Chapter 905 Young Master Lu Returns from His Apprenticeship
"Liu Aliang?"
"Um."
"You are the cook at the Qingliang Valley Dining Hall."
"right."
On an island covered in lush forests, Ouyang Rong was stopped by two young women dressed in Wu clothing in front of a high wall, standing outside the wall.
The young woman in Wu clothing at the front scrutinized him, looked him over for a moment, and then asked him a few questions.
Ouyang Rong answered each question.
Wu Fu and her companion exchanged a glance, then the latter turned and walked through the stone gate, leaving the two of them behind.
The young woman in Wu clothing who remained looked at Ouyang Rong, her tone serious:
"Do you know that without food delivery or any token from the dining hall, servants are not allowed to move around freely in the Sword Marsh, especially in important places like the Autumn Hall?"
Ouyang Rong said woodenly:
"I noticed the dining hall is close by, and I haven't gone far. I didn't intend to go in, but I just wanted to find someone. Could you two fairies please inform them?"
Seeing his dull and honest appearance, Wu Fu's young lady softened her tone slightly:
"What brings you here, Junior Sister Song? Did someone bully you in the dining hall? If so, we can report it to the thatched cottage for you..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"No, it's a personal matter that needs to be discussed in person."
As Wu Fuxiaoniang pondered, the Yue woman who had gone inside the door returned and whispered a few words to her.
Wu Fu nodded slightly and said to Ouyang Rong:
"You can go back now. You can leave a message. She's not here; she's out on important business. We'll pass on the message when she gets back."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the high wall; the view behind it was obscured, and he couldn't see what was happening inside.
Ouyang Rong calmly said:
"Okay, just say that Liu Aliang is looking for her. I usually stay in the dining hall."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The two young women dressed in Wu clothing didn't seem to care much.
...
Ouyang Rong returned to the small island where he lived.
He didn't go looking for Lady Yu.
He found Qiutang by asking around along the way.
Taotang is even further away, so there's definitely no time to go there tonight. I won't travel far for now.
As the young woman in Wu clothing who guarded the gate said, as a servant, he could not run around without a valid reason.
Currently, Yunmeng Jianze is retreating to the mountains, and its relationship with the secular imperial power has deteriorated. Some conflicts have become public, attracting attention from all sides. Within Jianze, those who do not abide by the rules are easily suspected of illicit affairs.
Ouyang Rong thought about it and decided that there was no rush to wait for Song Zhian to come to him after receiving the message.
As for Song Zhian ignoring him, not coming to find him, or pretending to be confused and forgetting, that is the case.
What to do next is also very simple and clear.
However, Ouyang Rong didn't think so.
However, it's always best to have a backup plan.
Returning to the courtyard with a calm expression, Ouyang Rong had just stepped into the house when he heard the familiar footsteps of a woman coming from the courtyard outside.
"Brother Liang."
It was Li Wan's gentle voice.
Ouyang Rong subconsciously lowered the brim of his hat, stepped out of the room, and prepared to deal with those "minor matters," but then heard Li Wan's laughter:
"Look who's back! Haha, Brother Liang is coming to my courtyard for dinner tonight too. It'll be a good opportunity to get together with Jinghong. I'll cook a few more dishes."
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but turn his head and look behind Li Wan.
Lu Jinghong was standing outside the door with his sword in his arms, looking around the courtyard with a somewhat absent-minded expression.
Ouyang Rong looked around at the mother and son, but couldn't see Sha Ergou anywhere.
Lu Jinghong raised her head.
The two exchanged glances.
Lu Jinghong clasped his hands in a fist salute to him.
...
At night, in Li Wan's courtyard.
Two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup were laid out on the table.
Li Wan warmly handed her son a bowl of steaming white rice, which he took and began to eat, wolfing it down.
Li Wan was helpless:
"Eat slowly, you're starving like a ghost. Looks like you're really tired from your time at the Bamboo Hall."
"Uh-huh."
Lu Jinghong focused on eating and didn't say a word.
Ouyang Rong originally didn't want to come, but after thinking about some things, he accepted the invitation and came along. He also cooked two dishes for Li Wan.
Li Wan seemed quite surprised by Ouyang Rong's superb culinary skills, especially after seeing Lu Jinghong eat two bowls of rice.
Although she's not a very skilled cook, she can still sense the difference between a master cook and a culinary expert.
Clearly, Ouyang Rong is one of them.
As Lu Jinghong emptied his rice bowl and went to the kitchen to get more food, Li Wan asked him curiously:
“I didn’t expect Brother Liang to be such a good cook. Jinghong rarely eats this much. This dish looks delicious… But, I heard from them that you were just a kitchen helper in the dining hall and didn’t cook? Weren’t you supposed to be making soup for a certain lady?”
