New and dark light years

Chapter 375 The Bride Was Stolen

Li Lin stayed at the government army camp for ten days, mainly to supervise the training of the government troops and help them develop good habits.

They also offered some of their own insights.

For example, strict adherence to orders is more important than any so-called formation.

Therefore, the commanders were instructed to focus more on training in military command.

Huang Ying had already started his job. Standing next to Li Lin, he said helplessly, "Brother-in-law, can I go out for a walk? Being in this army with rough men every day, I feel like my eyes are going to go blind."

Li Lin smiled and said, "In a few days, a batch of money, grain, and military equipment will be transported from Xiang County. You will need to send someone to hand them over, and you must go in person, understand?"

"Really?" Huang Ying was very happy.

“You’re happy now, but when you go to hand over the work and bring it back, you’ll know how tough it is,” Li Lin said with a smile. “Logistics may be safe, but it’s not an easy job.”

"It's alright. Having something to do is better than sitting here watching these rough men all day."

Li Lin looked at the confident Huang Ying and patted her on the shoulder: "Work hard, and when the opportunity comes, I'll promote you to commander. Then you can lead three or four thousand men for fun."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

"Okay, brother-in-law, you said that."

Li Lin nodded.

Huang Ying then happily went to do her work.

Seeing that the training of the government troops was on track, Li Lin returned home.

Next, it was his own business to deal with.

Refining the Imperial Realm Powder.

Back home, as usual, he had his three wives host a welcome dinner for him, and the four of them went wild all night.

After all, a little separation is better than a new marriage.

At the dinner table the next day, Huang Qing said, "My lord, I have already had those pills from the storeroom delivered to the county magistrate's house."

Li Lin nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."

Huang Qing continued, "For the past ten days or so, I have been having people buy materials from the surrounding area. To avoid attracting attention, I have also collected some miscellaneous medicinal herbs. Last month, the family spent 1,120 taels of silver, and the income from the pills was 1,300 taels, barely making a little over 100 taels."

"You can handle these things yourself; you don't need to report to me."

Huang Qing laughed and said, "I need to let you know how much money we have at home, so that when you do things or spend money, you'll know how much to spend."

That makes sense.

After finishing his red date porridge, Li Lin said, "I'm going to refine pills. There's nothing important, you can handle it as you see fit."

"Okay," Huang Qing nodded.

Next, Li Lin spent four days refining pills, sleeping only a little over two hours each day, and then he ran out of materials again.

However, looking at the small mountain of blue powder in the warehouse, which was still emitting a faint shimmering light, Li Lin felt that the amount for one acre of spirit field was about right.

So he and his three wives helped pack the imperial powder into cloth bags.

It was a very large bag, containing more than three hundred bags.

These Imperial Powder powders will soon be transported to Green Mountain Valley and mixed with the soil there to create Spirit Fields.

Just as Li Lin was preparing to leave, Huang Qing said, "In two days, it will be Su Bei's wedding day. You need to go and act as an elder to ensure a proper occasion. We'll discuss the matter of the spirit field in two days."

Li Lin slapped his forehead: "I almost forgot about that."

Time passed quickly, and on the third day, Huang Qing and Li Lin changed their clothes and went to the Su residence.

The Su family mansion is no longer a small house, but a three-courtyard residence.

At this moment, the entire Su residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and a group of people were gathered around, waiting to enjoy the wedding feast.

As Li Lin dismounted, many people bowed and greeted him.

Li Lin responded with a fist and palm salute and a smile.

Huang Qing arrived in a sedan chair, her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo, with three bird-shaped gold hairpins gleaming in the sunlight.

She was originally from a noble family, and now she was the wife of the Chief Military Commander. Her noble air emanated from her, and even if she was very beautiful, few people dared to stare at her directly.

They would subconsciously lower their gaze.

Li Lin led her into the Su residence and into the main hall of the third gate. There, they saw Madam Su sitting on the side, chatting and laughing with several women, looking very happy.

Upon seeing Li Lin and Huang Qing, she immediately stood up, walked over in small steps, and bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets County Magistrate Li and Madam Huang."

