Chapter Fourteen: Family Matters

  Lu Qi walked away, and Zhou Yue'er stepped into the bedroom. She saw Ning'er had just put on her undergarments and was looking at Ning'er's enchantingly beautiful face, which was flushed with a captivating red glow. A thread of inexplicable jealousy surged in Zhou Yue'er's heart.

  "The slave greets the young mistress and asks for her well-being." Ning'er, not even bothering to dress properly, knelt down respectfully and said this. Just a few days ago, Zhou Yue'er was still asking about her well-being, now she's been transferred.

  Ning Er's kneeling courtesy brought comfort to Zhou Yue Er, and the thread of jealousy disappeared unnoticed. With a heart-felt smile, she said: "Sister, don't use such formal greetings in the future, please get up quickly."

  Ning'er got up and said respectfully: "Ning'er is now a slave of the Lu family, I shouldn't be unaware of my position. From now on, if there's anything you need, please just order me."

  Zhou Yue'er smiled faintly and turned her head to glance around the bedroom, saying in a nonchalant tone: "Ning'er, can I ask you something?"

  "This tone of Ning Er made clear the hierarchy between master and servant, Ning Er respectfully said: 'What would you like to ask, milady? I will answer anything I know.'"

  Zhou Yu'er smiled faintly and said: "I've come to propose a marriage for Seventh Brother. Does Seventh Brother know about it? Is Seventh Brother willing?"

  "Ning'er and Shengdao said: 'Reply to Young Master's wife, Seventh Young Master still doesn't know about the engagement. Last night, Seventh Young Master got drunk and slept for a long time. He woke up thirsty and asked for water, after drinking it, he hugged me tightly, and then fell asleep again. It wasn't until Young Master's wife called out that he woke up. Last night, Seventh Young Master only called me 'sister' a few times, there was no chance to say anything else.'"

  Zhou Yue'er's face showed an unexpected slight daze, and after a moment of thought, she also believed it. A drunk man was either promiscuous or fast asleep. She softly hummed in agreement. Ning'er hastily added: "The family that the young master's wife has proposed for marriage is definitely a respectable and kind one, I will say some auspicious words to the seventh young master."

  Zhou Yue'er's beautiful eyes turned around, and she smiled lightly: "You agree with Seventh Brother getting married."

  Ning Er and Sheng Dao said: "The seventh young master marrying a wife is a must, I am in favor of it. If the proposal made by the eldest and youngest madam is successful, the Lu family will continue to be harmonious as they are now."

  Zhou Yue'er listened and had a smile on her face, it was clear that she was very concerned about this matter, and she said warmly to Ning'er: "Thank you."

  "This is the duty of us servants."

  Zhou Yue'er gently looked at her and said softly: "Today, Eldest Madam is going to my mother's house to buy a farm, and also to arrange a marriage, you can come along too."

  Ning Er and Sheng said: "Whether I can go or not depends on what Young Master and Madam say."

  Zhou Yue'er smiled and said, "I'll say this."

  Ning Er saw Zhou Yue's good mood and hurriedly said: "Young Master's wife, the Seventh Young Master was raised by slaves since childhood, so he chose to belong to the Seventh Young Master. The slave feels deeply sorry for not being able to meet Young Master's wife's expectations, please forgive the slave."

  Zhou Yue'er was taken aback and smiled: "I know this, I don't blame you in my heart, so don't worry about it."

  Ning Er respectfully said: "Your humble servant thanks Young Master's wife for her leniency."

  Zhou Yue'er looked at her and said faintly: "You know the reason why I want you to enter the house. If I could have given birth to an heir for the Lu family, I wouldn't have asked you to share my husband with me. It's just that I'm not capable enough, so I had no choice but to find a woman for my husband to marry and carry on the family line."

  Ning'er and Shengdao said: "Passing on the family line is indeed a big matter, after some days when the Lu family has stabilized, I will advise the Seventh Young Master to take the initiative to buy a concubine for the Second Young Master to continue the family line. In my opinion, it's best to choose a woman who has given birth before as the concubine."

  Zhou Yue'er felt delighted in her heart, as it was beneficial for her that Seventh Brother took the lead. She had been feeling guilty towards the Lu family due to her husband's debt and couldn't bring herself to mention the matter of the silver flowers. At this moment, she expressed her gratitude to Ning'er.

  Lu's mother was in the living room of the main house, Lu Qi rushed in to see her waiting mother. After her son returned, Lu's mother felt refreshed and delighted, looking at her grown-up son, her inner joy overflowed on her face.

  "Xiao Qi, did you sleep well last night?" Lu Mu asked her son lovingly.

  Lu Qi's face was slightly warm, and he felt his mother's concern, so he said: "I slept very well last night."

  "Have you two gotten married?" Mrs. Lu asked with a smile, and Lu Qi's face turned hot as he silently nodded.

