Chapter 72 (Looking for a Job)
Before dawn, a carriage drove out of the governor's mansion. The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, leaving streaks of water that reflected the increasingly bright lights inside the mansion.
The bolts were pulled down, and the officers and soldiers stood solemnly, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil behind the gates.
The damp river breeze, carrying the sounds of the city, seeped through the cracks in the window. Outside, people from Jiangzuo (southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces) were chatting and laughing in their Wu dialect, doing business. It was no longer the sound of the water that had been filling my ears all month.
Yan Dibai opened his eyes at this moment.
He kicked his legs, touched his broken right arm, turned his head, and saw that the inn was empty. There was only a dish of fruit peels on the table.
Last night, Yang Liuqing coaxed me into eating loquats, and I was so full that I didn't close my eyes until midnight. Yang Liuqing, on the other hand, slept soundly.
Looking down at the bedside table out of inertia, Yan Di's eyes widened in surprise.
There was no one on the side couch, so the culprit that kept him awake all night was gone.
He almost immediately yelled, "Yang—!"
"Awake? Come and try the fish soup!" The door opened from the outside, and Qingqing hurriedly entered, carrying a still-warm soup bowl. She casually grabbed a towel and wiped the glistening beads of sweat from her neck.
Before she could speak again, the boy's question came straight at her:
"Where did you go?"
The fresh aroma, mixed with a slight sweat, spread as the girl lifted her clothes to wipe her sweat.
"Let's make fish soup. This time I added pepper and cardamom, it should taste much better than the one on the boat." Qingqing ladled out a bowl and said with a smile, "I don't know why, but after getting off the boat I feel very light and energetic, I have the energy to do anything. Just thinking about arriving in a new place gives me a lot of motivation."
I slept exceptionally well that night, and with this improved sleep quality, my mood naturally improved as well.
When I looked at my face while washing up this morning, it seemed to be glowing.
The boy's thin lips were closed into a line.
The weight on the boat was likely due to seasickness and the heat. I didn't even realize it myself, and spent my days trying to relieve it by sleeping more.
Loquat is clearly a cooling and thirst-quenching fruit, perfect for treating this discomfort. Yet, he still couldn't resist stuffing it into his stomach.
She really is still that ungrateful, foolish maid.
Yan Dibai thought to himself, then suddenly looked up.
"black pepper?"
Qingqing immediately explained, "I bought it from the shop owner's wife."
"It's been sitting for a while, so it's gotten a bit stale and not very cheap."
She had originally planned to buy some from Xichuntang, but the proprietress grabbed her and insisted on giving her a few spices. Thinking she could quickly make some edible bird's nest soup, she didn't insist.
Facing his gradually calming yet still heavy gaze, Qingqing took a few steps closer and took out the old cloth bag from her bosom, opening it.
It contained the gold and silver jewelry that had been stolen earlier, and it had been kept attached to its body without being touched since boarding the ship.
She expertly lowered her head, took out her bag, counted the loose silver, and briefly explained her morning's movements.
Aside from a few hairpins with more distinctive designs, the rest of the bag contained only loose silver and jewels that the bandits had looted from the palace servants. She took a pair of scissors from the sewing basket in the room and carefully cut the loose silver into dozens of small pieces before daring to take them out.
"Your Majesty, please make do for now. I'll buy some better quality ones another day." As she spoke, she straightened her wet skirt, the hem of which covered her feet, which were red from being rubbed raw by straw sandals. "How does it taste?"
Yan Dibai saw this and silently opened his mouth: "Not bad."
With a simple "It's alright," the embarrassing blunder from last night seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Qingqing couldn't help but feel gratified: "It can't be compared to what the imperial chefs make. Is there anything else Your Majesty would like to eat?"
Yan Dibai continued wiping her mouth without stopping, saying, "Whatever you want, I don't mind."
That's what she said, but she knew perfectly well that this man was just pretending to be indifferent; in reality, he was extremely picky. Now that she had the opportunity, she had to prepare some delicious food in various ways, otherwise, how could she possibly win his favor?
Qingqing turned her back to tidy up the long table, pondering the schedule she had set for today.
I asked the boss before, and the doctor Lu Xi agreed to might come. After seeing the doctor, I can go to Xichuntang to look for a job; the timing should be just right.
It's hopeless, really. Those dreaded days of working odd jobs are somehow so nostalgic.
Qingqing carried the bowls and plates downstairs with a thud.
Yan Dibai was caught off guard and the person ran away. He frowned and touched the stickiness on his neck.
