Chapter 37
Whether it was sincere or fake, all the onlookers came over.
Some people remained silent, while others spoke up to persuade her: "Lu Xian's mother, calm down. There's nothing you can't discuss as a family. Sit down and talk it over. Don't resort to violence—"
Wang Cuilian didn't care what outsiders said. She trotted until she stopped at the door, then squeezed past Lu Shang, turned around and opened her arms, completely blocking the door.
She said with a fierce face: "No, you can't leave!"
Compared to the nervousness of the others, Lu Shang seemed calm and composed. He asked in a good-tempered manner, "Why can't we leave? Second Mother, give me an explanation."
"You—" Wang Cuilian stuttered, "You have no money... That's right! Where did you get the money to move, and move to town at that? You must have stolen money from home!"
As soon as these words came out, before Lu Shang could say anything, the neighbor who was watching the excitement burst out laughing. He muttered to the person next to him, "Look at what Wang said. She even stole the family's money. How could her family have so much money? Even if they sold everything in the house, they might not be able to come up with ten or eight taels of silver."
His voice was loud, and since it was quiet around him, everyone could hear it.
Wang Cuilian's face turned pale and purple. She couldn't help but turn around and yell, "What's your business? You just look like you have a mouth and can talk!"
"Hey, you are angry because of being embarrassed..." The person who was bullied laughed and hid behind.
Wang Cuilian looked at Lu Shang again: "And those things you moved away! Why did you move them away? They belong to our family, you can't take them away!"
Lu Shang's smile faded a little. He said, "Second Mother, you must have seen it wrong. The only things I took away were clothes and bedding, and some paper and pens left over from my studies. Most of the clothes and bedding were made for me by my grandmother. I still have the mattress that Second Mother made for me a few years ago in the house."
"As for the paper, pens, books, and so on, I basically bought them with the monthly salary from the government office. They have nothing to do with the family, right? And then there are those chickens and ducks. Second Mother, you won't forget what I said last time, right?"
Wang Cuilian couldn't help but shudder when she thought of the confrontation not long ago.
"Then, who knows if you brought anything else? What if you took too much? No, you have to ask me to check to see if you brought any extra!" As she said that, Wang Cui Lian was about to get on the ox cart.
Lu Shang quickly stepped in front of her and said, "Second Mother has gone too far."
Wang Cuilian misunderstood this and immediately slapped her thigh: "See what I told you! If you didn't take anything extra, why didn't you dare ask me to check? You must be feeling guilty!"
"Neighbors, please give us some judgment. Is there any justice in this?" she shouted at the top of her voice. "I've been married to the Lu family for over ten years and have diligently raised my stepson. Now that he's rich, it's not enough that he's left us to enjoy life in town, but he's also taken everything from home!"
"Wow, my life is so miserable. I have thrown away all my sincerity——"
When she cried out, not only the neighbors came out to watch, but her two sisters also came out and stood behind the door, one on the left and one on the right, wondering whether to go forward or not.
The villagers didn't know whether her words were true or not, but it was clear that Lu Shang and his wife were going to move.
"Could it be that the Lu family has really become rich? They're moving to town. A house in town would cost at least several dozen taels, right? Hey, that's several dozen taels..."
"I don't think it's impossible! The Lu family has been smart since childhood, otherwise how could he pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, not only exempting his family from land taxes and labor service, but also registering a few acres of land with the village chief's family..."
Speaking of this, everyone couldn't help but sigh with envy.
Seeing that he couldn't leave for a while, Lu Shang decided not to bother. He took a step back, leaned against the door, and watched Wang Cuilian crying and yelling leisurely.
Stared at by his dark eyes, Wang Cuilian's breathing stagnated and she burped unconsciously. After coughing twice, she continued to talk about the difficulties she had faced over the years.
Is it easy or not? Lu Shang is not in a position to make too much judgment.
He was just waiting, waiting for someone who would make Wang Cuilian not want to get entangled with him.
