Chapter 115 Thoughts

Qingjiu couldn't guess who her master favored, unless her master told her himself.

When Qingjiu returned home, he was still thinking about this matter. When he arrived home, he saw that Cuizhi had just sent a letter back, and casually asked, "Is it a letter for the old lady?"

"Yes, it was written by the master himself. Why are you only coming back now? The master has been waiting for you for quite a while," Cuizhi asked.

At this point, Qingjiu became a little embarrassed, chuckled, and turned to run to find his master. "Sir, why are you writing a letter to the old lady? Do you miss her?"

Lu Zhao was reading when Qingjiu's loud voice made his ears hurt. "Why are you shouting so loudly? Where have you been?"

“I…I was stopped by Miss Sanhua and she talked to me about something,” Qingjiu said. “You still haven’t told me why you wrote a letter to the old lady?”

"Why ask so many questions? Let's get ready and go eat." Lu Zhao didn't plan to talk to Qing Jiu that much. With Qing Jiu's brain, once he started talking to her, she would reveal the truth on her own without anyone else having to pry it out.

Lu Zhao wrote a letter to his grandmother to inform her that he had found someone he wanted to marry, and if his grandmother was willing, he hoped that she could come to Lin'an to help him propose marriage.

Although he did not have contact with his father, he respected his grandmother. According to custom, having his grandmother come forward also represented the Lu family's respect for the Qiao family.

Of course, Lu Zhao also made it clear that he never wanted to go back to Bianjing, that corrupting influence, and that he was perfectly happy with his current life.

Therefore, a powerful in-law family is not necessary.

He is not short of money.

I still have some influence in Lin'an, so I'll just continue living this peaceful and quiet life.

The letter had already been sent, and Lu Zhao then instructed Cuizhi, "Go to the new house and tell Songmu to ask a few people to clean the house inside and out. No need... I'll go find someone."

After leaving home, Lu Zhao went to ask the Meng and Xu families next door.

Chun Sheng's mother and Jin Shi were both free, and they were very happy.

Jin and Lu Zhao assured them, "You can rest assured that you've left it to us. Thank you for thinking of us and helping us earn some money."

They are happy when they have work to do.

Chun Sheng's mother, being a bit gossipy, asked, "But Lord Lu, are you cleaning the new house because the marriage has been arranged?"

Lu Zhao said no, "My grandmother will be coming soon, and I was thinking of cleaning it up so that she can live more comfortably."

It's true. Whether the old lady agrees or not, she will definitely come to Lin'an after receiving Lu Zhao's letter.

After hearing Lu Zhao's explanation, Jin and the others were no longer surprised. Given Old Madam Lu's status, she was indeed more suited to living in the new house.

After making arrangements with his neighbors, Lu Zhao went to Qiao's Restaurant. This time, he was more observant; instead of ordering food, he helped move chairs and benches as soon as he entered the restaurant.

"Oh, Lord Lu, please have a seat. How could I let you work?" Madam Lin came over with a smile. "Aren't you on duty today?"

She noticed that Lu Zhao wasn't wearing his official robes, but rather a simple gray-blue casual outfit, which made him appear even more handsome.

"I'm off today, so I came a little early." Lu Zhao said that he had nothing to do and ordered two dishes. "I'll help you with some chores, otherwise I'll just sit here and have nothing to do. Please don't be so polite with me. We're neighbors, and I'm your junior, so there's no need for formalities."

"That won't do." Madam Lin thought Lu Zhao was just being polite, but she couldn't refuse Lu Zhao, so she had to ask him for help.

She felt that Lu Zhao was much more enthusiastic than usual today. In the past, he was indifferent, and sometimes she couldn't even tell whether he was happy or angry.

Lu Zhao ordered a bowl of fermented bean curd and fern, a plate of stir-fried pig's head, and since he was in a good mood today, he also ordered a fish head and tofu soup.

