Chapter 48
Jiang Wanning didn't want to attract attention, so she didn't hold any opening ceremony for the school. She didn't even give the school a name. Only the neighbors in the alley knew what it was.
On the first day of school, people were busy coming and going inside and outside the school.
The children who came to learn to read were of all ages, the oldest was fifteen years old and the youngest was only four years old. But perhaps because it was their first day in school, these children were quite well-behaved and none of them stood up to cause trouble.
When Sister Xiang sent her son here in the morning, she also brought her daughter with her. She asked her daughter to meet Jiang Wanning and wanted to wait until the school was more stable before enrolling her.
It just so happened that Jiang Wanning wanted to divide the remaining children among themselves these days, and she was afraid that she could not devote her energy to any one of them, so she agreed very readily.
The girl from the Xiang family is eight years old this year. She is very smart and has a pair of watery eyes that seem to be able to speak. She follows her mother timidly.
Jiang Wanning had thought she was a quiet little girl, but Sister Xiang pulled her aside and said with a smile, "Madam, don't be fooled by her. This girl is very smart. She looks weak and delicate, but she is actually the leader of the children in our alley. She is more naughty and noisy than the boys every day."
"Anyway, Madam, you might not believe me. You'll find out later... But although Amin is a bit naughty, she's also a sensible girl. She's also quite good at sewing, much better than I am. If Madam needs anything, you can ask her to help with sewing and mending. She'll definitely do her best."
Sister Xiang didn't want to follow her daughter in deceiving Jiang Wanning, but after telling her daughter about her personality, she was afraid of upsetting her, so she had to say a few nice words to make Jiang Wanning feel better.
Jiang Wanning just laughed and said, "Being tough is good. Being too weak will make you easily bullied. Sister Xiang, don't worry. I'll talk to her later and see what she thinks."
"Okay, okay, then I'll trouble you, Madam, for my children."
Sister Xiang called Xiang Min over, and after she said goodbye to Jiang Wanning, the mother and daughter left.
But just as they were about to turn back home, they saw the little girl turned her head away from her mother, made a face at Jiang Wanning, and then grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
Jiang Wanning couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
As the last child entered the classroom and took their seats, Jiang Wanning walked in, closed the door, and opened the windows on all four sides to ventilate the room. Facing the gazes of dozens of eyes, she walked slowly to her seat and sat down, saying softly, "Welcome everyone. From today on, you will be the first students of the school in the alley. Here you will learn to write and do arithmetic, but more importantly, I hope you will understand etiquette and learn to be kind people."
This kindness is not weakness and gullibility, nor is it without bottom line. It just means always keeping a bit of kindness in the heart. When you are poor, you can only take care of yourself; when you are rich, you can help the world.
But these are still too far away for these ignorant children.
During this half day, Jiang Wanning did not teach them anything. She just asked everyone to stand up, rearranged the seats according to their height, and explained the school discipline and some class arrangements.
In the second half of the class, each of them was given a sandbox and a wooden stick. The sticks were polished and about the same length and thickness as a brush. All the fine thorns were ground off so that they would not scratch their hands.
Jiang Wanning walked from the first person to the last, asking each person's name and then holding their hands to write their names on the sand table. A curious child tried to rush to the front to see, but she scolded him back: "What about the classroom discipline I just mentioned? Did I ask you to leave your seats?"
Perhaps her expression was too serious, and the children who were eager to move had to sit back.
Fortunately, all the forty-five children in the school, including Dabao and Pang Liang, received individual instruction from her and experienced the feeling of writing for the first time.
Dabao and Pang Liang had already learned their names, but since they had come to the school, Jiang Wanning didn't want to treat them too specially, so she told them in advance that they had to follow the progress of everyone else in the school.
The two were quite obedient. Before their turn, they sat upright with their hands behind their backs, which influenced the people around them to follow their example and sit properly. They looked very well behaved from behind.
After writing the last child's name, Jiang Wanning stood up and felt a little tired for the first time in a long time. Her entire lower back was sore, not to mention the sweat all over her body.
She steadied her voice and continued, "The words on the sand table on everyone's table are your names."
