Chapter 862 Talking about Money
This time, before Ouyang Rong could even speak, Sha Ergou, unable to contain himself, immediately snatched the money pouch, grinning from ear to ear:
"Are you staying here? Come on, come on, I'll help you clean, I can do the chores!"
Feeling the bulge in his wallet, the short-haired youth winked at Ouyang Rong with a cheerful expression, the latter knowing what he meant... a 50/50 split.
Li Wan looked on with a smile.
Lu Jinghong glanced speechlessly at Sha Ergou, who had suddenly become enthusiastic.
Immediately, he wrapped his arms around his longsword, slightly raised his chin, and his eyes became indifferent.
The four of them went to the neighboring courtyard together.
...
"Mother, you're being too vulgar. You did the same thing on the boat before. There's no need to be so obvious about giving money."
"If you don't give others benefits, why should they do things for you? Don't beat around the bush, just be direct. Giving money is much more convenient."
"Especially since we've come to this unfamiliar, secluded place, unlike down in the mountains, we have no choice but to do this to quickly establish a foothold."
“If this were in Luoyang or Hebei, your mother wouldn’t have given you money. There are other ways. There’s no need to carry so much silver around. It’s quite heavy, and I’m too lazy to carry it.”
After Lu Jinghong complained, the noblewoman's irritated reply rang out from the room where the lights had just been lit.
The two side rooms in the courtyard had been cleaned up, and the water tank outside had been filled with clean water. In the kitchen, before leaving, Sha Ergou also kindly boiled a pot of water, which was not yet fully boiling.
Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou had just left, having lent a hand to Li Wan and tidied up the bamboo courtyard.
Inside the main house, the mother and son waited for the water to boil.
Lu Jinghong sat down, still clutching the sword tightly in his arms, turned his face away, and muttered:
"Don't give me that 'money talks' nonsense; it's all about money. It doesn't necessarily have to be money. I can make a friend, and friends can help each other out. When I'm successful, I'll naturally repay the favor. Besides, anyone with sense won't refuse my kindness..."
"Favors? You think your face is worth a lot? Besides, favors are the most troublesome thing."
Li Wan pursed her lips and walked to the window, opened it a crack, glanced at the courtyard next door where Liu and Sha were already resting with the lights off, slowly nodded, and continued:
"You can go to Luoyang sometime and spend some time with your cousins. You'll see what it's like to be in the world of fame and fortune. You'll understand that you should be careful about owing favors. If something can be resolved with money and power, then use money and power. Don't talk about feelings. Talking about feelings is something you do with those in higher positions or those in the same position, not for those in lower positions, unless they are very useful to you."
“You, you’ve only read fictional novels. Talking about loyalty and saving face is something that only roughnecks in the martial arts world are keen on. Don’t be misled. You shouldn’t stay in your hometown. When you go back, go to Luoyang with your mother.”
"I'm not going!"
Lu Jinghong, clutching his sword, said sullenly:
"That place is full of vulgar people, full of the stench of money. It's not interesting. Once I've mastered the first-class swordsmanship, I will make a name for myself in the martial arts world and let everyone know that the men of the Lu family of Fanyang are not only good at studying."
The still-charming noblewoman looked somewhat troubled, glanced at him, and sighed softly.
"You think your mother is a vulgar person, that your mother reeks of money? If you think that way, it means you don't understand money and the world well enough, and you still see things too superficially."
"Don't you think that the first ancestor to invent money was a true sage? You think money is an invention of vulgar people, and that when money is involved, feelings are not so pure."
"Little do people know that if there were no money in this world, people would be even more indifferent to each other than they are now, and the cost of communication and getting to know each other would be extremely high. Conflicts and frictions would occur at the drop of a hat, because the other party would not immediately want anything from you. Why should they greet you with a smile and speak nicely to you?"
"Money is like a lubricant, flowing among people, easing conflicts, reducing trivial matters, and bringing relationships closer. Even if you are a northerner, in a foreign land in the south, you can be warmly welcomed and greeted by the rough and uncouth people, precisely because you have money in your hands."
"Perhaps you feel that you're only after money, and that the other person's smile and affection aren't sincere enough. But you've just met them, so you have to make them want something from you, right? We're not saints, and not everyone is a pretty girl like that Song maid you're thinking about, whose face can be used to make a living."
"Even if it were Song's maid, if she encountered a woman instead of you men, her face wouldn't be enough to earn her a living."
"In fact, most people are just ordinary people and don't have pretty faces, so what can be done? Money actually makes the world more fair."
