go and leave.
"Ah, I always thought sothing was off about your husband, but you all insisted otherwise. But this outco isn’t bad either..."
Yun Niang appeared out of nowhere, giggling as she spoke.
Long Yue turned her head, chuckling softly, "But you didn’t believe it either!"
"Pfft! We’re even!"
The two won bantered as Wuyou erged from the ancestral hall, still slightly bewildered. Even knowing he was the Young Master of the Qin family, inheriting the vast Qin Family Embroidery Workshop, his mind remained confused.
He looked down at his hands—rough hands, hardened by years of chopping wood and tending fires, layered with thick calluses. Though just eighteen, his hands appeared aged, dried yellow, like withered leaves in the wind...
"Am I... am I the Young Master? Am I... am I dreaming?"
He murmured to himself, looking up at the sky, feeling it was all a dream, that one day he would wake and it would all be over.
"You’re not dreaming, you are the Young Master of the Qin family! Wuyou, what’s wrong with you now? Back then, when you first t my husband, you were so wild! You even dared to challenge him, so why are you backing down now?"
"I’m not!"
Long Yue’s words reignited his fighting spirit. He lifted his head abruptly and shouted, "I am the Young Master of the Qin family! From now on, I’m the Young Master, the future master of the Qin Family Embroidery Workshop!"
"Good, that’s the real Qin Wuyou! Back then, you dared to lay hands on over a few offending words!"
Li Qingmu teased him with a smile, which made Qin Wuyou feel utterly ashad.
He lowered his head, grumbling, "Back then, everyone at the camp bullied . I had to act tough and overbearing to protect myself... I’m sorry!"
"It’s okay, you couldn’t hurt anyway!"
Qin Wuyou: "..."
"Mr. Li, soone is looking for you outside!"
Li Qingmu had already relinquished his identity as the Young Master of the Qin family, so the family mbers now called him Mr. Li. Fortunately, having found the true Young Master Qin, the Qin Family mbers treated him well.
"Who’s looking for him?"
The news from the Capital City couldn’t have arrived so quickly, so who could it be?
"It’s a few people, they seem to say... they’re relatives of Mr. Li."
"Sister-in-law and the others?"
Long Yue’s face turned cold; these people hadn’t shown up for quite so ti and now decided to appear. What do they want?
"Husband?"
"Let’s go take a look!"
They were about to leave this place soon; it was ti to settle things once and for all.
In the main hall.
Mrs. Li Zhou arrived with her two daughters-in-law and daughter, the group of won curiously peering around, touching everything, looking like curious children.
"Tsk!" Mrs. Zhang exclaid, picking up a cup, examining it closely, and then exhaling, "What a fine piece! Mother, look at this, this cup is clearly a quality item, so fine, so smooth! There are so many good things in this Qin family, from the door to the hall, tsk tsk tsk..."
Mrs. Wang also picked up a teapot to scrutinize, "Yes, beautiful, useful, and expensive. These are all good things. Our ho lacks these treasures. Later, we should ask the third brother for a few sets to take ho and decorate our place!"
"Sister-in-law, you’re an idiot. Why take them back? We should just move in here. Third Brother is now an official and the future master of the Qin family business; he shouldn’t treat us poorly, right? If this gets out, how will his reputation hold up?"
Li Qingxue snorted, plopping down into an exquisite wicker chair and patting it with her hand, "This chair is nice. Later, I want to move it into my room!"
Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Zhang were stunned, reflecting on their earlier miserly actions, feeling ashad instantly, realizing their younger sister-in-law was shrewder, no wonder Mother favored her so much.
"Alright, look at yourselves, acting like you’ve never seen the world! The third brother already said not to stir up trouble, to leave so room for sentint. We’ve been calm these past days, just coming to add so liveliness for him!"
"Oh, yes, yes, Mother is right! The third brother and his wife must feel lonely in this empty Qin residence. We’re here to accompany them, so we can look out for each other, right?"
"I don’t need your looking out!"
While Mrs. Wang was keenly agreeing with Mrs. Li Zhou, an exasperated young voice ca from behind. She paused, turning to see a lean, slightly dark-skinned young man, and instantly pointed at him, scolding, "Where did this little brat co from, running wild in our Qin house? Do you believe I won’t whip you?"
Such words, half a year ago, Mrs. Wang would never have dared say. But recently, the Li family’s dicine fields had good harvests, earning a lot of money, and when people have money, their status elevates. The neighbors would soon be around like wolves sniffing for food, raising you up high.
So the Li family’s arrogance grew, and eventually, they beca haughty.
But Qin Wuyou wasn’t afraid of her. After all, this was his Qin family territory, guarded by several tall and strong protectors. Why fear these won?
He stood with folded hands and said coldly, "I am the Young Master of the Qin family! This is my ho, who are you calling wild?"
What?!
Mrs. Wang’s proud deanor deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon. She looked dumbfounded, staring at Wuyou, asking, "What... what did you just say?"
Wuyou glanced at her disdainfully and said, "I am the young master of the Qin family!"
"You little brat, are you joking?"
Mrs. Zhang found this matter odd. Wasn’t the Young Master of the Qin family the third brother? How did it switch to this boy?
Because Wuyou had been confined in a mountain bandit camp, with little to eat or drink, he was half a head shorter than Li Qingmu, and his slenderness made him seem two or three years younger than Li Qingmu.
"He is the real Young Master of the Qin family, and he’s not joking!"
Long Yue entered, glaring maliciously at the Li family mbers. These people only behaved when they weren’t causing trouble; otherwise, they just itched for punishnt!
"What?"
Mrs. Li Zhou paused, looked at Wuyou, then turned her gaze to Li Qingmu, who had entered behind, suddenly pointing at his nose and scolding, "You little rascal, after raising you for eighteen years, this is how you repay ? You’d rather get a stand-in than share so good things with us? You little bastard, you will et karma sooner or later!"
Mrs. Li Zhou fud, about to grab a nearby teacup to throw it when suddenly the sound of hooves resonated from outside, followed by the Qin family’s gate being kicked open!
"Imperial decree! Gaoyang County Magistrate Li Qingmu receives the decree!"
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