"It's almost time to go home from school, so I won't ask everyone to learn their own names. If you want to learn, you can practice writing them down around you. If you don't want to, just look at the people around you—"
Her original intention was to let them look at some different texts, but she didn't expect that after the first one practiced calligraphy.
"Erwa is writing... The teacher told me to look at the people around me, so should I write too..."
"Why is everyone practicing calligraphy? I, why don't I start too..."
"Why is my name harder to write than others, woo--"
In less than half a minute, the little heads behind the low table all lowered their heads. They held the wooden sticks clumsily and imitated the neat names, writing their words one by one.
Jiang Wanning was stunned at first, and then inevitably smiled.
The first day of school ended with an extension of the class.
The people in the alley were wondering why their children had not returned yet. When they went out, they ran into the neighbors. After talking to each other, they found out that no one had come out of the school yet.
After being late for half an hour, Jiang Wanning was afraid that they would miss lunch, so she had to stop them manually. After praising them, she let everyone go.
This is how we see the scene of dozens of children rushing out of the nameless alley.
That afternoon, similar scenes appeared in many families.
"Mom and Dad! Come here quickly! This is my name! Look!"
If Jiang Wanning were here, she would definitely be able to tell at a glance that the words they wrote according to their memory were not correct. They had form but no soul or meaning, and only looked similar in appearance.
But their parents don't know.
It was rare that these little boys who were used to being naughty and scolded were praised by their parents. They were rubbed on the head and shouted "May our ancestors bless us". They were also rewarded with a few copper coins to buy candies.
The child is happy, the parents are happy, and the family is naturally harmonious and happy.
Jiang Wanning didn't know what was happening in the other family. She was just being entangled by Dabao and Pang Liang on both sides. One of them was shaking her arm, and her ears were filled with childish pleas.
"Teacher, I want to sit with Dabao. I don't want to sit alone—"
"Teacher, I also want to sit with Liangliang, but he's so far away from me now!"
Lin Zhongwang stood far away. Although he didn't come over to bother them, he would glance over here from time to time, his eyes lingering on Pang Liang and Jiang Wanning.
Jiang Wanning noticed and instantly understood what he meant——
He also wanted to sit with Pang Liang.
It’s not because of any family or friendship, but simply because Pang Liang is his only acquaintance here.
Unfortunately, the two younger ones tried to persuade Jiang Wanning for a long time but failed.
She asked the two to stand face to face, and it was obvious that Dabao was half a head taller than her.
Jiang Wanning said, "Look, you two are not the same height. If Liangliang is moved to Dabao's place, he won't be able to see the teacher. If Dabao is moved to Liangliang's place, he will block the students behind him."
"Ah..." The two children were not unreasonable, so they could only look sad when they heard it.
As for Lin Zhongwang, Jiang Wanning grasped his palm and said, "There are many young men your age in the academy. Do you remember Qu Dalang, who sits next to you? He's the same age as you. You can try to make friends with him. There are others as well. What if you can become a very good partner?"
Anyway, after all the talk and lies, the last few people finally stopped clamoring for a change of seats.
This afternoon, Jiang Wanning was going to the alley entrance to write a letter for someone. After thinking it over, she left Dabao and Pang Liang at home and only took Lin Zhongwang with her.
With Grandma Lu staying at home to help look after the two children, she can feel much more at ease.
Today, there are not only customers coming to write letters in front of the letter-writing stall, but also residents in the alley who pass by will stop, look around for a while, and then leave with satisfaction.
Jiang Wanning didn't quite understand what they were so satisfied with, but since they didn't disturb her and didn't mention anything about the school, she didn't pay much attention to it.
In this way, Jiang Wanning attended school in the morning and wrote letters in the afternoon. She didn't earn much money, but she felt much more tired. She saw her body, which had just been restored not long ago, become thinner again. Before she could say anything, Lu Shang quit.
"This won't do." When it was time for class, Lu Shang stepped in front of her.
Jiang Wanning didn't sleep well last night and was in a trance. She accidentally bumped into him and was saved from falling by Lu Shang's support.
"Ah?" She almost fell down and didn't come back to her senses. She looked at Lu Shang with confusion in her eyes.
Lu Shang laughed angrily, and without saying anything, he bent down and picked her up sideways.
