Chapter 14 A kind-hearted brother who dotes on his younger sister
For three consecutive days, Lu Zhaoruo stayed in the house.
The heavy snow outside blocked the door, saving her the trouble of going to the shop. In addition, she pretended to be sick, so she was even exempted from the morning and evening greetings.
Over the past three days, she has thoroughly figured out the plan to acquire those two shops.
At this moment, she sat upright at the desk, dipped her brush in cinnabar, and drew the "Imperial Edict" talisman and the Big Dipper pattern on the yellow paper, imitating the style of the talismans of Jingci Temple.
Finally, she deliberately imitated the monk's unrestrained brushstrokes, signing it "Zen Master Huiming," even mastering the nuances of ink density.
Now, only the final step remains—the Dharma seal.
Holding Abao in her arms, Dongrou asked in confusion, "Why does my wife want to make a replica of this amulet?"
Lu Zhaoruo smiled and said, "This is a 'longevity and disaster relief talisman' that I obtained after braving the wind and snow to personally go to Jingci Temple and kneel down to beg for it all day. The abbot said that sincerity is the key to its efficacy."
She carefully folded the talisman: "The two elders are getting old, so we must do our best to fulfill this sentiment."
Dongrou understood immediately and praised, "My wife is so clever."
After saying that, he added, "By the way, Xing'er was punished by the old lady with a few lashes the other day and was made to do laundry. I saw her this morning, and she was glaring at me fiercely."
Lu Zhaoruo's lips curled slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
This is something Xing'er brought upon herself.
She put the talisman in her sleeve and went out.
Today, Yunniang at the tailor shop has almost finished sewing the winter clothes. She wants to go back and see her brother, father, and mother.
Before leaving, she went to the accounting office to withdraw money.
The cash in the account was only twenty taels, barely enough for three to five days' worth of transactions.
"Six taels."
She said calmly.
The accountant, Shen Qingshu's confidant, didn't even lift his eyelids, just waiting for her to speak.
"I want to go to Jingci Temple to pray for my aunt and uncle."
She said sincerely, "The more you donate, the greater your blessings will be. May the two elders live to be a hundred years old, free from illness and disaster."
The pen never stops, recording the reasons for withdrawals.
Lu Zhaoruo gathered the silver in her sleeve; she now had ten taels in her hand.
She asked Dongrou to stay home and take care of Abao, while she went to the back door.
At the back gate, the gatekeeper Cao Cang was fast asleep, his head slumped against the door, with a pile of firewood burning beside him.
Lu Zhaoruo vaguely heard shouts outside the door.
She called out, "Cao Cangtou."
The old servant continued snoring loudly.
She raised her voice: "Cao Cangtou!"
The servant suddenly snapped out of his daze, and seeing that it was Lu Zhaoruo, lazily wiped away his drool: "What brings you here, Madam?"
Lu Zhaoruo: "Open the door."
Cao Cangtou suddenly looked guilty and stammered as he went to open the door.
As soon as the latch was removed, a gust of cold wind swept in, carrying snowflakes.
Outside the door, a burly figure stood tall in the wind and snow, yet he was still shivering slightly from the biting cold. His old cotton robe was already soaked through with snow water, and his fingers were swollen and purple from the cold, with several bloody cuts at the joints. Yet he still clutched an oil paper package tightly, as if afraid that the pastries inside would get wet from the snow.
He held a bolt of cloth under his other strong arm; the edges of the cloth were soaked with snow water and hung heavily.
That angular, resolute face now appeared unnaturally pale.
The person looked like a sculpture carved from ice and snow, yet stubbornly stood still.
Lu Zhaoruo's eyes welled up with tears, and she rushed over to grab his sleeve: "Brother!"
Lu Bohong's lips were blue from the cold, but he still managed a smile: "Little sister."
He stiffly picked up the oil paper package, then shook the cloth under his arm. "Look, brother brought chestnut flour cakes, and cloth..."
He paused, his voice lowering, "It's a reward from the top scholar, but... it's only enough to make a thin jacket. I'll have to... I'll have to take apart the old cotton wadding."