In the past, Yang Liuqing would wring out a towel and wipe his face.
Today, I didn't even wring out the towel in the basin, let alone wipe my face.
"..." The damp and sticky feeling was uncomfortable.
Yan Dibai picked up the towel.
The abrasion on my right finger had long since healed, though it was a bit shriveled compared to my left. I didn't have much strength left, but wringing out a towel was no problem for me. It wasn't that I was completely useless without Yang Liuqing.
The cool water caressed his skin, relieving the dryness and bringing a subtle, refreshing sensation. As he gently wiped his face, his eyelashes suddenly drooped. His reflection in the water was abruptly torn into distorted fragments by the ripples.
In that instant, the child screamed, the old woman cried out, and the boy sneered. The astonished gazes encountered along the way last night quickly filled every section of the road, raging and savage.
As the voices downstairs grew louder, a wet wipe landed heavily on the water's surface. With a soft thud, a dark shadow darted past beneath the window.
Yan Dibai turned his head, and all the colors in his eyes condensed into a single point of inky black.
-
Lobby.
"What excellent cooking skills, young lady!" Qingqing had just returned the bowls and chopsticks and was about to leave when she was stopped by the proprietress who was leaning against the counter eating melon seeds.
Qingqing said politely, "Sister, please don't make fun of me."
"Oh! How can that be a joke? Every word I spoke to you, young lady, was sincere." She spoke quickly and wittily, and looking at Qingqing's smiling face, she grew increasingly satisfied. She then bluntly stated her purpose:
"I think if you want to make a living, why don't you work at our inn? We'll provide room and board for both of you, and the monthly salary is negotiable! The fish soup you just cooked was incredibly delicious, unlike the common Jiangzuo style. I'm not exactly a shrewd cook, but the aroma alone made my mouth water. With your skills, you'll definitely bring in more business for our inn!"
Qingqing's eyebrows twitched slightly. She thought to herself, "No wonder the landlady kept hovering around me while I was cooking this morning. She was trying to trick me into staying and working here."
One minute they want to introduce her to a potential partner, the next they want to introduce her to a job. Qingqing's feelings are complicated; she's never encountered anything so persistent in her life.
She had to work, but not under Lu Xi's influence. She was in a dilemma; she couldn't refuse outright and risk hurting their relationship, nor could she give the boss's wife an opportunity to manipulate her by being perfunctory.
"..." If only Wo Xue were here, he could handle this kind of situation with ease. But when it came to himself, he couldn't quite put his mind to it.
She could only smile politely and say, "Thank you for your kindness, elder sister, in giving me a place to go. However, elder sister, I am a slave and cannot make this decision on my own. I must ask my young master's opinion."
Mentioning Yan Dibai, the proprietress's face, still bearing traces of lingering charm, instantly became subtly changed.
Upon seeing this, Qingqing knew that she had probably been intimidated by Yan Dibai's appearance last night, and continued:
“My young master is aloof and has never liked to show his face in public. He has a bad temper and is not in good health, so how could I dare to talk to him? Actually, the fish soup is nothing special, just with the addition of pepper and cardamom to enhance the aroma.”
"I see..."
"Yes." It would have been better if the landlady hadn't brought this up today; now that she had, Qingqing had a plan in mind.
In her eyes, they were simply two lonely northerners with no place to call home and no family protection. They would be worried about their next meal once they ran out of money, and being given a place to stay was already a great favor.
This proves that Yan Dibai and her status with Lu Xi were very low.
This place is not safe to stay in for long.
The young woman's words were flawless. The proprietress, too, felt deep down that the young man was strange. But the girl was quick and capable, and cooked an excellent fish soup. The proprietress hesitated, but finally, with a heavy heart, she made the decision:
"How about this? My relatives have a pharmacy called Fuguangtang. Out of a conscience of healing the sick and helping the world, they charge very little, just the cost of the medicine."
"?"
“Oh dear, let’s talk about something else.” She glanced around and led the person out the door. “I noticed that the young man who came last night… seemed to be unwell? He doesn’t seem to match the description the young lady gave him at all.”
Qingqing gave a dry laugh, "My husband hasn't been feeling well lately, so he's become quite thin. We've already made an appointment with the doctor."
The proprietress thought to herself that this young woman had a rather poor eye for beauty, and cleared her throat:
"How many times can the lady be invited? And how long can she keep going to get medicine?"
"...That should be enough for now."
"This young lady doesn't know how to do math!"
