Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Preparing to Go to the Capital City
No one spoke at the scene. It was so quiet that it seemed like an independent space of its own. Even the spring breeze became sluggish.
"What's going on here? Why are there so many stones here? What are they for?"
Just then, a patrolling yamen runner passed by Shuying Lane and found a pile of stones blocking the entrance of the lane, so he came over to inquire.
The scholars who were frightened by Yu Li to the point of breaking out in cold sweats and having weak legs turned around in surprise as if they had met a savior. They were overjoyed to see several yamen runners patrolling here.
"Sir, here..."
Before they could ask the patrolling yamen runners for help, they saw the head of the police greet Yu Li: "Li... Madam Fu, Mr. Fu, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?"
Ge Yayi first glanced at the pile of stones blocking the entrance of the alley, then looked at the scholars who were sweating profusely, and finally turned his gaze to Wu Shouzi and others. He always felt that what happened here was inseparable from Yu Li.
Yu Li said calmly: "Buy some stones to make fertilizer for the flowers."
After hearing this, Ge Yayi said without hesitation: "Making fertilizer for the flowers, that's great, do you need our help?"
Hearing this, many people looked at him in disbelief, especially the scholars, who wanted to ask him, didn’t he find it incredible when he heard that stones could be used as fertilizer for flowers?
If Captain Ge heard their questions, he would definitely say without hesitation that since Boss Li said it could be used to make flower fertilizer, then it must be possible and there is no need to question her!
Yu Li said: "No, I can do it myself."
Although she refused, Ge Yayi did not really do nothing. He said to the subordinates behind him: "Come here and help Madam Fu move the stones in."
The yamen runners all agreed and went over to move the stones with great effort.
These stones are all very large, with very few small ones, and it is difficult even for men to move them.
The others were dumbfounded when they saw this scene.
Why is this captain so kind? Is he trying to please Yu Li?
Some people keenly noticed that compared to Fu Wenxiao, the top scorer in the county examination, these yamen runners seemed to value Yu Li more. Didn’t they see that the captain of the police just casually greeted Mr. Fu, but his attention was all on Ms. Fu, and his words and actions showed that he wanted to help?
The stones were real stones and the yamen runners had a lot of effort to move them.
Seeing that they wanted to help, Yu Li no longer refused. She picked up a large stone and threw it over the wall into the Fu family's yard.
Everyone saw the big stone being thrown lightly over the wall of the Fu family. When it fell inside, there was a dull sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. The sound was like hitting their hearts, and they couldn't help but shiver.
In the alley, someone secretly kicked a stone with their foot, and then a pain came over them, making their face twisted with pain.
Just now I saw her break a big rock with one kick, which made her look like she was lifting a heavy stone with ease.
As if they could do it, too.
As a result, facts taught them a lesson on how to be a good person, and their toes seemed to be swollen.
Could it be a broken bone?
After Yu Li threw a few stones, she seemed to have thought of something. She turned to the scholars and said, "Sorry, I will move them away now and let you pass."
When the scholars saw the big stone she was holding, they swallowed secretly and looked very weak.
They waved their hands hurriedly, "It's okay, you, you take your time!"
As they spoke, they stepped back at the same time.
Yu Li glanced at them, and the scholar who was swept by her gaze broke out in sweat and was so scared that his heart was about to burst.
At this moment, they no longer remembered their contempt for her slaughtering pigs, and nothing else was on their minds.
Until she looked away, they quietly retreated back, each of them looking weaker and weaker.
When they saw Fu Wenxiao following Yu Li, the scholars' expressions were very complicated.
They originally admired Fu Wenxiao's talent, but when they learned that he actually married a butcher girl and ran to the butcher shop to pick her up every day, they felt that he had fallen into depravity.
Scholars are so noble. Since he has chosen this path, he should persuade his wife to find a more legitimate livelihood instead of doing such a lowly job as slaughtering pigs.
But now, they had no ideas at all. When they saw Fu Wenxiao, they just felt that he was extremely terrifying.
How could it not be scary to marry a woman with such immense strength?
