Chapter 155 [VIP]
Yesterday, Li Mu's men who went to Longquan County returned, bringing back news of Lin Sui.
Because the Fang family's affair caused quite a stir in the county at the time, it was easy to find out everything.
Compared to his story of losing his husband, Lin Sui's experience was truly tragic.
She married young, only to be cheated on by her husband, who not only caused her to miscarry but also rendered her infertile. She was only able to escape her misery with the help of her cousin and his wife…
Upon hearing this news, Li Mu was deeply moved. He thought of the handsome but introverted young man and realized that he had suffered such hardships.
The men also stopped by the porterage shop run by Lin Suige's husband. Locals said the Cao family's shop had a good reputation, and the owner was an honest man. Everyone spoke highly of his husband, Lin Qiu; they were all upright and honest people.
After hearing this news, Li Mu made up his mind to marry this young man, Lin, and went back to discuss it with his mother.
Luo was a weak woman. When she was in the Li family, her status was only slightly higher than that of a servant, and she dared not interfere in anything.
Now that her son has taken her out, even though she is the old lady of the Marquis's mansion, she doesn't dare to interfere in her son's affairs. She only says, "If you think she's good, then that's fine. If it's inconvenient, then let me raise Qing'er by your side."
"Don't worry, Qing'er likes him very much."
Li Mu planned to first inform Lin Sui's cousin, which would also be a way of letting Lin Sui know. If he agreed, he would bring Lin Sui's mother, brother, and brother-in-law to the prefectural city to discuss the marriage between the two.
If Lin Sui disagrees, then let's just drop this matter.
"Young Master Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"
Chen Qingyan was wiping her son's mouth when she heard the noise. She looked up, handed the handkerchief to Wang Ying, and then followed Li Mu out.
"I wonder what business it is of Your Excellency summoning me out?"
"I want to marry Lin Sui."
Chen Qingyan froze in shock, seemingly not understanding what he meant.
"I know it's a bit abrupt to speak up like this, but I'm truly sincere. I hope Mr. Chen can help convey my feelings. If he's also interested, I'll start making wedding preparations."
"My lord, please wait a moment. You mean you want to marry Lin Sui as your husband, not take her as a concubine?"
Li Mu nodded. "That's right."
Lin Sui had been divorced once and couldn't have children. Even if she found an ordinary person, she would have to see if the other person was willing. It wasn't that Chen Qingyan was belittling his cousin, but that most people were like that, and even Lin Sui herself thought so.
How could he not be surprised when Marquis Wuping suddenly announced that he wanted to marry his cousin?
"My lord, please don't joke around. My cousin is no ordinary young man..."
Li Mu looked into Chen Qingyan's eyes and said, "I never joke."
Chen Qingyan felt a chill run down his spine under the gaze of those bloodshot eyes. "Since Your Excellency is serious, I must explain Lin Sui's background to you clearly. After you've heard it, you can reconsider..."
"No need to say anything more, I already know the details of Lin Sui's background."
Li Mu knew what he was going to say, and thought to himself that the Chen family was quite honest. If an ordinary family could send such a burden to the Marquis's mansion, they would have kept it a secret long ago. He didn't expect that the Chen family would take the initiative to tell him to give up.
Chen Qingyan was shocked again. Since Marquis Wuping knew that Lin Sui was infertile, why did he still insist on marrying her? Could it be that he had truly fallen in love with Lin Sui?
In fact, Li Mu didn't really like Lin Sui that much. After all, they hadn't known each other for very long, and Lin Sui usually avoided him, so they barely spoke a few words. At most, he felt a bit of goodwill and pity for her.
The main reason he wanted to marry Lin Sui was because his daughter liked her. He was also sincere towards Qing'er. When the two of them were together, Li Mu felt at ease just by looking at them.
His father disliked him when he was young, and his mistress showed him no pity. Although his birth mother was by his side, she received little love. He didn't want his daughter to be like him, all alone without anyone to accompany her.
Chen Qingyan hesitated for a long time before saying, "I will discuss this matter with Lin Sui and her family. I also hope that you will consider it carefully, Marquis. Marriage is not a trivial matter. My cousin has already suffered enough hardships once. He cannot endure them a second time."
“I understand your thoughts, but since I have made this decision, I must have given it a lot of thought. I would be grateful if Young Master Chen could have a proper talk with him.” Marquis Wuping cupped his hands in greeting and turned to go into the house.
"Qing'er, it's getting late, we should go back."
Qing'er had just finished eating a melon when Lin Sui, who had soaked a damp cloth, was wiping her hands and face. Upon hearing that she had to go back, the little girl's face fell instantly. Reluctantly, she got up and walked to Marquis Wuping's side, turning back every step of the way.
Lin Sui smiled and waved to her, "Come visit again next time you have time."
Little Qing'er pouted, about to cry, when Li Mu quickly picked up his daughter and strode out. If he had been any later, the girl would have started crying again.
After everyone left, Wang Ying asked, "What did the Marquis say to you when he called you out?"
Chen Qingyan glanced at his cousin and didn't hide anything, directly stating Wu Pinghou's original words, "He wants to marry Lin Sui."
Lin Sui was stunned after hearing this, staring at her cousin in disbelief, muttering, "How could this be? Cousin, don't talk nonsense..."
"The Marquis hasn't gone far yet, or should I call him back and tell him in person?"
Lin Sui blushed and quickly shook her head, "No, no need!"
Wang Ying excitedly patted Lin Sui on the shoulder, "What did I tell you? The Marquis must have already taken a liking to you!"
After her initial shock, Lin Sui lowered her head. "I'm no longer a virgin and can't have children. He probably doesn't know that."