When the order was delivered to the kitchen, Qiao Mianmian knew it was for Lu Zhao and asked, "Lord Lu, you're here so early today. Are you resting?"

Qiao Mancang said, "He looked all smiles and seemed to be in a very good mood. I wonder what good thing could have made him so happy?"

Qiao Mianmian didn't know either, but she dared not gossip about Lu Zhao's affairs, at most she would ask Qingjiu sometimes.

After frying the fish head, pour boiling water into the pot, and the broth will turn milky white. Then add tofu and soybean paste and simmer.

While waiting for the fish head tofu soup to cook, Qiao Jiaxing and Qiao Jiawang had already prepared the other side dishes.

Qiao Jiaxing glanced at his sister and asked casually, "The Zhou family came to visit this morning. Won't you regret not going to see them?"

Mrs. Zhou made a special trip to apologize, explaining that her son had fallen and injured his leg the day before and had been taken to the hospital, which had caused a delay.

When Lin heard this, she thought that this was the reason, and she could accept it. It was only later that Qiao Mianmian enlightened her.

Qiao Mianmian said, "Even if he broke his leg and couldn't come back, he should have sent someone back to let us know. Also, since he knew there was going to be a matchmaking meeting, he went out to buy books early, which shows that Young Master Zhou doesn't value this matchmaking meeting. In that case, there's no need to see him again. I'm not even as good as one of his books, and even if we met, I wouldn't want to talk to him."

Zhou Jing'an did twist his leg. He was in a hurry to go back after buying the books, and ended up bumping into Lu Zhao's horse. That's how the two met.

He had thought there was something going on at home, but he twisted his ankle and couldn't walk, so Lu Zhao carried him onto a horse. After going to the clinic, they went to the tavern. He asked to go home several times, but Lu Zhao always stopped him.

Well, Qiao Mianmian felt they weren't meant to be.

When Madam Zhou learned what had happened yesterday, she was furious. Rarely, she pointed at her youngest son's face and scolded, "I'm not as strict with you as I am with your older siblings, but I've still taught you how to be a good person. Since it was agreed upon, why did you insist on buying that book? And why didn't you come back on time?"

Facing his mother, Zhou Jing'an lowered his head and muttered softly, "This book is extremely hard to buy. I had to specifically inquire to find out it was available this morning. I was wrong; I didn't expect this."

Zhou advised her mother, "What's done is done, the Qiao family is definitely angry, it won't do any good if you scold your third brother. We can talk about how to punish him later, let's go to the Qiao family to apologize today."

As she spoke, she had someone change Zhou Jing'an's clothes, saying, "Even if your leg is broken, you still have to apologize today."

The Zhou family arrived in this way every morning, first to the Qiao family, then to the food stall.

Lin was angry, but seeing Zhou Jing'an limping, her anger subsided by half. In particular, the humble attitude of Madam Zhou and Zhou Shi made her feel much better.

She sent someone to call her daughter, but when her daughter didn't come, she knew things were going to end badly.

Now that Qiao Jiaxing brought it up, he felt it was worth giving Zhou Jing'an another chance. "I specifically took a look for you. That young master Zhou has delicate features, is whiter than winter snow, and is quite handsome. Don't you like good-looking people, and the Zhou family is well-off? Is that really the case?"

"Um."

Qiao Mianmian said, "I'm not angry with him. I just feel that we're not a good match. I didn't feel like I lost face yesterday, but you didn't see it, Second Brother. When Mother was at the Zhou family, she was on pins and needles. I saw her sighing quietly, and there were many emotions in her eyes. That's why I suggested that we leave after dinner."

"Second brother, Mother shouldn't have to suffer this injustice because of me."

Since that's the case, there's no need to look at each other anymore.

Qiao Mianmian's words left Qiao Jiaxing and the others speechless.

Yes, Mother works tirelessly from dawn till dusk to make their lives better, and they should also think more about Mother.

The fish head tofu soup in the pot was ready. After Qiao Mianmian ladled it out, she asked her second sister-in-law to serve the dishes while she continued to stir-fry the vegetables.

