Chapter 8 That's your future sister-in-law.
Having obtained the list of ingredients needed for the medicinal cuisine, Lin Qingyu and Song Yunyan went into the dense forest together to search for herbs, while all the guards stayed behind to protect their two younger sisters.
The Lin sisters sat in the open space in front of the Tulou, basking in the sun, roasting fruit, and flipping through the ancient books they had borrowed from the old man, Yu Yong. They were indescribably relaxed and happy.
Time passed with the wind, and Lin Qingwu suddenly remembered the purpose of her coming to Zhangxi.
She glanced sideways at Nian San, who was sitting on the ground not far away, eating fruit, and said gently with a smile, "Little brother Nian San, I have a question for you."
Nian San had a very good impression of Lin Qingwu and her group, and was willing to reply, speaking politely, "Miss, please feel free to ask."
Lin Qingwu: "How far is your earthen building from Huaxi Temple?"
Nian San: "It's not far, only about 10 or 20 miles from our Tulou. It's just that Huaxi Temple is very desolate, and hardly anyone goes there."
After hearing this, Lin Qingwu's almond-shaped eyes brightened. "It's better if no one goes; it'll be peaceful."
After saying that, he turned his gaze to his younger sister, "Dai Dai, is it alright if I leave you here alone to wait?"
"You can have Fourth Brother's guards."
Mr. Yu-Ning is a renowned and capable person; he would never do anything underhanded or despicable.
Lin Qingdai: "Of course. Don't worry, sister, I can take good care of myself."
"Go and come back quickly, and you can also have some medicinal food to nourish yourself. I've noticed that my sister has lost a lot of weight recently."
The humor in that last sentence is impossible to hide.
Lin Qingwu chuckled, her eyes full of doting affection: "Naughty."
Before leaving, Lin Qingwu went to see the elderly Yu Yong.
She said to Yu-yong, "Could you please help look after my sister? I need to go to Huaxi Temple."
Yu Yong, the old man, readily agreed: "Go ahead. My earthen building may look old, but it's still very safe."
There was something Yu Yong didn't say: There is still a top-notch master in this earthen building who could fight against Prince Xuanzhi of Dongshao and his thousand iron cavalry without being at a disadvantage.
Lin Qingwu smiled broadly: "Under the whole world, it is probably hard to find a safer place than this earthen building, after all, its owner is the King of Weapons."
After speaking, he bowed slightly to Elder Yu Yong, "Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."
Lin Qingwu left with peace of mind.
As the door closed, a section of the bookshelf moved, and Ji Yujing and Ye Xiao emerged from it.
Ye Xiao immediately said, "The younger generation of the Lin family is quite harmonious, which is rare among aristocratic families."
Let alone the capital, even in their impoverished Lingdong region, the wealthy families were far inferior to the Lin family, yet their descendants were constantly fighting each other.
Yu Yong glanced at the brat and said, "No matter which dynasty or era, any family that can stand at the pinnacle of the empire for a hundred years is extraordinary."
"Ji Ci."
Ji Yujing looked at the old man who had suddenly called him again, knowing that he was going to order him around again.
However, he didn't show it on his face, only responding in a low, muffled voice.
"Um?"
"Could you please look after Lin Qingdai for me?"
As if afraid that Ji Yujing would refuse, he added as soon as he finished speaking, "I went out on the second day of the first year, and I can't manage everything by myself on the third day."
Ji Yujing's expression turned slightly cold: "She's such a grown woman, does she need special care?"
Before Yu Yong could even respond, Ye Xiao blurted out, "If you won't go, I will!"
"What a beautiful young lady! I'll go chat with her."
"Oh my, if I could marry such a beautiful wife, I could walk all over the house like a king. Even if I couldn't walk all over the house, my mother would scold me less because of my fairy-like wife."
Ye Xiao became more and more excited as he spoke. Without waiting for his brother's reply, he strode towards the door, looking as anxious as if the fairy would fly away if he was too slow.
Unexpectedly, after walking only a few feet, Ji Yujing's voice came from behind him, "Stop."
The short, chilly sentence was a harbinger of his unhappiness.