The proprietress brushed off the melon seed shells, pulled out her abacus, and rattled off a series of calculations, adding up the cost of food, clothing, daily necessities, and medicine, arriving at an astonishing fifty taels. She confidently placed the abacus before Qingqing's eyes, leaving the proprietress speechless with astonishment.
“Look at this, this money won’t even last a month. Young lady, please pass on my words to your husband, why suffer such a miserable life? In the city, northerners are lucky to have twenty coins a month, they often have to pull wild grass to fill their stomachs.”
Green leaves remain silent.
Seeing this, the proprietress thought she had hit the nail on the head and became even more smug: "Young lady, my family is the kindest family in this market. If you miss this opportunity, you won't find another one like us. If you don't believe me, you can ask around. We're all on the same street, so aren't we the easiest to talk to? If you had encountered a silk shop or Xichuntang instead of me, I'm afraid you wouldn't even be allowed to enter."
Qingqing suddenly spoke up: "Sister stopped me from going to Xichun Hall this morning... was it because of this?"
"Uh, yes, yes!"
The proprietress glanced in that direction, her eyes darting around, and lowered her voice, saying, "It's my fault for not telling you the whole story yesterday. The noblewoman who runs Xichun Hall comes from the Cui family. This Cui family is arrogant and has always been at odds with the powerful clans of Jiangzuo. That Cui woman is also cold-blooded and nitpicky, readily kicking out anyone who's clumsy. Although she's generous, she's someone you can't associate with at all. I'm not exaggerating, several of my boys came back this morning looking for work with their tails between their legs."
Qingqing thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your guidance, Sister. I understand."
After speaking, he continued walking outside.
The proprietress's face froze.
My husband only said he'd give this young woman half a month's rent and then hurriedly left without giving any further instructions, which was enough to show that the two were of ordinary status. Northerners are often displaced; giving them a place to stay is enough to make them grateful. Unlike this young woman, who is stubborn and ungrateful.
If she weren't reasonably attractive, well-mannered, and a skilled cook, I wouldn't have been able to be so kind.
Even though she was a slave, she was still proud and looked down on her humble abode!
The proprietress was displeased and her tone became harsher, "Don't blame me for being blunt. That young master looks quite ill and must need to take medicine regularly, right? If you work for me, we can offer a 25% discount on his medicine at Fuguang Hall. Who else but me can do that?! I advise you, young lady, not to be ungrateful."
Qingqing remained silent, only saying, "Sister, the boiler on the stove is probably going to burn."
"Is this young lady not going to listen to my good advice?" The proprietress grabbed Qingqing's wrist, her nails almost digging into her flesh. Qingqing frowned and tried to pry the hand away. "Sister, my husband's medicine really can't wait."
"I'm not some man-eating monster, why are you running away, young lady!" Before the words were finished, a thunderous roar shattered the silence in the hall:
"That woman! You're going to threaten people like this!"
Both of them were startled.
At the top of the stairs, the burly, dark-faced man who had disappeared the night before stood, clenching his fist the size of a vinegar jar, glaring angrily. The proprietress gasped in shock: "It's you again, you northerner!"
Her eyes darted around, and the curse she was about to utter suddenly took a turn, transforming into a shrill sob: "This is outrageous! The people from the north are bullying a weak woman like me who's in charge of the household! I kindly gave you a plate of water chestnuts, and you've turned it into an enemy!"
"You!" The burly man glanced at Qingqing, and when he saw that she was indeed looking at him, the veins on his forehead throbbed. "Don't talk nonsense! You clearly forced those water chestnuts on me and included them in the meal bill!"
"You scoundrel! Don't be afraid, young lady, come with me to the yamen to file a complaint against him!" The proprietress wiped away non-existent tears and made a move to pull Qingqing away.
"You wicked woman!" The burly man blocked her path, snorting loudly, "Young lady, don't listen to her nonsense! This shrew looks down on northerners and is now turning around and biting the hand that feeds her!"
"Hero, please calm down..." Qingqing instinctively tried to smooth things over, not wanting things to get ugly.
To everyone's surprise, the burly man glared at him and said, "The young lady is also from the north. Are you perhaps siding with her?!"
The proprietress straightened her back, exuding confidence: "This young lady is a sensible person! I ask you, have you, this unreasonable northerner, reported to the authorities?! Dare to answer!"
"You, me!" These words pierced his heart like a knife. The burly man's face indeed changed drastically. The proprietress grew even more smug, her voice rising: "My family isn't to be trifled with! If you dare to be violent, feel for yourselves how many heads you have on your neck! Don't be afraid, young lady, I'll call Ah Da and Ah Er right now—"
"You slut! How dare you harm me!" The burly man swung his muscular arm, blocking the landlady like an iron tower. Qingqing was forced to stand in the middle, pulling and pleading with him. Outside the door, onlookers had gathered, peering in to watch the spectacle and pointing and gesturing, "These northerners are so savage."
