Chapter 10

The saying goes that an ugly daughter-in-law will eventually have to meet her in-laws. For Ling Yun, however, this saying should be changed to: a man who marries into a family also has to meet his in-laws. Although Ling Yun had specifically requested, and Gao Qianxue had personally acknowledged, that their marriage was no longer about Ling Yun marrying into the Gao family, but rather Ling Yun marrying a wife, in the end, regardless of the name of the marriage, after the wedding, Ling Yun would still live in Gao Family Village. Therefore, to the people of the Gao family, Ling Yun was still a man who had married into the family.

The new son-in-law was about to enter the family, and in this era, such a person usually had no status. In ordinary families, a man who married into the family was no different from a child bride, not considered a master, and his status was similar to that of a servant. However, in higher-ranking families, the situation was better. For example, although the emperor's son-in-law was also considered a man who had married into the family, his status was still very high, like the imperial concubines, who were all ranked as inner court ladies.

Although Gao Family Village appeared to be just an estate on the outskirts of Yangzhou, it had over a hundred people living there, making it a small but wealthy landlord family. Therefore, they would not treat Ling Yun as a weak and easily bullied child bride.

In fact, the situation in Gao Family Village was much better than Ling Yun had imagined. It was often said that modern girls dreamed of a husband with a house and a car, and whose parents had passed away. Gao Qianxue's situation was similar. Gao Family Village was located on the outskirts of Yangzhou, the bustling center of southern Jiangnan, and owned a luxurious resort village by the mountains and water, with hundreds of acres of good farmland. Not only did they have tens of thousands of acres of land, but they also owned dozens of shops in several major cities in southern Jiangnan, including Yangzhou. The Gao family was large and prosperous, employing thousands of workers and tenants, and just within the Gao Family Village estate, there were nearly two hundred servants and guards.

More importantly, despite such a vast family business, the owners of Gao Family Village were only Gao Qianxue and Gao Mingyue, two unmarried young ladies. Gao Qianxue's parents had died early, and Gao Mingyue, the second daughter, was only her distant cousin, who had come to rely on her elder cousin after her own father's early death.

Ling Yun had no in-laws to meet!

After the wedding ceremony, he would be considered the third most important person in Gao Family Village.

Ever since Miss Gao Qianxue brought Ling Yun back a few days ago, all sorts of rumors had spread throughout Gao Family Village, and they only grew more exaggerated.

"How could a pure and virtuous lady like Miss Gao just pick up a random person and bring him home to marry into the family?" A fat aunt, washing clothes by the well in the servants' courtyard, shook her head in regret while washing clothes.

"There's actually a hidden story behind this," another aunt fetching water said mysteriously.

"What hidden story? How would you know?" the fat aunt asked, pretending not to believe her.

"Hey, let me tell you, my daughter works in the inner courtyard. She told me this herself. I'm telling you, don't spread this around, or there will be serious consequences." The fat aunt felt superior because her daughter worked close to Miss Gao.

"Oh, I won't say a word, I promise. Tell me quickly."

"Miss Gao is already twenty and hasn't married yet, all because of her silver hair and white eyebrows. Some people said this was a sign of a solitary star, and that her parents' early deaths were related to this. They also said she would harm her husband, which is why no one had proposed to her until now. A few days ago, it was the anniversary of her mother's death, and Miss Gao, feeling despondent, jumped into the river. Fortunately, someone passing by saved her."

"Is that the Yi Feng that Miss Gao brought back?"

"Yes!"

"But I heard that he has amnesia and doesn't even remember his name or where he's from. Why would Miss Gao want to marry him? Wouldn't it be enough to thank him and give him some money? There's no need to bring him into the family," the thin aunt fetching water said, puzzled.

The fat aunt looked around cautiously, then lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "You don't know, but when Yi Feng saved Miss Gao, she had already stopped breathing. Yi Feng was very skilled; he took off her clothes and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He managed to save her. I don't know where he learned this method, but although it saved her life, it also damaged Miss Gao's reputation. Even though saving her was the priority, she is an unmarried lady, and being undressed and kissed by him certainly harmed her reputation. Since Miss Gao has never had a suitable man, she decided to bring Yi Feng back and make him her husband."

The thin aunt listened in amazement, feeling very satisfied.

"Do you think Yi Feng's amnesia has anything to do with Miss Gao? They say she has a hard fate, harming her parents and husband..."

"You two, stop gossiping and get back to work! If I hear any more nonsense, I'll cut out your tongues!" the head guard, Gao Ding, suddenly appeared behind them.

The fat and thin aunts were terrified, their faces pale, and they quickly picked up their wooden basins and fled.

"Gao Bo, wait a moment!"

After leaving the servants' courtyard, Gao Yi saw the chief steward, Gao Guan, passing by and quickly called out.

The white-haired Gao Bo stopped.

