My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot

Chapter 278 - 270: Our Dad Was Paralyzed in Bed for 20 Years?

A woman’s voice, thick with an accent, came from outside.

Sylvia Linton and Mrs. Linton froze, a flicker of alarm in their eyes.

’Are they trying a new trick?’

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—"

"Anyone home?" The sound of someone knocking on the door came from outside again.

Sylvia mustered her courage and answered, "What do you want?"

Stephen Lowell had gone to the police station to give a statement today, leaving only the old, young, sick, and weak at home.

"We’re from Linton Village. We saw the ad you posted. Are you hiring?"

Sylvia paused. The Lowell Family was being kicked while they were down. Their disciples had either fled or scattered, and their move had been incredibly rushed.

In the past, the Lowell Family hadn’t liked to hire outside help; their attendants were all disciples from within the family. But now, most of their elite disciples had been crippled by Sunstone, and the Outer Disciples had all run off.

All that remained of the great Lowell Family’s Core Lineage were the masters and a dozen or so disciples who still had a conscience.

But with so many people injured, those dozen or so disciples couldn’t possibly care for everyone. So after moving, they had posted numerous hiring ads in the nearby villages.

Many people had applied at first, but the collateral branches had scared them all away.

Even tripling their wages couldn’t convince anyone to stay. Everyone treated their family like the plague.

A flicker of joy crossed Mrs. Linton’s face. She was about to get up when Sylvia grabbed her arm.

"Mom, what if it’s them?"

Sylvia’s eyes were full of suspicion. She told her mother to grab the kitchen knife while she cautiously peeked through the peephole.

A man and a woman stood outside, dressed very plainly.

The man was tall, wearing a woven hat. His skin was sallow, but his eyes were clear, and he didn’t quite have the air of a country person.

The girl had her hair in two braids and her skin was just as sallow. She had a lot of freckles on her face. Her clothes were a bit shabbier than the man’s, and she was carrying a large cloth bundle on her back, suggesting her family favored sons over daughters.

Sylvia scanned the area outside again. Seeing no one else, she carefully opened the door and let them in.

"Quick, come in..."

From opening the door to locking it again, she acted as if she were completing some arduous task, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.

The pretty, demure girl shyly pulled a crumpled white paper from her pocket. "Are you folks hiring?"

Mrs. Linton let out a sigh of relief and put down the kitchen knife she’d been hiding behind her back.

"Yes, we are. Short-term work is 200 a day, long-term is 300. What can you two do?"

The girl’s eyes seemed to light up. She glanced at the man beside her and said happily, "Brother, we came to the right place."

The man made a gesture with his hands, and the girl nodded repeatedly.

Sylvia’s brow furrowed slightly.

’He’s mute?’

"Can he not speak?"

The girl stiffened, her voice a little tense. "My brother ate rat poison thinking it was candy when he was little. It ruined his voice. But he can hear, and he’s a hard worker. We walked for over fifteen miles to get here..."

The man beside her seemed to go rigid for a moment.

Mrs. Linton had come from the countryside herself, and a look of empathy filled her eyes. The clothes the girl and man were wearing made it clear they’d come from the mountains.

"Sylvia, they seem fine to me. Why don’t we..."

"What kind of work have you done?" Sylvia was still very guarded, her voice turning stern.

During her years in Kingsford, she had seen too many of the tricks played by the Great Families.

’It’s not impossible that they’re spies sent by the Lowell Family’s collateral branches.’

The girl eagerly replied, "Laundry, cooking, raising chickens, feeding dogs... I’ve also catered banquets before, 300 a table..."

Mrs. Linton nodded repeatedly, her eyes showing her approval.

Sylvia’s wariness eased a little, but she kept a straight face. "And him?"

"My brother went to school in the village. He’s smart and good with numbers..."

Sylvia glanced at the man’s hands. One look and she could tell they had never done manual labor.

"You can stay, but not him. We need people to take care of the sick and elderly."

The girl heard this and seemed to grow anxious. "My brother can take care of people too! My dad’s been paralyzed in bed for twenty years, and my brother was the one who took care of him. He came because he saw your ad mentioned caring for the elderly..."

The man’s body seemed to tremble again.

Sylvia sized up the man and woman again, her suspicion renewed.

’The girl probably is a hard worker, but the man doesn’t look it.’

"Fine. Cook a meal first. I want to see what you can do."

The girl immediately set her bundle down on the floor.

She squatted down and untied it. Inside was a large iron wok, a spatula, knives, and various packets of seasoning.

Mrs. Linton’s eyes lit up. This girl had definitely catered banquets before.

"What are the family’s preferences? Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, plain..."

