What was Lin Huan talking about…
He stood up for me?
Only now was I one hundred percent certain that Lin Huan truly had my back in his heart.
I quietly lowered my head, experiencing an indescribable complexity within.
"But blood is thicker than water, doing this... it's not good for Chongwen either..." My mother subconsciously defended my father.
Lin Huan pinched his brow in silence, then said softly, "It's a good thing I never taught you anything; otherwise, you might have been deceived and followed Su Chongwen into wrongdoing."
"..." My mother was completely at a loss for words, her expression blank.
If she hadn't been so attached to my father, she wouldn't have loved my father's only descendant, me, so dearly.
Yet now, she had to shatter all her beliefs overnight.
It must have been hard for anyone to accept.
Lin Huan slowly lifted his brows, his gaunt gaze turning towards me, "Wanwan, I didn't teach your mother Geomantic Techniques because the Lin Family has a rule of passing it down only to males, not females."
"That explains why my mother sometimes seems ignorant, but at other times her insight seems exceptionally keen." I showed a smile, all misunderstandings cleared and a sense of relief in my heart.
Lin Huan looked surprised, "You don't resent me for favoring males over females?"
"Many ancient families follow the rules set by their ancestors, mostly out of a reverence for them. I think... maybe... it wasn't truly your intention." I no longer harbored any prejudice against Lin Huan, and gradually, I seemed to be able to see his true character.
At least Lin Huan's affection for me was genuinely there.
A smile appeared on Lin Huan's aged face for the first time, "Wanwan, I want to pass on the mantle to you."
"..." My heart stirred slightly, looking at Lin Huan's smile, it felt surreal.
This elder was too good at turning things around!
All of a sudden, it was shocking enough to refresh one's worldview...
"Father... Wanwan... is a girl." My mother was the biggest victim of the male-preference rule, so naturally, she was the most surprised.
Lin Huan's icy gaze slanted towards my mother, "Are you questioning my decision?"
"I dare not; I just don't understand." My mother lowered her gaze, "Is it because Lin Gang has rebelled, so you can only choose Wanwan?"
Lin Huan said softly, "That's one reason, but without Lin Gang, can the Lin Family not continue? There are many other branches in the Lin Family."
"Yes, you could completely choose someone from another branch." My mother's eyes were full of disappointment.
Lin Huan stood up, lightly patting the top of my head, "If you want to know the reason, I can tell you. I don't hold the view of favoring males over females; it's just that you didn't have the talent like Wanwan, that would make me decide to break the ancestral rules. You are also quite dense, slow on the uptake, unable to lead a great family..."
My mother's expression turned to one of utter disbelief, speechless.
After being touched on the head, I obediently knelt down.
Even though I wasn't interested in the Lin Family's legacy, I deeply understood what trust and favor such an offer represented.
Only by kneeling could I avoid disrespecting such sincerity.
"Isn't Wanwan angry with me anymore?" Lin Huan asked me in a deep voice.
I trembled, "I dare not; I was too... too impulsive and paranoid before, but you... hitting my mother was... wrong..."
"This stubbornness is undeniably the blood of Lin Huan." Far from feeling that I was challenging his authority, Lin Huan laughed out loud.
Insecure, I touched my abdomen, "That is, it's not that I want to decline, I don't have the suitable lineage to inherit the Lin Family, you... you... how did you... think of passing it on to me..."
Blood hot and boiling, I understood Lin Huan saw me as family, and he wanted to give me the Lin Family...
I was nervous and excited, stuttering severely.
"How do you not have the lineage, isn't it right here?" Lin Huan gently stroked the back of my head, his gaze falling on my abdomen.