Chapter 74
Perhaps because of Lu Shang’s previous reminder, Jiang Wanning and others were not surprised that he was on the list this time.
But not being surprised doesn't mean being unhappy. Even though he was just barely among the top 100, the hard work of many days paid off and the whole family was excited.
The yamen officials who announced the good news had a special sign. He had asked all the way from Tang Town, passing through four or five villages on the way, so that the news of Lu Shang's success in the imperial examination spread all the way. The Lu family knew about it soon, and found that someone they knew came to find them.
At that time, Jiang Wanning had just sent the yamen official away. They didn't expect to stay on the mountain farm for so long, so they didn't prepare any red envelopes. They could only wrap the silver in a purse of similar color. The silver was so heavy that the yamen official was very happy.
Before they could return to the mountain, they saw Lu Qi pulling a large car with people, and they were far away: "Brother Lu, Brother Lu, don't go——"
Lu Shang turned around and thought that something had happened to the logistics team again. The people around him also restrained their expressions.
When the car full of people arrived, Lu Qi was the first to jump out. "Congratulations, Brother Lu, on passing the high school entrance exam! Brother Lu will be a successful candidate in the imperial examination! Brother Lu is the first successful candidate from our Lujia Village. Brother Lu is awesome!"
After him, the others also congratulated him.
After Zhan Shunan and his men escorted the two elders of the Jiang family back, they only rested for two months before joining long-distance logistics. They had only been back for two days and were just about to remit the money to Lu Shang when they heard such great news.
Then they saw Lu Qi was about to come over to congratulate them, so they simply followed him.
There were twenty or thirty people sitting on a cart, and even if each person only said a few words, it would take a lot of time to say them all.
Lu Shang blushed at their compliments and wanted to interrupt them, but he accidentally caught a glimpse of the expressions of Jiang Wanning and the others. Each of the three of them had a smile on their face, and Grandma Lu and Mother Jiang looked very proud of themselves.
Even after Jiang Wanning noticed his gaze, she smiled back at him, and the smile in her eyes was rare and deep.
Lu Shang: "..." Forget it, my wife likes to hear it, so let them say it.
After everyone in the circle had finished talking, Lu Shang waved his hand and said, "Let's go! Everyone, come to the mountain. I'll have someone slaughter two sheep and roast them at noon. If you live nearby, go home and bring your families over. We can all have fun together!"
"Great!" There was a lot of cheering all around, and everyone didn't hesitate. Those who thought they could make it in time jumped back into the car and hurried home to pick up their wives and children.
Some who lived far away from home, or those who were still unmarried like Zhan Shunan, followed Lu Shang and the others up the mountain, and went to the shady side of the mountain to help catch and slaughter sheep. A half-person-high grill was set up, and the fire underneath was burning brightly.
Lu Shang greeted them and accompanied Jiang Wanning and the others to the top of the mountain.
Jiang Wanning said, "The official who brought the good news has been on a long journey, and I'm sure many people know that my husband has passed the imperial examination. I don't know how many people will come to visit us later. After all, my husband often visits Tang Town, so why not hold a banquet for them all?"
Lu Shang nodded: "A Ning, how do you plan it?"
"Let's set up a banquet. We'll host one in Tang Town and several surrounding villages. Forget about accepting gifts. Just have fun with the people."
Mother Jiang and Grandma Lu also expressed their agreement, so Lu Shang said nothing more.
"Okay, I'll prepare it later. The food for the buffet is also easy to prepare. The vegetables and meat from this mountain farm are enough. I'll also ask Lu Qi and the others to go to Gejia Village to buy some fish. It should be easy to prepare for a few banquets."
Jiang Wanning didn't forget the more important thing: "What are your husband's plans after the banquet?"
"What?" Lu Shang didn't react for a moment.
Jiang Wanning asked with a smile, "But you still have to work hard on your business in Tang Town? I remember the Spring Examination will be held in April next year."
Lu Shang slapped his head and hooked her finger flatteringly: "I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten. Even if Aning didn't mention it, I know the importance of it. After the buffet is over, we will go home. I will sort out all the miscellaneous things in the next two days and make sure I focus on studying from now on!"
