The Lin Nian who was once regarded as the apple of everyone's eye in the Marquis Mansion, the Lin Nian who was doted on and protected by all of them, the Lin Nian who once loved them just as deeply and valued them more than her own life!
They had killed her with their own hands.
That small, white tooth dropped to the ground, rolled twice, and fell into the flower bed nearby.
Qiao Nian stared straight at Lady Lin with her piercing eyes, as if telling her that this was Lin Nian's possession, not hers.
And Lin Nian had long since passed away.
At this moment, Lady Lin was rendered speechless.
She even forgot to cry.
She stared at Qiao Nian, and the emotions flickering in her eyes gradually crumbled, finally shattering into pieces.
Qiao Nian's eyes, on the other hand, seemed calm from beginning to end. It was a calmness that seemed almost inhuman.
Lin Ye even thought that if Qiao Nian could have a proper argument with him, shouting out all the pent - up grievances and all the messy issues entangling her and this family, it would actually be a good thing.
At least, it would be better than the current situation.
Right now, she seemed to not care about anyone in this family at all.
Oh, no, that wasn't entirely true. There was someone she cared about.
Qiao Nian retracted her gaze from Lady Lin and turned to look at Lin Ye. "Young Marquis, you should know that Grandmother is in poor health. Although this place is far from her residence, if this continues, there's no guarantee that she won't find out. So..."
As she spoke, Qiao Nian casually swept a glance at the mother - son trio. "Aren't you leaving yet?"
Her tone and attitude were really discomforting, but Lin Ye knew that what Qiao Nian said was the truth.
If Grandmother fell ill again because of their affairs, he, as a grandson, would probably bear the blame for the rest of his life!
Immediately, he was about to pull Lady Lin away. Unexpectedly, Lady Lin, who had been crying just moments ago, seemed like a completely different person now.
Her eyes were fixed on the tips of Qiao Nian's feet, and her face was unusually calm. "Since you're worried about your grandmother's health, you should know even better what would happen if your elder brother's matter is made public."
Perhaps because Lady Lin was so calm at this moment, and her tone was so unlike her usual self, Lin Ye couldn't help but call out softly, "Mother!"
Even Lin Yuan looked at Lady Lin with a puzzled expression, not understanding what had happened in just this short moment.
Then Lady Lin continued, "Your elder brother is the only male heir of the Marquis Mansion. If something happens to him, the entire Marquis Mansion will be finished. What would your grandmother think then? Can her health withstand such bad news? Will she still love you? Think about it carefully!"
Although Qiao Nian was also surprised by Lady Lin's behavior at this moment, she wasn't as astonished as Lin Yuan and Lin Ye.
After a slight moment of daze, she let out a mocking laugh. "So, was this whole act by Lady Lin just to say these words?"
"Regardless of what you think, when it comes to the survival of the Marquis Mansion, I will never allow you to act recklessly!"
Lady Lin's tone was firm, but her body was trembling slightly.
Qiao Nian didn't notice this, but Lin Yuan, who was holding Lady Lin's arm, felt it. She softly called out, "Mother..."
Lin Yuan's voice was soft and delicate, quite different from Qiao Nian's current voice. But at first hearing, it was somewhat similar to Qiao Nian's voice when she was thirteen or fourteen.
For a moment, Lady Lin thought it was Qiao Nian calling her.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked up at Qiao Nian, only to see the latter staring at her with eyes full of mockery.
"So, does Lady Lin have anything else to say?" Qiao Nian asked.
Only then did Lady Lin realize that it wasn't Qiao Nian who had called her.
Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed deeply by a sharp blade. She took a deep breath before she could speak. "This is your grandmother's courtyard. Staying here will more or less disturb her. Since you're already awake, you should hurry back to your own courtyard."
Qiao Nian was well aware that the purpose of Lady Lin's act today was to say those words just now.
In fact, she had also thought it through. Even for the sake of Grandmother, she couldn't drag Lin Ye down. She couldn't let Grandmother watch as her beloved granddaughter sent the only male heir of the Marquis Mansion to his doom, nor could she let Grandmother witness the decline of the Marquis Mansion.
However, hearing these words from Lady Lin still made her heart ache unbearably.
Even though she had already given up on Lady Lin and this Marquis Mansion.
She lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the suffocating pain in her heart.
When she raised her eyes again, she still wore that mocking expression. "For Grandmother's sake, I can let this go, but the Lin family should give me an account for what has happened these days."
Hearing this, Lady Lin nodded slightly. "You're right. We should give you an account. Ye'er, go and kneel in the ancestral hall. Don't get up without my permission!"
Lin Ye knew he was in the wrong, and with Lady Lin in this unusual state, he didn't dare to disobey. He obediently replied, "Yes!"
Qiao Nian watched the scene with a cold and detached gaze.
After two or three breaths of silence, Lady Lin spoke again. "Yuan'er, you go too!"
"Mother!" Lin Ye exclaimed in surprise.
He didn't understand why Mother wanted to punish Lin Yuan. It was he who had done something wrong!
But Lady Lin said, "If it weren't for Yuan'er's presumptuous act of coming to your grandmother's place to tattle, your grandmother wouldn't have fallen ill. Fortunately, nothing serious happened today. If she had been angered to death, you and Yuan'er would not be able to atone for your sins even if you died!"
These words left Lin Ye with no strength to refute.
Lin Yuan started crying again. She sniffed and took two steps back. "Yes, Yuan'er is at fault. I'll go to the ancestral hall to plead for forgiveness from our ancestors right away!"
With that, Lin Yuan rushed away.
"Young Lady!" Xiaocui exclaimed and immediately chased after her.
Worried about Lin Yuan, Lin Ye also hurried after them.
The servant behind him, holding an umbrella, looked at Lady Lin and then at Lin Ye. Finally, he decided to stay and hold the umbrella for Lady Lin.
Qiao Nian glanced at the hesitant servant. For some reason, she felt a mix of amusement and bitterness in her heart.
It seemed that in Lin Ye's heart, Lin Yuan's importance had even surpassed that of Lady Lin.
She didn't understand what kind of magic Lin Yuan possessed!
The smile on her lips was bitter.
Lady Lin stared at her intently, but still felt as if she couldn't see her clearly.
Just then, Ningshuang, who had changed her clothes, returned.
Seeing this, Qiao Nian curtsied to Lady Lin and then turned to leave.
In the large courtyard, only Lady Lin and the servant holding the umbrella were left.
Seeing Lady Lin still staring blankly at Qiao Nian's retreating figure, the servant couldn't help but say, "Madam, you're soaked. You'd better go back quickly!"
Unexpectedly, Lady Lin suddenly came to her senses and then rushed towards the flower bed nearby.
The servant was startled and quickly followed. He watched as Lady Lin, ignoring the mud on her hands, rummaged through the flower bed.
Just as he was about to ask, he saw Lady Lin pick up a small, white object from the mud.
He recognized it as the thing that the Eldest Young Lady had thrown away earlier.Can you summarize the main idea of this text?What is the significance of the dropped tooth in the story?How does Qiao Nian's reaction affect the plot?