After the agreement was reached, Shen Huaixu and Chaohua came together to the main hall where the ritual was being performed, and sat cross-legged, listening to the Taoist priests chanting scriptures in low voices.
[Are you performing a ritual for Amu? She's not from your world.] Fu Yin didn't quite understand.
"Whether it's from this world or not doesn't matter; it's enough that it existed. Isn't it a bit strange to pay someone to care for a tree? Even a ritual, perhaps to pray for the souls of the deceased, is something I've seen or haven't seen before."
Fu Yin was silent for a moment before saying, "You said before that this was superstition."
[…It’s a bit embarrassing.] Chen Huaixu admitted frankly, [But people are all a little bit superstitious, especially when it comes to matters of life and death that we as humans have no control over.]
The smell of sandalwood curled up, the sound of chanting was long, and a ritual slowly came to an end.
When they were leaving, the abbot accompanied them all the way out of the temple.
On the way back, Chaohua asked Chen Huaixu for whom the ritual was performed, but Chen Huaixu just smiled and said nothing. Chaohua took it for granted that Chen Huaixu was performing it for his deceased mother, and looked at Chen Huaixu with more and more pity in his eyes.
Jiuxi Village. Because Jiang Boliang and his wife were always running around in the county town, they discussed and decided to clean up the house in the county town and move in with the whole family, and then return to Jiuxi Village when they had time.
After Jiang Erlang passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, many people from nearby villages wanted to get close to him or bring their children to share in his good fortune, but all were disappointed.
At the same time, the original county magistrate Chen was demoted, and Yang was promoted to county magistrate. Although Shen Huaixu had left Beichuan County, the two families were close to each other and visited each other more frequently.
In addition to these, they learned that Shen Huaixu had arranged for people under Lord Shen to come to Beichuan County and take over the five-spice powder business and tofu business.
This was a major event that concerned the entire village. Lord Shen and the others were trustworthy, but they were inevitably nervous. Everyone was eagerly waiting for it, and Jiang Boliang also made a special trip back to the village.
After waiting for so long, Lu Hui finally appeared. He was no longer like before, with a hint of sadness between his brows. He was full of energy and always smiled before speaking to people.
When the villagers saw this young man, they looked very unfamiliar. Those people who always went to Jiangnan were not there, so they all looked at Li Qiaoer.
"Qiao'er, look, do you recognize this person?"
The village chief called out to Li Qiao'er, who hadn't been able to squeeze in front. She made way for her. She looked closely and said in surprise, "Brother Lu, you're here? You came alone?"
Lu Hui saw Li Qiao'er and smiled, revealing his white teeth. "I'm the only one here. Brother Yan couldn't spare time, so he asked me to come. I'm very familiar with the business, don't worry."
Li Qiao'er naturally had nothing to worry about and was happy from the bottom of her heart. She turned around and introduced the way back to the villagers.
After confirming the identity of the visitor, the villagers regained their previous enthusiasm and Jiang Zhengmao hurried to his home to entertain him.
After a few pleasantries, the villagers couldn't wait to inquire about the business transfer, because their tofu and spice businesses were doing better and better.
Working right at home without interfering with farming on their own land was a great opportunity. They were truly worried about any unexpected events.
Lu Hui said hurriedly, "Don't worry, everyone. Before we came here, Brother Yan told us many times that everything will remain the same as before. Nothing will change. The only difference is that the business will be transferred to Brother Yan's name. He is a subordinate of Lord Shen, so even if it is transferred to his name, it still belongs to County Master Mingyi, just like before."
His words were clear and the villagers understood them, so they all put their minds at ease.
In the evening, Lu Hui was treated well by the villagers. After a few glasses of wine, he felt a little dizzy and started talking about things in the capital.
There are many merchants in Jiangnan, and Lu Hui specializes in dealing with these people, so he knows a lot and details.
"Fellow villagers, have you heard about the bombing of Zhongli Bridge in the capital? It's said to have involved remnants of the previous dynasty, and the case was successfully closed thanks to Lord Shen and Princess Mingyi. I heard Princess Mingyi was even praised by His Majesty himself. True, a tiger father has a dog daughter..."
After saying this, Lu Hui lay on the table and muttered softly, as if he had fallen asleep.
"There's actually such a thing? Brother Boliang, did Sister Xu write about it in her letter?"
"That's right, even the Emperor praised our Sister Xu, she's truly remarkable..."
Amid the clamor of the crowd, Jiang Zhengmao and Jiang Boliang looked at each other with unpleasant expressions, without saying a word.
After the crowd dispersed, the two brothers closed the door and confirmed their doubts with each other.
Jiang Zhengmao couldn't help but pace back and forth, "Do you remember Sister Xu said that Lord Shen's mother's family is related to the royal family of the previous dynasty?"
Jiang Boliang said in a deep voice: "More than that? It seems like they are blood relatives."
Jiang Zhengmao stopped and sat down on the bench, muttering, "This matter, this matter has nothing to do with Lord Shen, right? They also made contributions... Did Sister Xu mention it in the letter she brought this time?"
Jiang Boliang shook his head and counted on his fingers, "The last letter I sent didn't mention this. A new one should arrive in two days..."
Jiang Zhengmao's heavy expression eased a little. "Let's wait a few more days and see what the letter says."
"That girl," Jiang Zhengmao said without much hope, "even if something serious happened, Sister Xu wouldn't mention it in the letter."
Jiang Zhengmao's mood, which had just calmed down, was disturbed again by this sentence.
The two were silent for a long time. Finally, Jiang Zhengmao said, "Let's ask our eldest nephew again. If that doesn't work, you can ask Erlang to ask the county magistrate to see if there's any news. Xu Jie'er knows her limits. If it really involves her father, she can't keep such a big thing to herself."
Jiang Boliang took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll keep an eye on it for the next two days. If it doesn't work... I can just go to the capital!"
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