"It's only the last six months or so. My dear husband, just work hard. After the Spring Examination, it's almost over. Whether you continue to take the exam or return to Songxi County to take care of business, instead of constantly worrying about two things, it's better to finish it all at once so that you can focus on the next one. After all, you've worked hard for more than six months. If you do it in one go, won't it be easier in the future?"
Lu Shang nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, that's what I thought too!"
Jiang Wanning looked up at his expression and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was sincere and not considering their thoughts.
They sat in the bamboo house for a while, thinking that Lu Shang was the main person and it would not be easy to ask the people who came to congratulate him to handle it alone, so they went together. Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning went to the front mountain to pick some fresh vegetables, while Jiang's mother and Grandma Lu helped to sprinkle spices on the roasted lamb.
In addition to these people who came from other places, Lu Shang also called all the farmhands who took care of the poultry, livestock and crops in the mountains. Together with the families brought by some people, there were about a hundred people in total. Two roasted sheep were just enough.
Fortunately, Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang also prepared other dishes, and with so many women helping out, no one would go hungry.
Among them, the big stew made by Jiang Wanning and Lu Shang was the most popular. Regardless of the amount of meat in it, the taste was outstanding. It was snatched away by everyone as soon as it was served on the table. In the end, there was no soup left at the bottom of the pot.
Mother Jiang and Grandma Lu hid aside to eat mutton. Mother Jiang was surprised and said, "I only knew Wanwan was a good cook, but I didn't expect Lu Shang to be so good too. He actually has such skills!"
Grandma Lu smiled and replied, "Your mother-in-law doesn't know, but in the early years when we didn't have so many people to serve us, Shang'er cooked half of the meals! I heard Wan Ning tell me that he made his first business by delivering stewed recipes."
"Does my mother-in-law know Guanhe Tower? The whole fish banquet in that restaurant is exactly what Shang'er dreamed of. When we get back, I'll take you and my father-in-law to try it. It's delicious!"
After hearing this, Jiang Mu's impression of Lu Shang changed greatly again.
Everyone on the mountain was talking and laughing until mid-afternoon. Those who had something to discuss with Lu Shang went to the hut on the top of the mountain, and those who had nothing to do could take their families back home and tell the villagers that Boss Lu would hold a buffet banquet in three days!
On the top of the mountain, Zhan Shunan gave Lu Shang a copy of the account of the previous shipment.
He had been traveling around all these years and had no chance to learn to read, but their long-distance logistics team also had a small manager who graduated from the alley school. He taught them some words while delivering goods, so that they could learn a few big characters and avoid being cheated when doing business with others.
In Lu's Logistics, the two people Lu Shang can be absolutely assured of are Lu Qi and Zhan Shunan.
Zhan Shunan has been promoted to be the third manager. He and Lu Qi are in charge of short-distance and long-distance respectively. It is hard to say who has a higher status.
According to the logistics team's previous practice, everyone could ask for a leave after a long-distance delivery, but Zhan Shunan had never taken a leave. When he came this time, Lu Shang didn't think much about it.
Unexpectedly, after the two of them finished checking the accounts, Zhan Shunan scratched his head and said slowly: "Boss, there is one more thing..."
"What? Brother Zhan, just say what you want to say."
Zhan Shunan said, "I've looked at the orders coming up, and the latest one is due in two months, so I'm thinking of taking a month off. I wonder if that's convenient for the boss."
"Vacation? Of course, no problem." Lu Shang said, "After long-distance logistics, there are three to five days of vacation. Brother Zhan, you have rarely had a vacation in so many years. Even if you make up for the previous vacation, it will be more than a month. Besides, when you led the team to the north before, you said you would have a good rest when you came back, but you didn't get to rest for a while."
Although Lu Shang was curious about why he changed his mind, he did not ask any further questions.
Unexpectedly, Zhan Shunan took the initiative to say, "Also, I'm getting married on the eighth day of next month. If you have time, why not bring Master Jiang to have a drink with us?"
"Brother Zhan is getting married!" Lu Shang was surprised. "I haven't heard you mention it before. Whose family is it? So this vacation is just for the purpose of getting married?"
