Lu Song had already achieved some success in martial arts. The reason why Gu Qingshan was able to leave with peace of mind was partly because he knew how powerful his elder sister was, and partly because of Lu Song.
According to him, this child has exceptional talent in martial arts and is a rare and promising individual. Anything he teaches will be practiced flawlessly the next day; he has already taught the child almost everything, and all that remains is for further refinement.
So, it's fair to say that this kid could easily beat seven or eight adults.
For the person who would be working alongside her eldest son in the future, one had to be trustworthy and the other had to be capable. Lu Song had grown up with her eldest son since childhood, and the two shared a sibling bond, making them a perfect match in every respect. And Lu Song certainly lived up to her expectations, growing rapidly through repeated experiences.
Although the weather is getting colder, the New Year is getting closer and closer. Before we know it, it's the Little New Year.
Thinking back to last year's Lunar New Year, they had just arrived in Shiligou and were celebrating the festival in their rented house. At that time, all three families gathered together, but now only the women are left.
Wu Chunhua sighed and said that now that she knew Hongying was doing well, she was relieved. After all, that He Xiucai was capable! Besides, this year would be just as lively. The whole Lu family had come, and there were five more servants. In all things considered, they had more people than before!
Liu thought about it and realized that made sense. Although there seemed to be fewer people in the house now, the addition of several servants made it feel more lively than before. So she happily went to help Granny Song prepare the ingredients for the Lunar New Year's Eve.
Granny Song now has a new understanding of her master's family. When she first arrived, she was trembling with fear, carefully observing the master's family's expressions. But after a while, she was truly at ease. This family was really kind and generous. So she worked diligently, wishing she could take good care of the young masters and misses until they were plump and healthy.
The eldest children were used to hardship. The family's conditions had only improved a few days ago, but their mother's rapid increase in servants had turned them into a sweet burden. Knowing Song Po's good intentions, they couldn't bear to upset her, and they would always finish the food Song Po offered them.
Grandma Song's cooking skills are not as good as her mother's, but fortunately she is good at making soup. She can choose the right ingredients according to the season, and the taste is more delicious than they have ever tasted before.
Even Qin San Niang couldn't help but give a thumbs up in praise, saying that a bowl of mutton soup with red dates and yam in this kind of weather is simply warming from the mouth to the heart.
Encouraged by the host's praise, Granny Song worked even harder, cooking a different dish every few days. The host was kind-hearted and would always ask her to set aside some food for her family and the three Diao brothers, leaving the five of them deeply moved.
The three Diao brothers now ate with Granny Song's family. They were all at an age where they loved to laugh and play, and soon they became acquainted with Zhang Cheng, who was a little older. They also learned that the reason Zhang Cheng hadn't been sold for so long was because he had to take care of his parents. They knew that if they couldn't find a buyer, their fate would be even worse; they might be sold to a black coal mine to spend their lives in, a place where life was worse than death. They felt more respect for him and treated him like an older brother.
Knowing they could practice martial arts, Zhang Cheng was filled with envy. However, he needed to transport so much wine, and there couldn't be any mistakes. Only now did he realize that his employer wasn't running a small tavern, but one of the top taverns in the county.
The three Diao brothers spent most of their day working at the distillery, where the workers were all hired by the master, mostly villagers. Knowing they were servants, the villagers did not mistreat them, but instead took good care of them.
After the young masters returned from school, the boys would accompany them to practice their boxing every few days, which was quite interesting. They were surprised that their young master, despite his young age, was so skilled in boxing that they, who were around twenty years old, were actually outmatched, which made them somewhat ashamed. So, the boys became even more diligent, and after dinner, they would take advantage of any spare moments to discuss the boxing techniques they had learned during the day, and also teach Zhang Cheng a few things.
This set of boxing techniques was practiced by the eldest son of the Lu family, but as for what kind of boxing it was, he didn't know. When Old Man Lu saw that his eldest son was interested in it, he found him a martial arts master and trained him for several years. Although he couldn't fight off the tiger in Nanshan like Gu Qingshan, he could still make most thugs think twice before getting close.
While Mrs. Liu and Granny Song were busy in the kitchen, they told Wu Chunhua that they wanted to come over to their house for a lively celebration that evening, as the Lu family was all present and they would be worshipping their ancestors and having New Year's Eve dinner. Wu Chunhua and her son, however, didn't have such formalities. To avoid being alone and to save themselves the trouble of cooking, they figured they might as well come over for a meal.
Qin San Niang had no objection to this. She was always ahead of her time and didn't care about such mundane matters at all.
At this moment, what worries her most is the current political situation.
Half a month ago, the caravan brought a reply, saying that my brother and the others had safely transported the grain to the north, enough for an army of 30,000 for a month. However, the north was likely to be in turmoil, and there would probably be fewer letters in the future, so they didn't need to worry.
Previously, Qin Sanniang had calculated that this amount of grain wouldn't last long for the Yongzhou army. Although the south had a bumper harvest this year, taxes in other areas had increased significantly. This was likely due to the unrest in the north, which had created new concerns for the royal court. They worried that the vassal kings, especially the Yongzhou army, were becoming too powerful, and the newly appointed Yongzhou king was very popular. This made the already precarious court wary, and if treacherous individuals interfered, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't resort to some kind of counter-espionage scheme.
However, if the army's food supply were cut off in this way, it would be tantamount to handing Yongzhou over to the Hu people. If the Yongzhou army were forced into a desperate situation and fought back, it was not impossible.
Thinking of Xiao Chang'an, Qin San Niang's confidence increased even more. This man was ambitious to begin with, and with He Yingyuan's assistance, the two of them might very well have the idea of vying for the Central Plains.
However, if the Yongzhou army does not rebel, other vassal kings will. At that time, it will depend on who can control the situation the fastest and use the emperor to command the other lords!
Qin San Niang frowned, as if she had made up her mind, and that night she went to the Zhou residence alone.
Upon hearing her purpose, even Mr. and Mrs. Zhou were surprised, their expressions changing repeatedly. They had experienced countless trials and tribulations, but they had never seen such a decisive and ruthless woman.
In an instant, the couple's signature polite expressions vanished, replaced by solemnity. They cupped their hands and said, "Madam Qin's profound understanding and righteousness are truly admirable to us. On behalf of the soldiers of Yongzhou, we express our gratitude for her great kindness!"
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