The Gloomy Bottom Everyone Despised Has Been Reborn - Chapter 2

My original name was Chun Di. My father thought it was too common and undignified, so he changed it that same day. He replaced the character “Di” (Earth) with “Di” (Flute). From then on, all the servants of the Lin family called me Young Master Chun. However, they called Lin Chongtan the Second Young Master.

The courtyard assigned to me was called Shanming Pavilion. Its name came from the poem: “The moon rises and startles the mountain birds; they sing from time to time in the spring stream.” At thirteen, I was illiterate, but I felt these three characters were written beautifully.

“Is Young Master Chun looking at the plaque? All the plaques in the manor were written by the Second Young Master,” a servant nearby said.

He was the servant assigned to me, named Liangji. Liangji was a year older than me, but he was more than a head taller and had a very sturdy, honest look.

When I heard the words on the plaque were written by Lin Chongtan, I lowered my head and entered the courtyard.

In the following days, I became incredibly busy—even busier than when I did farm work. I knew I didn’t fit in with the Lin family, so I worked as hard as I could to blend in.

Knowing I hadn’t started my education, my father hired a tutor for me. The tutor was talented but very arrogant. He often called me stupid and then immediately started talking about Lin Chongtan.

They said Lin Chongtan was a child prodigy who knew a thousand characters at age three and could write poems by five. Even though he was young, he already held the title of a scholar. If my father hadn’t felt he was too young and that entering the professional world too early would make him “too worldly,” he would likely be eligible for the imperial exams by now.

The tutor praised Lin Chongtan constantly as if he were his best student, but I knew the tutor had never actually taught him. Lin Chongtan had studied under the great scholar Master Daoqing since he was a child.

Although Liangji talked too much, he was very good at gathering information. He was the one who told me most of these things.

At first, I didn’t understand why the Lin family didn’t kick Lin Chongtan out now that their “real” son was back. After a while, I understood. Lin Chongtan was like a refined piece of jade; the Lin family had spent so much effort raising him that they wouldn’t just throw him away like trash.

“Young Master Chun!” Liangji called out loudly from outside the window. I was feeling bored from my morning studies, so I poked my head out.

“What is it?”

“The Eldest Young Master is back! He brought many gifts.” Liangji grinned at me, showing his gums.

Big Brother was back?

Big Brother (Lin Heyun) had been studying at Hanshan Academy in Jinling. He could only come home once every three months. When I first returned to the family, he took a special leave to see me, but because of his heavy workload, he had to leave in a hurry the next day.

I still had the heart of a child. Hearing he was back, I smiled happily at first, but then I nervously asked Liangji, “What should I wear?”

Liangji thought for a moment. “How about the new clothes made a few days ago?”

My mother had specially ordered those clothes for me. It was a light purple silk robe with embroidered roses. Hearing Liangji’s suggestion, I also thought it would be perfect for seeing Big Brother. I quickly changed and asked Liangji if I looked good.

“You look great!” Liangji grinned again. “I think you are even better-looking than the Second Young Master.”

His words made me feel as if I had fallen into a jar of honey. No one had ever called me handsome before, and he even said I was better-looking than Lin Chongtan. While I was happy, I doubted if he was joking, but Liangji was simple-minded and didn’t seem like the type to tease me.

Regardless, his praise gave me the courage to wear my new clothes and go ask Big Brother for a gift. Liangji told me all the brothers got gifts and that Big Brother always asked what they wanted for the next time.

I went to Big Brother’s courtyard.

As soon as I walked in, I heard the two “little troublemakers” of the house laughing, occasionally joined by Big Brother’s steady voice. I straightened my robe several times before stepping into the study.

“Big Brother,” I called out. But when I entered, I realized Lin Chongtan was also there. What surprised me even more was that Lin Chongtan was also wearing a light purple robe today.

I froze, staring at him. After a while, I noticed the fabric of my clothes was different from his. His clothes shimmered with hidden gold threads as he moved. Even though I wasn’t well-educated, I knew that the rarer something was, the more expensive it cost.

“Chun Di.”

Big Brother’s voice broke my stare. He looked like our father—tall, handsome, and very serious when he wasn’t smiling. Currently, the two little troublemakers were sitting on his laps.

Big Brother called me over and asked how I was doing and what I was reading. When he heard I was only learning the Thousand Character Classic, he looked stunned for a moment but didn’t say much. He just told a servant to give me my gift.

I took the gift and wanted to act spoiled like the younger brothers to say “thank you,” but I was clumsy with my words. I just stood there awkwardly, watching Big Brother talk to Lin Chongtan.