Seeing more and more villagers gathered at the door, Wang Cuilian's cries became louder and louder. She was crying and snotting. Listening carefully, it was nothing but blaming Lu Shang for not subsidizing the family after he had money, but moving to the town to enjoy a good life.
Fortunately, Grandma Lu didn't want to see them leave home, so she went to the fields early, otherwise she would have been frightened by the noise here and would have been disturbed.
Just when a curious person went to the field to call Lu Lao Er, Lu Shang noticed with his sharp eyes that a sneaky figure appeared behind the crowd. He took a closer look -
"Sister!" Wang Zhanxian opened one eye and limped over.
Wang Cuilian thought she was hallucinating until Wang Zhanxian grabbed her arm. She turned her head in surprise and got up quickly: "Brother, why are you here!"
"Wait—brother, what happened to your legs?!"
Wang Zhanlong had a sad face, and raised his hand to hide the cruel look between his brows: "Sister, don't say anymore, do you still have any money... Forget it, let's go inside and talk."
Ever since Wang Cuilian saw her younger brother, she completely forgot about Lu Shang and the others.
She wiped the tears from her face and held her brother's hand tightly: "Okay, okay, I'll go in right away. Go slowly, what's wrong with your leg..."
It’s no secret that her reversal of attitude stunned everyone.
Taking advantage of their deep sibling affection, Lu Shang jumped onto the ox cart.
Before leaving, he bowed to the villagers around him and said, "I'll let you all watch the fun today. I'll come back to visit you when I have time in the future."
"Ah? Oh, that's fine, Mr. Lu, have a safe trip—"
No matter what they were thinking, they had done enough work on the surface. Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning left Lujia Village leisurely with blessings all the way.
When the ox cart drove onto the path, Jiang Wanning finally couldn't bear it anymore.
The ox cart was shaking. She held Lu Shang's arm and asked, "What happened just now?"
Since it involved private matters, Lu Shang couldn't make it known loudly, so he could only whisper in Jiang Wanning's ear, "The man coming from behind is Wang's younger brother."
"I ran into him yesterday when I came into town. Guess where?"
This was the first time that Jiang Wanning saw her brother, whom Wang Cuilian held in her heart. Apart from knowing that he was good in every way, she knew nothing else.
Judging from her facial features, Wang Cuilian seemed to be a bit sarcastic, but after a quick glance at her brother just now, he seemed to be an honest and simple man.
Unexpectedly, Lu Shang pulled his face and said, "At the entrance of the gambling house."
Jiang Wanning's eyes suddenly widened.
"I didn't know it was Wang's brother's at first, but when he was being chased and beaten by the gambling den people, and when he was pinned to the ground, he shouted that his sister's child was a scholar, and also mentioned Lujia Village, so I guessed who he was."
"The gambling house people were probably wary of some sort, so they beat him up, but it wasn't too serious. His leg was only slightly injured, not broken. After the gambling house people left, I found a kid on the street and confirmed he was Wang's brother. I then revealed to him that Wang had at least three taels of silver, and he showed up today."
People who are chased and beaten by gambling houses either have a grudge or owe debts.
Wang Zhanlong is a man from the same village, so it is obviously more likely the latter.
Jiang Wanning understood, but she was a little worried. "The gambling house people... I have a feeling it won't be easy to solve with just a few taels. I heard the Wang family is just an average family, and even with the support of the mother-in-law..."
What she didn't say was that she had seen too many people who were deeply addicted to casinos. No matter whether these people were stubborn and refused to repent, or cried and shouted that they would never go there again, no one could escape the greed in their hearts. Not only did they suffer, but their entire family would also be implicated in the end.
Lu Shang patted the back of her hand soothingly: "It's okay, Wang Shi has a lot of money. Even the three taels she asked for last time can handle it for a while."
He had tried to get the silver he had used to buy Jiang Wanning's indenture from Wang Cuilian many times, but he still couldn't get it back.