Jiang Wanning couldn't help but exclaimed, and when she came to her senses again, she had been put back on the bed, and in the blink of an eye, even the thin blanket was covered: "?"
Lu Shang squinted his eyes and said, "Sleep."
"Sleep..." Jiang Wanning looked at him with confusion in her eyes, "But I still have to go to class."
"Class?" Lu Shang lifted her hand and gently squeezed it. His palm was full of bones again. The more he squeezed, the angrier he became. He asked angrily, "Yesterday I brought back roast duck legs, the day before yesterday I brought back fresh meat patties, and the day before yesterday I brought back stewed chicken. I won't talk about the things before that. Where did Aning eat all the food?"
At first, Jiang Wanning thought he was questioning the whereabouts of those things, and her face turned pale.
But she quickly came back to her senses. Didn’t everyone eat together?
She followed Lu Shang's gaze, her mind slowly turning, and vaguely understood what he meant: "Eat, eat it all into your stomach?"
Lu Shang said sarcastically, "I think he ate all of it to go to school. I worked so hard for over a month to gain some weight, but it's all gone back in just a few days."
"From now on, we can't have three meals a day anymore. Aning needs to eat more, so we can have six meals a day."
After hearing this, Jiang Wanning couldn't help laughing.
Seeing that she finally smiled, Lu Shang couldn't hold it back any longer and rubbed her wrist vigorously: "I'm not restraining you, but you have to take care of the school and write letters, but you have to take care of yourself."
"Isn't there only school today? You stay home and rest up, and I'll go take your class. Dabao and the others will have their monthly holiday in a few days, so when school is over, I'll take you around."
"It just so happens that the river crabs in Fengyuan Village are all fat. Let's go catch some crabs and shrimps. I'll make you some spicy stir-fried river crabs. If there's a chance, we can have some sake."
Lu Shang said, "I fully support you in focusing on your career. You always tell parents to balance work and rest, but how come you forget that when it comes to you?"
After his earnest persuasion, Jiang Wanning also felt a little guilty: "Then I, then I won't go today. I'll rest at home."
"That's right." Lu Shang poured a glass of water and placed it on the bedside for her to drink when she woke up. He casually asked about the progress in the school. Seeing that it was almost time, he got up and went to substitute for the class.
Jiang Wanning was already in a state of confusion, and after being persuaded like this, even though she felt uneasy, she didn't think about it anymore. Not long after closing her eyes, she fell into her dream again.
As for the school, Lu Shang's arrival surprised and delighted the children.
The female teacher's husband is a scholar, and this is known to the entire Wuming Alley.
They were already very satisfied to be able to learn writing from Jiang Wanning, especially having learned something in the past few days. Who would have thought that one day they would be able to receive personal instruction from the scholar.
Even Dabao and Pang Liang, who had studied at the Lu family for nearly two months, had not received any guidance from him.
Although Lu Shang had no teaching skills and did not dare to show off his poor handwriting, he had studied with Jiang Wanning day and night for a month after all, so he was still able to read to them.
He picked up the simplest book on Jiang Wanning's desk, flipped through it roughly, and when he saw that he could recognize the words in it, he chose this book, deleted some parts, and read it to the children for quarter of an hour.
After reciting until they were almost drowsy, he coughed twice and said, "Alright, then, start practicing calligraphy. Practice each of the characters your teacher taught you ten or twenty times, and then we'll move on to the next step."
Perhaps it was because the scholar's halo was too strong, no one raised any objections even though the children had already memorized the text. They just finished it a little faster in the end, which surprised Lu Shang.
He glanced at the time. There was still an hour and a half before school was over. Continuing with calligraphy practice and studying seemed a bit perfunctory. He pondered for a long time and asked, "Have you learned arithmetic yet?"
"I've learned two lessons." The one at the front repeated what he had learned before.
Lu Shang's eyes lit up, and he immediately decided: "Then let's learn arithmetic today. You've heard the story of the chicken and the rabbit in the same cage, right? Well, we don't need such complicated methods. Today I will teach you a few other algorithms."
"This algorithm is much simpler than the usual method. It might not be very practical in the imperial examinations, but it will save you a lot of time when you become an accountant or something like that."
