Chapter 643: Persuading Master to Go to Beijing

Feng Zhenting was so excited that he was almost incoherent. He led Xiao Yan and Lu Qiniang to the simple but clean and tidy flower hall and sat them down.

"Qingfeng, go make tea quickly." Feng Zhenting ordered repeatedly.

"Yes, Dad, I'll go right away." A crisp response came.

Seeing this, Lu Qiniang stood up with a smile and said, "My husband, please have a good talk with the master. My sister and I will go to the stove to help." She rolled up her sleeves naturally and followed Feng Qingfeng to the kitchen.

The kitchen was filled with a faint smell of woodsmoke and was equally neat and orderly.

While helping to boil water, Lu Qin's mother gently asked about the father and daughter's recent situation.

Feng Qingfeng did not shy away and continued to tell the story while cleaning the tea set neatly.

It turned out that Feng Zhenting was now teaching martial arts at the prefect's residence, and the monthly salary of five taels of silver was the entire livelihood of the father and daughter.

She herself takes care of this small home and manages everything inside and outside.

"These days, my father heard that my senior brother was going to pass by, so he told the prefect about his relationship with him. But my father returned all the gifts sent by the prefect." Feng Qingfeng took the initiative to explain the whole story.

There was a hint of admiration in Lu Qiniang's eyes.

She is a smart girl.

Pointing out the relationship is a favor, returning the gift is a measure of propriety, and drawing a clear line between the father and daughter and the prefect will also prevent Xiao Yan from owing anyone a favor.

"Sister-in-law," Feng Qingfeng added more water, raised his eyes to look at Lu Qiniang, and smiled helplessly, "To be honest, my father has always been a stubborn person and he hates to cling to others. If it weren't for him, if he wasn't worried about my marriage, he would never have mentioned my senior brother on his own initiative."

"Look at you, what kind of words are you talking about? We're a family, there's no need to be clinging to someone else. If you ask me, it's all your senior brother's fault. He should have gone to Master a long time ago."

"No, sister-in-law, you are too serious."

"Your senior brother is in awe of the master. When the master said we wouldn't contact him again, he was too foolish to dare to look for him again. He's really quite smart in other matters, but in this matter, perhaps because he respects the master too much, he didn't dare to come to the master's house. When I found out, I told him about it."

Feng Qingfeng felt the frankness and closeness in Lu Qinniang's words, and his expression relaxed a lot.

"Since we are a family, I am not afraid of being disliked by you. Qingfeng, you are good-looking and tall, what's wrong with this marriage?"

"I don't want to get married." Feng Qingfeng lowered his eyes. "My father is old and my mother has passed away. If I marry again, he will be left alone. I will be worried."

"My sister is a filial daughter." Lu Qinniang praised sincerely.

"My father is starting to get anxious, worried that after he dies, I'll be left with no one to rely on," Feng Qingfeng said. "I only regret that I'm not a man. Even if I had martial arts skills, I wouldn't be able to go out and start a career, or carve out a niche to support him in his later years."

As Lu Qiniang listened, her love for Qingfeng deepened.

"Don't worry, there will be opportunities in the future." She comforted Feng Qingfeng, "My third daughter, who is one year older than you, is already leading troops in the northwest. If she can make a name for herself, other women can too."

"I've heard about the third lady's deeds, and I only regret that I can't fight in the battlefield like her." A hint of excitement flashed in Feng Qingfeng's eyes.

But she can't.

She also has an elderly father to take care of.

The two of them made tea and brought it in.

Feng Zhenting was reminiscing about the past: "...I really shouldn't have left back then. Think about it, you were only eleven years old..."

"Master, please don't say that. If it weren't for your careful teaching during those seven years, and if someone else had clung to the powerful, there wouldn't be Xiao Yan today."

Seven years have forged his character, and Xiao Yan is sincerely grateful to Feng Zhenting.

Feng Zhenting glanced at his daughter and hesitated to speak.

But Xiao Yan was so excited that he didn't notice anything unusual.

Lu Qiniang had already learned the whole story from Qingfeng, so she smiled and said, "Once a teacher, always a father. Moreover, Master has taught me for seven years. Why don't you and Sister Qingfeng come back to the capital with us..."

Xiao Yan looked at Feng Zhenting nervously, afraid that he would refuse forcefully.

Feng Zhenting indeed refused.

"I am already old, and Qingfeng Niang is buried in Luoyang. I will be buried here with her a hundred years later. But Qingfeng, I am really worried about her marriage-"

Xiao Yan said, "In that case, I will go to the Luoyang prefect and ask him to help my junior sister find a good marriage."

Feng Zhenting moved his lips but said nothing.

Lu Qiniang looked anxious.

Feng Zhenting clearly wanted them to take Qingfeng away.

After all, the capital is better, and I have this senior brother to support me.

No matter how tough a guy he was when he was young, he will become gentle after having children.

Lu Qiniang believed that if it weren't for his daughter, Feng Zhenting would not be able to lower himself to get close to Xiao Yan.

But Xiao Yan "doesn't understand romance".

What he thought was that his daughter should stay with her father, which was not wrong.

But wouldn’t it be better to persuade them to go to Beijing together?

"Thank you, senior brother, but don't bother me. I want to stay by my father's side and serve him, and I am only willing to marry a son-in-law. This matter is also difficult for the prefect, so I will look for it myself." Qingfeng mentioned his marriage without any shyness, and said it openly.

"Stop arguing. In my opinion," Lu Qiniang said with a smile, "it would be better if Master and Sister came with us to the capital. Instead of Master teaching other people's children here, it would be better for him to teach our own children. This way, we can also honor you."

"No, no, I'm not going." Feng Zhenting said, "I'll stay here."

"Master, Qingfeng won't go anywhere unless you leave Luoyang. To be honest, we'll only stay in Luoyang for a couple of days. Where can we meet someone who knows us well enough to introduce us to someone?"

"Yes, we can ask the prefect for help, but he is someone else after all. For something as important as marriage, it takes the care of our own people."

"Besides, my sister has learned some skills from you. Don't you want her to go to the capital and find an official position? Relying on a man is not as reliable as relying on herself!"

"Seek a government position?" Feng Zhenting was shocked. "Like your third daughter?"

He didn't even dare to think about it, and he couldn't bear to do it.

"Yes, the Empress will give women opportunities in the future. To be honest, this matter needs to be rolled out little by little from the capital to Luoyang. It will take who knows when. Regardless of gender, I see now that it's better to become famous early. Not to mention others, isn't Xiao Yan and my third daughter the same?"

Feng Zhenting looked at Xiao Yan, "Really? Women can also become officials in the future?"

Xiao Yan nodded.

He is extremely smart.

Although he was not aware of it due to excitement just now, but now that Lu Qiniang reminded him, what else is there for him not to understand?

"Master, please come with us to Beijing."