Chapter 431 Reception
Before the four of them even entered the second hall, they saw Lin's mother, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law and Lin's second brother standing beside her, walking towards the outside.
Seeing his third uncle and the two relatives behind him, he quickly walked a few steps and came to greet the four people.
"Third Uncle, we've been waiting for you to come."
As she spoke, Lin's mother stepped forward to greet them. Perhaps it was a recent habit, but she led her two daughters-in-law to perform a standard greeting towards Uncle Lin.
This instantly left the two people behind him at a loss. Lin Mancang, holding his wife who was just as nervous as him, didn't know where to put his hands. His face turned red, and he quickly pulled his wife to perform a strange-looking greeting.
Seeing the two men bowing, Lin's mother realized she had made a foolish mistake. The two farmers naturally didn't understand the etiquette of the officials' families in Taiyuan these days. She and her two daughters-in-law were used to it now and subconsciously bowed to their elder, their third uncle. As for their fourth brother and sister-in-law, their strange bowing made everyone laugh.
"Fourth brother, fourth sister-in-law, we are all family, and we are all from the same family. There is no need to stand on ceremony."
As they spoke, Lin Erge and Lin's mother helped the two of them up at the same time. They turned to look at Third Uncle with joy on their faces and excitedly pulled them inside: "Quick, quick, quick, the tea, fruit and snacks in the hall are ready. Third Uncle, you've come at just the right time today. Third Sister's mother happens to be helping out at the mansion recently, so it's a good opportunity to meet her."
Uncle Lin let out a sound of surprise, and he also became a little flustered. His grandson's mother-in-law was at the Lin family's house, so it wasn't exactly a formal meeting, but it was still the first time they were meeting, and it wouldn't be good to arrive empty-handed.
He suddenly became a little anxious and grabbed Lin Changning's hand, saying, "Oh dear, I didn't know my mother-in-law was here. Besides bringing some local gifts, I didn't bring any presents. No, no, Liu Lang, you have to come with me and bring something. What kind of appearance is it to go empty-handed?"
Lin Changning helped his third uncle up and said with a smile, "Aunt Ma is an extremely kind person. Third Uncle, there's no need to rush. It just so happens that the family has been busy with the wedding these days, and Aunt Ma is here to help. It's not a formal meeting. If you want to bring any gifts, we have them in the mansion. We can open the storeroom later and let Third Uncle choose something. You don't need to make another trip."
As she spoke, she grabbed her third uncle's arm and led him toward the Lin family's new storeroom, where there were still many items that Lin Changning had left behind when he was collecting betrothal gifts for the princess a few days ago, all of which were quite valuable.
Give one to Third Uncle; it'll be enough as a small gift for the Ma family when they first meet.
Third Uncle hesitated for a moment, but still tried to pull Lin Changning back, saying as they walked, "That won't do, Sixth Brother. We've already taken advantage of you a lot by coming here. Keep all the things in your treasury safe and save them for your children. Third Grandfather brought a lot of money with him when he came. It's enough to buy one thing. You've had a hard time fighting in the army, so keep all the things in the treasury safe."
As he spoke, he pulled Lin Changning and prepared to walk out again. Lin Mancang and his wife also felt embarrassed. Their Shilang had already benefited a lot from Liulang. Now, even the first meeting between the two families required the Lin family to provide a gift. How could this be allowed?
As they were about to leave, Lin Mancang suddenly pulled out a small cloth bag from his pocket, his face flushed, and said to Lin Changning, "My father is right. How could we possibly take advantage of you, Liulang? You've had such a tough time fighting in the army. I heard from Shilang that you have at least ten wounds on your body. These are all things you risked your life for. Even if you give them to us, your uncle and aunt would feel awkward accepting them. So please take us outside. We can buy some pastries or something as a small gift."
Lin Changning shook his head: "They're just small trinkets. Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt, feel free to pick them. They're not worth much. Third Grandfather, don't bother looking outside. Just take them from my treasury."
Lin's mother and Lin's second brother also chimed in, and after a while of pushing and shoving, Lin's mother suddenly spoke up.
“Oh dear, Third Uncle, if we linger here any longer, won’t Madam Ma get impatient? Stop making excuses. Go, go, go, that servant over there, go to the treasury and get a piece of white jade earrings.”
Upon hearing this, the servant who was standing not far away cleverly replied, "Yes, madam, I'll go right away."
After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the treasury to get his things. He needed to find the steward beforehand, as the key was with him.
Lin's mother was naturally embarrassed to keep them waiting, so she comforted them, seeing their awkward expressions, "Let's not wait here any longer, Third Uncle. Let's go to the main hall first. Madam Ma is waiting there now, and the things will be delivered in a little while."
When Uncle San heard what Lin's mother said, he knew that what she said made sense. It was indeed not good to leave his mother-in-law alone in the main hall. After hesitating for a while, he took a small cloth bag from his son, counted out a bunch of loose copper coins, and stuffed them all into the hands of Lin's second brother.
After stuffing it in, he said, "There's still a lot of money left from selling the land. Erlang, take it. I don't know if it's enough. If it's not enough, your third grandfather will make up the difference. We're here to help, not to beg for money from poor relatives. We're already embarrassed enough about troubling you with the courtyard matters. Now, you're asking for a gift when we meet. It's really embarrassing for my old face."
Without a doubt, he stuffed a pile of copper coins into Lin Erlang's arms. Lin Erlang was both amused and exasperated, glancing at Lin Changning, who was standing by watching the show.
Seeing Lin Changning smile and nod slightly, he said, "That's enough, Third Grandfather."
With that, he helplessly stuffed the copper coin in his hand into his sleeve. Lin Changning also sighed helplessly. Seeing the somewhat suspicious look in his third uncle's eyes, he quickly explained.
"It's just a pair of white jade earrings, not worth much. I thought that since it was our first meeting, it wasn't too formal. A gift that was too expensive would be inappropriate, and a gift that was too insignificant would seem disrespectful. A pair of white jade earrings like these would be just right."
As she spoke, she helped her third uncle walk toward the main hall: "The person is in the main hall, let's go together. Third uncle, you've all worked hard today. Tomorrow I will host a banquet and invite the Ma family over. Then you can meet Shilang together and have a formal meeting."
Third Uncle nodded in agreement as he listened to Lin Changning's arrangements. These days, Sixth Brother is becoming more and more capable in handling matters. They don't quite understand the etiquette of official families, so listening to Changning is a safer bet.
Thinking this, Third Uncle patted Lin Changning's arm and nodded: "Sigh, Sixth Brother is so thoughtful. Then I'll leave this matter to you. Third Uncle will pay for the banquet you host. I don't want you to suffer a loss!"
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