"You flatter me."
Ouyang Rong said modestly, without explaining, and instead asked seriously:
"Madam Li seems to have mentioned before that you are related to the Third Lady. Young Master Lu was able to participate in the Bamboo Hall assessment with the permission of the First Lady, and Madam's decision to keep him is also... Judging from this, do you sometimes get acquainted with the First Lady or other ladies? Do you have any connections to meet them?"
Li Wan immediately waved her hand:
"I am just a woman, how can I see the ladies whenever I want? As for the eldest lady, she has made an exception for me, but she has also instructed me to settle here and take good care of Jinghong, but I cannot run around. As for seeing the ladies, I dare not go there on my own."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly: "Is that so..."
Li Wan carefully observed his expression and asked with a hint of curiosity:
"Brother Liang, is there something troubling you? Can't your sister help you solve it? What could be so difficult that you need to involve the Queen's connections?"
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"Actually, it's not a very important matter. It involves the dining hall and is related to my work... I can't ask Aqing for help, so I can only ask someone else."
He paused, then said with a serious expression:
"Actually, it doesn't necessarily require the Queen's decree. Some big shots at the level of the head of a branch would also work, but I'm just a rough guy and don't have that kind of connection..."
"Is that so... The level of the head of the gang is that of a big shot like Jianze who can hang up a sign saying he's safe and sound. Let me think about it."
Li Wan seemed lost in thought, while out of the corner of her eye she was observing Ouyang Rong's expression, as if trying to determine whether this matter was truly important to him...
Ouyang Rong continued eating.
Li Wan suddenly turned her head and whispered:
"Wait a minute, let me ask for you."
Ouyang Rong asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
Li Wan glanced towards the kitchen and gestured with her chin:
"Ask Jinghong, see if he can help..."
Ouyang Rong subconsciously said, "Ask him?"
Li Wan smiled slightly:
"Yeah, I was just asking, but I might not be able to help. Just so you know, Brother Liang..."
Just then, Lu Jinghong returned with a bowl of steaming hot white rice.
Back in his seat, he glanced curiously at the two people in front of him who were both looking at him sideways.
"Mother, Brother Liu, what were you talking about just now? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"fine."
Li Wan shook her head.
The two looked away and went to eat.
Lu Jinghong didn't think much of it and continued to eat, like a starving ghost.
Ouyang Rong temporarily suppressed his curiosity and quieted down.
Li Wan ate her meal in silence for a while. When she had almost finished, she said casually:
"By the way, Jinghong, how many days of rest will you have after you come back this time?"
Lu Jinghong said without looking to the side:
"Things at Zhutang are almost settled. I just asked Zhutang and Master for a one-night leave. I can only come back to rest for one night and see my mother. I have to leave tomorrow morning."
He lowered his head and ate his rice, not continuing to speak.
Ouyang Rong, who was expecting the young man in brocade to boast, found that this young master Lu seemed to be much quieter today.
"Oh, only one night."
Li Wan pondered for a moment, her expression shifting.
Ouyang Rong stopped eating and asked:
"Young Master Lu, have you already become disciples?"
Lu Jinghong became increasingly engrossed in his work, his words becoming increasingly indistinct:
"Uh-huh."
Li Wan immediately smiled, genuinely pleased. She placed a piece of food on Lu Jinghong's plate, smiled at Ouyang Rong, and said:
"Jinghong mentioned it when she returned, saying that her master held a top-tier position within the Bamboo Hall. Although not the Queen, he was still a formidable senior figure..."
Ouyang Rong looked at Lu Jinghong.
The young man in brocade robes, who was eating his rice, nodded: "Mmm-hmm."
Li Wan sighed, "I was thinking you should rest a few more days. I'll cook some food and we can go together to invite our teachers and fellow disciples to a meal so we can get to know each other..."
Lu Jinghong paused with her chopsticks, then immediately looked up to interrupt:
"No."
Seeing the two looking at him curiously, he put on a serious expression and said earnestly:
“Mother, I’m not a child anymore. Don’t follow me in everything. Let me make my own way. It’s settled then. You stay home and rest well. Don’t worry about me.”
Li Wan fell silent.
Looking at her son, whose expression was resolute and independent, she murmured with some emotion:
“Jinghong has really grown up, becoming more and more like a man. But you're right, Mother shouldn't get too close. As for the dinner invitation, let's discuss it again. The main thing is…”
She glanced at Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong had a rough idea of what Li Wan meant.
However, he did not meet the woman's gaze; instead, he put down his chopsticks and looked at Lu Jinghong.
Congratulations.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly and continued to ask:
"Brother Lu, how is Er Gou doing? Is he still at Zhutang?"
