Chapter 85 Several servants were willing to follow Lu Zhaoruo
As soon as he finished speaking, the two servants who had been sent by Zhang to collect the body the night before shoved and pushed each other as they moved over.
The skinny servant hunched over and knelt down with a thud: "Madam Lu, please understand! I was blind last night..."
As he spoke, he slapped himself in the face, exclaiming, "These eyes of mine couldn't even recognize a true Bodhisattva!"
Another short, stout servant quickly knelt down, pulled a dirty cloth bag from his robes, and stammered, "The reward money from Zhang... it's all here..."
His dark face flushed red. "I didn't dare spend a single penny..."
Lu Zhaoruo raised her hand slightly, and Dong Rou stepped forward with the silver coins that had been prepared beforehand.
The two men refused to accept the reward.
The thinner one spoke first: "Madam Lu, my humble name is Mudfish Three, and this big, clumsy one is called Stone Mill."
His eyes darted around, "We little ones want... want to follow you and beg for food!"
Ever since Lu Zhaoruo easily knocked them down with a stick and then took the entire Shen family to the state government, her courage and methods had already won them over.
This idea was naturally a slippery one.
Although he was a street urchin, he was very good at reading the political winds...
Although this Lady Lu is a woman, she is decisive and dares to sue even the entire Shen family. She is a capable woman. If you follow her, you will never have to worry about food and clothing in the future.
Lu Zhaoruo looked up towards the most bustling street in Jizhou City, pondering how to take over the largest "Jinxiufang" in Jizhou City the next day.
Jinxiufang is a three-story vermilion-lacquered building that stands facing the street.
Located in the heart of Jizhou City's bustling commercial district, it is a place where people come and go every day, with a constant stream of merchants and travelers.
If managed diligently, such a position will surely bring in abundant wealth in the future, making it a highly profitable business.
The owner of Jinxiufang passed away in his old age. His second wife was the daughter of a scholar who knew nothing about needlework and the trade. Ever since the owner, Mr. Chen, passed away, the old manager of the shop ran away with all the valuables, and the embroiderers were making a fuss about their wages. She wiped away tears every day while looking at the account book, just hoping to get rid of the business as soon as possible.
In his previous life, the owner of Zhou's Embroidery Workshop acquired this lucrative business for only three hundred taels of silver, but due to poor management and mistreatment of the embroiderers, it went bankrupt in less than half a year.
In this life, she has five hundred taels of silver in hand, which is the perfect opportunity.
Taking over Jinxiufang will definitely leave them short-staffed.
Her gaze swept over the two kneeling figures, and she said, "In that case, you will follow me, but you must remember three rules—"
"First, unwavering loyalty. I despise those who betray their masters and servants. Those who betray their masters and servants should be branded and exiled for three thousand miles."
"Secondly, greed is a deadly poison. Do not be short-sighted and forget the greater good for small gains. If you dare to take even a penny from your master, you will have a finger chopped off to pay off the debt."
"Thirdly, diligence leads to wealth. If you can adhere to the first two principles, you will have a bright future ahead of you."
The loach's three eyes darted around: "I swear to heaven, if I dare to betray my master, may the Thunder God strike me down."
Seeing this, Shi Mozi stammered, "Me, me too! If you betray your master... call me... call me..."
He was sweating profusely with anxiety when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him: "Even if I push an empty millstone my whole life, I won't be able to grind a single grain of rice!"
Mudfish Three nudged him with his elbow and whispered, "Idiot, get to the point!"
The millstone, wincing in pain, blurted out, "Oh right! I also want to be struck by lightning!"
Looking at the two men, one slick and the other simple-minded, Lu Zhaoruo smiled slightly and said, "Remember what you said today. My thunder is louder than the heavens."
He then added, "From now on, you shall call me 'Master Lu.'"
She did not accept the silver that Shi Mozi handed over with both hands, but instead gave each of them the five taels of silver she had promised.
Then, he took out a few pieces of silver from his purse and handed them to Dongrou: "Go find a decent residence, two adjacent, clean, top-class guest rooms. One for you and Lü'er, and the other for the three of them."
She paused on the silver coins with her fingertips, then added another one. "These past few days have been unseasonably cold. Get two more newly fluffed cotton quilts to avoid catching a chill. Don't try to save a few coins."
Dongrou accepted the money.
Greenie twisted the hem of her clothes, not daring to raise her head. How could a lowly maid like her be worthy of staying in a superior guest room?
Shi Tou suddenly knelt down, his hands crumpling the hem of his clothes: "Master, our servants are too rough to stay in the superior guest rooms!"
He pointed to a foot inn with a reed mat shed at the end of the alley, "That large communal bed will do, twenty coins is enough for the three of us to sleep in."
Mudfish Three immediately bent over and stepped forward: "Brother Stone is right! We can stay in the dormitory."
Stone Mill stammered, "I... I'm willing to sleep on the street!"
Lu Zhaoruo's tone left no room for doubt: "This matter is settled."
Dongrou said gently, "My wife treats us with sincerity and never regards us as inferiors. You must remember this kindness."
She glanced at everyone and continued, "If you truly appreciate your wife's kindness, you should be devoted to her from now on and not betray her good intentions."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes reddened.
The usually cunning and sly Jia Qi was unusually serious. He said, "Don't worry, boss! From now on, if you point east, I'll never go west!"
Stone Mill quickly replied, "I... I have plenty of strength. I'll do whatever the master tells me to do!"
Stone wiped away his tears and said, "I will be loyal to my master."
Greenie timidly raised her head, her voice soft yet firm: "This servant...this servant will serve the master well..."
Lu Zhaoruo nodded slightly and instructed Dongrou to take them to arrange their accommodations, and also told them to prepare more food for the evening.
The crowd of onlookers had long since dispersed, and after they left, she was left alone in front of the Shen residence.
She looked back.
The once magnificent vermilion gate was sealed off, and the black-lacquered plaque with the blue characters "Chen Zhai" on the lintel was roughly pried off by the yamen runners with iron hooks and thrown heavily to the ground.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on those familiar eaves and screen walls, but only revealed a desolate scene of empty buildings.
She took a breath.
Recalling the events of her past life, especially the day Shen Rongzhi brought Lin Yingyu back.
She sat alone, curled up in the pine chair, watching the family reunite, the room filled with joy...
Shen Rongzhi simply said lightly, "These past thirty years have been tough."
She remembers her hands trembling as she clutched the handkerchief, her back shaking from coughing: "Thirty years of waiting, and this is all I get in return?"
Shen Rongzhi then turned to her children and grandchildren who were fighting over the inheritance and said, "The family property is all yours, so stop making a fuss."
Family business?
A cold smile appeared on Lu Zhaoruo's lips.
She turned around, her back straight, and stepped down the stone steps one by one.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of hers in front of the empty, dilapidated house.
What family fortune is left now?
Even the ancestral home was sealed off.
"Little sister, little sister."
At this moment, Lu Bohong walked towards us.
He was holding a plump old hen that was still flapping its wings.
Lu Bohong had just returned to the county government office and finished his shift there; he hadn't even had time to change out of his official robes yet.
He stopped in front of Lu Zhaoruo and said with a smile, "Little sister, come home with your brother. Your brother specially picked the fattest hen and will personally cook you a pot of hot chicken soup to nourish your body."
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