Chapter 23: The Lady of Songjiang City Learns a Life-Saving Skill
Uncle Du has been immersed in the medical business since he was a child. He always knew that selling medicine could make money, but he never expected that trafficking in precious medicinal materials from outside the customs could be so profitable.
Uncle Du was already tempted, and after being urged by Gu Youan, he immediately nodded and agreed: "If your parents are willing to lend me money as capital, I will bring some medicinal herbs back to Yizhou Prefecture this time."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "You know what my parents are like. If you ask them, they will definitely not refuse."
Uncle Du and Gu Youan returned to the neighboring village. Gu Youan told his parents about his visit to the Han family's pharmacy. He then said, "Uncle Du is knowledgeable. He happens to be going back to Yizhou Prefecture. I thought it would be a good idea to bring some medicine back with him. If everything goes well, I can sell it to other companies and find a distribution channel to expand my pharmacy. Even if I can't sell it, I can keep it in the Du family pharmacy and slowly consume it."
Uncle Du has always been cautious and reliable in his work. Gu Wen is very confident in him and nodded immediately: "Of course I trust what Second Brother does."
Mrs. Du followed up, "This is serious business. If you need the money, just take it."
Uncle Du was very grateful and said quickly, "Your family needs money a lot right now, so I can't just take it for nothing. If I make some money on this trip back with the medicine, we'll split the profits between our two families. If it doesn't sell well, I'll make sure you don't lose money."
"Don't be so formal. You've worked hard and earned your money. There's no need to split the money. Just return the money to our family later."
Second Uncle Du was unwilling and insisted on sharing the money. Mrs. Du repeatedly said no. Later, Second Uncle Du stopped arguing and just gave the money directly when he earned it.
The matter of the silver was settled, but Uncle Du was worried about safety on the road again, and said that he would go to Songjiang City tomorrow to inquire whether there were any caravans or escort agencies wanting to enter the city.
"No need to look for someone else. The martial arts master I found for Dalang is named Guo. Master Guo has dozens of brothers and disciples, all of whom are martial artists. His family used to run an escort agency in Suzhou, and now they are still running the escort business in Songjiang City."
Uncle Du immediately thought: "Oh, but the one on West Street?"
On the day Uncle Du arrived in Songjiang City, he followed a caravan into the city. The caravan went to West Street to unload goods, and he followed them even though he was unfamiliar with the place. When he arrived at West Street and was about to ask someone, he saw Gu Wen talking to someone on West Street. There was a group of boys of all ages around him, all of them shirtless and muscular.
Gu Wen smiled and said, "That's right. There used to be an escort agency in Songjiang City. The Guo family was an outsider and couldn't compete with them. Business was not good, so the whole family rented a yard at the innermost part of West Street and didn't even hang up the escort flag."
"It was really a stroke of luck. Master Guo and his men had just arrived in Songjiang City, and the escort agency was struggling. They had many adopted children to support, and the older ones were looking for work everywhere. That's how I came across them and invited Master Guo to come home and be Dalang's martial arts instructor."
Uncle Du was pleasantly surprised and said, "What a coincidence! God is helping me."
Uncle Du was anxious to go back, so he didn't delay. The next day, Gu Wen took Uncle Du to the Guo Family Escort Agency. Gu Youan had nothing to do, so he went along to take a look.
When Gu Wenqing heard that they were going to Master Wu's house, he also wanted to go. Then A Xuan also joined in the fun and kept following her father around. Gu Wen turned around and narrowly avoided stepping on her.
Mrs. Du was fed up with watching this: "Go, go, take her with you. When I woke up this morning, I didn't see An An. She made a scene when she found out that An An went to Songjiang City without her. If you don't take her with you tomorrow, she'll make a scene again at home."
Ah Xuan pouted, hands on hips, and stamped her feet: "Humph, my brother goes out without me, my sister goes out without me, and my father doesn't take me either."
Gu Wen smiled and picked her up, saying gently, "Be good and don't make a fuss. I'll take you there tomorrow."
"Dad, you keep your word."
"Keep your word."
A Xuan pretended to be good and smiled at her father.
Axuan, this clever little girl, was afraid that her father would leave her tomorrow. She originally felt it was too hot to sleep between her father and mother, so she had been sleeping in a separate quilt since last month. Tonight, she hugged her little pillow and insisted on squeezing in between her father and mother. Even when she fell asleep, she kept holding on to her father's clothes and refused to let go.