"She's from the same village as me. She's not from any other family, but a widow. I definitely don't want to marry a girl at my age. Ah Jin has a good temper and has taken good care of me over the years. Her mother-in-law passed away last year, and she has no children. She's the only one at home. I was afraid she'd be bullied, so I couldn't help myself and proposed marriage to her."
When saying this, Zhan Shunan was a little nervous. Although he didn't care about Ajin's background, he was also afraid that Lu Shang would not be optimistic.
Lu Shang just nodded and said, "As long as you're compatible, it doesn't matter who you marry. But since you're getting married, it's not good for you to leave right after the wedding. So, I'll make the decision. You should take a two-month break first, and wait until your relationship with sister-in-law is more stable before you go on a long journey."
"Also, Brother Zhan will have a family in the future. You can't be away from home all year round like before. Even if you don't mind, I'm afraid my sister-in-law will come to me to complain."
After hearing Lu Shang's words, Zhan Shunan's old face turned red and he quickly said goodbye.
After entertaining the other two people, Lu Shang went to find Jiang Wanning and told her again about Zhan Shunan's upcoming marriage. The couple agreed that a generous gift must be prepared.
Over the years, the other party has not only made huge contributions to the logistics team, but also the reunion of the Jiang family is inseparable from his efforts. It is reasonable for them to send their sincere blessings.
Jiang Wanning said, "On the eighth day of next month, we must come back."
"good."
Because Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning were in a hurry to return to the provincial capital, the time to prepare the banquet was a little tight. Fortunately, they didn't want to invite too many people, so whoever could come along from the villages and the neighbors in the town would be invited.
Although it was a buffet, the dishes were not bad at all. Large pots of chicken, duck, fish and meat were prepared, and half a roasted lamb was placed on each table. Even the vegetarian dishes were the freshest. Even though they were all big pot dishes, the taste was not much different.
Although there were only three days to prepare, everyone who needed to be notified was notified, even Lujia Village was not left out. Lu Shang made a quick appearance in the village, patted the Guangzongyaozu brothers, who had grown taller and stronger, on the shoulders twice, and gave them a rare piece of advice: "Lu Xian is also in town. If you have some free time in the future, why not go to town more often?"
"The school in Wuming Lane is still there. Every now and then, someone goes there to give lectures. They were all taught by your sister-in-law herself. I may not be able to teach you much, but it should be no problem for you to learn some basic reading and math."
"If you can learn enough, you can go work in the logistics team in two years. If anyone has greater ability, just say you want to take the imperial examination. Then, when you can learn to read, come to me in the capital and I will find a teacher for you."
Lu Shang had only been in Lujia Village for too short a time, and it was difficult for him to feel a sense of belonging to the Lu family.
Even the two brothers Lu Guangzong and Lu Yaozu did not leave much of a good impression on him. At most, they could change after being taught a lesson and were not too bad. That was why he was willing to say a few more words.
But that was enough, and he didn't care about the rest.
During the conversation, they talked about the two sisters of the Lu family. The two sisters talked about their husbands one after another. Because of Lu Shang's reputation and their eldest brother working in the town, they were able to marry into honest families. One was in Lujia Village and the other was in a neighboring village not far away. The two sisters had not suffered any grievances in the past few years after their marriage, and their in-laws respected them.
Knowing that Lu Xiaoxiao and Lu Qiu were doing pretty well, Lu Shang's last thought was finally put to rest.
As the host of the banquet, he visited all the places where the buffet was being held, offered a glass of wine to the villagers, said a few words of thanks, and then went to the next house, leaving Tang Town for last.
After going around like this, it was already afternoon when Lu Shang returned to Tang Town.
Fortunately, the dishes at the buffet can be replenished as soon as they are needed, so no matter how many people come, it’s ok. However, you are not allowed to take food home. This is an established rule, and few people are shameless enough to break it.
So, when Lu Shang came back, the nameless alley was still crowded with people.
Jiang Wanning was waiting for guests at the entrance of the alley. Seeing him come back from afar, she greeted the guests and turned to greet him.
After listening to her brief account, Lu Shang realized that the people attending the banquet today were not only local people, but also many people from the provincial capital who had heard the news and rushed over.
