Chapter 68: Everyone's Changes

The next morning, aside from Old Master Lin and the grandchildren of the third generation who rose for breakfast, no one else left their rooms. Presumably, the battle last night had been too fierce, and they were now making up for lost sleep, unable to get out of bed! At the dining table, Lin Feng watched Old Master Lin, whose complexion was rosy and spirit vibrant. Previously, his hair had been pure white, but now, upon closer inspection, one could see dark strands beginning to emerge—a sign of returning youth. If Old Master Lin’s transformation required a careful look to discern, then Old Madam Lin’s was simply too obvious: the wrinkles on her face had diminished, her spirits visibly lifted, making her seem twenty years younger.

With so few people at breakfast, neither Lin Feng nor the old master were in the mood for conversation, so everyone simply ate quickly and left the table. By lunchtime, however, the atmosphere was lively and boisterous. All the male elders wore a healthy flush, while the women started out a little bashful—last night’s events were clear to everyone, but thankfully, no one said anything outright, so gradually the aunts relaxed as well.

Only someone as thick-skinned as Lin Feng would be so unconcerned. He looked at his energetic, ruddy-faced parents and said, “Dad, Mom, you two need to take it easy at night. At your age, there’s no need to be so intense—take care of yourselves! Don’t go overboard and end up giving me a little brother or sister.”

Before Lin Feng’s parents could react, his uncle was already stunned by his outrageous remark, spraying out the porridge he’d been sipping. Liu Runli, hearing Lin Feng’s jibe, would ordinarily have marched over to twist his ear and scold him, but now she only blushed furiously, too shy to retort. Nor was she alone; the other aunts, though knowing Lin Feng wasn’t talking about them, also flushed and grew bashful.

“You rascal, this is all your fault! Do you even know your place? It’s not your turn to lecture us!” Lin Chuanzhi, Lin Feng’s father, growled at his son, who was eating lunch as if nothing had happened.

“Lin Feng’s right. You all should be more mindful, and keep your voices down at night. None of you are young anymore—remember to exercise some restraint!” Old Master Lin, for once, sided with Lin Feng, admonishing his three sons.

Lin Feng’s words could have been dismissed as teasing, but coming from the old master in such a serious tone, his mother and the two aunts blushed even harder. Lin Chuanming, seeing the old master had spoken up, couldn’t help but complain, “Dad, why are you interfering? Lin Feng was just joking around; there’s no need to take it so seriously!”

“Hmph! You think this old man is being long-winded? Fine, I’ll say a bit more. It’s all right for you to enjoy the wine among family, but to outsiders, you must keep this secret. You should know the saying, ‘a man who possesses a treasure invites trouble.’” The old master looked solemnly at everyone at the table.

“Ah! Old Master, isn’t this just hiding your head in the sand? With the miraculous aroma of the wine filling the courtyard, we can’t explain it away. Look at how much everyone here has changed, especially the women—the difference is staggering. If we keep quiet, it’ll just make us look even more suspicious, like we’re trying to cover something up!” Lin Chuanming was the first to voice his opinion.

“Yes, I agree with the eldest. We can’t keep this a secret, and the scent of the wine lingers. No one will believe us if we say we’re out,” said the second uncle, Lin Chuanyan, siding with Chuanming.

“Sigh, you both have a point, but we have to find a solution. If word gets out about this wine’s effects, who knows how many people will come clamoring for it?” Old Master Lin said, worry evident in his eyes.

“Dad, you’re right. Lin Feng, this is your wine. What do you think we should do?” Chuanming shifted the focus to Lin Feng.

Hearing Chuanming’s question, the old master’s eyes lit up; he, too, wanted to hear Lin Feng’s thoughts. Lin Feng, who hadn’t expected to be consulted, realized he couldn’t dodge responsibility. After thinking it over, he said to the expectant elders, “We do need to handle this, or we’ll be harassed daily by people begging for wine. But I don’t have any perfect solution. Just make sure your stories match when talking to outsiders. Even if people suspect your changes are due to this miraculous wine, as long as you don’t confirm it, all they’ll have are guesses, which will save everyone unnecessary trouble. If you really can’t avoid it, just blame it on me—I already have enough debts, and I don’t know anyone in the capital anyway!”

