Chapter 141: The Li Family’s Daughter-in-Law

The publicity campaign that could shock the entire Qiufeng City continued. In the afternoon, Lin Dong got into a carriage and personally drove Li Yunfeng to the city.

By the time they arrived, the sunset had left only a faint glow, and night was slowly falling. Outside the Li family’s mansion, they got out of the carriage. Without needing an announcement, Lin Dong followed Li Yunfeng, carrying a heavy gift box, as they entered the gate.

Compared to the Cheng family’s mansion, the Li family’s was several times larger. The pavilions and buildings along the way were far more elegant and refined, differing somewhat from Lin Dong’s initial expectations. Given that Li Jiancheng came from a military background and had raised such a strong daughter as Li Yunfeng, Lin Dong had assumed the mansion would be more robust and imposing as a local official’s residence. Instead, it was filled with an air of refinement.

They proceeded unimpeded to the inner courtyard of the Li family home. Li Yunfeng called over a maid, and after asking a few questions, both of them were surprised. They had arrived at the exact scheduled time, only to find that dinner hadn’t ended yet because of guests.

Learning that the visitor was merely a cousin of the young lady, Li Yunfeng pondered for a moment before turning to Lin Dong behind her and saying, “Shopkeeper Lin, come in with me.”

Lin Dong nodded. It might be inappropriate to deliver gifts while others were eating, but with Li Yunfeng around, there wouldn’t be much awkwardness.

The two entered a side hall as spacious as a regular restaurant’s main hall. Five round tables were placed in the center, one slightly larger than the others, standing out prominently.

One of the four tables was empty, while the other three were mostly occupied by women and children. At the slightly larger table, there were only seven people. At the head was a man in his sixties, looking very authoritative. Though his hair and beard were white, his robust build still revealed his strength in his youth—clearly Li Jiancheng, the head of the Li family.

The four people seated below him were all elegantly dressed women, all appearing to be over thirty. Along the way, Lin Dong had heard Li Yunfeng mention that although Li Jiancheng had four sons and seven daughters, he only had one wife and one concubine, both of whom had passed away. According to the customs of wealthy families, only his four sons, their daughters-in-law, and eldest grandson could sit with him at the table.

Two of Li Jiancheng’s four sons were in the military, and the other two were serving in other regions. Women were not allowed in the military, and as for the two serving in other places… their wives had gone with them, leaving no one at home to take care of their father, so they stayed behind.

These four women were undoubtedly Li Jiancheng’s four legitimate daughters-in-law.

At the bottom were a middle-aged man and a teenager around sixteen or seventeen.

The young man was undoubtedly Li Jiancheng’s eldest grandson. The middle-aged man, around forty years old, with a broad face and large ears, dressed in a blue silk robe and wearing a flattering smile, immediately gave the impression of being either a landlord or an official at first glance. Sometimes, first impressions are quite accurate. The middle-aged man’s name was Jin Taifu; he was the cousin of Li Jiancheng’s second daughter-in-law and had originally been a major landlord in Yanling County. Later, realizing that being an official seemed more profitable, he spent half of his family’s wealth to buy the position of county magistrate in Yanling County. He came today to see if he could be promoted further to a sixth-rank official with real power.

“Xiaofeng?” Li Jiancheng looked surprised as Li Yunfeng brought Lin Dong in. He immediately asked, “How did you come here?”

Li Yunfeng didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “Shopkeeper Lin is my friend. He wanted my father to help him out, so I brought him along.”

Dozens of eyes glanced at Lin Dong before returning to their original positions. Among the shopkeepers of the famous stores in Qiufeng City, there was no such person.

Lin Dong smiled and handed the gift box to a servant who stepped forward. “Lord Li, sorry for the intrusion!”

“Add another set of dishes and utensils for the young lady,” Li Jiancheng ordered a maid nearby before turning to Lin Dong. “Since guests are here, you should sit too!”

“Thank you, Lord Li,” Lin Dong nodded and sat down at a less crowded table with Li Yunfeng.