Even though Lin Chongtan and I were the same age, I couldn’t understand a single thing they were talking about. Occasionally, when I did understand a sentence and wanted to join in, Big Brother would say, “Chun Di, why don’t you take Xiaojing and Shengsheng out to play?”

Xiaojing and Shengsheng were the twins, Lin Yuejing and Lin Yunsheng.

The twins started complaining when they heard they had to play with me, but under Big Brother’s firm look, they let me lead them out. However, as soon as we were out of sight, they shook off my hands. Their eyes were full of dislike.

Children can be very cruel. “You bumpkin! Who allowed you to touch our hands? Who knows if you have some dirty disease?”

I quickly defended myself. “I don’t have a disease!”

“If you aren’t sick, why are you so dark? Even the darkest person in the manor isn’t as dark as you. Do you even bathe?”

“And wearing the same color as Second Brother today—how ridiculous. Don’t think just because Father brought you back that you can be our brother. We don’t have such an ugly brother. Don’t touch us again.”

The twins took turns insulting me until I felt utterly humiliated. I wanted to leave, but they blocked my path. “Hand over the gift Big Brother gave you. That’s not something you should have.”

I shouldn’t have it? Then who should?

The twins snatched the gift away before I could even open it. Back at Shanming Pavilion, I sat by the window crying silently. Suddenly, I heard a voice.

“Little Di.”

Why was it Lin Chongtan again? Why did he always see me when I was crying?

I hurriedly wiped my tears. I had already changed back into my everyday clothes, but Lin Chongtan was still wearing that light purple robe. The warm sunlight hit him, making his hair look like it had a soft glow.

He handed something through the window.

“Xiaojing and Shengsheng were just being naughty. Don’t be angry with them. I got Big Brother’s gift back for you.”

I looked down at the box and slowly took it.

The gift was a colorful lantern from Jinling. I had Liangji hang it by my window. At night, the lantern lit up with a beautiful glow. I liked it so much that I often leaned on the table to look up at it. But the more I looked, the more I realized something was wrong.

By this time, I knew a few characters. I took the lantern down and looked closely inside. On the wick post, a line of words was carved: “To my second younger brother, Tansheng.”

The next day, I took the lantern to Lin Chongtan’s courtyard, Sanhui Hall. It was the furthest place from my pavilion, and it was my first time visiting him.

When I arrived, Lin Chongtan was taking medicine. Liangji said Lin Chongtan had been weak and sickly since childhood, so he always took medicine. But I didn’t think so. He was the same age as me but much taller, he didn’t look sickly at all.

His servant led me to him, and I slammed the lantern on the table. “This was a gift from Big Brother to you. Why did you give it to me?”

Lin Chongtan held a dark medicine pill in his pale palm. Hearing me, he looked up and apologized calmly, “Xiaojing and Shengsheng really liked your gift, so I gave you mine instead. Little Di, I apologize. Please don’t be angry.”

I bit my lip, feeling like I was being played, but I was too slow-witted to know how to respond. Seeing me standing there like a fool, he reached out and pulled me to sit next to him. “The kitchen is sending over lotus seed soup soon. Want some?”

“I… I’m not eating.” I didn’t want to be close to him.

Lin Chongtan hummed softly and asked kindly, “Then what do you want to eat?”

My eyes shifted to the pill in his hand. I thought it wasn’t medicine for a sickness, but medicine to make someone beautiful. How else could he be so pretty?

Noticing my gaze, he said with surprise, “You want to eat this?”

I bit my lip again and nodded. “Yes.”

Lin Chongtan’s medicine was incredibly bitter. I had never tasted anything so awful. I immediately spat it out. His servant gasped, but I didn’t notice the servant’s strange expression. I just grabbed a teacup nearby and drank all the water inside.

Only after drinking did I realize that was the cup Lin Chongtan had just used.

I wanted to spit the water out, but it was too late. I glared at him with a sour face, but he just looked back at me innocently.

I was fuming but had nowhere to vent, so I just sat there unhappily. Just then, the kitchen staff brought the lotus seed soup. While Lin Chongtan was talking to them, I secretly reached out and wiped my dirty hands on his clothes.

After a few wipes, my hand was caught.

Lin Chongtan was still talking to the staff, but his hand was firmly holding mine. He was taller than me, and his hand was much larger too. How strange.

Once the staff left, he let go. “Eat some soup.”

I hid my hands behind my back and muttered, “I’m not eating,” before running away.