Sure enough, upon hearing Li Ying's words, the senior master slightly narrowed his eyes.
His hawk - like eyes sized her up and down, but he didn't take up this topic. Instead, he drained the soup in the bowl in one gulp and calmly praised, "The soup is fresh and the meat is tender. It truly tastes delicious."
Li Ying thought to herself that, as expected, a man who had spent years in the business world was very tight - lipped. It was impossible to break through his defenses with just a few words.
She steadied her nerves and stopped talking about the soup. Instead, she changed to a casual tone and casually started talking about the plan for the pearl farm.
All the pirates had been captured. Commissioner Lin had taken the pearls and promised to report the pearl - farming matter to the emperor. If they could take this opportunity to get "policy support" and reduce the taxes of the mermaids, they would surely feel more at ease.
The senior master nodded frequently. After Li Ying had clearly expressed her thoughts, she sighed with emotion, "Speaking of which, these mermaids are truly pitiful. Enslaved by those pirates, they have been forced to collect pearls for generations and have no way to escape."
"As the saying goes, brothers fight tigers together and father and son go to battle as a team. To ensure everything goes smoothly, when collecting pearls, a mother and daughter often go together. One dives deep while the other stays on the boat. If things go wrong, the mother on the boat will quickly pull the rope to drag the diver back to the boat."
When the senior master heard that the youngest mermaid hadn't even reached puberty yet, but her hands that pulled the rope for her mother were already covered in calluses, a look of pity flashed in his eyes.
"This little mermaid has done her best to share her mother's burden. It's really rare for a girl of such a young age to have such skills."
Before his words faded, he covered his mouth with an indigo silk handkerchief and coughed hoarsely.
Li Ying kindly stepped forward to pat his back. The senior master's face turned bright red. It took a long time for him to calm down a bit. Then he sighed, "I'm getting weaker day by day... It's a pity that there's no one to carry on my business. Maybe it's God's will..."
Li Ying was secretly overjoyed. It was worth all her careful planning and choice of words. The senior master had finally softened his attitude.
She still remained calm on the surface. She just served another bowl of soup and softly comforted him, "Senior master, don't worry too much. You're still in your prime. Madam Lianji will surely give birth to a son for you."
Hearing this, the senior master just slowly shook his head.
"If the father cuts firewood, but the son can't carry the load. Maybe I'm not destined to have many descendants. Forget it, forget it."
Li Ying secretly raised her eyebrows.
It seemed that the senior master had no intention of having children with Madam Lianji. She must be a poor woman. Still a charming beauty, but destined to have no children. No wonder she was so eager to take over all the industries under the Ping'an Bank.
After they exchanged a few more pleasantries, Li Ying got up to say goodbye. After leaving the inn, she already had a plan in mind.
As Lu Xunguang had said, the senior master's greatest regret in life was that his only son was a loner, cold and aloof, and had no interest in the family business.
The phrase "unable to carry on the family business" was the best proof.
Now the old man was at the end of his life. If there was still no heir, this huge family business would really have to be handed over to Madam Lianji.
He didn't even want to have a baby with Madam Lianji. The appearance of a harmonious couple in daily life was clearly just a pretense. How could he really entrust his life's hard - work to her?
His words today clearly told Li Ying that as long as Lu Xunguang could turn over a new leaf and be capable of running the Ping'an Bank, he would become the well - deserved young master and the only son the senior master was proud of.
This opportunity couldn't be missed.
She rushed back to the fishing village. Sure enough, Lu Xunguang was slowly roasting coffee beans for her. The autumn sun was just right, the sky was high and the clouds were pale. There was a faint smell of burnt coffee in the air, which made this serious man seem a bit more relaxed.
"Lu Lang, I just went to see the senior master. He seems to have the intention of letting you return to the ancestral clan."
They understood each other well, so they were straightforward in their conversation, skipping the guesswork.
Lu Xunguang stopped what he was doing and frowned at her.
"In the past, when I was struggling to survive in the capital, he regarded me as a useless fool. Now that I've been 'dead' for half a year, does he suddenly remember the father - son relationship?"
He rarely spoke so harshly. Li Ying knew this was a knot in his heart, so she wasn't angry. She just gently took his hand.
"Lu Lang, I don't mean for you to be remorseful and crawl at the senior master's feet, begging for his favor and fulfilling your filial piety."
"Think about it. Isn't Madam Lianji very suspicious? Where did she come from? And why were those pirates so respectful to her and call her 'Miss'? According to her and Zheng Ji's words, it seems that your mother died taking the blame for someone, and that's why the Ping'an Bank declined. How did she know such a secret?"
There were many doubts about the donkey shed incident. Li Ying didn't want to get involved in these old - fashioned martial - arts grudges at first. But thinking that the truth about Lu Xunguang's mother's death was also hidden in this fog, she was still worried and couldn't just stand by.
"The news that the young master of the Ping'an Bank is still alive, has returned in glory, and will inherit the family business soon will surely attract everyone's attention. The shady pirates under Madam Lianji's command won't dare to act rashly. Then we don't have to worry about her stabbing us in the back."
"Only by returning to the Ping'an Bank can we find out what really happened to mother back then. Lu Lang, I'll be with you."
There seemed to be a galaxy in Li Ying's eyes. She spoke firmly. Lu Xunguang stared at her fixedly, feeling as if he was about to be sucked into her pupils.
After a long time, he finally took a deep breath and nodded seriously.
He took Li Ying's hand and said sincerely, "A Ying, thank you."
Li Ying felt a slight tightening on her hand. She lowered her head and saw a smooth and round bamboo bracelet lightly on her wrist.
"A Ying, this bamboo hoop was originally used to fasten bamboo tubes. The weaving technique is very ingenious. The longer the time, the tighter it becomes. My mother taught me that if I met a girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I should weave a pair myself and wear them with her, never to be separated."
Li Ying knew about the cleverness of bamboo weaving, but she had never seen such a novel thing before. She couldn't help but touch the bracelet and was speechless for a moment.
Lu Xunguang didn't know what was on her mind. He quickly took out a key from his bosom. "I know this little bamboo thing isn't worth much... My mother prepared the betrothal gifts before she died. I've also saved some money over the years. They're all hidden in the bamboo house where Old Master Yan stayed. This is the key."
Seeing his eagerness to explain, Li Ying smiled and carefully hid the bracelet in her sleeve.
"Lu Lang is so sincere to me. How could I take your feelings as a joke? However, it's still too early to talk about betrothal gifts. I can't take the key."
Just as she was about to push the key back, Lu Xunguang refused to take it. Instead, he asked, "This will be yours sooner or later. Why are you being so polite, A Ying? If you don't want to marry me, then why do you call my mother 'mother'?"
Li Ying blushed. She wished she could swallow her own tongue.
After all, she was a girl. Such words made it seem as if she was eager to get married.
Li Ying was both ashamed and anxious. Her usual eloquence failed her. She couldn't think of a proper retort. She could only pretend to be angry and stamp her foot. "Lu Xunguang, you're such an improper man! I'm discussing the important matter of going back to the mansion to find out the truth with you, but all you can think about is teasing me!"
Before her words faded, she was tightly held in Lu Xunguang's arms.
"A Ying, if mother were still alive, she would surely like you very much."