Chapter 51
Jiang Wanning hadn't dealt with such a scene for a long time. After sending the person away, she couldn't help feeling tired and frightened. She was also afraid that her identity would be publicized by Feng He, which would cause endless troubles.
Not long after, Dabao and the other two came back. She quickly called the children over for dinner and went outside to call Grandma Lu back. Many people gathered around the table, eating and talking. Only then did she temporarily forget about what had happened before.
However, the excitement died down, and as Grandma Lu helped her clean up the dishes, the children also ran off to rest. She returned to her room and was undoubtedly alone again.
Since she didn't have to go to the alley to write a letter this afternoon, Jiang Wanning stayed in her room. She originally wanted to copy the calligraphy for the bookstore, but she was always restless. She wrote two pieces and ruined them all, so she had to stop.
She stood up and sat in front of the dressing table. The window next to her was open, and a breeze blew in from time to time, adding a bit of coolness to the early autumn and gradually dispelling the depression in her heart.
During the afternoon break, Jiang Wanning heard a sound coming from the gate. She looked up and saw that it was Lu Shang who had returned.
He was holding a bag of snacks wrapped in oil paper. The packaging looked a bit simple, but according to his past experience, anything he brought home couldn't be bad.
When Lu Shang saw Jiang Wanning through the window, he smiled, raised the thing in his hand, and mouthed, "I brought you chestnut cake."
Jiang Wanning subconsciously stood up and took the initiative to open the door to greet him.
Considering that the other people in the house were still resting, Lu Shang closed the door as soon as he entered, then took Jiang Wanning to the table and happily showed her the pastries.
"This was recommended to me by Lu Qi. It was made by an elderly couple at the city gate. I tried it and it tastes pretty good. It's not too sweet and not too greasy. You should like it."
"Tomorrow I have nothing to do at home, so I'll just kill a duck behind the rockery, stew half of it and stir-fry the other half with chili sauce, so I'll have enough for the day... If I have time, I'll tidy up the land behind the rockery and see if I can grow some winter vegetables or something."
Lu Shang talked softly, watched Jiang Wanning taste the chestnut cake, and handed her a glass of water.
Jiang Wanning couldn't help but smile when she heard this: "Then I'll go ask Aunt Tian. She also has a vegetable patch at home."
Lu Shang stood up and wiped his face at the door. Looking at the stubble on his chin, he went to the windowsill to look for a razor blade.
Just as he was tidying up the stubble on his chin, Jiang Wanning's faint voice came from behind him: "Husband, there is something... I want to tell you."
"What?" Lu Shang didn't notice anything unusual.
Until Jiang Wanning said again: "Mr. Feng came today. He first went to the school to listen to half an hour's class, then came to sit at home for another half an hour and mentioned... the old man."
Lu Shang paused, cleaned his chin with a wet towel, and then turned around: "What does Aning want to say?"
"The young master has discovered that it wasn't the old master who was teaching him."
Lu Shang looked at Jiang Wanning's expression. Seeing that she didn't show much emotion, he didn't panic either. He walked over and pulled Jiang Wanning to sit down. Then he asked carefully, "A Ning, can you tell me the whole story?"
Jiang Wanning nodded and recounted Feng He's every move and every word from his appearance to his departure, without missing a single detail. Finally, she said, "If I were to just talk about Young Master Feng, he seems to have accepted the situation, but I'm a little worried about others. What if he tells others? Will it cause trouble?"
"After all... after committing a crime, you are already a criminal. It's one thing not to be exiled as required, but to be so open about it. If the authorities find out, I'm afraid it will also implicate my husband."
This was exactly what had troubled her for so long.
Lu Shang's expression didn't change much, and in order to appease Jiang Wanning, he even pretended to be relaxed: "I thought it was a small matter. Since Young Master Feng doesn't mind, then it's no big deal."
"Didn't he say he wanted to discuss business with me? I'll go over there later and see his attitude. If he's really willing to accept your guidance as you said, I'll bring it up again."
