Chapter 62
Jiang Wanning was just slightly curious about the work of the logistics team and had no intention of disturbing their work. She stopped at the end of the convoy, watched from a distance for a while, and then signaled Dabao that he could leave.
The logistics team has had a lot of replacements for permanent and temporary workers, and Lu Shang is not familiar with everyone, especially since he hasn't been following the goods much in the past two years. Many people only know that the boss is Boss Lu, but have never seen his true face.
On the contrary, Lu Qi came to check on them every now and then, and most people could call out their names.
Some temporary workers greeted him and he wanted to introduce Lu Shang to them, but when he saw Lu Shang shook his head, he had to give up.
Not long after, Jiang Wanning and Dabao came back. The couple decided not to waste any more time and went directly to the farmer who raised silverfish. They borrowed his small net bag for catching fish and bought a small basin for fish. Before the sun rose, they hurried to the river to catch the silverfish.
The small silverfish here are all domestically raised. Although they are raised in the river, they are also surrounded by fishing nets. It is very easy to catch them with a net bag. You can catch a small basin of them in a short time.
I don’t know where these little fish came from. They are very different from ordinary fish. Each one is very small, only the size of a finger. They seem to be able to transmit light under the sun, reflecting a little silver color. Their heads and eyes are extremely small.
Lu Shang took a bite of two fish as soon as he caught them. They were very crisp and delicious. There was no need to pick out the tiny fish bones. They melted away after just a few chews.
Jiang Wanning rarely eats raw food, and her expression changed slightly when she saw this.
Lu Shang laughed at her: "Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to try the cold-mixed fish? Aning, you didn't think it would be cooked before mixing it, right?"
Jiang Wanning didn't say anything, but judging from her expression, she indeed thought so.
Lu Shang bent down and took one out of the river, coaxing her to open her mouth and taste it. Jiang Wanning was still nervous, but her trust in him made her open her mouth tentatively.
The small silverfish were all freshly caught from the river. Not only were they sweet, but they were also very alive. When they were put into the mouth, they were still wagging their tails, which scared Jiang Wanning so much that she widened her eyes.
But after she chewed it as she was told, she really didn't taste anything strange. The fish melted in her mouth. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought she had drunk a mouthful of sweet spring water.
"Do you like it?" Lu Shang asked her with his head tilted.
Jiang Wanning didn't say it was good, but she didn't say it was bad either. She just tentatively caught another one, carefully pinched it between her fingertips, and put it into her mouth as if she had got some new and interesting thing. It was more like she was playing with it than tasting it.
Just opposite the two of them, Lu Qi was also taking Dabao to fish and catch shrimps. Dabao was not interested in tiny fish. If he wanted to catch something, he had to catch the biggest ones, with bright colors and strong vitality. If he counted his requirements, he was much more demanding than the restaurants in the town.
Lu Qi scolded him for being such a troublemaker, but Dabao immediately retorted, "No way! Minmin loves fish the most. She didn't have the chance to catch it herself this time, so I'll bring it back for her!"
Minmin?
Before Lu Qi could think about it, he heard Dabao continue: "There are also Liangliang's, Zhongwang's, the teacher's and the master's, and the classmates in the private school..."
After he listed them like this, there were at least a dozen people.
Lu Qi's mood fluctuated wildly, and he even looked at him angrily: "Get lost! You caught so many, so you should pay for it yourself. I don't have money to buy you fish to play with!"
"I don't want your money!" Dabao said to him, "The teacher gave me money when he went out. I can buy it myself!"
"Hey, you little bastard—who told you to ask for the teacher's money? Why don't you return it to me quickly? And you're running away—"
Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang just didn't notice that the father and son opposite started chasing each other. Dabao was agile and groped in the river while dodging. While bending down to avoid being hit, he caught a black carp. However, he thought it was too small and threw it back. The splashing water splashed right onto Lu Qi's head and face.
Lu Qi: "... Stop right there, you bastard!"
After Jiang Wanning and the others had caught enough silverfish, the dentist from the town's pawnshop also came over.
Nanxing Village and Gejia Village were not far from each other, and it only took half an hour to walk there. They also had a horse carriage, so it only took them a quarter of an hour to reach the entrance of Nanxing Village. As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw the family who wanted to sell the mountain.
