Chapter 69, first published on Jinjiang (1st update) "You used my flowers..."

Ruan Yu was half asleep. When she first woke up and opened her eyes, she found that Chao Lu had not returned yet. When she woke up a second time, she finally heard rustling sounds beside her. Ruan Yu turned over and rolled into a familiar chest.

"Hmm...where did you go?"

Chao Lu said with a hint of excitement, "I didn't go anywhere, just to the study."

"Is there anything urgent?"

"No, no, you can keep sleeping..."

Ruan Yu didn't think much of it, and she was indeed very sleepy, so she tilted her head and fell asleep.

The next morning, it was another good day for work, but when Ruan Yu woke up, Chao Lu was gone again.

Ruan Yu felt puzzled, so she dressed and went out. Afu and Xuanniang were in the courtyard, excitedly saying, "Fourth Master barely slept last night and has almost finished making that farm cart!"

Ruan Yu's eyes widened, but before she could speak, Chao Lu pushed a guy over from not far away.

"Yu Yu, look!"

Chao Lu pushed a simple plow cart, which was obviously made last night. The wood was freshly planed. He was extremely excited when he pushed it in front of Ruan Yu.

"Is it like you described? There's a hopper at the top that holds the seeds, and I added a movable switch in the middle with a rope attached. When someone pulls the rope from behind, the seeds fall directly into the hopper below, and then down the pipe into the ditch..."

Ruan Yu stepped forward in surprise: "Yes... that's pretty much it..."

She circled the plow, incredulous.

"Did you do this last night?"

Chao Lu: "Not only me, but also my sixth brother."

Turing stood to one side, yawning repeatedly. "I was already asleep, but my fourth brother insisted on dragging me out last night. I worked all night... Fourth brother, I'm not going to the fields today."

Chao Lu ignored him, staring intently at Ruan Yu as if asking her repeatedly, "How is it?"

Ruan Yu couldn't help but laugh, and then carefully touched it again, "Yes, just as I thought, you're really amazing."

Chao Lu unconsciously puffed out his chest again.

"It's nothing. I actually figured out what you said yesterday, and I just did random things when I couldn't sleep at night."

Ruan Yu almost burst out laughing, but she saw through it and didn't say anything: "Very good, send it over to Lord Pei today and let him take a look. If it's acceptable, then prepare for mass production. This one is still a bit small."

Chao Lu: "I know, it's definitely impossible to make a big one-night operation!"

Ruan Yu carefully examined Chao Lu's face. Having not slept all night, he inevitably showed signs of fatigue, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Go get some sleep first, there's no rush."

Chao Lu shook his head: "No, I need to hurry. I'll go see Pei Du today and ask him about the wheat seeds again."

Ruan Yu remembered that Chao Lu might have to go back to the grasslands in the next couple of days, and Afu had already prepared the carriage. "Fourth Master, everything is ready."

Chao Lu nodded: "Okay, Yu Yu, you don't need to go today. Stay home and rest. I'll be back soon."

"Okay, then I'll wait for you..."

After Chao Lu left, Qing Guo smiled and whispered, "Fourth Master stayed up all night to make this, which shows how much he takes Madam's words to heart."

Ruan Yu smiled and said, "Let's finalize the shop arrangements today. We won't be staying in Lingzhou for much longer."

"Eh."

-

Ruan Yu ultimately chose a shop in the East Market, while Yu Zhu reserved one in the West Market.

Yu Zhu doesn't have any plans yet, but Ruan Yu already has some ideas in mind.

In just one day, the construction of the shop was all arranged, and Xuanniang was asked to bring over some embroiderers.

Ruan Yu met him in person at the shop.

"Madam, some of the women here are Han Chinese embroiderers, and some are also from the grasslands."

Ruan Yu nodded and said, "I have some tanned furs here. Each of you can take some back and use them to make hats, boots, scarves, whatever you like. Just choose what you're good at. Is three days enough?"

"Enough, Madam," everyone said in unison.

"Alright, bring them all over in three days. I'll choose some to keep. If they're selected, you'll definitely be treated well in the future."

"yes."

After finishing up at the shop, it was almost afternoon again.

The evening market in Lingzhou City was already bustling with activity, with vendors and acrobats everywhere. Ruan Yu strolled around the street and said, "We won't cook today. Let the people in the small kitchen take a break. Let's buy some fresh food for Chao Lu to take back. Let's also take a walk around."

Qingguo Xuanniang happily replied, "Alright!"

Ruan Yu used to enjoy shopping when she was in Chang'an, but she had limited opportunities to go out. Now she was much freer and wanted to buy everything she saw along the way.

"Grilled lamb skewers, fresh lamb skewers!"

The smoky atmosphere of the stall drew the attention of the three, master and servants, to the grilled meat skewers. The aroma of pepper and dogwood in the air was quite overpowering. Ruan Yu sniffed, and Qing Guo laughed, "Let's buy some too! Take them back to eat!"

“Okay…but buy less…” Ruan Yu still remembers the scene when she got blisters from eating mutton and was ridiculed by Chao Lu.

Qingguo smiled and agreed, immediately ordering fifty skewers. Thirty skewers would be enough for the three of them, and twenty skewers would be given to Fourth Master.

This street is full of snacks, so there's no need to buy them all!

If you keep walking, you can also find beef fritters and roasted lamb buns.

Ruan Yu thought they all looked good, so she bought some of them.

Later, when they came across sweet treats, they readily accepted persimmon crystal cakes and various kinds of sweet flower cakes.

By the time the three of them, master and servant, strolled back to the Wei residence, their hands were overflowing with bags.

Ruan Yu went straight to the bathroom to take a shower, and after a short while, Chao Lu returned.