"Don't worry, Aning, there's nothing to get involved in, and nothing will happen."
Maybe it was because his voice was too gentle or what, but Jiang Wanning's restless heart gradually calmed down.
Lu Shang coaxed her into eating two more pieces of cake. When he heard her say that she accidentally damaged two sheets of Chengxintang paper, he continued to comfort her and put the blame on Feng He: "It's all his fault for talking nonsense. I'll make him compensate me later."
Jiang Wanning couldn't help laughing.
Not long after, lunch break was over and the voices of several children could be heard in the yard. Jiang Wanning simply cleaned up the pastry crumbs on the table and went out to greet them for class.
Lu Shang did not go to the class, but took a short rest. When he was almost refreshed, he changed his clothes and went to Feng He's house.
Hearing that Lu Shang had arrived, Feng He hurried out of the study.
Ever since the Lu family left, Feng He seemed to have taken some magic medicine. He was no longer sleepy and his mind was no longer confused. He went straight into the study and wrote two policy papers.
Regardless of the content, at least the words and sentences are coherent.
He went out and waved away the servants, then personally led Lu Shang to the hall. He served him tea attentively, and after sitting down, he stared at Lu Shang with his eyes sharp, without blinking.
Seeing his actions, Lu Shang had a rough idea in his mind.
But being stared at like this made him feel a little uncomfortable. He just picked up the teacup, but couldn't help putting it down again, sighing softly: "Young Master, looking at me like this makes me feel really uneasy."
Feng He just smiled: "Not really, not really. It's Brother Lu who has been hiding this from me that's really painful!"
Lu Shang smiled bitterly: "It's really limited by the situation. The young master must have heard something. After all -"
"I understand, I understand everything."
Lu Shang continued, "I also talked to my wife about this matter after I got home. It's not appropriate to make it public. If the young master is willing to stay here, please be tolerant."
Feng He thought about it and roughly understood what he meant.
Although his ideas were different from Lu Shang's, the results were almost the same.
People always have selfish motives. If this Madam Jiang could help him pass the imperial examination, she would surely be able to help others pass it as well. If the news got out, who knows what worldly prejudices would lead to. When the situation got chaotic, he would be repaying kindness with enmity.
No matter what he thought in his heart, as long as he didn't say it out loud, Lu Shang didn't care at all.
After saying this, Lu Shang mentioned business.
Feng He suddenly remembered, "Yes, yes, I almost forgot about this. It's about the business banquet. I've almost made all the contacts. There are about thirty merchants attending the banquet, including some young masters of my age."
"I was thinking of setting the date around the Mid-Autumn Festival at the end of September. That would be the time for eating crabs and tasting wine, and it would be a good time for everyone to get together. I came here to ask Brother Lu what he thinks. If there is no problem, I will ask my subordinates to draft the invitation."
Even Lu Shang couldn't help but sigh.
As for the relationship between him and Feng He, the son of a large merchant family and Feng He, a small businessman who had only been a businessman for two months, these two people who should have had no intersection at all, are now almost on equal footing.
He didn't think that this was because of Lu Logistics. In the final analysis, it was all because of Jiang Wanning.
If Feng He had not asked her for something, he, her nominal husband, would probably not have been able to enjoy such a great honor.
As his thoughts turned, Lu Shang still maintained a low profile: "I'll follow the young master's arrangements. I'm available anytime."
"Okay, I'll make the arrangements first. Once everything is finalized, I'll tell Brother Lu. There's also a timber resale business coming to the venue. The profit is quite high, but the round trip is a bit far, so they used to hire an escort agency. If Brother Lu is interested, you can make preparations in advance."
Lu Shang's expression straightened up: "Thank you for your advice, Young Master."
Feng He originally wanted to ask him for some advice on the interpretation of the classics, but then he thought that if he asked Lu Shang, he would be indirectly asking Jiang Wanning. It would make no difference whether he asked or not, and it would also make him seem opportunistic.