Jiang Wanning didn't know what unorthodox methods Lu Shang had taught her. Anyway, after school that day, most people looked confused. When their parents pulled them aside and asked them a question, they would only say -
"Scholar, no wonder he's called a scholar. I've been listening for a long time today and I seem to understand, but I also seem to be confused..."
"Master Scholar? Isn't it the female teacher who is giving you a lecture today?"
"Oh no... Mr. Xiucai said that the teacher was sick, so he came to take over the teacher's class."
Thanks to Lu Shang, the neighbors in the alley sent things to the Lu family that afternoon, including meat, vegetables, eggs, milk, and some food that people usually eat when they are sick. There were no valuable items, but they were a token of their love for Jiang Wanning.
After this incident, although Jiang Wanning still cared about the school and the letter-writing stall, she also took care of her own health. If she felt a little unwell, she would stop and rest, or simply take a leave for two days and ask Lu Shang to take over her class.
Since the neighbors had a good opinion of Lu Shang and the children also said he was okay, Jiang Wanning didn't doubt it.
Since the hunters from Pingshan Village became the long-term workers of the logistics team, Lu Shangyu no longer had to worry about delivering goods. Usually, Lu Qi helped to supervise the work, and Hunter Zhan assisted him. The delivery time was getting earlier and earlier every day, and the vegetables sent to Guanhe Tower were becoming fresher and more juicy, and the fish were more lively.
As he lived like this day after day, Lu Shang's daily income was very stable. Excluding daily expenses and wages reserved for workers, he could save one hundred coins every day, and three taels a month, not counting meat ducks.
As soon as he had some free time, he couldn't help but think of other ways to make money.
September came in a blink of an eye. The hot summer disappeared and the evenings and nights gradually became cooler.
Early that morning, after Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning finished a set of calisthenics together, they suddenly heard Grandma Lu's exclamation from behind the rockery: "It's born! It's born! Seven or eight!"
The two went over to take a look and found that the female rabbit had given birth.
Normally, female rabbits give birth after about 30 days, but his rabbit took until 37 or 38 days to give birth. If it hadn't been for the fact that it ate and slept every day without any abnormality, Lu Shang would have thought it was pregnant with a litter of stillborn babies.
Fortunately, after such a long delay, the baby was finally born.
All in all, they have moved to the town for more than a month. Who would have thought that in just forty days or so, their family had opened a letter-writing stall, a school, and also had businesses such as calligraphy logistics, so they had no worries about food and clothing.
Only two female rabbits were left at home from the newborn rabbits, and the rest were given away. The adult female rabbit was also kept. As for the adult male rabbit, Lu Shang found a clear day and made a pot of rabbit stew.
Jiang Wanning was not good at raising these animals, and now she was busy, so it all depended on Grandma Lu to take care of them.
After all, the old lady was old, so Lu Shang left her chickens, ducks and geese, which could at least take care of the family and lay eggs. He also used this as an excuse to tell her not to think about returning to Lujia Village. The number of these poultry was just right.
On the tenth day of September, the school was on holiday.
Lu Shangshang still remembered what he had promised Jiang Wanning, so on the day the school was on holiday, he took her out and followed the cargo logistics team to Fengyuan Village.
Normally, when he followed the truck, he would chat with the farmhands, ask them if they were used to living in the town, and then casually inquire about some of the things that happened during the transportation.
But today, Jiang Wanning was there, so apart from greeting everyone at the beginning, he ignored them completely afterwards. Even when Lu Qi came over to say hello, he casually sent him away.
Lu Shang has walked the road from Tang Town to Fengyuan Village countless times.
Until today, he still managed to have some fun.
The driver drove the donkey cart very steadily. He and Jiang Wanning sat alone in the cart. Since they left Tang Town, he had been introducing Jiang Wanning to what he had seen and heard on the road. Even a herbal tea stall on the side of the road could make him talk for a long time.
Jiang Wanning was also amazed. If they hadn't come across another village and asked a question, Lu Shang would have already told her about the specialties and strange people and stories of that village. Finally, he said proudly, "As for the villages around Tang Town, there isn't a single one that I don't know well."