After a while, Li Jiancheng’s four sons and their concubines all started greeting Li Yunfeng. At Li Jiancheng’s table, his four legitimate daughter-in-laws simply gave Li Yunfeng a cold glance before continuing to eat.

Li Yunfeng had a bad temper, and the four of them already disliked her. Moreover, not long ago, Li Jiancheng had rejected all the relatives they recommended, citing Cheng Wencai’s competence, and assigned the household management to him. As a result, the four of them harbored even more resentment toward Li Yunfeng. Naturally, they wouldn’t show her any kindness.

A daughter who’s been married away is like water that’s been poured out—why should she come back to the Li family and snatch such big advantages?

Lin Dong frowned slightly. The expressions of those four made him feel something was wrong.

Seeing that Lin Dong was completely unreserved, unlike when he arrived with Jin Taifu, Li Jiancheng put down his chopsticks, looked at Li Yunfeng, and asked, “Xiaofeng, whose shop is this Shopkeeper Lin from?”

Lin Dong stood up and bowed. “I am Lin Dong, the owner of Lin’s Inn. I’m here because our inn is about to open, and I’d like to invite Lord Li to attend and give us his support. With Lord Li’s backing, the inn will have a smooth future.”

“Lin’s Inn?”

Everyone was surprised. Even Li Jiancheng, who held a high position, had heard of this name. He just didn’t expect that this Shopkeeper Lin would be so young.

With a brief moment of surprise, Li Jiancheng’s gaze shifted back to Li Yunfeng. “For this matter, isn’t having literary talent enough?”
Li Yunfeng shook her head. “Manager Lin wants to compete with Fenglin Restaurant. Without my father’s approval, it’s impossible.”
Li Jiancheng frowned.
“What audacity! A mere inn dares to compete with Fenglin Restaurant?” A clearly mocking voice rang out, instantly resonating with everyone present.
Li Yunfeng glared coldly at her second sister-in-law, Jin Furong.
Under normal circumstances, such a glare would have made Jin Furong back down. But now, thanks to her cousin Jin Taifu’s favor, she had grown bolder. Not only was she unafraid, but she even dared to glare back.
Thinking to herself, Jin Furong turned to Li Jiancheng and said softly, “My lord, it’s well-known throughout Autumn Wind City that you have a passion for weapons and armor. Since Manager Lin can pull off such a grand display even before opening, he must be well-prepared. Might as well take this opportunity to let everyone experience a spiritual artifact as well.”
Jin Taifu looked pleased. A third-tier spiritual artifact wasn’t something an ordinary businessman could obtain.
Although Li Yunfeng was hot-tempered, she wasn’t foolish. Hearing this, she flew into anger and tried to stand up, but Lin Dong grabbed her sleeve from below.
“Madam, matters of importance come first,” Lin Dong reminded her quietly. He didn’t want Li Yunfeng to start a fight between sisters-in-law out of anger. With Jin Furong’s petite frame, she would surely suffer greatly. She would surely spread rumors about Li Yunfeng later, and it might even strain the relationship between Li Yunfeng and Li Jiancheng. After all, Li Yunfeng was already married out of the Li family and had far fewer opportunities to see Li Jiancheng than Jin Furong.
Relationships built on kinship were more solid than those based on interests. In most people’s eyes, no matter how precious a favorite possession was, it couldn’t compare to a daughter. If Li Jiancheng were willing to act as a protector for Lin’s Inn solely because of Li Yunfeng’s connections, he surely wouldn’t be an exception. Even if he couldn’t resist the temptation of a higher-tier spiritual artifact and hesitated, he would likely show some signs, allowing time to prepare in advance.
If the relationship was based solely on interests, faced with greater gains, Li Jiancheng wouldn’t feel much pressure. Lin Dong wasn’t worried about official measures like sending officials to shut down the inn or raising taxes. What he feared was someone daring to do something ruthless, such as poisoning the food and drinks at Lin’s Inn.
Whether it harmed others or tarnished Lin’s Inn’s reputation, both were losses that couldn’t be repaired no matter what happened later.