The child felt hot and had just fallen asleep for a while when Mrs. Du got up.
"But are you thirsty? Do you want to light a lamp?" Gu Wen asked, propping up his upper body.
Mrs. Du moved to the other side of the little girl's bed and said, "You two should sleep, I can't stand the heat anymore."
After Mrs. Du lay down again, Gu Wen smiled and said, "This child calls for sister every now and then during the day. He doesn't want to sleep with An An, but pulls me instead."
"She's afraid of An An."
"Afraid?" Gu Wen was puzzled.
Mrs. Du smiled slightly. "Haven't you noticed? Although Ah Xuan likes being with An An and likes to pester An An, if An An really wants to say something to her, Ah Xuan is very obedient and will do whatever An An says. She will never go against her sister. If it were you, me, or Da Lang, she would pester you until you lose your temper, and that would be her wish."
Gu Wen hadn't noticed any of this. Touching his little daughter's forehead, he sighed, "As a father, I'm not as attentive as you."
"You have so much on your mind and so little energy that you might not be able to pay attention to the little things at home. This little thing is not worth lamenting."
Mrs. Du turned over and pulled the quilt over her: "It's late, go to bed."
Gu Wen was thinking about things outside and his three children at home. He was lost in thought until midnight and then gradually fell asleep.
The rooster crowed three times, the sky gradually brightened, and smoke rose from the Gu family's kitchen. After a while, the millet in the pot began to smell fragrant. Small cornmeal pancakes were baked in the big pot. They were soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and tasted slightly sweet.
Rice porridge with cornmeal pancakes and some pickles is enough for breakfast.
"Brother, if you come to Songjiang City next time, please bring me some vegetable seeds from Yizhou Prefecture. I want to grow some vegetables to make pickles or dried salted vegetables."
"Okay, I can't make it this year, I'll bring it to you next year."
Uncle Du thought to himself that since he had taken the money from the Gu family, no matter whether the medicinal materials business was doing well or not, he had to come back and tell people.
Mrs. Du stayed behind to look after the house, while Gu Wen took the three children and Uncle Du to Songjiang City.
"I have a lot to do today. If I can't make it in time tonight, I won't be back. You don't have to wait."
"Oh, I see."
Mrs. Du watched them walk away, then turned around, put on her backpack, closed the door, and went to the mountain to pick mushrooms.
On the way up the mountain, I met the eldest daughter-in-law of the Luo family. She came up to me with a smile and called me Aunt Du.
"Where's Aunt Du going?"
"Going up the mountain, what are you going for?"
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Luo family pointed to the cornfield behind her and said with a smile: "Where else can we go? Pick up some grass in the field."
Mrs. Du looked carefully and found that the Luo family's fields were really clean. There was not a single weed in sight. They were really hardworking.
"Aunt Du's fields should be weeded by next month at the latest. Will we need to hire someone then?"
The Gu family owned thirty-eight acres of land, but only had two male members, neither of whom could work. The eldest daughter-in-law from Luojia Village guessed that the Gu family was going to hire someone, so she said openly, "Let aunt know. We have a large family. Next time, if you need to hire someone to work, just come over and let us know. We'll be happy to help."
Mrs. Du said politely, "That's good. You know we're all useless. We didn't finish the spring plowing until mid-May. Then my husband said your family knew how to farm and wanted to ask for your help. But he was worried that you had just finished your own farming and would have been tired after half a month and needed to rest, so he didn't want to ask you."
"You know, our whole family is from Shandong. We're used to farming, so this little bit of work isn't that tiring. From now on, if you have anything, just call us."
"Okay, I'll make a note of that. If I come to invite you someday, you can't refuse."
"Hahaha, then we have a deal."
The family had found a martial arts master for Dalang, and he needed to learn martial arts, so he wouldn't be able to do much farm work. Mrs. Du was reluctant to use her daughter, and she knew she and her husband couldn't handle the work alone, so they had to hire someone. Since the eldest daughter-in-law of the Luo family had taken the initiative, Mrs. Du naturally agreed.
The two of them decided in a few words to weed next month. Mrs. Du had to go to the mountain, so she left first.
"Aunt Du, you want to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms? Then don't go up the southern path. Someone just went up the southern path. I'm afraid you won't be able to pick anything now. You should go up the western path."
"Okay, thank you very much."
After watching Mrs. Du walk to the west path, the Luo family's daughter-in-law came over with a basket of grass and asked, "Sister-in-law, has Aunt Du agreed?"