He had clearly been out in the field again today, covered in mud splatters.

Qingguo came running out cautiously: "Fourth Master, Madam is taking a bath."

She knew that Fourth Master was also eager to take a bath, but given his behavior... she guessed that Madam had no intention of bathing with him.

Chao Lu was willing, but he knew his limits: "Okay, I'll wait in the yard. If I get hungry, you can bring me something."

"Oh, Madam bought a lot of snacks today, especially for you!"

Upon hearing this, Chao Lu also became interested.

Sure enough, there was a large pile of food on the table. Chao Lu washed his hands and ate a few crystal cakes to fill his stomach.

"I must say, these local snacks taste pretty good too."

Qingguo smiled: "Yes, back when the former madam was in Chang'an, she was especially happy whenever she could leave the mansion. She would insist on exploring the area before going back!"

After listening, Chao Lu seemed to be deep in thought. Qing Guo noticed that Fourth Master seemed a little unhappy and was very uneasy. Had she said something wrong?

Chaolu wasn't blaming her, of course. He was just thinking that Yuyu had noticed she liked going out to play, but the grassland was barren and there was nothing there. She would definitely feel bored when she went back.

When Ruan Yu finished bathing and returned to the inner room, she saw Chao Lu dressed casually in only an undergarment.

"Go take a shower." Ruan Yu walked around to the table and sat down. The beauty who had just emerged from the bath was a feast for the eyes. Her face was rosy and still steaming. Chao Lu glanced at her and then at the persimmon cakes in the water. Suddenly, he thought that biting her cheeks would taste even better.

But he couldn't yet, so he said helplessly, "I'm going now, wait for me."

Ruan Yu: "I'm not hungry, I'll take my time washing."

She clearly misunderstood Chaolu's meaning. Chaolu stood up and gave her a meaningful look.

I put a lot of effort into washing up.

There were also some bottles and jars on the shelf. Chao Lu had never been interested in them before, but today he suddenly became interested and opened them to take a look.

Unexpectedly, with a slip of the hand, the entire bottle was spilled into the bucket.

Chao Lu: "..."

Instantly, a pleasant fragrance filled the entire bathroom, and Chao Lu sneezed.

Looking at the bubbles still floating in the air, Chao Lu fell silent.

Ruan Yu waited for a while and got a little hungry, but Chao Lu still hadn't returned.

She found it strange and was just about to go over to take a look when she saw Chao Lu walk out with hesitant steps and a complicated expression.

"Why did it take so long?" Ruan Yu had just finished speaking when she smelled a familiar fragrance.

Her eyes widened: "You used my floral water...?"

Chao Lu: "...That's flower dew? I didn't know."

Ruan Yu smiled and said, "You're quite particular; you even chose my favorite bottle."

"……oh."

Ruan Yu smelled it again and suddenly realized something was wrong: "How much did you use? It smells so good!"

She sneezed as well, and said to Lu helplessly, "I've changed the water three times already. What is this made of? The fragrance is so strong."

Ruan Yu glared at him: "It's very precious, one drop is enough, how much did you use?"

Chao Lu: "...I accidentally spilled the whole bottle...I...I'll pay you back tomorrow."

Ruan Yu: "???"

Her eyes widened at first, then her face quickly darkened...

"One bottle! Do you know how many fresh flowers are used to extract that little bottle?! You...!"

Chao Lu: "...I will definitely find a way to make it up to you."

Ruan Yu was so angry she wanted to punch him twice. That was something she had brought from Chang'an! There was no way it was sold here! She had poured the whole bottle into his bathwater, and Ruan Yu was heartbroken!

Thinking that there were still mud spots on Chaolu's legs, she felt it was a waste!

Enraged, Ruan Yu turned and left immediately!

Knowing he was in the wrong, Chaolu quickly chased after him and tried to coax him.

Ruan Yu said sternly, "There's no way they'd sell these here! Besides, I'm just worried about the cost! You're not allowed to touch my bathing things again!"

"Don't move, don't move. I'm just curious, but this smells really nice... Anyway, it's already like this, if you like it, why don't you hug me and smell it again...?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ruan Yu threw the scroll beside her at him.

Chao Lu caught it and then shamelessly smiled apologetically.

Inside, chickens were running and dogs were barking. Xuan Niang and Qing Guo were all laughing quietly at the door, and no one dared to go in.

Ruan Yu was angry for a while before she felt a little better. Of course, the price was that she made a bunch of promises to Chao Lu.

Once Ruan Yu calmed down, she started ordering him around: "I'm hungry."

Chao Lu eagerly went over to serve the food.

I'm thirsty.

Then hurry over and pour some water.

After finally finishing dinner, Ruan Yu gave him a pleasant look.

"Yu Yu, I have to send the wheat seeds back tomorrow and will be back in two days." Before going to sleep, Chao Lu suddenly remembered this.

Ruan Yu glared at him: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I was distracted by the flower dew and forgot..."

Ruan Yu: "...When do we depart tomorrow?"

"Let's talk after noon, I can still spend some time with you during the day."

Ruan Yu: I don't care...

Chao Lu moved even closer to her.

"This aroma is really long-lasting. I'm almost marinating it in. Are you always smelling so good? I'll warm your bed tonight, and I guarantee you'll be able to smell my scent for the next couple of days."

Ruan Yu: "Who cares!"

Just thinking about the image of her expensive floral dew spilling on his feet made Ruan Yu want to punch him a few times to vent her anger!

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The author says: Just imagine what my sisters are like with La Mer and SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, it's really infuriating.

Here we go, time to start the 11-day writing spree! Three chapters today. More this afternoon.