Jiang Wanning said flatteringly, "My husband is so amazing!"
"Ahem—" Regardless of Lu Shang's reaction, the driver in front of him wished he could find two handfuls of straw to plug his ears.
Mr. Lu usually looks quiet and aloof, but when he meets his wife at home, he becomes talkative and talkative.
After arriving at Fengyuan Village, Lu Qi and Hunter Zhan took the farmhands to deliver the goods, while Lu Shang took Jiang Wanning to the river where river crabs were raised to catch fish, crabs and shrimps.
Because they were the big bosses in the village, the villagers refused to charge them for eating some shrimps and crabs. They just told them to catch as much as they wanted and take it all home!
Jiang Wanning was uncomfortable going into the water in her ruqun, but Lu Shang didn't have so many concerns.
He rolled up his trouser legs above his knees and jumped straight into the river.
Jiang Wanning just followed him and caught shrimps and crabs. Occasionally, she would catch a few small fish, but they were thrown back by Lu Shang.
The river in Fengyuan Village is natural, but it was blocked by the villagers halfway and used for raising fish, shrimps and crabs. River crabs are not as fresh and sweet as sea crabs, but they are fatter and more delicious, especially the fat in them, which can be made into crab sauce with a unique flavor.
Lu Shang caught crabs for someone and rewarded him with the recipe for making crab sauce.
The crab farming family quickly wrote it down, thanked Lu Shang again and again, and gave him all the shrimps they had just caught early in the morning.
After the logistics team finished loading the goods, Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning also returned with a full load. Each of them carried a bamboo basket filled with the freshest river crabs and shrimps. Lu Shang said as they walked, "It's almost crab season, but I wonder if Guanhe Tower has any recipes for cooking crabs."
Jiang Wanning was genuinely curious: "Why does my husband have so many recipes?"
As a scholar, he can be said to have a natural business mind if he changes to business, but cooking can't be a natural talent, right?
Lu Shang stumbled and stammered, "I, I also read about it in a book. I don't know where I came across a collection of omnivorous dishes before. It was full of new and novel ways of eating. I was curious and wrote them down."
"I see... My husband has forgotten the writing and the books, but he still remembers the recipe."
Jiang Wanning just sighed casually, but it made Lu Shang break out in a cold sweat. He spoke more carefully in the second half of the journey.
When leaving Fengyuan Village, Lu Shang realized that he had to go to Lujia Village to transport some peaches today.
He discussed with Jiang Wanning for a moment and decided to go along.
By September, almost all the peaches were ripe. Lu Qi's family had been growing peaches all year round and was good at preserving them, but no matter how well they were preserved, there were not many fresh peaches that could meet the requirements of Guanhe Tower.
On the way to Lujia Village, Lu Qi finally found a chance to talk to Lu Shang about serious matters.
Lu Qi said, "After this delivery, my family will have no more peaches to supply to Guanhe Tower. Brother Lu, what do you think Guanhe Tower should say?"
"Of course I'll say what I have to say." Lu Shang said calmly, "Fruits and vegetables are eaten according to the season. Not only your peaches, but even the vegetables in Fengyuan Village will be replaced by a new batch by the end of this month."
"When we get to Guanhe Tower today, I'll talk to Shopkeeper Fu about how to make changes later."
"I remember there were large tracts of jujube trees in Yangning Village, right? Are there any families in Lujia Village who grow jujubes?"
Lu Qi thought for a long time: "Only Lu Dashan's family planted dozens of them, which is not a large number."
Lu Shang said, "Forget it then. After I finish talking to Shopkeeper Fu, I'll go to Yangning Village and see if I can buy some dates from them while they're still in season."
"Brother Lu, you have a new idea again!" Lu Qi was very impressed.
However, Lu Shang just waved his hand: "It's not certain yet. Okay, okay, go to your car quickly. I'm busy here."
Lu Qi was not angry at being driven away. He laughed and said loudly, "Okay, I'm leaving, brother Lu. I'll see you later."
"What are you shouting about..." Lu Shang muttered softly, but did not correct anything.
Because they were going to Lujia Village, Jiang Wanning's interest had dropped a lot. It was not until they were almost at the village entrance that she heard Lu Shang approach and say, "Are you worried about Wang?"