"Yes, the Gu family will call us next month to weed."
"Have you agreed on wages?"
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Luo family smiled and said, "The Gu family is respectable and not the kind of family that would sting. Since they've invited people, they will definitely not let us suffer any loss."
"That's true. I heard from those who worked the land for the Gu family that they paid them generously and were not stingy with food. They provided three meals a day, and one of them was fine grain. They were very generous."
There have been some relatives visiting the Gu family these days. From the way they are dressed, it is obvious that they are not farmers like them. People in the village say that they have come to send money to the Gu family, and that their lives will be better soon.
"The Gu family probably won't be renting a house from the government this year. They're not short of money. Will they hire someone to build a house after the autumn harvest?"
"I don't know, but if they want to hire someone to build the house, we'll definitely know then." Mrs. Luo smiled and said, "Let's hurry up and finish weeding our fields as soon as possible. We can rest for a few days before going to work at Gu's house."
"Well, it will be done in five or six days."
Luo Da and his wife had three sons, all of whom were strong young men who could eat and drink. However, the family had few plots of land. They raised their sons with great difficulty by doing odd jobs and married them off. However, they encountered a flood a few years ago and lost all their land. The little money they earned from odd jobs was not enough to buy food for the family. When Luo Da heard that there was a lot of land and few people in Songjiang City, he discussed it with his wife, Mrs. Lu, and then he gritted his teeth and stomped his feet and left the city.
All eight members of the family are hardworking. After three years in the neighboring mountain village, they worked hard during the busy farming season. When they had free time, Luo Da took his three sons to collect firewood and sell it in the city, while Lu took her three daughters-in-law to do some odd jobs to add some income to the family.
The whole family has been busy and has worked hard to save money for two or three years. A few days ago, Mrs. Lu told her son and daughter-in-law that she estimated that the family would have saved enough money to build a house next year. The whole family was very happy.
Luo Dalang is twenty-three years old this year, and his wife is younger, also twenty years old this year. If it were another family, they would have two or three children.
Ever since the Luo family came to Songjiang City after their home was hit by a flood, the whole family has been working together to save money, thinking that when their family's life gets better, they won't be afraid of having a baby and becoming a burden to the family.
The families who settled in the neighboring mountain village each had their own difficulties and plans, but as long as they were willing to work hard, their lives would get better day by day.
Songjiang City is becoming increasingly prosperous because every household has contributed to its construction.
In June, Songjiang City is bustling with people, including vendors hawking their wares along the streets and waiters soliciting business in front of shops. The busy streets are full of prosperity.
This was Axuan's second time in Songjiang City, except for the time when she was exiled there last winter. She excitedly held her sister's hand and jumped around. It was so lively.
They had to go through the third street in the west of the city to get to the Guo family's escort agency. When they passed by the Han family's drug store, they saw many carriages and horses lined up outside the drug store, some loading boxes, some carrying goods. They were going south to do business.
"Sister, there are so many people!"
A Xuan looked at the cart and the tall horse excitedly: "Sister, let's ride a horse."
When the Gu family lived in the capital, they kept two horses to pull the carriage, which was mainly used by Gu Wen when he went to court and when he and Du Shi went out to socialize.
Gu Wenqing looked in the direction of Axuan's finger. He was a little tempted: "Dad, since I want to learn horse riding and archery, can my family buy me a horse?"
"Do we have room for horses at home now?"
Gu Wenqing thought about the five rooms in his house, a kitchen, three bedrooms, and a utility room. When Master Guo came to their house, the utility room would have to be cleaned up for Master Guo to use. There was really no place to raise horses at home.
As for the yard, it's so cold here in winter that people can't be kept in the yard.
Gu Wen picked up his little daughter and said as they walked, "Master Guo has horses. When you learn to ride and shoot, you can go to Master Guo's house to learn. If everything goes well, we will build a new house next year and then build a barn for the animals."
Gu Wenqing smiled and nodded, thinking that raising horses next year would be a good idea.
Following the bustling crowd toward the west of the city, as they neared the foot of the West City Gate, the noise died down. They saw an embroidered banner of the Yong'an Escort Agency hanging under the eaves of the house in front of them on the left. The red characters on a black background were very eye-catching. "We're here."
There was a tall, stocky, round-faced young man guarding the entrance to the Yong'an Escort Agency. He assumed it was a merchant coming to inquire about his escort, so he hurried over with a smile. As he got closer, he saw it was Gu Wen, and said with a smile, "Mr. Gu, you're here to see my adoptive father, right?"
