coobybook Chapter 1359: Brother Lang is quite busy too.
Chapter 1359: Brother Lang is quite busy too.
Bai Suzhen replied with a smile:
"You're overthinking it, Xiaoqing. These modern-dressed passersby simply noticed that we were wearing traditional Hanfu dresses with cross-collars, and that the skirts flowed like clouds and water as we walked, exuding a gentle and ethereal beauty. They just thought it was pleasing to the eye."
Xiaoqing smiled sweetly, secretly delighted:
"Sister, you've integrated modern knowledge and used it really well. You've even learned the word 'pleasing to the eye'."
Bai Suzhen smiled and replied, "We have to thank Young Master Lin for using memory transfer and implantation to make us instantly understand modern society, as if we had traveled from ancient times to the present."
Xiaoqing chimed in, "Yes, now we have a comprehensive and systematic understanding of this new world, and modern Shanghai feels really fun!"
Lin Lang stared at the shared screen of the two domains, a smile just beginning to appear on his lips.
Just as he was finding the snake demon sisters rather cute and interesting, Bai Suzhen paused in her ice cream-scooping motion in Xiaoqing's video frame.
Her fingers tightened slightly as she held the small spoon, and a look of obvious surprise crossed her usually gentle eyes.
In Bai Suzhen's video frame, Xiaoqing's mouth was wide open in an exaggerated way, with a half-eaten strawberry ice cream cone hanging at her lips, as if she had seen something incredible.
The next second, their gazes were simultaneously fixed on the sidewalk diagonally in front of them.
Several stylish modern women were walking side by side. Some wore tight miniskirts, black stockings that covered their slender calves, and high heels that made a crisp sound as they clicked on the ground.
Some wore super short hot pants, their fair thighs dazzling in the sunlight, and the backless dresses with ties drew a beautiful arc on their backs, while the strapless design revealed their shoulder and neck lines.
A gentle breeze blew by, causing the hem of her skirt and the hem of her dress to flutter, revealing more skin and occasionally attracting the attention of passersby.
"Oh my god! Sister, look!"
Xiaoqing's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief and panic. She subconsciously shrank closer to Bai Suzhen, pointing at the women with an exaggerated and urgent tone.
"Why are they going out dressed so scantily?"
That's so shameless!
Her arms and legs were completely exposed, and her back was bare; hadn't all of that been seen by those men?
Xiaoqing's almond-shaped eyes widened, her cheeks flushing slightly with shame and indignation.
Bai Suzhen's brows furrowed, and her gentle smile vanished completely, replaced by a clear look of disgust and discomfort.
She subconsciously pulled the collar of her cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) tighter, gently covering her exposed wrists. Her delicate fingers unconsciously stirred the small spoon in her ice cream cup, her tone tinged with heartache:
"Yes, the world has gone to the dogs; it has become so open-minded."
Xiaoqing forgot to swallow the ice cream in her mouth and mumbled indistinctly:
"The fairies of the immortal mountains wear flowing, wide-sleeved gowns, and the ladies of noble families in the mortal world all wear simple ruqun (traditional Chinese dresses) to cover their bodies. How can modern women dress so revealingly? It's simply indecent!"
Bai Suzhen's gaze swept over the modern girls dressed in revealing outfits, her eyes filled with an incomprehensible struggle:
"Although Young Master Lin has imparted modern knowledge to me and I know that this is the norm here, such revealing clothing is still not dignified."
A woman should be respectful and self-disciplined; to do so with such exposed chest and back would only invite contempt from others.
Xiaoqing nodded vigorously, finally remembering the ice cream she'd licked off her lips, but she was still indignant:
"That's right!"
"Sister, look at that girl in hot pants! The legs are so short they're almost up to her thighs! If that were ancient times, people would gossip about her and break her back!"
She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her voice filled with incomprehension:
“We get stared at by passersby when we wear ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), but if they dress like this, won’t they be exposed to men? These mortal women don’t care about their reputation at all!”
Bai Suzhen sighed softly, put a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, and the slightly cool sweetness couldn't suppress the discomfort in her heart:
"Perhaps times have changed, and so have ideas."
It's just that we were born in a conservative ancient era, and from childhood we learned traditional etiquette and rules, which is why we can't stand modern girls dressing so scantily.
"Xiaoqing, let's just go our own way and not discuss this further."
"Mm." Xiaoqing nodded.
She continued eating her strawberry ice cream cone, but couldn't help glancing a few more times at the modern girls in stockings and short skirts, muttering to herself:
"Sister, our cross-collar Hanfu ruqun is still the prettiest. It's so elegant and ethereal, unlike those self-deprecating people. It's so embarrassing!"
Bai Suzhen sighed with heartache, "Alas, the decline of Hanfu culture is truly a pity."
Xiaoqing pouted and complained, "Yeah, everything about the Xia Dynasty is great, and there are lots of new things, but the clothes are ugly."
Bai Suzhen also said in bewilderment: "Even if it is for the sake of simplicity, comfort and the pursuit of diverse clothing aesthetics, the clothing of modern people is still far from the aesthetics of our ancient ancestors."
Lin Lang looked at their disgusted yet helpless expressions on the system screen and couldn't help but chuckle.
It seems that even with the help of modern knowledge, the traditional beliefs ingrained in these two snake spirits who traveled from ancient times cannot be changed overnight.
In the bedroom bathroom, the sound of the showerhead was still gurgling; Zhao Liying was taking a shower.
Just then, Lin Lang's phone vibrated.
The caller ID showed Mu Xueman.
Lin Lang walked out of the bedroom, went to the living room, answered the phone, and said gently, "Hello, Xueman!"
