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At dawn, when the first light of day had just appeared, Lin Lan got out of bed and didn't rush to make breakfast, but instead quickly ran to Bao Zhu's house to entrust him with an important task, then quickly ran back home. Before things were properly settled, she had to keep a close eye on Yao Jinhua, lest she come up with some new trick.
It's okay, Yao Jinhua's habit of sleeping in isn't that easy to change, so Lin Lan went ahead and made breakfast.
Lin Feng got up earlier than usual today, limping and staggering, after washing up he was about to go out.
Lin Lan knew that her brother was going to look for Li Xiucui, and thinking of her brother's foot, Lin Lan furrowed her brow: "Brother, how about... I'll get Li Xiucui to come home instead?"
"Of course, he should come, what kind of reason is it for the woman to take the initiative?" Yao Jinhua leaned against the door, posing coquettishly, her posture was indeed alluring, but unfortunately, she didn't have the goods to back it up, and it was a pitiful sight.
Lin Lan untied her apron: "I'll get the water child next door to call."
Before finishing breakfast, Li Xiuzai arrived.
Still wearing a white long gown, she stood elegantly at the door with an air of calmness and composure.
"...... Have you had breakfast?" Lin Lan asked casually. "Just about to."
Lin Lan put away the bowls and chopsticks, wiped clean the table, and everyone began to discuss the main topic.
With Yao Jinhua present, Lin Feng became reticent, so basically it was Yao Jinhua who asked the questions.
"Li Xiuciai, are you really going to marry our family's Lin Lan?"
"Knows Zhang Da Hu also wants to marry her, and marries?"
"Do you know what kind of person Zhang Da Hu is? If so, wouldn't you be afraid of offending Zhang Da Hu?"
“……”
To such questions, Li Mingyu only answered with a simple "yes", without any hesitation, and his smile and calm tone did not give people the feeling of being stiff or impolite, but rather showed his sincerity and determination.
Lin Feng's face was already filled with satisfaction.
Yao Jinhua was not willing to give up. Today she had made up her mind to make things difficult for Li Xiucái, letting him know that it would be better for him to retreat.
"Alright, since you're determined to marry Lin Lan, how much betrothal gift are you preparing? You know that Zhang Dahu gave 50 taels of silver as a betrothal gift, and that's not all - after matching the birth dates, the Zhang family will also give a generous dowry." Yao Jinhua knew that Li Xiucan was a poor man, let alone 50 taels, he couldn't even afford 5 taels of silver.
Lin Feng thought it was inappropriate to ask this way, now he could only rely on Li Xiucui, if Li Xiucai was scared away, what would happen to his sister? Lin Feng quietly used his elbow to gently poke Yao Jinhua.
Yao Jinhua glared over, loudly and without restraint: "What's wrong with asking? Did I ask incorrectly? Which family doesn't give betrothal gifts when marrying off a daughter? This is an ancestral rule."
Lin Lan saw that Yao Jinhua was having a hard time with Li Xiuciai, and according to her temperament, she would have spoken out to stop it earlier, but now she wanted to see how Li Xiuciai would respond.
All that was seen was Li Xiūcái with a faint smile, calmly and unhurriedly pulling out a piece of paper from his bosom and spreading it open: "This is my betrothal gift."
Three people coincidentally gathered together, curiosity drew them in.
"What is this?" Yao Jinhua could only recognize numbers and didn't know characters, so she had no idea what the weird symbols meant.
"Affection, righteousness, priceless."
Lin Lan suddenly found it very funny, did Li Xiucan expect Yao Jinhua to ask him for a betrothal gift? Writing such a few words, and the sentiment is priceless! What sentiment does she have with him? The transaction is almost done, but these few words are indeed well-written, with powerful brushstrokes, elegant and refined, with a free and easy air. It's hard to imagine that someone as ordinary and unremarkable as him could write such bold and uninhibited characters. Could it be that beneath his serious and aloof exterior, he hides a passionate and untamed heart?
