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

Fang Yun took out a drawing from his pocket. "A couple of days ago, I found a clump of orchids while gathering firewood in the mountains. I thought you would definitely like it, so I drew it."

His face held just the right amount of shyness, perfectly portraying a pure and innocent young man.

Based on his understanding of Lin Ling, at this point, Lin Ling should say something like, "The imperial examination is just around the corner, and gathering firewood will definitely interfere with your studies," and then forcefully stuff a sum of money into his hand.

To his surprise, Lin Ling simply asked softly, "Is it for me?"

Fang Yun quickly nodded, "I'm glad Young Master Lin doesn't mind."

Lin Ling accepted the flower painting and said, "Thank you."

Fang Yun waited a long time for Lin Ling to speak again, and the smile on his face almost disappeared.

Why is Lin Ling acting so strangely today? Shouldn't she feel sorry for him and then find many reasons to help him out?

Wu Ren sneered from the side, "Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you want to stay for dinner?"

Fang Yun composed himself, cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Ling, and said, "Young Master Lin, I... cough cough, cough cough."

He first glanced awkwardly at Lin Ling's face, as if afraid that he would be angry, and quickly said, "I caught a cold while reading at night. I did not mean to be rude in front of you, young master. Please do not take offense."

Before Lin Ling could say anything, Wu Ren spoke up first, "Then go away, don't let your illness affect our young master."

"You are being utterly rude! Your young master hasn't even spoken yet, how can you be so presumptuous?" Fang Yun looked humiliated. "Young Master Lin, I am ill, but I came here to personally present you with this orchid painting... It was my oversight, please don't take offense."

Wu Ren looked at him and sneered, "Why aren't you coughing anymore? Your cold's gone, huh?"

"you!"

Lin Ling raised her head and looked at Fang Yun seriously.

This man was actually not bad-looking; his eyes were very affectionate.

When he gazes at you with such affection, it feels like you are being loved.

But now, Lin Ling is no longer attracted by his tricks.

He took out five taels of silver ingots from the money box, touched them together, and said, "Brother Yun, I can't take your painting for nothing. Here's the money for the painting."

Wu Ren's eyes widened.

Hasn't this fool already realized the truth? Why is he still giving this hypocritical scholar money?

Couldn't he see that the scholar was trying to swindle him out of his money?

Just two days ago, the chrysanthemum painting had given him a sum of money, and now he's come to deliver the orchid painting.

Under the guise of giving away paintings, they were actually taking advantage of Lin Ling's easygoing nature to swindle money by playing the victim.

This scholar couldn't even bear to buy a painting scroll, and instead offered Lin Ling a plain sheet of Xuan paper as a perfunctory gesture.

Wu Ren was extremely displeased with the scholar, gripping the hilt of his sword, his heart seething with rage.

I'm so angry.

Should we take action? Should we take action? Should we take action?

Fang Yun was very satisfied with this scene.

This is the real Lin Ling.

He feigned reluctance, his face full of integrity, revealing no trace of selfishness. "No, no, no, Young Master Lin, I am giving you this painting not because I covet gold or silver."

He paused, then said in what he thought was a deeply affectionate tone, "I am just a useless scholar, whose only skill is painting... Young Master Lin, I express my feelings through painting, and consider you a kindred spirit, which is why I often give you my paintings."

Wu Ren took a deep breath; he felt he would have a heart attack if he listened any longer.

No one knows how Lin Ling put up with this scholar; he simply couldn't tolerate him at all.

He was still pondering whether he should take action if Lin Ling made another foolish move when he saw Lin Ling withdraw her hand.

"Waaah, Brother Yun, it's my fault," Lin Ling said. "I've reflected on it, and it's true that I did something wrong."

Fang Yun's smile froze.

Lin Ling said, "You gave me this painting because true friends are hard to find, yet I insulted your feelings with such vulgar gifts of gold and silver. It is truly inappropriate of me."

Fang Yun stared at him in astonishment, seemingly never expecting him to say such a thing.

Wu Ren, standing to the side, was finally satisfied.

Lin Ling said, "Brother Yun, don't worry, I will never do that again. Please don't be angry with me."

On the surface, Wu Ren didn't say anything, but in his heart, he had already started shouting.

Well done!

The anger that had been building up inside me finally dissipated.

Wu Ren was in a great mood; that's more like it.

"Brother Yun?" Lin Ling opened her big, innocent eyes. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Wu Ren fanned the flames from the side, saying, "He must be so moved, after all, you Central Plains people say that true friends are hard to find."

Lin Ling suddenly realized what he meant, and he smiled a little embarrassedly. "Brother Yun, don't worry, I will definitely not do anything to upset you again in the future."

Seeing that Fang Yun's smile was almost impossible to maintain, Lin Ling suddenly felt relieved.

She was simply blind once and fell for a less-than-ideal man.

It's not a big deal.

Lin Ling had a faint smile on her lips. "Brother Yun, are you happy?"

Fang Yun forced a smile. "I'm naturally overjoyed that Young Master Lin thinks that way."

Lin Ling suddenly asked, "By the way, is your stepfather's illness any better?"

Seeing this, Fang Yun thought there was still a chance for things to turn around.

After all, whenever her sick father was mentioned in the past, Lin Ling would always soften her heart and generously give him a considerable sum of money.

Thinking of this, Fang Yun regained his composure, a faint sadness settling between his brows.

"Thank you for your concern, young master," Fang Yun said. "The doctor said that my father needs to rest and recuperate. He worked hard in his younger years, which has severely depleted his health. If possible, it would be best to find ginseng to help him recover."

He paused for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "I went up the mountain to gather firewood hoping to find ginseng to nourish my father... but unfortunately... I'm really useless."

Wu Ren immediately replied, "From the moment you walked in, that last sentence was the only one that sounded like a human being."

He openly mocked, "You're truly useless. Of all the people from the Central Plains I've ever met, you're the most useless!"

Lin Ling suppressed a laugh. He had always thought that a man with such a cold and handsome appearance must be a man of few words and ruthless nature.

However, after getting to know him, I found that besides being oblivious, he didn't have any air of expertise when he spoke.

He's like a petty thug.

For a moment, Fang Yun's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and when he looked at Wu Ren, it seemed as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

However, it only lasted for a moment, and he quickly reverted to his frail scholar form.

"It's just ginseng, nothing rare," Lin Ling said. "Don't worry, Brother Yun, this isn't difficult for me. I'll find it for you."

Wu Ren started glaring at the little fool again. What was he going to do now?

Fang Yun, seemingly genuinely concerned about his stepfather, quickly asked, "Really?"

"Mmm," Lin Ling said. "His Majesty previously bestowed many rare treasures upon my brother, Princess Zhaoren. If I were to ask him for them, he would give them to me."