Chapter 95: 095. Lin Family Brothers (Second Update)
Translator: 549690339
Hot steaming meat noodles were served for the late-night snack, with eggs under the noodles, and tender green vegetables on top.
“Wow! It smells so good! Is there a serving for me?” Lin Xueqing appeared at the kitchen doorway with her hand around one of her brothers, smiling brightly as she said, “See, big brother and second brother, was I right or not? Miss Su is an omnipotent genius, skilled in both literature and martial arts. She is good at everything!”
Lin Boyan and Lin Bojun were twin brothers.
They were about the same height, and their facial features were very similar when looked at individually.
However, their body shapes and temperaments were quite different.
Lin Boyan was gentle and elegant, with fair skin, looking very much like a young Lin Shuzhi.
And Lin Bojun was tall and sturdy, with healthy wheat-colored skin, giving people a powerful feeling.
Lin Xueqing had already explained the backgrounds of these two brothers to Su Liang early on.
Lin Boyan didn’t talk much, and never made unnecessary chatter. Despite his gentle outward appearance, he was a decisive person at heart.
As for Lin Bojun, he was a born military commander—upright, righteous, adventurous, and fearless.
“You two might want to wash up and have some late-night snack.” Su Liang smiled.
Ning Jing passed by her and washed his hands with the hot water she just served.
“Thank you, Miss Su. Not only have you saved my father and sister, but you’ve also taken care of them during these days.” Lin Boyan loosened Lin Xueqing’s hand and bowed respectfully to Su Liang.
“What’s the point of being so formal, big brother? We’re not outsiders!” Lin Bojun retorted and patted his chest, looking at Su Liang, “From now on, you’re my little sister! If anyone dares to bully you, just come to find me!”
Lin Xueqing blinked, “What if Ning brother is the one bullying Su sister?”
Lin Bojun blurted out, “I can’t beat Ajing, and neither can my big brother. We’ll ask our father to beat him!”
Lin Boyan nodded solemnly, “I second that.”
After washing his hands, Ning Jing carried his late-night snack and drifted past the three siblings, heading to the small hall to enjoy the delicious food.
“I’m starving!” Lin Bojun dashed into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl before leaving.
Martial artists weren’t particular about small matters, so the enticing aroma made him forget to wash his hands.
“Second brother, Su sister will dislike this!” Lin Xueqing took a wet cloth and went to wipe Lin Bojun’s hands.
Only after washing his hands did Lin Boyan thank Su Liang again.
Su Liang smiled softly and said, “Big brother Lin, you don’t have to be so polite. Master and Xueqing have treated me very well.”
Lin Boyan found Su Liang very special. At first, he thought Lin Xueqing was exaggerating, but Lin Shuzhi said it was all true. Moreover, Su Liang had abilities that they didn’t know about yet and hadn’t shown.
Meeting Su Liang now, her temperament and presence impressed Lin Boyan. There was no hint of awkwardness, arrogance, or flattery in her demeanor. She was comfortable, equal, and sincere when looking at you, but also not easily approached.
No matter it was encountering assassins, poison attempts at the academy, or teaching Lin Xueqing self-defense, Lin Boyan was very grateful for everything Su Liang had done.
He earnestly expressed his gratitude, as it was proper and also to see Su Liang’s attitude.
In response, Su Liang’s answer also made Lin Boyan, like Lin Bojun, decide that from now on, this girl would be his little sister.
The three of them had their late-night snack, while Lin Xueqing never ran out of things to talk about, and Su Liang was reading a book.
Lin Shuzhi watched the warm and peaceful scene with the five young people and felt content. He sincerely hoped that Su Liang and Ning Jing could live with them, but knew it wasn’t possible for the time being.
“By the way, big brother and second brother, how did you come back so quickly? We haven’t even sent you a letter yet. Did you have a premonition that dad and I would be in trouble?” Lin Xueqing finally sobered up from her admiration of Su Liang and asked a serious question.
Lin Bojun, who had already finished a big bowl of noodles and even drank the soup, put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, and sighed, “I haven’t had such a comfortable meal in a long time!”