Gu Wen smiled and nodded: "I am looking for your adoptive father, but before I go find your adoptive father, Master Guo, I want to talk to the head of your escort agency about something."
After Master Guo was injured, the head of Ping An Escort Agency became Master Guo's son Guo Yuanchun, whom Gu Wen had met when he came back to invite Master Guo.
"You've come at the right time. Our escort leader is having tea with my adoptive father."
The young man walked in front, leading the way, and said with a smile, "The day after tomorrow, our escort leader will escort several small caravans south to Luoyang. If Mr. Gu had come two days later, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to see our escort leader."
"Oh, then we've come at the right time. My second brother is heading south to return home, and he's going with your escort leader."
"That's no problem. The escorts from our Ping An Escort Agency are very skilled and will definitely ensure you a safe journey home."
The young man was in good health and full of energy, and his voice was particularly loud when he spoke. He had originally been talking about escorting the caravan, but he changed his topic and proudly talked about himself. He said, "My adoptive father said that although I am not yet eighteen, my skills are better than my brothers and sisters. This year, he asked me to follow the escort leader south to escort the caravan."
"Congratulations, little brother."
The young man was overjoyed and acted like an adult, being polite and modest: "No, no, your eldest son is so tall. If he learns from my adoptive father for a few years, he will definitely be better than me."
Seeing this, Gu Youan couldn't help but lower his head and curl up the corners of his mouth.
Gu Wen had just put his little daughter down at the door of Ping'an Escort Agency. At this time, A Xuan followed her sister, tilted her head and looked at her sister curiously. Hey, her sister was smiling.
Gu Youan held her hand and smiled: "Watch the road and walk carefully."
The young man's voice was loud, and Master Guo and his son, who were drinking tea in the house, came out to greet them. Gu Wen stepped forward to greet them, first introducing Master Guo and his son to Uncle Du, and then called his three children over and asked them to call for help.
Gu Wenqing bowed and called him Master Guo, and then met Guo Yuanchun.
Master Guo looked at Gu Wenqing with a smile, nodded, and invited the Gu family and others to come in for tea.
Gu Youan took Axuan in and sat down below his brother to listen to them talk.
Gu Wen first got down to business: "I just heard that Captain Guo is going on a long journey the day after tomorrow. Coincidentally, my wife's second brother is going back to Yizhou Prefecture and wants to bring some medicinal herbs with him. He would like to go with Captain Guo. Is that possible?"
Guo Yuanchun continued, "Of course you can go south with us, but the other caravans going south are going to Luoyang first and then Songjiang Prefecture. Yizhou Prefecture is too far away, and I'm afraid we can't go there."
Uncle Du said, "Let Captain Guo know that I originally planned to go to Songjiang Prefecture and then take the water route west through Wuchang Prefecture to enter Sichuan."
"In this case, it's appropriate for us to go for a walk."
After talking about the journey, he talked about the money for escorting. If there is no big risk, the escort agency of the Great Zhou Dynasty will charge one out of two hundred of the value of the goods, and then charge according to the distance of the journey.
Uncle Du was traveling alone with limited luggage and medicinal herbs, and the estimated value of the goods was no more than two thousand taels. For the sake of the Gu family, Guo Yuanchun offered a friendly price of only twenty taels of silver, and Uncle Du immediately agreed.
Gu Youan remembered everything Guo Yuanchun said in his heart, and silently calculated the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the escorts. The main expenditure of the escort was on labor costs. Roughly speaking, the escort business had a higher gross profit than the medicinal materials business.
The escort agency makes a lot of money, but recruiting staff is a big problem for the agency.
Let me just say one thing, the most important thing when escorting goods outside is to trust the people around you. Therefore, a group of escorts are either family members, or relatives and friends who know each other well, or apprentices or adopted sons and daughters who have been raised since childhood. It takes more than ten years to start with, which is more valuable than money.
Therefore, not everyone can do the escort business.
Gu Youan thought about herself. If one day her medicine business became bigger, she would naturally have to form her own caravan. The people in the caravan must be people she can trust. The Gu family was small and there was not much manpower she could use. If she wanted to form a caravan quickly, it would be best for her to buy servants and train them herself.
The purchased slaves would not be able to escape as long as they were within the control of the Zhou Dynasty. If they were promised huge profits and formed into a profit group, the caravan would be about 80% stable.
Gu Youan thought about it over and over again. In addition to lacking the connections of herbalists and money, she also lacked someone she could trust.