Lu Shang did not express his attitude immediately, but insisted: "Let's see first, no rush..."
The family selling the mountain was surnamed Wang. There was an Uncle Wang, an Uncle Wang II, and Uncle Wang II's eldest son. They followed closely behind, recounting the advantages of the mountain in bits and pieces.
Jiang Wanning was still willing to listen a few words, but Lu Shang only believed what he saw with his own eyes.
Just as the broker said, the mountain was not very high, and there was a specially opened hiking trail. It didn't take too much time to get from the foot of the mountain to the top. After Lu Shang asked Jiang Wanning for her opinion, he decided to walk all the way to the top of the mountain to take a look.
This mountain is not much different from the mountains and fields around Tang Town, and the plants and trees on the mountain are also common.
But after observation, Lu Shang found that the shady side of the back mountain was slightly bumpy and might not be suitable for transformation into terraces, but the sheepgrass on this side was quite lush and suitable for raising poultry and livestock. The other sunny side had a much flatter slope and was more suitable for transformation into terraces.
The mountain stream that cuts off halfway up the mountain has a large flow, which saves the trouble of going down the mountain to fetch water for irrigation in the future.
Lu Shang saw the top of the mountain from its foot, picked some wild fruits and tasted them, feeling more and more satisfied. When he reached the top, he asked the Wang family, "Are you going to sell this mountain?"
The Wang family couldn't tell what he was really thinking, so they could only tell the truth: "Master, this is exactly it."
Lu Shang tutted his words lightly: "But I don't think your hilltop has any advantages. It's not high, and there's nothing valuable on it. And yet you're still charging thirty or fifty taels more than other families?"
Uncle Wang lost his temper and bowed, "Please understand, sir! Although our mountain doesn't have any precious things, it's not high enough to attract wild animals. It's safe both up and down the mountain!"
"And look, sir, from the top of the mountain, you can see all seven or eight surrounding villages. Even if you just build a house on the top of the mountain and use it as a summer vacation spot, the price is already very low—"
Naturally, he wouldn't mind giving Lu Shang a few more taels of silver for a hilltop that satisfied him.
But he also didn't want to be treated as a sucker, so he had to put on a show. It would be best if he could lower the price, but he wouldn't go any lower. At least he wouldn't be treated as a soft persimmon and be easily deceived and cheated.
No matter what the Wang family said, Lu Shang just shook his head: "The mountain is just like that, two hundred and twenty taels is too high."
Fortunately, the man knew who his big customer was, and now he was speaking on Lu Shang's behalf: "Uncle Wang, look, Boss Lu really wants to buy it. He brought his wife here early in the morning. Can you give her a discount because she's tired from traveling so far?"
"Besides, Uncle Wang, you know that we don't have much in Tang Town except for mountains. You insisted on the price today and refused to sell, which pissed off Boss Lu and drove him away. Who knows where the next boss willing to buy the mountains will be!"
As he said that, the broker dragged Uncle Wang to the back and whispered in his ear for a long time.
When they came back, Uncle Wang's expression had eased somewhat. He thought for a moment and said, "Please ask us to discuss it again... We'll give you an answer soon!"
Lu Shang nodded slightly and called Jiang Wanning to go see the scenery on the other side.
After waiting for about an incense stick of time, Uncle Wang returned with a look of pain on his face. "Master, we've discussed this. To be honest, our family has suffered a misfortune and is in urgent need of money. Otherwise, we wouldn't have sold our ancestral mountain. Although this mountain is of little use, it was passed down from our ancestors after all. As their descendants, it would be unfilial to sell it off for no reason!"
After hearing what he said, Lu Shang's face did not show any strangeness. He still raised his chin slightly, pretending to be indifferent.
Uncle Wang gritted his teeth and said, "Two hundred and five taels! This is the lowest price we can offer. The main reason is that there is a stream on the mountain where I live, and the stream has not been damaged, so it will be convenient for us to get water in the future!"
Lu Shang finally gave him a serious look: "Two hundred and five taels?"
"yes!"
