Before lunch, Lin Xie went to the Yudao government office to handle official business and inspect the new recruits' military training before returning to the river mouth. Wu Yanqing found him privately and said: "Rong Tang's daughter Wen Pei is a concubine-born girl, they are worried about this..."

  The status of a child born to a concubine is very low, only slightly higher than that of a servant in the household; daughters born to concubines are not involved in the struggle for family property and titles, and their status is not particularly suppressed. In fact, they often have a higher status within the family than their mothers, the concubines. Lin Xie found it difficult to understand these complex rules of etiquette. Some families with very strict rules of etiquette would even require that when a son or grandson took a concubine, he was not allowed to sleep with her for a certain period of time after she entered the household, and when he did sleep with his other wives or concubines, the new concubine had to be present to serve and watch. Lin Xie thought these rules were quite extreme, but that's just how society is, and one person cannot go against societal norms, especially if they want to get things done. At least, when he didn't have the power to do as he pleased, he couldn't be too unconventional.

  When Lin Xie heard Wu Yanqing's words, he knew that Sun Jingxuan and Sun Jingting still had a good impression of Lin Jingzhong, but were worried that Wen Pei's concubine-born daughter would be looked down upon. He said to Wu Yanqing: "We should trouble Mr. Wu again to ask about Jingzhong's own thoughts... As for Jingzhong's parents, there is no need to worry too much."

  Wu Yanqing also understood that Lin Jingzhong's family was a declining branch of the Lin clan, and they didn't have much family influence. Lin Jingzhong being the manager of Ji Yun Society at such a young age was already quite impressive, and he had the autonomy to make his own decisions in matters of marriage.

  Wu Yanqing was also quite happy to mediate, but he only had time to mediate briefly. Both sides still wanted to invite a matchmaker, and procedures such as "seeing the relatives, seeing the groom, exchanging betrothal gifts, combining the eight characters of the couple's birth dates, and giving gifts" still needed to be followed. To be honest, it was just that the sons of the river village and the families on the boat didn't take these formalities seriously.

  Although Sun Jingxuan said that the women of Hebang are wild and unbridled, there is a limit to being wild. Just like Xiaoman, she is also a person who knows how to be coquettish, but even if she has a small temper, she uses it with caution, making people feel both pitiful and loving. Most of the time, these women with tempers do not dare to cross the boundaries of propriety. Just like Xiaoman, although she is sharp-tongued and quick-witted, when Lin Xue asked her to listen to Liu Yue'er's words, she would at most use some clever tricks, retort a few sentences, and use some tactics to annoy Liu Yue'er, but she never really disobeyed. Lin Xue thought that Sun Jingxuan's daughter, Wen Pei, was probably the same way. Even if she were allowed to choose her own husband, in her heart, she should know that it wouldn't be possible for her to dawdle and make a slow selection. Looking at how she followed Lin Jingzhong earlier, running back and forth, it seemed that her first impression of him wasn't bad. To have a good initial impression of one's future husband before the engagement was already a rare blessing among women in this world. The girl herself would also be very satisfied. Could she still hope for a passionate romance? As long as Sun Jingxuan agreed to this, the marriage would be settled.

  Lin Jingzhong's face was after all tender, and Wu Yanqing had only spoken a few words when he saw through his thoughts. Lin went to find Cao Zikai and said: "As for Jingzhong's marriage, I think we should ask Sister-in-law to act as matchmaker..."

  "Hmm." Cao Zi'ang understood Lin Xie's meaning and nodded in response.

  The matchmaker is a very important role, Lin Tie wants to use various methods to let outsiders see that Cao Zi'ang's family and Lin Tie, Lin Jingzhong and other core members of the Ji Yun Society are getting closer, even gradually integrating into this core. This will make it more convenient for Cao Zi'ang to take on more responsibilities without arousing suspicion from others. After all, at this time, although Cao Zi'ang is nominally a Li Zhang, he is vastly different from the local Li Zhang who was born and raised in the countryside and promoted by the local gentry. The other Li Zhang can be considered a rural leader, with influence extending to the prefecture and county, while Cao Zi'ang cannot even represent He Kou on the outside, and has little influence within the Dong Yang Xiang Party, his talents are severely restricted.

  At noon, Lin Tie invited Cao Zi'ang and his wife to join the banquet. In addition to Sun Jingxuan and Sun Jingting, two brothers of the same clan, he even asked Sun Jingting's second son, Sun Wenbing, to come ashore and join the banquet. Apart from Wu Yanqing, someone was also sent to ask Old Master Ge Fu if he wanted to come over. Old Master Ge Fu had a good impression of the West River gathering, so he came over by boat. On the other hand, Lin Jingzhong did not have the qualifications to join the banquet at this time. He also had a thin face and couldn't bear to sit aside while others discussed his marriage.

