roccoschili Chapter 271 Don't Praise Me Yet
Chapter 271 Don't Praise Me Yet
Chen Zhao had always known that his father's considerations had changed since he grew older.
He was no longer the apple of his eye; when he was little, his father always made him happy.
These days, I have to come up with all sorts of ways to coax my dad.
Although his uncle and great-uncle both said it was alright, and that as long as his maternal grandparents' family was still around, they could protect him for life, he still wanted to make his father happy from the bottom of his heart.
So he was already very satisfied that his father sent a servant and Lord Wu to pick him up. Now that he saw his father come in person, how could he not be excited?
Chen Zhao ran over, and because he was going too fast, he almost lost his footing and knocked the person flying.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and hugged his father tightly. "Dad, are you alright?"
Master Chen adjusted his hat, which had almost been knocked off, and then grabbed his son's shoulder, asking, "Is Zhao'er alright?"
Although Miss Lin had said before that Zhao'er was fine, as a parent, he still needed to hear Zhao'er's own words to feel at ease.
Chen Zhao shook his head, "I'm fine. Sister Chang'er asked me to move the tripwire with her, and then she let me go back to the carriage."
"He also told me to play it by ear, and if she couldn't win, I should go back to the prefectural city to get reinforcements."
"Father, let me tell you, I went to the provincial capital with Sister Chang'er today, and I really learned a lot! I never knew you could bargain like that, or ask the shopkeeper for extras when you buy things! Father..."
Chen Zhao talked on and on, and surprisingly, Old Master Chen did not get impatient. On the contrary, he found his son particularly pleasing to the eye today, as if he had suddenly grown up and become sensible.
Then she felt that the trip to the academy was worthwhile. If she hadn't gone to the academy, how would she have met the two scholars, Gu Ziyan and Li Xun, and even less would she have met her cousin, Li Xun?
They even arranged for Gu Ziyan to tutor him privately.
Nowadays, my son has gradually given up cockfighting and cricket fighting. Although his writing is still terrible, as long as he is honest, he should spend ten taels of silver a month well.
Moreover, it is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and this Miss Lin is willing to take her son out to see the world.
Although I can take him out into the world myself, if I don't let him gain some experience first, given my son's nature, he's bound to make a fool of himself.
Thinking this, Master Chen felt even more grateful to Lin Chang'er.
Because of the encounter with bandits, Wu Qingfeng naturally couldn't let Lin Chang'er return to Linshui Village alone.
He instructed the Chen family servants and yamen runners to escort the bandits to the county jail, while he personally escorted Lin Chang'er back.
Chen Zhao was reluctant to leave and wanted to go with them.
Master Chen smiled and reassured him, "A good teacher and helpful friend, how can you go empty-handed? Let's pick a day another day, and I'll accompany you myself."
Chen Zhao was overjoyed upon hearing this. He said goodbye to Lin Chang'er and skipped home with his father.
The carriage was still crowded. Lin Chang'er and Wu Qingfeng sat on either side of the carriage shaft, each leaning against the carriage.
With Wu Qingfeng's arrival, the task of driving the carriage was naturally entrusted to him.
Wu Qingfeng, holding a riding whip, took out a bag of pastries and a pear from his pocket. "You didn't have time to eat on the way, did you? Have something to eat first."
Lin Chang'er didn't stand on ceremony with him at all and took the things. Because they had been hidden in his arms, the oil paper was still warm, and the skin of the pear also carried his warmth.
A warm feeling welled up in Lin Chang'er's heart. She ate the pears and pastries without caring about her image at all.
Wu Qingfeng turned his head and saw that she was eating with relish, which pleased him. "Eat slowly, don't choke. Did you bring a water pouch?"
Lin Chang'er nodded, "I brought it. On the way back, Young Master Chen even asked the shopkeeper to fill my cup with the best tea, in case I got sleepy on the way."
Wu Qingfeng smiled and asked, "Did you find anything in the prefectural city today?"
Lin Chang'er: Yes! We picked up a whole carriage full of cotton cloth.
Wu Qingfeng hummed in response, "Why are you buying so much fabric?"
Lin Chang'er said, "Isn't there a big flood? The cloth shops along the canal are all flooded, and a lot of cloth is stained. The shop owners think it's troublesome and time-consuming to clean it up."
"So I just sold it to them. I chose some fine cotton cloth, which was originally 200 coins a bolt, but the shopkeeper sold it for 100 coins. I bought a lot, so I bargained and rounded it down. After the discount, it should have been about 90 coins a bolt. They also gave me a basket of scraps of cloth as a gift."
"I chose materials that weren't heavily polluted, so they could be cleaned with just a rinse. The villagers work hard all year and wouldn't even buy a few feet of cloth to make a new dress."
"I took more this time. Including the transportation costs, I'll sell them for 100 coins each. We'll adjust the price based on how many they want. This price should be acceptable to everyone."
Wu Qingfeng lowered his eyes to her and said, "Master Lin, you truly care about the people's livelihood. I admire you greatly."
Lin Chang'er took a bite of the pear and grinned at him, "Don't praise me yet, I made more than just this one."
"Hmm?" Wu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow.
Lin Chang'er said, "The subsidized grain has been used first, and we will definitely make up for the shortfall. Otherwise, after the autumn harvest, it will be another disaster."
"I went to the provincial capital today and talked with Young Master Chen. We'll go through his channels to get grain from grain shops in other provinces and transport it directly by water to Ninghai County."
Wu Qingfeng paused, then overjoyed, "Really?"
Today's fundraising went relatively smoothly, but we were still a step behind. I didn't expect Chang'er to think of it first.
"Why would I lie to you!" Lin Chang'er handed him the deposit receipt she had hidden in her sleeve pocket. "Look!"
Wu Qingfeng took it and examined it carefully. After confirming that there were no problems, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. He looked at Lin Chang'er with even more gratitude in his eyes, "Chang'er, thank you!"
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "No need to thank me, you have to pay me, otherwise your private treasury will really be emptied."
Wu Qingfeng laughed heartily, "Yes, I will give it to you."
Lin Chang'er turned around and took out a water bottle from the carriage. Wu Qingfeng very helpfully opened the lid for her. Lin Chang'er took a sip, then, thinking of something, asked him, "By the way, did your fundraising go smoothly today?"
Wu Qingfeng smiled and said, "At first it wasn't very smooth. But when they heard that the name could be engraved on a stele, placed in the River God Temple, and receive incense offerings from future generations, they almost fought over the top spot."
Lin Chang'er laughed, "Of course, whose name is engraved first is like the first incense offered during Qingming and Double Ninth Festivals."
"To stand shoulder to shoulder with the river god is practically equivalent to becoming a god on the spot. How could anyone resist such a temptation!"
Lin Chang'er kept rambling on and on, while Wu Qingfeng watched her with gentle eyes, saying, "You're right." Only she could come up with such a shortcut.
Moreover, she truly does not strive for fame or fortune.
Although he couldn't be there in person, he still made a donation, and his share was also prepared.
With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?
However, Wu Qingfeng suddenly remembered something!
It seems she hasn't agreed yet?
Although they didn't seem estranged upon meeting today, it had indeed been a long time since they last saw each other.
It seems like it was on that day that he said he wanted to propose marriage and scared her away, and I haven't seen him since.
Wu Qingfeng felt a little melancholy, wondering if he should take this opportunity to ask her again, but he was also afraid of pressuring her too much and making things worse.
Just as I was feeling troubled, I suddenly heard a woman's voice softly ask in my ear, "What's wrong?"