Chapter 39
Early the next morning, Lu Shang returned to Lujia Village on a donkey cart.
During the half month he was gone, Lu Laoer's family was in turmoil. The reason for this could be traced back to the arrival of Wang Zhanxian that day.
That day, Wang Cuilian stopped him at the door and refused to leave. Some gossipers went to the fields to complain to Lu Laoer. When Lu Laoer first heard that his eldest son was going to move to the town with his wife, he was also confused.
Grandma Lu was also nearby. When she heard this, she immediately stood up from the ridge of the field, ignoring the pain in her legs and feet, and dragged Lu Laoer home.
However, when they got home, Lu Shang had already left, and most of the villagers who had come to watch the fun had also dispersed. Only Wang Cuilian was left crying in the yard, holding her brother.
"You bastard, why did you rush to the gambling house? The people there are all desperate. You can't pay back the money. This time I just beat you up, who knows if next time I will take away your legs and arms, and the next time I will take your life directly-"
Wang Zhanxian was annoyed by her nagging, but for the sake of the few taels of silver in her pocket, he had to endure it: "Sister, please don't say it. I already owe the money, and there is no other way except to pay it back. But don't worry, sister, when I have money next time, I will definitely win it back double."
"You're going to win it back!" Wang Cuilian slapped him on the back in anger. "You keep gambling! You're not going to give up until you risk your life! Just go and see how many of those gamblers have a good ending. How could you be the exception?"
"No more gambling, no more gambling! I won't gamble anymore!" Wang Zhanxian cursed her in his heart for being short-sighted, but he could only say in agreement, "Sister, please help me pay back the money I owe you this time. After sending the gambling denizens away, I will definitely farm honestly and never gamble again."
"really?"
"Seriously! Sister, don't you trust me?" Wang Zhanxian coaxed, "Sister, lend me some money first. I will definitely pay you back when I have money in the future."
"Why don't you pay me back, dear sister? You are my brother. If I have money, how can I not give it to you? How much do you owe me, brother?"
"Six taels... do you have any?"
Wang Cuilian couldn't help but gasp.
She had saved for more than ten years, but had only saved about ten taels. Even with what she had cheated from Lu Shang a few days ago, it was barely twelve or thirteen taels. Wang Zhanxian wanted to take half of it.
"You, you wait for me to calm down, you - how come you owe me so much!" Wang Cuilian started to sob again, hitting him while crying.
Wang Zhanxian had no choice but to hide left and right: "Sister, if you have any, please help me first. You don't want to see me beaten to death! Please, sister, give me some silver first. Even if you don't have six taels, you should have three taels, right? Lend me some for emergency."
Who would have thought that after Wang Cuilian had cried enough, she said, "Six taels, right? I'll give you the money this time, but if you dare to gamble again—"
"I'm not going, I'm not going, sister. I swear, isn't it enough for me to swear?" Wang Zhanxian's eyes lit up at once, and he rushed forward in two or three steps, hugged Wang Cuilian and kissed her, "Sister, I knew it, I knew you were rich, and you're the best to me!"
Wang Cuilian burst into laughter. No matter how angry or heartbroken she was, she had no choice but to pay the money.
Coincidentally, Lu Lao Er and Grandma Lu heard every word of the conversation between the brother and sister.
Seeing that Wang Cuilian was really going to get the silver for him, Lu Laoer couldn't bear it anymore. He kicked the door open and rushed in aggressively.
Wang Cuilian was startled by the noise at the door. She turned around to see who was coming. A trace of guilt flashed across her face. She subconsciously protected her brother behind her and forced a smile: "Boss, why are you back so early?"
"I won't come back? Am I not coming back because you've given all the money in the house to Wang Zhanxian?" Lu Laoer was furious.
That afternoon, the Lu family's yard was filled with crying and shouting.
It was not until the evening that Wang Cuilian and Wang Zhanxian ran out. Both of them looked miserable. Wang Zhanxian was slapped and half of his face was swollen. Wang Cuilian's hair was disheveled and one of the silver rings on her ear was torn off, and the other one would not fall off.
But compared to their appearance, the two of them had a somewhat relaxed expression.
Wang Cuilian urged as she ran: "Hurry up, run! Put the silver in your pocket and run faster, otherwise Lu Laoer will catch up and you won't have the money to pay your debt!"