Ye Xiao undoubtedly understood Ji Yujing, and he immediately noticed the change in his emotions. He stopped and turned to look at Ji Yujing, "What's wrong, brother?"
Ji Yujing glanced at him indifferently, "You don't need to go."
Ye Xiao shouted, "Why?" He desperately wanted to talk to the beautiful girl.
Ji Yujing: "That's your future sister-in-law, she's destined not to become your wife."
Ye Xiao: "!"
His eyes widened to the extreme; he was utterly astonished.
After a long while, Ye Xiao finally managed to find his voice and asked in a trembling voice, "Brother, what did you just say?"
Seeing his silly look, Ji Yujing felt inexplicably better. He repeated, "I said Lin Qingdai is your future sister-in-law."
"I'll go keep her company."
After speaking, he paced back and forth, and a moment later, he passed by Ye Xiao, who looked like a fool.
The door behind Ye Xiao opened and closed, the bang waking him up.
He stared at the elderly Yu-yong in disbelief. "My brother must have made that up."
"He rarely comes to the capital, how did he get involved with the Lin family? Didn't the two of them seem quite distant before? How did they suddenly..."
Old man Yu Yong laughed and cursed, "Fool."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao flew into a rage and quickly sat down next to Elder Yu Yong.
"Who are you calling an idiot?"
Yu-Naga: "Who else but you?"
Ye Xiao: "You..."
"Hey, you still haven't answered my question?"
Ye Xiao had a premonition that the old man in front of him knew the intricacies of the matter.
Yu-Ning didn't hide it from him.
The emperor's words are law, and he always keeps his word. Before long, the news of the upcoming marriage between the Ji and Lin families will spread far and wide.
When Ye Xiao learned everything, he couldn't help but say angrily, "Why didn't my grandfather leave me a marriage contract?"
"I also want to marry a great beauty like Miss Lin."
Yu Yong, an elderly man, couldn't help but criticize him, saying, "You're so shallow. How can you choose a wife based solely on her appearance?"
After hearing this, Ye Xiao scoffed coldly, "Isn't my brother shallow?"
Yu Yong: "..." Judging from Ji Yujing's appearance, he is also superficial, but he dares not say it.
Ye Xiao was so engrossed in his resentment that he failed to notice Yu Yong's unusual silence. He continued speaking, each word dripping with emotion.
"If you say I'm superficial, then my brother is extremely superficial. From childhood to adulthood, he has been obsessed with martial arts and military training, and he never even glances at women."
“Once, the Dongshao Kingdom tried to bribe my brother and sent over several exotic beauties. They were stunningly beautiful, and their clothes were ridiculously revealing. If an ordinary man saw them, he would definitely have a nosebleed and his breathing would quicken, and he might even die suddenly, but not my brother.”
"Guess what he did?"
"What's wrong?"
Yu Yong's interest was piqued.
“My brother glanced at those exotic beauties and said: ‘It’s chilly here. Seeing you dressed like that, I feel cold inside and cold in the heart.’”
"roll."
“Go back and tell your master that Ji Yujing doesn’t do business with people who have holes in their brains.”
As Ye Xiao recounted the story, he also imitated Ji Yujing's demeanor at that time with remarkable skill.
Yu Yong, the old man, was amused and burst into laughter.
The room was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.
Outside the building, Ji Yujing approached Lin Qingdai. He deliberately lightened his steps; with his current lightness skill, he could easily do so if he wanted to avoid being noticed by others.
On his way to Lin Qingdai, he carefully observed her. The young girl sat in a wide, low bamboo chair, an ancient book spread out on her lap.
He was there when she was choosing books.
She was very careful in her selection, seemingly more interested in books related to medicine and agriculture. In the end, she chose a herbal book called "Rare Flowers".
Even though no one was around, she remained upright in her sitting posture.
Because she was reading, her fair and beautiful swan neck was slightly bent forward, and her eyes were lowered. He couldn't see her face clearly, but from that initial fleeting glimpse, her image was already etched in his heart, and he feared he would never forget it.
Peonies are precious, and even when they are not ostentatious, they can be breathtakingly beautiful.
And she unexpectedly became his fiancée.
The emotional rollercoaster subsided in an instant.