Feng He felt a little embarrassed for a moment and had to give up the idea of asking for advice.
Since he still had to go back to his study to study hard, Lu Shang didn't bother him anymore and stood up to say goodbye.
That night, after Lu Shang told Jiang Wanning about this, he felt relieved to see that she was completely relieved.
However, this ease soon turned into pain as I continued to learn characters.
After finally finishing his calligraphy practice tonight, Lu Shang fell onto the bed and counted on his fingers: "I've learned about 100 or 200 characters, and I've learned most of the commonly used characters. Can I take a break for a while?"
Jiang Wanning pretended not to hear clearly: "What? Husband, you think you're learning too slowly? Then starting tomorrow, I'll add another half hour. If you're willing, we can also have monthly exams like in the academy."
"..." Lu Shang closed his eyes and said loudly, "I won't!"
Jiang Wanning pursed her lips and smiled, helping him put away the paper and pen on the table. She made a decision on her own: "Then it's a deal. When the school exam comes next month, I'll leave a copy of the test paper for my husband as well."
"I! No!" Lu Shang refused even louder.
He is a twenty-year-old man, competing with a group of teenagers. There is nothing to be proud of if he passes the exam, but failing is even more embarrassing.
Lu Shang repeated, "I won't take the test, good Aning—"
Jiang Wanning couldn't stand him yelling like that, so she immediately changed her tone: "Okay, okay, I don't want to think about it anymore."
…
The next day, Jiang Wanning went to school early. After doing his exercises, Lu Shang took a nap. He got up and sorted out the accounts for the past few days before going out to catch and kill ducks.
When Jiang Wanning came back from school, Lu Shang had already prepared lunch. Grandma Lu also steamed a large pot of white steamed buns, which tasted especially delicious when eaten with the freshly stewed duck.
That afternoon, Jiang Wanning closed her letter stall and ran into the mother and daughter of the Xiang family when she arrived at her doorstep.
Xiang Min changed into light clothes and tied two buns on her head. She still hid behind her mother, looking timid.
But after the last experience, Jiang Wanning would never make a mistake.
Afterwards, I heard Madam Xiang say, "I'm thinking of sending Amin to school starting tomorrow. I wonder if it would be convenient for Madam?"
"It's convenient." Jiang Wanning said gently, "It's just that the children in the school have already been studying for a while. I'm afraid that Amin, who came later, may not be able to keep up. I'll wait and see. If necessary, I can ask her to come to my house in the afternoon and study with the other children for a while longer."
"Don't worry, Sister Xiang. We agreed not to charge Amin tuition, and we won't charge him for the extra class in the afternoon."
Madam Xiang refused to take advantage of this and waved her hand, "No, no, I sent Amin here because I wanted her to learn a few words and because she was too noisy at home. I feel relieved to send her to Madam."
"I'll just have to trouble you, Madam, to take care of me later."
Jiang Wanning said "no" repeatedly, squatted down and greeted Xiang Min seriously, and then said: "Then I will wait for Amin to come to school tomorrow morning."
"Okay, Master, Amin understands." Just listening to the soft and sweet way the little girl responded, it was completely different from the child king that Madam Xiang had mentioned.
Only the Lu and Xiang families knew that Xiang Min was going to school. Only after she entered the school did the other children know.
Jiang Wanning was afraid that she, a girl, would not be able to adapt to the school, so she specially picked a seat for her at the front. As long as she taught in the front, she would be closest to her.
The little girl listens attentively in class, with her hands behind her back, and the more you look at her, the more you like her.
However, after school, before Jiang Wanning could invite her to dinner, Xiang Min suddenly jumped up from her seat and slapped the person next to her on the shoulder: "Erhuzi! Show me what you learned in class!"
Jiang Wanning: “…”
In addition to Erhuzi, the first person to be affected, Xiang Min ran around the school and asked for the homework of seven or eight people. She also called over several younger brothers who were good friends with her and forced them to help with the lessons.