“Is it really appropriate to just keep dodging like this?” Second Uncle Lin Chuanyan asked doubtfully.

“It’s not ideal, but there really is no better way. After all, the wine can’t be mass-produced—we owe it to Lin Feng that we even have any. If we give some to one family and not another, we’ll only offend people. So let’s do as Lin Feng suggests: play Tai Chi, and if pressed, shift the blame onto him. He’s been living in Zhanhai all along and doesn’t know anyone in the capital, so there’s no risk of people showing up at his door.” The old master, ever a shrewd old hand, quickly realized that Lin Feng’s plan was the most suitable for now, and he voiced his agreement.

With the two most authoritative voices in the family in accord, the others had no choice but to go along. If anything happened, they could just push it onto Lin Feng, and the pressure would be off their shoulders.

After lunch, Chuanming and Chuanyan, both high-ranking national officials, had already taken the morning off to sleep in and couldn’t justify skipping work the rest of the day. With nothing left to hide, they decided it was better to let others see their transformations openly.

Sure enough, when they returned to their posts, the same scene that had played out during the proxy dispute happened again—a swarm of superiors and subordinates flocked to ask about their sudden, dramatic changes. Everyone wanted to know if it was because of that miraculous wine. Fortunately, they’d anticipated these questions and parried them skillfully, never giving a direct answer. After a flurry of fruitless inquiries, their colleagues could only leave, disappointed.

Yet, instead of dying down, the storm only grew more intense. In a city like the capital, with so many powerful families, no one is a fool. Among these old foxes, even the slightest chance is enough for them to pounce. Old Master Murong was the first among them to make a move. Though he hadn’t wanted to be the first crab to cross the river and risk offending others, once he heard about the changes in Chuanming and Chuanyan from his family’s second generation—and after much pleading from his son and daughter-in-law—he thickened his skin and showed up at the Lin family’s door.

That afternoon, while Old Master Lin was still resting, the butler came rushing in to report that Old Master Murong was here for a visit and already waiting in the parlor. Hearing this, Old Master Lin shook his head helplessly; what must come, must come—there was no hiding from it.

“What are you doing here, old rascal? Don’t tell me you’ve come to mooch some tea again.” Old Master Lin strode into the parlor and barked at Old Master Murong, who was sitting there enjoying his tea.

“Hmph, cut the act. You know why I’m here—it’s not the tea I’ve come for, but the wine!” Old Master Murong replied, then, with a start, he leaped up and hurried to Lin’s side, grabbing his hair and peering closely.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing, old Murong? Let go of my hair, that hurts!” Old Master Lin shook free and glared furiously at him.

“Lin, do you realize your hair is turning black again? Damn it, are you defying the heavens? At your age, how can you be growing black hair?” Old Master Murong stared at him in disbelief.

“Hmph!” Old Master Lin knew perfectly well the cause, but these were not reasons he could speak aloud.

“Enough with the act. I know you’ve had that miraculous wine. Do you really think those tricks you taught Chuanming and Chuanyan can fool anyone? They might mislead the juniors, but with all the old foxes watching, you won’t get away with it.”

“Guess all you like!” Old Master Lin refused to give a straight answer.

“Still playing dumb? With that wine aroma wafting for days and your whole family changing overnight, do you think others are idiots?”

“Enough! Why are you really here?” Old Master Lin dodged the question and changed the subject.

“I told you, I’m here for the wine. Seeing how you’ve changed, I want it even more. We’ve been friends for years—surely you wouldn’t leave me out? Just the scent these past two days has made me feel great!” Old Master Murong shamelessly pleaded.

Looking at Murong’s thick-skinned persistence, Lin was at a loss. This wretched old Murong was hard to deal with. After thinking it over, he could only use Lin Feng as a shield: “It’s no use pestering me, the wine isn’t even mine. If I could make something like that, I wouldn’t have waited this long.”