Chapter 522: How Does He Have the Right to Be the Mountain God?

"Lord Luo, judging by what you say, you may not know that the marriage of our Ping'an is not something I can decide!"

Wang Lin's face was full of oddity; he never imagined that Luo Taiqing would actually call him "Uncle Wang".

Although he is older than Luo Taiqing, he is just an ordinary farmer who previously didn't even have the right to speak before Luo Taiqing; if Luo Taiqing called him "Old Wang", he would be proud for a while.

Uncle Wang?

It's something he never even dared to think of!

However.

From this angle, Wang Lin clearly knows the degree of Luo Taiqing's regard for his family's Ping'an; if it weren't for his family's Ping'an—

If it weren't because Luo Taiqing wants to become Ping'an's father‑in‑law—though he actually doesn't understand Luo Taiqing, he knows some wealthy families; even if Luo Taiqing's temper is good, he is still a rich family.

In any case, he would never call this ordinary farmer "Uncle Wang".

"Come to think of it, my Ping'an has been noticed by the clan chief of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan, the Thousand Commander of the Demon‑Subduing Office of Fengyin County, and the Hundred Commander of the Demon‑Subduing Office of the Capital City; if Lord Luo hadn't taken notice…"

Just as Wang Lin was delighted that his Ping'an was valued by Luo Taiqing, a flash of insight flickered in his mind and vanished.

He recalled how, at his elder brother‑in‑law's house before, his Ping'an had been valued by people of extraordinary status; compared with Luo Taiqing, these people were not worlds apart, at least they could surpass Luo Taiqing.

If even those people valued his family's Ping'an so much, and Luo Taiqing still didn't…

He would have to doubt Luo Taiqing's discernment and whether he is suitable to be the head of the Luo family in Qingyang County.

"Your family…"

Luo Taiqing was about to rebut, thinking that with Wang Lin's status, he could not possibly be unable to decide his family's matters, but recalling something Wang Lin had once said, the words stuck in his throat, and he turned to Liu Dongzhu, his expression complicated, and said:

"Madam Wang, don't say I'm scaring you; if your Ping'an truly marries a fox‑clan woman, that would bring endless trouble for your Ping'an. You must consider it carefully and absolutely must not let your Ping'an get involved with the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan!"

It was then that he remembered that only Liu Dongzhu could decide Wang Ping'an's marriage. He actually wanted to scold Wang Lin; after all, Wang Lin is the head of the household, and such an important matter as his grandson's marriage should be his decision, yet it was handed to his daughter‑in‑law, without worrying about ruining his grandson's future.

Doesn't he know that many figures who go down in history, in most cases, have a good father‑in‑law to boost their first step?

However.

On second thought, Wang Lin is just an ordinary farmer; how could he have foresight? Even if he had some discernment, he couldn't sever the father‑son bond with his own qilin son.

"Brother Wang, why have you returned? We haven't been able to find you these days; where did you go?"

Just as Liu Dongzhu was about to answer Luo Taiqing's question, a curious voice rang out, drawing everyone's gaze; the newcomer was Xuanqing Daozhang, and the surrounding people hurriedly greeted him.

Wang Lin sighed, "Xuanqing Daozhang, my elder brother‑in‑law passed away a few days ago; his family, Cheng Ze, contacted us immediately. We had no choice but to rush over overnight with the whole family. The matters were only settled today, and we just came here from my brother‑in‑law's place!"

"Condolences..."

Before Xuanqing Daozhang could finish his words, Wang Lin interrupted, "Condolences? What condolences? This is a tremendous good news!"

When these words were spoken, not only Xuanqing Daozhang but also Luo Taiqing and the people of Hutou Gou all stared at Wang Lin with odd expressions. The Hutou Gou folk are quite familiar with Wang Lin's elder brother‑in‑law Zhang Deben; ever since Zhang Guihua married Wang Lin, Zhang Deben would come to Hutou Gou every few days, each time bringing generous gifts.

Pieces of beast meat, one after another!

Thanks to Zhang Deben, every household in Hutou Gou can eat beast meat.

It's not that Wang Lin sold the beast meat Zhang Deben gave him; rather, Wang Lin exchanged the beast meat for grain.

Zhang Deben knew about this and supported it, because he understood the Wang family's hardships—parents died early, leaving no relatives.

In the past.

The Hutou Gou people had no strong opinion about Wang Lin marrying Zhang Guihua; both families were orphaned households, pitiful families, broken households, a weak union, which was considered natural.

Never imagined.

Who would have thought there could be a treasure‑like elder brother‑in‑law like Zhang Deben!

As Zhang Deben frequently sent beast meat to the Wang family, countless people in Hutou Gou envied Wang Lin for marrying Zhang Guihua—though primarily they envied that Wang Lin had an elder brother‑in‑law like Zhang Deben.

Unlike them, who married a tigress; it was fine while parents were alive, but once the family split, that tigress took control of the finances and often sent the family's good things to her natal family.

Someone like Zhang Deben, who often looks after his brother‑in‑law, can't be said to have done much, but in any case, it's very little.

"This novel you..."

"Never thought of it at all."

Now that Zhang Deben has just passed away, Wang Lin says this is a tremendous good news; he even doubts whether Wang Lin, shocked by Zhang Deben's death, was so stimulated that he blurted out such absurd words.

Moreover.

Here, there is Zhang Guihua and his elder brother‑in‑law's second son; by saying this, isn't he afraid of being beaten?

"Do you know why I say my elder brother‑in‑law's death is a tremendous good news?"

Wang Lin chuckled, looking at the bewildered gazes around him, feeling smug inside; he said those words deliberately.

He deliberately teased them for his own twisted amusement, making them envy his elder brother‑in‑law even more.

Cheng Yong forced an awkward smile, looking odd, and said, "Wang Lin, judging by what you say, we of course don't know what's going on; why don't you explain?"

"To be frank, elder brother, on the first night after my elder brother passed, he descended into Yincao Difu and was granted an audience with Yama King. Yama King, remembering that my elder brother, while alive, did many good deeds and was a first‑class virtuous person…"

Wang Lin ranted endlessly, praising Zhang Deben with countless laudatory words, nearly draining the ink from his belly; the surrounding listeners grew drowsy, and then he got to the point:

"Coincidentally, Shizi Ling has a vacant Mountain God position, and Yama King appointed my elder brother as the Mountain God of Shizi Ling!"

"Wang Lin, you, you, you aren't joking, are you? Your elder brother‑in‑law got an audience with Yama King, and Yama King even made him the Mountain God of Shizi Ling?"

Cheng Yong was almost dozing; after knowing Wang Lin for so many years, this was the first time he saw Wang Lin flatter someone so much. When he heard the latter half of Wang Lin's words, he was startled, trembling as he spoke, unable to find words:

"How, how, how is this possible? On what grounds does your elder brother‑in‑law become the Mountain God of Shizi Ling?"

(End of Chapter)