Chapter 59 Engraving Inscriptions
Finally, the shopkeeper added five more taels, giving him twenty taels in total.
Lu Qingqing left, satisfied.
The salesman said regretfully, "I'll earn five taels less this time."
"No, go to the county government and tell Young Master Fu that there is high-quality white jade available again. This time, the raw materials are difficult to mine, so the price has increased."
...
Lu Qingqing was in a good mood after making more money, so she dragged Sixi to buy more things.
Snacks, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar—each person eats a skewer of candied hawthorns on their way home!
At this moment, Old Man Lu and Lu Feng, who had returned home a day earlier, were in Big Locust Tree Village, next to Liuyun Village.
They've run into a big problem.
A few days ago, Lu Feng took on a job making a carved bed for someone, which the client said was to be used as part of their daughter's dowry when she got married.
At that time, some patterns were discussed, all of which were common auspicious cloud patterns. However, the host made a small request, saying that he had seen other people's bed legs with carved patterns before, which were very beautiful, and asked Lu Feng to carve some as well.
They even drew something on the ground.
Lu Feng had never seen that pattern before, so he asked about it. The host said it came from the west and symbolized a strong relationship or something.
Lu Feng then memorized it.
The host family was not well-off, and despite much persuasion, he did not accept the deposit.
Unexpectedly, when it came time to deliver the goods, the Wu family suddenly turned hostile and berated Lu Feng for his malicious intent.
Inscribed curses on the wedding bed.
Fortunately, someone in the daughter's husband's family knew the inscription, which was written in Sanskrit and contained words wishing the deceased a speedy reincarnation to enjoy happiness.
Lu Feng was completely bewildered. He went to the owner to reason with him, but the man denied that he had ordered the carving.
They wanted to beat him, pay compensation, and make him kneel down and apologize. The host's five sons surrounded Lu Feng.
Seeing that things were not good, Cui Shitou, who had come to help deliver the goods, quickly returned to the village to find the village head, while he also drove his donkey cart to the county town.
When Old Man Lu rushed back, the matter was already over.
Lu Feng was beaten, and Lu Yun, who went to help, was also beaten. The village head intervened, and the family didn't ask for compensation, but the work was essentially for nothing!
That bed originally cost five taels of silver, but because it was made of good materials, Lu Feng spent seven days working on it to expedite the wedding of the bride.
Lu Yun was unconvinced, but the village head said that there was no evidence, but the work was indeed done by Lu Feng. Even if they knew that he deliberately made a mistake, there was nothing they could do.
Moreover, and most importantly, the Lu family has been to the yamen, been flogged, and has been the subject of rumors. If they were to report this to the authorities, their reputation would be even worse.
Lu Yun and Lu Qingqing haven't even gotten engaged yet!
The village head of Dahuaishu Village also said that the family was not unreasonable; they were honest and law-abiding, so how could they intentionally harm someone?
Therefore, even if Lu Yun was dissatisfied, the village head stopped him and told him to let it go and consider it a lesson learned from this loss.
Old Man Lu has arrived.
"I'm willing to learn a lesson and I don't need the money, but things need to be explained clearly!"
Otherwise, no one will dare to hire the Lu family for work in the future!
“I’ve been a carpenter for twenty years and I’ve never had anything like this happen before. My son is also honest and doesn’t cheat customers. If it weren’t for the client’s request, he wouldn’t have carved any patterns he didn’t recognize!”
Many people from your Big Locust Tree Village have ordered things from me, but has anyone ever been dissatisfied?
The village head of Dahuaishu Village is also in a difficult position.
He also knew Old Man Lu; he was indeed a kind and honest man.
But now it's hard to explain. The main problem is that such an unlucky thing was done on such a joyous occasion, which is a very important matter at the time of marriage.
Who would joke about their daughter's lifelong happiness?
“We don’t acknowledge this!” Old Man Lu said.
If this person's daughter is unhappy in the future, he might blame it on the Lu family.
We absolutely cannot admit to this!
"What are you going to do if you don't admit it? Does Lu Feng have the blueprints that they gave him?" the village head advised.
"Forget it, look at those five sons and clansmen of this family, they look like they want to eat you alive. If you keep making trouble, you'll suffer the consequences."
Old Man Lu knew that making a scene wouldn't bring him any benefit, but he still made it clear: "My Lu family will no longer do business with Big Locust Tree Village!"
Every village has carpenters, but there are very few who are skilled and reasonably priced in the surrounding area.
The Lu family has the best reputation.
His words made the people of Dahuaishu Village a little anxious.
"No way! My son wants you to make furniture for his wedding!"
"That's right, it's all a misunderstanding. We believe you and will contact you again in the future."
But many more people are just sour, nasty people: "It's not like you're the only carpenters, so if you don't want to do it, then don't!"
My son recently borrowed money from loan sharks, and the whole family got into a lawsuit. He's supposed to be an honest man; who knows what he's been up to?
"Exactly, it's best to avoid dealing with them!"
Lu Yun: "You're talking nonsense..."
"Second son! Go home!" Old Man Lu scolded.
He was indeed just an insignificant carpenter, nothing special.
However, they will later find out what he really meant when he said he wouldn't do business with Dahuaishu Village.
They'll have plenty to ask for later.
The Wu family won't have an easy time.
After the Lu family left, the crowd dispersed.
The Wu family members showed expressions of joy.
That saved five taels of silver?
"Father, my brother-in-law's idea is really good. The Lu family has no way to deal with it."
"But this is truly unethical; you shouldn't do it again," the old man said worriedly.
But what if his five sons need to get married, and the family doesn't have enough money? And conscience can't put food on the table.
“Oh dear, Father, my brother-in-law said that the Lu family is rich now, so even if we swindle a little, we won’t lose anything, but five taels of silver would be a great help to our family.”
“Father, you shouldn’t have given in just now. You should have extorted more. The Lu family only has two sons, and they don’t dare to go against us.”
"Yes, I heard they even had a falling out with the eldest son's family. The two families don't associate with each other at all, and there's no one left in the Lu family."
The sons chattered amongst themselves, their faces showing regret at not having fully enjoyed the initial success.
Old Wu was stunned by what he saw, and felt even more frightened.
This cannot be done anymore, it cannot be done anymore.
Two young men dressed in blue robes came out from behind the Wu family's house.
"Thank you for your excellent idea, Brother Ning. It not only saved my in-laws five taels of silver, but it will also help my brother's business to do better in the future."
“We’re classmates, so it’s only right that we help each other. The Lu family isn’t exactly a good family, but it’s a pity your in-laws are too honest and didn’t manage to get more money.”
The man smiled and took out several dozen coins as a token of his gratitude.
"I hope Brother Ning will pass the imperial examination in the future and take good care of us ordinary people."
Although he complained about the small amount of money, Ning Xiuwen felt extremely pleased by the flattering words.
"No problem, no problem."
"Let's go, let's invite Brother Ning to a celebratory drink in advance."
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