The big man's face turned purple with anxiety, and Qingqing was also anxious. She glanced around and saw that the two men who were supposed to report to the authorities were just huddled behind the door, peeking out, without a trace of anxiety on their faces.
A sudden jolt went through Qingqing's heart, and she froze.
The proprietress's voice boomed, but her feet seemed nailed to the door, her eyes darting back and forth between her and the audience outside. The burly man, caught off guard by the words "report to the authorities," had lost his momentum despite his thunderous roar.
Yes. With everyone watching, how could he dare to make a move? Once he went to the government office, he wouldn't be able to get out easily.
Then look at the proprietress, her face flushed and her voice full of energy, constantly referring to herself as a "northerner"... There's more than one northerner in and out of this place. If things really escalate to the authorities, she and Yan Dibai will probably be in trouble too.
A blast of cold air instantly extinguished the heat.
Qingqing calmed down, looked around, picked up the slender-spouted teapot on the table, and said, "It's so hot, would you two like to have some tea to cool off?"
The burly man was taken aback, and instinctively took the bowl. The proprietress tugged at her clothes: "Young lady, what's this...?"
"Your argument started because of me," the young woman said in a clear voice. "This hero and I are both wanderers from the north, struggling to make a living. How can we possibly step into the government office? I know you were angry with his words and acted rashly. How about this, let me pay for his expenses these past few days. I'll offer tea instead of wine. Please, be generous and let it go, sister?"
The proprietress suddenly stopped speaking.
By making this scene today, she wanted to intimidate the young woman, teach the rude man a lesson, and squeeze some money out of him to get rid of the trouble.
Yesterday, three men rushed in just as the sun was setting. Though their clothes were drab and shabby, they carried a broken gold hairpin. Having seen all sorts of people, she immediately had a plan. Sure enough, when they brought her food, she saw them eating and drinking heartily, their behavior carrying an unmistakable air of thuggery. She concluded that these three men were men with money they couldn't keep hidden. Perfect for extorting them.
I intended to scare this girl and then skin that brute, but to my surprise, she suddenly became calm and collected!
She forced a smile: "You flatter me, young lady," but before she could finish speaking, a chorus of boos rose from outside the door.
"Oh! Lady Taotie is showing a bodhisattva's heart today?"
Where is that ruthless attitude you had when you snatched my customer the other day?
"Tsk tsk, no wonder they're all flocking to Xichuntang! They can't compete with them this time!"
The proprietress nearly lost face, put her hands on her hips and retorted, "Pah! So what if it's Xichuntang! You're all just jealous of my good business, spouting nonsense endlessly! Aren't you ashamed!"
"Oh, how dare you say such a thing, lady? Everyone knows you're backed by a powerful figure, getting involved in every business because of your connections. Now that a big shot has come to oversee things, just wait and see, you'll definitely have a share in this market!"
The landlady's chest trembled uncontrollably after her secrets were exposed. She was about to curse again when the rumble of a car approached, accompanied by a crisp, cold sneer that suddenly silenced the surrounding area.
"You lowly commoners, with your despicable methods, are just as useless as your master." In the sudden silence, a jade-white hand lifted the brocade curtain, revealing half a fragrant, delicate face. A few words, like a knife, sliced through the entire street. Her pink lips finished speaking as if bestowing a favor, and with a flick of her slender finger, the brocade curtain fell again. The carriage rumbled again, stopping at the diagonal bend.
The girl in the pink dress stepped out of the carriage without even glancing at anyone, and entered Xichun Hall.
Only when the rear of the car disappeared around the corner did Qingqing suddenly come to her senses and realize that she had been holding her breath, so she took a deep breath.
"Sister?" She turned her head and was shocked to see the landlady's face was deathly pale, still staring in the direction the carriage had left.
"This servant is outrageous! This servant is outrageous!"
The proprietress suddenly uttered a couple of lines in a trembling voice. Just then, a slightly older worker ran in, glanced at Qingqing, and whispered something in her ear. The proprietress's expression changed again. She didn't have time to deal with what was happening here. She told the worker to stay and hurriedly pushed open the door and went inside. Her footsteps were just as urgent as when she was arguing with the big man.
The waiter came up with a forced smile and closed one of the doors of the fully open main entrance. All the onlookers had vanished.