As for her older brother, who was only three years older than her, he stood by with a helpless look on his face.
Xiang Yi saw the shock on Jiang Wanning's face and had to come over to explain in a low voice: "Please forgive me, Master. Amin is actually obedient... sometimes."
After being shocked, Jiang Wanning quickly felt relieved.
She said yesterday that she was giving the little girl extra lessons, but now it seems that she is no longer needed. Her "little brothers" can help her make up for the past few days.
What's the point of talking about bullying or not? It's good enough that the little girl doesn't bully others.
At lunch that day, before Jiang Wanning could even mention it, Dabao mentioned the news of a female student coming to the school. He widened his eyes and said, "She's so fierce—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu burst into laughter.
A few days later, Feng He brought over the scriptures he had studied for several days. In addition to the scriptures, he also brought a set of pens and ink. The pen was a top-quality wolf-hair brush, and the ink was also extremely precious Hui ink.
Feng He handed the item to Jiang Wanning respectfully and said, "Please give it to that gentleman for me, Madam."
It is something that both parties know very well, but they still have to use aliases, which adds a sense of strangeness.
Jiang Wanning accepted the meaning of the scriptures, but refused to accept the writing.
Feng He said seriously, "This is a gift for the old gentleman. Madam, just pass it on. If the old gentleman refuses to accept it, I will have to find other writing materials."
“…” Jiang Wanning had no choice but to take it temporarily.
If there is one thing that scares students, major and minor exams are definitely one of them. However, what is more terrifying than exams is, of course, watching the teacher marking the papers, and Feng He is no exception.
He delivered the things, but was afraid that Jiang Wanning would review them in front of him, so he quickly said goodbye, thinking that dying a little later was better.
Logically speaking, annotating the scriptures is the most time-consuming. Feng He finally managed to survive and left that afternoon.
Who would have thought that when he came back, he would hear the servant who stayed at home say, "Boss Lu is here."
Feng He's heart skipped a beat. After entering and seeing Lu Shang, he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Lu Shang, however, had no such concerns. He handed over the thick stack of papers he had brought with him. "These are the reviewed questions on the Sutra. Young Master, please take a look at them first. The old master said that after you have read and understood them, you can answer them again."
"There's no time limit this time. When the young master has finished learning and answering the questions, he can send them to my house."
Even though he was prepared, Feng He was still surprised: "So fast!"
Lu Shang coughed lightly and said deliberately: "It's not fast, it's not fast, it's already dark, it's been half a day."
Feng He opened his mouth and flipped through the stack of papers. The pages with his answers were already densely covered with words, and there were comments in the gaps between each line. On the last few blank papers, there were many book lists, and under each book list was written the chapter that should be studied in detail. What was even more shocking was that each book was related to two questions on the meaning of the scriptures.
This was something that had him scratching his head for days, but others had found countless related articles in just one afternoon. Is this the difference between people?
This time, Feng He was completely speechless.
Lu Shang empathized with his feelings and couldn't help but step forward and patted his shoulder, silently comforting him.
I thought Feng He would stay quiet for at least half a month after receiving these written instructions, but unexpectedly, he came to the Lu family again within two days.
Because Lu Shangchang was delivering goods with the logistics team, only Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu were at home.
Grandma Lu was picking vegetables in the yard. After saying hello, she took the initiative to go to the kitchen.
Feng He took the initiative to speak: "Excuse me, madam. I really have too many questions about the old gentleman's comments. I really have no choice but to come again. I would like to ask madam to convey my message to you. I would like to trouble you to explain a few things."
As he spoke, he took out the questions he had prepared in advance.
Jiang Wanning looked up, her expression a little subtle. She couldn't help but ask, "Is that all?"
Her tone was the same, but Feng He could still hear some confusion in it, as if asking again -
Such a simple thing, does it need to be explained?
His face was suddenly filled with shame.
