"Hahahaha—!"
Lin Ding returned to the Yongjing Marquis's residence with a smile on his face.
This is not a rhetorical device, but a factual description; his jaw truly never closed until he stepped into the mansion.
The servants following him couldn't take it anymore: "My lord, you weren't this excited when you cut off that traitor's head."
"That's nothing, it's a piece of cake!"
Lin Ding wasn't bragging; he was telling the truth. He genuinely didn't think beheading a traitorous king was anything special. They'd spent several years in that godforsaken place, and he'd even personally disguised himself as a woman to infiltrate the enemy's residence and investigate. If they still couldn't accomplish it in the end, would that be acceptable?
But Lin Xin's achievement was different. It was a completely unfamiliar field for him. He couldn't even finish reading a single page of a book. Yet his son took first place right away. Out of three thousand people competing for three hundred, he emerged victorious among those three hundred outstanding individuals. The prestige he earned was simply dazzling!
Lin Ding wished he could show off to everyone he met.
But the servants were all rough men, even rougher than him, and didn't understand. Lin Xin, the person involved, seemed excessively calm. Only Xu Rong was left, smiling and willing to support him. But Lin Ding couldn't keep talking to his daughter-in-law about it.
After a long, bumpy ride back in the carriage, he felt that his excitement had been in vain. As soon as he entered the mansion, he could no longer contain himself. He left his son, daughter-in-law, and servants behind and rushed off to tell Madam Wei the good news.
Xu Rong and Lin Xin then headed towards Chunsheng Courtyard.
When they were in the Xiao family, walking side by side was their daily routine, and it seems that nothing has changed now.
But that's only the surface.
In fact, an indescribable strange atmosphere lingered between the two.
It felt awkward, but it was also unnatural. It was okay when there were other people around, but it was especially noticeable when I was alone. Even the great news of getting first place in the imperial examination couldn't save me from it.
Xu Rong didn't know how things had turned out this way. After some random thought, she realized that it was both his fault and hers.
When he was still "Xiao Xin", all his emotions were laid bare. Even when he was gloomy, he was clear to everyone. She could interpret his awkwardness, like a piece of crystal clear ice jade.
Since he became Lin Xin, not only his surname has changed, but also his temperament. She is increasingly confused about what he is thinking. They used to be like old friends, but now it seems like they are going back to the way they were, and there is even a trend of them becoming like new friends after growing old together.
As for herself, ever since her feelings became ambiguous, she unconsciously avoided him. In their past relationship, she had always been the one in control. When she stepped back, he didn't follow, and the distance between them naturally became empty.
...
But the bigger problem lies with him.
You've already passed the imperial examination and collected all five honors, yet you remain so calm and composed. What exactly do you want?
He wouldn't show the emperor such a cold face when he goes to the imperial palace, would he?
Xu Rong was a little embarrassed—she didn't know where this feeling came from. She should have teased him about getting beaten up by his classmates when he went out, but the words were on the tip of her tongue, and she was too lazy to say them.
It's pointless.
The dowry still smells better.
Back at Chunsheng Courtyard, after sitting down and calming down for a while, Xu Rong finally regained his rhythm.
Great, she found that everything returned to normal when she didn't have to face him alone.
She was neither anxious nor angry; all those unpredictable emotions had vanished from her.
Then let's continue preparing the dowry.
Xu Rong also wanted to look for her contract, thinking that maybe she had misread it and left it at the bottom of some box.
But just as they spread out the boxes on the ground and hadn't even started working, Hongliu came skipping in to report: "Young Master, Grandmother, people from the Duke of Ying's mansion have arrived. The Marquis wants you and Grandmother to pack up. We won't be having lunch at home; we'll be having it at the Duke's mansion!"
It seems the Duke's mansion has also sent people to look at the notice.
Xu Rong responded, "Mmm—"
Halfway through her response, she realized something was wrong. She squatted down and looked up, only to find that there was another person next to Hongliu, who was holding up the curtain. It was Lin Xin. He stood quietly, not saying a word, just looking at her and the chests and boxes laid out beside her.