These people not only came, but also brought many gifts, including some villagers in the town. They all brought things with them, but Jiang Wanning insisted on not accepting them. Those who were obedient could take them back themselves, and those who were disobedient would ask her to send someone to take them home.
They meant well, so there was no reason for them to ask the host to go through the trouble of sending things back.
Jiang Wanning repeated this several times in a row: "My husband and I have received a lot of care from everyone over the years. Now that my husband has passed the imperial examination, I just want to share my joy with you. I said long ago that I would not accept any gifts. Since my husband is not here, I dare not go against his wishes. Please be kind and take everything back. Your presence is the best gift!"
After her repeated persuasion, the neighbors finally gave up, and the people from the capital also moved their things back into the carriage.
Jiang Wanning added, "Another thing is this autumn's special examination. Fourteen of the eighteen students from the private school who took the exam made the list, and Liangliang even took first place. Dad was worried that it would be inconvenient for him to stay alone in the prefectural capital, so he asked Uncle Qu to take him to the county magistrate's residence."
As for the remaining four people who failed to make the list, it was their first time and they had not been studying in the nameless private school for long, so it was expected that they would fail. They could only try harder next time.
"But after this special examination, the secrets of the private school can no longer be concealed. In recent years, the unnamed private school has been too popular. It's okay if there are many people on the list once or twice, but in these two provincial examinations alone, there are quite a few who have passed. It is inevitable that they will become famous."
"Dad sent me a letter saying that Uncle Qu is starting to feel the pressure too much. He's afraid that many people will come to find out when I get back. He told me to be prepared in advance. I still need to think of a countermeasure."
Lu Shang had never thought of this happening, and his heart skipped a beat when he heard it.
He subconsciously held Jiang Wanning's hand, and after a moment of silence, he said, "It's okay, I'll be with you."
The nameless alley was not big, but there were many people coming to the buffet. The two of them didn't talk for too long and went to entertain the guests separately.
Lu Shang spotted a few bosses who had been collaborating with the logistics team. He turned to greet them, but as he got closer, he heard Mr. Guo say, "...Don't mention it. I just wanted to build two new houses. Who could have imagined it would turn out like this!"
"Has Mr. Guo encountered any trouble?" Lu Shang asked after approaching.
Mr. Guo was the one who bought many of Jiang Wanning's calligraphy copies in the bookstore. His child had been in an unknown private school for two or three years. He took part in the provincial examination at the same time as Lu Shang and was also on the list, although his ranking was lower than Lu Shang. If it were not for the special examination this autumn, he would most likely have failed. But Mr. Guo did not have high requirements. He didn't care what the opportunity was, as long as he could pass!
Look, his son just passed the imperial examination and he is already planning to build two new houses for him so that he can find a wife for his son!
Unexpectedly, the construction team he hired made a big mistake. The two houses were already mediocre in construction, and there were quality issues. Less than one-third of the house was built, and the bottom floor showed signs of collapse. Mr. Guo was so angry that he took them to the government office.
The current county magistrate of Tang Town was just transferred here this spring. He is in his thirties and has just entered the officialdom. He cannot tolerate any scandal.
The construction team that took charge of the house was punished, but Mr. Guo's new house was still in a bad state. He was angry, and when he attended Lu Shang's buffet banquet today and met his familiar business partners, he couldn't help but say a few more words.
When Mr. Guo heard Lu Shang's question, he didn't say anything discouraging. He just briefly explained the whole story and said, "On such a happy day, I'm afraid it might have disturbed Mr. Lu's ears. Please don't blame me, Mr. Lu!"
Lu Shang waved his hand to show that he didn't care, and then he thought, "Has Mr. Guo found a new construction team?"
"Not yet. I just finished the last batch and I haven't had time to spare yet."
Lu Shang didn't want to take on random jobs, but it was hard not to be tempted by business that was delivered to his door. He coughed twice and subconsciously looked for Jiang Wanning. Seeing that she was still far away, he said, "Well, I do know a little about building a house. I've always wanted to form a construction team. I wonder if Mr. Guo would be interested in giving it a try?"