Jiang Wanning nodded honestly.
Lu Shang sneered: "She has been busy taking care of herself for a long time. Even if we go home, she probably won't have time to come out."
Then Jiang Wanning heard about the series of changes that had happened in the Lu family in recent days. It was fortunate that Grandma Lu moved to the town, otherwise, if she stayed at home, she would have been very angry.
Ever since Wang Cuilian complained to Grandpa Pang that day, Lu Shang had held a heavy responsibility against her.
Not long ago, when he followed La Tao'er here, he happened to meet Wang Zhanxian, who was beaten black and blue at the village entrance.
Lu Shang narrowed his eyes and approached affectionately: "Hey, who is this? Isn't this my uncle? Oh, uncle, long time no see, what's wrong with you!"
Wang Zhanxian looked at him for a long time before he remembered who he was. He immediately spat and said, "You dare to talk!"
He first scolded Lu Laoer and the others, then scolded Wang Shi, and finally couldn't help but set his sights on Lu Shang: "My dear nephew, I heard that you made a lot of money in town. Can you lend me some money? When I make money in the future, I will definitely pay you back double."
"Oh my dear uncle, what are you talking about! I heard that you owed money in town and were beaten up. I was so worried about you that I immediately gave it to Second Mother as soon as I got some money and asked her to pay you back first. Why, didn't Second Mother give you the money?"
"What money? When did this happen?" Wang Zhanxian was confused.
"Just a few days ago! About seven or eight days ago. I only found out about Second Mother when I got home. Why, uncle, haven't you been to see Second Mother recently?"
Lu Shang was afraid of being harassed by the Lu family, so he seldom came into the village recently. However, when he told lies, he did not seem to feel guilty at all. He spoke with confidence and made lies sound true.
"I just went there yesterday!" Wang Zhanxian was skeptical, "but my sister said she had no money."
"Second Mother is so confused! No matter how important money is, can it be more important than human life? Second Mother must have hidden the money, but I clearly gave her ten taels of silver so that you, Uncle, could pay me back."
Every word Lu Shang said was adding fuel to the fire. After just a few words, he saw that Wang Zhanxian was getting angry.
"You bitch! You still say I am her life? I think she wants to kill me!" Wang Zhanxian rolled up his sleeves and went to Lu's house.
Lu Shang stood at the entrance of the village, his expression gradually faded, and his pair of dark eyes looked particularly gloomy.
…
After listening to Lu Shang's explanation of the whole process, even though Jiang Wanning didn't know what happened next, she couldn't help but shudder: "So now..."
Lu Shang shook his head. "I only heard from Lu Qi that the next day Wang Zhanxian brought a lot of things to the Lu family to apologize. He also said that he had been sorry for Wang Shi before and wanted to invite Wang Shi to stay at home for two days. The brother and sister hugged each other and cried for a long time, and Wang Shi followed him home."
"I don't know what happened after that. I haven't been in touch with logistics recently and haven't been back much, so I don't know the situation of the Lu family. But I haven't seen Wang Zhanxian at the door of the gambling house recently. I guess he is not doing well there." Since he is not doing well, the Wang family will naturally not have a good ending.
As for whether Wang Zhanxian truly repents?
The most unreliable thing about a gambler is his remorse.
However, after arriving at Lujia Village, Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning realized that they had underestimated the situation.
After Wang was taken home by Wang Zhanxian, she did not return for five or six days. Finally, Lu Laoer felt that there was no one to work at home, so he went to the house in person, only to find out that Wang had passed away.
Wang was abused by Wang Zhanxian for three days. Wang Zhanxian realized that he could not get any money from her, so he decided to go all out and sell her for money.
Although the two elders of the Wang family disagreed with this, Wang Zhanxian said a few words: "Either sell her! Or watch me die! You make your own choice!" Without a doubt, the two elders chose the former.
No one knew where Wang Zhanxian found the connections, but he went through so many connections that he sold Wang to a wealthy family in the next town to be a concubine for the old man in his family who had died several years ago.