Wang Zhanxian grabbed the heavy purse and roughly estimated that there were at least ten taels of silver in it. He was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. However, in a moment he left Wang Cuilian far behind and ran away.
At the Lu family's house, Lu Laoer was about to chase out with a shovel, but suddenly he heard a scream from behind. When he looked again, he saw that it was Grandma Lu who had fainted from anger.
He had no choice but to drop his farm tools, carry his mother on his back, and bring her back to the house, where he poured water and shouted at her. After a long time, he finally got the old lady to open her eyes.
In the next few days, Wang Cuilian and Wang Zhanxian did not show up in the village. Lu Laoer had to stay at home to take care of the angry Grandma Lu. Even the work in the fields had to be left to Lu Xian, Lu Guangzong and Lu Yaozu.
In one day, the house was in chaos, and naturally no one had the energy to look for Lu Shang.
Lu Shang knew nothing about these things. He only told them when he got off the donkey cart after entering the village and happened to meet his neighbor. When they were walking home together, he was told by the neighbor.
Lu Shang had long expected that Wang Zhanlong would make a big scene, but if this matter involved Grandma Lu, it would not be what he wanted.
As he listened, Lu Shang's face became embarrassed.
While they were talking, they arrived at the door of their home. The three Lu Xian brothers had just returned from the fields. After not seeing them for a few days, Lu Guangzong and Lu Yaozu had become darker and looked listless. The dirty sweat running down their heads covered their faces, which were covered with streaks of mud.
Lu Guangzong saw someone standing at the door of his house and was about to ask, "Who is so blind as to block someone else's door?" But halfway through his words, he looked up and saw Lu Shang's half-smiling face. He burped and swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Lu Shang glanced at him and didn't ask any more questions. He just asked, "Grandma is sick?"
The whole family knew the reason why Grandma Lu fell ill. The brothers also knew almost everything about what Wang Cuilian and Wang Zhanxian had done that day. Now that Lu Shang asked them about it, even though this matter had nothing to do with them, they felt a little guilty.
If Lu Lao Er hadn't come out to throw something, the brothers would still be in a stalemate.
Lu Lao Er hadn't seen Lu Shang for several days. When he saw him suddenly, he was stunned for a moment. After coming back to his senses, he couldn't help but ask: "Where have you been these days? Did you know that your grandma is sick?"
"I just found out. I'm back now." Lu Shang said, and quickly walked to the door of Grandma Lu's room and knocked. "Grandma, I'm Lu Shang. Can I come in?"
There was only a chaotic sound in the house, followed by the elderly voice of Grandma Lu: "Come in, come in, is Shang'er really back?"
Lu Shang didn't respond, but pushed the door open and walked in, asking Grandma Lu to see the person with her own eyes.
At the first sight, Grandma Lu burst into tears: "It's really Shang'er..."
Lu Shang walked a few steps to sit beside her bed. Grandma Lu held his right hand in her rough palm. After stroking it for a while, he said, "I'm glad you're back. You're back..."
After a long time, Grandma Lu suddenly remembered: "Did Wan Ning come back with you?"
Lu Shang shook his head: "No, she is still at home. Dabao and Pang Liang wanted to look for her to study, so I didn't bring her back."
After these words were spoken, Grandma Lu's eyes dimmed again.
——Lu Shang came back alone, and with his children and wife at home, it was obvious that he would not stay at home for long, and he probably would not even stay overnight.
Grandma Lu had been ill for several days. She was originally suffering from a heart attack caused by anger, but she did not go to see a doctor. After a few days, her face became increasingly pale, and her already short stature seemed to have shrunk a few centimeters.
Lu Lao Er had followed in. Although he did not disturb them, he sat down next to them.
But Lu Shang didn't pay any attention to him. He held Grandma Lu's hand with his backhand, seemingly to discuss, but actually secretly putting pressure on her: "I haven't told Grandma yet, but I came back this time, in addition to having some things to do, the other is to take you to live in town for a few days."
"Ah?" Grandma Lu was startled. "No, no, didn't we agree that I wouldn't go and cause you any trouble. Shang'er, don't worry about grandma. Grandma is doing well at home."
"Grandma, please listen to me." Lu Shang tried his best to persuade her. "Aning and I just moved into a new house. I heard that we should hold a housewarming party to welcome people to our home. However, we don't know much about it, so we wanted to ask you to come over and be a presence. Also, I'm not home often, and I'm worried about Aning and the two children being alone. If you go over, you can spend some time with them."