Mu Xueman's anxious voice came through the receiver: "It's bad, honey! You need to go back to the Lin family villa right away. People have come and are causing trouble."
Upon hearing this, Lin Lang frowned slightly and said, "What's wrong? Who's so bold as to cause trouble at the Lin residence?"
Unexpectedly, Mu Xueman said angrily:
"It was Wang Biao, Nianlin's stepfather and Nianlin's mother's second husband. He heard that Nianlin had returned to the Lin family to acknowledge her ancestors and, on the grounds that he had the right to raise her as her stepfather, came to the Lin residence to cause trouble."
"Wang Biao said that Nianlin's household registration was at his house. He said that either he would pay 30 million to buy out the custody and have nothing to do with Nianlin from then on, or he would take Nianlin back if the Lin family did not pay him."
Upon hearing this, Lin Lang was so angry that his teeth itched, and he said indignantly:
"That bastard kicked Nianlin out of the house when there was nothing to gain, and now that there's something to be gained, he remembers he's Nianlin's stepfather and guardian, and is trying to extort money using custody rights?!"
"Damn it, I'm going back right now to deal with this Wang Biao."
After angrily hanging up the call, Lin Lang tightened his grip on the phone. With a thought, he "whooshed" back to the first-floor hall of the Lin family villa.
The faint sounds of Wang Biao shouting could be heard outside the villa's gate and courtyard.
Although Wang Biao was stopped at the gate by four female bodyguards from the Lin family mansion who were retired special forces soldiers, he still shouted and yelled, threatening to hand over Chen Nianlin if he didn't pay up.
Otherwise, he would call the police as the guardian and forcibly take the person away.
Chen Nianlin was standing inside the living room of the Lin family villa. The 16-year-old girl was slender, with red eyes, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, and tears falling like broken pearls.
She was so frightened and aggrieved that she cried, fearing that her wicked stepfather would really take her back to live with him.
Only three of Lin Lang's pregnant concubines, Mu Xueman, Yang Mi, and Wang Xinling, stood beside Chen Nianlin, comforting her.
The rest of the concubines and children in the Lin family mansion had all been taken by Chu Yiren and her mother-in-law Shen Cuiping to the Tang Dynasty the night before to watch the fireworks display, and had not yet returned to the modern Lin family mansion.
To put it bluntly, in the huge Lin residence now, only three pregnant concubines are in charge.
If Zhao Lanshan, the daughter of a gangster, were in the Lin residence, Wang Biao, who dares to shout outside the gate, would have been beaten black and blue long ago, unrecognizable even to his own mother.
Chen Nianlin choked back tears and cried, "Sister-in-law Xueman, I don't want to go back with my stepfather. He's not good to me... Waaah..."
Mu Xueman quickly stepped forward and gently patted Chen Nianlin's back to comfort her:
"Nianlin, don't cry. Your brother is on his way back right after hanging up the phone. He'll be back soon. Don't be afraid, your brother and sister-in-law are here with you."
Chen Nianlin's voice was thick with nasal tone, filled with fear and helplessness, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably: "When my mother was alive, my stepfather would often yell at and scold me..."
"Now that my mother has passed away, he's even less likely to treat me well," *sob*
"He just wants to take me back and control me so he can continue to extort money from my brother and the Lin family!"
Yang Mi, supporting her pregnant belly, stood by and gently comforted her, "Don't cry, Nianlin. Your stepfather just wants to take advantage of your misfortune. Everyone can see through his intentions."
"When your brother comes back, he'll definitely stand up for you. He can't do anything to you. Your brother won't let him get away with it. Don't be afraid!"
"Yes." Chen Nianlin nodded through her tears, her eyes filled with fear but not with apprehension.
Wang Xinling, also pregnant, held several tissues in her hand and gently wiped away Chen Nianlin's tears, comforting her, "Don't cry, Nianlin, your brother would never let you be taken away by this wicked stepfather."
Mu Xueman chimed in, "Yes, you're now the Lin family's adopted daughter. With the Lin family protecting you, no one can bully you anymore."
With tears in her eyes, Chen Nianlin looked at her three sisters-in-law's concerned gazes and felt the warmth and determination in their words. Her fear and anxiety subsided a little, replaced by a deep sense of gratitude.
But the feelings of grievance and fear still surged within her, and she continued to shed pitiful tears, though her sobs gradually subsided. She nodded, choking back tears, and loosened her grip on her clothes.
She knew that she finally had a powerful backer this time.
The shouting outside the courtyard continued, and Wang Biao's foul language drifted in through the crack in the door, making the scene of three pregnant mothers protecting the girl in the living room all the more heartwarming.
Lin Lang was already standing prominently in the center of the living room of the Lin family villa.
The chill emanating from him was almost freezing, and his eyes were blazing with terrifying rage, clearly indicating that he had heard everything that was happening outside.
"Don't cry, Nianlin, your brother is back to protect you."
Hearing the sound, Chen Nianlin turned around, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Lin Lang who was walking quickly towards her. She cried pitifully and threw herself into Lin Lang's arms, sobbing as she said:
“Brother, I don’t want to be taken away by my bad stepfather. I can’t bear to leave you and my sisters-in-law.”
"I'll miss my adorable little nephews and nieces even more, sob sob..."
Chen Nianlin hugged Lin Lang tightly, her body trembling slightly in his arms, her voice thick with reluctance.
Lin Lang felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer. He hugged his sister back with heartache and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Nianlin. With your brother here, you don't have to be afraid at any time."
Lin Lang's voice wasn't loud, but his two simple sentences gave Chen Nianlin a great sense of security.