Qingqing pretended not to understand the waiter's suggestion to go back to his room, and asked knowingly, "May I ask, who was that lady just now?"
The waiter chuckled and shook his head, then slipped away cryptically.
Noble ladies rarely stoop to reprimanding commoners. The young girl's clothes were understated yet luxurious, and her hair was exquisitely styled, so she was undoubtedly a maid from a prominent family.
Such a maid is indeed difficult to deal with. If I were to apply for the job… it might not be as the landlady said, not easy at all.
"Oh, right, thank you for your kind words, hero?" Qingqing looked around, stunned.
Where is the trace of the Great Han now?
Just like yesterday, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"..." What are you trying to do?
But then: "Lady."
“Okay,” Qingqing suddenly turned around.
It wasn't a burly man, but a gaunt old man standing behind him with a medicine box slung over his shoulder.
"And you are?"
"Mr. Zhang sent this old man to examine the patient. Is the patient's family here?"
Qingqing felt as if she had been granted a pardon and led him inside.
The old doctor put down his medicine box, and when his gaze fell on the young man resting with his eyes closed on the bed, he paused almost imperceptibly: "Young man... what's wrong with you?"
The medicine box landed on the table with a soft thud.
“It’s a congenital weakness that worsened after we lacked food and clothing,” Qingqing said without changing her expression.
The old doctor didn't answer, his gaze lingering between the boy's withered wrist and tightly closed eyelids. The room was so quiet that only the sounds of the city outside could be heard. He slowly sat down, placing three fingers on the thin wrist bone.
The moment the fingertips touched the ground, the person on the couch listlessly opened their eyes.
In the still, damp silence, a slightly hoarse male voice rang out: "Has the chief physician diagnosed the cause of the illness?"
The doctor's fingertips tightened as he took the boy's pulse. He coughed, then stood up and bowed slightly, avoiding the boy's gaze.
"The pulse is weak and shallow, yet there is hidden strength. It indicates a deficiency." He stopped. "Young master, a tonifying prescription is appropriate. I will prepare the medicine now. Young lady, please wait a moment while I decoct it. Tomorrow, I will bring even better medicinal herbs." With that, he picked up his medicine box and retreated to the door.
Qingqing's heart tightened.
The old doctor probably noticed something unusual, but deliberately followed her line of thought. Could it be that he wanted to report it to Lu Xi and then do something else?
"Thank you for your trouble." Yan Dibai nodded as if he hadn't quite recovered, watching the somewhat hurried figure disappear behind the door.
The door closed, shutting out the sounds from the corridor.
"What are you standing there for?" Yan Dibai's voice pulled Qingqing back to reality. "Go and prepare the medicine."
"This medicine..." Qingqing grabbed the medicine packet left by the doctor, her eyes clearly fixed on Yan Dibai, "Can I drink it?"
Yan Dibai dismissed it, saying, "It's just an ordinary tonic."
Lu Xi simply sent a trusted confidant with excellent medical skills to conduct a second investigation to ascertain whether he was truly healthy, so that he could better manage the use of personnel in the future.
With a body like his, he can withstand any poison, so there's no need to be wary.
"In any case, this medicine is useless."
If he doesn't decoct it, and then reports it to Lu Xi tomorrow after taking the pulse, it will only make Lu Xi suspect that Yan Dibai is guilty.
Qingqing thought about it and agreed, "I'll go right now."
I'll be applying for a job at Xichuntang later. If I get the job, employees should get a discount on medicine, and I can also get a good doctor to re-examine Yan Dibai.
Let's wait a little longer. Lin Xiang's medicine is effective; Yan Dibai hasn't had an attack in a long time.
Thinking about this, her already radiant face became even more joyful. Yan Dibai glanced at her, then suddenly spoke up: "We'll have vegetable and mutton soup for dinner."
"Okay." She pulled open the door. "I'll go brew the medicine and buy the ingredients. Your Majesty, please stay here for a while."
Clutching the medicine packet, and not even bothering with the washbasin, she stomped downstairs again. This time, her steps were even faster than before.
Yan Dibai: ...
The moment Yang Liuqing disappeared, the bustling activity of the market once again seeped into the house.
A white window is high, and swallows droop their white eyes. On the yellow earth road, several riders gallop away, kicking up dust, the riders' two-piece armor flashing coldly.
There are an unusually large number of vehicles and pedestrians today.
Yan Dibai closed the window in front of the other person who looked up.
He tucked his hands into his sleeves, raised his head for a moment, then pulled his hands out and slowly kneaded his wrists with them overlapping.