Li Wan smiled, patted the dust off Lu Jinghong's shoulder, and earnestly instructed him:
"Jinghong, look, this is something that can be used all over the world, making everyone smile. Even if you don't like it, at least you don't hate it and can accept it reluctantly... Now you still think it's smelly and that your mother is vulgar?"
"Therefore, Mother believes that the ancestor who invented money is the true sage, the greatest sage, even greater than Confucius..."
"Because money has not made the world more indifferent; on the contrary, it has warmed people up a bit."
"These are the most important principles that we should understand, but they are not written in the books of sages and saints. That's why your mother never said anything to you when you were young because you disobeyed your father and didn't like to study. Those books are indeed full of nonsense."
Lu Jinghong's expression shifted, as if he thought "this twisted logic" made a lot of sense, but he was unwilling to back down and was stuck on the issue.
Li Wan smiled and didn't make things difficult for him. Hearing the sound of boiling water coming from the kitchen, she got up and went to get some.
When the lady returned, Lu Jinghong had already returned to normal, and helped set out the teacups and placed tea leaves in the cups.
He took the kettle from his somewhat frail mother, steamed some tea leaves, and said:
"Judging from this, Miss Song and the others must be quite talented to have been chosen by Jianze to be able to get in."
Li Wan blew on the tea leaves, and slowly nodded in the rising steam:
"Of course it wasn't a random choice. That town was a setup, a place where the ladies observed suitable candidates. I heard at the inn that this Miss Song was bought from a human trafficker by the landlady."
She casually analyzed:
"Looking at it now, it should be half true and half false. She is indeed a refugee girl from Jiannan Road, but she was also chosen by Jianze in advance. Then, through various man-made 'coincidences,' she came to Taoyuan Town in a daze. Tsk tsk, Yunmeng Jianze's power in Tiannan is indeed strong."
Lu Jinghong forgot to drink her tea and said with bright eyes:
"Of course, to be chosen as a Yue Maiden, one must not only be exceptionally talented, but also have a clean and pure background. Otherwise, wouldn't that ruin Jianze's reputation? Mother, I knew I had exceptional judgment. Back at the inn, I saw her special at a glance."
"Furthermore, this also explains what Mother meant when she said that beautiful flowers can bloom in barren lands. It's because Miss Song is extraordinary. She was carefully selected by Jianze, not some kind of disaster."
Li Wan paused in her tea-drinking motion, glancing at her son's barely concealed joy, and frowned slightly.
"So you're still thinking about such childish things? Jinghong, did you come here to learn swordsmanship or to fall in love?"
"Remember, you are a son of the Lu family of Fanyang. What is there for a man to worry about when he has no wife? Moreover, you can only marry women from five different families, and you can only marry one principal wife. You are not allowed to take concubines. This is the family tradition of the Lu family."
"Also, you are not allowed to marry any woman outside the five surnames. If it weren't for the controversy surrounding the 'forbidden marriage families' a few years ago, making it inconvenient for you to stand up, your father would have arranged a marriage between you and one of the five surnames long ago."
"And what's so good about her?"
Lu Jinghong shook her head like a rattle-drum, and stammered as she said:
“Mother, I don’t want you to make arrangements… You don’t understand, when I first saw her at the inn, I felt she was different.”
He turned his head and said to Li Wan very seriously:
“Yes, Mother, she’s different! Unlike the northern girls I’ve met before.”
Li Wan: ...
Upon hearing this, the noblewoman nearly spat out her tea.
She took a deep breath and stared at him:
"You're really obsessed. That's such an immature statement."
Lu Jinghong held her head high with pride, her tone firm:
"Anyway, don't worry about me, the child has his own ideas."
Helpless, Li Wan changed her approach and brought up Jian Ze:
"Don't do anything reckless. Don't forget the rules of Yunmeng Sword Marsh. If the eldest lord doesn't like you, you can forget about learning swordsmanship. She might even kick you out of the Bamboo Hall."
Lu Jinghong frowned and remained silent.
Li Wan also frowned as she looked at him.
After a moment, she slowly spoke:
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Also, there's something else."
Lu Jinghong was distracted:
"What's up?"
“You can get closer to Liu Aliang. You greeted him first and didn’t put on airs, which is good.”
Lu Jinghong said with dissatisfaction: "Why does Mother care about these things? I just thought he was a nice person and greeted him casually. I didn't have any of Mother's calculations of self-interest."
Li Wan shook her head:
"The Great Queen said that there are a few boys who will participate in the Bamboo Hall assessment, and he is probably one of them. You can get along well with him. Think about why the Great Queen personally called him out and brought him in with her."
"He must have extraordinary talent in Qi cultivation or swordsmanship, so let's not offend him."