After finishing the business, Master Guo talked to Gu Wen about martial arts. Master Guo asked Gu Wenqing to come forward and carefully touched his limb bones, joints, waist and back, etc.
Master Guo patted Gu Wenqing on the shoulder and said, "If you had practiced martial arts since childhood, even if you weren't a top master at your age, you could at least be a pioneer if you joined the army."
"If I start learning now, Master Guo, how many years do you think it will take me to become a master?" Gu Wenqing asked excitedly.
"Start learning now. If you are determined, you can learn something in three to five years."
Last month, Songjiang City held an open recruitment for military commanders. Master Guo brought a dozen of his disciples and adopted sons and daughters to watch. The people who were selected were not top-notch in terms of skills. Master Guo believed that if they practiced according to his method and kept up with the food and drink, as long as their physical condition was good, they could learn the skills in three to five years.
Therefore, Master Guo even thought about asking his adopted sons to join the army. But then he thought that they had no connections in the army and no one to promote them. Even if they had good skills, it would be difficult for them to get promoted.
In addition, the children were used to being free, and none of them wanted to join the army to fight for that one in a million chance to make a name for themselves, so they gave up.
It would only be three to five years. Gu Wenqing was not even seventeen yet, and he would be in his early twenties in three to five years. He felt it was worthwhile to work hard for a few years in exchange for a chance to change his appearance.
Gu Youan also thought so. In three to five years, when his brother would have learned something, his father might have become an official. Children of officials would have more opportunities to join the army than those from other families.
Uncle Du looked at Gu Wenqing with a smile and nodded with satisfaction.
This child has a calculating father. The whole family works together, and with a bit of luck, the family has just hit rock bottom. But in just one year, they are on the verge of climbing up. It's incredible.
If he could find someone as reliable as Gu Wen when looking for in-laws for his children in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about the future of his younger generations.
They chatted and laughed, drank two cups of tea, and then the Gu family got up and said goodbye because they had other things to do later.
Master Guo personally escorted the Gu family out: "My daughter Yuanchun will be traveling the day after tomorrow. I need to stay at home for two days to settle the family. I will go to the neighboring mountain village in about five days."
Gu Wen said politely, "We still live in a semi-basement house rented from the government. We've reserved a room for Master Guo. It's not spacious, nor as elegant as other houses. I hope Master Guo will forgive us when the time comes."
"Hahaha, we've been escorting people out, sleeping in wastelands and graves. Now that we have a quiet house to live in, what else can we choose?"
Master Guo touched his injured arm and said with a smile: "You don't mind that I am a cripple and are willing to pay me to be your teacher. I have been looking forward to going to the neighboring mountain village for a long time."
Gu Wen smiled and said, "Okay, I'll ask Wen Qing to pick you up at the Ping An Escort Agency in five days."
After leaving the Ping An Escort Agency, Second Uncle Du said, "I think Master Guo's family are all decent people. I'd like to ask him to be Wen Qing's tutor. My brother-in-law has good taste."
Gu Wen had previously asked someone to inquire about the Guo family's background and knew that the Guo family members had good character, so he wanted to invite Master Guo to be his teacher.
Gu Wen instructed his son, "Don't be fooled by the fact that Master Guo's injured arm may make him unskillful in fighting. Just look at the young men he has trained in the escort agency and you will know that he is a skilled teacher. He will definitely be able to capture Hetian Jilang with ease if he teaches you."
Gu Wenqing certainly knew what his father meant when he said this: "Don't worry, I will definitely respect Master Guo as a teacher."
After listening to the whole process, Gu Youan said, "The Guo family may be too kind and righteous, lacking some thundering methods, which is why they were pushed out of the border."
Gu Wen glanced at his daughter with admiration: "A Bodhisattva's heart needs to be blessed with thunderous means. Without the wrathful eyes of a Vajra, it cannot suppress evil spirits or protect the Buddhist temple."
Gu Wenqing seemed to be thinking about something. He wanted to become the angry Vajra in the future.
When they arrived at the South Street Pharmacy, Manager Han was still there. Uncle Du went up to him to chat and ask about the prices. Manager Han was generous in making money, and while chatting and joking, he sold some expensive medicinal herbs to Uncle Du at double the price. Uncle Du even thanked him.
"Ms. Gu, we meet again today."
"Hello, Mr. Gu. How are you and your family living in the neighboring village?"
