Chapter 87 Old Mrs. Lu

The crescent moon was already visible in the evening glow. After excitedly shouting, Grandma Lu saw two people coming out of the house and was momentarily dazed. "Who are you?"

Lu Zhao was also stunned, then exhaled, "Grandmother, it's me. What brings you to Lin'an?"

"Oh my dear grandson, it really is you!" Grandma Lu walked up to her grandson, tears streaming down her face. She rubbed her eyes as she looked up. "Am I getting old and my eyesight is failing me? You seem to have grown taller."

“I have indeed grown taller, and I’m also stronger.” Lu Zhao asked his grandmother to sit down, and then asked Qingjiu to boil water for tea.

Hearing her grandson call out "Qingjiu," Grandma Lu turned to look. With a round face, double chin, and a generally auspicious appearance, Grandma Lu thought she was seeing things. "What? This is Qingjiu?"

"It's me, Madam," Qingjiu said with a smile. "Please have a seat. We just got back. There's no hot tea at home, so I'll go and boil some water for you right away."

Grandma Lu was truly astonished. "Zhao'er, you...you really didn't lie to me, that was green wine?"

Seeing her grandson nod, Grandma Lu was even more dazed. She had thought her grandson was starving and freezing in Lin'an, but she hadn't expected that both of them were being raised so well. Especially Qingjiu, who used to be so thin, but now... good heavens, even raising piglets wouldn't be this effective!

Lu Zhao asked his grandmother again why she had come.

Grandma Lu sighed, "What else could it be? Of course, it's to see you, you heartless wretch."

The old nanny Kong beside her brought a handbag to warm Old Madam Lu's hands, saying, "The old lady has been thinking of you, but she had been holding back. However, after Lord Zhao came to see you, she thought about you day and night, unable to sleep. She just wanted to see how you were doing, and she didn't want to rest along the way. After arriving in Lin'an, she was even more eager to see you, but she went to the wrong place and wandered around until she finally found your residence. So far, she has only eaten some street food, and hasn't even had a hot meal today. Young Master, please understand her love for her grandson and spend some time with her."

Everyone knew the situation of the Lu family. Granny Kong didn't persuade Lu Zhao to return to Bianjing, but only mentioned how hard the old lady of the Lu family had worked.

Lu Zhao's heart softened. "Grandmother, it is...it is your grandson who is unfilial."

"It's not your fault, it's your lecherous father who's been doing inhuman things. I'd be angry too." Old Mrs. Lu said, looking around. The courtyard was small, and the houses were even more cramped. "My poor child, you live in a place like this? How can you endure this hardship?"

She was heartbroken, and tears streamed down her face again.

“Grandmother, this place is actually very nice,” Lu Zhao said.

"What's so good about it? Don't I have eyes?" Old Mrs. Lu sighed. Just then, Qingjiu brought over some hot tea. She took a sip and couldn't swallow it. "This tea is too bitter. Is it from last year?"

Qingjiu said, "Not many people come to the house. Most of the salary of the adults and me is spent on food, so we didn't buy tea specifically."

Lu Zhao said he would go buy new vegetables tomorrow.

Just then, the Lin couple arrived. They heard Old Mrs. Lu's voice and thought she might be some elder of Lu Zhao. As neighbors, they should come over and greet her.

Holding a bowl of braised meat, Madam Lin smiled at Old Madam Lu. "Just now at the gate, I heard someone talking in the courtyard. I thought it might be a relative of Lord Lu. It's getting dark now. I wonder if you've eaten yet, Old Madam. This is some braised meat that my family made ourselves. I brought it here for you to have a little something to eat."

When facing outsiders, Grandma Lu naturally said she had eaten, but when she smelled the aroma of braised meat, she couldn't help but swallow.

Meanwhile, one of the people serving her let his stomach rumble loudly.

Upon hearing Lu Zhao say that the visitor was his grandmother, and seeing the others gazing longingly at the braised meat, Madam Lin said, "So it's the old lady of the Lu family. I see you're all hungry, so I'll go make you some noodles. You can eat this braised meat first to fill your stomachs. We're always taken care of by Lord Lu, so you don't need to be so polite with me."

