"You have the wrong person, I am Lin Jingxing, the elder brother of Lin Qingge."
"No, you are clearly Lin—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Lin Qingge, charging forward, clapped a hand over his mouth and repeated fiercely:
"Say it again, you have the wrong person. My name is Lin Jingxing, and I am now the magistrate of Changzhou County!"
Whether he truly believed Lin Qingge's words or was intimidated by her presence, the man nodded obediently.
However, before Lin Qingge could even withdraw her hand from the man's mouth, Lin Zimo's startled cry echoed from a distance:
"Ah! Brother Lin Yan? It really is Brother Lin Yan!"
"Er—"
Catching a glimpse of the cool, water-blue figure two steps behind Lin Zimo with the corner of her eye, Lin Qingge hastily released her grip and retreated a good distance away.
The man, whom Lin Zimo had called "Brother Lin Yan," said with a gentle smile:
"Isn't this Mo'er?
You've grown quite a bit taller since I last saw you."
"Brother Lin Yan, why have you come to Changzhou County? Did you miss Mo'er?"
"Of course, I missed Mo'er."
Lin Yan patted the little child's head as she ran over and chuckled,
"Life has indeed been rather dull since you and the others left.
However, I am here to take up my post in Changzhou County."
"Take up your post?"
Meeting Lin Qingge's confused gaze, Lin Yan straightened his body, cupped his hands in a salute, and said,
"This official, the new magistrate of Changzhou County, Lin Yan, pays his respects to Magistrate Lin!"
???
Finding the situation somewhat surreal, Lin Qingge didn't know whether to lament that her transfer order hadn't arrived yet and the new magistrate had already shown up, or to be astonished that the new magistrate was an "old acquaintance"!
She stood frozen on the spot.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan continued his salute, saying,
"Magistrate Lin, as this official is new to Changzhou County and alone, without a place to stay, may I reside in the yamen for the time being?"
"You may."
Lin Qingge had considered having him share the floor with Yan Tinghao, but it seemed inappropriate for a magistrate to sleep on the floor.
Therefore, she called for Xiao Cao and instructed her to quickly clean out the remaining vacant room among the three side chambers.
Lin Moyuan, who had escorted Madam Lin and her son back to the yamen under the guise of being on the way, stood far off at the street corner.
Watching the man in green so easily enter the yamen and secure lodging, a hint of envy flashed in his eyes. He then instructed the person lazily leaning against the carriage, fanning himself,
"I want all the intelligence on the new magistrate!"
"Goodness, Master, is it really necessary? Besides you and that Master Lin, no one else gives your Lin Madam a second glance!"
"Do as I say. I have a feeling there's something off about that man, but I can't quite pinpoint what."
"Master, whether that person is off or not, I don't know. All I know is that if you don't go back soon, Feng Si is going to throw in the towel.
In this day and age, even livestock aren't worked like this.
If Feng Si, working alone like a mule day and night, overworks himself and his health fails, finding another talent like Feng Si will be incredibly difficult~"
Upon hearing this, Lin Moyuan's gaze lingered on the speaker for a moment, as if implying, 'If Feng Si falls, won't there still be you?'
Startled, the other man, without even bothering to fan himself, quickly amended his statement,
"The empire can be obtained with ease, but a true confidant is hard to find in a lifetime.
For your happiness in the latter half of your life, Master, however long you wish to stay in Changzhou County, we shall stay.
After all, Feng Si is naturally a hard worker.
What is a mule compared to that?
He must see himself as a candle, burning himself to light others!
But speaking of which, this new magistrate seems to be acquainted with Magistrate Lin's family, doesn't he?"
On the other side.
In the yamen's rear courtyard room, Leng Ningyue also posed the same question.
"Mother, don't you remember Brother Lin Yan from the neighboring village?
Didn't he visit Father at our home?"
Lin Qingge pinched Lin Zimo's small, puzzled face and explained,
"So many people visit your father, how could your mother remember them all?
As for Lin Yan, he lives in our old home, Lin Family Village.
More precisely, he's from the smaller Lin Family Village next door, so his surname is also Lin.
Lin Yan is quite well-known in our area. Before I achieved the second-highest scholar rank, he was the only Juren scholar in our ten-mile radius.
He seemed to have passed the Juren exam a few years ago, but his fortune was ill-fated. Just as he passed and before he could return home in glory, his father died after falling down a mountain while hunting.
Thus, he had to return home to observe mourning for three years.
Counting the days, his mourning period should be over, but I never expected him to be assigned to Changzhou County as magistrate."
Lin Zimo poked his head forward and reported, "Mother, you may not know this.
Father, oh no, that is, Mo'er's aunt, used to have trouble sleeping at night. Her favorite thing was to sneak into the neighboring village in the dead of night to watch Brother Lin Yan bathe.
While watching, she would praise Brother Lin Yan for his narrow waist, long legs, and good 'workmanship.'
I understand narrow waist and long legs, but what does 'good workmanship' mean?"
"You little rascal, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Raising her hand, she lightly tapped Lin Zimo on the head. Receiving a death stare, Lin Qingge began her desperate attempt at damage control, "That, that although it's the neighboring village, the small Lin village is only separated by a wall from our Lin Family Village.
It's said that a family surnamed Lin migrated here long ago, and later, due to fraternal strife, they split the family, which over time led to the current Great Lin Village and Small Lin Village."
Leng Ningyue remained silent, her beautiful eyes placid.
However, it was this calm before the storm that made Lin Qingge's heart pound. Helplessly, she could only brace herself and admit defeat,
"I was simply too bored staying at home!
In the village, it was all old men and old women. If there was someone decent, I'd watch them as a form of entertainment.
But now that I think about it, with his weak and sickly physique, although his muscle definition was somewhat apparent, compared to Yan Tinghao, he was more than a little bit lacking."
Feeling the topic straying further and further off course, Leng Ningyue raised her hand and rubbed her temples, stating the crux of the issue:
"Since you already knew him, wouldn't it be easy for him to recognize you?"
"Er...
It should be said that he has already recognized me."
Perhaps due to being twins and suffering from poverty and malnutrition from a young age, not only was Lin Qingge often ill, but her brother, Lin Jingxing, was also frail since childhood.
The two already looked extremely alike, and their heights were similar. If they wore the same clothes and stood together, even acquaintances would find it difficult to distinguish between them.
But this Lin Yan, upon their first meeting, had adamantly declared her to be Lin Qingge. It was downright uncanny!
Upon hearing this, Leng Ningyue's delicate brows furrowed slightly, "Can that person be trusted? Should we... eliminate him?"
"Mother, what does 'eliminate' mean?"
"Eliminate means to prevent him from speaking again, to remove any threat he might pose to yourself and your family."
Watching the mother and son, one asking earnestly, the other explaining earnestly.
Lin Qingge's lips twitched fiercely. She suddenly worried that her dear brother might appear in her dreams that night, reprimanding her for not taking good care of Mo'er and for corrupting her young mind...