Chapter 98: Academic God And Academic Slacker
“So now you know I wasn’t lying to you when I said I could break away from the family!” Mo Ziyuan suddenly changed the subject, returning to the previous topic.
Lin Xin: “······” You’ve made me sorry for racking my brains to come up with words to comfort you!
“Fine, even if you can break away from the family, what about the rest? Your life is destined to be inseparable from the Imperial Court. After the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, your status will be no lower than that of the Heir of Dingguo Duke—only higher. At that time, what kind of woman couldn’t you have? And they would surely all be beautiful, refined, and accomplished. But I’m just a village girl who can’t learn those gentle graces. One day, you’ll get tired of me.”
“No, I swear to you, that day will absolutely never come.”
Lin Xin shook her head. “But the love I want is a lifetime with only one partner. My world of love is very small—just the two of us is perfect. Any more people and it would be too crowded.”
“Do you think I would like having three wives and four concubines? From childhood, I’ve watched my father with women on both sides while my mother lived out her days alone and desolate in the family temple. How could I still want to provoke any woman other than my wife? So don’t refuse me—at least not so directly, okay? Let’s give each other a little time, alright?”
Looking at Mo Ziyuan’s reddened eyes, Lin Xin surprisingly found she didn’t want him to feel so bad and nodded as if possessed.
“Don’t worry, I will prove it to you. When the day comes that you fully trust me, we’ll talk about marriage then, okay?”
“Let’s talk about that later. I’m not someone who likes to hear what people say—I only want to see what they do.”
“Then it’s settled.” Mo Ziyuan stood up beaming with energy, pulling Lin Xin up with him. He solemnly took out a pair of emerald green bracelets from his bosom and placed them in her hands, so quickly that Lin Xin couldn’t help suspecting he had planned this for a long time. “These were left by my mother for her daughter-in-law. She’s no longer here, so I’m giving them to you on her behalf.”
Lin Xin quickly refused. “No, this is too precious. And didn’t we agree to see how you perform? What does this count as? No, no.”
“Xin’er,” Mo Ziyuan’s low voice rang out. Lin Xin shivered, feeling her ear roots burning hot. She finally understood what it meant for a voice to be so captivating it made one’s ears want to get pregnant.
“Xin’er.” Lin Xin’s reaction greatly encouraged Mo Ziyuan. He boldly slipped the bracelets onto her wrist. “Have faith in me. If one day you feel I’m not worth entrusting your life to, you can give them back to me then, okay?”
The low voice was like a blend of cello and saxophone. Lin Xin felt her mind go blank. When she came to, the bracelets were already on her wrist, and she had agreed to “temporarily” keep them.
“It’s getting late. Let’s start cooking!” Not wanting to let his beloved girl stay embarrassed too long, Mo Ziyuan said considerately.
“Cook, right now.” With her head steaming, Lin Xin thought for a moment, took off the bracelets, and put them into the space. Such fine things—if they got bumped or scratched, it would break her heart.
Watching her make the things disappear into thin air again, a flicker appeared in Mo Ziyuan’s gaze, with bits of laughter blooming in his eyes.
Lin Xin ate this meal as tasteless as chewing wax. Mo Ziyuan sat right beside her, forming a stark contrast. Everyone felt today’s Mo Ziyuan was exceptionally “flirtatious.” Only Meng Yichen watched his high spirits and silently swallowed the bitterness with his meal.
After the house at Lin Xin’s home was built, Lin Nan officially began his studies.
Because he was still young, Cui Shi and Meng Yichen didn’t give him heavy study tasks. Lin Nan, with his photographic memory, handled them with ease and even had time after homework to help Lin Xin watch Lin Tao a bit.
Once their lives settled into a routine, the first snowfall since Lin Xin’s arrival came down in swirling flakes.
“Wow! Older Sister, it’s snowing!” Lin Nan, bundled up like a ball, stood at the main hall door watching the drifting snowflakes and shouted loudly.
“Yes! It’s snowing.” Lin Xin held Lin Tao and stood side by side with him to watch the snow.
“Snow, snow······” Lin Tao could now speak word by word. Everything visible in the home had been named by him, and though his speech wasn’t very clear, he never got any of them wrong.
Lin Xin couldn’t help scratching her head. Could this be due to royal genes?
The courtyard gate was pounded with “bang bang bang.” Gao Yong’s loud voice came from outside. “Miss Lin, it’s snowing today. We’ll come over later to sweep the snow off your roof—don’t do it yourself. Also, Old Cui and Yi Chen asked me to tell you that Nan Nan doesn’t need to go for lessons today. Have him consolidate what was taught before.”
“Got it, Big Brother Gao.”
“Then I’ll head back first. We’ll come over soon to sweep the snow for you.”
“Alright, then I’ll make a pot for everyone at noon! Nothing beats a pot on a snowy day.”
“Good, I’ll go tell them right now.”
After Gao Yong finished, he crunched back through the snow.
“Nan Nan, did you hear Big Brother Gao? You can rest today.”
Lin Nan’s little face was stern as he furrowed his small brows. “Sis, Big Brother Gao said Master and Mister Meng told me to consolidate what I learned before. He didn’t say to rest.”
“Fine, fine, I said it wrong. Then consolidate as you see fit! I’m going to make the pot. Watch Tao Tao for a bit.” Lin Xin quickly gave in.
Ever since Lin Nan started enlightenment lessons with Meng Yichen, he had unconsciously become a little pedant. He could recite the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Classic backward fluently but still recited them every day. And the tongue-twisters in the medical classics taught by Cui Shi—he never missed a day.
Lin Xin deeply felt that if she had such a younger brother back when she was studying, Tsinghua or Peking University would have been a cinch. His self-discipline was terrifying.
She had also discovered something frightening: when Lin Nan watched Lin Tao, he always muttered under his breath, making the little one occasionally spit out enlightenment texts or medical classics word by word.
Surrounded by the academic god Lin Nan, the academic slacker Lin Xin felt complex emotions—both gratified and a bit heartbroken. Other parents pushed their kids to study, but in their home, the kid pushed himself, making her feel as a parent she had no place in this domain.
While lost in wild thoughts, Lin Xin began frying hot pot base. She actually had some leftover collected in her space, but this world surprisingly had no chili peppers. She could only substitute with peppercorns or water pepper. The taste was similar, but psychologically it always felt a bit off.
“Wait till spring next year. I’ll definitely get potatoes and chili peppers back. Then there’ll be so many tasty things to make. As for sweet potatoes, forget it—that stuff makes you fart if you eat too much.” Lin Xin mused.
“Miss Lin, we’re here.” Just as she finished frying a pot of base, Gao Yong’s voice calling at the door rang out.
Lin Xin sneezed while running to open the door.
“Whoa, this aroma.” As soon as they entered, everyone was drawn by the fragrant and spicy scent and rushed to the kitchen. Only Mo Ziyuan stood before her, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “Just make something simple. Don’t tire yourself out.”
“I’m fine, just frying some hot pot base.” Lin Xin still couldn’t get used to Mo Ziyuan’s occasional intimacy and blushed as she stepped back two paces.
Thanks to Goat Song and Eyes’ Story, Fallen Leaves Know Autumn-Ad, Scar-Faced Red, Mmy Dang, and Peace-aD for your votes. Thanks to caroletu for the tip. Thank you all for your support!
