"We"ve arrived, Young Master, Young Mistress," Xiao Yu told them, pointing at an estate which had a golden nameplate with big "Lin Fu" words written on it. There were two soldiers with fierce faces stood up and guarded the front door.
Xiu came to them and told them politely that they were from w.a.n.g family. They were invited by the general himself. The soldier seemed to know about it because they let them in. One of the guards led the way for them.
The general"s house was different from w.a.n.g Luo Hai"s. Maybe because w.a.n.g Luo Hai was a wealthy merchant, his house was quite luxurious. The design was extravagant, whereas the general"s house was pretty simple. There was no excessive decoration, in one word – bland. It could be seen that there was no woman"s touch at all!
There was no flower in the garden, as far as they could see there was only greenery view. However, the bare design suited perfectly with the general"s image. They could see soldiers training in the middle of the big front yard. Yao Ling thought to herself, "It would look funny if the soldiers were training in the middle of a flower garden."
They pa.s.sed through the front yard and went straight to the main hall. After they arrived, the guard said, "Please wait here. I will let the general know about your arrival." Yao Ying and Yao Ling nodded in unison. After receiving their permission, the guard bid his goodbye politely and left them there.
The guard worked efficiently, the general appeared in less than ten minutes. General Lin still looked as stoic as ever. Yao Ying and Yao Ling greeted him politely and the general nodded in return.
"Good! You"ve arrived. I will take you to the yard after this. I"ll let my son spar with you. He went out and I already instructed my subordinate to call him back," Lin Zheng said.
"Okay, General." Yao Ying answered politely in return.
After hearing Yao Ying"s answer, Lin Zheng looked at Yao Ling. He only glanced at her, but Yao Ling could feel that he scanned her stomach in a flash.
"Are you pregnant?" Lin Zheng asked bluntly.
"…"
Yao Ying and Yao Ling were speechless. Did what Xiu say was true? The bet was real? They only met yesterday and he asked them bluntly just like this. If they didn"t know about it from Xiu, they would be flabbergasted when they heard that question.
Lin Zheng didn"t feel anything wrong with his question. He was rarely in contact with women and socialized with other people. He was cold to another person, so people were afraid of him. He only socialized with his soldiers and they were very blunt with each other. If he wanted to know something, he just needed to ask directly. That"s what happened at the moment.
Yao Ling shook her head. "Er… not yet?" Her answer sounded like a question.
Lin Zheng furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes or no?" He wanted to make sure what Yao Ling"s answer meant.
"No." Yao Ling looked down in embarra.s.sment.
Lin Zheng only answered them in one word, "Good."
"…"
Another speechless moment for the couple. Good? It seemed like their father would lose the bet. Although the general seemed cold and indifferent, it seemed like there was mischievousness behind the façade. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to join in w.a.n.g Luo Hai"s bet.
"How could you ask such shameful question in the middle of the day?" A masculine and warm voice was suddenly heard asking a question from the direction of the front door.
All of them looked at the source of the voice. They looked at a vigorous and handsome young man. He was tall with a well-built body. His handsome face was fascinating to look at and it was supported by his gracefulness. He had a pair of phoenix eyes and thin lips that quite attractive. His tanned skin was the proof that he spent a lot of time under the sun. Yao Ying and Yao Ling wondered who this young man was.
"Hmph! What shameful question? It"s just an ordinary question." Lin Zheng scowled in disagreement.
"Father… they are not your children. It"s impolite to ask bluntly like that. Whether she"s pregnant or not isn"t your business!" The young man explained helplessly, then it seemed like he remembered something. He squinted his eyes and asked in a firmer tone, "Are you betting with Uncle w.a.n.g Luo Hai again?"
"Hmph! That"s none of your business. I"m just trying to show that I care," Lin Zheng tried to find a reason for his behavior.
The young man laughed, "It"s not possible! I"m not born yesterday, Father." He could only shake his head at his father"s behavior. Only Uncle w.a.n.g Luo Hai could bring out his father"s pettiness and childishness.
He turned to Yao Ying and Yao Ling and greeted them with a wide smile, "I"m sorry for my father"s shameful behavior. I"m Lin Jian. Nice to meet you."
Yao Ying and Yao Ling smiled back and introduced themselves back.
"I"m Yao Ying. Nice to meet you."
"It"s not a shameful question at all. General Lin just worried about me. I was just a bit surprised just now. My name is Yao Ling. Nice to meet you." Yao Ling didn"t want to cause trouble, so could only answer tactically. However, she still blushed in embarra.s.sment.
Yao Ying looked at Yao Ling"s reaction. Was she blus.h.i.+ng? He squinted his eyes and felt a pang of jealousy. Did she think this Lin Jian handsome and interested in him? Yao Ying didn"t realize that what he felt was jealousy. He just didn"t want Yao Ling to show other men her shy appearance. She looked too charming for her own good. It seemed like they needed a good talk tonight.
Lin Jian smiled at Yao Ling. Just like what Yao Ying thought, Lin Jian found the girl in front of him charming. She was beautiful and had a pleasing personality. Too bad she was already married. Lin Jian was taught by his father to respect a woman. Lin Zheng gave him an example by loving only one woman in this lifetime – his mother and he would do the same.
He knew it was a laughable thing for others. Men usually had a lot of concubines in Shu Kingdom, so they wouldn"t understand the concept of loving only one woman.
While he lost in his thinking, Lin Jian heard a loud snort from his father. "Do you hear that? The girl even said it"s okay for me to ask. Why do you care?" Lin Zheng asked disdainfully.
"Do you know what is called courtesy? I"m pretty sure Yao Ling gu niang just saying that out of courtesy, right?" Lin Jian turned to ask Yao Ling, while at the same time, Lin Zheng also looked at her.
Yao Ling"s mouth twitched in annoyance. Why did they have to involve her in their argument? How could she answer the question? Whatever answer that she chose, it would certainly offend one of them. She didn"t know whether to laugh or cry in this situation. She didn"t know them well enough whether they were joking or not.
She helplessly looked at Yao Ying, asking for help. Yao Ying laughed inwardly at her predicament, but still helped her nonetheless. "We are really happy with General Lin"s concern. Please don"t embarra.s.s my shy wife any further. Look at her red face." He let out a soft chuckle.
Yao Ying cleverly praised the general and at the same time saved Yao Ling from answering. He pointed out the fact that their bantering made his little wife feel shy. He believed both of them would stop pestering Yao Ling with more questions.
Lin Zheng and Lin Jian understood her point and let out soft chuckles too. They realized how clever Yao Ying with words was.