The bracken ferns were very plump today, each one stalk was thick and juicy. Qiao Mianmian kept a small bowl and shared it with her brothers.

Bracken fern with fermented bean curd has a unique flavor, and its slippery texture makes it a great accompaniment to rice.

Life continued as usual at the Qiao family's place, but at the Zhou family's place, Zhou Shi gave her younger brother a good scolding. As the eldest sister, she usually just felt that her parents favored her third brother more, but this incident forced her to intervene and discipline him.

“We sent you to school not to turn you into a bookworm who doesn’t even know etiquette and manners. I’ve looked through your books, and they’re mostly miscellaneous travelogues; there aren’t many serious books. I told Mother to lock them up for now. Since you love books so much, I think if you study hard, you’ll eventually pass the imperial examinations and get a degree. I’ll return the books to you when you pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations.” Madam Zhou’s face hardened, making her even more frightening than Madam Zhou and her husband.

Zhou Jing'an didn't dare to breathe loudly, pleading pitifully, "Big sister, I promise I won't do it again. Please, please keep the book for me. Taking the imperial examination isn't something you can just do on a whim. I've taken it twice and still haven't passed. I probably won't pass next time either."

"How can you possibly pass the imperial examination if you spend all your time on these trivial books?" Zhou's attitude was firm. She walked to the door and said, "Father, Mother, I never said anything about how much you spoiled our third brother in the past. But if you don't discipline him properly while you still can, you'll suffer later!"

Zhou spoke very bluntly, and even Mrs. Zhou and her husband didn't dare to say anything negative.

When they returned to the Wang family, Zhou first went to apologize to Lin Xiahe, explaining the whole story in detail. She didn't hide anything for her younger brother either. "I went to your house to apologize this morning. It's because my family spoils this younger brother too much. I can only say that my third brother is not lucky enough to marry such a good girl as Mianmian."

Lin Xiahe felt something was wrong yesterday, and now that she heard it, she felt a little regretful, but she had to say that everything was fine. "It is indeed a pity, but there is nothing we can do. Maybe they will find a more suitable match in the future."

She paused, then asked, "But you just said that your third brother and Lord Lu from the City God's Office hit it off immediately. Which Lord Lu is he?"

"I don't know either. We're not familiar with the City God's Office. All we know is that this Lord Lu is very young and quite handsome." Madam Zhou had said everything she needed to say and done everything she could. As for the rest, she couldn't care less. "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. It's no use for us to feel sorry for him here. It's our family that didn't do a good job."

The die is cast, and there's no point in trying to fix it, so let's look forward.

Upon hearing that he was good-looking, Lin Xiahe immediately thought of Lu Zhao. Although there were many people in the City God Bureau, there should only be one young, good-looking person with the surname Lu, namely Lu Zhao.

Considering Lord Lu's character, Lin Xiahe was definitely an accident.

The two sisters-in-law chatted for a while, and Zhou went home only when Wang Heze brought the meal.

In the evening, Lin came over to stay with them. Lin Xiahe talked about Lu Zhao and Zhou Jing'an drinking together, and the two of them sighed together.

"What bad luck! I thought that now that our family is better off, we could set our sights higher. We finally found a Zhou family, and this is what happened!" Madam Lin said angrily. "And Lord Lu is really something. He has such a low alcohol tolerance, why did he drag people to drink? And both of them got drunk!"

Lin Xiahe didn't dare to add fuel to the fire. After all, she and Zhou Shi lived next door. Although her younger brother and sister-in-law's marriage hadn't gone through, their relationship as sisters-in-law remained unchanged.

The Zhou family's affair was like an interlude; the Qiao family tacitly agreed not to mention it again in front of Qiao Mianmian.

It wasn't until mid-March that Old Madam Lu arrived in Lin'an again. This time, she went straight to Lu Zhao's residence, waiting for him to return home and ask him questions.