Lu Shang pretended to hesitate again, and only said, "That's fine, but I don't have that much cash on hand, and I have to wait a few days. As for the title deed to this mountaintop—"
"We can do it anytime!" Uncle Wang came forward. "Please gather the money quickly, sir. We'll exchange the money and the deed. We'll go with you to transfer the land deed whenever it's convenient for you!"
"Okay then." Lu Shang added a hint of impatience in his words, "I'll be there as soon as possible."
Afterwards, he used the excuse that there were too many mosquitoes on the mountain and the scenery was too ordinary, so he came down the mountain early, barely walked around the village, and left with Jiang Wanning.
The broker originally thought that he was in a hurry to buy the mountain and was not short of money, so he was confident that the deal was a sure thing. However, after what happened today, he was no longer sure and did not dare to ask more questions in the carriage.
Little did he know that Lu Shang had always been paying attention to his and the Wang family's expressions. When he saw this, he knew that he had acted well.
He and Jiang Wanning were supposed to return to the provincial capital today, but because they had wasted quite some time looking at the mountains, they were unable to go to Lujia Village to pick fruit.
When they returned to the city gate of Tang Town, they saw Lu Qi driving a donkey cart and waiting at the city gate for an unknown period of time. As soon as he saw their carriage, he kicked Dabao off the cart and told him to call for help, while he was responsible for moving the things off the cart.
Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning came over to take a look and found that there were four or five bamboo baskets on the donkey cart. Some of the bamboo baskets were full of fresh fruits, such as fresh peaches, strawberries, loquats and sweet fruits. As long as they were grown in his family, he picked a basket of them.
When he and his family picked fruits, they only picked the biggest and best ones, and several baskets of fruits were full of high-quality ones.
Lu Shang didn't bother to be polite with him. He patted his shoulder and helped him to move the bamboo basket onto the carriage.
Jiang Wanning was also attracted by the rosy color of the strawberry. She rubbed it with her sleeve and tasted one on the spot. The strawberry was sweet and sour, juicy, and sweet and soft with a hint of crispness, which was very pleasing.
She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What sweet berries!"
"Of course not!" Lu Qi came over. "This is the new fruit that Sanniang cultivated. She said she covered it with some kind of cloth and ventilated it regularly to get some light. It's growing better and faster than the other plants in the field, and the fruit is much sweeter!"
Speaking of Fan Sanniang, Jiang Wanning's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but ask, "How is Sanniang lately?"
"It's all very good! Sanniang said she'll go to the capital next month to stay with Dabao for a few days. It's also been a while since I've seen my sister-in-law, so I'd like to catch up with her and chat. By then, all the fruits from our house will be here, and I'll ask Sanniang to bring them all for you!"
Jiang Wanning smiled: "That's great."
As they were talking, several baskets of fruit were loaded onto the carriage. After Dabao loaded the last basket, he sat outside the carriage and refused to get off.
Lu Qi finally stopped scolding him and nodded in the air: "Listen to your teacher, little brat, and stop being naughty!"
Yes, it was almost afternoon, and Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning were going to take the children back to the capital.
The broker finally confirmed the time for handing over the land deed with Lu Shang. Not long after, Uncle Pang also brought Lin Zhongwang over and then went to Wuming Alley to pick up Xiang Min. The car was now full.
On the way back, Lu Shang couldn't hide his joy. "Now that we have the top of the mountain, the next step is to clean up the whole mountain. I've already picked out the shady side and enclose it for a farm. We'll raise pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks. And don't forget the fish in the stream!"
"The Xiangyang area is even easier. We can flatten it all and make terraces. Half of it can be used to grow crops and the other half can be used to grow fruit trees. Vegetables can be planted on the top of the mountain. Then we can build a small villa and run it as a mountain farm!"
"A small villa?"
"Oh, it's a two- or three-story house. It's just a house without a courtyard. A house isn't just one room. Let me think about how to describe it to you..."
Jiang Wanning just listened most of the time with a faint smile on her lips.
While Lu Shang was daydreaming, several children also spoke from time to time. They didn't know what the farm that their master was talking about was, but when it came to growing vegetables and farming, they had some ideas -
"Master, plant some jujube trees! My mother once bought me some crispy jujubes, and they were so sweet and delicious!"
