On the third day after her return visit to her parents' home, Ye Su rented an oxcart, which was packed full of things. Wang Lishi smiled from ear to ear, "Why did you bring back so much stuff? Come in quickly, Daya, your mother is here."
Daya rushed out and hugged Li Zhen tightly around the waist, burying her face in it. Li Zhen's eyes also welled up with tears. She patted her daughter's shoulder and said, "I'll have Grandma bring you to the county town later. We can meet there."
Wang Li glanced at Ye Su discreetly, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he wasn't angry. She smiled and welcomed him into the house, seizing the opportunity to whisper in Li Zhen's ear, "How have you been these past two days? Have you been wronged?"
“Mother, I’m fine.” Li Zhen had already learned to read people’s expressions. She found that although Ye Su didn’t talk, he was very kind, emotionally stable, and had a high tolerance. “I brought back a lot of cotton and fabric. Mother, can you make us two sets of clothes? One for you and one for Daya.”
Wang Li asked nervously, "Will your husband be angry?"
"No, he won't," Li Zhen reassured her. "He's a very nice person and won't get angry."
After lunch, Li Zhen took two strings of pork to the Lu family's house and then to the village chief's house. She would never have dared to do these things before. She was timid and had low self-esteem, afraid of being scolded for being a sycophant. Now she truly understood that people are a group, and that giving gifts and making social connections can make you popular in the village. Why be so high and mighty and not go?
Song Qiao, no longer aloof, became increasingly convinced of Qin Xiaozhou's extraordinary talent the more he learned about Fenggu County. However, after wandering around the county town for a long time without meeting him, he decided to send an invitation before leaving, posing as a businessman to meet Qin Xiaozhou and his wife.
Qin Xiaozhou followed Lu Yunfeng to the appointment, wondering, "Since you didn't rent our shop, why did you want to meet us?"
Lu Yunfeng patted her hand warily, "This group of people is very strange. They don't seem like businessmen at all, and their wandering around looks more like they are scouting or inspecting."
"You're not here to steal our skills, are you?" Qin Xiaozhou raised an eyebrow. "Are you interested in learning how our trading market operates?"
If that's the case, it doesn't matter. Qin Xiaozhou isn't afraid of people finding out. As long as the market matures, the operating model will gradually emerge.
Song Qiao was quite surprised by Qin Xiaozhou's youth. She was not to be underestimated for building such a business at such a young age. He did not show any contempt for women, but rather acted with great manners.
This surprised Qin Xiaozhou, who then mentioned some business models suitable for this era.
Although the imperial court valued agriculture over commerce, the key to wealth and a full national treasury lay in relying heavily on taxes paid by merchants.
Before they knew it, it was time for Lu Yu's wedding. Lu Yunxing finally returned from Yujing, arriving just in time for the day before the wedding.
Carrying large and small bags of things, Lu Yan arrived at Wangjia Village, followed by a servant carrying four or five bundles. After entering the house, she gave the servant twenty coins and sent him back. Lu Yan ran over excitedly, "Second Brother, you're back? You seem to have grown taller."
A fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy is at the age when he is growing. He was gone for more than a month and actually grew quite a bit taller, like bamboo shoots sprouting in spring. Lu Yunfeng laughed, "He has grown taller, but he looks like a thin bamboo pole."
"Brother, please don't laugh at me." After going out, Lu Yunxing's eyes were resolute, no longer as weak and timid as before. He opened the package one by one, and then became a little embarrassed. "I used your money, brother and sister-in-law. I'm just borrowing your money to give to Buddha."
Lu Yunfeng brought a tea set, while Qin Xiaozhou brought two dresses from Yujing. The dresses were ethereal and different from the heavily embroidered ones in the embroidery workshop. Lu Yunxing scratched the back of his head and said, "I thought that knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory, so I brought two dresses that are popular in the capital for my sister-in-law. She can take a look at them. However, your dresses are also very popular in Yujing."
Lu Yu, Zhao Fang, and Wang Lan all received jade bracelets. Lu Yunxing said somewhat embarrassedly, "Auntie, I don't know what to give you. This is something I earned through my own efforts, and I'm giving it to you as part of your dowry."
That day in the capital, a count's son held a tea party and invited noble ladies from the capital to attend. He went with Zhu Xian to have his eyes opened and wrote a poem, which earned him a good reputation. The count's son then gave him a piece of jade as a prize. Thinking of his elders, he had three bracelets made and used the leftover scraps to make jade pendants. He gave the smaller ones to his younger brother and Shitou, and wore the larger ones on his waist, adding a touch of elegance.
This was the first time Wang Lan had ever seen such a fine jade bracelet. She carefully raised her hand, afraid that she might break it if she wasn't careful. "This bracelet must be worth a lot of money."
“It’s a prize, no money required.” Lu Yunxing said with pride, “But Miss Zhu said the jade is of good quality, and one bracelet could be worth a hundred or so taels of silver.”
Lu Yan and Qin Jinxiu's gifts were both soft pearl necklaces. The two girls were very excited and gestured to each other, "They're so pretty, Second Brother, do all the noble ladies in the capital wear these?"
"There are lots of things to eat, play with, and use in Yujing. I'll take you there sometime." After finishing dinner, Lu Yunxing went inside to read. He wanted to study hard so that one day he could take his mother and younger siblings to see a wider world.
"Oh my, oh my, this is really expensive." Wang Lan exclaimed, carefully stroking the jade bracelet. The bracelet was warm and lustrous. "My second son went out for a while and has grown up. This bracelet is precious. I will keep it safe and make sure it doesn't get damaged."
Lu Yu went back to her room and put away the bracelet. There were eight large chests in the room, filled to the brim with her dowry. There was one large chest of rice and grain, six sets of new clothes and shoes, four sets of winter clothes and two sets of spring clothes. Her mother said that the clothes for the future could be made slowly, so she gave her five bolts of cloth, silver bracelets and silver hairpins. Er Yun also gave her a jade bracelet to put in her dowry chest.
Qin Xiaozhou added one hundred taels of silver, saying, "Auntie, with money in hand, you have nothing to worry about. This dowry will ensure you have enough to eat and wear for the rest of your life. Just live as you please and don't pay too much attention to the gossip. However, when you arrive at Doctor Li's house, you should avoid meeting Li Yang. Only then will these gossips gradually disappear."
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