Chapter 35

After the old lady left, it was unexpected that not long after, Xie Zongjia, the third son of the Xie family, and the old lady came together.

Xie Zongjia was holding a bottle of good wine. As soon as he saw Lin Gaozhu, he said, "Father-in-law, I've come to congratulate you."

Lin Gaozhu went out to greet them and said, "Zongjia, you're too polite. Old lady, why do you need to trouble your father-in-law?"

The old lady smiled and said, "Father, now that you've become an official, I've asked my father to come and congratulate you. It's also a way to apologize for any past wrongs."

Xie Laohu smiled and said, "Yes, father-in-law, we're all one family, no grudges last overnight!"

The third son of the Xie family also brought a piece of meat and a large intestine, saying, "Yes, father-in-law, now that you've been promoted, we have someone in the government. Whatever my father and I did wrong in the past, please don't hold it against us."

"Where, where, it's all in the past. We have no grudges. These days, the old lady has been doing well, and that's how life should be." Lin Gaozhu was in high spirits due to the good news.

The old lady and the old man were beaming with joy. In the past, their status in the family was low, and the old man often suffered. But now that Lin Gaozhu had become the chief of the river patrol, the Xie family would have to rely on the Lin family.

The old lady went to the kitchen to prepare the large intestine and meat brought by the third son of the Xie family, and she also warmed the wine. Lin Qianqian wanted to help, but the old lady wouldn't allow it.

At the table, the old lady used all her skills to prepare several dishes, including a large steamed yellow croaker, a plate of braised pork, and wine-braised large intestine. There was also a plate of dried clams and sheep stomach, which was a delicacy. Lin Yanchao had tasted it once, and it was made by stewing dried clams, sheep stomach, and aged wine. The freshness of the seafood covered the gamey taste of the sheep stomach, and the rich aroma of the aged wine made it so delicious that one could almost swallow their tongue.

The sealed bottle of high-quality green wine was opened, and the aroma of the wine filled the air. The poured wine was clear and beautiful to look at.

"Father-in-law, let's not mention the past. Our friendship is in the wine. Let's all raise a glass to you, father-in-law." Xie Laohu had completely softened.

The third son of the Xie family also raised his glass, "Father-in-law, I'll toast to you."

Lin Gaozhu smiled and said, "Let's not say anything else. We won't stop until we're drunk. Everyone, raise your glasses!"

Everyone raised their glasses, and Lin Yanchao and Lin Qianqian also poured a little.

Lin Gaozhu said, "This year, our family suffered from the flood, and we had a hard time. The family almost fell apart, but now our hard times are over. Everyone, let's drink to that!"

Everyone clinked their glasses together.

Lin Gaozhu looked at Lin Yanchao and said, "This is all thanks to Chao'er. Chao'er, you've grown up. I won't say more. Now that I'm an official and our family's life has improved, you should focus on your studies. You can take five taels of silver from me every month, and if you need more money, just come to me. Don't worry about money until you pass the examination for the degree of xiucai."

Lin Yanchao nodded, and his financial problems, which had always troubled him, finally improved.

The old lady's face turned sour, and Xie Laohu noticed, thinking, "Why is this daughter still so unreasonable? How can she provoke the second son of the Xie family?" He then said, "Father-in-law, as the chief of the river patrol, you'll earn at least twenty to thirty taels of silver a year. Giving a few taels to support your grandson's studies is no big deal."

The old lady's face improved, and she forced a smile.

"Chao'er, do you have anything to say?" Lin Gaozhu asked.

Lin Yanchao nodded and said, "Grandfather, I have no other requests. I only have one thing to say: a harmonious family leads to success in everything!"

"A harmonious family leads to success in everything!"

Everyone paused to savor the words. The old man and the old lady exchanged glances.

The old man said, "Chao'er, that's a good saying. From now on, we'll live a good life."

Lin Yanchao smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle. I only hope that Qianqian won't have to weave mats every day and night."

"Of course! Before Qianqian gets married, she's still our daughter. We can't let her work so hard." The old man said.

Lin Qianqian said, "Thank you, Uncle. Weaving mats isn't that hard."

"No, in the past, we had a tight budget, but now we don't need your money." Lin Gaozhu said.

"Can I weave during the day and not at night?" Lin Qianqian asked weakly.

Everyone laughed.

The old man then held his glass and said, "Chao'er, work hard with Mr. Shen and put in a good word for me to get a job in the sixth office. This all depends on you, and you can't refuse to help."

The old man continued to act like an elder.

The old lady said, "What are you talking about? We're all one family. Chao'er wouldn't refuse to help you, right?"

Lin Yanshou, who was about to eat a piece of braised pork, had it knocked off by the old lady. He immediately cried, "Mother, I want braised pork, braised pork."

"Who are you eating for?" The old lady immediately gave a piece of braised pork to Lin Yanchao and a large piece of fish to Lin Qianqian.

"Old lady, this..." Lin Yanchao tried to refuse.

This made the third uncle, who had been ignored, complain, "Old lady, you can't be so biased!"

Then, the third uncle, feeling unbalanced, said to Lin Yanchao, "Chao'er, can you also get a good job for your third uncle?"

Lin Yanchao smiled, and Lin Qianqian, sitting beside him, kept smiling.

The atmosphere at the meal was very good, with good wine and food, and the whole family together. Only the third uncle, who couldn't hold his liquor, got drunk early and went to lie down in the inner room.

When the sun was setting, someone outside asked, "Is this the home of Chief Lin?"

The family was surprised. The news of Lin Gaozhu becoming the chief of the river patrol had just spread, and someone had already come to congratulate him.

Lin Gaozhu responded, and several people outside said to him, "Congratulations on your promotion, Chief Lin. I am the clerk of the river patrol, and these are the patrol officers. We will all be under your command, so we came uninvited to pay our respects. We are unwelcome guests."

Lin Yanchao thought, "The news has spread so far so quickly."

Lin Gaozhu laughed and said, "What unwelcome guests? You're all brothers. Don't be so formal. Big brother, third son, go borrow some tables and chairs from the neighbors, and some bowls and chopsticks. Let's all gather."

"This is troubling Chief Lin."

The whole family went out to greet them. Lin Yanchao saw a row of people, led by a clerk, and the others were dressed as patrol officers. The clerk must be the clerk, and without a deputy chief, he was like the deputy of the chief.

These people were all very polite and didn't come empty-handed.

"This, this, this is too much," Lin Gaozhu was at a loss looking at the gifts.

"This is a small token of our respect, sir, please accept it!" everyone said together.

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Lin Gaozhu said, "Alright, but no more next time! No more next time!"

Hearing Lin Gaozhu agree, the old man and the old lady beamed with joy. If it weren't for the guests, they would have taken the gifts immediately. The gifts were all worth at least one hundred coins, with the most valuable being three hundred coins, and there were also many dried clams, dried scallops, dried fish, and dried shrimp. Xie Laohu and the third son of the Xie family were almost drooling.

The clerk said, "A small token of our respect. After Chief Lin takes office, the fishermen will also send a gift."

The old man was pleasantly surprised and said, "I didn't expect the river patrol to be so good."

The clerk smiled and said, "Compared to other government offices, it's not much, but the responsibility is light. As the saying goes, 'River officials eat fish every day, no need to wait for the sound of the gong.' From now on, your family will have plenty of fish to eat."

Hearing this, everyone laughed.

Everyone went inside, and the lunch turned into an afternoon tea, and they continued to eat.

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