Not only Mr. Guo, but also the people around him widened their eyes in surprise: "Boss Lu is not only busy studying for the imperial examination, but also has a logistics team under him, so he wants to expand into building houses for people?"
Lu Shang sneered twice and glanced at Jiang Wanning's position again.
He lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, I have a hilltop in Pingshan Village. I have built a new bamboo house on the top of the hill. The style of the house is my own. I have not seen the houses in the official town or the prefectural capital, so I always want to find something new."
"My construction team hasn't taken on any other work except for building a bamboo house for me once. If they really want to promote it, it's not impossible, but I promised my wife to focus on my studies for the past two years, so I can't afford to look for any more unnecessary work and keep delaying it."
Lu Shang originally planned to tell Jiang Wanning about the bamboo house on the top of the mountain after the Spring Examination.
Who would have thought that there would be problems with Mr. Guo’s new house, and it happened right in front of him, making him feel itchy. He really wanted to send out the construction team that had just built a house once.
Actually, his construction team didn't have many people. They were all farmers found in various villages. They only practiced for three to five months and learned some rough skills in building houses. The real core was still the house drawings provided by Lu Shang.
Of course, these drawings were not created out of his imagination, but were modeled after the style of his original era. The one- or two-story villas may not be as spacious as the big mansions, but they are more exquisite.
It is impossible to sell this kind of house to the villagers, so it can only be introduced to wealthy gentlemen.
If the construction team can be established in the future, he can also improve it to brick and tile houses. Just like the houses in the village now are inconvenient when it rains and snows, he can also improve the shape of the eaves to achieve the purpose of avoiding water and snow.
These were just his rough ideas and he had not mentioned them to anyone.
Mr. Guo was still hesitant, but unexpectedly Lu Shang said, "How about this? I'll ask my construction team to come and do the work for free this time. If it turns out well, you can help me promote it. If it doesn't work out, I'll ask them to tear it down for you, and I'll compensate you for the loss. How about that?"
"Oh, how can we ask Boss Lu to pay?" Mr. Guo gritted his teeth, thinking it was just a good thing for him. "Let's just calculate according to the normal wages. I will also pay for the materials. I believe in Boss Lu's character and there will be no mistakes!"
"Okay, okay!" Lu Shang said happily, "Well, I have some blueprints of new-style houses. I'll send them to you when I get back to the city in a couple of days. You can pick out any that you like. There's also the bamboo house on the top of Pingshan Village. You can go and have a look. If you don't like any of them, that's fine. We'll just build you a regular house."
Mr. Guo agreed and thanked Lu Shang again.
The others were curious about the new-style houses that Lu Shang mentioned, but their families had no plans to build new houses, so they didn't want to ask directly. They decided to wait until Mr. Guo's house was completed before going to visit it.
Mr. Guo actually wanted to ask a few more questions, but when Lu Shang turned around and saw Jiang Wanning walking towards him, he quickly made a gesture to silence her and secretly pointed at Jiang Wanning: "That's it for now, everyone, enjoy your meals, I'm leaving first."
"Great, great, congratulations again, Boss Lu, on getting into high school!"
Several of them had children studying in unknown private schools, so they didn't care much about Lu Shang's fear of his wife. They just laughed in good faith and watched him run to Master Jiang in three or two steps. They said something that made Mrs. Jiang laugh.
This buffet was to last the entire day, so Lu Shang hired someone to help clean up. However, by the time the guests had left, it was already getting late, so he and Jiang Wanning discussed it and decided to just stay in Wuming Lane for one night.
Lu Shang originally wanted to live with Grandma Lu and ask Jiang Wanning to accompany Jiang's mother, but as soon as he proposed it, he was opposed by Jiang's mother.
Jiang's mother said, "I'll just sleep with Grandma Lu. There's no reason for me to disturb you two. Go ahead. There's nothing for you to do here. We've all been busy all day and want to go back to the city tomorrow. It's better to go to bed early."
Afterwards, without waiting for Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning to object, she took Grandma Lu's hand and went back to the room with her.
Lu Xian and his wife were still standing in the courtyard, looking rather bewildered. Lu Xian even said, "Why don't we go out for a night to free up the room."
