Xu Zifan would pick up and drop off Lin Ruonan every day, and everyone in Anyang Prefecture knew how much this scholar valued his wife. Normally, sons of officials would look down on merchants, but because of Xu Zifan's outstanding character and his extensive network of connections through literary exchanges, people looked up to his parents, who raised him, and Lin Ruonan, who helped manage the family business. They no longer treated him with the same condescension they showed to other merchants, and would even greet him politely whenever they met.
The more Lin Ruoshan interacted with these young men, the more she learned about them. She then realized that Xu Zifan's status was even higher than she had imagined, and that she hadn't yet found a son of an official willing to marry her as his principal wife, which made her anxious.
However, Lady Wang was so captivated by the prosperity of Anyang Prefecture that she secretly agreed to marry Lin Ruoshan to the wife of a restaurant owner, intending to give her son Lin Ruoshan as a concubine!
When Lin Ruoshan got home, she saw a huge pile of gifts, many of them decorated with red paper, looking very festive. Wang Shi and Lin Yaozu were excitedly looking through them. Without thinking, she casually asked, "Yaozu is getting engaged? Mother, are these the betrothal gifts you prepared? A bit much, isn't it? Which girl is she from?"
Madam Wang grinned from ear to ear, "You think this dowry is too much, don't you? This is just a small part; there'll be more on the actual day." She excitedly grabbed Lin Ruoshan's arm, "How good I am to you! I've specially found you a wonderful marriage. Piaoxiang Restaurant is one of the top restaurants in Anyang Prefecture, making a fortune every day. Their owner only has one son; the entire restaurant will belong to him in the future. If you marry into that family, you'll never have to worry about anything again!"
Lin Ruoshan's eyes widened suddenly. "What did you say? I'll marry you? You arranged a marriage for me behind my back? How dare you?!"
Madam Wang was instantly displeased. "How dare you talk like that? This marriage is one in a million, and the Qi family has already agreed. You can continue brewing wine for us to sell, it won't interfere with our business at all. Not only will you be living the high life, but our family will also have a powerful backer in Anyang Prefecture. This is a great opportunity to enjoy wealth and luxury, how can you be so picky? Do you really think you're some kind of celestial being who wants to ascend to heaven? These days you've been hanging out with those young masters, has anyone ever wanted to marry you?"
Lin Ruoshan awkwardly shook her off, "What do you mean by 'mingling'? Don't put it so harshly. I'm doing this so our family can make more connections. I've earned so much more money these days!"
Wang pursed her lips. "Anyway, no good girl would do something like this. You're not afraid of gossip, but I'm afraid you'll affect Yaozu's marriage. It's finally gotten over that no one knows about the past. If you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for being impolite. I've already agreed to this marriage. You have to marry him whether you like it or not."
Lin Ruoshan's face turned ashen with anger. Suddenly, she remembered something and said incredulously, "Wasn't the young master of the Qi family engaged? You...you really agreed to a marriage with the Qi family?"
Wang turned away somewhat guiltily to fiddle with the gifts. Lin Yaozu said impatiently, "You think too highly of yourself to think you can marry into the Qi family as their young mistress. Don't forget you used to be just a village girl. The Qi family said they'd make you a concubine."
Madam Wang hurriedly said, "Don't worry, the young master of the Qi family likes you, and he will definitely treat you well. You are so beautiful and capable. When you give birth to two more sons, even if the young mistress enters the family, she won't be able to do anything to you. You just need to hold onto the young master's heart."
Lin Ruoshan took two steps forward and forcefully overturned the gifts. "If you want to marry, marry him yourself. I would rather die than be someone's concubine! I work so hard for my family, and this is how you treat me? Fine, I won't brew a single drop of wine. Let's see how you live on!"
Seeing Lin Yaozu's expression change, she sneered and said, "If you're so capable, then force me to marry him! I swear, once I marry him, I'll whisper sweet nothings in your ear every day and make you all miserable! Bah!"
Lin Ruoshan stormed back to her room, swept the tea set off the table, and still not satisfied, smashed everything she could in the room, terrifying Wang Shi and Lin Yaozu.
Lin Yaozu hesitated and said, "She can't be serious, can she? Mother, she almost killed Lin Ruonan, what... what should we do?"
Madam Wang hadn't expected Lin Ruoshan to get so angry. This marriage to Young Master Qi was clearly a good one, a marriage of convenience. Although being a concubine wasn't considered marriage, in their village, any girl who became a concubine to a wealthy man would boast about it for a long time. Being a concubine meant enjoying a life of luxury, much better than theirs.
But Wang Shi, still shaken by Lin Ruonan's incident, said, "Let's wait for your father to come back and discuss it. Who knows if she'll be happy? She goes out with those rich young men every day. I'm only doing this for her own good."
After consuming the spiritual spring, Lin Ruoshan's hearing and vision sharpened, allowing her to hear their conversation clearly, which only fueled her anger. That young master Qi was someone she knew well, but he hadn't been particularly kind to her, nor had he ever tested her willingness. She never imagined that young master Qi would actually send his family to arrange a marriage.
If Lin Fu and Wang Shi agreed to the arranged marriage, she would inevitably become a concubine in the Qi family. Young Master Qi wouldn't need to bother pleasing her; he only needed to win over her parents.
She then realized that these young men from the city were all quite shrewd. Upon reflection, she realized that none of them had ever made a single promise to her. If she were to seek their help now and be in trouble, she couldn't be sure who would help her.