  Lin Mou let him go and attend to other matters, not worrying that he would be timid when discussing things with Sun Jing Tang in the future. The ferry matter was not a big deal, and it could be decided by the Western River Association on its own; as for the selection of land, why not let the Western River Association choose the best one? Besides, this matter still needs to be notified to Zhao Qinmin; Lin Mou would take the opportunity to return to Shanglinli, personally taking the Dongyang number over, and all matters would be drafted by the Western River Association first, and then he would review them.

  Lin had a banquet specially prepared for the ladies in the side hall, and invited Sun Jing Tang's daughter, Sun Wen Pei, to come ashore. Accompanied by Xiao Man and Liu Yue Er, Sun Wen Xian, Su Mei, and Si Niang Zi, they dined in the side hall, and it was unlikely that he would mention his affair with Sun Wen Xian again.

  Sun Jingxuan was like in a dream, last night he received the news and thought it was a disaster, who would have known that after several twists and turns, except for Yuanniang's leg injury which is worrying, there are actually several good things happening. Speaking of these many things, the most important one is still related to Gu Wudeng's trusted doorperson Lin Lian, the Surveillance Commissioner's Office has the power to supervise grain transportation, and the river gang's influence involves grain transportation, they are also most afraid of this yamen that owns the power of supervising grain transportation. All matters of grain transportation can be negotiated, it is just a matter of spending money to smooth out the relationships, this is already an old tradition formed by more than ten generations of river gangs, however, if there is any leakage in the grain transportation process, no matter how much you struggle and fight, it will all end at the Surveillance Commissioner's Office, losing everything is a small matter, being replaced by new rising river gang forces is common, and breaking up families and destroying households is also not impossible.

  Especially in recent years, the scale of water transportation has been very small, and this year it was reported that it would increase by more than double. After the conflict between Gu Wu Chen and Wang Xue Shan intensified, Gu Wu Chen finally won completely, making everyone even more certain that this year's water transportation task will increase sharply, which made all the families in the river anxious.

  There are still many people available, and there is even a surplus. Moreover, the flow of migrants has been increasing year by year, making it easier to recruit new workers. However, the river embankments have not been properly maintained for many years, and the management of the grain boats by the various families along the riverbanks has also become lax. The situation with the grain boats is worrisome.

  Sun Jingxuan is very familiar with his own grain boats. In recent years, the number of new boats allocated to the Longjiang shipyard has decreased sharply, and it would take 25 years to replace all the old boats. Moreover, the quality of the new boats is poor. He envies the sturdy Dongyang boat, but such a large boat would likely get stuck in the shallow waters of the river, and its construction cost is also too high.

  The West River Association has 200 grain boats under its name, and replacing them with sturdy boats like the Dongyang would require an additional 100,000 taels of silver to be allocated by the Longjiang shipyard. The West River Association does not have such financial resources. The accumulated silver is also being kept as a reserve for emergency use.

  Sun Jingxuan knows that if this year's grain transportation task were to suddenly increase twofold, unexpected accidents would definitely occur frequently.

  At this time, breaking through this juncture is equivalent to giving Xihe a "get out of jail free" card.

  On the other hand, generations of Sun's family have formed a rule: officials cannot be too close to one family, but also cannot be too far away. The officialdom is treacherous and precarious, no less than the evil waves in the Jianghu world. Being too close to one family means rising and falling with them, which is not a long-term plan. Therefore, Sun Jing Tang's daughter marrying Lin Jing Zhong can be said to be just right.

  Sun Jingxuan also thought that if Wen Yu were to marry Lin Fu, he would have to immediately let Jing Tang's eldest son, Wen Yao, take over as the head of the Xihe Association, and never mention the matter of inheritance again.

  Marriage has always been the best way to build relationships, and using silver is not enough. Since Sun Jingxuan took charge of the conference, he has given out countless silvers through his hands, but no official has ever felt that they have a handle on the West River Conference, not even close to the Jianghu Dao ethics. Giving silver can only get temporary good talk, and it has already become a common practice, each customs clearance, important position according to the number of grain or boat sent, there is a fixed amount of silver.

  ***********

  Sun Wenjuan was having a meal in the side hall, feeling depressed. She sat sideways on the soft couch, careful not to touch her injured leg. Although Wu Yanqing repeatedly comforted her that the chances of recovery were great, Sun Wenjuan had learned some flower fists and embroidered legs from her father since childhood, knowing that injuries to tendons and bones were not ordinary skin injuries. Even if Dr. Wu's medical skills for treating falls and injuries were high, having a 30% or 40% chance of recovery was already incredible.