Moreover, he was actually considerate of her and worried about whether she was tired or not. They couldn't help but feel a deep respect for him.
-
Yu Li’s speed was very fast and he cleared a path in just a few moves.
She walked into the alley and said to the people in the alley, "Excuse me, I will move them home soon."
"No, it's okay." Everyone looked at her stiffly and stammered, "Madam Fu, there's no rush. It's okay to put it here. We don't mind."
No one dared to mind. Some people were so frightened when they saw her coming over with a stone in her hand that they felt cold all over and almost collapsed to the ground with weak legs.
Seeing Yu Li like this, they no longer thought that she was someone who was honest and easy to bully. They were even afraid that the stone in her hand would accidentally hit them.
Yu Li was very satisfied with their attitude, and when he met their frightened eyes, he became even more satisfied.
She said to the people standing in front of the Fu family's door, "Please move aside so I can move my things."
When those people reacted, their scalps went numb and they quickly retreated to the side. Because they retreated too quickly, someone fell down, causing the people around him to fall with him.
In an instant, these people fell into a heap.
Seeing this scene, Madam Song finally came back to her senses from her shock and laughed out loud.
She didn't care about the people's reactions. She watched Yu Li move the stones curiously and exclaimed in amazement: "Madam Fu, you are so strong!"
"It's okay." Yu Li said calmly, "I do have some strength, so I went to kill the pig."
Hearing this, everyone in the alley's expression changed slightly.
Even the scholars whose legs were too weak to walk blushed, thinking that she might be mocking them or threatening them.
Who would believe her if she said she didn't do it on purpose?
But even if they knew she did it on purpose, they didn't dare to do anything. Didn't they see that the group of yamen runners were still working hard to help her move the stones?
After throwing all the stones blocking the door over the wall, Yu Li opened the door and said to the yamen runners who helped move the stones, "Move in."
The bailiffs gritted their teeth and helped. The veins on their foreheads bulged and their arms were exposed, showing that they were using tremendous strength.
Wu Shouzi and others also came to help.
Although there were many people helping, most of the moves were done by Yu Li.
After all the stones at the entrance of the alley were moved in, she politely thanked these people and invited them in for tea.
The yamen runner Ge hurriedly said, "No, no, we still have to patrol." He glanced at the residents in the alley and said, "Madam Fu, if you have any problems in the future, just come to us."
Yu Li hummed.
Soon Ge Yayi, Wu Shouzi and others left, and Shuying Lane returned to its former tranquility.
Fu Wenxiao and Yu Li walked in together.
When he entered the door, he suddenly pulled her, and when she turned her head in confusion, he used a handkerchief to wipe the dust off her face.
Fu Wenxiao asked gently, "Li Niang, are you tired?"
"Not tired." Yu Li said cheerfully, "After dinner, I'll crush some stones and spread them in the yard... Do you want to build a rockery with the rest?"
Fu Wenxiao said good-temperedly: "I'll listen to you."
The door of the Fu family closed, and the couple's voices quickly disappeared behind the door.
After a long time, the people in the alley also dragged their weak legs and left, wondering in their hearts whether they had offended Madam Fu in the past.
Shouldn't there be?
Someone happened to see Aunt He with trembling legs and said, "Aunt He, I remember you said last time that Madam Fu was a pig butcher and that she..."
"I didn't!" Aunt He almost screamed, "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't say anything!"
After saying this in a hurry, she ran home trembling and slammed the door.
Although this scene was quite funny, the people in the alley really couldn't laugh.
**
When Zhou saw them coming back, she told them to wash their hands and prepare for lunch, then asked, "Mother Li, why did you buy so many stones?"
Earlier, she was cooking in the kitchen with her two children. She heard some noise outside and came out to see a stone being thrown over from the top of the wall. The stone was quite large and it was obvious that an ordinary person could not throw a stone so easily.
She had a hunch that it was Yu Li who did it, so she didn't go out and continued cooking in the backyard.
Yu Li said: "Use it as fertilizer for the flowers, and the rest can be used to build a rockery."