Lu Jinghong got up and went out, waving her hand:
"Okay, okay, I got it."
Before leaving, he remembered something and asked:
"Mother, you're staying with me instead of going back to Luoyang? Aren't you working there with Aunt and the others?"
"No need to reply for now."
Li Wan shook her head and suddenly gave a word of advice:
"Remember, don't mention anything about your mother in Luoyang to anyone."
Lu Jinghong walked out the door somewhat nonchalantly.
"Okay, I understand."
...
Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou returned to the bamboo courtyard together.
"Hehe, Madam Li is so generous, truly generous. This is at least a tael of silver ingot..."
As soon as he entered, Sha Ergou enthusiastically poured the silver from his money bag onto the table, counting it one by one and dividing it into two piles.
"Brother Liu, here, this is yours."
With a bright smile, he handed half a tael of silver to Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong didn't answer immediately, glanced at him, and said:
"Are you short of money?" He paused. "I mean, is there something urgent, besides the idea of redeeming the concubine?"
Sha Ergou paused for a moment, then nodded in response:
"Everyone wants to earn more money, but I came to Taoyuan Town because I really want to save more money so that I can go out and see the world in the future."
"Shall we go out and take a look?"
"Mmm! My sister said there are lots of delicious foods outside. I need to save up more money so I can take my sister out to eat and broaden her horizons. I heard from Boss Yu that although the officials outside are bad, the world outside is much bigger than Taoyuan Town."
His eyes were filled with longing as he muttered to himself:
"I've heard there's a place called Luoyang that surpasses even a hundred Peach Blossom Towns. Brother Liu, have you ever been there?"
"No."
Sha Ergou grinned: "Then let's go together sometime when we have the chance."
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment.
After a while, he suddenly punched Sha Ergou on the shoulder, swearing—a rare occurrence for him.
"You son of a bitch, don't try to set up a flag for me."
Sha Ergou said in a daze:
What does "raising a flag" mean?
"Unlucky words."
Sha Ergou is even stranger:
Why is it considered unlucky?
Ouyang Rong shook his head without answering, then turned and left.
"Alright, go back and rest. Tomorrow will probably be busy."
"oh oh."
"Oh, right, you did a lot of work just now, here's your money."
Sha Ergou hesitated for a moment, but Ouyang Rong was adamant, so he had no choice but to scratch his head and accept it, his eyes filled with undisguised gratitude.
The two returned to their respective rooms, and the lights in the courtyard gradually went out.
Inside the side room chosen by Ouyang Rong on the right.
In the darkness.
When Ouyang Rong heard Sha Ergou's rhythmic snoring coming from next door, he opened his eyes.
I rested quietly for a while, resting my head on the Peach Blossom Spring painting.
After a moment, he put the pill box he had been clutching back down and closed his eyes.
He still didn't swallow the Transcendent Golden Pill.
The image of Xue Zhongzhu suddenly probing him before he was taken away by Xue Zhongzhu at Sanhui Courtyard flashed before Ouyang Rong's eyes.
Although this young lady Zhi Shuang has a bad memory, if a man who was originally found to have ordinary Qi Refining aptitude suddenly has extraordinary Qi Refining aptitude, he will definitely become suspicious.
The golden light of Emperor Wen's divine power can only be maintained for three breaths at present, and it cannot withstand the special examination after being targeted.
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes again.
"Shall we go to Luoyang together...? I promised her I'd take her... I can feel that I'm getting very close to her... Slow and steady wins the race... Slow and steady wins the race..."
As he murmured, Ouyang Rong did not fall asleep, but silently sensed something.
Meanwhile, on a small island called Zhuo, far outside Yunmengze, a solitary grave stands silently beneath a locust tree in a dark valley.
At one point, a fluorescent white halo occasionally shone on the tombstone engraved with the words "Lu Changgeng".
The glow lingered for a long time.
It was a white sturgeon that seemed to be "lost," circling around the lonely grave.
Quietly waiting for some inhuman, unscrupulous owner who is "thinking about digging up other people's ancestral graves".
Inside the right wing, there was a person with their eyes closed, seemingly talking in their sleep:
"Luckily, we have this little guy as an anchor point. By guarding the outside, we won't get lost in the white fog and can find our way. It's just that the poisonous miasma is a bit of a problem... Speaking of which, it would be great if it were a barrier like lightning. Anyway, I'm not afraid of electricity..."
Ouyang Rong rolled over, his words muffled:
"I'm sorry, Madam Li, Young Master Lu, I don't want your money... Besides, I'm a little embarrassed to accept this money."
(End of this chapter)
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