When Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan went out, the three elders were discussing the marriage between the two families.
After talking with Xu Zifan, Xu's mother genuinely wanted to break off the engagement, but she hadn't decided whether to confront the Lin family. Making a scene wouldn't benefit the Xu family either; she still wanted to arrange a marriage for her son.
Grandpa Lin was very humble and said with a guilty conscience that Lin Ruonan had taken the initiative to come to him to discuss marriage. She was a good girl and had become much better than Lin Ruoshan in recent years. If she could marry into the family, she would definitely take good care of Xu Zifan.
Upon seeing the two children emerge, they stood up simultaneously. Xu's mother glanced at Lin Ruonan, her lips moved, and she tentatively asked, "Zifan, why did you come out? What did Miss Lin say to you?"
Xu Zifan smiled faintly and said, "Father, Mother, Grandpa Lin, Miss Lin and I get along very well. How about we change the marriage to Miss Lin and me?"
Thinking of Xu Zifan's dislike for the Lin family, Xu's mother hesitated and said, "Zifan, what about the Lin family..."
Lin Ruonan stepped forward, looked at Grandpa Lin, and said to Xu's mother, "Aunt Xu, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. Many people only go back to their parents' home during holidays. But my parents did such a thing, disregarding the feelings of the Xu family and my own. We have no reason to have anything to do with them anymore. I don't plan to go back to my parents' home in the future."
She knew the Xu family's character; she would never say such things to others, but she felt she had to make her stance clear to them.
Grandpa Lin took a deep breath and said firmly, "Nannan is right. If she marries into the family, she will only have me, an old man, as her family. We don't need to pay attention to that unfilial son. If they dare to cause trouble, I will fight them to the death. You can rest assured about that."
Xu's mother had an idea, and she and Xu's father exchanged a glance, both thinking it was feasible.
Lin Ruoshan's annulment of the engagement disgusted them, and Lin Fu and Wang's attitude also disgusted them. If Xu Zifan hadn't been bedridden and hadn't gotten better, they would have annuled the engagement long ago.
After the engagement was called off, the Lin family's reputation for being materialistic and snobbish was ruined, and news of Xu Zifan's sickly nature and impending death would also spread, making it even more difficult to find another marriage partner. They had been so worried that they couldn't sleep for the past few days.
Now that Xu Zifan has personally chosen Lin Ruonan and is able to sever ties with the Lin family, it can be considered a pretty good outcome.
Afterwards, Xu's mother asked Lin Ruonan to help Xu Zifan into the house to talk, while the three elders discussed the marriage outside. Since the Lin family had already made their decision, they would accept their future daughter-in-law as someone who had no parents and only a grandfather.
The arrangements went smoothly, and they set the wedding date for two months from now, allowing ample time for preparations and for Xu Zifan to recover. Xu Zifan's good spirits today gave them hope, and it would be even better if they could personally pick him up at the wedding.
Fearing that they would upset Lin Fu by saying these things, Old Master Lin took the matter upon himself and went alone to inform Lin Fu that the marriage was settled.
Although the marriage arrangement was completed, Lin Fu was furious when his eldest daughter refused to acknowledge him. He pointed at Lin Ruonan's nose and yelled, "You're being unfilial! It's only right and proper for me to arrange your marriage, and you dare to sever ties with me? You've gone too far!"
However, Old Master Lin was even angrier than him, and directly declared: "If you dare to cause any more trouble, I'll take you to the yamen to settle the score for making your father sick, and see who is truly unfilial!"
These words silenced Lin Fu. Old Master Lin was the village head, a man of considerable authority, and he had never contradicted him. If Lin Ruoshan hadn't been so skilled at brewing wine and so adamant about not marrying him, he wouldn't have clashed with Old Master Lin.
Seeing that Old Master Lin was angry, he swallowed all his words. After all, he had gotten his wish in the marriage exchange, hadn't he?
Grandpa Lin scolded him and told Lin Ruonan to pack her things and go back to Linxi Village with him. He knew that Lin Fu and Wang Shi doted on Lin Ruoshan and Lin Yaozu, but if Lin Ruonan hadn't found him and told him about all the little things that had happened in the family over the years, he really wouldn't have known that they had bullied his eldest granddaughter so much.
He used to be so busy with village affairs that he neglected his granddaughter, and this time he's determined to make it up to her.
Lin Ruonan remained calm throughout. She had been the one to beg her grandfather to agree to the marriage exchange, and she had already anticipated the consequences; there was nothing to be afraid of.
As soon as the two of them left, Wang said irritably, "What does Father mean by this? Does he think I'm mistreating Ruonan? She's been well-fed and cared for since she was little, and she's grown up to be beautiful and lovely. What have I done to her? If she marries out of Father's house, what will people think of us? They'll say I can't tolerate her."
Lin Fu retorted angrily, "Alright, shut up. Can you change your father's mind? If you're not happy, then switch the marriage and let your own daughter marry him."
Wang choked, about to retort, but Lin Fu had already walked away with his hands behind his back, leaving her so angry that she clutched her chest and gasped for breath.
Lin Ruoshan stepped forward and whispered, "Mother, why are you angry? It may not look good for her to get married in the village, but you don't need to give her a dowry."
Wang was taken aback. "Not giving her a dowry? Won't people talk even more about me as a stepmother? No way, no way."
Lin Ruoshan's eyes darted around. "Then you can give her less. She doesn't know what's good for her. You might as well get some big boxes and fill them with cheap stuff. It looks like a lot but doesn't cost much."