Lu Shang glanced at him, somewhat disdainful of his hesitation, but when he thought of the decision he had just made tonight, he could only force himself not to think too much and simply said, "No need, you have a wife and daughter at home, it would be too troublesome to switch back and forth."
"Everything is arranged now. Let's leave it at that. Lu Xian, please wait a moment. I have something to tell you later."
"Ah... okay, fine." Lu Xian responded quickly.
Lu Shang first accompanied Jiang Wanning back to the room, brought her some hot water to soak her feet, and helped her wash up. Seeing that she was almost done, he went out to talk to Lu Xian.
Lu Xian didn't know why he came, and only sat down after being greeted twice: "Brother, what do you want to see me about?"
Lu Shang got straight to the point: "Two things. One is the logistics team. Although you've been promoted to junior manager, to be honest, your performance over the past two years has been just average. It's barely enough to maintain this position, and it's going to be difficult to move up further."
As soon as these words came out, Lu Xian's face turned pale: "Big, Big Brother, I——"
"Don't worry, let me tell you the second thing." Lu Shang said, "You may not know, I have formed a new construction team. Because we haven't received any work before, we haven't found a manager. Today I told Mr. Guo about this. I plan to ask the construction team to build two new houses for his family. It's time to manage this construction team."
"You're shy, so you're not suited to working on a logistics team that involves interacting with people. So I thought, why not have you work on a construction team? The workers on a construction team are all farmers from the village. They're strong and easy to get along with, so it'll probably be much easier for you to get along with them."
"You'll be going there as a foreman, and your wages will be comparable to what you get now. But in addition to that, you can also work with the workers on the construction of the house and earn a second salary. This salary is similar to what the bricklayers you know make, so it's considered extra income. It might just be a bit more tiring, though. What do you think?"
Lu Xian opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
Lu Shang didn't rush him, giving him enough time to think: "Think about it carefully. I'm going back to the capital tomorrow, so I need your answer tonight. It doesn't matter if you don't want to. You can continue working in the logistics team, and I'll find someone else."
"Actually, the work in the construction team is the simplest, the requirements are not high, and it's easy to find a manager. I just thought of you and Mingxia at home, so I think any extra money I can make is a good deal."
Lu Xian fiddled with the corner of his clothes for a long time before saying, "Okay...Brother, I'll do it."
Lu Shang observed his expression and said, "I'm not forcing you. It depends on your willingness."
Lu Xian forced a smile. "I won't force it. I know you're doing this for the good of our family. I'll seize the opportunity to make more money. Thank you for thinking of me. It's getting late, so you should go to bed early. If you need me anytime, just let me know and I'll be right here."
"Okay then." Lu Shang stood up. "Let's settle this for now. Tomorrow you can go to the logistics team to make the handover. The construction team's matter shouldn't be delayed too long. It should be finalized by the middle of next month at the latest. I'll find time to come and talk to you in detail."
"Okay, I understand."
Lu Shang returned to the room, wiped his hands and face at the door, changed into a new set of pajamas, turned off the light, and groped his way to the bed.
Jiang Wanning was tired after a day of work and was already drowsy, but when she felt the familiar breath around her, she still nudged herself towards Lu Shang until half of her body was buried in his arms.
Lu Shang couldn't help laughing and kissed the tip of her ear gently. His free hand was also dishonest and touched her from shoulder to waist. The force was neither light nor heavy, but it was still annoying for someone who was about to fall asleep.
Jiang Wanning didn't have the energy to hit him, so she just muttered something under her breath.
Lu Shang didn't hear clearly, so he touched her belly again and said, "Has Aning gained weight recently?" He touched to the side in disbelief, and sure enough, he felt a small circle of soft flesh on her waist and abdomen.
Jiang Wanning was dazed and didn't understand what she was asking. She hummed softly and buried her head in his chest again.
Seeing this, Lu Shang finally felt guilty and stopped disturbing her. He chuckled twice, hugged his wife, and closed his eyes.
Little did they know that in another bedroom not far away, Lu Xian and his wife had been unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Lu Xian was lying on his back, feeling very depressed. He hadn't said a word since he entered the door and finished talking about the construction team.
