New ink fragrance in old times

Lin Sixuan stopped, turned around and said to Lin Mo: "Sanlang, this is our town."

Lin Mo looked around, admiring the scene before him.

He had never seen such a quaint and peaceful town before, and his heart was filled with a desire to explore. "So where should we go next?" he asked impatiently.

Lin Sixuan pointed to a bluestone road ahead and said, "Just keep going along this road. It will take about 25 minutes to reach Shenjia Village."

On the way, Lin Sixuan did not forget to introduce everything in the town to Lin Mo. Lin Mo listened with great interest and occasionally interjected a few words about his own imagination and expectations.

As they were walking, Lin Sixuan suddenly stopped, turned around, and said to Lin Mo seriously, "When we get to my grandfather's house later, remember to be polite and greet the elders. If you see someone taller than you, call them brother or sister; if you see someone younger than you, call them younger brother or sister. The rest of you, just follow me and call them what I call you, okay?"

Lin Mo listened carefully and nodded.

Soon, a village that was richer than Guangyou Village came into view. Houses made of blue bricks and black tiles were scattered in an orderly manner. Lin Mo observed carefully and found that nearly half of the houses in Shenjia Village were like this. He thought to himself: No wonder my eldest brother just gave me such instructions.

As they walked deeper into the village, they arrived at a seemingly ordinary courtyard. Although the courtyard was small, it was kept clean and tidy. A few wild flowers peeked out from the cracks in the wall, adding a bit of vitality.

Old Mrs. Lin stopped, straightened her clothes, took a few steps forward, and knocked lightly on the slightly mottled wooden door.

"Knock, knock, knock--" The knocking sound was particularly clear. After a while, there seemed to be some movement inside the door, followed by footsteps. The door creaked and slowly opened.

Behind the door stood a woman of about the same age as Old Mrs. Lin. She was wearing coarse clothes, had a kind face, and her eyes flashed with surprise and joy.

"Oh, relative, why are you here? Please come in, please come in!" Mother Shen quickly turned sideways and greeted them warmly.

Old Mrs. Lin smiled and nodded. She gently patted Lin Mo and Lin Sixuan beside her, motioning them to follow.

Lin Sixuan called out clearly: "Grandma"

Lin Mo hesitated for a moment and called out, "Grandma."

Mother Shen's eyes moved from Lin Mo to Old Madam Lin, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes: "Mother-in-law, who is this...?"

Mrs. Lin introduced with a smile, "Oh, this is my second son's child. His nickname is Douzi. He doesn't like to talk much, but he is very honest in his heart."

Upon hearing this, Shen's mother nodded as if she had suddenly understood something, and a more cordial smile appeared on her face: "So it's the child of Shengzi's family. He has grown up so much and is really handsome. Come in, come in quickly, don't stand at the door."

When everyone entered the house, Shen's mother was busy asking them to sit down, and she also took out a few clean cups from the cabinet to prepare tea.

"Mother-in-law, why don't you see my sister Xin?"

In response to Shen's mother's question, Old Lady Lin used the same excuse as she had that morning: "I originally wanted to ask the eldest son's wife to come, but the ugly child cried and refused to let me go. It would be difficult to walk on the road without the ugly child, so I had to come."

Mother Shen nodded, as if she believed what Mrs. Lin said.

Old Mrs. Lin took out two cloth bags from her backpack and showed them to Shen's mother.

"The autumn harvest has just ended, and there's nothing much going on at home. I just thought this year's harvest was good, so I specially selected some high-quality rice and soybeans for my in-laws to try. Here, look, the rice grains are plump, and the soybeans are round and shiny."

Mother Shen looked at the white rice handed over by Mrs. Lin and nodded. Recalling that the rice was always given in the shells in the past, she knew in her heart that Mrs. Lin must have something to ask this time.

Mother Shen smiled and said to Old Mrs. Lin, "Oh, my dear, you are so kind! We have just finished the autumn harvest, and yet you still think of sending us food. It really makes me feel bad."

Mrs. Lin smiled and said, "We are all family, in-laws. Look at where to put the grain. Let's free up this bag."

Upon hearing this, Mother Shen took a few steps forward and said to Old Mrs. Lin, "In the inner room, mother-in-law, please follow me."

As she spoke, she gently patted the back of Mrs. Lin's hand and said to Lin Sixuan and Lin Mo, "Xuan'er, Douzi, you two sit down and have some tea. We'll go in and put some food away. Xuan'er, take good care of your younger brother."

Lin Sixuan nodded: "Okay, grandma."

Old Mrs. Lin followed Shen's mother through the corridor of the Shen family mansion and came to a relatively spacious and well-ventilated room.

Sunlight streamed through the half-open windows onto the floor, creating dappled shadows. The air was filled with the faint aroma of rice and the fresh scent of wood. Mother Shen led Old Lady Lin to a wooden table in the center of the room and sat her down. She herself went to fetch two bamboo chairs and placed them beside the table.

"Mother-in-law, this is where our Shen family stores grain. Although it is a bit simple, it is still clean." Mother Shen said as she gestured for Old Lady Lin to sit down.

"Mother-in-law, please take a seat."

Mrs. Lin smiled and responded, "Okay."

After the two of them sat down, Shen's mother's eyes became soft and concerned. She asked softly, "Mother-in-law, what happened that brought you here this time? I see that you seem to be worried."

When Mrs. Lin heard this, the smile on her face gradually disappeared into the air like fallen leaves blown away by the autumn wind, and was replaced by an indescribable worry.

She sighed softly, and her weathered eyes were now filled with uncertainty and worry about the future.

She spoke slowly, her voice choked with sobs: "Mother-in-law, to be honest, I came here this time because of Dalang's matter."

Seeing this, Shen's mother's heart tightened. She quickly leaned forward, her eyes full of concern: "Mother-in-law, from what you said, is there something wrong with Dalang?"

Mrs. Lin nodded. "Dalang is about to take the county exam. This is something both our families have been looking forward to for a long time, but the issue of a guarantor has become a problem. I've asked for help everywhere, but to no avail. I'm really anxious like an ant on a hot pan."

Mother Shen: "This..."

Mrs. Lin: "Mother-in-law, to be honest, I am at my wit's end. I came to ask if you have any solution."

Seeing that Shen's mother didn't say anything, Mrs. Lin said, "We have tried to contact the government many times, but there has been no response."

She sighed and continued, "Dalang has been a bright and studious child since childhood, always dreaming of changing his fate through the imperial examination. Now that the county exam is approaching, he's been hampered by this bailout. My heart is broken, as if it were a knife."

Mother Shen thought for a moment and said to Mrs. Lin, "Mother-in-law, I have always kept Dalang's matter in mind and have been asking people about it. Don't worry, I will continue to ask people and will do my best to help Dalang find a suitable candidate.

Chapter 94 Sanlang, what’s wrong with you?