Wang is already in her thirties or forties this year, and there are very few people who would buy her as a concubine. Wang Zhanxian asked several families, but found the prices were too low, so he came up with the idea of a ghost marriage.
In their Lujia Village, even the poorest families would not get involved in ghost marriages. Not only would it shorten the lifespan of the living, it was also said to ruin their own feng shui.
But Wang Zhanxian was at the end of his rope and had no time to care about these things.
The old man who had been dead for many years had wives and concubines when he was alive, but he was still not at peace after his death. For some reason, his family started looking for concubines for him in the past two years. It didn't matter what age, as long as she was a woman, they would pay a high price. For example, Wang was exchanged for a full thirty taels.
Thirty taels could not only pay off Wang Zhanxian's gambling debt, but also give him the capital to continue gambling. Without any hesitation, he sent Wang away overnight. From then on, his life and death had nothing to do with the Wang family.
It was only when Lu Lao Er came that he found out that his wife had become someone else's husband.
There is no doubt that Lu Lao Er started making a fuss on the spot.
Although Wang Shi is not a good person, she has lived with Lu Lao Er for so many years and is the mother of several children. Even if he keeps her as a free working wife, he can't let her go!
The gossiping villager observed Lu Shang's expression and sighed softly, "Second Brother Lu said he paid a betrothal gift to marry her, but the Wang family was so shameless that they insisted they hadn't gone to the government office to register their marriage."
"In our village, there are a few families who change their registered permanent residence after getting married. Why not just go there? Who wants to go to the government office without any charges? But according to the Wang family, even if Lu Lao Er goes to the county government, he won't be in the right."
"This..." Things turned out so bizarrely that Lu Shang was speechless.
The two said goodbye to the villagers and had no choice but to go home.
After the two of them walked away, the gossiping villagers at the village entrance changed their tone and said, "You know what, people who go to town are different. Look at the sickly Lu family. It's only been a short time since they moved away, but their complexion has become rosy."
"Not only that, look at the wife he bought. She's dressed much better than you and me. He's rich!"
"If I had known this earlier, I would have asked my niece to marry him. She could have endured a year or two and enjoyed the good life with him. Oh, what a miscalculation—"
Soon, Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning arrived at the Lu family.
I haven't been back for a long time, and the Lu family seems to have not changed much, but it also seems to have changed a lot. When I walked into the yard, I saw that it was a mess. The door of Grandma Lu and Lu Shang's room was open, and a lot of dust had entered.
Lu Shang frowned unconsciously.
Not long after the two of them entered the door, they suddenly heard a scream from the side. Turning around, they saw Ma coming out of the kitchen. She was holding a spatula in her hand and had the child tied to her back.
The child was crying loudly. Ma tried to coax him for a long time but to no avail, so she came out.
Ma was stunned for a moment, then immediately shouted, "Lu Xian! Dad! Big brother is back!"
There was a loud noise in the house, and several doors opened one after another. Not only Lu Laoer and Lu Xian came out, but also the remaining children.
Lu Shang took a quick look around. He didn't know whether it was because Wang was not there or because of the change in the family, but the children looked much shabbier, with empty eyes. They were all hiding at the door and looking outside.
Lu Lao Er and Wang Zhanxian had a conflict, and he was injured during the fight. Seeing Lu Shang's face, he was even more embarrassed. He couldn't help but curse: "Your father was almost beaten to death! And you still remember to come back!"
Lu Shang came back with some sympathy, but after being scolded like that, the already fragile relationship between father and son instantly fell apart. He watched coldly without saying anything.
At this moment, the crying of Lu Xian and Ma's daughter became louder and louder.
Lu Lao Er was so annoyed that he shouted again: "Cry, cry, cry, all you do is cry all day long! I'm not even dead yet, and you're crying every day! Why don't you get out of here quickly!"
Ma was frightened and quickly put down the spatula in her hand. She then struggled to untie her daughter from behind her, held her in her arms and coaxed her softly.
Since she came back, Jiang Wanning's eyes have been on Ma and the child behind her. She waved her hands several times when no one was paying attention, but the more she waved, the more panicked she looked.
Ma whispered something and ran back to the room with the child in her arms.
Jiang Wanning was unable to look away until her and her child's figures were completely blocked by the door.
