Zhou Mansion.
It had once been a prominent family in Guangping County. After several generations, it had gradually lost its former splendor, but it still had a solid foundation.
"What do you all think of the matter Yang, the hall master, sent someone to discuss with us?"
Zhou Cang took a sip of tea and looked at his two sons and two daughters.
"A nineteen-year-old Skin Polishing martial artist who's already polished his skin twice, and has only been practicing martial arts for a year. His potential is quite good. If he has enough silver to support his training, he could possibly polish his skin a third time within five years."
Zhou Xu, Zhou Cang's eldest son, gave his analysis but didn't state his position.
"Father, I think this marriage could work. Lin Yan's parents are both dead, and he has only an aunt and a cousin left. There's no chance he'll eventually try to seize our Zhou Family's property for the sake of the Lin Family. Even if he fails to polish his skin a third time, he'll still be a martial artist who's done it twice."
The eldest daughter smiled faintly. "Father, what we think doesn't matter. The important thing is whether our younger sister is willing. What do you think, little sister?"
"Second Sister is right. What do you think, little sister?"
With her family all watching her, Zhou Shu pressed her lips together. "Father, I don't want to marry him."
"Oh? Shu'er, tell us what you think." Zhou Cang doted on his youngest daughter, and merely smiled as he asked.
"Lin Yan obviously can't afford the expenses of continuing his martial arts training, so he's looking to marry into a family. He wants to rely on his wife's family wealth to pay for his martial arts expenses. If I agree, I'm afraid our family will have to cover all the costs of his training. And although Lin Yan succeeded the first two times he polished his skin, that doesn't mean he'll succeed on his third attempt. I don't want to watch our family spend so much money nurturing an uncertain prospect."
Everything Zhou Shu said was for the sake of her family, but only she knew the real reason she didn't like Lin Yan: his humble background.
As a Zhou Family young lady, all her friends were refined young ladies from prominent families. If her husband came from an ordinary family and was a poor boy, wouldn't the young women in her circle laugh at her?
Zhou Cang pondered for a long while. He knew his daughter's little thoughts well, but just as she feared being mocked, he had the same concern.
The Zhou Family's ancestors had once enjoyed great glory. If they now found a son-in-law from a poor background, they would surely invite ridicule.
"Since you're unwilling, Shu'er, we'll drop the matter."
Yang Family Martial Arts Hall.
Yang Qingfeng listened to the reply from the person he'd entrusted with the matter, his brows creasing slightly.
He'd put some thought into finding Lin Yan a good match and had chosen four families in total.
They were all fairly wealthy, and none had too many children. Most importantly, all four had clean reputations and no secret ties to any of the gangs in town. If Lin Yan became one of their sons-in-law, they wouldn't use him for their own ends.
But he hadn't expected the result to be so discouraging.
One family had politely declined. The other two hadn't refused, but had made a condition: Lin Yan would have to marry into their family.
Lin Yan's parents were both dead, and only two people remained in the Lin Family's third generation. He was the only one in his own branch, so there was no way he would marry into another family.
Of the three forms of unfilial conduct, having no descendants is the worst.
In this era, marrying into another family meant, in essence, having no descendants of one's own.
As for the last family, the Li Family, they hadn't refused or asked Lin Yan to marry into their family. They'd only said they'd arrange for the two young people to meet first.
Qingtian Town.
"Junior Brother Lin, let's go. We can't miss the appointed time."
"Senior Brother Zhang, please wait a moment. Miss Axiu, would you mind brewing a cup of tea for my senior brother?"
Lin Yan asked Axiu to make tea for Senior Brother Zhang Liang while he went back to his room to change. He'd planned to make a trip into Great Fog Mountain that day, but he hadn't expected Senior Brother Zhang to come all the way to Qingtian Town so early in the morning.
His master had arranged for him to meet the Li Family's young lady that day, and Senior Brother Zhang had come on his master's orders to inform him.
"Go ahead, Junior Brother."
Zhang Liang watched Lin Yan enter the house with a smile, then turned his gaze to Axiu as she brewed the tea. He said coolly, "My junior brother is so young, yet he's already polished his skin twice and earned our master's favor. His future is boundless. The woman who stands by his side in the years to come will surely be a daughter of a powerful family."
He said this because he was afraid the farm girl in front of him might entertain improper thoughts.
He didn't know that Axiu only washed Lin Yan's clothes, cooked his meals, and swept his courtyard. In his eyes, Junior Brother Lin must have already had relations with her.
If Junior Brother Lin came from a prominent family, Zhang Liang wouldn't need to explain things this way. Lin Yan would understand what kind of woman could become his wife. But Lin Yan came from an ordinary family, and Zhang Liang feared that, young and sincere as he was, he might not know any better and think he had to take responsibility for Axiu by marrying her.
