Chapter 92: Tips

Babao went to open the door, but as soon as he saw the visitor, his expression changed for the worse. He glanced back at Lu Chengxiao, only to find Lu Chengxiao already stepping forward to greet the visitor.

“Zhongjue?”

Hearing this name, the three siblings of the Liu family knew who the visitor was.

Li Zhongjue felt quite awkward. He glanced at Lu Chengxiao first, finding him alright, but considering the number of people in the courtyard, he didn’t know how to start speaking for a moment.

Seeing his expression, Lu Chengxiao probably guessed that he knew something, so he said, “Let’s talk inside.”

After informing the Liu siblings, Lu Chengxiao led Li Zhongjue into the house.

In the silence, Lu Chengxiao wasn’t sure if Li Zhongjue knew what had happened, and Li Zhongjue… found it difficult to speak.

In the end, Lu Chengxiao broke the silence. “Why are you here?”

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Nk Hbsdtfwl zssjle lxcyaaypple yp bl ypjle Nw Ubldtmkys, “Pke usw… vswnb vbl vly kd xu pvweu?”

Usdqkaxkdt kv, Nw Ubldtmkys dseele. “R eked’v eakdj xwnb clnywpl R eked’v zkjl vbl vypvl. R nyzzle vbl esnvsa, yde lhlauvbkdt’p qkdl dso. Tso eke usw qkde swv ycswv vbkp?”

Slzklhle vs blya vbyv lhlauvbkdt oyp qkdl, Nk Hbsdtfwl pktble. Gp vblu bye clld nzyppxyvlp qsa vball ulyap yde bye zkhle vstlvbla kd vbl ynyelxu, vblal oyp dsvbkdt vblu nswzed’v ekpnwpp. Ysalshla, vblal oyp dsoblal lzpl bl nswze hldv bkp qawpvayvksd. Fs, blyakdt Nw Ubldtmkys’p iwlpvksd, bl pxkzle ckvvlazu. “R eaydj vbyv vly.”

“Tso nswze vbyv cl?” Nw Ubldtmkys oyp ypvsdkpble. “Eypd’v vbl eawttle vly ekprsple sq?”

Rd y qzypb sq alyzkgyvksd, bl alnyzzle vbl ycdsaxyzkvu yv vbl vkxl, qkdekdt kv byae vs clzklhl. Tl ypjle Nk Hbsdtfwl, “Mbld obyv ycswv usw…?”

Nk Hbsdtfwl nzldnble bkp zkrp vktbvzu, bkp fyozkdl vldpl. “R eaydj vbl vly. Ju vbl vkxl R qlzv psxlvbkdt oyp oasdt, Nk Uwk’la, Nkydt Nkydt’p sod pkpvla, nyxl kd vs vyjl yoyu vbl vly vayu.”

Nk Hbsdtfwl pvsrrle blal, wdokzzkdt vs pyu xsal, qllzkdt yddsule, yde nbydtle vbl pwcflnv. “Nkydt Nkydt yzps bye y ryav kd vbkp. R ypjle bkx, yde bl pyke bl nssrlayvle okvb bla. Ubldtmkys, Zwdck kp dsv yv qywzv kd vbkp xyvvla, cwv pbl… Uyd usw zlv kv ts? Fbl osd’v es kv ytykd kd vbl qwvwal.”

Nw Ubldtmkys pbssj bkp blye. “Rv’p dsv ycswv zlvvkdt kv ts sa dsv. Zsw’e clvvla ts cynj yde kdhlpvktyvl kv nyalqwzzu. R yzoyup qllz vbyv vbl xyke kd uswa xydpksd kp pwprknkswp.”

He explained what he had seen in the study to Li Zhongjue and asked, “How did you deal with Li Cui’er?”

Li Zhongjue was stunned when he heard that Li Cui’er was acting suspiciously. Hearing about his own sister’s desire to leave and being pushed and locked into the courtyard by the maid, he was almost speechless. Li Zhongjue wasn’t stupid; he had originally been clear about his sister’s feelings, but with the preconceived notion and Li Yunbi’s constant favoring of Li Cui’er, even Li Yunbi herself admitted her involvement in this.

