After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 87: 1. Preparation

Lin Rusi noticed her father's fondness for the vase, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. She then took out a few pieces of jewelry suitable for Siyu and placed them beside her.

"Father, these are specially selected for Mother. Please give them to her."

"You really have a kind heart."

Lin Lezheng smiled even more gently, and even raised his hand to pat Lin Rusi's head, just like encouraging a toddler learning to speak.

Although she was somewhat displeased that her hair had been ruined, she still smiled obediently, without showing any displeasure.

"However, you still need to personally deliver these to your mother, otherwise..."

“I understand. Grandmother just hasn’t been able to accept what happened yet. It’s good that Father did something fair.”

As Lin Rusi spoke, she put the brocade box aside again, and then picked up a small, delicate rouge that could be held in one hand and placed it in his hand.

“Mother has been very aggrieved by these things, and her face has turned quite pale. This should make her much happier if Father takes it with him.”

"Okay, I'll send it to her later."

Lin Le put the rouge into his sleeve, and then had his attendant pick up the vase and take it away with him.

Once the figure disappeared from sight, Lin Rusi turned her gaze back to the jewelry displayed on the table, a smile playing on her lips.

"Take these and come with me to the backyard to see Mother."

"Miss, Madam loves the hibiscus cake the most. Shall I fetch it for her?"

Lin Rusi nodded and sat back down in her chair, waiting for Wanxia to find it from among the items.

Fortunately, I didn't buy too many pastries, and I quickly found what I liked, so I immediately carried the bags to the backyard.

Because the courtyard was too quiet, Lin Rusi carefully pushed open a crack and peeked her head in, only to see Si Yu with her brows furrowed.

Thinking she was troubled by the old lady's matter, he immediately went inside.

"Mother, I've brought you quite a few things. How do you like them?"

"Madam, Miss has brought you some of your favorite hibiscus cakes, as well as many other pastries."

Si Yu saw that her daughter was still managing to force a smile, but then she couldn't help but frown.

Although she didn't understand at first, Lin Rusi was someone who had lived two lives and easily noticed that something was wrong with her mother.

"What's wrong with Mother? She's never looked so worried before."

"It's nothing, it's just that the master's birthday is coming up soon, but I forgot to prepare because the old lady forgot, and now I'm thinking about how to make amends."

Upon hearing that it was Lin Lezheng's birthday, Lin Rusi couldn't help but frown, seriously recalling what Lin Ruqin had prepared in her previous life.

But because it was so long ago, and because I had my mother's support at the time, I didn't pay much attention to it and couldn't remember it.

"Whatever Father likes, Mother will prepare. Do you think Mother doesn't know him?"

"That's true, but this isn't just for your father. It's a banquet for friends and officials of all ranks. If we don't do something right, our Lin family will be laughed at."

That won't do. If things really turn out that way, not to mention Old Madam Lin, her proud father would punish the mother and daughter, and they would be even less likely to receive any care in the future.

Lin Ru thought of this, and his face became even more gloomy. After a long while, he let out a sigh and began to seriously consider the problem.

"If Mother is afraid, why not have the steward help a little, or perhaps learn from the other ladies and make some preparations?"

"If people knew this, they would probably laugh at me."

Seeing Si Yu's troubled expression, Lin Rusi sighed and then reached out to hold her mother's arm tightly.

“Since no one else can help, then let our daughter do it herself. If anything goes wrong, we’ll blame it on her.”

"How can this be? It might affect the prince's opinion of you."

Lin Rusi didn't care at all when she heard this, and looked at her mother in front of her even more seriously.

It was the same in the previous life. Even though he was having a hard time, he still thought only of himself. Now that he's back in this life, he naturally wants to repay that kindness.

Seeing her daughter's smile, Si Yu couldn't bear to see her upset, and when she tried to refuse, her arm was tightly grabbed.

"My daughter will also be preparing for the Prince's future. She should study hard now so that she can make fewer mistakes in the future."

"Mother wouldn't want her daughter to make an even bigger mistake in front of the Prince, would she?"

Upon hearing this, Si Yu was taken aback for a moment, then realized the difference between the two, and could only nod in agreement to let her daughter prepare together with her.

Seemingly upon hearing that Lin Rusi would also prepare something for him, Lin Lezheng sent even more people to help, making the preparations much easier.

Realizing this, she naturally wouldn't say she forgot to prepare a gift. Instead, she would spend some time each day searching for things her father liked in various shops.

"My father has a lot of calligraphy and paintings, so there should be no mistake in that respect."

Because of her memories from her previous life, Lin Rusi quickly found a long-lost painting by a famous person.

When he got home and saw the scars all over Lin Ruqin's hands, he finally remembered what he wanted to give her, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Mother, I'm back. There's so much stuff in this house, I don't even have room to stand."

"Don't cause trouble. Just sit there for a while, and it will be cleared out soon."

Lin Rusi naturally wouldn't refuse, and obediently nodded, then looked again at Lin Ruqin, who was even more flustered beside her.

"You'd better prepare well, and don't embarrass your father."

"I don't need you to worry about me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Rusi simply smiled and then quickly walked into the backyard following the path cleared by the servants.

Although it was supposed to be a relaxed day, Si Yu was busy until the very last day before she finally had a chance to rest for a while.

"I've had my servants prepare the finest bird's nest; I'll drink it tonight and get a good rest."

"Okay, Mother will listen to you."

Si Yu drank the bird's nest soup sip by sip, then lay down on the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

Hearing that slight sound, Lin Rusi knew how tired her mother was, and she walked out of the room even more carefully.

The next day.

As officials streamed into the mansion, the women stood at the entrance, offering polite smiles, and led them inside.

"Lord Chen, today you can have a good drink with your father. He was complaining at home not long ago that he hadn't had a drink with his friends in a long time."

"Okay, I heard that you and your mother arranged all of this together? Well done, you've really grown up quite a bit."

Lin Rusi's smile widened again as she led the person to the prepared location.

After the last guest entered the mansion, the three of them went inside and sat down next to Lin Lezheng.

“Father, I know that your study has always had that person’s paintings hanging there. I specially asked someone to find them and they finally lived up to everyone’s expectations.”

As Lin Rusi's voice fell, a magnificent painting appeared before everyone.