Ma was stunned at first, but then she felt upset: "Brother, how could you do this? Even if you didn't do a good job, you've worked hard over the years. Why would you fire you all of a sudden?"
"He talks nicely about the construction team, but to be frank, they're just bricklayers, building houses for people. How can they compare to the respectability of the logistics team's managers? ... He even says he's doing this for the good of our family, to save more money. Look at what he's saying!"
"Lu Shang is so rich! Not only does he have the income from the logistics team, but now he's passed the imperial examination and has a monthly salary from the government. If he really wanted to help us, he should have taken Mingxia to see a doctor long ago. Why did he wait for so many years, leaving you to worry all by yourself? He talks in high-sounding words, but to put it bluntly, isn't he just tricking you into working hard for him..."
"And you! You're stupid too. He said he'll listen to you whether he wants to or not, so just quit. He doesn't even care about you, so why bother to save his face? Now you've lost your position as the logistics team manager, and our family will be reduced to peasants again..."
Ma's mumbling made Lu Xian's head buzz, but from beginning to end, he did not say a word in rebuttal.
…
Early the next morning, Lu Shang got up early and went to the alley entrance to buy breakfast. After Jiang Wanning and others got up, he hurried to eat breakfast and prepared to return to the city after eating.
He only bought steamed buns and white porridge at the alley entrance. Because there were many people in his family, he bought ten trays of food, including meat and vegetables, which was enough for the seven or eight people in his family.
Lu Mingxia's eyes were still the same. She had made a fuss when she woke up in the morning, but she finally calmed down when Jiang Wanning took her to her side. She spoke very little, and Jiang Wanning would often say ten sentences before she responded. She didn't look like a family member, but she just wanted to lie on Jiang Wanning's lap, with her tender little face pressed against her lower abdomen.
Jiang Wanning didn't mind the trouble. She ate the vegetarian buns herself and fed her a few bites from time to time. She also coaxed her to say a few more words to prevent her from being bored at home all day and getting used to talking to people.
But she came to Wuming Lane very rarely, less than once a year. Even if we coax her to talk now, when she left and it was Ma's turn to take care of the child, the situation would probably remain the same.
She originally wanted to persuade Ma, but she kept hiding in the kitchen and did not show up until they left. She had to give up the consolation she had prepared. Before leaving, she just stroked the child's head tenderly, hiding the trace of pity in her eyes.
As usual, the carriage was waiting at the entrance of the alley. The neighbors in Wuming Lane all knew that they were leaving today, and several families were waiting in front of their doors, insisting on saying hello to them.
Jiang Wanning also saw several children who had studied at the academy before. Two of them had arranged marriages and had invited their wives to come out. She had nothing to prepare, so she simply gave them a tael of silver and said, "Since I couldn't drink in your wedding wine, I wish you a long and happy life together, and a lasting love and affection."
“Master, this—” The two families were quite embarrassed as they clutched the silver. Seeing that Jiang Wanning refused to take it back, they had no choice but to accept it and said, “Thank you, Master. I also wish you and the boss all the best!”
"Thank you." Jiang Wanning said with a smile.
It took nearly half an hour just to greet everyone from Lu's house to the alley entrance. When they finally got on the carriage, Jiang's mother covered her mouth and sighed, "Wanwan is so welcome..."
Jiang Wanning was not shy about being teased and nodded: "Of course not."
This caused another burst of laughter in the car.
As the carriage was about to leave Tang Town, Lu Shangduo asked, "Do you want to get off and walk around? I see you ate more than usual this morning, and we still have half a day to travel. Be careful not to overeat."
Jiang Wanning thought about it and shook her head: "I don't feel full, and my stomach is fine, so it shouldn't be necessary."
"Okay then. If you feel uncomfortable on the way, remember to tell me." Lu Shang reminded him again with concern.
Fortunately, the journey was smooth. In the afternoon, the carriage successfully entered the city and headed all the way to Lu Mansion.
Jiang Wanning fell asleep halfway through the journey and was full of energy when she got off the car. On the contrary, Lu Shang had been resting his head on her for so long that half of his body was numb. It took him a long time to recover in the car before he could move.