Zhou was stunned for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
She didn't think it was strange to say that. Who said stones couldn't be used as fertilizer? Can't they just break them up? It just so happened that their yard was quite empty, with nothing but flowers and plants, so it would be nice to build a rockery.
Zhou didn't think much about it, but she didn't expect that when she went out to buy vegetables the next day, she found that the attitude of people in the alley towards her had changed a lot.
When they learned that her "daughter-in-law" was a butcher, they all looked down on her to some extent, and even advised her to let Li Niang change her career so as not to drag down Fu Wenxiao's reputation in the future.
Now, when they saw her, they didn't have that contemptuous look on their faces. Instead, they smiled at her ingratiatingly.
When they met Qin Xiucai's mother on the road, Aunt Qin said with a complicated look: "Su Niang, your Li Niang is really amazing."
"Of course!" Zhou nodded as a matter of course. "Li Niang is indeed very powerful. You don't know that last year when the villages around us were offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, they all wanted to ask her to slaughter pigs for good luck. Only the pigs she slaughtered were the most auspicious... Didn't Xiao Ge'er become the first in the county examination after the New Year?"
"Really?" Aunt Qin was surprised. How could such a thing happen?
Zhou said with certainty: "Our Xiao'er is well educated, but if it weren't for Li Niang's help, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to pass the exam so smoothly..."
Of course she knew that Fu Wenxiao won the case entirely because of his own strength, but she could add something else.
Zhou knew very well that if Fu Wenxiao had not met Yu Li, he would not have survived last winter.
Although she didn't know what method Yu Li had, she was not blind. She had noticed that sometimes the two of them had some kind of tacit understanding, but she pretended not to know.
In Zhou's heart, she really regarded Yu Li as Fu Wenxiao's benefactor and lucky star, and she firmly supported her.
She also doesn't like others saying bad things about her.
So whenever she got the chance, she would tell others how good it was to be with Li Niang.
Aunt Qin looked envious when she heard this.
Although her son passed the examination and became a scholar at a young age, it was not known when he would be able to move up to become a juren.
She also often prayed to gods and Buddhas, hoping that her son would be able to pass the imperial examination as soon as possible, and not wait until he was forty or fifty years old. By then, he would be old, and his family couldn't afford to support him in his studies without food or drink for his entire life, right?
Why didn’t their family meet a girl as capable and blessed as Madam Fu?
At this time, Aunt Qin no longer thought about what a dirty thing it was to kill a pig. She just thought that Yu Li was a capable person.
She was able to link slaughtering pigs with "good luck", and the surrounding villages would invite her to slaughter pigs during the Kitchen God Festival, which showed that the people respected her very much.
But she knew the rules of the village's Kitchen God worship ceremony, which always prohibited women from participating. They would rather ask a girl to kill the pig, which would explain everything.
Later, Aunt Qin told the people in the alley about what had happened.
No matter what everyone thought, no one would be so tactless as to say anything in front of Yu Li, and everyone was very respectful to Zhou.
As for Fu Wenxiao, no scholar ever mentioned to him that his wife was a butcher and asked him to take care of her.
However, when those scholars saw him, most of them chose to take a detour.
If they can't afford to offend, can't they just hide?
They all felt that what happened that day was a threat and warning from Yu Li to them, and they were even afraid that she would throw stones at them one day... Just thinking about it made them feel that their bodies could not withstand it.
Life soon returned to normal, and the relationships between neighbors in the alley seemed to be much more peaceful, with fewer quarrels on weekdays.
If they are afraid of quarreling, what if they disturb the Fu family?
What if Yu Li gets unhappy and throws a stone at their house?
Although she might not do so, the scene of her breaking a half-person-high stone with one kick that day was still deeply imprinted in their hearts.
Even those scholars dare not go out recently. They would rather stay at home and read to avoid meeting her.
On this day, many people were sitting in the shade of trees in the alley, chatting and working. Suddenly, a carriage drove into the alley and stopped in front of the Fu family's door.
Everyone looked around curiously.
