NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Their Marriage
Chapter 7: Their Marriage
Lin Ye looked at Qiao Nian in disbelief. He instinctively wanted to accuse her of lying, but seeing his mother sitting nearby with lowered eyes, not intending to speak, he already had his answer.
But how could this be?
Father had always favored Nian Nian the most since childhood!
How could he let her change her surname?
The feeling of something violently tearing at his heart once again made Lin Ye’s breathing unsteady.
He felt extremely irritated, looking around the room and finding no one pleasing to the eye. He simply turned and left in a huff.
His departure left Xiao Heng in a somewhat awkward position.
He stepped forward and bowed, “Xiao Heng pays respects to Old Madam Lin.”
The Old Madam was quite kind to him.
The young general who had been awarded the title “Defender of the Northern Frontier,” brave and resourceful, always cultured and polite – how could he not win the favor of elders?
The Old Madam hurriedly raised her hand to welcome him, “General Xiao, please sit! You sent so many precious herbs yesterday, I should be the one personally visiting to thank you.”
Xiao Heng sat down opposite Lin Yuan, looking at the Old Madam with a gentle expression, “My parents are still in their prime and don’t need those. The ginseng and deer antler bestowed by the Emperor are naturally best for nourishing the Old Madam’s health.”
The Old Madam laughed heartily, “Such a filial child. It’s good that you came today. Your aunt was just discussing with me about finalizing the marriage with your family. Why don’t you ask your parents when they’re free after you go back today, so both families can sit down and discuss it properly?”
Hearing the Old Madam’s words, Xiao Heng finally glanced at Lin Yuan.
Noticing Xiao Heng’s gaze, Lin Yuan lowered her head again, her face turning bright red.
This made Madam Lin laugh, “This girl, getting shy now!”
Then, Madam Lin said to Xiao Heng, “Heng’er, you know that both of you are not young anymore. It’s time to settle this marriage.”
Xiao Heng nodded, seeming to agree with Madam Lin’s words.
However, he suddenly looked at Qiao Nian, “What does Miss Qiao think?”
Qiao Nian was suddenly stunned, looking at Xiao Heng with a mixture of confusion and scrutiny.
What did it have to do with her?
Not just Qiao Nian, even Madam Lin and Lin Yuan were taken aback.
Lin Yuan looked at Xiao Heng, then at Qiao Nian, and suddenly realized that when Xiao Heng was talking to the Old Madam earlier, he was actually looking at Qiao Nian.
Her eyes instantly reddened.
Could it be that the person in Xiao Heng’s heart was actually Qiao Nian?
But, he was her fiancé!
Madam Lin naturally saw Lin Yuan’s grievance at a glance, but Xiao Heng was now a favorite of the Emperor, and even she didn’t dare to speak loudly to him.
So she could only pretend to be gentle and say, “Heng’er, why ask Nian Nian about your marriage to Yuan’er?”
Yes, why ask her?
Qiao Nian had the same confusion in her heart.
Only Xiao Heng maintained his cultured and elegant demeanor, “Aunt Lin, please don’t misunderstand. It’s just that Miss Qiao is still nominally the eldest young lady of the Marquis’s household, and Yuan’er calls her sister. There’s an order of seniority, and if there’s to be a marriage, it should rightfully be Miss Qiao first.”
This explanation… was somewhat plausible.
After all, in families that strictly adhered to traditions, if the eldest daughter hadn’t married, the younger brothers and sisters couldn’t marry either.
But the Marquis’s household had never been so strict about such rules.
As far as Qiao Nian knew, the Xiao family wasn’t so traditional either.
Xiao Heng saying this now probably just meant he hoped she would get married quickly.
Was he worried she would still cling to him like before?
Qiao Nian laughed inwardly, but her face only showed a faint smile, “According to General Xiao’s words, the young master should marry first.”
After all, the young master was her ‘brother’.
But Lin Ye’s marriage was not even on the horizon. If they had to wait for Lin Ye to marry, then for her to marry, before Lin Yuan and Xiao Heng could wed, it might take another year or two.
