After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Article 95: The family is a beneficiary.

Bai Wanqing looked in the direction Cheng Susu was pointing and saw that it was indeed Lin Yunche standing by the river.

Lin Yunche clearly noticed the two of them. He turned around and smiled at Bai Wanqing, then put the fish he had just caught into the bamboo basket and walked towards them.

"Wanqing, if I had known you liked this, I would have brought you here to catch fish!" Lin Yunche said with a grin, his eyes narrowed. After speaking, he also noticed the woman next to Bai Wanqing.

Bai Wanqing smiled and tugged at the corners of her mouth. Then Lin Yunche noticed the probing look in Cheng Susu's eyes, and his mind went on alert, but he remained calm on the surface. "And this is..."

Cheng Susu was slightly surprised that Lin Yunche didn't recognize her. "You don't recognize me?"

Lin Yunche's smile faded, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "Do I need to get to know you?"

For some reason, Cheng Susu could sense a hint of hostility in Lin Yunche's eyes.

“My surname is Cheng, and I am the daughter of the Imperial Censor Cheng in the capital. Now you should remember me, right?” Cheng Susu raised her head and said.

Lin Yunche glanced at Bai Wanqing and, seeing that she looked perfectly normal, said, "I don't remember her! We're not familiar at all."

Cheng Susu suddenly became agitated, "You're lying, you're deceiving me! We saw you at the Cuiyun Restaurant last year when you went to the capital for the imperial examinations. Weren't you with Duke Cui then?"

Lin Yunche clearly hadn't expected Cheng Susu to say such things, and immediately shouted at her to stop, "Shut up!"

The shout to stop startled Cheng Susu. Not only Cheng Susu, but Bai Wanqing was also frightened. The people around also heard the commotion and turned around to see what had happened.

Bai Wanqing smiled at everyone and said, "It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! I'm sorry to have bothered you all." After watching for a while and seeing that there was no further movement, everyone looked away.

Lin Yunche's face was still very sour, and Cheng Susu was even more furious, her eyes red with anger as she glared at Lin Yunche.

She now feels she was truly blind; how could she have chosen him out of so many successful candidates in the imperial examinations?
Bai Wanqing tugged at Cheng Susu, who then turned her head away, no longer intending to pay attention to Lin Yunche.
Lin Yunche naturally didn't pay her any attention, but instead called Bai Wanqing to look at the fish he had just caught.

"I didn't expect this fish to be so big." Bai Wanqing said loudly on purpose, which attracted Cheng Susu's attention.

"Is it big? Let me see too!" Cheng Susu then wiped her face and followed Bai Wanqing to see the fish in the bamboo basket. The big fish had just come out of the water and was struggling desperately in the bamboo basket, perhaps still having some strength.

"This fish must be delicious." Looking at the fish, Cheng Susu quickly forgot her unpleasantness with Lin Yunche, and swallowed hard.

Bai Wanqing smiled and said, "It's still alive, so it must taste pretty good."

Seeing that Bai Wanqing also liked it, Lin Yunche suggested, "In that case, why don't we go to my house and stew this fish for you?"

Cheng Susu nodded immediately, and Bai Wanqing smiled and nodded as well.

As a result, the two of them had barely reached the riverbank and hadn't even played around much, with Bai Wanqing not even getting her hands on the water, before leaving for the Lin family.

Upon arriving at Linjia Village, Cheng Susu was filled with curiosity. When Master Cheng told her about the Lin family's current situation, she had only listened casually. She never expected that Linjia Village would be so much worse than she had imagined.

"Young Master Lin, have you been living here all this time?" Cheng Susu's tone revealed undisguised surprise.

Lin Yunche naturally knew Cheng Susu's thoughts, which was why he had her come to see Linjia Village now. "Yes! We've always lived here, since we were born."

Cheng Susu unconsciously swallowed. "These conditions are indeed terrible."

Thankfully, her marriage to the Lin family didn't go through, otherwise she would be living in a place like this too. Wait a minute! But Wanqing is now going to marry Lin Yunche, so what about her?
Cheng Susu looked at Bai Wanqing's expression and felt a pang of sympathy. "Wanqing, have you been to Linjia Village before?"

Bai Wanqing nodded. "I've been here a few times."

"So you also know that you and Young Master Lin will live in this Lin Family Village after your marriage?" Cheng Susu asked in surprise, her eyes wide.

Bai Wanqing smiled and nodded again, and Cheng Susu exclaimed in her heart, "This is true love!"

The three of them stopped their carriage at the entrance of Lin Yunche's courtyard.

"No one's home today, just me, so you can make yourselves at home." Lin Yunche led the carriage to the backyard, then took out the fish and went to the kitchen to clean them.

Bai Wanqing wanted to help, but Lin Yunche pushed her away, saying, "You should go and keep Miss Cheng company. We don't need you here."

Bai Wanqing turned around and saw Cheng Susu looking at her expectantly, so she stopped refusing and took Cheng Susu to Lin Yunche's room to sit down.

As soon as Cheng Susu stepped over the threshold, she waved her hand in front of her nose.

"I never imagined that the prestigious Lin family would live in a place like this. I originally thought that at the very least, they would have a mansion with a courtyard." As soon as Cheng Susu finished speaking, she realized that she had said the wrong thing and stuck out her tongue awkwardly.