When Ji Yujing sat down opposite Lin Qingdai, he was completely calm, even in the deepest recesses of his heart.
Lin Qingdai then noticed the unusual movement. She looked up and saw that she was calm and showed no fear.
When she saw that the person who came was the man who looked so much like the young Ji Yujing, she was slightly taken aback.
Ji Yujing took in the girl's stunned expression. He dared say Lin Qingdai had rarely acted like this before, a fact hinted at by her relaxed demeanor while playing chess with Mr. Yu Yong. Her family had been wealthy for centuries; her father was a first-rank nobleman. The Lin family held a prominent position in the vast imperial court. Coupled with her unparalleled intelligence, she had cultivated extraordinary talent…
Although she was young, she was very confident in herself, and she remained so when she encountered great figures of her time.
When he felt he had had enough, he called her in a low, cold voice and explained his purpose, "Miss Lin, your elder sister asked Mr. Yu Yong to look after you for a while. The old gentleman asked me to come and keep you company."
Lin Qingdai snapped out of her daze as she listened to the words and couldn't help but silently berate herself a few times.
Why is she staring blankly at a man?
Lin Qingdai, you really can't handle things.
My heartbeat also quietly lost its normal rhythm at that moment.
However, she remained calm and composed, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, young hero."
After a two-breath pause, no more, no less, he asked, "May I ask how you are addressed, young hero?"
Ji and Jing: "Ji Ci".
Is it the season?
Lin Qingdai's lips twitched slightly, and Ji Yujing didn't miss it: "What are you laughing at, young lady?"
Lin Qingdai was startled upon hearing this.
At the same time, she pretended to be calm and suppressed the curve of her lips.
"Young hero, are you from Lingdong?" Lin Qingdai asked instead of answering.
Ji Ci: "How did you come to this conclusion, young lady?"
Lin Qingdai replied with an innocent and carefree expression: "Just a random guess, please don't be offended, young hero."
"Young hero, your surname is Ji, which reminds me of Ji Yujing, the King of Lingdong. Some of my words came out without thinking."
When the name "Ji Yujing" came out of Lin Qingdai's mouth, Ji Yujing's eyes darkened. For a moment, he even had the thought that Lin Qingdai might already know his identity. But upon further thought, he felt it was impossible.
Before the affair between the eldest daughter of the Lin family and the fourth son of the Su family was exposed, even if she knew about the marriage contract between the Ji and Lin families, he existed as her future brother-in-law, and she would most likely not cross the line to find out about him.
"The King of Lingdong?" Ji Yujing suppressed the ripples in his heart without showing any emotion, and said in a low, cold voice, "Is this also something the girl is talking nonsense about?"
Lin Qingdai smiled at him, her gaze clear and unwavering: "No, I read it in a storybook. Does Young Master Ji enjoy reading storybooks?"
"...not often."
"In the capital, a set of stories called 'The Heroes of Xun Kingdom' is quite popular. In that book, Ji Yujing is known as the King of Lingdong."
"Young hero, would you like to read some? I have the latest volumes in my carriage."
Ji Yujing: "...Not interested."
Lin Qingdai sighed with a hint of regret, "Then forget it."
After that, the two remained silent.
Each had their own thoughts, and their faces remained indifferent and calm.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a sharp, unusual noise came from outside the earthen building.
Strong horses were neighing, their hooves pounding the ground wildly; judging by the sound, there were quite a few of them.
Lin Qingdai couldn't help but glance sideways at them.
She forgot that the gate of the Tulou was closed at this moment, and she couldn't see anything.
From Ji Yujing's angle, he could just see her profile, which was as gentle and beautiful as spring water.
"Does Miss Lin consider the people outside the door to be either enemies or friends?"
Lin Qingdai looked at him in the direction of the voice and replied without hesitation, "It's an enemy."
Upon hearing this, a faint smile flashed across Ji Yujing's eyes. "Then who do you think it's because of?"
Lin Qingdai said, "Mr. Yu Yong, right? With his extraordinary abilities, it's no wonder he attracts unwanted attention."
But what she was really thinking was: I came here because of you, Ji Yujing.
Having kept him in their hearts for many years, they finally met him, but before they could even settle down for a short while, a giant wave crashed down on them.
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