Lu, already enraged by Lin Fenghe's provocation, now had his eyes blazing with fury upon hearing the strategists' words, wishing he could capture them immediately.
He mustered all his strength and chased after Lin Fenghe. Seeing that the time was right, Lin Fenghe ran quickly towards a place in the military camp where a chevaux-de-frise was placed. When he reached the chevaux-de-frise, he used his feet to push off the chevaux-de-frise and leaped over it.
Lu Pianjiang only had Lin Fenghe in his eyes and didn't notice his surroundings at all. He rushed to the barricade but didn't have time to gather his strength to get over it. If he rushed any further, the barricade would only pierce his body. He stopped abruptly.
Just then, Lin Fenghe, who had landed on the other side of the barricade, quickly picked up a long spear from the weapon rack, pierced through the barricade, and aimed it at Lin Fenghe's throat.
“You’ve lost, Lu Pianjiang,” Lin Fenghe said, looking at him.
The soldiers watching were all stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
"What?! What happened? Lu Pianjiang actually lost!"
"How could General Lu lose to this pale-faced brat? This...this is impossible, impossible..."
"How could it be impossible? It's only right that Lu, being arrogant and conceited, lost."
The strategists in the army were overjoyed; the newly arrived strategist Lin had truly avenged them.
"I...I lost?!" General Lu looked back at the spear pressed against his neck and his face showed an expression of disbelief.
"Wow!... Strategist Lin won! He really beat Uncle Lu, Grandfather, did you see that?"
Yan Ping'er was extremely excited.
General Yan laughed loudly: "Haha, Shuping, the young man you brought here really has some skills."
Yan Shuping looked at the person in the other direction and smiled. He knew that Lin Xuezi would not act rashly. He was able to quickly understand people's hearts and use the surrounding environment to take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses and win slowly with his wisdom. He was right about him.
Lu Pianjiang also realized what was going on: "You tricked me, kid!"
Lin Fenghe sheathed his spear, his eyes calm. "All's fair in war."
General Yan walked over and said, "What a fine example of 'all's fair in war, and 'the path leads to the general.' Although Strategist Lin is not as strong as you, he wins with his wisdom. This is the essence of a strategist's planning."
Yan Shuping said, "General Lu, are you convinced now? Didn't I tell you before not to underestimate a strategist?"
A group of strategists nearby egged him on: "Didn't we say that if you lose, you have to kneel down and kowtow to the person and call them grandpa? General Lu can't renege on his debt."
Lu Pianjiang's face was extremely ugly, but he had lost, so he had lost.
He said, "A man of his word is a man of his word. Since this young man has won, I will definitely keep my promise."
Just as Lu Pianjiang was about to kneel down, Lin Fenghe raised his hand to support him. "Lu Pianjiang, your martial arts are truly formidable. I naturally cannot defeat you in a head-on confrontation, so I can only rely on this unique approach. If we were to fight again, you would definitely be more wary of me. I was just lucky this time, so we are considered to have fought to a draw. There is no need for this promise."
General Lu was stunned. He really didn't expect strategist Lin to say such a thing. Weren't all these strategists petty and unforgiving?
Yan Ping'er laughed and said, "Military Advisor Lin is so magnanimous. Uncle Lu, you should get rid of your prejudice against military strategists in the future."
General Lu knew perfectly well that the other party was giving him a way out. This strategist Lin was a little different from what he had imagined. His old face was somewhat embarrassed: "But I still lost in the end. Well, then I'll treat you to a drink to apologize. I admit defeat today, kid."
Lin Fenghe smiled and replied, "It's an honor."
——
As the days passed, it was already the end of the twelfth lunar month. During this time, Lin Fengshou often dressed himself up in his finest attire and went out. When he returned, the joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Song Anxin knew perfectly well what was going on, and quietly found a matchmaker to prepare some betrothal gifts.
That day, Song Anxin, Song Mei, and Feng Yao were playing with Xiao Yu'er and Xiao Xuan'er on the kang (a heated brick bed). The two little babies were already over a month old, chubby and fair-skinned, and very adorable.
A short while later, Lin Feng, who had been out for a short time, came back in, his face full of excitement. He immediately said:
"Mother, I would like to ask you to go to the Yu family to propose marriage for me. I want to marry Lin'er."
Song Anxin and Song Mei, who were playing with the child, exchanged a smile. Song Anxin then spoke:
"I understand. We'll have the matchmaker come to our door tomorrow to formally propose marriage. The gifts for the visit are already prepared, and your sister-in-law and I have been preparing the betrothal gifts recently."
Unlike in ordinary villages where two families can simply propose marriage and set a wedding date, wealthy families in ancient times had a different process. The first step was to formally present "betrothal gifts" to the bride's family. This was equivalent to a formal proposal, and formal gifts such as wild geese were prepared. Then came asking for names and matching birth dates, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and so on. Only then could the wedding procession finally take place.
Lin Fengshou exclaimed in surprise, "Mother, how could you?!..."
Song Mei covered her mouth and laughed, "How could I not know what my second brother is thinking? I've been preparing for you all this time, just waiting for you to speak up."
Lin Fengyao shook his head and said, "Second brother, you've been so happy these past few days that it's practically written all over your face. Even I noticed. It seems that Sister Lin'er has really captivated you."
Lin Fengshou slammed a hammer down on Lin Fengyao's head: "Hey, how dare you talk like that? You're a little devil."
Lin Fengyao covered his head: "Ah! Second brother, if you bully me like this, I'll tell Sister Lin'er on you and tell her to ignore you."
Lin Fengshou immediately got anxious and started arguing with Lin Fengyao.
"I told you to tattle, are you still going to tattle?"
Lin Fengyao giggled as he was tickled: "I won't do it again, I won't do it again, Second Brother, please let me go..."
The room was filled with joy. At this moment, Sister-in-law Lin came over with her children and was overjoyed to hear the news.
“Miss Yu will be eighteen next year, just like Fengshou, so they are a perfect match,” said Sister-in-law Lin.
Lin Erxi quickly said, "That's why I'm saying, Mother, it's never too late to discuss marriage after you turn eighteen. Please don't nag me about it anymore."
Sister-in-law Lin got angry as soon as she heard that.
"Hey, you brat! Miss Yu is pretty and kind, of course she's not in a hurry to choose. Look at you, you're such a loser. Once you're over eighteen, all the good ones will be taken. How could it be your turn!"
Lin Erxi wailed, "Mother, I'm one of the prettiest girls in the village, okay? Why do you look down on your own daughter like this?"
"Hahaha, Sister Erxi, you actually said you're the most beautiful girl in the village, hahaha... that's hilarious!" Lin Fengyao laughed wildly, clutching his stomach.
Lin Dongzi laughed heartily from the side, "Second Sister, if you're a flower, you're just a cow dung flower at the village entrance, hahaha..."
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