The next morning, all 1,800 villagers got up very early, as today was the day to celebrate the end of spring plowing and to have a feast.
People of all ages wore expressions of joy. The men helped chop firewood and set up the stove, while the women helped knead the dough.
Lu Tu, accompanied by his two wives, also left home. Along the way, everyone greeted Lu Tu warmly: "Lord Lu is becoming more and more handsome. Standing with your two wives, you are just like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in the heavens!"
"My lord, you must eat more today. Look how thin you've become lately. If you become too weak and can't satisfy your two ladies, that would be troublesome."
Someone nearby immediately interrupted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Both ladies are pregnant at the same time, which shows that Lord Lü is in excellent health!"
Lu Tu's smile froze on his face. He knew he couldn't get close to these women, so he quickly moved to another place.
Just then, Liu Yang jogged over: "Big brother, an acquaintance has arrived."
"who?"
"Miss Wang has brought many gifts, saying she has come to thank you, elder brother."
"Invite them over, let's have a meal together."
Upon hearing Wang Miaoling's name, Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu immediately gave Lü Tu ambiguous looks, making him feel uneasy.
Lu Tu shrugged helplessly: "It's just a courtesy they're showing, which means they're not being rude, so I can't be rude either."
The two women nodded, but they both took a half-step closer to Lü Tu without prior arrangement.
Several carriages drove into the village and arrived at the drill ground. The busy villagers saw that the curtains on the carriages were made of fine silk, and they knew that important people had arrived. They all looked around to see who this person was.
Only then did everyone realize that behind the first few horse-drawn carriages, there were about a dozen donkey carts, each loaded with sacks.
The curtain was lifted slightly, and Cui Guo's head popped out. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lü Tu.
Soon the carriage stopped in front of Lu Tu and his group. Cui Guo jumped down first and bowed to Lu Tu with a graceful manner: "Greetings, Lord Lu, and greetings to the two ladies."
Then Wang Miaoling stepped down from the carriage and gracefully approached Lü Tu, bowing slightly as well: "Greetings, Lord Lü and the two ladies."
Song Yuxi waved to her: "Miss Wang, there's no need for such formalities. We're about the same age, so let's just call each other sisters."
"Thank you, Madam. I had only ever seen Lord Lü before, who was handsome and dashing. I never imagined that you two ladies would be so beautiful. You are truly stunning beauties."
Nangong Huiyu smiled and said, "Miss Wang, you are quite beautiful. You must have many suitors."
Lu Tu found it utterly boring listening to the three of them flattering each other, so he coughed and said, "Miss Wang, this way please. Today we are celebrating the end of spring plowing."
Only then did Wang Miaoling realize that there was a stone-paved road under her feet, and she was surprised: "Lord Lü, did you have this road paved?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
Looking at the stone-paved road stretching for miles, with oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages constantly passing by, Wang Miaoling instantly realized: "No wonder Lord Lü was able to hold the Gubeifeng Pass; he is indeed formidable!"
Lu Tu waved his hand dismissively: "Miss Wang can see through things at a glance, you're quite capable too."
Wang Miaoling shook her head slightly: "By the way, Lord Lü, to thank you for saving my life that day, and for the great kindness of testifying for me at the prefect's office, I have come here specifically to express my gratitude. I have prepared a small gift, and I hope you will not find it offensive!"
Lu Tu's eyes involuntarily fell on the oxcart behind him, and he laughed, "You're here, why did you bring anything?"
Wang Miaoling gave Cuiguo a wink, and Cuiguo took out a list and began to read: a pair of Hetian jade bracelets, a Shu embroidered cloak, 20 jin of gold jewelry, two Persian agate headdresses, 200 jin of fine well salt from Sichuan, 3000 jin of rice from Jiangnan East Road...
The names of the gifts, accompanied by Cui Guo's melodious voice, spread throughout the entire training ground.
The villagers present were all speechless. They had never heard of many of these things before, and each item had a place name and was located far from Wuchuan. The transportation costs alone would be a huge expense, not to mention their intrinsic value.
Even Lü Tu stared wide-eyed, while Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu remained calm after hearing it.
When the exquisite wooden boxes were placed before Lü Tu, he realized that the value of these gifts far exceeded his previous estimates.
Without saying anything else, just look at that Shu-embroidered cloak, with a majestic white tiger embroidered on it, as if the cloak itself came to life.
"Miss Wang, I cannot accept these gifts; they are far too valuable."
Song Yuxi chimed in, "What you say is true, Miss Wang, please take it back."
Nangong Huiyu nodded repeatedly from the side: "That's right, that's right."
Hearing this, Cui Guo, who was standing nearby, was so anxious that she almost cried: "Lord Lü, Madams, my young lady really wanted to thank you. She spent half a month personally selecting these gifts, and even the rice from Jiangnan East Road was inspected bag by bag..."
Wang Miaoling gave Lü Tu a deep look, and then, to everyone's astonishment, she knelt down.
"Miss Wang, please get up."
Tears welled up in Wang Miaoling's eyes: "Lord Lü, Wang Miaoling's intentions in sending these gifts are indeed impure. I am now besieged on all sides, my mother has been tragically killed by treacherous people, and all the elders in my clan are eyeing my family's property. I am truly helpless and alone."
Lu Tu and Song Yuxi exchanged a glance, and Nangong Huiyu took the initiative to help her up: "Miss Wang, please get up and say so. We will accept it."
Wang Miaoling then wiped away her tears: "Thank you both, ladies, and thank you, Lord Lü."
Lu Tu sighed softly. He had actually guessed what Wang Miaoling was talking about long ago, since there were no male descendants in the Wang family this generation.
Now that the old lady of the Wang family has passed away, leaving only Wang Miaoling, it's easy to imagine the many obstacles she will face in smoothly taking over such a large family business.
After Wang Miaoling and Song Yuxi whispered a few words to each other, Song Yuxi nodded, walked forward to the brocade box containing the Shu embroidery cloak, and draped the cloak over Lü Tu's shoulders and tied it.
"My lord, let me take a look around."
"That's right, sir, let's take a look around!" The villagers watching the commotion chimed in.
Lu Tu was already 1.91 meters tall, which was considered tall even among the people of the Northern Territory and the Wuhuan.
At this moment, the sunlight shone on the cloak, causing it to shimmer with iridescent colors. The cloak was not black, but a deep, dark color like a crow's feather.
Lu Tu stood proudly in place, wearing a cloak embroidered with a white tiger.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at that moment, even Wang Miaoling was speechless with surprise.
"My lord, you are truly awe-inspiring! You shine like a god!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
