Song Qiao stood at the entrance of the trading market, holding a sesame seed cake in his hand, and took a bite to make a crescent shape. "This trading market integrates specialties from many places and is a hub. It seems that in the next few years, Fenggu County will become famous."
"I never expected to find barbecue here. Students thought barbecue was something only nomadic people in the north had." Ren Ju held a juice bar and a barbecue grill in one hand. "And there's cold noodles, sweet and sour, I wonder where they came from."
Song Qiao pretended to be serious, "Eat less and learn more about the situation in the county."
Ren Ju immediately replied respectfully, "My lord, I have already inquired and found out that Manager Qin's husband, Lu Yunfeng, comes to the trading market every day."
Lu Yunfeng walked over side by side with a yamen runner. "There are many outsiders here. It will be hard on Constable Li these next few days."
Officer Li gripped the hilt of his sword. "Young Master Lu, you're too kind. It is our duty to safeguard the safety of the county."
Lu Yunfeng exchanged a few more polite words before entering the trading market, where he was immediately surrounded by merchants from other places who inquired about the rental details.
Looking at him from afar, Song Qiao thought, "He doesn't seem like a hunter at all. People would believe he's a young master from a noble family. He's calm and composed, and quite a character."
Lu Yunfeng carefully answered all the questions in the crowd. After everyone dispersed, he lowered his gaze and casually walked towards a certain place. He felt that several eyes were staring at him. Well, it wasn't quite staring; they were scrutinizing him.
Ren Ju took a deep breath. "My lord, this man is perceptive; he has already noticed our gazes."
Song Qiao smiled approvingly, "As expected of someone from a hunter's background, now that we've been discovered, let's not hide." He stepped forward and struck up a conversation, "Young Master Lu, we are merchants from Jizhou. We heard that this place accepts merchants from all over the country and can rent houses and stalls here, so we came to take a look. Thank you for your trouble."
Lu Yunfeng calmly observed the group. The leader had a very imposing presence. Even though he was deliberately dressed as a merchant, his mannerisms were more like those of an official. Behind him were two men who looked like thugs, both dressed in short-sleeved shirts and very capable. "There is another room over there. Please move over."
Lu Yunfeng led his men to the backyard to see the house. This house was the former owner's bedroom, spacious and bright. It was still spacious after the renovation, but the rent was too high and it had never been rented out. "In our trading market, the lease starts from three months, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid in advance. It is not allowed to operate a song and dance hall or a brothel."
Song Qiao laughed heartily, "Alright, any other requests?"
"The rest are governed by the county government's regulations: a curfew begins at 9 PM and the gates open at 7 AM," Lu Yunfeng explained in detail.
In other places, the curfew is at the beginning of the 7 PM hour. The county town is small and used to have no curfew. Now, because it is bustling, a curfew has been imposed in the county town. However, because there are barbecue stalls and trading markets, the curfew in Fenggu County is one hour later than in other places.
Song Qiao carefully examined the items in the shop. "Young Master Lu, please go ahead with your business. Allow me to consider this carefully before discussing it with you."
Lu Yunfeng didn't press the matter. After leaving the trading market, he bought some food and wine and went to Li Shaoming's house. Although Li Shaoming now lived in the suburbs of the county, his hometown was still Lijiaba, and he still had some connections in the village.
Li Shaoyang has two older brothers. He wasn't assigned to the river repair work, so he continued to work at the dock every day. He was very enthusiastic when Lu Yunfeng came to visit. Firstly, Qin Xiaozhou had a close relationship with Zhu Xian, the owner of the dock. Secondly, the Lu family was currently very powerful in the county, so it was always beneficial to maintain good relations with them.
"Brother Lu, what brings you here? Please come in."
Zhang Qingzhu, being very perceptive, went to the kitchen to cook and quickly stir-fried peanuts for the two of them as a snack with their drinks.
After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Yunfeng explained his purpose, "It's still about my aunt."
“Hey, we’re brothers. I knew you wouldn’t make this trip. Don’t worry, I don’t lack anything. My family has been producing offspring for generations. Half of Lijia Dam is related to us. I’ll go back and talk to my parents in a couple of days. Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Lu Yu's marriage was already the talk of the town in Lijiaba. Even Li Shaoming, who lived in the county town, had heard about it. "Those people were gossiping. Even if you hadn't come, I would have shamelessly gone to find you."
The Lu family is doing well, and Li Shaoyang is worried that his eagerness to visit will be exposed. He has been agonizing over this for several days. "The Li family is no good. The news that your aunt and Li Yang are dating has suddenly spread in the village. It must have been that family that let it slip. Now your aunt's reputation in the village is not very good."
Lu Yunfeng filled Li Shaoming's glass with wine, saying, "We're brothers, for life. There's no need for any shameless talk. My aunt will need your help and care in Lijiaba in the future. I'll toast you."
Li Shaoming was pleased that Lu Yunfeng valued him so much, and said boldly, "Alright, my brother's business is my business. I will never let your aunt be bullied by those people in Lijiaba."
Zhang Qingzhu, tugging at her clothes outside, finally mustered the courage to go inside and pour Lu Yunfeng a glass of wine. Startled, Lu Yunfeng quickly accepted it, saying, "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. You've gone to so much trouble."
More than anything, he was puzzled. He rarely came to see Li Shaoming, but the first two times he saw Zhang Qingzhu, she was a very proper and honest woman. Why did she suddenly pour him wine today?
Li Shaoming didn't understand either. "Wife, go and cook for the children and eat first. Don't worry about me."
Zhang Qingzhu didn't leave, but looked firmly at Lu Yunfeng. "Brother Lu, since my master calls you that, I'll be presumptuous and call you that too. Here's the thing, my family grows some vegetables and we'd like to sell them to the embroidery workshop's kitchen. Could you do me a favor?"
"Shut up, get out!" Li Shaoming snapped, as if he'd been pricked with a needle. "What do you know, you're just a woman?"
Tears streamed down Zhang Qingzhu's face. "I don't understand your reasoning. All I know is that the children are starving to death."
Li Shaoming was about to argue again when Lu Yunfeng quickly stopped him, saying, "It's even better since you have vegetables at home, sister-in-law. My wife said that the textile factory suddenly has about a hundred more people, and they're having trouble feeding them. We're really worried about this. You're doing us a favor, sister-in-law. Let's settle it like this. Tomorrow morning, you can just take the vegetables to the textile factory."
Zhang Qingzhu's face immediately lit up with joy. "Really?"
"Of course." Lu Yunfeng drank two more cups with Li Shaoming before taking his leave.
As soon as he left, Li Shaoming deflated instantly, covering his face, somewhat embarrassed. "Do you think I'm just trying to save face and suffer for it? My family is almost starving, but I'm unwilling to ask my friends for help. But I'm ashamed. We used to climb trees to steal bird eggs and go down to the river to catch shrimp together. Later, his family had a crisis, and even though he was in such a difficult situation, he was able to make a comeback and even rise higher. Meanwhile, I'm just a manager at the dock, which sounds nice, but I still make you worry about food and clothing every day."
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