“Second brother, what happened? Who did you offend?” Lin Xueqing pressed on.
Lin Boyan kept eating his late-night snack and showed no intention of speaking. Naturally, Ning Jing, who had already learned the details on their way back, wasn’t going to answer Lin Xueqing’s question either.
Lin Bojun opened his mouth, “Of course, it was me!”
Lin Shuzhi rubbed his forehead, “You mischievous boy, you caused trouble and you’re still so self-righteous?”
However, Lin Xueqing shook her head, “Second brother has beaten many people since we were kids, but all of them deserved it! I believe this time is the same. So, who did you beat up?”
Lin Bojun said three words, “Second prince.”
Su Liang’s finger, flicking through the pages of her book, paused for a moment. She hadn’t met the second prince, Duanmu Ao, but he was one of the targets she was planning to investigate in the capital. He was suspected of being the culprit behind the massacre of Su Family.
Lin Shuzhi’s face darkened, and he abruptly sat up straight, “What exactly happened?” He certainly knew his son’s character, but hitting a prince was no small matter!
Lin Xueqing’s little face also became frightened, “Big brother, second brother, did you both get dismissed from your positions and couldn’t stay in the capital, so you came back?”
Based on the common people’s simple understanding, if one offended a member of the royal family, they needed to be cautious about keeping their head, let alone having a career.
“No, he doesn’t dare to do anything to us in the capital. Big brother just got praised by the emperor and was promoted two levels recently. We took leave out of fear that he might harm dad and little sister in secret. But we still returned late. It’s a blessing that Ajing and Xiaoliang were around!” Lin Bojun said.
“Second brother, you haven’t said why you hit the second prince? What bad thing did he do?” Lin Xueqing asked.
“He blatantly harassed Miss Qin right on the sacred grounds of Buddhism in broad daylight. I just happened to pass by and decided to help out, without realizing he was the second prince, so I gave him a really good kick!” Lin Bojun said.
Su Liang then asked, “If you had known from the beginning that he was the second prince, what would you have done?”
Lin Bojun clenched his fists and snorted, “Of course, I’d pretend not to know and kick him a few more times! If I had already hit him, wouldn’t it be a pity if I didn’t hit him harder for all the food I’ve eaten? Xiaoliang, these noodles of yours are really good. Do you have any more?”
Lin Shuzhi could only laugh and cry.
Lin Xueqing gave a thumbs up, “Wow, Second Brother, you’re so cool! What a hero saving the beauty!”
Su Liang couldn’t help but smile, “If the noodles get too bloated, they won’t be tasty anymore. There are still some fried buns in the pot.” She had decided to make some for everyone lest they still be hungry, frying up the sauce meat buns left over from dinner.
Lin Bojun went to the kitchen and brought back a plate with six sauce meat buns, giving one to Ning Jing, one to Lin Boyan, and claiming four for himself, justifying it with, “I have a big appetite. You two are so skinny anyway, it’d be a waste if you ate them!”
Su Liang agreed, “Second Brother Lin is right.” Some people just never seemed to put on weight no matter how much they ate.
But Lin Xueqing was itching to hear the details of the heroic rescue. Lin Bojun would take a bite of a bun and explain a few things, then go on eating and continue explaining after finishing.
By the time he had finished all four buns, he had roughly outlined the situation at the time.
Simply put, Duanmu Ao saw Qin Yujin alone and felt lustful, intending to take advantage of her. Lin Bojun happened to be passing by, heard someone call for help, and charged forward to kick Duanmu Ao away, pulling Qin Yujin to safety.
Duanmu Ao then angrily threatened Lin Bojun, who remained unyielding. Eventually, Duanmu Ao vowed to make Lin pay for what he did.
And that led to the events that followed.
Su Liang pondered, “Miss Qin? Is she Crown Prince Bei Jingwang’s cousin?”
Lin Bojun nodded, “That’s right. You and Ajing both know Crown Prince Xing? How’s your relationship with him?”
Su Liang thought for a moment and said, “Not bad.”
