Chapter 170
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Chapter 170: Hidden Motives
Chu Jiang spoke politely while taking a seat in the prepared spot.
Originally, according to the level of familiarity between men and women, Lin Mohua should not have sat next to him.
However, after she approached and signaled, the young man who initially sat next to Chu Jiang, looking submissive, immediately stood up and gave his older sister the seat.
The woman who spoke earlier was Madam, and to her right was a woman in her mid-thirties, with a troubled expression – she was the Second Madam.
Next to her were the Third Aunt, Fourth Aunt, and Fifth Aunt, each looking younger than the other, especially Fifth Aunt.
Her clothes were fashionable, just like Lin Mohua’s qipao, but in a different color. It was a white qipao embroidered with white magnolias.
Fifth Aunt was also very beautiful, with fair and delicate skin, curved eyebrows, a small but beautiful nose, and red lipstick on her lips. Her eyes were like dancing phoenixes, enchanting and captivating.
Ever since Chu Jiang came in, her gaze had been fixed on him.
Fifth Aunt also had a great figure, she could fill out the qipao perfectly, something that Lin Mohua couldn’t match.
Most of the ladies’ attire was mostly in plain white, as if they were still in mourning. One couldn’t tell how long it had been since the master’s passing.
Next to Fifth Aunt’s right hand was an empty seat, originally reserved for Lin Mohua.
On the empty seat to the right was a somewhat mischievous-looking young girl. She was wearing a dress with a black top and a green skirt, which was a typical new-style school uniform from the Republic of China era. Her hair was tied into two braids, and she looked curiously at Chu Jiang.
This was the Second Young Lady, still studying.
To the right of the Second Young Lady was originally the seat of the Fifth Young Master, the timid and obedient boy from earlier. He looked very young and his outfit was also a student uniform, but all in black.
On the left side of Madam, sitting there is her own son and also Lin Mohua’s brother. The one who just greeted is him. This young master looks very friendly.
On the left side of the young master, there are Second Young Master, Third Young Master, and Fourth Young Master.
The Second Young Master is Lin Xingfeng, whom we’ve met before. The Third Young Master next to him looks sickly, with deep dark circles under his eyes. Additionally, he has a strong smell of cigarettes that won’t go away.
The Fourth Young Master looks around the same age as Chu Jiang. He is wearing old-fashioned robes, with a cold expression, and he is staring straight at Chu Jiang.
Chu Jiang is sitting on his left side.
As soon as the guests sat down, the young master warmly greeted Chu Jiang and introduced each person’s identity.
Chu Jiang nodded in response, and thus they both became acquainted.
Although everything seemed natural on the surface, what Chu Jiang was thinking inside was:
Are these Lin family members plotting to eat me? Do they want to consume my blood for some kind of great benefit?
No wonder Chu Jiang had some special thoughts in his heart.
After all, Lin Mohua cared about him so much that one could reluctantly say he was starting to develop a crush on her. But with the whole family of ghosts watching him, it was really pressuring for Chu Jiang.
And after seeing a real person/ghost, Chu Jiang was no longer sure if he could escape from this mansion if things got physical.
After all, all of these people were Ghost Masters, and it seemed like there was more than one ghost inside each of them. Counting himself, that was three or four ghosts total. It was like Chu Jiang was having a meal with a whole bunch of ghosts.
"Come, come, have some drinks and food, they’re just simple country dishes. Mr. Chu, please don’t look down on them," Young Master Lin Xingtian beckoned.
Of course, his words were just modesty. The dishes on the table were actually quite abundant, although they weren’t anything extravagant. There were various seafood and land delicacies, as well as some Western dishes like grilled beef and lamb chops, creamy mushroom soup, and so on.
While eating, Chu Jiang was thinking about one question: where did these high-quality ingredients in the Ghost Domain come from? Or rather, what exactly was he consuming?
Although he had this thought, Chu Jiang didn’t stop eating. After all, the true owner of the Ghost Domain was the old master, and if he wanted to kill Chu Jiang, he wouldn’t need to resort to such methods.
Seeing Chu Jiang burying his head in his food as soon as it arrived, the others couldn’t help but find it a bit dull.
Madam took the initiative to start a conversation and said, "I see that Mr. Chu is young and looks impressive. Do you currently have someone you like?"
Chu Jiang took a sip of his drink and almost spit it out when he heard this. The first thing she mentioned was blind date?
He shook his hand repeatedly and said, "I’m not considering marriage at the moment."
Madam was not discouraged and continued, "I think my daughter, Hua’er, is very compatible with you. You young people can get closer."
"Although the reputation of our Lin family is not as prestigious as your ancient lineage, it won’t bring shame to the Chu family."
Lin Mohua heard this and didn’t show any reaction. It seemed like she thought it was fine.
Fourth Young Master Lin Xingshun couldn’t help but feel displeased, "Mom, it’s their first time visiting."
Instead of getting angry, his birth mother, Third Aunt, used her eyes to signal her son not to argue with Madam.
Madam wasn’t upset either, she simply said, "You’ll be staying here regularly from now on, so let’s not worry about it for now."
Just at that moment, Second Young Master Lin Xingfeng personally poured wine for Chu Jiang. "Brother Chu, you’re too polite. The old master’s birthday is in three days, and you’ve arrived early."
"During these few days, let my talented younger brother take you around Luohe County. We have many wonderful places here, full of natural beauty and talented people."
As he spoke, he used a gaze that all men could understand to hint at Chu Jiang.
Third Young Master Lin Xingyu cleared his throat and said, "I’ll join as well. By the way, recently, Fushoutang has acquired some high-quality Fushou ointment. Brother Chu, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried this foreign thing before, if not, you can give it a try."
Upon hearing this, the eldest young master frowned, "You can enjoy those things on your own, don’t harm others."
Third Young Master smiled, "People like us, we live recklessly, not fearing even death. Why would we be afraid of any harm from Fushou ointment?"
"Big brother, I advise you, it’s better to enjoy when you have the chance. Didn’t father say the same? It’s always good to have a place to find solace, so you don’t cause trouble everywhere and tarnish the Lin family’s reputation."
As the birth mother of the second and third young masters, Second Madam only furrowed her eyebrows slightly and didn’t try to dissuade them.
Chu Jiang, upon hearing this, didn’t find it laughable, but rather, felt a sense of heaviness. The existence of the Ghost Master was sometimes a tragedy in itself.
……
Brother Chu, what does it look like outside? I have always lived in Luohe county and have always wanted to go to the capital city, but mother and aunt won’t allow it.
"Here, "mother" refers to Madam, while Second Young Lady’s biological mother is referred to as "aunt". This is reflective of the hierarchy in a feudal society."
Here, "mother" refers to Madam, while the birth mother of the second young lady is referred to as "aunt." This is an example of the hierarchical structure in feudal times where the position within a large family is reflected.