His gaze was still, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
"..."
Xu Rong was startled and stood up awkwardly. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong. She hadn't done anything wrong, but it felt like something had happened and she had been caught red-handed.
Lin Ding was a decisive person, and having just been granted a title, he was not yet used to giving orders to others. Soon, he personally came to urge them to come.
Xu Rong didn't even have time to close the lid of the box before hurriedly following the family out the door again.
Upon arriving at the Duke of England's mansion, as expected, Master Zhang personally came out to greet them, patting Lin Ding's shoulders and back with resounding thuds: "Brother, what kind of good fortune did you accumulate in your past life!"
"No, no, it was all thanks to my godfather's help. Otherwise, Xiao Bao wouldn't have been able to take the exam and wouldn't have gotten first place!" Lin Ding chuckled foolishly.
"Don't be modest. Father said that this is all thanks to Xin'er's own hard work. It's not something that others could have done to elevate him."
Lin Ding walked inside alongside him: "Godfather's home? He knows too?"
"Of course I know, otherwise why would I have called you over? Oh, right, Father is in his study and has summoned Xin-ge'er. Go see him immediately."
Master Zhang remembered something, slapped his forehead, and turned back to say.
So Lin Xin went to the study alone. He stayed there for quite a while, and it is unknown what the old man and the young man talked about. It was not until lunchtime that the Duke of England brought him out to show up.
The banquet was naturally harmonious and joyful. The male guests were specially served Shaoxing wine, known as "Zhuangyuanhong," purchased from Fuyuanlou. The shop owner was from Shaoxing, Zhejiang. This wine was said to be made using the authentic Shaoxing traditional method and had been buried underground for more than ten years. Only a batch was opened for this imperial examination.
The wine was clear and bright, with a rich and mellow aroma. Xu Rong sat with the female guests, along with Madam Zhang, without drinking a drop, but he smelled it all the way back.
Lin Xin drank quite a lot.
The Zhang family is a large family, and even a small family banquet with only direct descendants would be enough to get him quite drunk after a few rounds.
Xu Rong silently rolled up half of the carriage curtain.
Lin Xin had been leaning against the wall of the room with his eyelashes drooping and half-closed. Only when he noticed Xu Feng coming in did he lift his eyelids to take a look.
His eyes were slightly unfocused, but the touch of red at the corners of his narrow eyes made them appear less gentle and more fierce.
Xu Rong: "..."
He seemed a little unfamiliar to me.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Xin suddenly asked her.
Xu Rong hastily withdrew her gaze: "It's nothing. I just checked if you were drunk. I'll ask someone to make you some hangover soup when we get back."
Lin Xin curled his lips into a smile: "You still care so much about me."
...It's just something I can easily do, and I don't expect her to cook it herself, so what kind of meddling is that?
Xu Rong couldn't tell whether his tone was good or bad; it seemed like a casual remark, yet also somewhat mocking.
She held back and remained silent.
He must be drunk; don't argue with a drunkard.
"I'm not drunk," Lin Xin suddenly said again.
Xu Rong: "...Oh."
She began to believe him, because he could still read her mind.
But that makes things more complicated; if he's drunk, she can be a little more at ease.
Fortunately, after saying that, Lin Xin stopped talking and closed his eyes again.
The oppressive feeling he brought instantly disappeared by half, and Xu Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Strangely, she was never afraid of his cold and sour expression before, but now, even though his expression hasn't changed much, she feels a little uneasy.
She would overthink things. Even though he had closed his eyes and moved on from the previous chapter, she couldn't immediately get out of that atmosphere and couldn't help but wonder what he meant by his sarcastic remarks. Had she offended him? Or was he just unhappy?
Xu Rong was so annoyed that she almost missed a step when she got off the bus.
Lin Xin, who had been lazily stretching out his hand, was startled and quickly stepped forward to catch her. Because he was caught off guard, he was hit and staggered back two steps.
Lin Ding wasn't in the car; he was on horseback. He had just dismounted and, upon seeing this, laughed heartily: "Xiao Bao, you've had too much to drink!"