He might not be in a hurry, but Xiao Heng’s parents were probably waiting to hold their grandchildren!
But Xiao Heng, as if he hadn’t heard her sarcasm, nodded solemnly, “That’s how it should be.”
Hearing this, Lin Yuan, sitting opposite, looked straight at Xiao Heng with red eyes.
She seemed to be questioning him with her gaze, why was he doing this?
She was already considered an old maid. He might be able to wait, but how long could she wait?
Even Madam Lin couldn’t think of how to respond to Xiao Heng’s reasoning, and the topic seemed to fade away.
After some more inconsequential chat, the Old Madam claimed she was tired and asked Qiao Nian to help her back to her room to rest.
Madam Lin then led Lin Yuan and Xiao Heng to bow and take their leave.
However, just as Xiao Heng had walked out of the Old Madam’s courtyard, he heard a gentle voice from behind, “Brother Heng.”
For a moment, Xiao Heng thought it was Qiao Nian.
But this voice was too soft, unlike Qiao Nian’s which carried a sharp edge.
He sighed inwardly before turning around.
Glancing at Madam Lin leaving in the distance, Xiao Heng then looked at Lin Yuan, “What is it?”
His deep voice was gentle, as always.
Lin Yuan always felt that Xiao Heng’s tone when speaking to her was particularly gentle. He always maintained politeness and distance with others.
So Lin Yuan had always felt that Xiao Heng treated her differently.
But today, for the first time, she sensed the distance within this gentleness.
Thinking that she might have been deluding herself all these years, Lin Yuan’s eyes welled up with tears, red like an injured little rabbit.
She lowered her head, bit her lip, her hands nervously fiddling with the hem of her clothes. Finally, she mustered up the courage to ask, “Brother Heng, do you… not want to marry me?”
Xiao Heng hadn’t expected Lin Yuan to ask this. After a brief pause, he smiled lightly, “Why would you ask such a thing?”
“You, you just now…”
Lin Yuan couldn’t bring herself to say more.
Saying too much would make her seem desperate to get married.
She was a woman, and still needed to maintain some dignity.
Xiao Heng looked at her, already understanding what she wanted to say, but still replied calmly, “Don’t overthink it. Our engagement was arranged by our elders. It won’t change.”
With that, he smiled faintly, “I’ll come see you again in a few days.” Then he turned and left.
Lin Yuan stood there, silently watching Xiao Heng’s retreating figure.
His last words seemed to have given her some reassurance.
But…
He never answered her question.
Meanwhile, in the Lin family ancestral hall, Lin Ye knelt beside the slightly crumpled Lin family genealogy on the ground before him.
He hadn’t believed Qiao Nian’s words earlier.
How could Father be so heartless as to let Nian Nian change her name?
But he had just flipped through this genealogy more than a dozen times and still couldn’t find Nian Nian’s name.
There was no Lin Nian, nor was there a Qiao Nian.
He didn’t understand.
It was just breaking a crystal bowl, why remove her name from the family genealogy?
It was just a bowl!
Did removing her name mean others wouldn’t know that Qiao Nian was raised by the Lin family?
Even if Qiao Nian wasn’t of Lin blood, they had raised her for fifteen years. Could fifteen years of affection not withstand that one bowl?
No wonder Qiao Nian showed no joy upon seeing him after three years.
No wonder she wouldn’t call Madam Lin “Mother” or him “Brother”!
Lin Ye took a deep breath. For a moment, he seemed to understand Qiao Nian.
But soon, that strange anger in his heart reignited.
After all, this genealogy was just a few sheets of paper. Even if Qiao Nian’s name wasn’t on it, could it erase the fifteen years of doting they had given her?
Even if they had raised a dog, feeding it well for fifteen years, giving it whatever it wanted, it would still wag its tail at them. But her?
In the end, she was just too resentful!
They had already brought her back, Mother had personally said nothing would change, couldn’t they just get along like before?
Why did she have to make the relationship so tense?
Thinking of Qiao Nian’s cold and distant manner, Lin Ye felt extremely frustrated.
He thought, perhaps she needed to be taught a lesson.