"Master, there are plum trees..."
Lu Shang was in a very happy mood. No matter what they proposed, as long as it could be grown in Nanxing Village, he would agree. He also thought about opening up a small orchard in the future as a place for these children to play and experience life.
In the evening, the carriage arrived at the provincial capital and was allowed into the city after being inspected by officers and soldiers.
The carriage drove all the way to the Lu family's door before stopping. Lu Shang paid the driver the fare, called out the farmhands who worked at home, and moved all the fruits and fish in the carriage into the kitchen.
He only asked not to touch the basin of small silver fish, and ignored the rest of the big and small fish that Dabao had caught.
As for the remaining fruits, wash some quickly while they are fresh, call Grandma Lu out, and everyone can taste them together.
We had noodles for dinner. The cook made a meat stew and a vegetable stew, and also cut seven or eight side dishes. We added two spoonfuls of the stew to a bowl of noodles, and then sprinkled it with shredded cucumbers, carrots, etc., and it became a bowl of cool and refreshing noodles.
…
After returning to Tang Town, Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang quickly resumed their previous pace of life.
It's not entirely true to say that she has fully recovered. Jiang Wanning has always been self-disciplined. No matter at home or in the private school, there has never been any trouble under her leadership. On the contrary, Lu Shang has become ambitious again after his trip, and this time he no longer cares about the academy.
He entrusted the matter of buying the hilltop to Lu Qi. After working with the broker for three to five days, he collected the money all at once and replaced the title deed within a day. From then on, the hilltop in Nanxing Village became Lu Shang's private property.
We have the mountains, the land, and there is no shortage of workers. The next step is to start working.
He first found a manager and made a complete plan for the mountain. From pastures to vegetable gardens to orchards, every detail was carefully arranged, from the safety of going up and down the mountain to the number of livestock to be raised in the first batch. Everything was determined.
After that, we contacted farmers to buy calves, lambs, and seedlings of various poultry.
The renovation of the ranch was relatively simple. It mainly involved building fences, constructing sheds for livestock and poultry, and constructing some water sources and feeding troughs. The renovation was completed in less than a month.
Lu Shang skipped school to check it out, and then went to pick up Ge Haonan. He checked all the animals on the mountain, and picked out all those that looked a little bit unwell, leaving only the best ones.
Later, in order to ensure the stable operation of the ranch, he asked Ge Haonan to live in the mountains and built a simple house for him so that he could go to the ranch in the morning and evening. In this way, if any animals were sick, they could be discovered and treated in the first time.
The pasture is arranged, and the next step is the vegetable garden and orchard.
It is now the end of June, and it is no longer suitable to grow spring and summer fruits and vegetables. The sunny slopes still need to be transformed into terraces. So we simply won’t grow grain crops this year. We will just level the fields and plant some vegetables like peppers and beans.
Lu Shang didn't want to cultivate these fruit trees from scratch, so he bought mature trees from fruit farmers. After transplanting them, they would bear fruit in just one year. Lu Qi's family grew fruits all year round, so with his help, the price of the fruit trees was quite affordable.
It only takes three or four months to transform a barren mountain into a prosperous mountain farm.
Only then did the Wang family understand Lu Shang's intention of buying the mountain, but they had neither money nor people, and they did not have Lu Shang's connections and brains. No matter how envious they were, they could only watch others plant trees on half the mountain and raise livestock on the other half.
If we measure Lu Shang's achievements during this period by the mountain farm, then of course they are excellent. However, in addition to the Lu's logistics business, he has another identity -
Students of Lu Lin Academy.
Ever since he took over the hilltop of Nanxing Village, Lu Shang has devoted himself entirely to his mountain farm. The number of times he asked for leave from the academy increased from five times a month to fifteen times. He made all kinds of excuses, and in the end, even the teacher was too lazy to expose his lies.
The provincial examination is approaching. Instead of wasting time on a student who has no ambition, why not look at other people?
Two months passed, and no one supervised Lu Shang's entry and exit of the academy. As long as he did not affect others, the teacher turned a blind eye and only hoped that he would fail all the tests so that he could be expelled as soon as possible.
