IDWBE -Chapter 309 The Relocated Families

Last month, he had been struggling in the slums—sometimes hungry, sometimes barely full—fighting for an unseen tomorrow. This month, he was sitting in a dining hall, no longer looking at menus; whatever was expensive, he could have it.

In the most popular terms of the day: he wasn’t short on money.

“My mother wants to give a side room to my widowed sister, but my wife refuses. She says if I agree, she’ll divorce me immediately. Do you think finding a wife is easy? If she leaves, how am I supposed to live after that?”

A thin, small man spoke with a worried expression.

“Brother, congratulations! This is a double blessing! Not only do you have money, you’re single too—that’s something many people could only dream of.”

The speaker was also a thin, dark man, repeatedly offering congratulations.

“Divorce? Truly fearless! I’ve got money—why worry about not finding a wife? If necessary, I can marry a few concubines as well, no problem.”

The small man clapped happily.

Life’s three great joys: promotion, wealth, a wife’s death!

He was guaranteed wealth.

He would never wish his wife dead.

But a divorce?

That was perfect.

No guilt, and he could even get a new wife.

He could later find a young second wife, and life would be wonderful.

Relocation changed fate—overnight, from nothing to a comfortable home. Everyone rejoiced.

Scenes like this were happening across Jinling City.

Lin Yi, dressed in a short shirt and laborer’s clothes, mingled with the crowd and realized he was the most miserable of all.

Others were already thinking about changing wives.

He didn’t even have a girlfriend.

He wasn’t short of money at all!

How could he be living so miserably?

“Damn it, let’s go fishing. If we come back empty-handed today, I’ll deduct your wages for three months.”

Lin Yi slammed his chopsticks onto the table in the dining hall.

“Yes!”

Xiao Xizi complained bitterly.

Empty-handed? What does that have to do with our wages?

“Remember to bring plenty of worms.”

Lin Yi didn’t forget to remind them.

“Yes.”

The Prince was in disguise. Xiao Xizi dared not call him “Your Highness,” nor bow; he was completely at a loss.

Exiting the dining hall, leading the donkey, he kept glancing back at Lin Yi walking behind, hands clasped.

After traveling two miles past the South Gate, Xiao Xizi finally saw the Prince in a new light—no complaints on such a long walk! This was rare; their Prince usually complained after a few hundred meters.

By a tributary of the Fengshui River, Lin Yi cast his fishing line under a large tree, occasionally sipping from his teapot.

Xiao Xizi held his breath, afraid to breathe heavily. Any sudden movement, and the Prince would blame him for scaring away the fish.

That would be unfair.

Half an hour passed—no movement in the float.

If they returned empty-handed, the Prince would definitely explode.

At that moment, he wished he could dive into the water himself, catch a fish, and place it directly on the Prince’s hook—avoiding all the blame.

Not only was Consort Yuan difficult to please, so was the Prince.

Truly a mother-and-son pair.

Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble.

Just having reached the eighth rank, his hearing was sharper than before; the sound grew closer.

He straightened his back, glanced at the guards hidden in the trees, then quietly moved away from the river. Just exiting the woods, he saw a horse galloping straight toward them. On it was a woman wearing a red cloak, with two maids running behind, calling out urgently.

“Miss!”

“Miss!”

The two maids panted, calling out.

The horse was nearly upon them. Xiao Xizi feared that the startled fish would still be blamed on him.

He suddenly dashed forward, flashing in front of the horse. A hand grabbed the horse by the neck, stopping it abruptly. The horse reared, neighing. The woman on its back nearly fell, but suddenly leapt into the air and landed gracefully.

Xiao Xizi released his hold on the horse’s neck, then struck its belly. The horse turned and ran off.

“Who are you?!”

The woman glared at the small-shirted Xiao Xizi, furious as her horse disappeared into the distance.

“Miss, I’m doing this for your own good,”

Xiao Xizi snorted, “it wouldn’t be good if you fell off the horse.”

“Miss! Miss!”

One maid finally caught up, pointing at Xiao Xizi. “You brazen scoundrel! I’ll report you to the authorities—just you wait!”

“Miss, it’s safer to leave the wilds now—I don’t want more trouble,”

Xiao Xizi spoke, glancing back at the woods. If the Prince appeared, he’d get scolded anyway.

“Your skill surpasses mine, so you think you can threaten me?”

The woman snorted coldly. “Don’t forget, this is under the Prince’s rule. Who dares act recklessly here?”

“You trust the Prince very much, miss.”

A voice came from the woods.

Xiao Xizi immediately stepped aside, silent, watching the Prince emerge.

“Who are you?”

The woman glared at Lin Yi, eyes wide.

Lin Yi looked at her and was momentarily dumbstruck.

One feeling: a fairy descended to the mortal world!

Even seeing Nie Yinnian, Xie Xiaoqing, Xie Jiuyun, Wen Zhaoyi, or Lady Tang—the mother of Old Twelve—hadn’t caused this feeling.

Was this woman beautiful?

Not really.

Her features were average.

But there was an indescribable aura about her that captivated him.

“Who am I?”

This was Lin Yi’s first question since his rebirth.

“A mere country bumpkin,” A freckled little maid shouted, “How dare you assault our lady? When the constables arrive, you won’t escape!”

“Miss, my apologies,” Lin Yi gestured toward Xiao Xizi. “My brother is rude and disrespectful. Please forgive his insolence. How can I make amends, I will comply fully.”

In front of a woman like this, he couldn’t muster any anger.

His experience being a sycophant in his past life now worked perfectly.

“Yes, miss, vent all your anger on me.”

Seeing the Prince’s attitude, Xiao Xizi followed suit.

“Hmph,” The woman waved at the two other maids, signaling them to remain silent, and addressed Lin Yi, “Why did your brother stop my horse? My horse ran off—you owe me compensation.”

Lin Yi smiled. “This is entirely my brother’s fault. I will provide a fine horse as compensation.”

“Can you afford it?”

The woman sized up Lin Yi in his coarse clothes. “That’s a prized steed from the north, worth a fortune!”