Not the emperor...
Who is that? Could it really be a deity?
The man before her was so handsome, and then she looked at herself...
Her clothes were dusty and gray, because she had just come out of the pigsty and felt that she smelled bad.
Feelings of inferiority crept into my heart.
But why doesn't the deity on the other side find him disgusting? And he's even touching his own head. Doesn't he think he's smelly and dirty?
Mu Jinyun watched as the little girl in front of him slowly blushed, then lowered her head, her eyes seemingly brimming with tears.
He gently cupped the girl's face in his hands and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
His hands were big and warm.
"I...I..." She didn't know why she was like this, but she just really wanted to cry.
"Oh dear, how did you turn into a little kitten?" He gently wiped away her tears.
Lin Banjian finally couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down his face.
"Don't cry, don't cry." Mu Jinyun took out her handkerchief, her tears leaving dark stains on it.
He pulled her into his arms.
"My lord..." Lin Zhiqiang was completely stunned and at a loss for words.
Mu Jinyun slowly said, "If you don't want to raise this child, I will take him away."
Lin Zhiqiang sensed the anger in his words. He was about to speak when he was interrupted by a sharp voice.
It turned out that although Lin's mother had been coaxed into the house, she had been eavesdropping by the window frame. Now that Mu Jinyun was going to take Lin Banjian away, she jumped out first and refused to agree to it.
Even her Lele didn't have such good luck, so why should Lin Banjian be so lucky?
Looking at Mu Jinyun's attitude towards Lin Banjian, she wished she could switch places with Lin Banjian.
"No!" she screamed, pushing the door open and rushing out.
"Mother!" Lin Zhiqiang was so frightened he almost lost his mind.
You can't take her away!
This was the first time Lin Banjian had seen a mother like this.
In her memory, her mother had the arrogance of a scholar, thought highly of herself, and carried a sense of austerity born of poverty.
Instead of like it is now.
They were no different from the old ladies cursing in the village, acting crazy and erratic.
She shuddered at the sight of the woman rushing towards her, a woman with a frenzy she had never seen before.
Mu Jinyun had obviously discovered it.
He held Lin Banjian tightly in his arms.
"What are Lin's mother's opinions?"
"You! You can't take her away!" she kept repeating.
"Lin Banjian is my daughter. I raised her with great care and hardship. Her food, clothing, and daily necessities, while not the best, were certainly not bad! I've spent a lot of money on her!"
Mu Jinyun understood; they were asking him for payment!
Food, clothing, and daily necessities? He could see with his own eyes that her daily life was not good. How could Lin's mother have the nerve to say such a thing?
It's not hard to guess what Mr. and Mrs. Lin were thinking; they didn't want to make a losing deal.
"Then what do you want?" He looked down at Lin's mother, who was prostrate on the ground. Lin's father was also terrified and knelt down with Lin's mother.
"I didn't raise my child for nothing! If you want to take my daughter away, you'll have to pay at least one hundred taels of silver!"
One hundred taels!
Everyone present was stunned.
Lin's father and Lin Zhiqiang looked at Lin's mother in shock, one on each side.
You should know that they might not be able to earn a hundred taels of silver in their entire lives!
Lin Zhiqiang grabbed his mother and said, "Sir, my mother has gone mad, please forgive her! It is my sister's good fortune to take her away! Please take her away, I believe you can take good care of her!"
Lin Zhiqiang was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth to powder!
How could his mother be so clueless? Who are these people? Who are they? They even dare to make demands! If this official really wanted to, he could just take Lin Banjian away and beat up the whole family, and no one would dare say a word!
They're only concerned with immediate gains!
If he could please this man and get him to put in a good word for him with the gentlemen in Jiangtian, wouldn't he rise through the ranks? At that point, what would a hundred taels of silver be? He'd be counting money until his hands were sore!
As for the younger sister, Lin Zhile, she married the village lord's son? She's not even worthy to carry her shoes!
Mother, you're so foolish!
Lin Zhiqiang wailed silently.
He heard Mu Jinyun sneer, "Fine, whatever you say, it's just a hundred taels of silver, isn't it?" He merely raised his hand, and two men behind him carried a box over and placed it in front of Lin's mother.
"One hundred taels of silver."
The box was opened, and the dazzling white light was blinding.
“Once you’ve taken the money, this child will have nothing to do with you anymore.”