Fortunately, Jiang Wanning quickly said, "Young Master, please wait a moment. The old master has left some explanations before, and I will get them out." Of course, there was no explanation, and she wanted to write it on the spot.
Feng He didn't care about these things and replied respectfully.
While he was waiting, during the break between Dabao and his classmates, several children came out for some fresh air. In addition to Dabao, Pang Liang, and Lin Zhongwang, Xiang Min was also there.
Although Xiang Min had her younger brothers taking extra lessons, Jiang Wanning always had some expectations and preference for her. After a few days, she called her home to learn more from Dabao and the others.
Feng He was already known to several children, but Xiang Min was relatively unfamiliar with him.
But she was bold and outgoing. After watching for a while on the steps, she came skipping over and asked with her head tilted, "Are you also one of the teacher's students?"
Feng He was startled, and then heard Xiang Min say, "But you look much older than us."
Feng He laughed, half-knelt down to meet her, and whispered, "Hush—I'm not even your student yet. You think I'm too old and don't want to take me in. This is too embarrassing. You mustn't tell anyone else."
Xiang Min nodded, not quite understanding, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Then big brother, you should study hard. The teacher is very kind. Once you study hard, the teacher will definitely be willing to accept you as a student."
"Okay, I'll take note of that. Thank you for telling me."
"You're welcome." Xiang Min smiled sweetly, waved to him, and went to play with Dabao and the others.
About half an hour later, Jiang Wanning came out of the study. She apologized, "I forgot where I put the thing, and it took me a long time to find it. I hope Young Master will forgive me."
As soon as Feng He took it, he saw the wet ink on it. He understood it in his heart, but said, "It's okay, it's okay. Thank you for your hard work, Madam."
After all, there are differences between men and women. After he took his things, he didn't stay any longer.
But his arrival today seemed to have turned on some button——
Although Jiang Wanning said that she would not accept disciples or gifts, and Feng He agreed, he always found other excuses to send things to the Lu family. From once every two days to twice a day, he went home more and more frequently.
Later on, he even had three meals a day at the Lu family. However, there were more than one person coming, and they also brought food for everyone, all of which were carefully prepared by Guanhelou. The large plates and small dishes were enough to fill up the table.
Jiang Wanning would refuse every time, but when it comes to eloquence, she could never compare to Feng He.
Moreover, Feng He was also discussing business with Lu Shang under the pretext of doing so, and he always had to talk to him about the business banquet at the end of the month at the dinner table. This was something that Lu Shang had been very concerned about recently, so Jiang Wanning couldn't chase him away.
After a few visits, Feng He became a frequent visitor to the Lu family.
Of course, on the other hand, every time he came, he would bring some questions, mostly superficial and simple things. Jiang Wanning could answer them patiently at first, but later, seeing that he really didn't use his brain, she had to change her way of answering.
From the beginning, I read it word by word, and then listed only the chapters in the book, asking him to go back and understand it on his own.
It was mentioned earlier that Feng He was not a good student. If forced, he could only rely on hard work to make up for his lack of talent. Now that he had the book chapters, he studied hard and did not go to the Lu family as frequently as before.
In the blink of an eye, another month passed. Lu Shang spent a day settling the accounts and found that after deducting the principal and the workers' travel expenses, the surplus for this month's logistics and transportation was a full thirteen taels.
Adding the remuneration Jiang Wanning received from the bookstore, the young couple could earn about twenty taels a month.
At this rate, it will take no more than a year to make up for the money that was embezzled to buy and rent a house.
The end of the month also means that the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, so Feng He scheduled the business banquet three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
For the boss of the timber business, Lu Shang had been preparing for half a month. He had clearly listed everything from the vehicles and horses needed for transportation to the manpower, and even asked Jiang Wanning to make a copy for him.
According to the information Feng He revealed to him, if he could take over this timber transportation order, the profit for each trip would be at least one hundred taels. If the times were good, three to five hundred taels would not be impossible.
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