Song Yuxi gave a shy "hmm," then got up from Lu Tu's arms, picked up a basin, and went to fetch water to wash up.
While Lü Tu was getting ready, Lü Tu took out 80 taels of silver from his pocket and handed it over: "The Commandant gave me 100 taels of silver. I kept 20 taels for Liu Yang and Nie Yun. You can take this and buy whatever you want."
Song Yuxi stared wide-eyed in disbelief. She had just received 230 taels of silver that morning, and now she had an extra 80 taels.
Given the family's already dire circumstances, the first thing Lü Tu did after making money was to give her the silver. That shows how much trust he had in her!
Song Yuxi gratefully accepted the silver: "I don't have anything to buy, I'll keep it safe for you, my husband."
Looking at the dilapidated house, Lü Tu felt a sense of guilt. After marrying him, she didn't even have a decent mattress; it was the villagers who gave it to her.
He hugged Song Yuxi and said, "Then I'll keep it here. I can come and get it whenever I need it."
"I'll do whatever you say, my husband."
Lu Tu kissed her forehead: "You really will listen to everything I say?"
"Um!"
"Then I'll have to experience your bedroom secretary for myself!"
"Oh dear, husband, slow down."
Lu Tu lifted him up by the waist, and the two took off their long coats and got into bed. For the next two hours, Lu Tu humbly asked Lu Tu to teach him this secret technique.
To his surprise, he had never imagined that there was such tricky and fixed knowledge in the world. It was truly unbelievable and a real treat for him.
With Song Yuxi's full support, Lü Tu didn't feel tired at all. The two, who were in their prime, didn't fall into a deep sleep until the night watchman reminded them that it was past midnight.
The next morning, Lü Tu got up early as usual. After the in-depth academic discussion last night, he was even more energetic than yesterday morning. It was a wonderful feeling!
This feeling is amazing. Despite being so tired, it doesn't affect me at all. Now, Lu Tu has truly experienced what the harmony of Yin and Yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine means.
After warming up with a set of Black Dragon Eighteen Fists as usual, he began practicing the Song family's unique stance training. Today's progress was rapid; Lü Tu could even hold the stance for the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn in one go, only taking a break when he could no longer hold on.
After an hour of strenuous training, the Liu brothers finally came to report for duty.
Upon seeing Song Yuxi, Liu Yang and Liu Hu bowed simultaneously and said, "Greetings, Madam Chief!"
Seeing that the two of them, though still very young, were injured, Song Yuxi naturally remembered what Lu Tu had said last night about how they had also helped kill the Wuhuan people.
He invited her, saying, "Why don't you call me sister-in-law? You two haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I made some porridge for us to eat together."
"Uh... thank you, sister-in-law, but we've already eaten," Liu Yang politely declined.
But before he could finish speaking, he was hit on the back of the head. When he turned around, he saw Lu Tu glaring at him: "Are you kidding me? You two don't have the habit of eating breakfast. Go wash your hands and eat."
Liu Hu was taken aback: "Why wash your hands before eating?"
He also got hit on the back of the head, this time by Liu Yang. He glared at Liu Hu and said, "If Brother Lü tells you to wash, then wash quickly!"
Song Yuxi had only cooked enough porridge for two people, so she had to let them eat first. Liu Yang and Liu Hu had never seen such thick porridge before. Not only was there no sand in the millet porridge, but it also had a little salt added, making it quite flavorful.
The two brothers drank from one bowl in three gulps. After they finished, Song Yuxi refilled their bowls. They drank happily, clutching their bellies, their faces full of happiness and satisfaction.
Song Yuxi nudged Lü Tu and whispered a reminder: "Didn't you say last night that you were going to give them a reward?"
Lu Tu then remembered and took out 20 taels of silver from his pocket and handed it over: "You two brothers did very well yesterday. You and Nie Yun worked together to kill a Wuhuan cavalryman. This is your reward."
Liu Yang waved his hands repeatedly: "Brother Lü, this is too precious."
Lu Tu's face hardened: "I said take it, so take it. Killing the enemy means you deserve a reward!"
Liu Yang then carefully took the silver with both hands: "I will give half to Nie Yun later. His family is in a worse situation than ours. My brother and I are well-fed and have no family to worry about, but he has a sick sister."
Lu Tu saw this and thought that Liu Yang and Liu Hu were truly admirable in terms of both courage and character. They were both still struggling on the poverty line and couldn't even afford to eat.
Having finally earned some silver through desperate battles, Lu Tu and Song Yuxi were quite pleased with the scene and nodded repeatedly.
Just then, Sun Meng's voice came from outside: "Chief, are you home?"
Lu Tu craned his neck: "I'm here, come in."
Just as Sun Meng was about to enter the house, he saw that Song Yuxi was home and quickly stepped back out: "I'm sorry, I didn't know your wife was home. It's inconvenient. I'd better talk outside."
Lu Tu said to Song Yuxi, "Then I'll take them away. If you want to buy something, just give the money to Liu Yang and he'll bring it back to you."
Liu Yang asked in confusion, "Brother Lü, aren't we going to the Niu Mang Mountain Pass today?"
Lu Tu patted his shoulder: "I'm giving you an important task today. Go to Wuchuan City later and buy some things. Your sister-in-law will tell you the details."
After saying this, Lü Tu led Sun Meng and the other man away from home and headed towards the village entrance.
Sun Meng cupped his hands and said, "Boss, my brother and I have already made up our minds."
"What have you decided?"
With two thuds, the two men knelt down on one knee, clasped their hands, and said, "Commander, we brothers have been orphaned since childhood. We finally managed to get jobs in the Commandant's Office, but no one has ever treated us like human beings. Only you, Commander, not only personally bandaged our wounds but also gave us divine medicine. We brothers have no way to repay you and only hope to truly follow you in the future!"
Lu Tu himself was somewhat doubtful. He had always treated his comrades this way in his previous life, and he couldn't quite figure out whether Sun Meng and the other man were truly so simple and honest, or if they were just putting on an act in front of him.
Even if it was just acting, Lu Tu had to finish the act with them. He helped the two up and said, "You two are actually older than me, so there's no need to be so formal. We're all just trying to make a living."
Sun Kuang stubbornly refused to get up: "I know that you, sir, harbor resentment towards us and think that we were sent by the Commandant to monitor you, but you have seen how the Commandant treated us. How can such a ruthless and violent person inspire genuine loyalty?"
Sun Meng nodded emphatically: "My brother and I are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and sincerely follow you! From now on, whatever you tell us to report to the Commandant's Office, we will report it!"
Lu Tu hadn't thought that much about it, and he hadn't expected the two to be so insistent, so he had no choice but to agree: "Alright, from now on you will be just like them, protecting the peace of Kuishan and Songshan villages together. There's no need for any adult distinction between us, we can just call each other brothers."
"Brother Lü!"
"Uh... I just said, you two are older than me."
The Sun brothers' stubbornness kicked in again, and they were about to kneel down on the ground again, perhaps a professional habit left over from working at the Commandant's Office for too long.
"No, you are virtuous and talented, and you are a role model for us to emulate. We must call you elder brother."
"Alright, then, you two get up first. The villagers will think I'm putting on airs."
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