As she spoke, Lin pulled Qiao Mancang out, without even waiting for Lu Zhao to say that it was no trouble.

After leaving the Lu family residence, Madam Lin whispered to Qiao Mancang, "Did you see that just now?"

"What did you see?"

"Look at the people around Old Madam Lu!" Madam Lin clicked her tongue. "I could tell at a glance that Old Madam Lu was wearing silk, but the people serving her were dressed even better than us. Besides the old nanny, there were two maids and two servants at the door. My goodness, I only knew that Lord Lu came from Bianjing, but I never imagined that he came from a wealthy family in Bianjing!"

Hearing Lin say this, Qiao Mancang finally realized, "My wife is so observant; I didn't even notice these things."

"Hmph, what do you know?" Madam Lin went into the kitchen to knead the dough and then asked Qiao Mancang to cut the braised meat. "Lord Lu has helped us a lot. If we go to the restaurant to buy food at this hour, who knows how long it will take. Hurry up and start a fire. I'll make them a bowl of braised meat noodles."

Qiao Mancang readily agreed.

Qiao Mianmian came in out of curiosity and learned that Old Madam Lu had a grand entourage. She sighed inwardly, thinking that only a wealthy family could raise someone as meticulous as Lu Zhao.

The hand-pulled noodles were ready quickly, and Qiao Mianmian asked her mother to cook them a little longer, saying, "The old lady might not have good teeth. You should rest early. We'll take the noodles over and come back soon; they want to catch up with us."

"I know, do you know how talkative your mother is?" Lin snorted, first scooping out half of the noodles, mixing them with the broth, then putting some chili peppers in a small bowl, and letting Qiao Mancang take it over first.

Qiao Mancang carried the noodles to the opposite door. Knowing that Old Madam Lu came from a wealthy family, he suddenly tensed up, wondering if Old Madam Lu would eat the braised meat his family gave him.

When he entered the courtyard, he saw that a plate of braised meat had been eaten, and his heart finally settled down. He said warmly, "This is a chewier hand-pulled noodle, and the other half is cooked a little softer. Please don't be so polite with us, old man. We usually visit each other, and Lord Lu is a regular guest at our house." As he spoke, he urged Granny Kong and the others to eat noodles.

However, Granny Kong and the others were servants of wealthy families, and they wouldn't touch their chopsticks until their masters had eaten.

Seeing that Granny Kong and the others were not moving, Qiao Mancang looked at Lu Zhao in confusion.

Having just eaten braised meat, Grandma Lu's gaze softened considerably when she looked at Qiao Mancang. She proactively explained, "I haven't started eating yet, and they won't eat first. Your family's skills are truly astonishing. I never expected to find such delicious braised meat in Lin'an. Is it a family recipe passed down through generations? Or has someone in your family worked in a large restaurant?"

Qiao Mancang smiled and shook his head, "It's my little daughter's cooking." As he spoke, Lin brought over the remaining braised noodles.

"Oh dear, why haven't you eaten yet? It's going to burn!" Madam Lin put down the noodles. "You all keep eating, we're going back now."

Lu Zhao asked how much it cost, and Lin said it didn't matter. "You're a guest at the food stall, but we're neighbors in the alley. It's nothing expensive for neighbors to eat noodles together. I was thinking that you usually eat at our place, so you probably don't have any vegetables or rice stored at home. And Qingjiu isn't good at cooking, so I made noodles. Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, you can eat."

After watching the Lin couple leave, Lu Zhao handed chopsticks to his grandmother. "Please eat quickly. The Qiao couple who came from across the street just now run a food stall in the market. Their cooking skills are quite good."

"It's actually quite good." Grandma Lu took the bowl and chopsticks, took a small bite, and found the noodles smooth and the broth fragrant but not greasy. It was indeed delicious. "It's even better than the cooking skills of our family."