"My lord, don't worry. I... Lin Yan and I have always been proper."
Axiu lowered her head and didn't dare look at Zhang Liang. Her cheeks were bright red. Her parents had urged her several times to climb into Lord Lin's bed, but Lord Lin had no such thoughts about her. After a few attempts, she didn't dare try anything again. She was already quite content just sweeping Lord Lin's courtyard every day.
Jinsheng Pavilion.
It was the largest theater in Guangping County, and only the wealthy families in town could afford to come here for entertainment.
A theater attendant led Lin Yan into a private box. His master had reserved it in advance, and the tea fee alone was three taels of silver.
Not long after the waiter brought up tea, fruit, and pastries, footsteps sounded outside the door. The Li Family's young lady entered with her maid.
The young lady wore a long dress cinched at the waist, showing off her graceful figure. She took the initiative to speak to Lin Yan. "Are you Lin Yan, a disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall?"
"That's right. I'm Lin Yan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Li."
"We're all martial artists, Brother Lin. There's no need to be so formal. You can call me Li Yu."
Li Yu wasn't reserved or coy like most women. She openly sized Lin Yan up. "Brother Lin, I'll be frank. You're not the husband I want. I agreed to meet you this time only because Master Yang once did my family a favor. My family couldn't very well turn you down outright."
After she spoke, the maid behind her took out a silver pouch and placed it on the table.
"I've taken up some of your time, Brother Lin. There are twenty taels in here. Please accept it as an apology."
Lin Yan narrowed his eyes. He wasn't surprised that the Li Family's young lady wasn't interested in him; he just hadn't expected her to offer twenty taels as compensation.
Twenty taels of silver in exchange for half a day spent traveling to and from town—honestly, he wouldn't be losing out.
If this matter were only about him, he'd take the twenty taels as money gained for nothing. But it also involved his master, so he couldn't accept the money.
"I understand, Miss Li. I'll explain it to my master. Neither of us was interested in the other, and there's no need for the silver."
"Brother Lin, I didn't mean anything by it. I only wanted to express my apologies."
"There's no need. If you have time, Miss Li, you're welcome to stay and watch the opera with me."
His master had paid for the private box, and Lin Yan had no intention of leaving. Hearing this, Li Yu paused for a moment, then smiled. "I have some things to attend to at home. In that case, I'll take my leave."
Li Yu left the private box with her maid. After they went downstairs, the maid couldn't help saying, "Miss, Lin Yan is so young, yet he's already polished his skin twice. His future—"
"There is no future."
Li Yu cut her off. "The further you go with Skin Polishing, the more it costs. Master Yang came to our Li Family because he knew Lin Yan's family couldn't possibly gather enough silver for him to polish his skin a third time. He wanted to rely on our family's wealth to help Lin Yan train."
"Rather than spending that money on someone else, I might as well spend it on myself. Once I've polished my skin a third time, I can find a husband. At the very least, he'll be at the same level as me."
"Besides... if Lin Yan had accepted those twenty taels just now, I would have thought more highly of him. It would have shown he knew how to bend without breaking. But he refused. He probably thought my giving him money was an insult."
"A martial artist from an ordinary family who's this sensitive about his pride probably won't readily accept anyone's charity. Just watch. Before long, Lin Yan will run short of silver, and his martial arts progress will grind to a halt."
Li Yu sighed softly. To ordinary people, a martial artist who had polished his skin twice was a great figure. But among the upper ranks of the county, only those who had polished their skin three times had any real say.
Lin Yan came from an ordinary background. After polishing his skin twice, he was probably already arrogant and high-minded. The more he was like that, the less likely he was to polish his skin a third time.
After Li Yu left, Lin Yan packed up the fruit and pastries in the private box and left the theater as well.
He'd paid three taels of silver for them, so he'd bring them home for his little brother to enjoy.
After returning home, Lin Yan went to the martial arts hall to see his master. He only said that he and Li Yu hadn't taken a liking to each other.
Yang Qingfeng looked at his disciple's calm expression and understood. Unless Li Yu was exceptionally ugly, Lin Yan wouldn't have been the one to reject her.
The most important thing about marrying a young lady from a prominent family was the financial support her family could provide. His disciple understood that perfectly well. Appearance was secondary.
The real reason was that Li Yu hadn't taken a liking to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan said this not to save his own pride, but mainly because he didn't want his master to hold a grudge against the Li Family and damage their relationship.
"Since you and the Li Family's young lady weren't meant for each other, we'll drop the matter. Don't dwell on it. In the end, a martial artist must rely on his strength."
"This disciple understands."