"Something on the lighter side."

The girl quickly picked out a few seasoning packets and got ready to cook.

Sylvia glanced over and stopped her. "We have everything in the kitchen. Just go and cook."

***

An hour later, five dishes, one soup, and a pot of steamed rice were ready.

The sight, smell, and taste were all perfect, making Mrs. Linton beam with delight.

"Sylvia, this food is wonderful! Your father will definitely love it..."

Just as she was speaking, another round of knocking came from the door.

This time, the sound was familiar—vicious and accompanied by angry curses. "Stephen Lowell, you get your ass out here—"

Sylvia flinched, and Mrs. Linton was so frightened she started trembling all over.

"Stephen Lowell, stop playing dead! Hand over Master Lowell’s things, or I’ll chop up your old man and lady..."

The ones shouting were local thugs and riffraff, hired by the collateral branches to cause trouble.

The collateral branches were doing this to torment Stephen Lowell’s family and force them to hand over the Lowell Family’s Ancient Martial Inheritance.

The knocking gradually turned into kicking, mixed with the sound of a knife being sharpened.

The "SCRAPE, SCRAPE, SCRAPE" was terrifying.

Luckily, they had replaced the door with a sturdy security door, which was why it hadn’t been broken down yet.

"Who are those people outside?" The girl seemed frightened and was pulled into the man’s embrace.

Sylvia shot them a wary glance, once again grabbing the kitchen knife for protection. "Mom, call the police—"

Meanwhile, several teenage boys also ran out of the main house, carrying practice blades. They looked ready for a fight.

When Sylvia saw them, she forgot about being on guard and rushed out to stop them in a panic. "Get back inside! The Family Head will be back soon."

"Ma’am, we can’t take this anymore. The collateral branches are going too far!"

"Exactly! If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll just keep thinking our Core Lineage is a pushover."

"You are still not to go! It’s the Family Head’s order. No one is to leave the house."

The curses from outside grew viler. Mrs. Linton clutched her chest, trembling as she sat at the table.

In the courtyard, the boys’ eyes were red as they clenched their fists tightly.

The troublemakers only ran off when Stephen Lowell and Mr. Linton returned with some people.

Sylvia went to greet them, her face full of grievance.

Stephen Lowell hugged her, his heart aching. He patted her back. "You’ve suffered."

With Stephen Lowell’s return, the residence seemed to have found its backbone and finally settled down.

***

It was a long time before anyone remembered the girl and the man in the kitchen.

Seeing that they had stayed quietly in the kitchen, Sylvia let her guard down. In fact, she now wanted them to stay and help.

"Things have been a little chaotic at home recently, but it’ll pass soon. Come with me, I’ll show you your room..."

The girl was about to follow, but the man grabbed her arm and pulled her two steps aside.

Sylvia’s heart skipped a beat.

The man gestured to the girl for a long time, seemingly trying to persuade her not to work there. The girl hesitated. "But brother, the pay is good here..."

The man continued to gesture, his movements more urgent than before. The girl turned to Sylvia and said, "My brother is worried it’s dangerous to work here."

"Those are just local hooligans. We’ve already called the police. They’ll be arrested soon, so you won’t be in any danger..."

"But..."

"How about 300 a day? You’re a good cook, and my family is short on help..."

After that commotion just now, another one of the caregivers wanted to quit. If that person left, there would be no one left to look after the old master.

Sylvia genuinely wanted to keep them. They looked like they had just come from the mountains—simple-minded and only wanting to earn money.

The girl was tempted. She tugged on the man’s hand as if wheedling him. "Brother, it’s 300 a day! Let’s work here, okay?"

Seeing this, Sylvia added, "You wouldn’t necessarily earn this much even if you went to the city to find work. And it wasn’t easy for you to come all this way..."

The man seemed unable to refuse the girl, who was so set on making money, and finally nodded in agreement.

Hiding her delight, Sylvia led them to a room.

"Since you’re family, you can stay here!"

The room was reasonably spacious and clean. It had two beds separated by a sliding wooden partition, which could be closed to make two rooms or opened to make one.

After Sylvia left, the man quickly made a "shh" gesture, pulled a watch from his pocket, and began performing some kind of scan of the room.

Only after finding no listening devices or other electronics did the man take off his hat and sit down on the bed, relaxing.

He watched the girl, who was unpacking their things, with a peculiar look in his eyes.

Suddenly, he asked:

"I ate rat poison thinking it was candy?"

The girl froze.

"Our dad has been paralyzed in bed for twenty years?"

The girl looked up, glancing at him unnaturally.

"Aurora, it’s a waste of your talent not being an actress."

"..."