In the afternoon, the two were planning to go talk to the clan leader and pay a visit to his wife. Before they left the house, a servant came back to report that the second house had returned all the gifts they had sent.
Li Yaonan and Lin Yixuan looked at each other. They knew about the second branch of the family. They heard that the uncle of the second branch had passed the imperial examination and had a high status in the family. As they were new here, they should not have any conflicts with the second branch.
The two men were puzzled, and as they were about to pay a visit to the clan leader, they did not waste any time, asked someone to bring the prepared gifts, and headed towards the main room.
The clan leader's wife was a smart and capable woman, about forty years old, dressed very neatly. When she saw them, she smiled and said, "I guessed you would come over, and just as I was talking, you've arrived."
"Greetings, Madam Clan Leader." Li Yaonan bowed.
"Hello, Aunt Yun." Lin Yixuan had already found out how others addressed the clan leader's wife, so he was not shy when he met her now.
When the clan leader's wife heard this, she smiled and looked at Li Yaonan and said, "What do you mean by madam or not? She is just an old woman. From now on, just call me Aunt Yun, just like your wife."
Li Yaonan touched his nose. He was indeed not as smooth as Lin Yixuan in terms of the inner house. He readily called out, "Yes, Aunt Yun."
Aunt Yun smiled with satisfaction and pointed at the people around her and introduced them: "This is my eldest daughter-in-law, eldest grandson, and second daughter-in-law. Come and meet them."
"Hello, sister-in-law, hello, sister-in-law." Lin Yixuan hurriedly asked someone to send the prepared gifts. Everyone in the clan leader's family got a share. The two daughters-in-law were given two pieces of brocade, and Aunt Yun was given four pieces of brocade plus a gold bracelet. In addition, the clan leader's grandson was given the best writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and the granddaughter was just one month old, so she was given a longevity lock.
Li Yaonan, however, had a look on his face as if he had been struck by lightning. He was dizzy and disoriented. Li Youxin was only eighteen years old, and he didn't expect that his son could run away.
"Uncle Nan, Aunt Nan." The child called in a baby voice.
"Good boy!" Li Yaonan touched his head. He always felt that children were not likable creatures.
Lin Yixuan took out a jade pendant from his bosom, and his eyes softened unconsciously when he looked at the child: "Take it and play with it, this is a gift from your uncle and aunt."
The child widened his eyes timidly and did not dare to take the thing. He first looked at his sister-in-law, and when he saw her looking at Aunt Yun, he turned his gaze to his grandmother.
Aunt Yun disapproved and rebuked, "You came just like that, and you gave me gifts, but what's going on here? He's just a kid, you can't spoil him. He doesn't know anything, and he's wasting good things."
Seeing that she was blaming him but her eyes were full of joy, Lin Yixuan smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that we are attracted to each other. Your grandson is smart and clever, and your sister-in-law has taught him very well. I like him very much."
It was the first time that Li Yaonan saw Lin Yixuan smile outside the Lin Residence. He was surprised and a little jealous at the same time. What was so adorable about the child? He was the handsome one, so why didn't Lin Yixuan smile at him
Seeing that Lin Yixuan insisted, Aunt Yun did not stop him and nodded. The little guy happily took the jade pendant and said softly, "Thank you, Aunt Nan."
The eldest sister-in-law was very happy. Who wouldn't like others praising their son? What's more, Lin Yixuan indirectly praised her and said that she was a good teacher.
Aunt Yun glanced at Li Yaonan and Lin Yixuan, then smiled and joked, "Since you like children so much, why don't you hurry up and have one so that you can inherit your uncle's family lineage."
Li Yaonan blushed and felt uncomfortable all over. He hadn't felt so embarrassed for a long time. He glanced at Lin Yixuan secretly and saw that he had no expression on his face. He felt a little uneasy. But he thought about it again and felt that it was wrong. He didn't feel guilty at all. He and Lin Yixuan were not a real couple. Why did he feel insecure
As Li Yaonan thought this in his heart, his expression relaxed and he quickly found an excuse, saying that he wanted to talk to the clan leader, and left in a hurry as if his eyebrows were in a hurry. It turned out that the inner courtyard of the back house was not a place for a man to stay.
Aunt Yun couldn't help laughing and gasped: "Look, you are already that old, but you are still embarrassed and shy."
Lin Yixuan did not respond. Only he knew that when he saw Li Yaonan's performance, he felt a chill in his heart.
Let's talk about Li Yaonan. After meeting the clan leader, he was teaching his youngest son a lesson. Li Youxin went to his uncle's house. Li Yaonan first greeted Li Youyan. Looking at the young boy in front of him, Li Yaonan felt sad and once again lamented the precocity of the ancients, who got married at the age of fifteen. Damn, this is harming the young.
After talking with the clan leader, Li Yaonan asked the doubts in his mind: "The second branch is dissatisfied with me. My husband sent a gift today, but it was returned." After all, the second branch is very prestigious in the clan. If he can't establish a good relationship with it, it will be disadvantageous to both him and Lin Yixuan.