  Sun Wenyue also had reason to blame Lin Tie: If Fu Qinghe hadn't hinted at a relationship between her and Lin Tie in his letter, she wouldn't have come to the riverbank at night to investigate. At that time, she didn't think he was particularly annoying, but rather felt that she couldn't be destined to marry someone without meeting him first. If Lin Tie hadn't acted improperly like an uneducated person by undoing his pants on the riverbank, she wouldn't have been enraged and taken action - besides, she had already been defeated, yet he still drew his sword without mercy, not at all like a chivalrous hero. In prison, she didn't suffer much hardship, but this rascal had two beautiful concubines without even having a wife, and had long coveted Su Mei, which was even more unbearable.

  Listening to the lively conversations in the outer hall, Sun Wenyue's mood became even more gloomy. No one mentioned her and Lin Lian's affair, yet they had already settled Wen Pei's marriage within half a day. What was even more infuriating was that this girl sat there with a mixture of shyness and joy, probably eager to sneak another glance at Lin Jingzhong, only regretting that she couldn't kick her in the butt due to her physical limitations.

  "Wan Niang," Su Mei said, seeing that Sun Wenjuan still held a deep grudge against Lin Xie and wanting to make it even more difficult for her to marry him. "I just thought of something, Old Master Wu also said that your leg injury needs to be careful not to leave any aftereffects, the most important thing is to minimize movement in the early stages and avoid any further collisions. Whether it's taking a boat or a carriage, there will be bumps, I think it's best for you to stay here and rest... Old Master Wu can also take care of you at any time... Your family has also agreed to send a ferry to the river mouth, at night the boat will dock at the river mouth, and the boatmen will set up a hut there to rest. The West River Association will also have someone in charge staying behind, who can also take care of you. If you're willing, I'll help you speak with Master Lin and let him give this grass hall to the West River Association."

  "Alright, alright, I'll stay too and take care of Wan Niang." Sun Wenpei said excitedly.

  If there was this thatched cottage, those fellow brothers who were released from the ferry wouldn't have to live in a shed. She herself was worried that her left leg would be disabled, but why did she want to suffer Su Mei's kindness again? Sun Wenjuan had deep resentment towards Lin Xuanji, but she was also an educated and polite person. Even if she didn't want to, she wouldn't directly refute Su Mei's words. She glanced at Wen Pei and thought that this girl was eager to stay in the river mouth.

  Su Mei saw the reluctance in Wen Niang's eyes and let out a soft sigh. She wasn't one to impose her own will on others, after all. Su Mei thought of giving up, but she hadn't expected that Sun Wen Pei's temperament was actually stronger than Wen Niang's, with her own ideas in mind. Although today was a mix of shame and joy, thinking about her lifelong matters, she still wanted to have the opportunity to interact with Lin Jing Zhong for a few more days. If she really discovered that this person had a bad character, it would be possible to regret the marriage before the "gift-giving" ceremony. Now, she was worried that there wasn't a good excuse, and seeing Su Mei about to sit down and give up, she followed Small Man to plead: "Little Man sister, will Lin gentleman really agree to let Grass Hall be given to West River Association, and let Wen Niang recover from her leg injury here? Or should Little Man sister go ask first?"

  "I'm two years younger than you, I can't afford to be called sister." Xia Man retorted with a neither-soft-nor-hard tone.

  Although Lin Xie was destined to marry, a great enemy suddenly appeared in front of him. It would be a miracle if the little savage took the initiative to accept her. Familiarity breeds familiarity, and precisely because they were familiar, the little savage also knew that Wan Niang's temperament was much stronger than Liu Yue'er's. Moreover, she was skilled with knives and guns, beautiful, and came from a good family. This kind of woman should be kept far away from Lin Xie. She found it strange that her sister was so enthusiastic about helping Lin Xie find a wife. Did she not have any thoughts on the matter?

  "The bamboo house is also ready, it was originally going to be moved in a few days later, but moving in today doesn't matter; or I'll go over and ask?" Liu Yu'er said as she stood up, at this time she was still the cook on this side, although now there were already hired helpers doing things in the house.

  Xiao Man was eager to grab the hem of Liu Yue's clothes, but in front of Su Mei, she didn't dare to be too presumptuous. She suddenly felt that Liu Yue's good intentions had arrived and thought that she would understand her sister's intention of keeping Wan Niang behind to nurse her injuries.

  *****************

  PS: Seeking red envelopes, seeking collection