She believed in not speaking while eating, so she didn't talk during the meal. Only after she had finished eating did she ask, "I just heard Mrs. Qiao say that you usually eat at her family's restaurant. What's going on?"

"Neither Qingjiu nor I are good cooks, so we patronize the Qiao family's business for more than twenty days a month," Lu Zhao said truthfully.

“That’s fine too, it saves you the trouble of cooking.” In Grandma Lu’s opinion, her grandson has been pampered since he was a child, so it’s a good thing that someone is cooking for him.

Seeing that his grandmother was sleepy, Lu Zhao said, "It's getting late, let's settle down for today. We can talk again tomorrow. I'll have Qingjiu find an inn."

"No need for such trouble." Although Grandma Lu felt the place was small, she wanted to see her grandson as soon as she woke up tomorrow. "We can make do here for one night. If you can stay here, I can stay here too. Granny Kong, take some people to tidy up so we can get things settled as soon as possible."

Seeing that his grandmother had made up her mind, Lu Zhao said no more and had Qingjiu roll up the bedding and take it to his room.

When Lu Zhao closed the door and lay down, he stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.

Qingjiu, on the other hand, snored without a care in the world.

As the night passed, Lu Zhao didn't sleep much. He asked Qingjiu to ask for leave early and also asked her to buy some food.

Grandma Lu was exhausted and slept until dawn. She instructed Granny Kong and the others to go shopping, saying, "A household needs rice and vegetables to make life feel like a proper life. Also, buy the best bedding and fabrics."

As she spoke, she went to look at her grandson, "Zhao'er, find a few real estate agents for the house your grandmother bought for you. This place is too small; even with two more servants, it won't be enough room."

Lu Zhao quickly said no, "Grandmother, it's really nice for me to stay here."

"But……"

“It’s really nice, please sit down and rest. When I left the Lu family, I used the silver notes you gave me to buy this house. I’m already very satisfied with the life I have now,” Lu Zhao said.

Grandma Lu looked at her grandson with a complicated expression for a while, then couldn't help but scold, "It's all your lecherous father's fault! He had a perfectly good family, but he had to mess things up. It's okay for a man to be lecherous, he could even take a concubine if he wanted, but he had to do all sorts of messy things. These past few years, I've been too embarrassed to go out and meet guests. He's made me lose all face!"

At home, the thought of her grandson in Lin'an would make her scold her son. Now, hearing that her grandson refused to move, she felt even more heartache. "My dear grandson, you're a good child, your grandmother truly loves you, you have no idea..."

Before Old Mrs. Lu could finish her sentence, two women entered through the door, chatting and laughing.

Jin, carrying a vegetable basket, said, "Lord Lu, I heard your grandmother has come. My family sent some eggs a few days ago for you to eat."

Chun Sheng's mother then brought over some steamed cakes she had made herself. "This must be your grandmother. The old lady looks so healthy. We are all Lord Lu's neighbors, and we usually look after each other. This is the first time we've met Lord Lu's family."

"Yes, hello." When the strangers arrived, Old Mrs. Lu immediately sat up straight. However, she had only been thinking of being polite when the two of them sat down and started chatting.

"Lord Lu, is your grandmother coming from Bianjing?" Jin asked.

“That’s obvious, otherwise where else would we have come from?” Chun Sheng’s mother chuckled. “Bianjing’s environment is truly nourishing. Old lady, did you come to Lin’an specifically to see Lord Lu?”

They all knew that Lord Lu did not return home on New Year's Eve last year.

Grandma Lu replied that she was right, and seeing that they had all sat down, she could only politely ask the maid to serve tea.

"No need, no need, we're like wild boars, we can't handle tea." As Jin spoke, she saw Zhang bringing over the fish, and smiled as she got up to go over. "You've come too! Lord Lu's grandmother is a kind person, she's just chatting with us. Please have a seat, is everything alright at home?"

“I can’t sit here.” Zhang put the fish down. “As you all know, Jiawang’s wife is heavily pregnant and can’t stay idle. I have to go back and mend the fishing net, otherwise she’ll secretly finish it again.”

