LOT – Chapter 26 Does Lin Mo Not Understand Sarcasm?! What’s With That Look She Gave Her Mother?!

The Peacock (Wei Zheng’an) looked Lin Mo up and down, lifted his chin arrogantly, and said with a critical tone, “So you’re that Lin Mo everyone’s talking about? You don’t look like much.”

Lin Mo blinked in confusion. Huh? I’m that famous now? I’ve become someone people gossip about?! But… she kind of liked the sound of that.

With a beaming smile, she replied modestly, “Oh, not at all, not at all. ‘Someone everyone talks about’ is a bit much. I’m just the only female official in the court. You all can call me Little Lord Lin.”

Wei Zheng’an and his three companions: …

Seriously? Did she not hear the sarcasm in that comment at all? Was she trying to misunderstand it as a compliment?

Even the system chimed in dryly: [Host, I don’t think he was praising you… It seems like he came here to pick a fight.]

Lin Mo: ???

Pick a fight? But I haven’t offended anyone… unless you count that county princess.

Wei Zheng’an was about to say more, but one of his friends quickly held him back. “Zheng’an, calm down. Don’t forget His Majesty’s decree!”

Watching them huddle up and whisper with such camaraderie, Lin Mo flicked her sleeves and told the system: [They seem pretty busy right now. Why don’t we just leave and stop interrupting their little love affair?]

System: [……]

[What part of this screams love affair to you?! They’re just whispering!]

Lin Mo answered righteously: [Think about it. This alleyway is a perfect secret rendezvous spot. Who else would wander through a random back alley like I did unless they had nothing better to do? And you said Peacock Boy came to pick a fight—but I’ve never offended him. That has to mean I interrupted their date, so he’s mad.]

System: … You actually make a weird amount of sense. I… can’t even refute that.

The falsely accused “lovers”: …

What the hell is wrong with her?! Where did she even get this love story from?!

They hadn’t heard of the term “dating,” but they did understand what “romance” meant—and clearly this girl thought they were involved in some steamy back-alley flirtation.

Seriously, did no one at court want to beat her up for being this annoying on a daily basis?

The four men exchanged glances, suddenly unsure about everything they thought they knew.

But in Lin Mo’s eyes, all she saw was tender, wordless affection being exchanged through eye contact. [Tsk, tsk. So this is what “flirting with your eyes” looks like. Fascinating. Let’s leave, let’s leave—we shouldn’t get in their way. I’m starving, let’s head to a restaurant.]

System: [You got money to eat at a restaurant? Or are you planning to dine and dash?]

Lin Mo slowly turned her gaze toward the group of young men… and then fixed her eyes on Peacock Boy.

Wei Zheng’an suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Why is she looking at me like that?! He came here to stir trouble—so why did it feel like he was about to be eaten alive?

Lin Mo’s stomach rumbled, and her curiosity about Peacock Boy’s so-called “Freaky Finds” courtyard got the better of her. Suddenly, she had a perfect plan.

On the way back to the Deputy Minister of Justice’s residence, the Peacock (Wei Zheng’an) looked utterly dead inside, while the three young men behind him were already laughing and joking around with Lin Mo.

“Little Lord Lin is truly knowledgeable! If only you had appeared in the capital earlier, you’d surely be ranked among the capital’s famous scholars and talents!”

“Exactly, exactly! Anyone who dares speak ill of Little Lord Lin from now on will have to answer to me!”

Lin Mo was practically floating with pride from all the praise. No wonder those in high places enjoy hearing flattery from their subordinates—it really is a fantastic feeling.

“Oh my, one must still remain humble,” she replied modestly, even though her face practically glowed. “While my literary talent isn’t any worse than my elder brother or sister’s, as a younger sibling, I must let them shine.”

“I’m not the hard-working or experiential type… I’m a natural-born genius!”

The Peacock turned around and stared at her like she had grown two heads. Natural-born genius?! Are you serious?!

Just a little while ago, Lin Mo had claimed inspiration had struck and composed a poem on the spot, offering to trade it for a meal at the Deputy Minister’s manor. At first, they were honestly looking forward to hearing it.

But then… they heard it.

The topic was clouds, and Lin Mo had recited:

“Oh clouds in the sky!

Like fluffy cotton candy,

Sweet, sticky, tangled and tender,

I could eat you in one big bite!”

She even proudly declared it a “modern poem.” Modern poem?! What in the world is that?! Can people just invent poetry styles now?!

The Peacock had wanted to argue with her, but the other three guys quickly stopped him.

They only had one thought right now: We must see what those weird-looking maids in the Peacock’s estate look like! So no matter what Lin Mo came up with, they were going to hype it to the heavens.

And that’s how things ended up the way they were.

Lin Mo, feeling very pleased with herself, whispered to the system: [Hey, how weird-looking do you think those maids really are? Can I eat while watching them?]

The three boys beside her nodded silently to themselves. Yes, yes! Watching while eating sounds perfect!

The Peacock: …What do you people think my home is?!

System: [Should be doable. Just ask the Peacock to have some of his courtyard maids serve you during the meal.]

Lin Mo, impressed, said: [Wow, System, you’re getting smarter the longer you stay with me. Just like they say, stay close to vermilion and you turn red!]

The system went quiet. What am I supposed to do with a host this shameless and narcissistic? Are you sure this isn’t more like “near ink turns you black”?!

When the Peacock finally dragged his four freeloaders home, the Deputy Minister of Justice took one glance and immediately spotted the overly noticeable Lin Mo among the group.

“PFFT!” A mouthful of tea sprayed right out of his mouth.

Why did you bring this chaos gremlin back home?! Were things at the manor too peaceful for your liking?!

The Deputy Minister turned to glare at his son.

The Peacock: …

I’m the one being wronged here!

How was he supposed to know this person would be this shameless? Not only did she fail to tell good-natured teasing from an insult, but she even insisted on following him home—and now she was eyeing his maids too?!

The Deputy Minister’s wife, however, was pleasantly surprised to see Lin Mo. She had been present at those two banquets where all the drama went down and had long wanted to meet this Little Lord Lin.

“Good day, sir. Good day, madam,” Lin Mo greeted with a bright and obedient smile, bowing respectfully to both the Deputy Minister and his wife. The three young men behind her also followed suit, politely greeting the couple.

If one could ignore her inner thoughts, Lin Mo really did seem quite well-behaved.

The moment she laid eyes on the Deputy Minister’s wife, Lin Mo began gushing to the system:
[Wow, the Peacock’s mom is so beautiful—gentle and graceful. How did the Peacock turn out like that?]

The Peacock? Both the Deputy Minister and his wife turned to look at their son.

Uhh… that was quite an apt nickname. Their son did dress like a flamboyant peacock every day.

System: [That question falls under genetics, which is a bit out of my scope. Didn’t you say you were hungry? The food at the Peacock’s place is actually pretty decent.]

Deputy Minister and Madam: …So she came here to eat.

Does Minister Lin not care about his daughter at all?

Just look at her—didn’t even bother to change out of her court attire.

How could Minister Lin be so neglectful of his own child?

“You must be hungry. You’ve come at just the right time,” said the Madam with a gentle smile, kindly ushering them inside.

“Come sit and join us for a meal. You can compare our food with what you have at home.”

Lin Mo’s eyes lit up as she stared at the Madam with admiration—so intently, in fact, that both the Deputy Minister and the Peacock began to feel uneasy.

Is this chaos demon… not into men? What’s with that look in her eyes?!