"Is that so?" Grandma Lu was still skeptical.
Lu Shang kept silent about her physical condition and joked, "A Ning said that if I can't take you over today, she will punish me and won't let me sleep in the room for several days."
"Grandma, please be kind and come stay with me for a few days. Dad's still at home, so there won't be any trouble, right, Dad?"
Lu Lao Er was caught off guard by being mentioned. He was stunned for a moment and replied subconsciously: "Ah, yes, yes - that's not right, Lu Shang, you really moved to the town to live?"
Lu Shang was amused by his reaction speed. He casually dealt with it and turned around to continue persuading Grandma Lu: "Then how about this, you should eat something first and rest up. I'll go out to do some things and come back to pick you up in the afternoon. You can move to our new home with me."
If it were a dozen days ago, Grandma Lu would definitely have refused.
But she was heartbroken by Wang Cuilian these days, and she was depressed at home. She lay in bed for a few days with a fuzzy mind, and was fooled by Lu Shang's words.
Grandma Lu agreed hesitantly, and Lu Shang fed her half a bowl of white porridge and coaxed her back to sleep.
Lu Shang left the room only after he had completely settled her.
As expected, Lu Lao Er also followed out, and the other children in the family also strolled outside from time to time, seemingly looking for something, but actually all to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Lu Lao Er frowned tightly, "Why didn't you tell me you were moving? You've been gone for so many days, and you haven't even come back once. Do you still think of me as your father?"
Lu Shang chuckled, hiding the sarcasm between his brows: "I moved in a hurry, and it was for important matters, so I didn't have time to discuss it with Dad. But I told grandma in advance, and asked her to tell you, who knows-"
He was not in a position to point out Wang Cuilian's faults, but this unspoken word still aroused Lu Laoer's resentment towards Wang: "This bitch!"
Lu Shang didn't dwell on it too much, and said, "It's just right that I'm back this time, so I can take grandma away to stay for a few days. Dad, you can also deal with the mess at home. Don't wait for me to send grandma back in a few days and make her angry again."
"Are you just taking the old lady away?" Lu Laoer's tone rose a few degrees.
"What else? Even though I moved to town, I only rented a shabby house with two rooms. For cooking and drinking, I have to share a kitchen and a well with others. I want to take you all over. Can you accommodate me?"
After hearing Lu Shang's description, Lu Laoer's expectations were suddenly dashed.
He had been thinking of going to the town with Lu Shang to enjoy himself, but now he heard that if he really lived there, how could he enjoy himself? Wouldn't it be pure suffering?
So what if he lived in town? He only had two rooms, without his own kitchen or well. He was not as happy as his home.
Unconsciously, Lu Lao Er's brow relaxed a little, but he still had to put on a stern face and scold a few words: "What a waste of money! Even if you live at home, why bother going to town and spending money? The place to live is not good either! You have always had your own ideas. You didn't even discuss such a big thing with your family."
"Yes, yes, I was reckless. Anyway, this is it. I've already paid for a year, and the rent can't be refunded. I won't be getting it back for the whole year."
Lu Lao Er wanted to ask how much the rent was, but Lu Shang said, "There's one more thing. I want to divide the family property."
As soon as the word "divide the family" was uttered, Lu Lao Er was in a trance. Even Lu Xian, who was passing by, was startled and stopped in his tracks.
Before Lu Lao Er could get angry, he heard Lu Shang say, "I'm going to the government office to separate Aning and I from our household registration. I won't share the family property, just the household registration."
This statement suppressed Lu Lao Er's anger to a great extent. He took a few deep breaths and asked, "What do you mean?"
Lu Shang made up a story, "I moved to town because I found a family and started working for them, but they have a requirement that my household registration must be registered with them, otherwise I will be kicked out. I only received a six-month advance on my wages, and if I'm kicked out I have to pay it back, but I've already used the money to rent a house. Can you help me pay it back, Dad?"
Lu Lao Er's head was buzzing when he heard about paying back the money. He refused without thinking: "I don't have any money!"
"Just wait, I'll give you the household registration right now, so hurry up and leave! Anyway, as long as I'm alive, you guys can't even think about dividing the family property. I'm not dead yet!"
He cursed and went back to the room, turned it upside down, and finally found the household registration of his family under the bed and threw it to Lu Shang.
After getting his household registration, Lu Shang didn't want to stay any longer.
