Chapter 3: Hypocritical Parents

I had long known that Lin Yulang did not have good intentions in bringing me home, and the facts proved me right. It turned out he wanted me to be his scapegoat, to take the fall for his misfortunes. I just did not know what kind of disaster this heartless little brat had run into, or what fiery pit his family intended to push me into.

However, I am no longer who I was. Armed with the arcane skills of the various schools of thought, I am no longer the helpless child I was twenty years ago. For this family to think they can plot against me now is pure delusion. As the saying goes, one with superior skills is bold of heart; I knew there were tigers in the mountains, yet I chose to walk right into their lair. I intended to take it one step at a time and see exactly what kind of medicine they were selling in their gourd.

Just then, Lin Yulang finished discussing things with his parents. The couple put on quite a performance, even squeezing out a few tears as they rushed to greet me.

"Mazi, is it really you, Mazi? My good son, your father and mother have finally found you!"
"You have no idea how hard your father and I have looked for you all these years since you were kidnapped!"

Lin Yutang and Liu Ruyin each grabbed one of my arms, speaking with feigned affection. Heh, acting, is it? They want to act, so I shall act along with them and see who comes out on top. I grabbed their arms in return and said with a fake sorrowful expression:

"Mom, Dad, I have finally come home. All these years wandering outside, there hasn't been a moment I haven't missed home! It’s all the fault of that old beggar who kidnapped me while I was sleeping, causing us to be separated all this time!"

Liu Ruyin’s eyes darted around, and she quickly seized the opportunity to say:

"Yes, yes, exactly! It is all that old beggar's fault! And it was my own carelessness back then, being too busy cooking in the kitchen, not knowing that you had been taken while you slept in the yard... Oh! It is all Mother’s fault!"

Looking at this woman lying without even a blush, I found it laughable. Back then, it was clearly she who drugged me to sleep, sealed me in a coffin, and had it taken to a mass grave, before joining Lin Yutang to bury me alive. Now she changes her story to say an old beggar stole me while I slept; what a blatant lie! However, it was not yet the time for a showdown; I could not expose her lies just yet.

Lin Yutang glanced at my ragged clothes and disheveled appearance, curled his lip in disgust, and said:

"Mazi, go inside and take a good shower, then pick out one of Yulang’s outfits to wear. Our Lin family is a household of status and reputation; what is this look? If the neighbors saw you, wouldn't they laugh their heads off? Since you are a descendant of the Lin family, don't disgrace us!"

Liu Ruyin gave a wink to Lin Yulang and said, "Yulang, hurry, take Mazi inside to bathe and find him some clean clothes."

Lin Yulang responded and led me into the house. Once inside, he directed me to the bathroom to wash up, then went off to fetch clean clothes. When I finished my shower and came out, the clean clothes were already laid out on the vanity.

I picked them up and frowned slightly. It was a blue-gray striped coarse cloth suit—clearly the uniform worn by the household servants.

Lin Yulang walked over with a smirk, pointed at the uniform, and said, "Mazi, don't just stand there naked; put the clothes on before you catch a cold."

I said with dissatisfaction, "Didn't Dad tell you to find me one of your clothes? This looks like a servant's uniform, doesn't it?"

Lin Yulang gave a disdainful laugh and said carelessly, "It’s not that I don't want to let you wear them, but you are so skinny you’re nothing but skin and bones; you wouldn't fit into my clothes at all! This uniform fits your frame well enough, so just make do. It’s a hundred times better than those rags you were wearing before, isn't it?"

With that, ignoring whether I had put them on or not, he stretched and said, "I'm tired, I'm going to my room to lie down for a bit. Play by yourself; I don't have time to deal with you."

He walked away with a haughty swagger. Once he was far enough away, I faintly heard him mutter, "What kind of mongrel dog thinks he can wear the same clothes as me? He should take a piss and look at his reflection—what kind of status does he think he has compared to mine?"

If the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be askew. I knew that pair of scoundrels, Lin Yutang and Liu Ruyin, couldn't possibly raise a decent son. Lin Yulang was indeed no good. But it wasn't time to settle the score yet, so I couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

I put on the uniform and strolled toward the living room. As soon as I arrived, a woman who looked like a housekeeper walked up, looked me over, and asked:

"You must be the plumber here to fix the drains, right? I've called you several times, but you never picked up! Where have you been?"

I was left speechless. She had seen me in the servant's uniform and truly mistaken me for a member of the household staff. I was about to explain, but the housekeeper didn't give me the chance, grabbing my arm and saying:

"Hurry up, get those drains cleared. They've been backed up all afternoon, the stench is unbearable, I can't stand it!"

She led me to the drainage ditch outside the villa and told me to crouch down and clear it. I looked down and nearly vomited on the spot. Even though I had spent the last twenty years living in a mass grave and sleeping in empty coffins, even those were not as filthy as the Lin family's sewers. At a glance, it was full of filth: leftover chicken bones, shrimp and crab shells, fruit pits, used toilet paper, sanitary pads, and condoms... it was as disgusting as it could get.

The housekeeper saw me standing there in a daze and urged impatiently, "Hurry up and clear it, what are you staring at?"

I cleared my throat, just about to say that I wasn't a servant, but the eldest son of the Lin family, when Liu Ruyin walked over with a graceful gait and asked the housekeeper:

"Auntie Song, is the drain still not cleared? It's been blocked all afternoon, when will it be finished?"

The housekeeper, Auntie Song, quickly pointed at me and said, "The plumber just arrived! I don't know where he ran off to earlier, dragging his feet; I’m just now urging him to get to work!"

I seized the opportunity and called out to Liu Ruyin:

"Mom, it’s me, Mazi! Auntie Song is mistaken, I am not the plumber!"

Liu Ruyin looked over curiously, stared at me, and said with a wry smile:

"It really is Mazi. Why are you wearing a servant's uniform? Didn't Yulang find you any of his clothes?"

I shook my head and said, "No, Yulang said his clothes wouldn't fit me, so he found me a set of servant's work clothes."

I had expected Liu Ruyin to say a few words on my behalf, but to my surprise, she didn't even pretend, sneering:

"Heh, that's true. Yulang's clothes are all custom-made; they certainly wouldn't fit you. This uniform fits you quite well, and you look the part. Mazi, since you're already in the uniform, just go ahead and clear the drain! Don't just eat and live here for free; you have to do some work for the house. Our Lin family doesn't keep idlers!"

When one is under someone else's roof, one must bow one's head. It wasn't time to burn bridges with the Lin family yet, so I swallowed my resentment and obediently began clearing the drain.

Once I finished, Liu Ruyin nodded with satisfaction, beckoned me with her finger, and said:

"Mazi, come inside with me, I have something to tell you."

I followed her into the house obediently. Once inside, she locked the door behind her and said softly:

"Mazi, you are the eldest son of our Lin family. You've suffered quite a bit after being kidnapped all these years. Your father and I feel terrible for you and have been thinking about how to compensate you. There happens to be an opportunity right now. Our Lin family and the Gu family are old family friends, and a marriage contract was set long ago. The Gu family has a daughter, young, beautiful, gentle, and virtuous..."

"The Gu family originally had their eyes on your younger brother Yulang, but your father and I discussed it, and in order to compensate you, we’ve decided to give this opportunity to you. Next week, you will go and marry the Gu family's daughter. What do you think?"