  Lu's mother smiled and nodded, saying: "Xiao Qi, you're not young anymore. Our Lu family has few grandchildren, although your mother arranged for Ning'er to be with you, but according to the rules, Ning'er cannot be a wife. So your mother wants you to marry a wife. Your sister-in-law mentioned a miss from a certain household, saying she is gentle, polite, and beautiful. Today, your mother and sister-in-law are going to Wangjiang Slope to buy an estate, and they'll also arrange a meeting for you."

  Lu Qi pretended to be stunned and asked in a loud voice: "Mother, when did sister-in-law say she wanted to propose marriage for me?"

  "Didn't Ning'er tell you about it last night?" asked Lu Mu in a gentle voice.

  "Last night, the child got drunk and didn't say anything to her. This morning, it was still my sister-in-law who woke us up." Lu Qi explained that this was what Ning'er had instructed him, begging Lu Qi not to involve her in the matter of taking a wife, lest it provoke dislike from Lu's mother and Zhou Yue'er.

  Lu Mu nodded and said in a gentle voice: "Mother has told you now, if it's suitable, book it first."

  "Mother, according to my age, I should get married now. However, when I left the army, a fellow soldier advised me not to rush into marriage after returning home. He said that I was still young and would definitely return to the army in the future. After returning to the army, he would find an opportunity for me to marry the daughter of a powerful general. My fellow soldier said that marrying the daughter of a powerful general is the best way to gain opportunities for advancement."

  Lu's mother was taken aback and worriedly asked: "Will you be returning to the army in the future?"

  "Mother, my true intention is not to return to the army, I want to stay at home and engage in business to become a peaceful and wealthy scholar. However, the situation is turbulent and there are many dangers on the border. If a military order comes, I dare not disobey."

  Mrs. Lu nodded helplessly, but in fact Mrs. Lu herself was a door-to-door golden girl, and Mr. Lu also married her to become a high-ranking general in the military. In the officialdom, kinship is very important, it's a bond of trust, when an official wants to promote his subordinate as a confidant, he often chooses an unmarried daughter from his family to marry down to win over, and for officials who want to seek development, just sending silver is not enough, only by sending their own daughters to the official as concubines can be the greatest manifestation of loyalty. A group of bureaucrats all have intertwined kinship relationships, this officialdom habit Mrs. Lu knew well, Ning Er was aware of this point and taught Lu Qi to use this trick to delay getting married.

  The son had to return to the army, and it was related to his future. Lu Mu couldn't insist on not changing, but passing down the family line was also an urgent matter in her heart. She agreed not to take a formal wife, but relatives still needed to meet each other. If Zhou Yue's proposed missus met with Lu Mu's approval and was willing to be a concubine, she would arrange for Lu Qi to marry her.

  Lu Qi listened and disagreed, Ping Qi's status is higher than that of a concubine, and in name, it is consistent with the wife, but compared to the wife's power, there are many differences. The wife has the right to decide the fate of the concubine and children, and has the right to control the family's financial income and expenditure. Ping Qi has a name but no reality, equivalent to the deputy female lead, and the wife is the real female lead.

  The mother and son reached a consensus, Lu Qi asked for 213 taels of silver, saying that he would first go to repay the official debt, and then hire a car back. This time, when buying land outside the city, he wanted to follow him, because there were many rioters outside and he was afraid of accidents. Lu's mother also planned to let him go, so she took the silver and handed it over to Lu Qi.

  Lu Qi's front foot left home, and Zhou Yue'er's back foot entered the hall. After hearing Lu Mu's plan, it was like a cold water poured on her heart, which can be said to be extremely disappointing. The ancestor of this young lady she mentioned is also an official, and they are distant relatives. In Wangjiang Slope, they are the richest family, and the head of the household is the elder of Wangjiang Slope Township.

  Although Lu Qi is a seventh-grade martial arts officer, people nowadays are very practical. The situation of the Lu family seeking to marry a legitimate wife still has half a chance, but it's difficult to seek a concubine. This matchmaker finds it hard to open her mouth, and once she does, she will be belittling her own family. If things go wrong, she may end up incurring the resentment of her own family.

  Lu's mother saw Zhou Yue'er's embarrassed expression and immediately understood the reason. She smiled and said, "Yue'er, you don't have to be troubled by this matter. Today we go to your mother's house mainly to buy an estate, and there is no need to openly discuss the engagement. If we really do acquire an estate in Wangjiang Slope Township, at that time, as a daughter-in-law, I will still have to prepare gifts to pay respects to the elderly at the Zhou Manor."

  Zhou Yue'er let out a sigh of relief and hastily said in a soft voice: "Thank you, Mother, for understanding me. I will do my best to mediate."

  Lu's mother smiled and said: "You just try your best, don't force it. Mother has something to tell you now."

  "Please speak, Mother," Zhou Yue'er said softly.

  "Mother Lu said seriously: 'Yue'er, if we buy a farm in Wangjiang Slope Township, the biggest problem is management and care. Your brothers are not likely to go and manage it personally. I want you to hire reliable people to manage on our behalf. Do you have anyone suitable in mind?'"