"Okay, leave your household registration with me first. I'll go to the government office to handle it and bring it back to you next time I come back. I'll be leaving now."
"What are you going to do?" Lu Lao Er asked in a rough voice.
Lu Shang finally stopped hiding it: "Go to the boss's house and find some workers."
At first, Lu Laoer didn't understand what he meant, until he was stopped by some good friends when he was going out in the afternoon. They patted him on the back and praised him for having a good son.
Lu Laoer was completely confused. He listened to them talking to each other and it took him a long time to figure out the cause and effect.
It turned out that after Lu Shang left home, he went directly to the village entrance and told the villagers who were chatting at the entrance about his recruitment of workers. He did not mention the host family, but only said that he was running a small business and was short of manpower, so he wanted to recruit some people in the village.
The men in the village had already gone to the town to work as laborers, and although the work that Lu Shang recruited people to do was also hard work, it was much easier than carrying goods or pulling carts.
He didn't say what it was specifically, he just talked about the wages -
He only wanted men with some strength, and he would pay the villagers who worked for him on a daily basis, eight cents for a day's work, and a meal at noon.
In order to thank the villagers for their support, he pays half of the wages in advance, that is, he pays four cents for the day's wages in the morning and the remaining four cents after the work is done in the evening. If the business is good in the future, the wages will continue to increase.
Eight cents is not a lot of money, but the hardest working coolie in the town only earns fifteen cents a day. Those men who do hard labor all year round are overworked, and if they encounter a rainy day, their bones often ache so much that they can't even stand up.
Some people worry: "It's not hard work, is it?"
"Not really. I just drive the cart and move things up and down. The stuff isn't heavy, though. Normally, it can be done in half a day, so I'm paid a full day's wages."
Lu Shang said, "My business here has just started, so I don't need help every day. I only need help three or five days a month. Aunts, please help me talk to the villagers when you go back. If you want to do it, meet me at the city gate of Tang Town tomorrow morning. You'll know what it means after you do it once."
After all, he was a native of Lujia Village, so even though the villagers were skeptical, they were not worried about being deceived by him.
Lu Shang took out the malt sugar he had prepared in advance, a finger-sized piece, and gave two pieces to each person. He smiled and said, "I brought back some candy. Aunts, take it back to sweeten the children's mouths."
With the bribe of malt sugar, these people became more concerned. As soon as Lu Shang left, they dispersed in twos and threes. Within an hour or two, the whole village knew about it.
Lu Shang did not return to the Lu family, but he did not leave Lujia Village either.
He thought of what Jiang Wanning had mentioned before he left home, that Fan Sanniang's husband used to work as a handyman in a carriage and horse shop. He needed a carriage and horses to transport ducks, so if he went through his family's route, perhaps he could get a cheaper price on renting a carriage and horses.
In the early days of his business, Lu Shang still cherished the money he had.
He didn't bring much with him this time, and fortunately Dabao was educated at his home, so his arrival wasn't too abrupt.
Fan Sanniang's husband, Lu Qi, has been staying at home since he quit his job at the carriage and horse business. He usually helps Fan Sanniang with housework or digs crops in the fields. His family has planted a large area of peach trees, and now is the peach harvest season, so he can also help out at home.
After Lu Shang explained his purpose, the couple readily agreed.
Lu Qi said, "I'll go to town tomorrow morning and take Brother Lu Shang to the same coach shop I worked at before. I happen to know a young manager who might be of use!"
"Okay, thank you very much."
When Lu Shang left, he saw the fresh peaches piled up in his family's yard. Each peach was big, red, and juicy, and very pleasing to the eye.
He casually asked, "Are peaches selling well now?"
Lu Qi grimaced. "Oh, forget it. The weather is good this year, and the peaches are growing well. But it's not just our family that's growing well. Other families are doing the same. In previous years, a pound of peaches could be sold for three cents, but this year it's hard to even get two cents."
Every family has its own problems. Farmers work hard all year long just to have enough food to eat next year.
Lu Shang said goodbye and left his house without saying anything else.
After walking around, it was getting late. The donkey cart driver had been waiting outside the village for a whole day. He didn't come to Lujia Village often, and Lu Shang was afraid that something might happen if he traveled at night, so he decided to go back now.
When he returned to the Lu family, Grandma Lu was already sitting by the bed waiting for him.
It was only after she had a good sleep that she realized what she had agreed to. She felt both happy and annoyed, and even suspected that she was sick and confused, and that she had dreamed that her eldest grandson had returned.