However, in the subsequent tests, both major and minor, Lu Shang managed to pass them all by the slim margins thanks to his math skills.
Jiang Wanning also vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but seeing him coming home every now and then, full of energy, as if he had endless energy and strength, she was troubled for a long time, but in the end didn't say much.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
On the last day of August, the autumn examination arrived as scheduled.
This was not the first time that Jiang Wanning had sent students to the examination hall. The students in the private school had studied under her for four or five years, and she had a clear idea of their respective levels. She had a basic guess as to who would pass, who was just short of the mark, and who would rank low on the list.
But this did not prevent her from becoming more and more nervous, especially two days before the provincial examination, when she almost could not sleep all night.
It’s nothing, it’s just because Lu Shang is about to go on stage.
No matter how well he studies in the academy, he is a scholar after all. Why not go there just to feel the atmosphere?
Even though Pang Liang did not plan to take the exam this year, he still signed up and went into the provincial examination hall together to familiarize himself with the process. He also looked at the test questions and had a rough estimate of his level.
Of course, in order to avoid accidents, Pang Liang did not intend to answer, and would wait for the next imperial examination to show his prowess.
On the day of the provincial examination, the examination hall in the prefectural city was surrounded by crowds of people. In addition to the students from various cities in Songxi County, there were also many family members of the candidates, and some who were there simply to watch the fun and feel the atmosphere, also gathered outside.
Of course, Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu were not among these people.
Logically, they should come to see their grandson/husband off for the exam, but as soon as this suggestion came out, Lu Shang loudly rejected it: "No, no, there will be too many people outside the exam hall that day, and I'm afraid you will be bumped into. Besides, the provincial exam lasts for three days, and I don't trust you to wait outside all the time. I'm a grown man, I can do it alone."
Having said that, Lu Shang knew very well how false this reason was.
If he had been even a 10% sure, he would have wanted to see Jiang Wanning enter. However, he had been living in chaos in Lu Lin Academy for a year, and what he had actually learned... was better not to mention it.
Lu Shang was ostensibly taking an exam, but before he even entered, he had already guessed the outcome—
It's nothing more than going to the exam room to look at the test paper, memorize the questions, eat something, drink something, lie down and take a nap, and wait for the exam to be over.
The ending is already known, so why bother involving other family members in worrying about it?
Because of Lu Shang's insistence, the other two had no choice but to give up. Even if they wanted to take him away, Lu Shang rejected it outright and just asked them to wait at home and treat him as if he was going out to Linjun.
Jiang Wanning: “…” Okay.
Perhaps influenced by Lu Shang's attitude, as the provincial examination began, Jiang Wanning's anxious heart, which had been restless for several days, finally calmed down.
Even after the exam ended three days later, when Lu Shang returned home, she didn't ask him anything about the exam. She just squeezed his arm and said with a smile, "My husband has been in the exam room for three days. How come he seems to have gained some weight?"
Others, during the provincial examinations, would wish every minute was split into two, and they couldn't eat or drink well, nor could they sleep peacefully. On the other hand, Lu Shang ate, drank, and slept for three whole days in the examination room, just like he was on vacation.
His old face flushed, his eyes wandered, and he talked about other things.
After the provincial examination, students in private schools and academies also had their holidays and would not return to school until the results were announced.
As for Lu Shang, he was even more unrestrained and went to Nanxing Village every few days, all for his newly established mountain farm.
At the end of October, the results of the provincial examination were announced.
On the day of the results announcement, Lu Shang went to Tang Town and never came back, while all the students of the nameless private school and their families were outside the government office. Jiang Wanning thought that she should try to harmonize the atmosphere, or perhaps she still had some delusions, so she also followed and waited at the place where the results were posted early.
As soon as the noon hour arrived, the government official Zhang Deng put up the list.
Jiang Wanning held her breath unconsciously as she looked from the first to the last place, and saw many familiar names in between. The last one on the provincial examination list was Feng He.
She subconsciously read it again twice, from beginning to end, and from end to beginning, but no matter how she looked, she couldn't find the two most familiar words. After she read it again, Jiang Wanning finally admitted -
Lu Shang failed the exam.
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