Mu Jinyun left those words behind, then with a sudden effort, lifted Lin Banjian up and placed her on his arm.
Lin Banjian hugged his neck tightly, afraid of falling.
Lin's mother was still reeling from the shock of receiving one hundred taels of silver.
The master left without looking back, and the servants naturally followed. The white horse snorted, its bells jingling, and it strode off to return home.
As they exited the Lin family's gate, a sea of people knelt down, each one chanting "Respectfully seeing off our lord."
Once the carriage was far away, they finally swarmed forward and surrounded the Lin family.
"Foolish, foolish!" An elderly man, who was clearly of some status, slapped his thigh repeatedly, while the village head shook his head incessantly, and everyone around sighed.
"How could you be so confused? You sold Lin Banjian for so much money! That's enough for Qiang'er's tuition and Lele's wedding!"
"Mother!" Lin Zhiqiang broke down. "You even mentioned tuition fees! The college might not even accept me!"
"Why wouldn't they want you?" Lin's mother said angrily. "You've been number one every year! How dare they not want you! You were personally recommended by the principal!"
Despite Lin Zhiqiang's best efforts to persuade her, his mother refused to believe him, muttering, "If I had known he would really give it to me, I would have asked for more," which nearly made everyone around them faint with anger.
Sure enough, a short while later, the school director came to relay a message: "Lin Zhiqiang, regarding the recommendation quota, the school held another meeting, and the school unanimously decided to recommend another person."
Lin Zhiqiang's vision went black, and it took him a long time to regain his balance, while his mother was already fighting desperately with the director.
"My son is the best! Why should he be replaced! How can you go back on your word after making a decision!"
Lin's mother and the director got into a fight, and the people around rushed forward to stop them. At this moment, Lin Zhile also ran out of the house and saw that his mother's face was covered in blood from being scratched. He burst into tears.
Lin's father was running around the yard, pulling this person and tugging at that person; he was the busiest person in the whole yard.
Looking at the chaos before him, Lin Zhiqiang finally lost his temper, his eyes rolled back, and he leaned back.
Another round of chaos and turmoil has begun.
...
Lin Banjian realized for the first time that a carriage could be so big and so comfortable.
She nestled in Mu Jinyun's arms, munching on the swallow-shaped pastry in small bites.
"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, as crumbs from the pastry had fallen onto Mu Jinyun's clothes.
She was so frightened that she dared not move.
How could she be so careless!
What will he do to her? Scold her? Hit her? After all, the clothes are so nice and new.
Mu Jinyun noticed the girl in his arms stiffen. He wrapped the crumbs of pastry in his handkerchief and said, "It's alright, don't be afraid. It's just a piece of clothing. By the way, did you like the Yan'er pastry?"
Are you really not going to scold her?
Lin Banjian nodded timidly, "It's delicious..." his voice was barely audible.
Mu Jinyun nodded with a smile, "Eat more if you like it. There are other kinds too, they're delicious as well."
Before he arrived, he specially asked the kitchen to make snacks that little girls love to eat, not only delicious but also beautiful. When he placed several boxes of snacks in front of her, she didn't dare to take them. He coaxed her again and again before she timidly picked up a swallow-shaped pastry and gently put it in her mouth.
"My lord...where are you taking Banjian?" she asked in a low voice.
"Sir? Why do you call me that?"
"Because that's what they all call it..." Is it called wrong?
"Hmm, don't call me sir, you should call me 'Jinyun'."
"Jinyun?"
"Yes, Jinyun is my name. My full name is Mu Jinyun."
Jinyun...it sounds so beautiful!
"I... my name is Lin Banjian." Mentioning her name, she lowered her head again, a sense of inferiority creeping into her heart.
"Half-See? What a great name!"
Huh? A good name?
He was the first person to say that.
"Has Hanjian ever appreciated the tender willow buds by the pond in spring?"
"I haven't looked at it carefully..." I'm busy with housework every day, where would I find the leisure and inclination to look at other things?
"In spring, the tender willow buds by the pond are just beginning to show a hint of yellow. When the sunlight shines through, their color is faint and hazy, like smoke, only half-hidden..."
"It's a vibrant color!" he said to her with a smile.
A beam of light suddenly pierced through the clouds.
If all words in the world are silent, this one sentence is irreplaceable.
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