He steadily propped himself up and removed the beaded horse-saddlecloth from the small couch.
-
Yellow dust billowed into the alleyways, horses galloped past. The woman's figure disappeared in the yellow smoke.
Lu Xing rebuked him and gripped the ledger tightly in his hand.
"This group has left the governor's mansion, and soon the news will spread throughout Jiangzuo. What do you think the reaction will be, Fifth Master?"
A woman's voice rang out at just the right moment. Lu Xing poured himself a cup of tea and glanced at the woman in the silk skirt beside him.
“If Miss Wang were to stay here and inform me, wouldn’t that be a disservice to your father?”
The young woman's name was Wang Shu, the second daughter of Governor Wang Du. The Lu family and the governor were at odds behind the scenes. Before this, Lu Xing had only seen this young woman, who was favored by Governor Wang, at a few banquets, but had never spoken to her.
He had come to collect taxes and rent today, and had just scolded the middle-aged woman at the inn. He was in a bad mood when Wang Shu, who had been waiting for him for who knows how long, opened the carriage door.
Given his status, Lu Xing had no choice but to reluctantly serve him.
"You're overthinking it, Fifth Brother. I just happened to come here to chat with you about some news."
Lu Xing laughed: "The Wang family is all-powerful. I am but a descendant of a declining clan. How dare I chat with Miss Wang?"
Wang Shu said casually, "Repairing the ponds to control the rice production and offering salt to show loyalty are two excellent moves, and my father is very satisfied with them."
Lu Xing frowned deeply.
"The Lu family is safe."
His breath hitched slightly, and before he could feel relieved, he heard Wang Shu coldly say, "However, while Father is satisfied, I am not. The Langya Wang clan has always been respected; how could we easily agree to a marriage?"
Lu Xing narrowed her eyes, suppressing her displeasure: "Does the young lady mean...?"
Wang Shu smiled and said, "I've heard that Young Master Xi seems to have a secret intention to marry me. If Young Master Xi marries me, how could the Lu family head possibly have anyone else?"
Lu Xing's eyes flashed with anger, and Wang Shu flicked her sleeves, saying, "Cui Shenxiu and I are both from prominent overseas Chinese families, yet lately we've been targeted by some unsuitable people, which I truly dislike."
She smiled faintly, "Shenxiu and I have known each other since childhood, and our personalities are somewhat similar. We even share the same likes and dislikes."
"The Fifth Young Master has secretly recruited his elder brother's men, allowing the couple to run rampant in the market and ruin the family's reputation. He has also imitated Shenxiu by opening a pharmacy. I'm afraid he's gone too far."
Lu Xing kept quiet.
He managed 80% of the public funds for the Lu family's fields and shops. The inn on this street was initially also under public funds, but was later transferred to Lu Xi's private treasury by his grandfather. In his early years, he always trusted Lu Xi.
After his grandfather handed over the tax collection job to him, he naturally took over the well-known hotel business immediately.
However, the shopkeeper, who was caught between the two, had some ulterior motives and often needed to be warned. The woman was much easier to manipulate. This time, the shopkeeper was summoned to his home to settle accounts for a few days, and in no time, he had the woman obediently hand over the real account books.
And Wang Shu, a young lady from a respectable family, was able to find out about these clandestine dealings so clearly.
Wang Du's plans for the Lu family began long ago. Fortunately, Wang Shu looked down on Lu Xi. If this vast fortune had been inherited by that arrogant and conceited Lu Xi, it would have been completely devoured by Wang Shu within three years.
"I hope you won't laugh at my private affairs at home."
Lu Xing poured tea for Wang Shu, saying, "My lady will soon be as noble as a princess. How could my brother be a suitable match for her? Please rest assured, my lady."
Wang Shu's smile remained unchanged: "The Fifth Young Master is only missing a good strategist, which would be like adding wings to a tiger."
"I drank too much spring tea at Shenxiu's place, so I won't accept this cup."
Lu Xing remained silent for a long time.
He envied Lu Xi's incredible luck. With the help of someone like Zhang Bian, he had managed to change his grandfather's mind in just a few years, and this time he had performed a great service, making himself seem utterly insignificant. It seemed that no matter what, there was no way to move Lu Xi.
He spent a sleepless night but couldn't come up with a solution. This only added to his frustration with Wang Shu.
"Hurry up and take the carriage back home."
"That young master?"
The young man casually kicked off the hem of his coat, saying, "I'll walk to the rest of the fields."
Cangqian is not large. After passing through the dense market area, several winding neighborhoods slowly come into view.
