Chapter 124 - 124: 124. Braised Fish (Second serving)
The sky gradually darkened.
Su Liang did not plan to go to Marquis Zhong Xin Mansion to find Xing Yusheng today.
At this point in the development of the matter, she trusts Xing Yusheng’s character.
But she has to inform Lin’s family as soon as possible, otherwise they might be too worried to get through this.
Ning Jing and Su Liang rode horses to Lin’s house at dusk.
At the entrance, they saw a carriage parked there, and the person standing next to it was Qi Jun.
“Mr. Ning, Miss Su!” Qi Jun saw them, greeted them with a smile.
Su Liang dismounted and asked, “Is your old lady here?”
She was thinking that marriage was such a big matter, it wouldn’t be Xing Yusheng coming alone.
Qi Jun shook his head, “The old lady didn’t come, the Marquis and the crown prince came together.”
Many things happened today, and Su Liang knew the inside story, so did Qi Jun, and there was no need for more words.
Su Liang thought about it, Lin Xueqing’s grandmother and mother had both passed away, so her marriage would be discussed with Lin Shuzhi, and it would indeed be more appropriate for Xing Ji to come.
Qi Jun took the horses of Su Liang and Ning Jing and tied them to the nearby trees.
The Lin family’s old housekeeper hurriedly invited them in, saying that Marquis Zhong Xin and Lin Shuzhi were in the study, Xing Yusheng was with Lin Boyan, and Lin Xueqing was cooking in the kitchen.
“What do you want to eat?” Su Liang asked Ning Jing.
Ning Jing answered in one word, “Fish.”
“Not today.” Su Liang finished speaking and went to find Lin Xueqing.
Ning Jing stood silently in place for a while before turning and walking away…
Qi Jun was puzzled when he saw Ning Jing come out alone not long after entering the house.
“Where can I find fish?” Ning Jing asked Qi Jun.
Qi Jun was stunned, “To eat? At the restaurant…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Jing disappeared.
When Su Liang saw Lin Xueqing, she was cutting vegetables.
Initially intending to cut them into thin strips, but she had unconsciously chopped them into mince.
“Xueqing.” Su Liang entered the room.
Lin Xueqing looked back at Su Liang in a daze, her eyes filling with tears, and she dropped the knife and hugged Su Liang, “Sister Su…why aren’t you a man?”
Su Liang gently patted Lin Xueqing’s back, “If I were a man, I would definitely marry you.”
Lin Xueqing choked back her tears and said, “I would rather become a nun than serve one husband with other women and be someone’s concubine.”
For her, it was a life without dignity and hope.
Su Liang let go of Lin Xueqing, “Your matter with the fourth prince has been cancelled.”
Lin Xueqing stared in disbelief, “Really?”
“Don’t you know why Marquis Zhong Xin and the crown prince are here?” Su Liang asked.
Lin Xueqing shook her head, “I don’t know. My father and my brother were both in a bad mood, and I wanted to make something for them to eat and find something to do for myself. When did Marquis Zhong Xin and the crown prince arrive?”
Su Liang rubbed her forehead, alright, this silly girl had no idea what had happened.
It was normal for Xing Yusheng not to talk to Lin Xueqing. If he went directly to her house and said he was looking for her, Lin’s father and brother might want to beat him up.
Su Liang let Lin Xueqing sit down and start the fire, while she looked at the finely chopped meat mince and decided to make dumplings.
She talked to Lin Xueqing about what happened today while cooking.
“Anyway, the fourth prince is not a good person.” Lin Xueqing frowned but did not say anything.
Su Liang nodded, “He is an ambitious man, all for his own interests.”
When she heard Su Liang say that the marriage was changed to Lin Xueqing and Xing Yusheng, Lin Xueqing was dumbfounded, “Are they here to propose marriage?”
Su Liang looked at Lin Xueqing whose face was astonished, without any other emotions.
“What do you think about marrying the crown prince?” Su Liang asked.
Lin Xueqing was somewhat at a loss, things changed too quickly, and it took her a while to react.
But because Xing Yusheng was Qin Yujin’s very close cousin and Su Liang’s friend, in Lin Xueqing’s view, his character was guaranteed.
So Lin Xueqing’s attitude towards Xing Yusheng was completely different from her attitude towards Duanmu Chen.
“Why does he want to marry me?” Lin Xueqing asked such a question after calming down a little.
Su Liang smiled, “Unlike the fourth prince, the crown prince wants to marry you simply because he likes you. Actually, he and his grandmother ran into us at Huguo Temple today. They were on their way to see you. His maternal family’s elders thought you two were very suitable and wanted to help him propose.”
“Ah?” Lin Xueqing’s eyes widened, “He came just to see me? What does he take me for?”
Su Liang understood that Lin Xueqing felt like she was being kept in the dark, as if she was being selected by others.
“What do you think of Old Lady Xing?” Su Liang asked Lin Xueqing about her feelings.
Lin Xueqing thought for a moment and frowned, “She’s very kind, it seems like she really likes me. By the way, the crown prince also explained to me that he and you are just friends, and he won’t pursue you. At that time, I suspected he wanted to compete with Ning Jing for you!”
