"ah?!"
Not only Lin Yan was stunned!
The rest of the Xie family were also stunned!
After all, Xie Rui is still young.
They're usually quiet, but today they suddenly did something big!
On the other hand, Wang couldn't hide the joy on her face.
She quietly gave Xie Rui a thumbs up.
"I remember you were only fifteen? And do you even know what it means to have someone marry into your family?"
Lin Yan then turned to look at Xie Rui.
That's when I realized he was actually quite good-looking.
With delicate features and a tall, slender build, her fair skin appeared slightly tanned, perhaps due to her long period of exile.
That certainly reflects her aesthetic sense.
But she wanted someone younger, not someone this young...
Fifteen years old is just like a high school student for her!
She's not a pervert.
How could anyone do that?!
With Lin Yan staring at him, Xie Rui instantly blushed from his face to his neck...
The fleeting courage she had just possessed seemed to have vanished, and she stammered, trying to explain:
“Miss Lin, I will be sixteen in three months... I also know what a live-in son-in-law is.”
The boy's earnest yet shy expression made Lin Yan burst into laughter!
Lin Yan doesn't smile often.
When she suddenly smiled like that, everyone noticed that she actually had two dimples at the corners of her mouth.
Xie Rui's face turned completely red, and he dared not look at her anymore, forcing himself to look away.
Unintentionally, his gaze met his cousin's dark, abyss-like eyes.
For some reason, he felt a sudden pang of guilt.
They silently looked away.
Upon seeing this, Madam Xie's face instantly turned somber.
Their thinking differed from that of the poor Wang family.
Madam Xie came from an official family and was always taught the principles of male superiority and female inferiority, and the importance of her husband's family.
In her heart, whether they were legitimate sons or illegitimate sons, they were all children of the Xie family.
No matter how destitute they are, they cannot disobey their ancestors.
As the matriarch, she had the obligation to ensure that every son of the Xie family would carry on the family line.
If Xie Rui abandons his ancestors to marry into another family...
When she gets to the underworld, how will she explain this to the ancestors of the Xie family?
Thinking of this, she used her authority as the matriarch to interrupt Xie Rui's fantasy.
"Rui'er! Don't cause trouble for Miss Lin! You must always remember your status! You are a descendant of the Xie family, not a commoner. How dare you talk nonsense about marrying into the Xie family? Don't mention it again!"
Xie Rui's rosy face turned ashen instantly.
He opened his mouth silently.
Although Wang wanted to fight for her son, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
After all, she was just a concubine and didn't have much say in the family.
They could only obey the mistress's orders.
Lin Yan was not surprised by this; nobles of this era were always arrogant.
Madam Xie was of noble birth, and even though she was exiled, her inherent pride was hard to erase in a short time.
She could understand, but at the same time she also realized the vast difference in status between herself and the Xie family.
She originally thought that since everyone was now a commoner, they should be equal.
But the truth told her that this was not the case.
However, Lin Yan was not saddened by this.
Ultimately, their initial intentions in helping the Xie family were not entirely pure.
She was only trying to prevent the villagers of Xiaolin Village from being implicated and killed by them.
It's just that I feel a little uncomfortable.
After spending these days together, she genuinely considered them friends.
The smile on Lin Yan's face vanished in an instant.
Madam Xie, being very shrewd and perceptive, naturally noticed it.
Only then did he realize that he had spoken carelessly, and he felt annoyed.
Just then, a gust of autumn wind blew by, and Xie Muqing suddenly coughed violently!
His once pale, handsome face was now flushed red from coughing!
A sharp cough interrupted their different thoughts...
The cold aura emanating from Lin Yan seemed to dissipate as she walked over and took Xie Muqing's pulse.
"These past few days, the autumn winds have been getting cooler in the mornings and evenings, so Young Master Xie should take extra care to keep warm."
"Thank you, Miss Lin."
Xie Muqing was close to her and could hear the loneliness and estrangement in her tone, and a strange emotion inexplicably flashed through his heart.
This made him very uncomfortable.
After Lin Yan left the Xie family home, Xie Sheng took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and secretly slipped out to catch up with her, tentatively tugging at her sleeve.
"Sister, are you angry? Madam likes you very much, and she keeps telling us how grateful she is to you!"
"I'm not angry, don't worry. I'll take you to gather herbs as usual in the future."
"Sister, I wish you would really become my sister-in-law, then we would be family forever..."
Lin Yan bent down to look at Xie Sheng, her eyes filled with desolation.
She felt a pang of pity and couldn't help but reach out and stroke the top of her head.
"We can be family without you being my sister-in-law. Xiao Sheng, would you be willing to become my apprentice?"
This was an unexpected joy for Xie Sheng.
She suddenly raised her head, her little face full of joy.
"Sister, I do! I do! Master, please accept my bow!"
Lin Yan was amused by her bizarre apprenticeship ceremony.
He gently pulled her up from the ground, patted her pants which were covered in yellow dirt, and then let her go back.
After returning home, Lin Yan immediately took the silver and eagerly went to the village head's house.
Lin Zhenglu was very surprised when he learned of her intentions.
He looked incredulous, and his voice unconsciously rose.
"What? Yan girl, you're saying you want to buy those thirty acres of wasteland west of the back mountain? You know, it's not easy to grow crops there! Did someone trick you into buying land there? Don't be fooled!"
Lin Zhenglu had watched Lin Yan grow up, so he naturally treated her as a junior.
We can't just stand by and watch her get scammed.
The concern in his tone was genuine, and Lin Yan was deeply moved. She explained to him:
"Village head, don't worry, no one is lying to me. I only want that piece of land to conduct an experiment. Whether it succeeds or not doesn't matter, so don't worry, just give me a price."
"Since you really want to buy it, I can't refuse this deal. One mu of fertile land in our village is worth two taels of silver. How about I sell you that thirty mu of wasteland on the back mountain for twenty taels of silver?"
Although the Northwest is a vast area.
However, fertile land is not plentiful, so it is valuable, while wasteland is very cheap.
This price is far below Lin Yan's budget.
She readily took out a twenty-tael silver ingot from her bosom and handed it to the village head.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Village Head."
"Alright, then I'll accept it without hesitation. I'll go to town tomorrow to get the land deed for you."
After returning from the village head's house, Ye Lan had just finished cooking.
After finishing her meal, Lin Yan spread the goji berries she had brought back on a bamboo basket to dry.
The Northwest region enjoys abundant sunshine.
However, after three days of sun drying, the goji berries were almost completely dried.
Three days later, Lin Yan and her family of four, carrying dried goji berries, spent eight coins to board an oxcart to town.
At that moment, she was unaware of this.
What kind of "surprise" will this trip bring her...?
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