The four younger ones were afraid of Lu Laoer's anger, so they hid back in the house when they saw this. In the end, only Lu Xian was left standing far away, but he did not dare to interfere in the affairs between Lu Laoer and Lu Shang.
After a while, Lu Shang finally spoke: "I heard that Er Niang is gone?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Lao Er exploded: "How dare you mention her to me! That bitch, I told her to stay away from her parents' home a long time ago, but she just wouldn't listen! Now that she's been sold away, do you think she still wants me to save her?"
"dream!"
"I spent five taels of silver to marry her, and she's taken so much stuff home over the years. Now that she's gone, it's even better. There won't be any more thieves in the house anymore!"
"And you, Lu Xian! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Since Wang has become someone else's concubine, she can't even think of returning to my Lu family. You're not allowed to rescue her. And there's someone hiding in the house. If I find out any of you dare to go find her, I'll break your legs!"
Lu Lao Er was manic and crazy. He limped and kicked open the door of Lu Guangzong and the others' room, then went in to start a new round of teaching the two children a lesson.
Lu Shang came back to check on the situation at home. If Lu Laoer was unwilling to accept the situation, he wouldn't mind taking him to the yamen to see if he could get the Wang family to pay some money.
But now seeing him like this, he gave up all his thoughts.
While Lu Lao Er was yelling at the other people in the family, Lu Shang took Jiang Wanning's hand and left the house quietly.
As for how furious Lu Lao Er would be when he found out he had left, the Lu family didn't know where he was living anyway, so in the end he would just be helpless and furious.
After leaving the Lu family, Jiang Wanning suddenly grabbed Lu Shang's sleeve and said, "Husband, have you noticed..."
"how?"
"The child's eyes... she seems blind." Jiang Wanning had felt something was wrong before, and seeing her today confirmed her suspicions. "I noticed something was covering her eyes before, but I never got close, so I thought I was seeing things. But when I saw her again today, I realized her eyes were gray and a film had formed over her right eye. She didn't even react when I waved my hand next to her."
"What..." Lu Shang had never paid attention to the baby at home, so he was shocked when he heard this.
But they have left home and will never go back.
After a moment, Lu Shang said, "I'll ask Lu Xian when I meet him later. That child..." Let's not talk about whether it can be cured or not. Even if it can be cured, I'm afraid the money required will not be a small amount.
Because of the Lu family's visit, Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning's interest was completely disrupted.
After the logistics team loaded the fresh peaches, they did not stay a moment longer and left quickly.
On that day, Lu Shang discussed the issue of replacing fresh peaches with vegetables with Shopkeeper Fu, and proposed using drunken dates instead of fresh peaches. With Shopkeeper Fu's promise, the replacement could be started in the next few days.
As for river crabs and shrimps, since it is not yet the best season to eat crabs, we will have to wait and see.
After returning home, Lu Shang hurriedly prepared the river crabs and shrimps, blanching or steaming some of them and making the rest into spicy shrimps and crabs.
Jiang Wanning did prefer spicy food, and she was young, so even if she ate too much spicy food, her skin didn't change much and her body didn't feel any discomfort. Since she liked it, Lu Shang was happy to favor her a little.
Naturally, he and Grandma Lu could only eat boiled shrimp and steamed crab.
When returning from Guanhe Tower, Lu Shang asked for two bottles of crab vinegar and ate the plump river crabs with it, which made them taste even better.
Unfortunately, crabs are cold in nature, so Lu Shang was careful with his portion. Seeing that Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu had almost finished eating, he asked them to stop. He picked out the roe from the remaining river crabs and prepared to make crab sauce.
Shrimp, on the other hand, are fine and taste their best when eaten on the same day.
After a day of running around, the Lu family's courtyard fell into darkness, and the bright moonlight fell on the courtyard.
The next day, Lu Shangben wanted to take Jiang Wanning out for a walk, but before they could leave, guests came to the house.
Feng He was dressed in dust, but his face was filled with excitement. "I've taken care of all the chores at home. Brother Lu, I'm here to study with the old master!"
The old man himself——
Jiang Wanning couldn't help but take a half step back, hiding most of her body behind Lu Shang.
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