Su Liang said, “You don’t have to worry about being manipulated in marriage matters again. I didn’t know about Marquis Xing’s request for an imperial marriage grant in advance, but if you really don’t want to marry the Xing family’s crown prince, I can talk to him and find a suitable time for the Xing family to withdraw the marriage proposal.”
Lin Xueqing was stunned, “But if the Emperor grants the marriage and the Xing family withdraws, wouldn’t it be considered disrespectful to the imperial power and disobeying the edict?”
“There will be a way for this kind of thing,” Su Liang said. “But if you are willing to marry the Xing family’s crown prince, things will be even simpler.”
Lin Xueqing’s little face was tangled, “1…1 don’t know… What do you think, Sister Su?”
Before Su Liang could say anything, Lin Boyan’s voice came from the outside, “Little sister, come out for a moment.”
Lin Xueqing was somewhat alarmed, “What is my big brother calling me for?” “Go ahead.” Su Liang tidied Lin Xueqing’s clothes.
When Xing Yusheng saw Lin Xueqing, his eyes instantly brightened up, and he bowed, “Miss Lin.”
“Crown Prince Xing.” Lin Xueqing returned the salute.
Knowing that Su Liang had arrived, Lin Boyan figured Lin Xueqing should have heard about some matters. He sighed softly and said, “Little sister, Crown Prince Xing has something to say to you.” With that, he walked away.
Only Xing Yusheng and Lin Xueqing were left in the courtyard, bathed in the faint glow of dusk, with an awkward atmosphere lingering in the air. The two remained speechless for a moment.
“I just wanted to say that my marriage proposal was sincere, but if you are unwilling, just let me know, and I’ll find a way to cancel it without causing any trouble for you.” Xing Yusheng said solemnly. This was his original plan.
But after saying it, he still felt some regret.
Reason made him say these words, but deep down, he hoped for a good outcome.
“There’s no need to rush to reply. A lot has happened today, so you should rest well first.” Xing Yusheng said and then took his leave.
Lin Xueqing watched his retreating figure, furrowed her brows, and didn’t notice Lin Boyan approaching as she turned and ran back into the kitchen. Lin Boyan heard Lin Xueqing’s voice, “Sister Su, what should I do?”
Xing Ji and his son Xing Yusheng walked out side by side without talking.
Before they even left the house, they ran into Ning Jing.
Xing Yusheng’s gaze dropped, noticing Ning Jing holding a fish, and asked curiously, “What is this, Young Master Ning…”
“Fish.” Ning Jing answered in a single word.
Xing Yusheng: … He wanted to ask why Ning Jing was carrying a fish to the Lin family, not what Ning Jing was holding. He wasn’t blind!
Ning Jing simply walked past them and moved on. Xing Ji asked Xing Yusheng,
“How is your relationship with him?”
“Not much.” Xing Yusheng said, “He doesn’t like to socialize.”
“What did Lin Boyan say?” Xing Ji asked again.
Xing Yusheng said, “He said that as long as Miss Lin is willing to marry me, he will not object.”
“If you like her, show it properly, and don’t always make the worst arrangements before taking any action.” Xing Ji said.
Xing Yusheng’s steps faltered. His Grandmother Xing had said that his personality was somewhat pessimistic and needed to change.
“Emotions can’t be forced.” Xing Yusheng sighed softly.
Xing Ji had already stepped out of the door, and it was unclear whether he heard the sigh or not.
When Ning Jing came in with the fish, Su Liang was cooking, and Lin Xueqing was nestling around her, insisting that Su Liang help her decide what to do.
Su Liang remained silent.
The intimate manner between the sisters was very warm.
Ning Jing stood at the kitchen doorway holding the fish, and his thin lips parted lightly, saying, “The fire is on.”
Lin Xueqing immediately let go of Su Liang, turning back in surprise, ‘Where is the fire?”
Ning Jing walked in, “In the stove.”
Lin Xueqing: .
“Where did the fish come from?” Su Liang asked.
“The restaurant.” Ning Jing said, “It’s a regular restaurant.”
“How do you want to eat it?” Su Liang hadn’t eaten fish in a long time either.
Su Liang shook her head, “It’s too complicated, let’s make it a red-braised fish.”
“Wait until the small fish in our lake grow up, and we can make squirrel fish,” Ning Jing said.
Lin Xueqing, who was listening on the side: … Aren’t these two definitely a couple? Their tone is clearly that of an old married couple!
At dinner, steaming hot and plump meat dumplings were served, along with red-braised fish and three other dishes.
Lin Shuzhi poured some alcohol, specifically toasting Su Liang, “Miss Su, thanks to you for helping us with this matter. Otherwise, we really wouldn’t know what to do.”
Su Liang drank a glass of alcohol, laughed, and told Lin Shuzhi not to be so formal.
When it came to the marriage between Lin Xueqing and Xing Yusheng, Su Liang, as Xing Yusheng’s friend, did not say anything in his favor, allowing the Lin family to decide for themselves..