Yao Jinhua felt that she had been made a fool of, and angrily said: "Li Xiuciai, what do you mean? Do you think you can deceive a young girl like me with just a few broken words?"
Faced with Yao Jinhua's extremely rude questioning, Li Xiucan remained calm and slowly said: "Sentiment is priceless, this calligraphy represents Li's intention towards Lin Langjun, and if Brother Lin takes it to the Mo Xiang An in the county town, exchanging it for 50 taels of silver shouldn't be a problem."
Yao Jinhua and Lin Feng couldn't help but take a cold breath, fifty taels of silver, just for these few broken characters?
Lin Lan wasn't too surprised, although she didn't know much about the book and painting market in this era, but she knew that no matter which dynasty or generation, top-notch calligraphy and paintings were priceless, and she also thought Li Xiūcái's fifty taels was an understatement.
"Li Xiuciai, I thought you were a scholar and seemed honest, but I didn't expect you to play such tricks. If your words are really worth so much money, why do you still live in that broken hut? Why do you still wear these old clothes? Are you trying to cheat ghosts?" Yao Jinhua said sarcastically, suppressing her anger. If writing a few words can make a lot of money, then Li Xiuciai would have been the richest man in Feng'an County long ago, so why does he still look so poor and shabby?
Li Xiuciai slightly straightened his expression and said calmly: "To be calm and clear-minded, to give up worldly desires, to hold on to simplicity and humility, this is the way to navigate the world. What's more, I, Li, live in a thatched cottage, wear old clothes, all for the sake of mourning my deceased mother. If elder sister-in-law doesn't believe me, just take these words to the Ink Fragrance Studio and ask, then you'll know what's true or false."
Lin Lan took a closer look at Li Xiuciai for the first time, previously only thinking that he was handsome and somewhat introverted, not very fond of talking to people, without further analysis. Now seeing his elegant demeanor, responding with ease, and the natural revelation of refined and cultured qualities between his eyebrows, he must have received a good education and come from a noble family. A rich young master, a talented scholar, why did they come to this small mountain village in Jianxi, living a simple and austere life? Is it just because of filial piety for their deceased mother? What other hidden reasons are there? Lin Lan couldn't wait to hear Li Xiuciai's story.
"She won't take it, I will," said Lin Lan, and went to take the calligraphy.
Yao Jinhua hastily snatched it over, holding it in her hand and examining it left and right, her mind filled with doubts. Is this broken character really worth that much money? She then looked at Li Xiucan's face with a pair of small eyes, saw that he was being serious and didn't seem to be lying, so she folded up the character and said with a straight face: "First, let Lin Lan take it to the Ink Fragrance Studio for verification. If the price given by the Ink Fragrance Studio is even one copper coin less, I won't acknowledge this marriage."
Li Xiuciai nodded slightly, with a casual expression.
Lin Lan felt contempt in her heart, should I acknowledge my marriage?
Lin Feng thought that Li Xiuzai was more and more suitable, he wondered why he hadn't discovered earlier that Li Xiuzai was a good person to get along with. Regardless of whether Li Xiuzai's calligraphy was really worth that much money, just based on his temperament, if his sister married him, at least she wouldn't suffer.
"Li Xiuciai, Zhang Dahou's matter is also known..." Lin Feng said.
"Just call me Ming Yun." Li Xiuzai smiled calmly.
"Tomorrow... Tomorrow is fine, if possible, I think it's better to settle the marriage with Lin Lan as soon as possible..." Lin Feng said halfway, and his waist hurt again, another sneak attack by Yao Jinhua.
"What's the hurry? This is a matter of Lin Lan's lifetime, not a trivial matter. How can you say marry and then just marry?" Yao Jinhua said with righteous words, as if she cared about Lin Lan very much.
Lin Feng dared to be angry but didn't dare speak out, knowing he couldn't play with children, yet casually accepted Zhang's betrothal gift?
Just then, outside came the sound of gongs and drums, what a lively scene.
Lin Lan's face changed greatly, there was no good news in this village today.
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