Shopkeeper Han saw Uncle Du out and stood inside the door to greet the Gu family's father and daughter. Gu Wen naturally greeted him with a smile and said a few auspicious words for the Han family's prosperous business. Then the family left.
A servant beside Shopkeeper Han came forward and said, "Second Master, could it be that the Gu family also wants to do the pharmacy business?"
"If you want to run a pharmacy business, you have to have that ability. The Gu family is still far from it."
If the Du family had not come to Songjiang City to visit the Gu family, and did not know that the medicinal herbs in Songjiang City were good and cheap, he would definitely not have thought of buying them.
Shopkeeper Han had already inquired about it and found out that the Du family had sold all their businesses in Luoyang. The Du family bought these medicinal herbs and brought them back to Yizhou, which would have no impact on the Han family, so they didn't need to worry about it.
Shopkeeper Han chuckled and glanced at the servant: "How are the herbs collected this month?"
"It's 20% more than last year. This is mainly because from last autumn to this spring, many more people came to Songjiang City. In addition to those who went to open up wasteland and farm, more and more people went up the mountain to collect herbs. That's why we can get more of these herbs."
"Well, you need to be more diligent in collecting herbs, so that others don't steal our herbs."
The servant said jokingly, "Don't worry. Aside from the few we have to sell to Prince Qi's Mansion, we're almost done with the rest. Even the Yuan family can't compete with us. How dare those smaller families compete with us?"
"That's good."
Uncle Du bought a total of seventy or eighty kilograms of medicinal herbs, including the most valuable ten ginseng roots and several kilograms of deer antlers. Gu Wenqing helped carry half of them.
It was getting late, so the family found a restaurant and ordered five bowls of plain noodles.
The Yangchun noodles made here smell fragrant, but if you look closely, the noodles are not white and the soup is not clear. After taking a sip of the soup, it is salty enough, but a little bitter.
The noodles are not made with good technology and the salt is not pure enough. There is nothing to complain about as long as a street food stall can make them like this. Even if it is not good enough, it is better than forcing oneself to swallow dry biscuits with cold water during exile.
Gu Youan was not picky, and Axuan also focused on eating. This girl enjoyed everything and her plump body was full of fat, and not a single pound of it was wasted.
After eating the noodles, Gu Youan asked the cook for half a bowl of white noodle soup. He drank it in small sips and the noodle soup tasted quite good.
Putting down the bowl, Gu Youan turned his head to look at the street. Opposite the food store was a silk shop.
A varnished carriage stopped at the door of the silk shop. After a while, the coachman drove the carriage away, and a mother and daughter, along with several maids and servants, walked into the silk shop.
The silk shop owner hurried forward to greet them, saying with a smile, "Welcome, Madam and Miss, to our shop. I pay my respects to Madam Lu and Miss Su."
Lu asked with a smile, "Is there anything new?"
"Madam, are you here? Earlier this month, two caravans arrived from Suzhou and Hangzhou. Most of the fresh fabrics they brought are now in our shop."
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "I heard that the second day of July is the birthday party for the old lady of the Yuan family. These days, many ladies in the city are making new clothes and jewelry. I thought that since Lord Su is the teacher of Prince Qi and the old lady of the Yuan family is his cousin, you must go. If you don't come to my shop again, I will bring the fabric to the Su family to ask for an audience with you."
Mrs. Lu was amused by the shopkeeper. She covered her mouth with the handkerchief in her hand and said with a smile, "I have some free time today. If you have anything good, bring it out and let me see it."
"Hey, Mrs. Lu and Miss Su, please come upstairs. Please sit down and have a cup of tea. I'll ask someone to bring you some fresh fabric."
Gu Youan hadn't seen the Su family since they parted at the government office to handle household registration last winter. It was quite a surprise to see the mother and daughter of the Su family here.
Gu Youan didn't know what the noble lady Lu was like when she was in Luoyang, but he could probably guess that when she was in Luoyang, she would definitely not show up in public to buy anything and go to the shop to choose in person.
Or maybe it's that the atmosphere outside the Great Wall is more open than inside the Great Wall. After a period of exile, even the most particular lady will not be so particular anymore.
The owner of the silk shop spoke loudly. It was the hottest time of the day and there were not many vendors shouting on the street. The owner's voice could be heard by people across the street.
Gu Wen said, "I heard that when Prince Qi returned to the city last year, he rewarded the Su family with a house and money. Since the beginning of this spring, Lord Su has been working for the government, in charge of criminal justice affairs."
"Is there someone in charge of the prison in Songjiang City?"
