After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 41

Lin Sang was also worried, but she still comforted her, “Mother, let’s wait a little longer. Maybe the road is difficult and the journey is slow. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll have Brother Bai… oh no, I’ll go with Brother Song to the village entrance to greet them.”

Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Lin Laoda and Lin Bai entered, carrying large and small bags on their backs and exuding a chill. A thin layer of snowflakes had settled on their hats and shoulders.

“Oh! You’re finally back!” Wang’s heart finally settled down. She quickly went over to help them brush the snow off their clothes, feeling both sorry for them and reproachful. “Why did you take so long? Were you alright on the way?”

Lin put down his things, rubbed his hands which were red from the cold, and said with a simple smile, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing! It’s just that the road was a bit slippery, and Uncle Li was driving very carefully and didn’t dare to go fast, so it took a while.”

After everything was unloaded into the kitchen, Wang checked the tea, wine, candy, dried fruit, and various meats and vegetables she had purchased, and felt more at ease.

She walked over to Lin Laoda, who was drinking hot water to warm himself in the main room, and said solemnly, “Father, everything is ready. We need to hurry up with hiring people. You should go to the old house now.”

Lin put down his bowl and looked at his wife.

Madam Wang continued, “Tomorrow is Sangsang’s engagement day, and her parents must be invited to attend. It’s a matter of etiquette, and it’s also to give Sangsang face. As for your eldest brother’s family…” Madam Wang paused, “Whether or not to invite them is up to you.”

“In addition… as for the clan, although we don’t visit each other very often, for such an important event, we still have to invite the elders who should be invited, so as not to give others a reason to say that we don’t know the rules. You see, Uncle Lin is the oldest in the clan now, and my second grandfather’s cousin is the current clan head. We must invite these two people no matter what.”

Boss Lin listened and nodded.

He understood his wife’s concerns. Although his family wasn’t particularly close to some members of the clan, their daughter’s engagement was a matter of clan lineage and reputation. If they didn’t consult the clan elders, it would be easy for people to gossip, which would also be bad for their daughter’s future reputation.

“I know what’s important,” Boss Lin stood up. “I’ll go now.”

Wang packed him a bag of fine tobacco and a bag of candy she had just bought: “Take these with you; it doesn’t look good to show up empty-handed.”

Lin the Elder took the items, tucked them into his pocket, and once again waded through the melting snow, heading towards the old house and the residence of the clan elders.

———

Lin the eldest went first to the homes of his uncle and paternal uncle, the clan head.

Upon hearing that it was a maid from the second branch of the Lin family who was engaged, the two elderly people, though unaware of the groom’s identity, stroked their beards and agreed, saying they would be there on time the next day, considering that the eldest son of the Lin family had come to invite them personally and with great courtesy.

Finally, he arrived at the old house where his parents lived.

As soon as I entered, the familiar smell of cigarettes and old furniture hit me. In the main room, my parents were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), while my eldest brother, Lin Fu, was weaving baskets on a stool at the lower end. The curtain in the inner room seemed to move slightly.

“Father, Mother, Eldest Brother,” Lin the eldest called out to them in turn.

Old Man Lin grunted in acknowledgment and raised his eyelids slightly. Old Mrs. Lin put down her needlework and looked intently at her second son: “Second son, you’re here. Is everything prepared for tomorrow?”

Inside the room, Song Jinhua and Lin Jiao’er also held their breath, listening carefully to the sounds outside.

“Everything is almost ready.” The eldest brother Lin said calmly. “I came here for two reasons. First, I want my parents to go over early tomorrow to help oversee things and keep an eye on things. Second, I also invited Uncle Lin and the clan head from the clan.”

“They even invited the clan elders?” Old Mrs. Lin was somewhat surprised. “Making such a big fuss… Second son, tell me honestly, whose family did Sang girl choose?”

Inside the house, Lin Jiao’er nervously gripped the hem of her clothes, while Song Jinhua pursed her lips, waiting to hear what kind of “extraordinary” family they were.

Lin Laoda spoke calmly, yet with an undeniable certainty, and said frankly, “It’s the Zhou family from the neighboring village, Zhou Han.”

“Clang!” Something seemed to have been knocked over in the inner room.

“Zhou Han?!” Old Mrs. Lin’s voice suddenly rose, startled, she almost jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), her voice trembling, “That reckless Zhou scoundrel?! That Zhou scoundrel who fights like a madman and has a terrible reputation?! Second son! Are you crazy?! Do you think your daughter has too long a life, or do you think our Lin family hasn’t lost enough face?! That incident with the Zhang family last time… oh dear!”

She pounded her chest in anger, “You actually found her another one of these things! Are you trying to kill her?!”

Old Man Lin slammed his pipe heavily on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face turning ashen: “Foolish! Utterly foolish! What kind of reputation does Zhou Han have? Fighting, disrespectful to elders, a complete hooligan! What are you asking the elders to come see tomorrow? To see how our Lin family pushes our daughter into a fire pit? Where do you think your mother and I will put our faces then!”

From the inner room came Song Jinhua’s voice, low but clear enough for those outside to hear: “Oh my, I thought it was some high-class family, but it turns out to be that jinx… Tsk tsk, Sang girl’s fate is really…”

Although she didn’t finish her sentence, the gloating and sarcastic tone was palpable. Lin Jiao’er secretly breathed a sigh of relief in the room, and then a sense of superiority welled up inside her. “Hmph, I thought I had found some rich husband, but it turns out he’s just a peasant, and a notorious one at that. How can he compare to my Mingyuan brother?”

Hearing his mother’s accusations and the mockery coming from inside the house, Lin the eldest’s face darkened, but he ultimately didn’t lash out. He simply raised his voice, which was steady yet carried an undeniable authority:

“Father, Mother! Zhou Han isn’t what you think! I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes! He’s responsible, hardworking, and the managers at the docks all value him! He’s truly sincere towards Sang Sang and has helped our family a lot! Yes, he’s gotten into fights before, but that was all because he was forced to, to protect his mother! He’s not the kind of person who bullies the kind-hearted without reason!”

His gaze swept across the main room, as if he could see through the curtain to the two gloating faces inside: “My daughter, I know how to cherish her! I would never push her into a pit of fire! I invited the clan elders here to tell everyone openly and honestly that my daughter, Lin Lao Er’s daughter, is engaged to a good, upright man who can protect her! Not one of those bookish, morally corrupt pedants!”

His last sentence, full of implications, instantly silenced the inner room.

Seeing his parents speechless for a moment, Lin Laoda softened his tone, but remained firm: “I have delivered the message. I hope you can come tomorrow. Please trust me this once and see for yourselves what kind of person Zhou Han really is.” After saying that, he turned and left without saying anything more.

“Second brother! Wait!” Lin Fu chased after him and stopped his younger brother at the courtyard gate. His face was filled with complicated emotions, a mixture of apology and helplessness: “Second brother, you… don’t take it to heart. Father and Mother are just worried about Sangsang. Your sister-in-law and Jiao’er… they’re just so gossipy. Tomorrow, I’ll definitely go too! It’s the second branch of the Lin family getting married, and I’ll definitely be there to support you!”

Looking at his older brother, who was usually somewhat timid but now had a sincere look in his eyes, Lin, the eldest brother, thought about the troubles his future son-in-law’s family had and his stubborn and unreasonable nature. He was afraid that he would have a lot to worry about in the future.

Thinking of this, he patted his older brother’s shoulder hard: “Well, come over tomorrow, brother, and see your future nephew-in-law.”

After saying that, he turned around and walked home through the muddy snow.

Tomorrow will be a brand new day.