"No need to be so polite, Madam Su," Li Lin said with a smile.

“That’s right… Sister Su, we’re family now.” Huang Qing stepped forward, took Su’s hand, and said with a smile.

The women nearby merely bowed from a distance, not daring to approach.

Most of Su's relatives and friends were commoners, so the women here all seemed quite ordinary. Su's eyes welled up with tears; she knew very well that the most important reason why someone of Li Lin's status was willing to come and support her son was to repay the kindness her father had shown him years ago.

The reason Su Bei caught his eye was also due to this cause-and-effect relationship.

Li Lin sat down in the main seat.

The women around immediately moved away.

Huang Qing then pulled Su to sit to the side and began to chat.

Li Lin sat there; there were no other men around.

Because most of the men went with Su Bei to the west side of the city to fetch their brides.

Li Lin drank a lot of tea here and went to the toilet three times. After waiting for nearly two hours, the wedding procession finally returned.

How do you know?

Because the sound of firecrackers increases in volume and approaches from far away.

At the same time, there were sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas, making it quite lively.

Next, the groom leads the bride into the house, then to the backyard, where they bow three times to heaven and earth in front of the elders, kowtow to the elders, serve tea, and then enter the bridal chamber.

Then the banquet began, and everyone ate and drank.

As for the wedding night pranks... there is no such custom in southern Xinjiang.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble in the bridal chamber will have their legs broken on the spot by the elders with a stick.

But at that moment, the sound of gongs and drums stopped abruptly, as if it had been interrupted.

And they could faintly hear exclamations coming from the front yard.

Su stood up, and for some reason, she felt a little nervous.

At that moment, the youngest son of the Su family rushed in, shouting, "Something terrible has happened! Someone is trying to steal the bride, and they've started fighting!"

"Bride kidnapping?" Li Lin asked instinctively.

Su swayed and almost fainted.

Huang Qing immediately helped Su Shi up.

Li Lin frowned and said, "Qing'er, you take good care of Madam Su. I'll go check on things up ahead."

"I understand, sir, please be careful."

Li Lin walked forward quickly.

After walking for a short while, he arrived at the moon archway in the front yard.

Then they saw Su Bei dressed in a red groom's suit, with his "top scholar's hat" on the ground.

When men from the Great Qi Dynasty got married, they also wore the "Zhuangyuan Hat" (a hat worn by top scholars in the imperial examinations), which was used as a metaphor for the auspicious omen of "passing the imperial examinations and achieving high honors."

At this moment, Su Bei looked furious.

On the opposite side of Subei, there was a very dashing young swordsman.

The other person held a sword in one hand, and his eyes were also filled with anger.

As for the bride... she collapsed onto the grass, covering her face and weeping bitterly, her veil nowhere to be found.

As soon as Li Lin appeared, someone spotted him.

The onlookers whispered.

"The county magistrate has arrived."

"The county magistrate is indeed helping Commandant Su."

"This is going to be interesting."

Upon hearing this, Su Bei looked at Li Lin, his anger immediately dissipating. He then hurriedly said to the person next to him, "Go protect our godfather... protect the county magistrate, hurry!"

Immediately, more than a dozen strong men in ordinary clothes came to Li Lin's left and right to protect him.

These people were all local militia members, so they naturally recognized Li Lin.

"What on earth happened?" Li Lin pushed aside the soldiers blocking his way, stepped forward, and frowned, saying, "What kind of grudge could cause such a joyous occasion to turn into this? What kind of hatred or resentment could have caused this!"

Su Bei's eyes reddened; he felt like crying.

People who lack fatherly love from childhood are always independent and self-loving, but when someone is willing to stand up for them, they will easily break down their defenses and feel gratitude and affection for that person.

The young man opposite him, sword in hand and fist in greeting, said, "Sir, I'm here to take my wife away."

"Your wife?" Li Lin looked at the bride who had fallen to the ground. "You said it was her... Madam He?"

The young man raised his head slightly: "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)