"Of course there are. The convicts exiled to Songjiang City worked hard for a few years and then changed their citizenship. If they committed crimes again, they would still be imprisoned."
"And send it to open up wasteland?"
"Those with minor crimes were sent to open up wasteland, while those with serious crimes were sent to the army, and some were even beheaded."
Uncle Du sighed, "So, Songjiang City is pretty strict."
It was indeed a strict rule; His Royal Highness Prince Qi was not a soft-hearted person. But then again, even a soft-hearted person couldn't control the tough folks of Songjiang City.
After lunch and a short rest, Gu Youan got up and it was time for them to go home.
Just as the Gu family left, the Su family's carriage arrived. Su Xiang looked in the direction of the Gu family and said, "Mom, it seems that the people who just passed by are from the Gu family."
Without even raising her head, Mrs. Lu held the maid's hand and stepped on the step to get on the carriage.
After the Su family's carriage had gone far away, Mrs. Lu said leisurely, "So what if they are from the Gu family? We have already repaid the favor we owed them. From now on, they are the people and we are the officials. There will be no more dealings between us."
Su Xiang nodded slightly: "I remember it."
"Why are you bowing your head and sighing? Is that what I taught you? You're a good lady from a wealthy family, but you're bowing your head and hunching your back. Why are you acting like a maid?"
When Mrs. Lu saw her little daughter lowering her head, she became angry and scolded her harshly, "Sit still and hold your head up."
Su Xiang raised her head slightly, blinked, and her eyes suddenly turned red: "Mom, I don't want to go to the Yuan family's birthday party."
"Why not?"
The noble ladies of the Yuan family were all snobbish. When they saw her for the first time, they asked her in a roundabout way whether the men on the road to exile were all whipped naked. They also looked at her with a half-smile in their eyes and comforted her by saying that Prince Qi was a kind-hearted man, that the previous difficulties were over, and that her good days were ahead. She should find a poor scholar to marry in the future, and because of the power of Prince Qi's mansion, he would treat her well.
Su Xiang was a soft-hearted person to begin with, and she was very averse to the idea of exile. Since the noble ladies headed by the Yuan family excluded her like this, would she still rush to go to the Yuan family and be despised?
Mrs. Lu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, cursing her as she wiped: "You are a dead person, can't you just let them say whatever they want? Don't you have a mouth?"
"Which of the Yuan family's official positions and business ventures isn't relying on the influence of Prince Qi's Mansion? The Yuan family relies on the influence of Prince Qi's Mansion, and our family also relies on Prince Qi's influence. Who is more noble than the other?"
Su Xiang's tears fell like beads from a broken string. Mrs. Lu was also annoyed and threw the handkerchief into her arms. "You have to go whether you want to or not. You are sixteen this year, a year older than the girl from the Gu family. If you don't go out and socialize, how will people recognize you as the daughter of Mr. Qi Wang? How will someone of equal status come to propose marriage to you?"
Propose marriage? Will there be a young man of equal status who will come to propose marriage?
After all, she was her biological daughter. Seeing her daughter like this, Mrs. Lu couldn't help but sigh, "Life is bound to be full of ups and downs. Only a few families can stand up after falling like ours. If you can't stand these rumors, then even if you get married, you will be bullied for the rest of your life. Do you still remember Zhang, the concubine of the Li family?"
Su Xiang nodded while crying.
"If you can't stand up for yourself, you'll be like her, destined to be bullied if you go to someone else's house."
Su Xiang was afraid, she didn't want to be like Zhang.
Mrs. Lu hugged her daughter and coaxed her gently, "Listen to me. As long as you are strong, no one can bully you. Let those who talk too much gossip. They have committed evil deeds, and their retribution will be waiting for them."
"Children, don't worry so much. Even the Gu family sleeps in a cave on the ground and doesn't even have a proper room. If it weren't for our family's support, they wouldn't even have food to eat in the middle of winter, and they wouldn't even have a good quilt. They work hard in the fields with no future at all. Isn't it hard for them?"
"Your mother used to be a noble from a wealthy family. Now I have to greet those rude women with a smile. Is it difficult for me? Everyone has their own difficulties. If you can't be so cruel as to kill yourself immediately, then you should gather your strength and live a good life."
Mrs. Lu gritted her teeth and said fiercely, "If you are truly powerful, then find a way to marry Prince Qi. If you become his consort, all the Yuan and Meng families will kneel before you."