"Yes, she's a hardworking person. Your Qiao family is blessed to have two hardworking granddaughters-in-law," Chun Sheng's mother said enviously. "Speaking of which, Jia Wang's wife is about to give birth."

She patted Jin Shi beside her, "Hey, how are you? Any movement?"

"What?" Jin blushed, realizing what was happening. "Oh dear, what did you say? Really!"

Seeing her like this, Chun Sheng's mother became even more curious. "Oh dear, is there any? Tell me?"

"Really, even Lord Lu is watching. I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going home to see if Da Hu can read." Jin said and left, not giving Chun Sheng's mother a chance to ask further questions.

She had already left, and Chun Sheng's mother, not wanting to stay there alone, followed her out.

After the person left, the house became quiet. Just as Old Mrs. Lu was recalling what she had said to her grandson, Widow Wang came to visit again with her son.

Throughout the morning, people from the Lu family came and went, and by noon, Old Mrs. Lu had no chance to finish her private conversation with her grandson.

"Grandmother, let's not buy groceries today. Let Granny Kong and the others cook the vegetables at home. Let's go to Qiao's and buy a couple more." Lu Zhao suggested.

"It seems you really enjoy the food from the Qiao family?" Old Mrs. Lu asked.

"Qiao's food is delicious and reasonably priced. Qingjiu and I eat there all year round, and they give us generous portions." Lu Zhao called over Qingjiu, "Go to Qiao's and get a serving of braised pork trotters, a serving of braised lion's head meatballs, and pumpkin cakes."

He ordered dishes that were soft and tender, making them easier for older people to eat.

When Qingji heard that he could order food at Qiaoji's, he ran off like the wind. After he ordered at Qiaoji's, he helped serve the wine at the counter.

Madam Lin asked from the side, "I saw your old lady yesterday. Her bearing was that of a woman from a wealthy family. Speaking of which, this is the first time Lord Lu's family has come here. Besides Old Madam Lu, does Lord Lu have any other relatives?"

"Of course there are. My wife has passed away, but my husband is still alive." Qingjiu was naive and would answer most of the questions people asked. "There are other relatives too, but we don't have much contact with the adults. The closest one is my old lady."

Upon hearing that Lu Zhao had no mother, Madam Lin thought that children without mothers usually have a hard life. "Then what is the main purpose of Old Madam Lu's visit this time? It can't be just to see your parents, can it?"

"Well..." Qingjiu thought for a moment, "I really don't know why the old lady came. This morning, the aunties next door came over one after another, but the old lady hasn't said what she wanted yet. But I'm sure she wants to see my husband. If my husband hadn't gone too far, he wouldn't have turned on me and run away so far."

At this point, Qiao Mancang came out carrying a food box, saying that the dishes Qingjiu had ordered were ready.

"Then I'll head back first." Qingjiu was already hungry and couldn't wait to go back for dinner.

After Qingjiu left, Madam Lin grabbed Qiao Mancang and said in a low voice, "Qingjiu just said that Master Lu went too far, and that Lord Lu came to Lin'an because he had a falling out with him. What do you think happened between father and son that led to such a falling out?"

"How would I know?" Qiao Mancang's two sons were both sensible and filial, so they had no idea what the father and sons were going through. "Alright, other people's business has nothing to do with us. Don't pry. They say family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. Lord Lu never mentions this matter, so he definitely doesn't want to talk about it."

"I know, I know, I'm just telling you. I won't even tell Chun Sheng's mother."

Madam Lin snorted and continued learning to use the abacus. Lately, with more and more accounts to handle, she would often make mistakes. She really didn't intend to tell anyone about it, but during her afternoon break, she mentioned it to her youngest daughter, "It seems that every family has its own troubles."

"And what about you? What's troubling you?" Qiao Mianmian asked with a smile as she peeled a pomelo.

"Me?"

Lin leaned back in her chair and thought seriously for a moment, "It should be that the money couldn't be a little more!"