Li Jingxiang sighed and was silent for a long time before he started to tell the story. It turned out that after several generations of unremitting efforts, the Li family was no longer just a farming family, but a farming and reading family. They were also well-known in Suzhou. There were many educated children in the family, including several scholars. In addition to Li Taian's ancestors, the second branch of the family also had a juren, which happened a few years ago. Unfortunately, when Uncle Qian passed the juren exam, he was already 46 years old. He had no hope of continuing to take the jinshi exam, and had no connections in the officialdom. He could not get an official position, so he could only return home sadly and became a teacher in the family school.
It was also because of this incident that the second house became enemies with the Li family. Ma Yulian was able to find an official position for her nephew from her natal family, but she turned a blind eye to the old family members and even suppressed them secretly, for fear that the old family members would have a bright future and surpass the Li family. How could the second house not hate her
Li Yaonan had no choice but to smile bitterly after hearing this. He hadn't even had an adopted child yet, but he already had an enemy. The people in the Li Mansion were really something, always doing terrible things.
"That's fine." Li Jingxiang said nonchalantly, "After you are adopted, you will be Li Taicheng's son and inherit the Sixth House's lineage. Uncle Qian is not an unreasonable person. When you and your husband go to see him again, you will definitely not be turned away."
"Thank you, Uncle Xiang." Li Yaonan thanked him solemnly and felt relieved. Uncle Qian taught in the clan school and all of his dozens of disciples were members of the Li family. If he really offended him, Li Yaonan would get a headache just thinking about the students he taught.
Li Jingxiang smiled casually: "Why are you being so polite to me? You can rest assured today and visit Fourth Uncle tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day. We will open the ancestral temple, so it's a good opportunity to remember your wife as well."
"Do we still need to record him?" Li Yaonan was stunned and felt a little worried. He had promised Lin Yixuan that he would set him free after he was adopted. If this was recorded in the family tree...
Li Jingxiang laughed: "Of course I have to remember it. Only by recording it in the family tree can your wife legitimately become a member of the Li family."
Li Yaonan frowned, but didn't know how to explain. He could only let the matter go for the time being and just hoped that Lin Yixuan would not be too angry after knowing it.
Not long after, the eldest sister-in-law came to call them for dinner.
When he saw Lin Yixuan again, Li Yaonan's expression had already returned to normal, without any trace of shyness from before.
After dinner, they chatted for a while. Seeing that the clan leader looked a little tired, Li Yaonan and Lin Yixuan politely said goodbye.
After the long journey and a sleepless night last night, they were a little tired.
After returning to the room, Li Yaonan told Lin Yixuan what happened.
Lin Yixuan remained silent, not because he didn't want to talk, but because he didn't know what to say. The so-called letting him go free was all Li Yaonan's idea, and he had never agreed to it.
Upon seeing this, Li Yaonan made a lot of assurances, all of which were to reassure Lin Yixuan that he only regarded him as a buddy and there was absolutely no romantic relationship between them. Even if it was recorded in the family tree, he would never stop Lin Yixuan if he wanted to leave.
Lin Yixuan poured him a bowl of tea: "You must be thirsty!"
Li Yaonan was so flattered that he almost dropped the tea bowl. He licked his lips and realized that his mouth was indeed dry. He gulped down half a bowl of tea in one breath, like a cow chewing a peony.
Lin Yixuan looked at him calmly: "I'm going to sleep first."
Li Yaonan was stunned for a while. Is this the end? Lin Yixuan didn't scold him or get angry. This is unlikely. After seeing Lin Yixuan's cold face so many times, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Lin Yixuan ignored him, took out two quilts from the cupboard, spread them on the bed, then took off his hairpin, his long black hair cascading down, and the candlelight made his cheeks look even colder.
Li Yaonan felt depressed, as if something was blocking him.
Lin Yixuan didn't look at him again. She combed her long black hair as if no one was around. After she was done, she took off her outer shirt, leaving only a thin inner shirt. She took off her shoes and socks and lay down on the bed. The quilt she left outside was obviously for Li Yaonan.
Li Yaonan was dazed for a while, and when he saw Lin Yixuan really fell asleep, he slapped himself in annoyance. It was a good thing that Lin Yixuan was not angry. Why was he suspicious? Could it be that Lin Yixuan had the potential to be a masochist? When Li Yaonan thought of this, he shuddered all over, took off his clothes in a hurry, and slept on the outside. He could still see Lin Yixuan's sleeping face when he turned his head.
Lin Yixuan noticed someone lying down next to him and didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't know where Li Yaonan heard the rumor that he had someone in his heart. He couldn't explain, nor did he want to explain. What's the point of explaining? Li Yaonan didn't like Shuang'er at all. Explaining clearly might push him away even more. So let it be. He was a little tired today. He would take a rest first and everything would be fine tomorrow. Tomorrow he would cheer up. No matter what Li Yaonan thought, he had already secured the position of the mistress of the house.