Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1905 Five Finger Mountain

"You rushed back?" Mrs. Lin asked calmly, picking up the serving chopsticks and placing a piece of stir-fried asparagus on her plate. "You're covered in sweat, aren't you afraid of catching a cold? Don't rush like this next time. If you miss a meal, you miss it. Rules are rules, but people are flexible."

"I know, Mom!" Dou Congtong felt relieved, quickly sat down, picked up her bowl and shoveled down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, saying indistinctly, "I was just afraid you'd be getting impatient."

"Is the Gao Ying competition over?" Madam Lin picked up her chopsticks, as if chatting casually.

Dou Congtong paused almost imperceptibly in her chopsticks, then quickly regained her composure: "Yeah, it just ended. Today was the last day... Yeah, it was quite lively, but it ended a bit late."

"How did the results go for Tiandou Academy this time? Not very good?" Madam Lin asked casually, and added a small piece of steamed sea bass to her plate.

Dou Congtong paused in her eating, nearly choking on the fish.

She quickly took a sip of soup to wash it down, and tried to remain calm, saying, "It's...it's alright. Anyway...it's a competition, there are winners and losers, that's normal."

She dared not look into her mother's eyes, but instead buried her head and stared intently at the grains of rice in the bowl, as if she could count them.

"Oh?" Madam Lin's expression was calm. "I heard from Madam Zhou next door today that she doesn't seem to have much faith in Tiandou Academy? Especially since the renowned 'Three Heroes of Tiandou' are all injured?"

Dou Congtong's heart skipped a beat, and she cursed Madam Zhou for being so talkative.

She tried to downplay the situation: "Well, this time... Yuehua Academy won! Those guys... they did their best, but the opponents were too strong. That swordsman from Yuehua Academy, I heard he's some kind of once-in-a-century genius..."

"You did your best? A once-in-a-century genius?" Madam Lin gently put down her chopsticks, looking at her daughter. "I heard you talking excitedly a few days ago about how Yan Zaiyang and Xiao Qing are incredibly talented (and made money)..."

Dou Congtong breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her mother's interest, she quickly continued, "Yes, yes, that Captain Yuehua, named Chen Yanwu, from the Chen family of the Seven Kill Swords, her swordsmanship is superb. She took them down one by one with a single strike. Her swordsmanship is both sharp and beautiful. Her name is very poetic, Jinse Jishi... oh, something like Nianhua, Mengdie, Dixin..."

Madam Lin's eyelashes fluttered slightly, then she looked up and said, "It seems that Tiandou Academy is having a bit of bad luck."

Dou Congtong forced a smile and replied, "Who says otherwise? Last time, Chang'an Academy lost to Fasino, and this time they lost to Yuehua Academy. Both were from the Chen family. The number one family in the world truly lives up to its reputation..."

She couldn't continue speaking because Madam Lin was looking at her with a half-smile.

"Mother, please don't look at me like that..."

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences." Madam Lin remained calm, her expression revealing neither joy nor anger. "But you, looking so gloomy, and coming all the way back like this, are you sulking over something so trivial?"

She changed the subject, hinting, "Or... is there some other 'loss' affecting your mood besides anger?"

Dou Congtong's heart skipped a beat; she knew her mother was testing her.

She immediately put on a slightly reproachful expression: "Mother! What are you thinking? I look bad because those people with prestigious titles let me down at the crucial moment, making me look forward to nothing. I didn't even bother to watch the closing ceremony before coming back."

Then, she simply complained, half-jokingly: "I just... I just feel so frustrated! Besides,"

"I recently took a fancy to a new set of soul guide jewelry from 'Linglong Pavilion', but I don't have any spare money for anything else."

Madam Lin looked at her and didn't ask any more questions, but her knowing gaze made Dou Congtong feel like she had been seen through.

For a moment, only the faint clatter of bowls and chopsticks could be heard in the hall.

Just then, Aunt Fang walked in quietly, carrying an ebony tray with a blue booklet and a bulging brocade bag on it. "Madam, these are the accounts for the household and shops this month. Please take a look. Also," she placed the tray on the small table beside Madam Lin, "Miss's allowance for next month has been brought as you instructed."

Dou Congtong's gaze was instantly swept over the brocade pouch before quickly looking away, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

She lowered her head and took a sip of soup, leaning slightly forward.

Madam Lin did not immediately look through the account books, but instead picked up the brocade bag and weighed it in her hand, making a crisp clinking sound of gold soul coins.

She didn't open it. Instead, she looked up at her daughter, who was trying to remain calm, and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Tong'er, you just said... you were looking at the jewelry in Linglong Pavilion?"

Madam Lin placed the brocade pouch on the table and tapped it lightly with her fingertip. "That's perfect. I'd also like to see how you plan to use next month's allowance, and whether the arrangement is reasonable. Tell me about it?"

……

At that moment, Wu Mingde's steady footsteps sounded outside the door, and he gently knocked on the door frame.

He walked in and said in a deep voice, "Madam, there is a visitor outside."

Dou Congtong quickly took the opportunity to lower his head.

Madam Lin paused, looked up at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Who? Which family is it nearby?"

Wu Mingde lowered his head and replied, "Never seen them before, they're unfamiliar faces, a group of teenagers."

"Teenagers? A group of them?" Madam Lin's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Yes, he looked like a scion of a prominent family, dressed and with an extraordinary air. He was accompanied by an old man who looked like a master, and a man in his forties who looked like he was driving a carriage. He was also quite skilled; it was he who knocked on the door," Wu Mingde described in detail.

Madam Lin paused, put down her chopsticks, and said, "Our Dou family has never had deep dealings with outsiders. We just have ordinary visits with our neighbors. How could some unknown scion of a prominent family suddenly come to visit us?"

Her scrutinizing gaze slowly fell upon Dou Congtong, who was burying his head in his rice and trying his best to make himself inconspicuous.

Dou Congtong felt her mother's gaze and quickly looked up, still with food in her mouth, and mumbled an explanation: "Mom, why are you looking at me! I didn't cause any trouble, and I didn't make any new friends!"

She tried to open her lake-blue eyes wide, attempting to appear innocent.

Madam Lin ignored her and turned to Wu Mingde, asking, "Do you know which family it is?"

"I don't know. They didn't inform our family." Wu Mingde shook his head. "But... they brought quite a few gifts, which looked rather valuable."

Madam Lin remained silent for a moment, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the table, her calm expression concealing deep thought.

Wu Mingde asked respectfully, "Madam, what should we do? Should I refuse their invitation?"

She sighed softly and made a decision: "Old Wu, these scions of prominent families... their intentions are unclear, and they might cause trouble. We are a small family, so it's best not to provoke them easily. Let's be tactful and ask them to go back."

Wu Mingde bowed and accepted the order, then turned and strode quickly toward the front yard.

(End of this chapter)