There were few families who could afford to ride in a carriage these days, and they were generally the rich and powerful. When they saw a carriage coming to the Fu family, they were very curious about who it was looking for. Could it be that someone from the Wang family was looking for Mr. Fu again?
At this moment, two young girls dressed as maids jumped out of the carriage and helped an old lady who was dressed very richly to get out.
Although I don't know who this old lady is, but looking at her demeanor and aura, I know that she is not an ordinary old lady.
The driver went to knock on the door.
It was Yu Li who opened the door. When she saw the person at the door, she was a little surprised, "Madam Yao? Why are you here?"
Madam Yao smiled kindly and said, "I have been waiting for Miss Yu to come over, but I didn't see you coming over, so I had to come to find you."
Yu Li hurriedly opened the door and let them in.
Fu Wenxiao inside also heard the sound and walked out of the study.
When Old Madam Yao saw him, her face froze, then she smiled and said, “Mr. Fu, excuse me for disturbing you.”
Fu Wenxiao smiled back, "It's a happy occasion for the old lady to come to our house, and I welcome her."
When Zhou heard the sound, she came over from the backyard. When she saw Old Madam Yao, she couldn't help but be surprised.
Old Madam Yao was also stunned when she saw her.
She also recognized Zhou. She had seen this nanny named Zhou Suniang at Princess Yuanan's banquet before. She was a favorite of Princess Yuanan and she trusted her very much. Those in the capital who were on good terms with Princess Yuanan had all seen Zhou Suniang.
Soon, both Old Madam Yao and Mrs. Zhou restrained their expressions and greeted each other politely as if they were meeting for the first time.
Everyone sat down in the hall to drink tea, and Yu Li asked, "How is the old lady's health? I heard that you were sick last month."
Old Madam Yao smiled and said, "It's been ready for a long time, thank you for your concern!" Then she asked her if she was busy and she hadn't waited for her to come.
Yu Li scratched his face: "I am indeed quite busy recently."
Naturally, Old Madam Yao would not blame her. She asked the maid to bring the food box over and gave Yu Li some snacks made by the family chef. Seeing the expectant look on her face, she couldn't help but laugh.
It seems that Mrs. Wang was right, this girl really likes to eat.
He has a very simple personality, and his emotions are not concealed on his face. You can tell at first glance that he is a good kid with a very pure character.
As Old Madam Yao thought about it, she couldn't help but glance at Fu Wenxiao. She really didn't expect that this thoughtful Master Fu would actually marry such a simple-minded girl.
And he seemed to care about her very much, rarely taking his eyes off her.
Whether a man likes his wife or not is actually something he cannot hide and can be easily seen.
Old Madam Yao came here today not only to see Yu Li, but also to say goodbye to her.
"I have been in Shanping County for more than half a year. My sister's health seems to have improved a lot. The younger generation at home are urging me to go back to the city at the end of this month."
Upon hearing this, Yu Li said, "Oh," and said, "Have a safe trip."
Old Madam Yao laughed. This girl was really innocent and cute. She said with a smile, "I heard that Mr. Fu was the top scorer in the county exam and is going to take part in the prefectural exam at the end of the month. Is that true?"
Fu Wenxiao nodded slightly and said slowly, "It is true."
Zhou was a little nervous. She didn't know what Old Madam Yao meant. Could it be that there were new changes in the capital? Could those people want to suppress Xiao Ge'er and do something during the provincial examination?
Madam Yao continued, "If Mr. Fu doesn't mind, you can take my boat to the capital city together."
"I don't feel comfortable with this." Fu Wenxiao said politely.
"It's okay." Old Madam Yao smiled, "Li Niang should also go to the capital city with us, right? I like this child and want to talk to her more."
Upon hearing this, Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face.
When she heard Old Madam Yao say that she liked Yu Li, she was very happy. She thought to herself that it was normal for Li Niang to like her since she was such a good person. Old Madam Yao had good taste.
Fu Wenxiao did not make a decision. He turned to look at Yu Li, as if asking her opinion.
Seeing this scene, Old Lady Yao's eyelids twitched, and she felt that Master Fu had changed a lot.
