Cypress Boat Floating

Chapter 268 Redemption 5

Lin Fanmao, who was turned down, was furious. He stormed out in rage and went straight back to his study, where he sat on a chair and sulked.

Mrs. Lin carefully carried a bowl of cool green bean soup to the door of the study, knocked gently, and said softly, "Master, the weather is hot, you must not let that little girl make you sick."

Lin Ruoyun, the stepmother, was only thirty years old, more than ten years younger than Lin Fanmao, who was already in his forties. At this moment, she was at her best, and her every frown and smile was charming. Lin Fanmao looked up, and the anger that was originally in his heart had dissipated by half.

He waved at the door, motioning her to come in. Mrs. Lin came in, put the tray in place, then held the mung bean soup in one hand and the spoon in the other, feeding Lin Fanmao with it spoonful by spoonful: "Master, are you still angry about the eldest lady?"

Lin Fanmao groaned and said indignantly, "She is getting bolder and bolder. She totally ignores who has taken good care of her all these years. She is simply lawless. She even dares to challenge her father!"

Madam Lin hurriedly put down the spoon in her hand, gently stroked his back, and comforted him softly, "Don't be angry, don't be angry, Master, don't get yourself sick from anger. Since ancient times, marriage has always been decided by parents and matchmakers. When the betrothal gifts from the Li family are delivered, Miss can't just break off the engagement."

"There's no need to rush about this girl's affairs. The old man of the Li family is indeed old, and it would be a great injustice for Ruoyun to marry him." Lin Fanmao frowned and thought to himself. Whenever he thought of the old man of the Li family with his white hair and almost no teeth, he couldn't help but feel nauseous.

The lady of the Lin family has always been smart and clever. She knows how to cater to Lin Fanmao's wishes and never dares to go against his wishes. Because of this, she is deeply loved by Lin Fanmao. Although she wanted to persuade Lin Fanmao to agree to marry Lin Ruoyun to the old man of the Li family, she didn't dare to speak easily, for fear of making things worse.

"The master has a kind heart and is concerned about the happiness of his children. He only hopes that they can have a bright future and home." Madam Lin said as she gently patted his shoulders, trying to ease his worries.

After hearing what Madam Lin said, Lin Fanmao felt that his daughter didn't see through his thoughts, and he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of sadness. He tightly grasped Madam Lin's hand, with a hint of grievance in his tone: "Alas, Madam, you are the one who understands me the best! If Ruoyun could be more sensible, it would be great."

Madam Lin secretly sneered in her heart, thinking that Lin Fanmao was really ignorant, but on the surface she still pretended to be gentle and considerate to comfort him: "The eldest lady is still young after all. After she gets married, she will naturally understand who is the one who really treats her well."

Lin Fanmao sighed again: "Let's put Ruoyun's matter aside for now, and make plans in a few days. What worries me now is the matter of the imperial merchant."

When this matter was mentioned, Madam Lin's face turned worried: "Has Lord Yan not given in yet?"

Lin Fanmao sighed again: "Yes, I have given away everything I could these days, but Yan Zhen refused to accept any of them. Fortunately, I am not the only one who is like this. He also refused to accept things sent by others."

Madam Lin's eyes rolled, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Could it be that the court is now very strict in investigating bribery, so Lord Yan is afraid to accept money and property easily? Why don't you try to give gifts in other ways?"

When Lin Fanmao heard this, he couldn't help but ask curiously: "What method?"

As Madam Lin's eyes turned, a brilliant idea came to her mind: "Master, why don't you set up a banquet at an appropriate time and invite Master Yan to come and have some drinks and fun? Then, how about arranging for the eldest and second young ladies to go together and show support to Master Yan?"

Hearing this, Lin Fanmao frowned slightly, revealing a bit of dissatisfaction: "Aren't you planning to sell my daughter as a bargaining chip?"

Seeing that Lin Fanmao seemed angry, Madam Lin hurriedly tried to comfort him, "Master, calm down! How dare I have such thoughts? Think about it, Master Yan is in a critical period right now, and he is naturally entangled in many affairs and can't do anything else. You held a banquet to invite him to drink just to take this opportunity to enhance the friendship between you. Besides, the eldest and second young ladies are your biological daughters, so they should see more scenes. Besides, if Master Yan happens to have a suitable man for the eldest young lady, wouldn't it be a good opportunity to help the eldest young lady make a match?"

Lin Fanmao's brows were furrowed as if they could never be untied. He remained silent, neither saying yes nor no, but silently loosened the hand that had been tightly holding Lin's wife's hand.

"Madam, please go out first and let me think about it." Lin Fanmao's voice was low and hoarse, as if carrying endless pressure.

Mrs. Lin knew that it was not appropriate to act hastily at this time, so she nodded gently, picked up the empty bowl, and slowly left the study. She understood that her husband needed time to think, and all she could do was give him enough space and trust.

Lin Fanmao was the only one left in the study. He sat quietly on a chair, staring into the distance, as if he was lost in thought. Lin Fanmao was actually quite smart. When Madam Lin made that suggestion, he understood the deep meaning behind it.

That's right, he had given Yan Zhen countless gold and silver jewelry, four treasures of the study, and literati's writing brushes and other precious items, but he had never given Yan Zhen a woman. He didn't know what kind of woman Yan Zhen liked. If he rashly brought other women to meet him, it would probably be very abrupt and might even cause Yan Zhen's disgust. However, if he brought his family with him, he could legitimately say that he was bringing them out to see the world. In this way, it would naturally be less likely to anger Yan Zhen in this regard.

Lin Ruoyun dared to disobey him today! Lin Ruoshu, under the leadership of Lin Ruoyun, had no respect for his father! It was a waste of food for him to support these two people! However, if any of them could win the opportunity to be selected as an imperial merchant this time, it would be their duty.

Thinking of this, Lin Fanmao quickly figured it out and he knew what to do next.