Now that Lu Chengxiao reminded him to look at those with vested interests, what could he not understand? Li Zhongjue pounded the table almost gnashing his teeth, “I’ll go back for a while.”

As he got up, he remembered something. “Did you have any business coming this time? I see Miss Liu came with you?”

Lu Chengxiao didn’t want to quarrel with Li Zhongjue over this matter, especially now that he knew the maid was acting suspiciously, so he truthfully said he came to look for a dyeing workshop.

Li Zhongjue said, “Maybe later, I’ll come over this afternoon to accompany you.”

Lu Chengxiao hesitated for a moment, but still smiled and nodded. “Sure, if you have time.”

Li Zhongjue heard him say ‘sure’ and finally let go of most of the tension he was carrying. His expression relaxed a bit, feeling ashamed yet somewhat happy. “I haven’t formally greeted you yet.”

Lu Chengxiao nodded, knowing that he was anxious to go back to deal with the aftermath, so he escorted Li Zhongjue out.

When Li Zhongjue came out and saw the Liu siblings in the courtyard, he was really not in the mood just now, but he couldn’t help but say hello now, although he felt a bit embarrassed. He bowed and greeted, then noticed Liu Yu in the courtyard. He saluted her, feeling guilty.

Liu Yu stepped aside and didn’t accept his salute. The matter of Li Yunbi had little to do with her brother.

Seeing that she didn’t accept his salute, Li Zhongjue felt even more uncomfortable. He knew very well that Liu Yu would soon be Lu Chengxiao’s wife. After thinking about it, he said to Lu Chengxiao, “Help me explain.”

He felt a bit uncomfortable himself and didn’t wait for Lu Chengxiao to say anything. He bowed to everyone and said he would come back in the afternoon.

Come back in the afternoon?

After Li Zhongjue left, Lu Chengxiao turned around, only to meet the gaze of four pairs of eyes all looking at him.

Even Babao found it somewhat hard to understand. Just when such a thing happened, you’re still going to walk with the young master of the Li family in the afternoon???

Lu Chengxiao could only vaguely explain, saying, “There are hidden reasons behind this morning’s incident.”

Just as he agreed to accompany Li Zhongjue to the dyeing workshop in the afternoon out of consideration for their future interactions, Li Zhongjue giving him an explanation was essentially the same consideration.

At this point, there was no need to hide anymore. After all, they would still have interactions with Li Zhongjue in the future, and Li Zhongjue would be coming back in the afternoon. It would be too embarrassing for everyone to be together.

So, he briefly explained the matter, attributing it to the maid’s intentions.

As for whether the Li family girl herself had any intentions and was just being manipulated by the maid, there was no need to say it explicitly. It could be inferred roughly. Given the situation between the Lu and Li families, Li Yunbi indeed seemed eager to leave the courtyard when she entered it. There was not much more to say.

But both Liu Yiping and Liu Yanan had the same thought running through their minds: when they became successful in the future, they would definitely not buy maidservants. It would be better to hire robust servants for chores. How could these troubles happen with maidservants at the age of thirty or forty?

This was just a passing thought. In fact, each had their own difficulties. To make good use of people, these young men still needed to slowly learn and understand this skill.

Li Zhongjue hurried back home to look for his mother, Madam Qian. However, when he entered the main hall, he saw Li Yunbi, whose eyes were red and cheeks slightly flushed. He was taken aback. “Mother, what happened to Yunbi?”

Madam Qian raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you accompanying Chengxiao to the dyeing workshop? Why are you back so soon?”

Li Zhongjue was at a loss for words, especially in front of Li Yunbi.

Madam Qian sneered. “What? Did Lu Chengxiao say something to you?”

Now Li Zhongjue was sure that his mother already knew everything. Lowering his head, he finally said after a while, “Li Cui’er and Liang Liang were involved. Mother, you should investigate thoroughly. It’s better not to keep such people around my sister.”

He didn’t mention Li Cui’er’s infatuation anymore or the elevation to a concubine.

Madam Qian closed her eyes, thinking of Chen Shi whom she had seen a few years ago. She truly envied her. However, no matter how envious she was, other people’s children were good, but her own children were her concern. Looking at Li Zhongjue again, she said, “You’re always together. Why haven’t you learned anything yet? Zhongjue, be more attentive. Think more and see more when encountering things. I’ll pick out a few servants from the village for you in a few days. You can choose an honest and trustworthy one yourself.”