Lu Zhaoruo didn't care about any of that. She touched his arm and it felt like she had touched an ice cube. He must have been standing in the snow for a long time.
Her throat tightened, and her voice trembled: "Why didn't you use the front door? Why are you standing here at the back door?"
Lu Bohong smiled憨厚ly: "The back door is closer, saving us the trouble of going out of our way."
As he spoke, his nostrils twitched involuntarily.
Lu Zhaoruo felt a pang in her heart.
From childhood to adulthood, he would unconsciously sniffle when he lied.
"There are more chestnut flour cakes this time than in the last few times."
He awkwardly added, "It's enough for you to eat for quite a few days. When you've finished it, your brother will send you more."
Last time?
She never received any chestnut flour cakes.
In her past life, she had a very good relationship with her brother, but since she married into the Shen family, her brother rarely came to visit her. She thought they had grown distant, but now she realized that the Shen family wouldn't even let her in through the main gate, and they even dared to embezzle the things he brought.
This fool, fearing she would be in a difficult position in her husband's family, swallowed all her grievances.
Lu Zhaoruo looked at Cao Cangtou.
Although Cao Cangtou had his neck hunched, his cloudy eyes darted around: "This old servant was fast asleep and didn't hear my uncle knocking on the door."
Lu Zhaoruo's gaze wasn't sharp, but it pressed down heavily like a deep pool: "Uncle Cao's hearing is quite good for his age; it seems he's not suited to guarding the gate."
She stopped arguing with the unruly servant and instead took Lu Bohong's wrist, which was red from the cold: "Brother, I'm going to Jingci Temple to pray for my aunt and uncle. The snow is deep and the roads are slippery. Would you like to come with me?"
"Why!"
Lu Bohong nodded hurriedly, but then hesitated, looking at the cloth and pastries in his arms: "Then these..."
Lu Zhaoruo: "Bring it with you."
Turning the corner, Lu Zhaoruo walked straight into the tailor shop.
When the three thick new coats were handed to him, Lu Bohong was stunned: "Didn't you say you were going to..."
"Of course I'm not going to Jingci Temple, but I miss you and my parents and want to find an excuse to go home and visit them."
She interrupted softly, pressing a dark blue cotton robe against her brother's chest, "Brother, is your winter coat still the old one from two years ago, the stuffing of which is all clumped together?"
Lu Bohong hurriedly refused.
Lu Zhaoruo's eyes suddenly reddened.
In her past life, she had been married into the Shen family for nearly ten years and had never sent anything decent to her family. It wasn't until the Shen family became wealthier and her in-laws loosened their control that she finally prepared New Year's gifts, thinking it was time to help her family...
But.
That day, however, was the anniversary of his elder brother's death.
Lu Zhaoruo still remembers that in her previous life, her elder brother had just passed the martial arts examination with top honors. Her usually gentle father was furious and refused to allow him to go to the capital to take the martial arts examination.
Even if Lu's mother cried, made a scene, or threatened to hang herself, it was all to no avail.
The dutiful elder brother eventually listened to his father and stayed in the county as a minor inspector.
Later, the county magistrate's daughter fell in love with him.
Li Nian'er, relying on her status as the county magistrate's daughter, was arrogant and spoiled.
At first, she was attracted to Lu Bohong's heroic spirit, but once the novelty wore off, she began to find fault with him every day, complaining that he was useless and only fit to be a lowly inspector.
Lu Zhaoruo vaguely remembered that night when she knelt before her brother's sickbed. The man who once could subdue a runaway horse with his bare hands was now nothing but skin and bones, yet he still forced a smile: "Little sister... don't cry..."
His gaze suddenly became exceptionally clear, looking beyond the window frame straight towards the northeastern horizon: "I, Lu Bohong, began practicing martial arts at the age of five, training through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, all for the sake of one day..."
Suddenly, he jerked his body up, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the bedding, yet he still gripped the edge of the bed tightly: "I could wield a sword to defend my country, and die on the battlefield, but now these bones... are... are rotting in this tiny place!"
He slumped back onto the pillow, the fire in his eyes gradually dying out, leaving only a barely audible sigh: "...Regret...ah..."
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