...
Xu Rong buried his head and walked inside.
It wasn't Lin Xin's fault; she intentionally avoided his hand and didn't reach out to help him, which resulted in this embarrassing situation.
Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but it just happened at this particular moment, making it extremely embarrassing.
The heat on her face didn't subside until she reached Chunsheng Courtyard.
Xin Cheng lifted the curtain to let her in. Xu Rong looked and saw that the lids of the several trunks she had left behind were closed, but they were still in the same place.
When Xin Cheng saw her gaze, she explained, "I was afraid Grandma would still need it, so I didn't dare tell them to touch it."
Xu Rong nodded and went inside.
"go out."
When a deep voice sounded from behind, Xu Rong realized that Lin Xin had also come in. At the same time, the curtain flickered and Xin Cheng obediently left.
Xu Rong was stunned for a moment: "--I'll have someone make you a hangover soup."
He had at least helped her up, so she decided she wouldn't hold a grudge.
"No need." Lin Xin replied simply, then walked to the middle of the trunks and asked, "Why do you tidy up these things every day?"
Xu Rong's mind went blank for a moment.
It's finally here.
She suddenly realized that her long-standing restlessness and agitation were precisely because she was waiting for this moment that had been delayed but was bound to arrive.
She couldn't help but smile.
She was actually very nervous, her hands and feet were so stiff she didn't know what to do with them, but she didn't want to delay any longer. It was bound to happen sooner or later, so it was better to come sooner rather than later.
It's better for him to expose this veil than to continue pretending to be ignorant.
She cleared her throat and began to reply, "—Xuancheng," but as soon as she opened her mouth, she realized it was no use; her voice was still hoarse. However, it was a minor issue, and she didn't care. She continued, "Now that you've passed the provincial examination, it's time for our agreement to be fulfilled."
The palace examination does not dismiss anyone. As long as he doesn't take the exam blindly, he will at least be ranked in the top three, and his name will be written on the list of successful candidates.
Lin Xin asked, "What agreement?"
Xu Rong: "..." She seemed to have stepped into thin air again, and looked at him in confusion, "Didn't you say you weren't drunk?"
He asked the question, and she put it so clearly; there's no way she couldn't understand.
"It's that agreement we made when you got to high school, where we'd get a divorce." She decided to ignore him; since he asked, she'd answer. Now everything would be clear.
Lin Xin stared at her for a moment, then took a piece of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it in the air: "You mean this?"
Xu Rong leaned closer to take a look and quickly nodded: "Yes!"
The two red handprints at the bottom are still clearly visible.
But it's a bit strange that he carried it with him today.
Tear.
Before she could think any further or back away, Lin Xin, right under her nose, used his long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles to tear the contract in half, into four pieces, eight pieces... until it was shredded.
Xu Rong: "..."
Unbelievable, my pupils dilated.
What a blatant breach of contract!
Just tear it up, it's so open and aboveboard!
Xu Rong hadn't made up his mind yet and wanted to talk things over so that they might reach a decision. But this angered him, and he said, "What's the use of just tearing your own copy? I have a copy here too, which can also serve as evidence."
Although it was lost, he didn't know it.
He dared to do it to her face, so what did it matter if she made up a lie? She had already thought it through; at worst, she could write it later, and while he was asleep, she could pull his finger to press it again—
Is this it?
Lin Xin took out another piece of paper from his other sleeve, unfolded it as before, and showed it to her clearly. Then, to her astonishment, he tore it apart in the same way—
Fingernail-sized scraps of paper were scattered all over the ground.
I guarantee it will never fit together.
"..."
Xu Rong glanced at the snowflakes of paper scattered on the ground, then at him, her attention momentarily diverted—wasn't it necessary to tear it into such small pieces?
Only then did they want to speak out and question.
But before she could speak, Lin Xin said first: "There aren't any now."
He lowered his arms, stood straight to face her, and said openly and firmly, "Between you and me, there is only a marriage contract that promises a hundred years of happiness and eternal love."
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