If someone had told her a few years ago that Prince Fu of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would one day put a girl in his heart and put her first in everything, she would never have believed it.
However, at this moment, seeing the smile on his face, his warm tone of voice, and the soft eyes of the girl beside him, where was the deep, cold and intimidating look he once had?
Yu Li asked, "Will it bother you?"
"No, no." Old Madam Yao said with a smile, "I hope you guys will bother me. I'm an old woman and I'm lonely too."
Hearing her say this, Yu Li felt relieved, "Sorry for bothering you then."
Madam Yao was very happy, "Then we will go to the capital together then."
After agreeing on a time, she talked to them for a while and finally said goodbye and left.
Several people saw her out together.
After Old Madam Yao got into the car and left, many people in the alley poked their heads out to ask about her identity.
Zhou smiled and said, "She is Mr. Wang's aunt, and she is from the city. Because my Li Niang saved her, she came here specially to thank Li Niang and invited Xiao Ge'er and Li Niang to go to the city together."
Everyone was shocked to hear this.
That old lady dressed in rich clothes was actually Mr. Wang’s aunt?
Did Madam Fu save her?
Is this Madam Fu so powerful?
They suddenly thought that this might be the reason why Mr. Wang treated Mr. Fu differently. Although Mr. Fu was well educated, Mr. Wang would not have cared so much about him, right?
But if Madam Fu had saved his aunt, that would be a different matter.
Everyone didn't know why Mr. Wang treated Fu Wenxiao differently and why he was called "Mr. Songhe", and they all thought they had guessed correctly.
They felt very uncomfortable.
The more they learned about her, the more they found that Madam Fu was indeed a legendary figure. They originally thought that she was just a pig-killing woman who did menial work, but it was unusual for her to kill pigs. It was actually a lucky thing. She also saved the elders of the Wang family and was even loved by the Wang family...
In comparison, her killing of pigs was nothing.
Why are there such huge differences between people?
-
After the Wang family learned that Fu Wenxiao and his companions were going to the provincial capital with Old Madam Yao, Mr. Wang and his wife also made a special trip to Shuying Lane.
When people in the alley saw how friendly Mr. Wang and his wife were to Yu Li, they felt even more uncomfortable.
Mr. Wang was reluctant to leave his brother Fu, so he said, "Why don't I go to the city with brother Fu?"
Mrs. Wang: “…” Listen to what nonsense you are talking about?
Mr. Wang thought this was a good idea and added, "I'm worried about my aunt going back alone, so I'll take her back to the city."
Unfortunately, everyone who heard what he said earlier didn't believe him at all.
He said he was worried about Madam Yao, but Madam Yao had servants from the Wang family serving her, so she didn't need him.
In fact, he just couldn't bear to leave his younger brother Fu and wanted to go to the provincial capital with him.
Yu Li didn't expect that with the visit of Mr. Wang and his wife, Mr. Wang would be one more person going to the provincial capital.
Mr. Wang said happily, "My aunt said that we should set off after the fifteenth of this month and go to the capital a few days in advance. By then, Brother Fu will be able to rest for a few more days before taking the exam."
Yu Li nodded and agreed: "Indeed."
In fact, the reason why I accepted Madam Yao's invitation was that the Yao family's boat was definitely better than a passenger ship and could provide a good rest.
Although Fu Wenxiao is no longer a sickly person, his body is still fragile, so we still have to consider him.
It was already mid-April, and there were only a few days left before departure, so Yu Li began to make arrangements.
When she told the people at the butcher shop that she wanted to accompany Fu Wenxiao to the provincial capital to take the provincial examination, everyone supported her and told her not to worry about the butcher shop.
Yu Li went to Jucai Lane again to talk to his sister about this matter, "When I come back, I will bring you some local specialties."
Yu Jin responded with a smile and reminded: "Big sister, you have to take good care of yourself."
She was afraid that her elder sister would not be happy outside. Her sister was so innocent and there were so many bad people outside. What if they used some despicable means to deal with her?
If it was a head-on fight, she would not be worried at all, but she was afraid that someone would play tricks behind her back.
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