Xie Zhong followed behind Xie Yin, carrying large and small bags in his hands. "Miss, Madam has sent a letter urging you to return home as soon as possible, so you can make it in time for the New Year's prayers."
Xie Yin pouted, "We go to pray for blessings every year, but my brother's illness hasn't improved. What's the use? It would be more practical to let him travel around seeking medical treatment and see what strange things this county has to offer so we can bring some back."
Xie Zhong suggested, "The trading market has fresh fruit from Linshan County that is rarely seen in the north. Why don't we bring some that are easy to store so that the ladies and gentlemen in the manor can have a taste?"
The master and servant arrived at the trading market. Xie Yin was surprised, "I didn't expect that such a small county town could now gather so many specialties from all over the country in its silks and brocades. It's really rare."
The Xie family's ancestral home is not far from Fenggu County. Since the establishment of the Xin Dynasty, the entire Xie family has followed their grandfather to take up his post in the north. They only come to pay their respects every year during the Qingming Festival. This time, Xie Yin stayed in the old house for half a year. The Xie family's wife kept urging her to write, but she was happy to be free and not in a hurry at all.
Xie Yin suddenly stopped, gazing at a person across the crowd with amazement in her eyes, "Uncle Zhong, who is that?"
"That's Lu Yunfeng, Manager Qin's husband."
Lu Yunfeng was dressed in a blue robe, with his hair adorned with a crown, and his handsome face made him look every bit the noble young master.
Xie Yin was taken aback. When people introduced a man, they never said that he was so-and-so's husband. This was the first time she had heard it. "Is he Lu Yunfeng? Isn't it said that the Lu family used to be hunters? Even a young master from a noble family would pale in comparison to him in appearance."
She thought he would be a rude man.
The Lu family's rise to power is not unusual in the county town; everyone can tell a few stories about it.
Xie Zhong explained, "Although the Lu family are rural hunters, the whole family is quite good-looking. Nowadays, everyone calls Lu Yunfeng 'Young Master Lu,' so naturally, he dresses better."
Lu Yunfeng was showing a shop to a merchant from Xuancheng at the moment. "This shop is not far from the entrance, and it has a large area, which is perfect for you to display your Xuan paper and Xuan brushes."
The businessman nodded in agreement, and the two quickly signed a shop lease agreement.
Lu Yunfeng carefully put away the contract, then wandered around the market for a while before stopping in front of a jewelry shop. He carefully selected an elegant pearl hairpin before returning to Yifanfengshunlou.
Xie Yin followed along, looked up at the shop, went inside and ordered milk tea and pudding before going upstairs. From the window on the second floor of the west-facing shop, one could see the backyard just by looking down. In the backyard, Qin Xiaozhou was sitting on a stone table under a pomegranate tree, drawing clothing designs. Lu Yunfeng went over and sat down, offering her candied dates and pearls as if presenting a treasure.
“A merchant from Xuancheng came today. His candied dates are exceptional. You should try them.” He then inserted a pearl hairpin into Qin Xiaozhou’s hair. “These pearls are from the south. They’re perfect for you.”
Since that night, their relationship progressed rapidly. Lu Yunfeng would start to make unwanted physical advances in private, which Qin Xiaozhou didn't object to. After all, he was her husband, and she was extremely happy if they could live a harmonious life together.
Lu Yunfeng said to himself, "The itinerant doctor has already been recommended to Granny Qian. If she is really capable, she can naturally stay in the embroidery building."
Qin Xiaozhou grabbed Lu Yunfeng's hand and glared at him angrily, "This is in the courtyard, not in the house, and certainly not in a deserted area. Behave yourself and let Granny Qian handle it. She comes from an official's residence and is best at disciplining people. You should go to the dock more often to see if there are any letters from Eryun. All you think about is running home every day."
The autumn breeze is the most refreshing. A ginkgo leaf fluttered down into the courtyard. Qin Xiaozhou suddenly got excited and pulled Lu Yunfeng to the academy through the back door.
Xie Yin, watching from upstairs, suddenly felt envious of Qin Xiaozhou, this country woman, who actually had a husband who loved her so much. She had just found out that Lu Yunfeng had not taken any concubines, not even a maidservant.
She had never seen such a devoted man before. Even her sickly brother had concubines in his room. After marrying his wife last year, he took three concubines in succession, hoping to bring good luck or leave behind a child.
But her mother told her that all men in the world have three wives and four concubines, and unless they can't afford to support women, they won't marry only one wife.
This academy was a private school used for the imperial examinations for scholars. It had more than twenty students, and the headmaster was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. There was a large ginkgo tree in the courtyard, which was now turning golden yellow. When the autumn wind blew, the leaves fluttered like butterflies in the sky, creating a unique atmosphere.
Outsiders are not allowed to enter the academy, so Qin Xiaozhou picked up leaves by the river behind the academy. "The results of the provincial examination should be released in half a month. I hope Eryun can pass the exam. If she comes to study here in the future, it will be close by."
Lu Yunfeng didn't understand why she was picking up these leaves, so he just followed behind her with the basket. "Eryun is timid, but she is very smart and down-to-earth. She is willing to calm down and study. She should be able to pass the exam."
"Were you not as good at studying as him back then?" Qin Xiaozhou asked curiously, and actually wanted to learn more about Lu Yunfeng's past.
Lu Yunfeng didn't shy away from the truth, "I've been active since I was little. I liked to go into the mountains with my grandfather and father. I liked my grandfather's bow and arrow or learning how to use those little traps to catch wild rabbits and pheasants. If we're talking about studying, Eryun is better. I just went to school for a few years to learn to read."
When he was a child, he was a notorious little tyrant in the surrounding villages. He would lead children his age to catch shrimp, fish, birds, and rabbits. Except for Xishan, which was off-limits, he could be found everywhere in the mountains, forests, and rivers. The old ladies in the village would complain to the Lu family from time to time because they disliked these little brats trampling and digging up the ridges of the fields.
Lu Yunxing, however, was not very willing to follow him and often read books by himself.
Qin Xiaozhou laughed heartily, "You were quite naughty when you were little. I loved sweets when I was little, but my family wasn't well-off and we couldn't buy them every day. So my grandma would make me little desserts with egg whites, sugar, and flour. My current cooking skills actually originated from my grandma."
Unfortunately, her grandparents both passed away when she was in high school.
Back home, Qin Xiaozhou wiped each of the collected leaves clean, then found some thin bamboo sections and thread to tie the leaves together. After a dozen or so leaves, it resembled a flower. Lu Yan and Qin Jinxiu followed suit, and half an hour later, they had a large bunch of golden leaf flowers. They placed them in bamboo tubes, creating a unique and charming display, perfect for the shop's table.
If all the tables were decorated with ginkgo leaves, it would be too monotonous. So Qin Xiaozhou took his two little followers to look for flowers and plants. Soon, the tables were decorated with different kinds of flowers, including plump red pomegranate branches, bright red crabapple blossoms, elegant bamboo branches, half-withered lotus flowers and pods, and unique miniature landscape bonsai.
The young ladies who came to the shop were all impressed by her ingenious ideas and began to imitate her in their private quarters.
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