Lu Xing was familiar with this place. This time, when he passed through the neighborhood, he remembered the overturned vehicle that had been repeatedly reported a few days ago, so he went straight to the embankment in front of the warehouse to see how the overturned vehicle was doing.
The tenant farmers kept clamoring, all pointing at him and demanding permission to replace it with a new one. But this item was expensive to make, and there was always money for repairs, not for replacements.
Lu Xing glanced at the withered rice paddies. A group of tenant farmers surrounded the old cart, fiddling with something again. He frowned, then looked around. A notice was posted on the embankment recruiting laborers for dike repairs; a crowd of people chattered excitedly: "Dike repairs?"
"We are recruiting 500 laborers and 10 skilled craftsmen to manage water conservancy projects. 300 yuan a month including three meals! The skilled craftsmen will receive ten times that amount!"
"The Third Young Master is indeed generous!"
Just as Lu Xing was about to leave, feeling annoyed, she suddenly heard a burst of excited commotion coming from the edge of the field not far away.
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" The gray-haired old farmer straightened up, his voice trembling, and exclaimed repeatedly as he circled the old tippler in the rice paddy, "There's water!"
The tipper creaked and turned, continuously drawing up murky water from the irrigation ditch to irrigate the fields. The tenant farmers who had gathered around the tipper dispersed, and an old farmer excitedly grabbed a thin boy who was wiping mud from his hands: "Young man! It's all thanks to you! Otherwise, this season's seedlings would have been ruined!"
Lu Xing's gaze froze for a moment, then she walked past the crowd.
The boy, whose sleeve was being pulled, wore a white veil over his head. He was thin, and the wide robe he wore was too big for him, hanging loosely at his chest, with only a red cloth belt fastened around his waist. His exposed wrists were shockingly thin. He turned slightly to the side, accommodating the old farmer's tugging, and said, "Old man, there's no need for this. The rope is not strong enough; the connecting rod needs to be replaced as soon as possible."
The voice, filtered through the white gauze, carried a unique calmness amidst the sweltering heat.
Lu Xing stopped in her tracks and looked over coldly. Several tenant farmers who had arrived earlier were chattering amongst themselves:
"It's this young man! Old Li was so anxious he was jumping up and down. The connecting rod of the overturned vehicle is rusted and broken, it's stuck tight! Nobody can help it!"
"Yes, yes! He went around in circles, picked a few strands of old goosegrass from the edge of the field, and there he was, tied them to that half-buried, broken plowshare! Then he had Old Li lend a hand in the middle, and he pulled hard at the other end—hey! He actually managed to pry that stubborn knot open!"
"Tsk tsk, what a skillful touch! He clearly doesn't look like he has much meat on him!"
Lu Xing's gaze swept over the broken connecting rod in the overturned vehicle. Sure enough, several strands of grass vines, twisted unusually tightly, were firmly bound to the rusted iron ring in a peculiar circular and crisscrossing manner, temporarily replacing the function of the connecting rod. Though rudimentary, it was effective.
The boy washed his hands and feet clean in the flowing water from the overturned cart, and scrubbed the mud off his trousers before returning to the embankment to put on his overshoes. After the tenant farmers had their fun, their sun-tanned, oily faces gathered around the boy.
"Young man, you look unfamiliar. What brings you here?"
Slowly gathering his strength, Yan Dibai replied:
"Looking for a job."
"Oh..." The old farmer rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed, and said, "Look at your fair skin, young man, you seem like a learned gentleman. Why are you looking for work here?"
The tenant farmers were also puzzled; the young man was fair-skinned and delicate, with a scholarly air, but he was as frail as a stalk of hemp that could be blown over by a gust of wind. Even if he had no other choice but to come here because of some family emergency, he shouldn't be here.
Whether it's carrying cargo or farming, which one can you do?
Amidst the cacophony of voices, Yan Dibai calmly parted the crowd and walked straight to the notice recruiting craftsmen for the pond repair. Amidst countless astonished, doubtful, and curious gazes, he steadily tore down the notice.
"Whoa—!" The crowd erupted in an uproar!
"Him? He took the exam?!"
"So skinny, can she even lift stones?"
"Repairing the pond requires a lot of physical labor!"
The old farmer was so shocked that he dropped his rake: "Young man, do you know that only strong men dare to take up this posting? They can carry heavy stones weighing fifty pounds at a time! You, you—"
Everyone agreed, "Building a pond is no easy task. Water conservancy projects can easily lead to deaths! Otherwise, look at us, we'd rather toil away farming than take on that challenge. What would we do if someone in our family died?"
