When it was completely dark, Ji Yuan's banquet began at the villa where they were staying.
Several large tables were set up.
Before the dishes were even served, the people from Linjia Village started drinking.
Lin Youcai also took a few sips. He looked at Lin Shucheng's family sitting at the main table with Magistrate Ji, General Gu, and a group of deputy generals, and he was truly moved.
"Oh, I always said Er Ya is a lucky charm. Xue Qing and Lao San are also very promising. It's a pity they can't take the imperial examinations. If they could, Lao San could take the exams with them. With such a blessed and clever daughter, Lao San would definitely pass the exams too."
"I knew it! Following Er Ya was the right choice. Look, she's taking us out for a nice meal. We never even dared to dream of such a peaceful life before!"
Lin Youcai glared at the child, "You're so unambitious! You should be thinking about studying hard with your second daughter in the future, why are you only eyeing these few pieces of meat?"
They truly never imagined that one day they would be able to dine with a high-ranking official, who would treat them as honored guests, be very polite, and even tell them to come to him if they needed anything in the future.
They knew that this was all out of respect for Lin Jinyue's family, and they certainly couldn't just come and visit them casually. How could a county magistrate have so much time to deal with them?
But they were just ordinary people, refugees who had fled from war. They didn't dare to breathe loudly when they saw officials and had to kneel down. They never imagined that one day they would receive a promise from someone.
If these people knew that Lin Shucheng had just rejected General Gu's offer a few days ago, they would definitely slap their thighs in dismay.
At the other table, Lin Shucheng was already slightly tipsy.
Lin Jinyue also took a couple of sips of fruit wine, but Jiang Yun wouldn't let her drink more.
Ji Yuan and Gu Shao, along with several other military officers, were all very approachable and had already become sworn brothers with Lin Shucheng and his son Lin Xueqing.
Ji Yuan was extremely attentive to Lin Jinyue because Jiang Yun and Lin Jinyue had helped him a great deal, saving his life and his official position, and treating her as if she were his own daughter.
Gu Shao genuinely admired Lin Jinyue. Although he had secretly cursed her father as cunning and treacherous, he still admired the whole family.
However, Lin Jinyue is ten years old (by Chinese reckoning), so he had to avoid suspicion and could only drink with her father.
Lin Shucheng did not notice Gu Shaochong's respectful gaze.
Everyone's attention was drawn away.
One of the soldiers present had recovered after drinking Jiang Yun's medicine, and in his excitement, he drank a few extra sips of wine.
He then started talking nonsense: "Your village are all good people, they saved my life!"
As he spoke, the soldier stood up, put his arm around Lin Xueqing's neck, and said, "Brother, everyone in your village is a good person. When I return from the battlefield and achieve military merit, I will definitely marry a girl from your village. What's that saying again? A life-saving grace should be repaid with one's body. Just wait, when I achieve military merit and buy a house in the capital..."
Everyone was overjoyed.
A man who's 1.8 meters tall talking about offering himself in marriage is just ridiculous.
When the topic of marriage came up, Ji Yuan's eyes darted around, and he glanced at Lin Jinyue, who was secretly drinking, and his mind started to wander.
Ji Yuan was so busy the past few days that he was constantly on edge, and with a knife hanging over his head, he didn't pay much attention to how Lin Jinyue's family got along.
He just discovered this.
Everyone was watching the drunken soldier who wanted to offer himself to the enemy, but Ji Yuan was watching Lin Jinyue and his father.
No, General Gu asked the Lin family father and son if they could join the army, and even offered them high-ranking positions and generous salaries. What are these two doing looking at their wives and children?
General Gu asked if they could cooperate with the Zhennan Army to trade medicinal herbs in large quantities in the future. What was Jiang thinking about her daughter?
Moreover, the adults were still talking, and it was already quite difficult to let the little girl sit at the main table. How dare Lin Jinyue interrupt General Gu and refuse?
They said they were worried about tiring her parents and brother, so they didn't want her to go.
As it turned out, the Lin family actually listened to the little kid and decided not to go!
This overwhelming wealth has fallen right on their heads.
You still don't want it?!
Ji Yuan thought about it more and more and felt that something was wrong, recalling the details of how his family got along.
Thinking back carefully, Lin Shucheng and his wife really spoiled Lin Jinyue to an extreme. The ten-year-old farm girl couldn't cook, but Lin Shucheng would make whatever she wanted to eat. After tasting it, she would even say to add more salt and sauce. She had such a discerning palate.
Even her nephew, the eldest son of the governor of Lingnan, wasn't as sharp-tongued as her.
That's the eldest son of a high-ranking official of the fourth rank!
He then recalled that if Lin Jinyue casually mentioned wanting something, Lin Shucheng would directly hire someone to buy it from a nearby county town without batting an eye.
This girl has a sweet tongue and knows how to get things done, so Ji Yuan thought that if things could turn out well...
Ji Yuan chuckled and said, "I see your daughter is almost of marriageable age?"
Lin Shucheng was originally three-quarters drunk, but upon hearing about his daughter's marriage, he sobered up halfway and hurriedly said, "Oh, there's no rush. My daughter has suffered so much; how can we rush her to get married?"
Lin Shucheng didn't want his daughter to marry an ancient man casually. He would rather his daughter never marry than let her suffer that hardship.
Ancient society was strictly hierarchical and cannibalistic, especially when it came to women.
How could I let my daughter suffer like that?
In ancient times, there was no concept of dating; people went straight to marriage, so how could he dare to be casual?
Even if the other party is a good person, they still have a long list of relatives, a mother-in-law to set rules, and a baby to take care of. If the husband is very strict, he will not only have to pay respects to his wife every morning and evening, but he will also be pressured to have children as soon as they get married. If he doesn't have a child in a year or two, his husband will have to take a concubine.
Don't want to take a concubine?
Being unable to have offspring is considered unfilial.
In ancient times, it was considered late for a woman to get married at seventeen or eighteen. Once married, she had to prepare to have children, and her daughter was still a minor!
The more Lin Shucheng thought about it, the more he shook his head. "No rush, no rush. Our daughter is still young. How can it be a difference? Don't overthink it. It's not that our family is arrogant. It's just that she's our only precious daughter."
The way he looked at it, it was as if he was afraid someone would take away his precious treasure.
Lin Jinyue immediately went up to her father and stuffed a delicate pastry into his mouth.
Her words were as sweet as honey: "I knew Father was the best. There's no better father in the whole Daqian. I don't want to get married. I want to stay by my parents' side for the rest of my life."
Ji Yuan was not giving up. He had originally planned to introduce his son, but he gritted his teeth and introduced his nephew instead: "Hey, there's no rush to get married. Let's settle down first. If we settle down, we can wait five, six, seven, or eight years."
"Brother Lin, let me tell you, my nephew is truly remarkable. My elder brother is a man of great talent. He was originally the governor of Yangzhou, but he was dissatisfied with Prince Jing, so he came to Lingnan. My nephew passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve and became a scholar the following year. It's just that there were no more imperial examinations after that, otherwise he would definitely have passed the provincial examination. He has a very promising future."
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