Phi-Fic Chapter 409 Adoption, Becoming the Eldest Young Master of the Minister's Mansion
Chapter 409 Adoption, Becoming the Eldest Young Master of the Minister's Mansion
Chapter 409 Adoption, Becoming the Eldest Young Master of the Minister's Mansion
As night fell, the messenger sent by the Minister's wife arrived.
Clothes, food and snacks, tea sets and tea leaves, new bedding, and even new bed curtains.
Seeing these things, Lin Xiao felt much more at ease.
Mingfei was right after all; sincerity is always the ultimate weapon!
Lin Xiao ate some snacks and also used the tea and teaware.
However, Lin Xiao didn't touch the new bedding, bed curtains, or clothes.
I can appreciate the kindness of the Minister's wife, but I can't go too far. After all, from my perspective, I don't know what the Minister and his wife are planning.
As someone who is unaware that someone is going to adopt them, they should not use too many of the host's resources and valuable items.
It's okay to eat and drink a little, since it will spoil if you don't eat.
However, using bed curtains made of precious fabrics and wearing brocade robes is a bit excessive.
Being too informal might make people think that the previous behavior was "acted," and the previous "sincerity" would be greatly diminished as a result.
The clothes were the same as when they arrived, and they were the same the next morning.
Lin Xiao opened his bundle and took out a slightly newer piece of clothing, still a neat short-sleeved outfit.
My hair was neatly combed, my face was washed clean, and my clothes still smelled of sunshine from being dried in the sun.
Just as I finished tidying myself up, the Minister's wife arrived.
Xu Hongying's gaze swept over the clothes she had ordered to be delivered yesterday. Looking at the neatly arranged brocade robe, she couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.
Turning around, she saw the tall young man walking towards her, and her eyes lit up again.
What mother wouldn't love a clean-cut, handsome young man?
Xu Hongying is now like a devoted motherly fan, always thinking her own child is the best.
"Greetings to Madam Lin, may you be well."
"Oh dear, there's no need for such formalities. We're all family."
Xu Hongying had her maids and servants move everything out of the courtyard, leaving Lin Xiao somewhat bewildered.
What's going on? Are you angry? Do you want to take back what you gave away?
Before Lin Xiao could remain puzzled for long, Xu Hongying announced that she would be moving him to a different courtyard.
"Change courtyards? Madam Lin, I'm perfectly fine here, there's no need to go to that trouble."
"Oh dear, what's the trouble? You silly child, don't be shy. Did you not like the clothes I brought you yesterday? Why are you still wearing these coarse clothes?"
"Um, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that the clothes are too precious. I'm afraid I'll ruin them. Such nice clothes, and I'll just wear them and waste them."
"You silly child, clothes are made to be worn. It's a waste to leave them unworn."
That brocade robe was a ready-made garment bought on short notice. There were no teenagers in the Lin family, so it was impossible for them to have robes suitable for teenagers.
Yesterday, the housekeeper and his entourage bought seven or eight decent-quality ready-made clothes, just for the lady to have in case of emergency.
The lady needed it urgently; no embroiderer in any household could have such skill so quickly.
However, since the Minister's residence has its own embroiderers, there's no need to buy ready-made clothes that might not fit anymore; they can have them custom-made at the residence at any time.
Lin Xiao has always worn ready-made clothes since he was a child, except for the few years his mother was alive.
After his mother passed away, he mostly wore ready-made clothes that the steward and servants bought from clothing stores outside.
As for the quality? Even if you try your best, it won't be half as good as the ready-made clothes bought by the Minister's Mansion.
It was clear that Xu Hongying, the wife of the Minister, valued him highly, and Lin Xiao was genuinely moved at this moment.
Especially after coming to the new courtyard with the Minister's wife, he never imagined that he could live in such a large courtyard.
The mansion in the former border town was very large, but Lin Xiao only had two rooms, a side room he shared with his half-brothers.
The courtyard before him, with its pavilions, terraces, rockeries, ponds, bridges, flowing water, carved beams, and painted rafters, was truly meant for him alone.
Lin Xiao stood in the courtyard, somewhat at a loss, looking at the scene before him as if he were looking at a mirage.
He was afraid that if he got close and touched it, everything would vanish into nothingness.
Xu Hongying smiled and pointed around, saying, "Child, this will be your new place from now on. Just relax and stay here."
"I won't hide it from you, your Uncle Lin and I have decided to adopt you into our family. What do you think?"
Lin Xiao displayed a series of expressions that transitioned perfectly from surprise to delight to disbelief to confusion. The timing and transitions between these expressions were also very natural and appropriate.
This expression made Xu Hongying, who had been waiting to observe Lin Xiao's reaction, feel inexplicably uncertain. Was the child unwilling or willing?
Then Lin Xiao, who had seemed perfectly fine just moments before, suddenly had tears welling up in his eyes: "Madam, why are you treating me so well? I am not worthy of it."
Xu Hongying couldn't help but raise her hand and affectionately pat Lin Xiao's head: "Good child, my husband and I were very happy to see you, and we feel that you are destined to be with our family."
Your Uncle Lin did consider finding a family to adopt you, but after thinking it over, he still felt that no family was as suitable as ours.
We only have one daughter, who has been married for many years. Your older sister is more than ten years older than you and now lives with her husband in the south.
We used to live close by and see each other often, but now that my son-in-law has been promoted, we're growing further and further apart, and we don't see each other for years at a time.
Lin Xiao was somewhat moved. Although he could not fully understand a mother's longing for her child, he often missed his deceased mother and knew the taste of separation by death.
Seeing Lin Xiao remain silent, Xu Hongying was not in a hurry. It was time to let the child think about it himself. Adoption was a big deal, for both parties.
A change in identity and title signifies a lifelong bond of kinship.
"I do!" Lin Xiao said calmly.
"What?!" Xu Hongying was pleasantly surprised, afraid that she had misheard.
“I am willing to be adopted by my uncle and aunt and serve them with filial piety for the rest of my life.”
"Good, good, good! Butler! Where is the butler? Quickly, go and inform the master to choose an auspicious day. Our Minister's Mansion is going to have a young master!"
The housekeeper was somewhat surprised. When he bought the clothes yesterday, he thought it was because the madam was kind-hearted and wanted to dress the child up nicely before finding an adoptive family.
Today, with the madam changing courtyards and increasing the number of maids and servants to serve him, he realized that something seemed amiss.
Unexpectedly, it really is true; the lady wants to adopt this boy.
The butler naturally wouldn't question his master's decision; he simply thought the boy was lucky.
Such a pitiful and somewhat naive young man, to be favored by the master and mistress, is truly a blessing from his past life plus the grievances he has suffered in this life.
The steward obeyed and went to find Minister Lin to return to the mansion, while Minister Lin's wife, Xu Hongying, began to consult the almanac, determined to find the nearest auspicious day!
After the adoption ceremony, Xu Hongying will have a son!
The master gave her a wonderful name, Lin Qi, a unicorn! This is the unicorn of the Lin family!