When they entered the house, they asked the servants who were watching over the house and found out that Jiang's father had not returned yet. The county magistrate had sent someone to come in the middle of the journey, but when he asked, he found out that no one was at home and he left soon.
Mother Jiang's eyes narrowed: "I think your father wants to live in the county governor's mansion for a long time!"
Jiang Wanning suppressed a smile and tried to comfort him, "Don't be angry, mother. Dad must be busy with something important. Liangliang and the others are also at the county magistrate's residence. I'll go pick them up tomorrow and ask Dad when he'll be back."
Unexpectedly, Jiang's mother didn't appreciate it: "Don't ask! I want to see how long he wants to stay."
"Okay, okay, I won't ask. I'll go with you to see when Dad will come back..." Jiang Wanning coaxed Jiang's mother. When she turned around, she saw Lu Shang covering his face and laughing, his shoulders shaking up and down.
The journey from Tang Town to Fucheng was tiring, so they ate a little in the hall and then went back to their rooms to rest.
Most of Lu Shang's business is in Tang Town. Although he also has some in the prefectural city, his subordinates can take care of it. Now that he is back, the most urgent thing is to keep his spirits up. After a few days of rest, he should prepare for the upcoming spring examination.
After he accompanied Jiang Wanning back to the room, they agreed to visit the county magistrate's mansion tomorrow afternoon. Now he would take off his clothes and rest for a while. No matter when he woke up, there was no rush.
Jiang Wanning fell asleep halfway and now she doesn’t feel sleepy at all.
She leaned on Lu Shang's shoulder and said carefully: "I have been thinking about the private school these past two days, and I have figured out some ideas."
Lu Shang forced himself to be alert and asked, "What is Aning's plan?"
"My dear husband, do you remember that there were some female students in the private school?" Jiang Wanning said, "In fact, I originally opened the school just to enlighten the children in Wuming Lane. It was after I accidentally met Xiang Min that I had the idea of teaching women."
"Let's talk about Xiang Min first. She has been with me for many years. Her academic achievements aside, the tailor shop and letter-writing stall she runs are far superior to many men. When I look at her, I feel that my purpose of taking in female students has been achieved."
"Later, I opened a private school, and the number of students there grew. Although I also enrolled many female students, I always felt that the content of the classes was a bit biased. This was because in the past few years, the classes I taught students were mainly focused on the Four Books and Five Classics. This was mainly for the male imperial examinations, and the ideas of other female students were ignored."
"Perhaps they don't mind, but after all, they can't take the imperial examinations, and it's hard to say how useful these things are. I haven't even asked them why they come to the private school. Are they trying to understand some principles so that they can live in harmony with their husbands in the future, or are they trying to learn some skills so that they can make a living on their own..."
Lu Shang stroked her fingers carefully and asked, "What does Aning want?"
"I want to separate the boys' and girls' schools in the private school," Jiang Wanning said. "There are many teachers who can teach and educate people, but there are very few who are willing to teach girls to stand on their own feet."
"I know that the students and their families at the private school trust me, which is why they are willing to study at this unknown private school. They come here for the imperial examination, and I have fulfilled their wish. So I think the private school can recruit some new teachers."
"From now on, they will be taught by the teachers who have been evaluated by my father and me. I will be in charge of the women's school, but that doesn't mean I will completely ignore the men's school. I will just gradually reduce the frequency of my visits to the men's school. What do you think, husband? Is this feasible?"
Lu Shang asked: "Have you made up your mind, An Ning?"
"……Um."
"That's fine with me, too. Aning has been very thoughtful and has considered the majority of people. The private school has educated so many students over the years, and it's easy to attract jealousy. Your new arrangement can be considered to protect everyone."
"You know, no matter what you want to do, I'm on your side."
Jiang Wanning felt a burning sensation in her chest and was unable to speak for a long time.
Just as Lu Shang was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, Jiang Wanning suddenly said, "Husband, I suddenly feel a little hungry again."
"Ah?" Lu Shang was stunned. "But didn't we just eat? Aning, you only had two bowls of vegetarian noodles!"
"I, I don't know... I just still want to eat something." Jiang Wanning blushed. Unable to bear Lu Shang's shocked gaze, she simply closed her eyes and tried to cover up her mistake.
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