The tenant farmers couldn't bear to see the boy who had helped solve a problem that had plagued them for years, even though it was their first time meeting him.
There are very few people in the world who are good at studying, let alone taking off their shoes to fix a car. They are even less likely to lower themselves to talk to an old farmer in the field. Although this young man appeared suddenly, he had no arrogant airs and did not treat them like pigs or dogs, which earned him their gratitude.
"Thank you all. I understand. However, the recruitment above was quite clever."
"This, old man, don't understand. Does that mean skilled craftsmen don't need to carry stones?"
"The skill of a master craftsman lies not in the strength to lift a tripod, but in saving effort, leveraging existing resources, and knowing how to remedy shortcomings." Yan Dibai nodded, his thin hands still folding the notice and stuffing it into his chest.
The tenant farmers sighed regretfully. They could do nothing to stop it, only shaking their heads and watching the boy leave.
Having witnessed the entire event, Lu Xing's pupils suddenly contracted. She turned and stepped aside from the crowd, ignoring the tenant farmers' instantly fearful gazes. Her eyes swept across the white veil like a knife:
"How audacious!" He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said with an unusually cold tone, "Repairing a car is a matter of trickery, but building a pond to control the water is a struggle against the forces of heaven and earth! The water here tends to penetrate the sand, eroding the foundation like a snake. Only someone with the strength of a thousand pounds and the courage of a cold pool can accomplish this! By what right does your lord accept this challenge?"
The two stood one after the other under a willow tree. The white veil swayed in the breeze, and the young man looked up at him.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth with a calm and steady tone, his words carrying an undeniable understanding and certainty. His words sent a chill down Lu Xing's spine.
"The force that burrows through the sand will collapse if blocked. Instead, guide its violent flow to solidify its foundation. The sharpest weapon lies within the water itself."
“For example, right now—” He pointed with his thin hand to the creaking old overturned cart, “five out of ten parts of its power are wasted, and thirty percent leaks without anyone noticing. This is not an isolated case.”
With a slight turn of his white veil, the boy's gaze seemed to pierce through the embankment, reaching towards the faintly visible outline of the Tiaoxi River's ponds and weirs, which stretched like a ribbon in the distance.
“The interconnected ponds and weirs, though seemingly continuous, are in fact interconnected and easily destroyed. If the foundation is unstable, they will be eroded to dust when exposed to sand and water. The irrigation canals, with their rotten bamboo and wood, leak like sieves…” He paused, “This is not due to a lack of strength, but rather a failure to guide the water effectively, to miss the opportunity to utilize it, and to lack the wisdom to remedy the situation. With these accumulated problems, even if a fortune is spent and brute force is used to block them, it will all be in vain.”
The meticulous analysis revealed a perfect match with the accumulated documents in the government office. Such discernment is something even those who only know theory can test.
Lu Xing temporarily set aside her initial disdain, replacing it with a sense of exploration and barely perceptible excitement.
However, maintaining the composure typical of scions of prominent families, he maintained a deliberate scrutiny on his face:
"Young master, you have great insight. This problem has been brewing for a long time; the household is overflowing with paperwork, and the tenants have been complaining for years. Pointing it out is indeed not difficult." He shifted his tone slightly, his gaze piercing like a thorn in his side. "A minor problem might be easily solved with a single tweezer. But this ailment is deeply rooted; moving one part affects the whole. The principles of 'guiding,' 'borrowing,' and 'skillfully repairing' that you speak of are profound and mysterious. But I wonder..." He paused, as if carefully choosing his words, and finally asked the most crucial question:
"Can such ingenious ideas be put into practice and transformed into a square pond?"
“It’s quite a coincidence.” Lu Xing took a small step. “I happen to have a long-abandoned pond in my home. It has been neglected for a long time and is plagued by problems, just like the accumulated problems you mentioned. Ordinary craftsmen would avoid it, and I have also left it on the shelf for a long time.”
He stared intently at the white veil, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person inside:
"Hearing this theory today is like a thunderclap to my ears. Since you, sir, possess such insightful vision to see through the crux of the problem and such ambition to reform and innovate, would you be willing to come and see for yourself how you will turn this stagnant pond into gold?"
An unspoken tension rippled between the two. Yan Dibai's gaze was fixed on the newcomer's seemingly ordinary yet subtly ornate robes, and then on the eyebrows and eyes that resembled Lu Xi's.
The lips hidden behind the white veil twitched slightly, conveying a composed demeanor: "Of course, it's just that my family is worried about me, so I can't come home late."
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