"Wanqing, do you really know nothing about the Lin family?" Cheng Susu asked.

Bai Wanqing's eyes flickered, then she shook her head and said, "Perhaps." Cheng Susu's eyes flashed with a strange light, then she leaned close to Bai Wanqing's ear and said, "Then do you know about the Emperor's bestowal of a marriage?"

Bai Wanqing glanced at her and then nodded.

"Hmm, so it seems he didn't completely shut you out!" Cheng Susu shook her head and said, then suddenly realized something, her eyes widening as she asked, "So you know my identity?"

Bai Wanqing wanted to shake her head, but in the end she didn't lie to her.

Cheng Susu wailed, "Fine! I thought you didn't know anything, but I didn't expect you to have already guessed my identity. Since that's the case, you're still willing to save me. Aren't you afraid that I'll insist on having Young Master Lin marry me?"

"You should know that my father is an imperial censor, and His Majesty also intends for my father to assist the Lin family."

"Even if you and Lin Yunche get married, if His Majesty insists on marrying you, there are many ways to make you annul the engagement."

Bai Wanqing was slightly taken aback. Cheng Susu was right. She paused and said, "Saving people and this matter are two separate things. How can they be confused? But you just said that His Majesty arranged the marriage for Young Master Lin to benefit the Lin family?"

Cheng Susu nodded deeply and deliberately lowered her voice, saying, "It's definitely true, because my father consulted with me before the marriage was arranged."

"Then why does Young Master Lin disagree?" Bai Wanqing asked, puzzled.

But Cheng Susu didn't understand either. She shook her head and said, "I don't know. The Lin family has already let bygones be bygones. Let Lin Yunche tell you himself."

All I can tell you is about my family.

Bai Wanqing stared blankly at Cheng Susu, about to ask something else, when she saw Lin Yunche walk in carrying the cooked fish.

He glanced at Bai Wanqing and said, "Take Miss Cheng to wash her hands first. Dinner will be ready soon."

Bai Wanqing had no choice but to suppress the questions she wanted to ask, deciding to ask Cheng Susu later.

After the two washed their hands in the kitchen, Lin Yunche had already served the rice, one bowl for each of them.

"It smells so good!" Cheng Susu took a bite of the fish, and her eyes immediately widened.

Lin Yunche naturally praised his cooking skills, "It smells delicious, doesn't it? My cooking skills are top-notch. If you don't believe me, just ask around in Linjia Village."

Cheng Susu pouted and ignored him, focusing on picking out fish to eat.

Seeing that Bai Wanqing didn't seem to have much of an appetite, Lin Yunche put a piece of fish belly on her plate. "What's wrong? Is it because my cooking isn't to your liking?"

Bai Wanqing shook her head. "No, it's delicious." She then put the fish from the bowl directly into her mouth and looked at Lin Yunche with a smile.

Lin Yunche blushed slightly and lowered his head to eat the rice in his bowl.

Looking at Lin Yunche's expression and recalling the question Bai Wanqing had just asked her, Cheng Susu seemed to have found the answer, and then she ate even more happily.
The three of them quickly finished their meal. Seeing that it was getting late, Bai Wanqing and Cheng Susu prepared to go back.

"How about I take you home? It's dark now, and there aren't many people on the road. Let's hope you don't run into any more trouble." Ever since Bai Wanqing encountered danger in the alley last time, Lin Yunche has always taken her home whenever he sees her, and this time is no exception.

However, Bai Wanqing refused this time, saying, "Young Master Lin, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'm with Miss Cheng, and she knows some martial arts, so nothing will happen to us."

Hearing Bai Wanqing indirectly praise her, Cheng Susu immediately stuck her head out and assured him, "That's right! Young Master Lin, don't worry, after eating your fish, I will definitely send your people home as well."

Lin Yunche blushed instantly, but Bai Wanqing lowered her head and remained silent.

"Then be careful on the road," Lin Yunche said with concern.

Cheng Susu drew the carriage curtain, not forgetting to complain to Bai Wanqing, "I never thought that when a man cares about someone, he can be so fussy."

However, Bai Wanqing obviously didn't hear these words; she was staring blankly at the ground.

"Wanqing, what's wrong?" Cheng Susu asked, shaking Wanqing's arm.

Bai Wanqing snapped out of her daze and looked at Cheng Susu, asking, "Miss Cheng, I'd like to ask, if your Cheng family and the Lin family were to form a marriage alliance, what benefits would it bring to the Lin family?"

Cheng Susu didn't expect Bai Wanqing to ask this. "Wanqing, why are you asking this?"

Bai Wanqing lowered her eyes and said, "Although Young Master Lin has not yet taken up his post, he is, after all, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, and he will enter officialdom sooner or later. Miss Cheng knows that our Bai family is just a local gentry and knows nothing about the matter of becoming an official."

"I think if I marry Young Master Lin in the future, I should know something, otherwise I will hold him back and become a laughing stock."

Cheng Susu hadn't expected Bai Wanqing to think so far ahead. She rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment before saying, "To be honest, there are quite a lot of benefits to it."

(End of this chapter)