Lu Shang was moving quickly, so even if he couldn't get the money back, he wouldn't let Wang Cuilian take it for nothing.
He added, "I'll pay more attention to it later, so as not to implicate my family."
Since Wang Zhanxian already owed the gambling house a debt, he had to either pay back the money or his life. It was not something Lu Shang could decide for him.
Moreover, he has always looked down on gamblers who do not want to change their current situation by themselves, but only pin their future on illusory luck, and luck is simply the most unreliable thing.
As they were talking, the ox cart arrived at Tang Town.
Normally, Uncle Pang rarely drove into the town. Today, in order to send the two people in the car to their doorstep, he was specially inspected at the city gate. After entering, he went to the new house under Lu Shang's guidance.
Uncle Pang had never imagined their new house would be so big. When he arrived at the door, he looked around and said, "I don't think there are any houses around here that are too small."
Lu Shang jumped off the ox cart first, and then helped Jiang Wanning down. He raised his chin and said, "Isn't that it?"
"Where..." Uncle Pang followed his gaze and was as expected stunned. "Lu Xiucai, you are not talking about this, this, this, this, are you?"
Lu Shang smiled, walked over to unlock the door, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and then bent down to remove the threshold: "Now we can drive the ox cart in. It should be able to fit everything inside."
The yard was full of broken wooden furniture, which Lu Shang had cleaned out the day before. The broken furniture took up most of the yard. If an ox cart was driven in, there would be no place to stand in the yard.
Uncle Pang suppressed his surprise and took a look. "Then I'll go in and out quickly. Once I unload all the luggage, I'll come out quickly."
There are neighbors living around the new house. This house, which has been abandoned for many years, has been sold. Now that new people have moved in, the neighbors can't help but ask about it.
Lu Shang was helping to unload the luggage. Jiang Wanning wanted to help, but was blocked by Lu Shang. She had no choice but to retreat to the door and wait until the room was a little more spacious before going in.
Seeing some neighbors watching, she thought about it and took the initiative to go over and say hello.
One aunt was very enthusiastic and became familiar with Jiang Wanning in just a few words. She covered her mouth and said, "Why did you move in here? Did the dental clinic cheat you? This house... It's ominous!"
Jiang Wanning smiled and said, "It's not that my family is short of money. I looked at a few houses at the real estate agency, and only this one is suitable. As for those rumors, my family and I don't care about them."
Since people don't believe it, it's not good for us outsiders to keep bringing it up.
The aunt who was speaking gave a few awkward laughs. "Hey, my last name is Tian. My family runs a grocery store. Where are you from? What do you do at home?"
After Lu Shang and the others cleaned up the place, Jiang Wanning also got to know the situation of the seven or eight families around them. There were people selling buns, sundries, and apprentices. In short, each family had a livelihood.
After learning that the new family had a scholar, all the aunts and sisters were shocked. They turned around and asked, "Why don't you continue studying? Studying is so good. You can become a high-ranking official in the future!"
This is what most people think, but the same thing applies: after all, it is not their own business. Outsiders can only say a few words, but the person involved can really make the decision.
Uncle Pang drove out his ox cart, and Jiang Wanning also had to go in to clean up the new home.
Aunt Xu, whom I had just met, said enthusiastically, "You guys clean up first. I'll bring you some buns at noon so you don't have to cook."
"Wouldn't this be too troublesome..." Jiang Wanning hesitated.
Aunt Xu waved her hand. "What's the big deal? We're just neighbors. It's not a big deal. If we help each other, we'll get along well in the future. It's settled then! Okay, I should go to the shop now. See you at noon!"
After Aunt Xu, the rest of the people also dispersed one after another. Even if there were those who wanted to visit this famous haunted house, they had to wait until Jiang Wanning and the others were settled.
Lu Shang rarely saw Jiang Wanning interacting with outsiders, and he didn't know what had happened. She actually mingled easily with the neighbors around her. This made him both curious and happy, and he couldn't bear to interrupt her. He waited until the last person had left before he walked over.
