vstars Chapter 408: Decision to be Adopted, Name Changed to Lin Qi
Chapter 408: Decision to be Adopted, Name Changed to Lin Qi
Chapter 408 Decision to be Adopted, Name Changed to Lin Qi
"Madam, what were you trying to say just now?"
Minister Lin gave Lin Xiao a few instructions to stay there for now, and that the adoption would be arranged once a suitable family was found. Then he dismissed the others.
After everyone left, he asked his wife.
"Master, have you decided where to send this child?"
"There are a few candidates for now, but we still need to ask them their own wishes and whether they intend to adopt a son into their names."
After all, this is no small matter; it concerns the couple's retirement and their son's future success. I just asked him a few questions, and it turns out the child is educated.
I reckon he might already be a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations; with a few more years of nurturing, he could very well become a talent. The way they're treating this child in the border town is a real waste of a promising young man.”
"Master, is Lin Xiao really that outstanding?"
The Minister's wife was somewhat surprised; he was actually a young scholar who had passed the imperial examinations?! How did the Master know?
"Don't let his simple attire fool you. He wasn't always like this. He probably disguised himself along the way to get to Beijing. This shows he's a smart and shrewd person."
Moreover, judging from his height and hands, this child has practiced martial arts and probably has some skill; otherwise, he wouldn't dare to travel alone to seek refuge with us.
"He's actually skilled in both literature and martial arts!? Master, let's keep this child! Let's not look for anyone else, we just happen to be without a son!"
"What? Madam, you've taken a fancy to Lin Xiao? Oh dear, so what if we don't have a son? We have daughters and granddaughters!"
Lin Shenxuan worried that his wife was acting on impulse; she was almost fifty years old, why would she want to adopt a son?
Besides, even if we were to adopt someone, there's no need to adopt a distant relative beyond the fifth degree of kinship. There are plenty of suitable Lin family members in the capital.
“Master, I know what you’re thinking. There are indeed quite a few members of the Lin family in the capital. Many families are blessed with many children, and there are even families with seven or eight brothers.”
But these children all have their own biological parents. As long as their biological parents are alive, how can the children truly be of one mind with their adoptive parents?
A hundred years from now, we'll have only served as stepping stones for others, and whether we can even ensure the continuation of our family's glory is uncertain.
Furthermore, would a family be willing to adopt out their truly promising and outstanding children? It's usually the less favored or less intelligent ones who are adopted out.
But would we like a dull, unambitious child? Would we be content with a child's mediocrity?
The words of the Minister's wife silenced Minister Lin. Before this, he had indeed thought of several suitable families for the adoption.
Some were merchants who had no worries about food and drink, some were scholars whose families at least had a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and some were in the military who could help Lin Xiao find a way to join the army in the future.
“Master, I can roughly guess which of the families you’re thinking of, but they are no match for our family.”
If this child were born into our family, he would surely soar to great heights, and perhaps even carry on the Lin family's legacy after you retire!
The words of the Minister's wife seemed to have struck a chord with Minister Lin, and this usually stern man began to waver.
"Madam, what if this child has a bad character?"
“Sir, you’ve been an official for so many years, don’t you have the ability to judge people? This child only hesitated slightly when talking about helping his friend, and didn’t stutter once throughout the whole conversation.”
The child told us everything he said, including his childhood experiences and his own speculations.
Why did he hesitate when talking about this so-called "friend"? Was this "friend" who had helped him so much not even worthy of being mentioned by name?
Minister Lin recalled for a moment: "Could it be that he's afraid the border town will find out who helped him and retaliate? Heh, that's a bit too cautious."
"Isn't it better to be cautious? For over a decade, you've kept the mystery of your biological mother's death a secret, for over a decade you've played dumb to deceive others, for over a decade you've walked on thin ice. Sir, if you were in that situation, wouldn't you be cautious?"
A lack of caution could lead to utter ruin; a lack of caution could harm the good people who tried to help you.
The Minister's wife became more and more excited as she spoke, and she leaned forward, making Minister Lin feel even more pressured.
"What you say makes perfect sense, Madam. Please sit down, please sit down."
After everyone sat up straight again, Minister Lin stood up and began to pace back and forth.
"Master, Master, what do you mean by going around in circles? Tell me, can we keep Lin Xiao here or not?"
The Minister's wife was so dizzy from her husband spinning around that she couldn't help but interrupt him. She, Xu Hongying, was determined to have this son.
Isn't it just about raising a son who is both scholarly and martial? Aren't both of us skilled in both? We fought our way up from the battlefield when we were young.
Minister Lin paced back and forth for a while before finally stopping. "Madam, what do you think of the name Lin Qi?"
"Huh? What Lin Qi? Who is Lin Qi?"
The Minister's wife was a little confused. Wasn't this about Lin Xiao? Why did Lin Qi have to be brought up again?
"Ahem, I mean, how about we change Lin Xiao's name to Lin Qi after he is adopted into our family, the Qi of Qilin?"
With a whoosh, the Minister's wife stood up from her armchair: "My lord! You agree!"
Minister Lin nodded. He also felt that his wife was right. It was better to adopt a child whose mother had died and whose father was unkind than a child from the Lin family who had both parents alive.
In this way, their own home will be the child's only home, and their own husband and wife will be the child's only parents.
Besides, if we discover later that the child has bad character, we can correct it if we can, and if we can't, we can just kick them out of the house.
Why worry about things that haven't even happened yet?
“Yes, I just thought about it, and what you said makes sense. We can indeed leave Lin Xiao behind. It’s better to leave him alone on his journey, without any worries, than to take someone else’s child away.”
"Thank you, sir! We're finally going to have a son!"
Minister Lin had no concubines; his only wife was someone who had risked her life alongside him, so naturally he couldn't betray her just because he had no children.
Xu Hongying gave birth to her daughter on the battlefield. Conditions were poor at the time, and she suffered a difficult childbirth, which damaged her health and made it difficult for her to conceive again.
The couple only had one precious daughter, who had been married for over ten years and lived with her husband's family in the south, so they rarely saw her.
In recent years, the Ministry of War's residence has indeed become rather quiet.
Seeing his wife so happy, Minister Lin felt that he had made the right decision. Tomorrow, no, he had to choose a good day.
On this auspicious day, let's change her name and adopt her!