Lin Sanshui took the peach from Gu Nian’s hand, found a clean spot on the butcher’s stand to place it, then handed over five copper coins before grabbing the bucket and the meat, also letting Gu Nian hold onto his shirt tail as they left.
"You, girl, are so extravagant! Just wait until we get home, your mother will nag us to death!" Lin Sanshui complained.
Gu Nian burst out laughing, "Dad, are you that afraid of mom?"
"Nonsense, your dad’s the head of the house, why would I fear her, an old woman?" Lin Sanshui immediately glared and puffed out his chest, but feeling a bit guilty, he began to make excuses for fearing his wife, "I respect your mother. I don’t have much ability, and she hasn’t had a comfortable day since marrying me. Her family values sons over daughters and would rather sell a daughter to support a son. Just imagine, if I don’t treat her well, how miserable would her life be?"
This was the first time Gu Nian heard about Mrs. Jiang’s family background, so she nodded along, "Dad, you’re a good man. I’ve decided, when I grow up and get married, I’ll find someone like you!"
Whether a man has capability is another matter, but he must care for his wife.
With her modern educational ideals, Gu Nian didn’t think much of it, but Lin Sanshui was choked with surprise, "Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? Marriage is a big deal, it’s for your parents to arrange through matchmakers. You can’t decide on your own, understand?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
Thinking of Mrs. Jiang’s situation, Lin Sanshui made no judgment on a woman he didn’t know, but he hoped that the child he raised wouldn’t end up like that.
Being pregnant before marriage, after all, goes against propriety.
Gu Nian realized her mistake and immediately fell silent.
The mother in the original host’s memory wasn’t a wanton person, rather she was quite timid.
Thankfully, with her excellent embroidery skills, she had managed to raise the original host and her brother.
As for her being pregnant before marriage, it wasn’t entirely her fault; perhaps some scoundrel had forced her?
Seeing Gu Nian’s silence, Lin Sanshui looked down at her and noticed her little face was expressionless.
Lin Sanshui wondered if he had overreacted; after all, she was just a child, what could she understand?
"Niannian, you’re still young and don’t understand much. Dad is just teaching you, not scolding you..."
"I know. Both you and mom are very good to me. Without your shelter, I would be homeless now. You’re my real parents, and everything you say is for my own good. I’m not angry, I just think what dad said makes a lot of sense." Gu Nian returned to her cheerful self.
Lin Sanshui sighed in relief and, to cheer Gu Nian up, spent a few more copper coins to buy her malt candy.
Gu Nian wasn’t really craving candy, but sensing Lin Sanshui’s carefulness, she happily accepted it and sweetly thanked him.
With a bucket full of pig offals, Lin Sanshui couldn’t keep shopping, so he directly took Gu Nian to Lin Dahu’s place of apprenticeship.
Lin Dahu had been apprenticing in the kitchen of Qinglin Restaurant for over a year, and Lin Sanshui had gone through great effort and expense to find paths for both his sons.
A distance from the restaurant, Lin Sanshui stopped, placed the bucket by the roadside, and instructed, "Niannian, there are many rules at the restaurant, it’s not good for us to go in. You wait here, and I’ll go to the back door to call your brother out."