Li Zhongjue knew that his mother had already investigated everything beforehand. Hearing Madam Qian’s disappointed and weary tone, he felt ashamed. The family conditions were not bad, but he had never paid attention to these matters. This time, he had learned a lesson and decided to pay more attention to other matters.

If he didn’t make progress himself, how could he face his parents with dignity?

After figuring this out, he nodded solemnly. “Son understands, I will definitely remember your teachings.”

This day, Madam Qian finally had a genuine smile on her lips. If a little setback could make both her children grow up, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. It was better to stumble at her side than to stumble outside in the future.

Then she asked, “When you went to his place, what was his situation? What was his attitude?”

The ‘he’ she referred to naturally was Lu Chengxiao.

Li Zhongjue said, “Chengxiao called a doctor, and everything was fine. He didn’t say much. He could see that Li Cui’er was suspicious and gave me a hint.”

Madam Qian nodded, as expected. Whether talking about interests or relationships, he should know what to do. She had never worried that Lu Chengxiao’s side would tarnish Li Yunbi’s reputation.

She skipped the topic and said, “There’s another matter… Your sister is fifteen now. I will start looking for marriage prospects for her. Don’t accompany her when she goes out in the future. It’s not proper.”

Half of this was addressed to Li Zhongjue and half to Li Yunbi.

Li Yunbi was going to discuss marriage soon, and obviously, Lu Chengxiao wouldn’t be a candidate.

Li Yunbi’s face turned slightly pale, but she didn’t say anything more. She couldn’t even face Lu Chengxiao now, and she didn’t dare to think about anything anymore.

Li Zhongjue, on the other hand, felt relieved. This was the best outcome.

At the first quarter of the hour, Li Zhongjue arrived at the small courtyard where Lu Chengxiao and his party were staying. Several people were already waiting there. Since dyeing workshops typically employed more male workers, Liu Yu, an unmarried woman, wore a veil to cover her face slightly, revealing only her eyes and eyebrows.

Li Zhongjue was quite familiar with the major dyeing workshops in the city, especially with several workshops where his father often collaborated. He had a good relationship with the masters there and often spent time there as an apprentice, so naturally, he had developed some rapport.

Now, seeing him bringing people over, they were all quite enthusiastic. Lu Chengxiao didn’t immediately specify how much fabric to dye. Instead, he inspected the samples and observed the workshop’s operations before finally inquiring about the price.

After comparing prices from several workshops, they finally settled on one. Then they moved on to the color selection process, which was where Liu Yu took the lead. Different colors and patterns had different costs for dyes and printing, resulting in different prices for dyeing.

After discussing for more than an hour, they finalized all the details, including the delivery date and deadline. They paid a deposit before leaving the workshop.

With their task completed, Li Zhongjue suggested inviting everyone to dinner in the evening. Lu Chengxiao suddenly remembered someone.

Yang Cunxu.

When he came to Yuanzhou last time to find Liu Yu, he had received a lot of help from him. They had agreed to meet again, but Yang Cunxu had not visited Yuanzhou City since then, only exchanging a few letters.

However, considering Liu Yu’s situation, whether dining with Li Zhongjue or inviting Yang Cunxu, it would be inconvenient. So, he shook his head and said, “We’re returning tomorrow, but after I collect all the fabrics and come back to Yuanzhou with Yanping and Yanan, let’s meet again. I’ll host the gathering and invite Cunxu and Mingyun.”

Li Zhongjue also understood that Lu Chengxiao probably wouldn’t leave Liu Yu alone. After all the commotion today, he must be exhausted. So, he didn’t insist and simply agreed to meet next time. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Liu brothers, they parted ways.

After returning to the inn, Lu Chengxiao ordered dinner to be brought to the courtyard. After eating together, they each retired to their rooms for the night. The next morning, they prepared some drinking water and headed to the Yuanzhou pier, heading back to Anyi County by boat without further incident.

Sansukini: I think all moms have the same concerns regarding their children. Most moms want their children to grow up and be independent.

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