Lin Xueqing laughed, “Sister Su might think it’s just not bad, but Crown Prince Xing is definitely interested in her. He asked General Nian to bring her many precious old medical books from Old Master Qin’s collection! Miss Qin even gave Sister Su a sachet she made herself. Clearly, they want to be friends!”
“That’s great!” Lin Bojun’s face lit up. “I like Miss Qin. Xiaoliang, help me be the matchmaker!”
Lin Shuzhi, who was just about to take a sip of tea, nearly dropped his cup.
Lin Boyan continued eating his bun gracefully, apparently already aware of his brother’s intentions.
Ning Jing glanced at Lin Bojun and then resumed eating his bun.
Lin Xueqing was delighted, “Wow! Second Brother, you’ve finally come to your senses! I always said that heroes saving beauties should be accompanied by love at first sight for it to be truly romantic!”
Su Liang coughed softly, “Xueqing, hand over the romance novels you’ve been hiding, and we’ll use them for firewood tomorrow.”
A glimmer of amusement flashed in Lin Boyan’s eyes, and Lin Bojun laughed, “Xiaoliang, you’re so funny! But you must promise to help me with the match-making!”
Isn’t it the master’s responsibility to propose marriage?” Su Liang asked.
Lin Bojun shook his head, “What if they don’t think highly of me? Xiaoliang, I’ll need your help to arrange a meeting first. Once the timing is right, we’ll formally propose marriage, so as not to tarnish Miss Qin’s reputation!”
“I didn’t expect you to be so considerate, Second Brother. You must think she’s very beautiful, right?” Lin Xueqing was genuinely excited, almost as if she couldn’t wait to see her future sister-in-law.
Lin Bojun nodded. “She’s only about three points more beautiful than my younger sister, and maybe half a point more beautiful than Xiaoliang!”
Lin Xueqing “attacked” Lin Bojun, declaring that she would cut ties with him for prioritizing beauty over family.
Although Lin Family was indeed a scholarly one, both Lin Boyan and Lin Bojun could only be considered as low-born talented young men. Their futures were promising, but their current status really wasn’t very high, and they were worlds apart from Qin Family.
With Qin Yujin’s background, she could even qualify to be a prince’s wife.
Lin Shuzhi, of course, thought highly of his son, but he also feared his enthusiasm would eventually lead to heartbreak.
“Alright. Once I get to the capital city and meet Miss Qin, I’ll make sure to put in a good word for Second Brother Lin.” Su Liang promised.
“Old man, how about you?” Lin Shuzhi asked Lin Boyan if he had any women he liked.
Lin Bojun answered for him, “My big brother lives like a monk in the capital city. If it weren’t for me going back to drink with him from time to time, I bet he’d become a monk one day!”
He then turned to Ning Jing, “Ajing, be careful not to get hooked into an arranged marriage after getting the top scholar position! If you and Xiaoliang have any grievances, just air them out now, resolve them, and get married! Once we’re in the capital city, there’ll be a whole pack of wolves waiting for such a fine lady as Xiaoliang!”
Ning Jing seemed lost in thought, as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Su Liang lightly coughed, “Second Brother Lin, don’t worry about us. He’s going to take the imperial examination, and I’m planning to take the military exam. If I become the top scholar, any wolves or dogs that dare to approach will get beaten into submission.”
Lin Bojun’s expression turned serious, “Xiaoliang, you’re going to take the military exam? Ambitious! Come on, let’s go outside and spar, so I can evaluate your skills!”
As Lin Bojun and Su Liang went out to spar, Lin Xueqing was about to follow when she noticed that Ning Jing was not moving. She hurried over to him and whispered, “Brother Ning, you should go too. After my brother and Sister Su finish sparring, you can defeat my brother in one move. Sister Su will definitely think you’re very cool!”
Ning Jing stood up, “I’m tired. Where can I sleep?”
Lin Xueqing turned and left without a word, “I’m going to see Sister Su defeat my brother! ”
Lin Boyan smiled and stood up, “Ajing, let’s go together..”
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