"Gao Bo, the servants are saying that Miss Gao is a hard-fated person, harming her parents and husband, and that Yi Feng dishonored her. Is this true?" Gao Ding looked indignant.

"Weren't you at the river that day?" Gao Bo, though old, was not foolish. "The talk about harming parents and husband is just rumors. How can you believe the same nonsense as those ignorant servants? As for the claim that Yi Feng dishonored Miss Gao, that's even more baseless. When he saved her, it was a matter of life and death, not a violation. Yi Feng was just doing what was necessary to save her."

"But what about Yi Feng's sudden amnesia after coming to Gao Family Village? Could it be because he was harmed by Miss Gao?"

"Of course not. His amnesia is due to an earlier injury."

"But how could it be so coincidental that he was fine by the river but suddenly lost his memory when he came to Gao Family Village?"

"Enough, Xiao Yi. Don't listen to those ignorant gossips. Don't you know how noble Miss Gao is? In my opinion, although Yi Feng has amnesia, he seems like a decent person. Miss Gao has decided to marry him, and he has decided to stay. This is a good thing. Miss Gao has been alone for a year, and now she is finally getting married. We should be happy for her."

"Yes, Gao Bo." Gao Ding nodded, but he still found it hard to accept that Miss Gao had suddenly decided to marry a stranger with amnesia.

"Let's go. Miss Gao has asked everyone to gather in the main hall. She says Yi Feng is almost recovered and will meet everyone formally before the evening ceremony."

"This is Gao Bo, the chief steward of the estate. He has been serving the Gao family for over forty years, diligently managing the estate. Now, all the important matters in Gao Family Village are handled by Gao Bo."

Hearing Gao Qianxue's introduction, Ling Yun felt a deep respect for the scholarly and dignified old steward. In the Gao Family Village organization, Gao Qianxue was the CEO, and Gao Bo was undoubtedly the COO. With over forty years of service, his loyalty to the Gao family was unquestionable, especially with only a young lady as the head of the family.

Ling Yun hurriedly bowed and nodded in respect. Gao Bo, with no airs, stepped forward and returned the bow, saying, "You are too kind. I am just a servant of the Gao family and do not deserve such a grand gesture. After the evening ceremony, you will be a half-owner of Gao Family Village. I have served the Gao family for over forty years, and I am overjoyed to see Miss Gao's wedding today." The old man was so moved that he shed tears.

Ling Yun quickly said some comforting words to calm the old steward's emotions.

Next, the important figures of Gao Family Village came in one by one to meet the new son-in-law. It was clear that Gao Family Village was a wealthy family. There were over thirty people, including the chief steward, assistant stewards, managers, clerks, doctors, head guards, and first-class maids, kitchen managers, and carriage drivers. This was due to the hasty wedding, as the managers of the outer estates and shops had not yet returned. Otherwise, the number would have been several times larger. This gave Ling Yun a more direct understanding of the vast wealth of Gao Family Village.

"This is Gao Ding, the head of the guards. He was my father's personal bodyguard and has served the Gao family for twenty years. Gao Ding is highly skilled in martial arts and is the best warrior in our village."

This was the head of security, who had also served as a bodyguard and assistant to the previous head of the Gao family. He must have a high status in Gao Family Village and be part of the core leadership. Ling Yun hurriedly bowed to Gao Ding, but to his surprise, Gao Ding was very cold and even seemed to have a deep-seated hostility towards him. This left Ling Yun puzzled and confused. Had he offended this muscular man somehow?

"I've heard that Yi Feng also practices martial arts. I should ask him to teach me a few moves when he has time!"

"Please call me Ling Yun. There's no need for such formalities. As for sparring, there's no need for that. I've forgotten everything, including whether I practiced martial arts. Even if I did, I doubt I could match someone as skilled as Gao Captain."

Gao Qianxue also noticed Gao Ding's strange behavior and whispered, "Yi Lang has amnesia and may not be familiar with the proper etiquette. Please bear with him, Uncle Gao."

With Gao Qianxue's intervention, Gao Ding could not say anything more and had to step back.

After meeting many more people, which took half a day, Ling Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like the first day at a new company, meeting all the new faces and smiling until his face ached.

Fortunately, he only had to meet the important people. If he had to meet all the hundreds of people in the village, he would have gone mad.

"Mulan, you and Qinglian take Yi Lang to the East Courtyard to prepare the wedding attire and rituals. Be sure to do a good job," Gao Qianxue said with a smile, nodding at Ling Yun, showing no signs of shyness as a bride-to-be. Ling Yun nodded, bowed to Gao Bo and the others, and left with Mulan and Qinglian to prepare for the wedding.

Ps: It's Monday, and this week is the new book ranking. Although the word count is still low, I hope to get a good ranking. I will work hard to update, and I kindly ask for your support with recommendations. Thank you all!

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