"Have you made new friends?" Lu Shang asked.
It’s not entirely true to say that they are friends. After all, the youngest among those people just now is twice as old as Jiang Wanning, so it’s not an exaggeration to consider him an elder.
Jiang Wanning nodded, her eyes sparkling. "I just heard that Sister Lin has a younger generation working as an apprentice in a medical clinic. It will be much easier for my husband to get help if he has a headache or fever in the future."
"Aunt Tian has a grocery store. I see that my husband likes spices when cooking. You can ask Aunt Tian to keep an eye out for them. If you need them in the future, you won't have to look for them everywhere."
"Aunt Xu's family runs a steamed bun shop, and Aunt Wang's family sells wontons. Next time your husband goes out and doesn't have time to cook, you can grab a portion from their stall..."
There is only one street and more than a dozen households. Jiang Wanning quickly found the convenience. This town is indeed more convenient than the village.
Lu Shang felt touched and squeezed her wrist: "What about you?"
"Me?" Jiang Wanning was puzzled.
Lu Shang asked: "Are you happy just chatting with them without thinking about me?"
Jiang Wanning hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly.
Those people didn't know her background and only regarded her as an ordinary scholar's wife. They spoke to her in a very intimate manner and didn't treat her any differently from the villagers. However, eight out of ten people looked at her with strange eyes, as if she was born with a lot of sins on her back and they would be guilty if they spoke to her.
Lu Shang smiled and said, "That's good. This way, Aning will have someone to talk to."
Jiang Wanning smiled and said, "So, let's go clean up now?"
Lu Shang nodded in agreement.
Uncle Pang helped up to here, and he was no longer needed afterwards. He asked about the next time for school, which was tentatively scheduled for ten days later.
Because Lujia Village is still some distance away from Tang Town, the school hours have to be postponed for one hour, and then he will have to go to Lujia Village to pick up Dabao.
After seeing off Uncle Pang, Lu Shang closed the door.
The two men stood in the yard and looked around. They gave up the messy yard at the same time and went into the east wing one after the other, and cleaned up the sleeping area first.
Thanks to Lu Shang's cleaning the day before, there was very little dust in the room.
However, the cabinet that was used to store clothes and other miscellaneous items was mostly rotten and had been thrown out by Lu Shang. Now there was no place to store miscellaneous items in the room, so the clothes and bedding they brought could only be tied up in the sheets and placed in the corner until a new cabinet was built.
This is when the usefulness of Jiang Wanning's new friends came into play.
She looked a little excited: "I know where to order it! Mrs. Cheng's family at the end of the street is a carpenter. Mrs. Cheng's father is an old carpenter. We can ask Mrs. Cheng for help."
Lu Shang was startled, but when he came to his senses, he felt inexplicably relieved.
He asked, "Could Aning please contact them about ordering the cabinets, tables, and chairs?"
"Me?" Jiang Wanning pointed at herself. "That should be fine, but I don't know what my husband likes, or if there's anything you want."
Lu Shang shook his head: "It's all up to you. I don't need anything, but you can build two bookshelves. You can use one and give Dabao and the others one. It will be convenient to put books and other things there."
"Okay, I've got that. Then there's the cabinets. Let's order four cabinets first, two for each of the two rooms in the east wing. Then there's the tables and chairs... Husband, do you prefer a square or round table?"
"I'm fine with it. Just make your own arrangements."
Lu Shang let go completely, and also wanted to see what the new home arranged by Jiang Wanning would look like.
Jiang Wanning walked around the room and temporarily decided what was needed in this room. She only thought of basic furniture for the room next door.
Lu Shang added, "We can also build a dressing table. It depends on what style you like."
By the time the custom-made furniture was finalized, it was already noon. Someone knocked on the door. When they opened it, it was Aunt Xu who had promised to deliver the buns.