This time, Madam Wang laughed. "You're so clever. Alright, you don't need to worry about these things. Go and brew some wine. The shop is sold out. At this rate, we'll be able to open a restaurant soon. When that happens, I'll definitely find you a good marriage."
"Okay, I'll go then." Lin Ruoshan replied with a smile, but then turned her head and revealed a look of disdain and disgust.
Is it okay to spoil her like this now?
Is it because she's capable? In her past life, she said she wouldn't marry, but when the old man got angry, they forced her to marry him, completely disregarding her feelings.
Why should that old man force her to marry him out of gratitude? He even said she agreed to it herself, but she was only ten years old then, what did she know? She only knew how good the Xu family was from what they said. And what happened?
When she grew up, she discovered that Xu Zifan was sickly and his condition was getting worse; he looked like he was about to die. Wouldn't marrying him just make her a widow?
Furthermore, the Xu family is not a well-off family at all. All the money earned from the cloth shop is spent on Xu Zifan. Their small courtyard has not been changed for many years, and they are not as well off as their family. Why should she go there to suffer?
After she married into the Xu family, they actually made her serve the sick, treating her like a maid and never giving her a kind look. Who did they think they were? All she did was complain a few times because she was wronged, but the sickly man became seriously ill and died. The Xu family blamed her, not only divorcing her but also ruining her reputation.
Her biological father disliked her and casually married her off to an ordinary man as his second wife. She became the stepmother of two children and couldn't eat meat for ten days or half a month. She cooked every day and washed the whole family's clothes with cold water. Her life was incredibly miserable.
Her older sister, on the other hand, decided not to get married and even learned to brew wine, opening her own tavern. She's living a very comfortable life.
They're both daughters of the Lin family, so why is she forced to get engaged to repay a debt of gratitude, marry someone, and serve others, while Lin Ruonan can do whatever she wants? She even claims that her reputation has been ruined by her, and that she ignores Lin Ruonan now that she's in the limelight.
Her parents say they love her, but they abandon her when it really matters. And her younger brother, who calls her "sister" all the time, is completely unhelpful when she's in trouble.
Lin Ruoshan grew angrier the more she thought about it, hating all of them because they were the ones who caused her tragedy.
She was only happy when she entered the family's brewery and a rushing stream appeared out of thin air in front of her with a wave of her hand.
Heaven was kind to her, giving her a second chance and providing her with this sacred spring stream. The wine she brewed with the spring water was incredibly fragrant, and she could sell out every day, no matter how much she brewed—that was her confidence.
Moreover, having more spiritual spring water can prolong life and even cure diseases. Once she's independent, she can use wine with a high concentration of spiritual spring water to treat people's illnesses, and she'll never have to worry about anything again.
As for her older sister, she'll never have the chance to sneak into the tavern to learn the trade again. Once Lin Ruonan marries the sickly man, she'll become a maid in the Xu family. She'll probably work herself to death but still won't be able to save the sickly man's life. Let's see what good days Lin Ruonan will have then.
She will find herself a good husband and a good family, living a life of wealth and luxury. In her past life, they watched her suffer; in this life, she will make them experience the same misery!
Looking at the stream in front of Lin Ruoshan on the virtual screen, Xu Zifan said thoughtfully, "This doesn't seem like a magic weapon. It's more like a spiritual connection to another place, where you can draw water at any time."
Changsheng, who was perched on his shoulder, immediately sat up upon hearing this, "Is that from this world?"
Xu Zifan thought for a moment, "It should be. Lin Ruoshan is just an ordinary person. With her mental strength, she cannot support the connection from other planes. This stream can only be a place in this world."
Changsheng became excited, "Master, this spiritual spring hasn't recognized a master! Can I go find it? I want it, I want it!"
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Go ahead. But don't touch it yet once you find it. Let Lin Ruoshan keep it for a while longer; it'll be useful."
"Understood, Master, don't worry." Changsheng said and darted out of the room.
It was very clever, and it looked like a small snake about the length of a finger. Its abilities were unmatched in the world. Xu Zifan trusted it and let it run away.
Xu Zifan turned off the screen. He had initially wanted to see what the Lin family was up to, but now that Lin Ruonan was his fiancée, he naturally had to protect her. Fortunately, Old Master Lin was capable enough to protect his granddaughter; he was indeed a trustworthy person.
In the original owner's previous life, she was unwell and asleep when Old Master Lin came to visit, so there was no opportunity for Lin Ruonan to speak with him alone. However, Old Master Lin repeatedly assured her that the marriage would still be arranged with Lin Ruonan. After the marriage, the original owner's health deteriorated, and she remained bedridden. Their marriage still developed as Lin Ruonan had predicted.
The original owner was very grateful to Lin Ruonan for her busy work at the Xu family. So when Lin Ruoshan falsely accused Lin Ruonan of having an affair, he didn't believe it. Instead, he guessed that Lin Ruoshan's actions had angered him so much that his illness worsened, and he didn't survive. Xu's father and mother were also utterly devastated and passed away not long after.
The original owner felt deeply apologetic towards his parents and Lin Ruonan, and harbored nothing but hatred towards Lin Ruoshan. Xu Zifan could empathize with his feelings and also held a natural affection for Lin Ruonan. He always admired strong, independent, and sensible girls, and he was willing to pull her out of that predicament.
Just when he was in high spirits because of this happy occasion, and now that his fiancée had become his fiancée, his illness might also change.
As for Lin Ruoshan, although he doesn't plan to touch her spiritual spring for the time being, it would be easy for him to make her feel upset and miserable.
She wants to live happily while stepping on them, but that depends on whether he agrees.