Chen Qingyan said, "The Marquis knows this; he should have sent someone to investigate your identity."
"He knows he still..."
Wang Ying said, "A true man doesn't concern himself with trifles. A man like you, Lord Marquis, is naturally different from ordinary men!"
Chen Qingyan nodded and said, "He said he doesn't know if you're willing, but if you are, he'll start making wedding arrangements."
"I don't know what to do either. I'd better go back and discuss it with my aunt and fourth aunt."
On the way back, Lin Sui felt unreal, as if she were dreaming. A year ago, she was suffering in the county town, and a year later, she came to the prefectural city and was chosen by Marquis Wuping. Even storybooks wouldn't dare to write such a story.
During dinner that evening, Chen Qingyan recounted the incident to her elders.
Li and Fang Ling found it unbelievable after hearing this; they never expected that two people who had no connection would have such a fate.
Li Shi didn't dare to make a decision, but Fang Ling held Lin Sui's hand and asked, "Sui'er, are you willing?"
Lin Sui thought for a moment and nodded, "I'm willing. Even a common laborer might not be willing to marry me, unless I never marry again. Otherwise, this is my best choice."
Unlike in modern times, in ancient times, women and men could not be buried in the ancestral grave after death if they did not marry, and they could not stay with their cousins for life.
Wang Ying nodded in agreement. Lin Sui had indeed grown up and knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
In fact, Lin Sui didn't necessarily like Marquis Wuping that much, but the benefits of marrying into the Marquis's family were quite obvious.
First, his status is different now, and no one will dare to bully him anymore.
Secondly, although Lin Sui was infertile, he loved children very much. Since she married into the Marquis's mansion, she was nominally Qing'er's father, which made their relationship more legitimate.
Third, as Lin Sui said, unless he doesn't remarry, it will be difficult for him to find a husband of such high status and prestige again.
All things considered, this is indeed a good match.
Chen Qingyan said, "I will write a letter to Longquan County to inform my aunt and cousin Lin Qiu. If they both agree, we will discuss your marriage with Marquis Wuping."
Lin Sui stood up and bowed to Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan, saying, "I leave it all to my sister-in-law and cousin to decide."
Wang Ying quickly took his hand, saying, "We don't do this kind of thing as family. I think the Marquis is a good person. In all the time we've spent together, he has never said anything out of line, and he is efficient and decisive in his work. He is a man I can entrust my life to."
Just like the saying in the TV series from my previous life, my cousin's good days are yet to come!
Everyone was happy that Lin Sui had found such a good match.
*
September arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather was getting cooler day by day.
The ice in the shop could no longer be sold. Wang Ying harvested all the wheat in the experimental field and planted vegetables instead. In another month, they would be ready to be harvested and sold.
Recently, it seems like Liu Changyi and Marquis Wuping have been sending things to my home from time to time, as if they had made an appointment.
Sometimes it's food, sometimes it's toys for children. (Qingyun and Lin Sui both like Yuanbao and have a good relationship with Wang Ying, so giving the children toys is a way of pleasing them.)
This morning, the Liu family sent someone to deliver a large basket of tangerines.
Transporting these things was no easy feat. First, they were shipped by water to Laizhou Wharf, and then rushed from Laizhou to Jizhou Prefecture by fast horses. The round trip took almost a month, and by the time the oranges arrived, the peels were all dried out. Even so, they couldn't be bought in the prefectural city.
The person who came to deliver the items was Liu Yang, the steward of the Liu family. He was a chubby middle-aged man who always had a smile on his face and never offended anyone he spoke to.
"These oranges were originally destined for Kyoto, but our second uncle happened to be in Laizhou and managed to steal two baskets of them. One basket was given to our relatives to try, and the other basket was sent to you so that your wife and daughters could have a taste."
Li said with a smile, "I'm so sorry, there's no way we can finish such a big basket of food. Why don't you take some back with you?"
Liu Yang smiled and said, "If you can't finish it, share it with your relatives and friends. This kind of food is not common, and it will make you look good when entertaining guests."
"Yes, then please pass on a message for me: thank you for your concern, in-laws."
"Yes, I'll definitely bring it to you."
No sooner had Liu Yang left than people from the military camp arrived, bringing a large wild boar.
This pig was hunted in the mountains when they went out to suppress bandits. The blood was drained on the spot when it was hunted, and when it arrived at the military camp, the soldiers boiled water and shaved off the pig's hair so that it would be easier for them to eat it.
In ancient times, wild boars tasted better than domestic pigs because ordinary people were reluctant to feed their pigs with grain. They mostly kept their pigs near the toilet, where they ate nothing but excrement and pig feed. As a result, most domestic pigs didn't grow very big, reaching a maximum weight of a little over 100 pounds, and their pork had a strong, unpleasant smell.
Wild boars do have a smell, but because they eat well in the mountains, the smell is much less.
Occasionally, you might encounter hunters selling wild boar meat on the street. Even at 50 coins a pound, you couldn't wait in line; it would sell out very quickly.
Since they couldn't finish such a large pig, Wang Ying specially saved a few pieces of rib meat to freeze in the experimental field, to make dumplings for the New Year.
After delivering the pig, she also left a message, saying that Qing'er had been missing Lin Sui terribly these past few days, and the old lady wanted to invite Lin Sui to visit the mansion.
Lin Sui was extremely nervous upon hearing this news and pulled her sister-in-law for help.
Wang Ying said, "Since it's the old lady's invitation, we should naturally go. Haven't you been thinking about Qing'er? I'll go with you tomorrow."
A note from the author:
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