I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 24 Naming the Two Children

As soon as Lin Li asked this question, Gu Chenglin's hands clenched tightly, and his eyes were fixed on Dongfang Jin.

Seeing that they were all staring at her, Dongfang Jin hesitated for a moment. Should she be with Gu Chenglin? She knew that once the village head's pen was put down, there was no chance for her to go back on her word.

This isn't modern times; if you don't want to live together anymore, you can get a divorce just by showing your ID card and household registration book.

Getting married here is easy, but getting divorced is very difficult, and it's even harder for divorced women. All sorts of rumors and gossip are pinned on them, and all the blame is placed on the woman.

Seeing her hesitation, Lin Li glanced at Gu Chenglin and then said to Dongfang Jin, "You have now been cut off from the Fang family, and the Fang family patriarch has also taken away your surname."

"Do you have anywhere to go? Without a registered address, you'll be detained by the authorities. If you can't state your registered address, you might be treated as a spy for an enemy state, or even sent to the ironworks."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin glanced at Gu Chenglin and saw his tightly pursed lips and gradually dimming eyes, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart.

He opened his mouth and said, "Dongfang Jin, that's my name. I remembered some things when I woke up, but I still don't remember where I came from."

Let's leave it at that for now, and I'll slowly make up the story later. Most people in ancient times were superstitious, especially about ghosts and gods, and she didn't want to be burned alive.

Lin Lizheng smiled as he looked at her and said, "So you're going to live with Cheng Lin, right?"

Dongfang Jin nodded, but didn't say anything, because she was starting to regret it.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Lin Lizheng's family and Gu Chenglin all breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Lizheng was quick, writing "Dongfang Jin" in the "wife" column before writing "Gu Chenglin" in the "head of household" column.

Dongfang Jin: "..." I've been tricked!

Lin Lizheng had seen the letter of severance of ties with Fang's family when he delivered it to her, so he didn't need to ask which Jin it was; he just wrote it down.

After Lin Li finished writing, he asked Gu Chenglin, "Why don't you give Shitou a name too, and your daughter as well? They're all grown up now, they can't be without proper names."

He only just learned that Gu Chenglin's original wife and child were not even included in the family genealogy. Thinking of this, he shook his head helplessly.

Gu Chenglin looked at Dongfang Jin: "Xiao Jin, you go get them for them."

Dongfang Jin looked at him: "Me?"

Lin Yu added, "Yes, go ahead and take it. I've heard you know quite a few characters."

When they came back, they heard from his brother that this Dongfang Jin was not just someone who could read.

I heard that the old man asked her the names of the medicinal herbs, and she answered correctly.

You should know that medical skills are usually passed down through family tradition.

Dongfang Jin didn't hesitate and pondered for a while: "The stone's name is Gu Jingye. Jing means scenery or landscape."

Ye, a combination of fire and brilliance, represents firelight and brightness.

Jingye, meaning a bright future and successful career, what do you think?

Lin Li was stunned by her words. This... this was no ordinary literacy; he couldn't have come up with such a good name.

Gu Chenglin's wife is no ordinary woman; her knowledge surpasses even that of a student who has only completed a minor academic program.

"Jingye? Good, what a bright future and successful career."

Haha... Our village hasn't had a good name for years, ever since Scholar Liu passed away.

Dongfang Jin blushed slightly at what she said, while Lin Min and Feng Xiaofang looked on with envy, as neither of them knew many words.

The Lin brothers were also somewhat shocked, and when they looked at Gu Chenglin, there was envy in their eyes.

The two brothers had attended a private school for several years, but unfortunately, they were both slow-witted and failed even the county-level examination.

Gu Chenglin got a wife for free, but he never expected her to be such a hidden talent.

“Little girl, Xiao Jin, I’ll call you that from now on.”

“That’s great, that’s more intimate,” Dongfang Jin readily agreed.

But Dongfang Jin didn't know that after Lin Lizheng finished writing her name, his eldest son Lin Yu pointed to the two characters "Dongfang" and he suddenly realized that it was a compound surname.

These are surnames only found in the capital, belonging to long-established families that have served three dynasties.

He knew so much only after he became the village head and village chief, and learned it from the county government.

After the succession struggle, the Eastern Lin Kingdom now only has the Duke of Yue of Liangzhou, the Sima family.

The British Duke of Yongzhou, the Nangong family.

In the capital, there was the family of Zhenguo Duke Helian, the family of Suguo Duke Changsun, and the family of Fuguo Duke Dongfang.

Is Dongfang Jin's surname Dongfang? I wonder if he has any connection with the Duke of Fuguo's family. You know, the battle for the throne ten years ago was comparable to a battlefield.

More than a dozen princes fought each other, and in the end only three remained. Among the older generation, only Prince Dun was left.

It was a terrible mess back then; the Eastern Kingdom was beset by internal and external troubles. Alas, he couldn't say any of that.

Madam Lin smiled and said, "That's right, you're still young, so we'll call you Xiao Jin."

"Okay, let's name the girl Caiwei, Gu Caiwei. It means simple, honest, gentle and virtuous."

Lin Li was writing three words on the back of a piece of paper: "Hehe, good, good name, Gu Caiwei, do you think these are the two characters?"

Dongfang Jin leaned closer: "Uncle Village Head, if you remove the three strokes from the character '彩' and add a grass radical to the character '微', then it's correct."

As she spoke, Lin Li was taking out a pen to correct her: "Is that so?"

Dongfang Jin nodded: "Yes, those are the two words."

Lin Yu glanced at her and tentatively asked, "Xiao Jin, does this name have a deeper meaning?"

Dongfang Jin looked at him approvingly and said, "Hehe, Brother Lin Yu saw through it?"

"Huh? There really is?" Lin Jiang asked curiously.

Dongfang Jin looked at them all, then fixed her gaze on Gu Chenglin: "Gathering the shepherd's purse, the basket is not even full. Alas, I miss my beloved, who is far away."

This sentence describes the longing of soldiers for their hometowns and families while they are away fighting on the frontier.

Upon hearing her words, the entire village head and his family looked at Gu Chenglin. This man had a miserable life; no one had a more miserable life than him.

He didn't even know about Gu Ya's birth. In the end, the child was labeled a bastard by the Gu family, which even drove Cheng Lin's wife to jump into the river. In the end, their body was never found.

Even so, that family still acted up.

Lin Lizheng's gaze towards Dongfang Jin changed at this moment; it was a heartfelt admiration for the scholar.

"You two take a look. If you have no objections, I'll go to the yamen to get your seals stamped first thing tomorrow morning."

“No objection,” Dongfang Jin said, glancing at Gu Chenglin, her meaning not too obvious.

Gu Chenglin instantly understood the look in her eyes, and immediately took out two taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to the village head.

Seeing his actions, Dongfang Jin was very satisfied with him. This man understood her meaning, which was good; he wasn't a pedant.

Upon seeing the silver, Lin Peisheng's face immediately turned cold: "What's this for? Take it back right away. Don't be so extravagant, kid. You'll need money for many things in the future."

Dongfang Jin picked up the money and put it back in his hand: "Uncle Village Head, we do have many expenses, but one thing at a time. This little bit of money can't solve our current situation."

"You're doing this for my family; there's no reason for you to pay for it yourself."

Lin Yu chimed in, "But you wouldn't need that many, would you?"

Dongfang Jin looked at the family and said, "Uncle Village Head, I happen to need your help with something that no one else can do."