A small thatched shed was built over the stone table and benches in the courtyard, just enough to protect the people underneath from the sun and rain.
Jiang Qinyu poured half a bowl of water into each of the two rough porcelain bowls, saying, "There's nothing much to offer you at home, so please have some water."
In this drought year, being able to serve water to guests is already a rare treat.
Jiang Qinyu did this simply because Wang Bo brought news of Lu Yanzheng, and she was repaying him for this favor.
"Thank you, Sister-in-law Lu." Wang Bo picked up his bowl and took a couple of sips of water. Then he introduced the woman who came with him, "This is Miss Liu from the capital. By chance, she came back to Dingshui Village with me. Today, Miss Liu learned about some of Sister-in-law Lu's deeds and admires her very much, so she came to visit."
Liu Ruyi placed the things she was carrying on the stone table, stood up, and smiled as she gave Jiang Qinyu a greeting as an equal. "Greetings, Sister-in-law Lu. I admire women like you the most in my life. I hope you won't mind my visit."
"It's no trouble at all. I'm just an ordinary person. Miss Liu is too kind," Jiang Qinyu said politely.
Liu Ruyi seemed to have taken a liking to her, and looked at her with bright eyes, saying, "Sister-in-law Lu, you are too modest. Being able to withstand the pressure and refuse to flee the famine under the current circumstances shows that you have thought things through and have a long-term vision."
"You don't know, we detoured from the border town. Along the way, we saw many people fleeing famine. Life outside is much harder than in the village."
At least she can have water to drink when she comes to Dingshui Village, whereas she could only drink water once every two days when she was outside.
Jiang Qinyu's attention, however, was focused on another matter mentioned in her words, "Miss Liu said you came back from the border town by taking a detour? Why did you take a detour?"
The straight-line distance between Biancheng and Dingshui Village is only 200 li. As long as you can cross the Daliang Mountains, you can walk back to the village in just a few days.
Just as Liu Ruyi was about to speak, Wang Bo interjected, "There are some things that are inconvenient to tell Sister-in-law Lu, please forgive me."
After saying that, he shook his head at Liu Ruyi.
A look of confusion flashed in Liu Ruyi's eyes, but she didn't say anything more.
Jiang Qinyu pondered to herself, "Wang Bo's attitude suggests that something must have happened in the border town. And it's related to the military and involves some secrets, which is why he's unwilling to talk about it."
But what could possibly make a soldier who has just returned from the battlefield take a detour back to his hometown?
Seeing her deep in thought, Wang Bo quickly explained the purpose of his visit: "Sister-in-law Lu, our family left the village because of a misunderstanding, and missed the chance to work with everyone. But now that we're back, it might not be good for the village's unity if we work separately from the villagers. Please help us talk to Uncle Village Chief so that our family can join the group."
Jiang Qinyu snapped out of her daze, “This matter requires everyone’s agreement, and Uncle Village Chief can’t make the decision entirely on his own. However, I will go and talk to him for you as a way of thanking you for bringing back news about my brother Zheng.”
“Sister-in-law Lu, please don’t say that,” Wang Bo immediately waved his hand, “I was also heartbroken for a long time because I couldn’t save Brother Zheng…”
Jiang Qinyu suddenly asked, "When did Brother Zheng have the accident?"
"Uh..." Wang Bo almost choked on his own saliva, but he quickly recovered, "Not long after we arrived at the army, we encountered a fierce attack organized by the Dayuan Kingdom..."
He briefly recounted the battle, and only after seeing the trace of doubt disappear from Jiang Qinyu's eyes did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
That was close; I almost got tricked into telling me something by this woman.
Jiang Qinyu listened quietly, her eyes slightly lowered, and she became even more certain that Wang Bo was definitely not a simple person.
He said he retired due to injury, but she could see that there was nothing wrong with him. Even if there was something wrong, it should be a minor one. Given the current military strength of the Great Yue Kingdom, would they allow him to retire like this?
But why did Wang Bo lie? Was what he said about Lu Yanzheng's situation true?
"It's getting late. Please take care of things so we can work with the villagers. We'll head back now." Seeing that Jiang Qinyu wouldn't say anything more, Wang Bo got up to take his leave.
Jiang Qinyu also stood up upon hearing this, "I will pass on the message, but I cannot guarantee the outcome."
They all live in the same village. If the Wang, Deng, and Ma families are not allowed to join, it won't be a problem in the short term, but it will likely cause issues in the long run.
In that case, it would be better to have them manage it together from the beginning.
"Sister-in-law Lu, may I come and talk to you when you're free?" Liu Ruyi suddenly asked before leaving.
Jiang Qinyu looked at her and saw the sincerity in the sixth young lady's eyes, so she couldn't refuse. "If there's nothing else, Miss Liu, please come over."
"That's wonderful, thank you, Sister-in-law Lu!" Liu Ruyi clapped her hands lightly and happily followed Wang Bo.
Jiang Qinyu couldn't quite understand her.
Judging from her appearance, Liu Ruyi seemed to come from a wealthy family. She was very polite and articulate, and had a rather outgoing personality. So why was she living alone in Wang Bo's house? Did she not care about her reputation?
This era still placed great constraints on women, especially those in the upper classes. Young ladies from wealthy families were always accompanied by maids and servants when they went out, and they rarely had the opportunity to go out alone.
Moreover, people value a woman's reputation highly, so it is considered shocking for a woman to travel alone with a man or even stay at a stranger's house.
But Liu Ruyi didn't seem to have any reservations, and there didn't appear to be any ambiguity between her and Wang Bo, which was quite peculiar.
But whether it's strange or not, as long as she doesn't provoke her, Jiang Qinyu doesn't care.
After seeing Wang Bo and Liu Ruyi off, Jiang Qinyu continued cooking.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