Su Xiang was terrified, her eyes wide open. How could she dare to marry King Qi!
"You are useless. Your father was once the teacher of King Qi. If you want to talk about your relationship, you can talk about it as a senior brother and sister. What are you afraid of?"
"Mom, aren't you afraid?"
Su Xiang recalled the first time she met Prince Qi last winter. He walked in from outside in a black robe, braving the wind and snow. He glanced at her coldly. Su Xiang felt as if her whole body was frozen and she dared not look up at him again.
What's the point of respecting teachers? When did Prince Qi ever show respect to her father? Her father acted like a subject in front of Prince Qi. If Prince Qi didn't ask her father to sit, he would just stand.
How could she dare to think about such a person...
Lu was just talking about it. She didn't dare to think about Prince Qi becoming her son-in-law.
But... Lu looked down at her timid daughter and thought, what if Prince Qi is blind, or maybe he just likes those with weak personalities and easy to control?
Su Xiang shuddered with fear: "Mom, please don't tell anyone, I don't dare."
If she dared to have such an idea, no matter whether it succeeded or not, if the noble ladies of the Yuan and Meng families knew about it, they would tear her to pieces.
Mrs. Lu also paused, feeling very disappointed: "How could I have given birth to a girl like you?"
Accustomed to being scolded by her mother, Su Xiang dared not say a word.
On the second day of July, the old lady of the Yuan family celebrated her birthday. On this day, Uncle Du had already set out with the Ping'an Escort Agency for several days, riding horses and taking carriages all the way. If they traveled fast, they would probably reach Shanhaiguan in three to five days.
After settling the affairs of Ping An Escort Agency, Master Guo went to the neighboring village of Gu to be a teacher. The two brothers of the Tian family and the three siblings of the Gu family followed Master Guo to learn martial arts.
It seems that Master Guo taught five disciples, and these five disciples were divided into three categories. The first category was Gu Wenqing and Tian Erlang, who were determined to become military generals. The second category was Tian Dalang and Gu Youan. The third category was A Xuan, who just followed her sister and hummed and hawed a few times, but sat down on the ground and complained of being tired after learning for less than half a minute.
Axuan was a little troublemaker. Mrs. Du was afraid that she would affect her older brothers and sisters in learning skills, so when Gu Wen and Mrs. Du went to the fields to weed in the morning, they would put her in a backpack and carry her away.
The four members of the Luo family, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, have been working at the Gu family these days. As there are many people in the Gu family, it is inconvenient to cook. Mrs. Du has agreed with the Luo family that in addition to their wages, each person will be given an extra ten cents for food every day.
The Luo family was naturally happy to get more money. According to the current rice price, ten cents could buy seven or eight taels of rice, which was much better than the two meals provided by the Gu family.
It would be good to earn more money, but then again, even if one acre of land could earn three stone of grain, in addition to the money paid to the government, there would also be the cost of hiring people to do the work. With thirty-eight acres of land, the Gu family would not earn much money in a year.
When Luo Dalang heard his wife's plan, he laughed and said, "Except for the youngest, everyone in the Gu family is literate. I heard that the Gu family is dealing in medicinal herbs and has even hired a martial arts master to teach them. Families like them have plenty of opportunities to make a living, unlike ours."
"Well, that's what I mean. After all, it's better to save some money."
Luo Dalang turned over and went to sleep: "Okay, go to sleep quickly, we have to get up and work tomorrow morning."
Master Guo taught the children of the Tian and Gu families for about a month, and gradually he realized that Tian Erlang and Gu Dalang could be taught, but Tian Dalang and the girl from the Gu family did have the desire to learn, but their own abilities were limited. No matter how much time they spent learning hard skills from him, it would be a waste of effort.
Master Guo discussed with Gu Wen and Tian Qingde and decided that after August, Gu Wenqing and Tian Erlang would continue to learn martial arts with Master Guo, while Tian Dalang would go home to study with his father.
As for Gu Youan, she was unwilling to give up. Even though her physical fitness was limited, she had to learn a skill to save her life.
After hearing her say this, Master Guo thought for a moment and said, "It's easy to learn a life-saving skill. You can use poison or hidden weapons. Just pick one."
"Anything else? I mean, something that can be used in public."
"Well, do you want to learn archery? I have an adopted daughter named Guo Su, and she's very good at archery. If you learn even a little bit of her skills, you'll have more confidence when you go out."
"I studied."
She couldn't learn hard kung fu, but she felt she could do archery, which was a test of skill.
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