Just as she was trying to figure out whether it was reality or a dream, Lu Shang's arrival left her at a loss. She opened her mouth several times but couldn't utter a word.
Lu Shang didn't care about her condition. Seeing that there was still no room beside her, he simply helped her pack her things: "Just take three or five pieces of clothes, and a set of bedding... Grandma, if you think you need anything else, I'll take it all."
Grandma Lu shook her head in panic, watching Lu Shang pack all the commonly used items into the package. After packing, he took the package and left. He came back less than a quarter of an hour later.
Lu Shang said, "I've put the things in the car first, and I've told Lu Xian I'm leaving. When Dad comes back, just tell him to tell Dad. Grandma, let's go."
Grandma Lu stood up tremblingly, and before she knew it, she was carried on Lu Shang's back.
Later, when they met an acquaintance in the village and said hello, Grandma Lu changed from being reserved at first to saying openly, "Hey, go stay with your eldest grandson for a few days!"
By the time they got back to their new home in town, the sun was just setting.
The two children have been taken away by Grandpa Pang. This afternoon, the clerk from the county government office delivered some iron tools, including two pots, two knives, and some scattered iron spoons.
The iron tools of Dazhao were not allowed to be sold privately, but as long as a note was submitted to the yamen, the price after approval was not high. The ones delivered by the yamen officials only cost 200 coins.
But at the same time, if any family wants to take advantage of the low price to stockpile a large amount of iron tools, the government office will have a record of it, and it will find out as soon as it is checked. The more lenient ones will just refuse the note, but when the situation gets tense, it is not impossible for the whole family to be arrested and interrogated.
Jiang Wanning washed all the pots and pans and put them neatly in place. Just as she was about to tidy up the yard a bit, she saw Lu Shang and Grandma Lu coming back.
She immediately put down the work in her hands and went forward to take over Lu Shang's job, standing beside Grandma Lu and carefully helping her into the west wing.
Fortunately, we prepared an extra bedroom. Even though it is decorated a bit simply, it is still suitable for people to live in.
Grandma Lu has been in a speechless state since she came in. She never expected that Lu Shang and his family's new home in town would be so spacious, bright and elegant.
She had never seen such a beautiful place in her life.
Considering that the old lady was tired from the long journey, Lu Shang didn't have time to cook and went out to buy food. He bought wontons and rice porridge for Grandma Lu, and then asked for some sesame cakes, which he and Jiang Wanning shared.
While he was buying food, Jiang Wanning also helped to tidy up the west wing, spread the bedding on the bed, and folded the clothes neatly and put them in the closet.
She also brought the teapot and water cups from her room and poured boiled water into them in case the old man was thirsty at night.
Grandma Lu felt embarrassed to see her busying around, but her legs and feet had not recovered yet, so she really couldn't help much. She could only wait for Jiang Wanning to finish her work neatly, and then quickly call her over to rest.
On the first night in town, Grandma Lu was full of anxiety, but her grandchildren and granddaughter-in-law were so caring that she fell asleep quickly after eating and drinking well.
The next morning, when Grandma Lu woke up, Lu Shang was gone again. Jiang Wanning made some simple vegetable porridge in the kitchen. The rice in the porridge was cooked until it was soft, just right for eating while recuperating.
However, Lu Shang, who had left early, went straight to the county government office and went to the household registration change office as soon as the office opened. When they learned that he, a scholar, wanted to register as a businessman, most of the people in the office came to watch the fun.
The master advised him several times, but seeing that Lu Shang still did not change his mind, he had no choice but to agree to his advice.
The only setback was that after he changed his business registration, his master asked him to confirm it. However, the handwriting on the new household registration was extremely sloppy. Lu Shang looked at it for a long time but couldn't recognize it, so he had to ask his master for help to confirm it again.
The lawyer was very puzzled: "Aren't you a scholar?"
Lu Shang laughed twice and didn't dare to say anything more.
Fortunately, changing his business status was not difficult. Once he separated from the Lu family and pressed his fingerprints, the government would stamp his identity and remove his scholar status, and the matter would be over.
However, he originally wanted to hide it from his family, but it was not a long-term solution. When the government collected land taxes this autumn, the Lu family's tax exemption rights would be gone, and his family would probably know about it.
After changing his business registration, Lu Shang left the yamen. He held the revised household registration and slowly exhaled.
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