Lu Jinghong ate his rice honestly, maintaining the same pace:
"No, I'm not sure. I didn't see much after I went in."
He had just finished speaking when he turned to Li Wan, who had a hesitant expression on her face, and said:
"Alright, Mother, we shouldn't talk while eating or sleeping. Let's eat first, don't worry about me."
"Alright, alright." Li Wan picked up the bowl with a helpless expression.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong glanced at Lu Jinghong, who was unusually low-key and composed today, and decided it wasn't convenient to ask anything further. He then picked up his bowl and started eating again...
Seeing this, Li Wan held back her words.
The three of them ate quietly until the end.
After finishing his meal, Lu Jinghong stood up without saying a word, as if he wanted to take the empty bowl to the kitchen.
Li Wan quickly reached out to stop him:
"Oh, put down the bowl, let me help you. You child, I've never seen you so sensible before. How come you're doing housework after just one trip out..."
Li Wan shook her head, but judging from her expression, she seemed quite happy.
Lu Jinghong glanced at Ouyang Rong first, then his face hardened; his mother's words seemed to have displeased him slightly.
“My child has always been so good.”
"Okay, okay."
The woman looked at him with doting eyes and smiled as she said:
"Oh, by the way, there's something I need your help with, a trivial matter..."
"Thump—!!"
A loud noise echoed throughout the room.
At the same time, he interrupted Li Wan.
Li Wan stared blankly in the direction of her son.
Ouyang Rong looked down.
Suddenly, Lu Jinghong put down the bowl, the bottom of which slammed heavily onto the table with a loud thud.
It didn't seem like an accident.
Lu Jinghong didn't look at Ouyang Rong, her face was stern, and she faced Li Wan, her tone somewhat angry:
"Mother! Can you please stop causing me so much trouble? This Sword Swamp isn't our family's business. Why are you so busy with this and that? Besides, Bamboo Hall is just a bottom-tier branch in Sword Swamp. What's there to brag about? It's just about becoming an apprentice. There's still a long road ahead. It's not like I'm showing off by getting in... Mother, can you please give me a break? Okay?"
A string of words came out in rapid succession.
There was some silence around the dinner table.
Li Wan paused, her chopsticks still, her face blank, as if she never expected such a thing to happen.
Ouyang Rong also glanced sideways.
Li Wan forced a smile.
Lu Jinghong picked up his chopsticks again, turned to Ouyang Rong, and forced a smile:
"Brother Liu, please excuse my poor manners. Don't be so polite, please eat some more. Don't worry about anything else, and don't stand on ceremony..."
"Um."
However, despite this, with an outsider like Ouyang Rong present, the atmosphere between the mother and son at the dinner table was still somewhat stiff and awkward.
Li Wan remained silent, her face expressionless.
Lu Jinghong acted as if he hadn't seen it.
Seeing this, Ouyang Rong, though unsure whether the mother and son were acting out a pre-arranged drama or genuinely having a conflict, didn't press the matter further.
Soon, dinner ended, and Ouyang Rong took his leave.
At the courtyard gate, Li Wan watched the taciturn young man return, and she stood there for a while.
Lu Jinghong filled the water tank in the courtyard with clean water and went back inside to boil water.
The mother and son stood side by side at the gate and inside the house, neither of them speaking.
There was silence for a while.
Li Wan's dissatisfied tone drifted into the room:
"What did Jinghong mean by that? Can't we talk about this in private? Do you think it's appropriate to do this in front of outsiders? How can you be so disrespectful to your mother?"
She frowned and walked through the door:
"Besides, the favor I asked you to do is related to Liu Aliang. It's definitely not difficult for you; it's just a trivial matter in a small place like the canteen. But it will do him a big favor, making him owe us one. If we ever need anything in the future, we can ask his sister for help..."
Lu Jinghong heard half of it, then turned around, seemingly impatient, to go back to her room to rest.
"I'm asking you, answer me."
Li Wan returned to her room, her face stern.
Lu Jinghong stopped.
The figure remained silent for a moment, then a voice came:
"I'm tired, I'm going to rest... Anyway, don't mention Zhutang to anyone in the future, and don't make any promises that upset me, okay? I hate that kind of thing the most."
Li Wan frowned, chased after him, and couldn't help but ask:
"What does Jinghong mean by that? Is something wrong...?"
Lu Jinghong shook his head:
"What is it? Go to sleep early, don't overthink things. The child will walk by himself tomorrow morning. He'll wake up early and won't eat, so you don't need to see him off..."
As Li Wan watched him leave with a frown, his retreating figure quickened his pace and soon disappeared from sight…
(End of this chapter)
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