The Noble Lady's Rebirth: She just wants to Rest in Peace!-Chapter 177 - 176: Face-Slapping

Mrs. Gu Sr. comforted Sister Ning for a while, and after Sister Ning stopped crying, she finally broke into a smile.

"Alright, alright, perhaps Auntie was too stern and scared you earlier? No matter your background, in Auntie’s eyes, you’re still Auntie’s child. Recently, rumors have been rampant, and I planned to address this after your coming-of-age ceremony. But today someone has come to the mansion, and with Madam here, it’s a good opportunity to clarify things. Regardless, even if it’s proven that you’re not from Lin Mansion, it doesn’t mean anything." Mrs. Gu Sr. said this to Lin Youning, but it was also intended for Lady Lin.

The plan with Lady Lin was completely different, and she felt uneasy, squeezing a forced smile on her face, "The old madam is right, I’ve always treated Sister Ning as my own daughter, even if she was found outside."

Between the lines, she kept mentioning Lin Youning’s origins as someone who was found.

Mrs. Gu Sr. pulled Lin Youning to sit beside her on the soft couch, with a stern expression, "Madam’s words are reasonable. Since this child was found by us, then she is our child. However, since someone claimed to be Sister Ning’s biological parents today, we should inquire how they knew Sister Ning is their daughter."

After these words, without waiting for Lady Lin to speak, Mrs. Gu Sr. instructed Sumian to bring the person in.

Lady Lin nervously twisted the handkerchief in her hands. She wasn’t foolish—Mrs. Gu Sr.’s words made it clear she had never intended to replace Lin Youning with their family’s Qining. Even now, when someone has come knocking, rather than allowing Lin Youning to identify herself, there’s suspicion instead. What does this imply?

Lady Lin wasn’t clueless.

She regretted not revealing Lin Youning’s birthmark on her shoulder during the coming-of-age ceremony; it would have been a valid reason, even if Mrs. Gu Sr. doubted the other party.

But regret was useless now, as Mrs. Dong brought in an elderly woman. She appeared mean-looking and didn’t resemble Lin Youning at all.

Mrs. Gu Sr. coldly snorted, secretly thinking that Lin Mansion and Gao Mansion calculate well, treating Gu Mansion like fools. If they weren’t shown the strength of Gu Mansion today, who knows how they might plot in the future?

Mrs. Dong greeted them and sat on a chair near Mrs. Gu Sr., her gaze unconsciously scanning Lin Youning.

Of course, she hoped Lin Youning’s identity would be unraveled, so Lin Mansion’s true daughter would become a child bride.

This way, there would be less of a threat to Mrs. Dong, as the Marquis favored Sister Ning tremendously.

Once married, who knows which side the Marquis would favor?

With Sister Ning’s identity in question, Mrs. Dong unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"This woman greets the old madam." The elderly woman paid her respects to Mrs. Gu Sr.

Mrs. Gu Sr. raised an eyebrow, "A person who understands etiquette, your manners are proper. Have you worked as a servant in someone’s mansion?"

Lady Lin’s eyelids twitched.

The elderly woman calmly replied, "Years ago, I did laundry for a wealthy family. After my daughter was born, she was lost shortly after as I hung clothes outside. I’ve been searching all these years and haven’t worked since."

Lin Youning’s eyes narrowed; this matched what her brother and sister-in-law told her. But this person is obviously fake.

She spoke convincingly, but Lin Youning was sure her abduction was orchestrated by Lady Lin.

Perhaps this old woman stole the child and then sold her to Lady Lin, who then found the old woman.

But none of this made sense. Why did the old madam know Lady Lin wanted a child, especially a daughter? This theft couldn’t have been so coincidental, could it?

A poor person stealing a child only adds burden to the family, so it had to benefit them somehow.

Ultimately, it circled back to Lady Lin orchestrating the child theft.

Lin Youning no longer needed to question; knowing Lady Lin stole someone’s child for her own selfish reasons made her furious, causing the couple distress until they both passed early.

How could Lin Youning not hate such deeds?

She clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, and Mrs. Gu Sr. sensed her tension, initially thinking she was frightened, and patted her hand reassuringly.

She spoke calmly, "So that’s the case. There’s one thing I don’t understand: how do you know our mansion’s young lady is your lost daughter?"

"My daughter has a plum blossom-shaped birthmark on her shoulder," the elderly woman hurriedly replied.

Mrs. Gu Sr. smiled, "The servants around our lady all know about the plum blossom birthmark. If this were spread and used by those with malicious intent, that wouldn’t be impossible. But considering you’ve lost a daughter, you’re compassionately reminded of one more thing: our lady also has another birthmark. I won’t make it hard for you by asking where it is, just tell me if it’s red or green."

Everyone in the flower hall was stunned.

Lady Lin glanced at Mrs. Gu Sr. and felt unsure. Logically, Mrs. Gu Sr.’s action was indeed to prevent scammers, but Lin Youning having another birthmark, she didn’t recall.

Recollecting when she wanted a daughter, she had someone steal a baby girl, and she hadn’t looked closely, just sent the child to Gu Mansion.

The plum blossom shoulder birthmark had come up by a maid back then.

Now, hearing Mrs. Gu Sr.’s inquiry, Lady Lin regretted not checking thoroughly. Now, she was at a loss for words.

No need to continue watching, knowing today’s matter might not be contained.

Lady Lin realized the situation had turned against her, so she relaxed, aiding Mrs. Gu Sr. with the questioning, "If you came with false intentions to deceive, don’t blame us for being unforgiving."

The woman had been flustered since Mrs. Gu Sr. questioned her, "Old madam, I remember my daughter didn’t have any other birthmarks."

Indeed, back then, she had stolen the child, checked thoroughly, and found no other marks besides the shoulder one.

Could it be a small black spot that eventually became a birthmark?

She’d heard elders describe cases where a tiny black spot grew over the years into a larger birthmark.

If this were the case, what could she say?

The elderly woman looked anxiously at Lady Lin for help, but Lady Lin ignored her plea and threatened, "You better think carefully."