Jiang Wanning prepared the money in advance, but the other party refused to take it.
As they were tugging, she saw Lu Shang behind her. Aunt Xu asked curiously, "Is this the scholar?"
Lu Shang stepped forward and said hello, then said casually, "You're being too kind. Actually, when it comes to learning, my Aning is still more knowledgeable. I am ashamed of myself in front of her."
After saying this, he politely said goodbye without caring how shocked the other party was and closed the door again.
After a simple lunch, the two returned to their room to continue packing.
Lu Shang was responsible for laying the thicker mattress, three layers up and down, and then Jiang Wanning continued to lay the sheets, and then put the pillows and quilts on.
Lu Shang wanted to mention sleeping in separate rooms, but when he saw Jiang Wanning naturally making the bed for them, he somehow swallowed the words back.
He thought to himself—
Let’s wait a little longer, until the house is all tidied up, then we can talk about dividing the rooms.
And so the separation was delayed again.
After putting the bedding away, they cleaned the bedroom inside and out to feel at ease. They finally finished cleaning it before dark.
After adding cabinets, tables, chairs, etc., the new house was considered finished.
In the next few days, the two of them devoted themselves to their new home.
The next day, Jiang Wanning found Mrs. Cheng and told her what she needed. Since there were a lot of things to be printed and the customer was a neighbor, she got a preferential price.
Four cabinets, two large wooden boxes, four storage racks, four round tables, sixteen round stools, two bookcases and a latest-style dressing table, plus some small items, totaling ten taels of silver, with a deposit of three taels.
Lu Shang originally wanted to go to the money shop to exchange some cash, but was stopped by Jiang Wanning. He used the thirty taels of change. She had already calculated that the thirty taels were enough to decorate the new house.
Jiang Wanning said, "Let's not touch the remaining banknotes for now. Keep them for business preparation. Don't be in trouble if your husband takes on new business and can't pay the money when the time comes."
"Anyway, I don't spend much money at home. I can live well with a few dollars. Besides, this is our new home, so I should at least contribute a little. Even the money we spend now was earned by my husband, right?"
Lu Shang laughed: "Okay, I'll give you more when I have more money."
On the eighth day, Mrs. Cheng's family delivered the custom-made furniture. Lu Shang and the Cheng family moved the new furniture into each room, and Jiang Wanning stayed to pay the remaining money.
Carpenter Cheng has excellent craftsmanship. The furniture he makes has no peculiar smell, the edges and corners are smoothed, and there are no traces of joints at all.
Especially Jiang Wanning's dressing table. It was a small table, but there were more than a dozen small drawers. There was also a secret box under the dressing table, which was specially used to hide some valuable jewelry.
After the furniture was put in place and the newly added household items were also put in place, several rooms were roughly arranged, and the only things left were the courtyard and the kitchen.
It is now the end of summer, and there is no time to plow and plant the vegetable gardens and orchards, so they are simply left abandoned for now, and will be taken care of slowly when I have free time later.
The stove and other items in the kitchen were all good, but the iron utensils used for cooking needed approval from the government. Lu Shang submitted a note, but it was still unknown when the approval would come.
The well in the yard has been cleaned and can be used normally, making it more convenient for the family to use water. Not far from the well is the batch of chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits brought from the Lu family.
It must be said that rabbits have a really strong reproductive ability.
It had only been a few days since he last noticed, and when Lu Shang went to see her again, he saw that the female rabbit had already gotten a big belly.
"Okay then." Lu Shang couldn't tell whether he was happy or unhappy. He quickly cleared a new area and separated the rabbits from the other poultry.
As for the separation that Lu Shang had thought about several times, he had a new idea -
It's not that he was greedy for Wenrou and didn't want to separate, but he just moved to a new place and was new to the place. He was afraid that Aning would be scared if they suddenly had to room separately. He suppressed the matter and didn't mention it just to reassure Aning.
Anyway, it's all his fault, whether he's right or wrong.
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