The blissful feeling she'd had for days vanished instantly. She felt as if she'd fallen from a fantasy into reality, painfully realizing that everything she'd done was meaningless. Even if she earned more money, she still couldn't escape this family. She believed she was worthy of the housekeeper's son, but others didn't think so. Even her family mocked her for her unrealistic fantasies, and she remained lost and uncertain about her future.
The news that the young master of the Qi family wanted to take a girl from the Lin family as a concubine spread quickly.
Everyone was paying close attention to the Lin family's daughter, who was skilled in brewing wine. Before, when Lin Ruoshan was often seen wandering the streets and playing with young masters and ladies, many people were already speculating about who she would end up with. Several young men even teased Young Master Qi, "You were quick to act! Why didn't I think to have my mother say anything? Impressive!"
"When Young Master Qi wins the heart of this beauty, you must treat us to a few drinks and tell us what's so special about her."
Men are attracted to beauty, especially in ancient times when concubines were allowed and there were many rules. Women who were very beautiful were rarely chosen as wives because they did not meet the standards of "dignity" in their eyes. Even a favored concubine was looked down upon by men, and such verbal offenses were common but no one cared.
Lin Ruoshan rushed over to find Young Master Qi and overheard their conversation. Feeling deeply humiliated, she stormed in and said, "Gentlemen, I've known you for a while, so please don't speak so harshly. Young Master Qi, I'm afraid I'm not worthy of this marriage. Tomorrow I will return the gifts to your esteemed residence, and this matter will be considered closed. Please don't mention it again. I still want to marry a good man."
Young Master Qi, usually so gentle, now had a somber expression. Lin Ruoshan's words clearly showed her disdain for him; he had never been insulted like this before. He immediately said coldly, "We have no choice but to obey our parents' orders. If Miss Lin has any objections, she should go back and talk to her parents. Don't disturb our drinking."
In his last sentence, Young Master Qi practically treated her like his own possession, lecturing her. Lin Ruoshan's face turned ashen. "Fine, if you're not afraid of losing face, I'll make a scene and see if the Qi family is abducting a woman!"
Lin Ruoshan left as soon as she finished speaking, and Young Master Qi smashed his cup in anger. The other young men comforted him, all feeling that Lin Ruoshan was ungrateful. These past few days, Lin Ruoshan had been picking and choosing them like objects, but in the end, she hadn't taken a liking to any of them, setting her sights on the sons of officials, which made them all very unhappy.
Lin Ruoshan's disdain for Young Master Qi is no less a form of disdain for them. How dare she, an illiterate, ill-mannered, ignorant, and taciturn village girl, look down on their status? She's far too arrogant!
When the young masters returned home and mentioned it, the Lin family's business was immediately affected. It's true that the common people wanted to buy, but it was easy for several forces to suppress an outsider. They increased their costs, hired some thugs to vandalize the place from time to time, and had people claim that they had stomach aches from drinking Lin family wine. They used many underhanded tricks, and the Lin family couldn't withstand it in just one day.
Lin Fu was both angry and scared. He pointed at Lin Ruoshan and cursed, "Even if you have ambitions higher than the sky, someone still has to marry you. If you can find someone more powerful than Young Master Qi who is willing to marry you within three days, then you can marry him. But if you can't find one, you'll be going to the Qi residence in three days!"
This farce provided plenty of entertainment, and the Lin family members all looked miserable, as if they were back in their old town days, still plagued by troubles and endless gossip. And all of this was thanks to Lin Ruoshan; she was such a troublemaker!
When Xu's mother heard this, she sighed, "Luckily, she didn't like our family back then, otherwise we would have been completely ruined if we had gotten involved with her."
Lin Ruonan said with a smile, "Brother Zifan is so smart, he definitely won't let her harm our family."
Mother Xu immediately laughed, "Isn't Zifan clever? Otherwise, why would he have decided to marry you the moment he saw you? He saw your goodness at a glance; you're our family's lucky star."
Lin Ruonan felt uneasy upon hearing the word "lucky star." "Mom, what lucky star? It's all thanks to Brother Zifan that the family business has prospered, and things will only get better from here on out."
"Yes, yes, you're doing great too. You manage the cloth shop much better than your father and I, and you take good care of Zifan. I don't have to worry about anything anymore. I can just wait to hold my big, fat grandson." Xu's mother smiled, her eyes crinkling with satisfaction.
Lin Ruonan paused upon hearing the word "grandson," then lowered her head, somewhat disappointed. They had been married for almost a year, and Xu Zifan treated her extremely well, but he hadn't shown any interest in touching her. She always felt embarrassed listening to her sisters-in-law and aunts gossiping about private matters, because she simply didn't understand.
After hesitating for a while, Lin Ruonan made up her mind to talk to Xu Zifan. After taking a shower that night, she lay down next to Xu Zifan and mustered up her courage to say, "Brother Zifan, do you still remember what we said when we were arranged to marry each other?"
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow, turned over to face her, and said, "I remember. What's wrong?"
Lin Ruonan nervously pursed her lips, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Brother Zifan, I don't want to leave. I want to stay at home forever, to be your husband forever, to be a real husband and wife!"
Xu Zifan smiled, pinched her cheek, and chuckled, "What are you thinking? Aren't we always a real couple? I never thought of letting you go. Stop overthinking and go to sleep."
Lin Ruonan was happy to get the answer, but when she fell asleep, she had some doubts. Could they... have a baby if they continued like this?