After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

For several years prior, the Xia family's silk fabrics had been acquired by the Wu family.

When the family business was handed over to Xia Ying, he thought about opening up a new business route to achieve self-production and self-sales.

Having connections would prevent them from being constantly controlled by the Wu family.

Opening up new trade routes is not that simple. Even if we don't take the waterway and instead take the mountain road, it's not that easy.

The mountain roads are difficult, and the costs could increase exponentially.

Xia Yingdao asked, "Do you know who is handling the silk and brocade trade in Yunzhou these days?"

Lin Er shook his head.

Xia Ying sneered, "I wonder if you have ever heard of the Wu family of Yongzhou."

Lin Erdao said, "It's a large family; I've heard of them."

"The Wu family is a long-established merchant family, and they also have a branch in Yunzhou," Xia Ying said. "This branch in Yunzhou has dominated Yanjiang for many years. If you want to travel by water, you not only have to pay money, but also..."

Seeing that he hesitated to speak, Lin Er said, "Speak your mind."

Xia Ying said, "In short, my family's silk can only be sold to the Wu family. If I sell it to others, the Wu family will turn around and deal with me, which will affect my other businesses."

Lin Er said, "So, even though it's your own property, you can't make your own decisions about it?"

Xia Ying pursed her lips and remained silent.

Lin Er said, "When I came to Yanjiang, I didn't encounter anyone from the Wu family asking for money."

"Did you come by boat?"

"Yes."

"Your boat?"

"Yes."

"But did you moor the ship at the Impermanence Wharf?"

"Yes."

Xia Ying said, "Don't worry, you can't escape. If you don't pay the water fee, you won't even be able to leave the boat."

"They impound the boat if we don't pay? How dare they do this?" Lin Er asked. "Is the Water Transport Bureau doing nothing about it?"

Xia Ying sneered, "The Wu family spends so much money on them every year, why should they care?"

"I see." Lin Er didn't continue mentioning the mermaid silk, but instead asked, "So what are your plans for tomorrow? Perhaps we can discuss it beforehand?"

Xia Ying said, "I think you're quite smart. Just be flexible tomorrow."

"Alright." Lin Er felt a pang of pity seeing the young man wrapped in a blanket sitting on the servants' couch. "Why don't you go sleep in the bed?"

"You pervert!" Xia Ying blushed, realizing her voice was a bit too loud, and quickly lowered it, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. "What do you want to do?"

This was the first time in Lin Er's life that he had been called a hooligan by a young man.

He couldn't help but find it a bit novel, and was about to make a joke at him when he suddenly saw a dark figure outside the window eavesdropping furtively.

Noticing Lin Er's gaze fixed on the window, Xia Ying turned around and immediately understood.

He threw back the blanket, grabbed Lin Er's neck, and whimpered a few times.

Lin Er: "..."

He lowered his voice, "Don't be afraid, I'll help you."

Having said that, he lifted the little boy in his arms and carried him onto the bed, saying, "Keep calling out."

Xia Ying whispered, "I can't call out anymore."

Lin Er said, "Okay, I'll do it."

The man lying on top of her was breathing heavily, which made Xia Ying's face turn pale.

No! This guy! He's not serious!

Xia Ying felt his whole body burning up. They were so close that he could even feel the other man's body temperature.

He didn't dare to look up at the man; even his eyelashes were trembling slightly.

Lin Erfu whispered in his ear, "Don't get distracted. Remind me when he leaves."

Xia Ying then came to her senses and secretly observed the dark figure outside the window.

He only breathed a sigh of relief after the shadowy figure left, and pushed the person on top of him away.

Lin Er rolled over and lay down next to Xia Ying. "Young Master Xia, could you please pour me a glass of water? Thank you."

Xia Ying poured a cup of cold tea over. "It's not exactly overnight tea, drink it while it's hot... no, just make do with it."

Lin Er couldn't help but laugh.

This guy is quite interesting.

Xia Ying immediately became furious and embarrassed. "What are you laughing at? Are you going to drink or not?"

"Drink." Lin Er finished a cup of cold tea, handed over the bed to him, and went to sleep on a small couch next to him.

"Go to bed early, it's almost midnight."

Xia Ying lay on her soft, comfortable bed with mixed feelings.

This person seems to be a decent gentleman, but he can't let his guard down yet.

He gripped the gold hairpin tightly, not daring to relax for a moment.

In the latter half of the night, I couldn't stay awake any longer, so I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next day, Lin Er was already up, sitting leisurely in front of his dressing table with her back to him, as if she was examining his rouge and powder.

Xia Ying quickly checked her body and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her clothes were intact.

"When did you wake up?"

Lin Er said, "I just woke up."

"Go outside and wait for me," Xia Ying said. "We need to pay our respects to the elders at the ancestral hall before we can eat."

Lin Er put down his rouge and powder and walked out, still thinking to himself that the rouge and powder in Yunzhou seemed to be slightly different from those in the capital.

This time when I go back to Beijing, I'll bring some back for my uncle and Nian-ge.

-----------------

The Xia family is considered a large family in the capital of Yunzhou. Just the sight of all those relatives sitting in the main hall, each saying a few words, is enough to make it as lively as a market.

Xia Ying pulled Lin Er along, saying, "This is Second Uncle, and those over there are Fourth Uncle and Sixth Uncle."

"These are my second and third uncles..."

"My uncles are over here."

"Cousins..."

"besides……"

Lin Er nodded slightly and greeted each person.

His father was an orphan who built his fortune from scratch through military achievements. Most of his relatives were from his stepfather's side, and they rarely interacted.

This was the first time he had ever witnessed what a large family was like.

No wonder this ancestral hall is so big. If it were any smaller, there wouldn't be enough room for the whole family to stand together.

Xia Ying's mouth was dry from the introductions, and before she could even catch her breath, a husband said with a smile, "Yesterday was so rushed, I didn't have time to take a good look at our Ying-ge'er's new husband. He's quite handsome."

Lin Er chuckled, "It's alright, it's alright."

Then another husband asked, "May I ask this gentleman's name and where he lives?"

These basic details should have been clarified yesterday, but Xia Ying probably rushed the process to avoid any mistakes.

Lin Erdao said, "Uncles and elders, my name is Lin Yunqing, from Mingzhou."

A middle-aged man said, "I never expected our Ying-ge to be so capable, managing to attract a young man from Mingzhou to travel all the way to Yunzhou to snatch the embroidered ball."

Lin Er pretended not to notice the old man's sarcastic tone, "Fourth Uncle is right. Yingying is not only beautiful, but also very skilled in business, even comparable to the young master."

Standing next to him, Xia Ying was immediately astonished and thought, "He only introduced them once, how could he have already memorized all of his relatives?"

If that's true, then this person's memory is truly terrifying.

Xia Ying knew that there would be no shortage of difficulties today, and she was very worried that Lin Er would make a mistake and be taken advantage of by these ruthless elders.

Unexpectedly, he took the bait completely, deflecting it all with ease.