Chapter Thirty-Two: Maternal Will

  Lu's mother was taken aback and hesitated, saying: "Xiao Qi, I have already agreed to the marriage arrangement. If we return this silver, it would be equivalent to breaking off the engagement. Moreover, returning so much silver would put Xin Shi Niang in a difficult position. She has shown great trust in our family and has been very sincere about the marriage arrangement. We cannot harm her."

  Lu Qiyan fell silent, and his mother's intention was already very clear. This silver that was delivered to their doorstep, he didn't want to push it away. In fact, he also liked silver. How many people in the world would refuse wealth and honor? He had been working hard every day, wasn't it all for the sake of silver? However, the origin of this silver made him uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was righteous and not greedy, but rather this silver was brought by a woman's wealth. He was a man with strong self-esteem, unwilling to be controlled psychologically by a woman's favor. If this silver were stolen by him, he would put it in his pocket without hesitation.

  He knew his mother wanted to keep the silver, and after the Lu family gathered, they indeed needed silver to take off. He also understood his mother, who advocated for the gathering of the Lu family, was actually a kind of vanity pursuit in her heart. His mother liked the younger generation of the Lu family to come and pay their respects, which was a kind of pleasure for those in a superior position. However, if the younger generation came without bringing gifts, it would be very embarrassing for those in a superior position, whose pleasure relied on silver to support it.

  Lu Qi didn't want to accept the money because he felt uneasy in his heart, but he even more didn't want to let his mother feel disappointed and worried. His mother was already very miserable being alone and widowed, and having been forced by poverty, she naturally cared about the gain or loss of money, and at the same time, she also needed a spiritual support.

  "Mother, the child was thoughtless. Aunt Xin has so many private rooms, sending her back would indeed harm her. She is also sincere towards the Lu family. We will keep this silver and if she encounters any difficulties in the future, our Lu family will return it to her." Lu Qi immediately understood his mother's intention and changed from returning to keeping.

  Lu's mother nodded, her son's words made her feel very relieved, and she could accept the silver with a clear conscience.

  "Seventh, don't tell your brother and sister-in-law about the silver. Your sister-in-law is straightforward by nature, if she knew where the silver came from, she would feel inferior in her heart. Mother doesn't want the silver to cause discord among family members, and also fears that your sister-in-law's loose tongue might harm Xin Niang."

  Lu Qi nodded and said: "I understand, from now on I will pretend that I don't know about this box of silver, everything will be handled by Mother."

  Lu's mother nodded, thought for a moment, and said in a gentle voice: "Xiao Qi, three thousand taels of silver are enough to ask for the hand of five or six beautiful concubines. Aunt Xin is so sincere towards our Lu family, if we were to ask for her daughter Xinyue as a concubine, it wouldn't be reasonable. But looking at Xinyue's gentle and elegant demeanor, and how beautiful she is, why not ask for her hand in marriage as an equal wife? Are you willing?"

  Lu Qi was taken aback and then nodded: "As it should be, Mother, you decide."

  He also wanted to, Aunt Xin had thoroughly coaxed his mother into a joyful mood, and since his mother was delighted with him, why should he sing a different tune? Moreover, the matter of asking for Xinyun's hand in marriage was something he had agreed to.

  "Very well," said Mrs. Lu with a smile, "I'll send a matchmaker tomorrow to ask for her hand in marriage and choose a good day to bring her back to the Lu family."

  Lu Qi was taken aback, thought for a moment and replied in a harmonious tone: "Mother, marrying a wife is different from taking a concubine. Once she enters the door, it's not easy to send her away. I think we should investigate Xin Yuner's true nature first, let's draw up the marriage contract and decide on the wedding day later."

  "Isn't this inappropriate? If Xinyun leaves the Zhou residence, she'll have nowhere to go. By delaying the marriage, we're also lacking in sincerity. Most importantly, Mother is eager for the Lu family to have an heir."

  "Mother, I'm really afraid of marrying a shrewish wife and bringing her home. Can we delay it for some days? You can tell the Xin family that I'm busy with things, and you can let Xin Yuner live in the rear house of the pharmacy in Wangjiang Pavilion. I want to observe her by living in the pharmacy."

  Lu's mother thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, it's not suitable to let the two maids manage the Wanjing Pharmacy. It's proper that Xin Yuner takes over as the manager."

  Lu Qi heard and didn't say anything more, he had already made up his mind. If that Xin Yuner was unreasonable or domineering towards Dong Qing and Xiao Yun, or if she pretended to be in charge of the pharmacy without knowing what she was doing, then he would definitely call off the wedding. He absolutely couldn't marry a wife who didn't understand reason. A wife and a concubine were different; a concubine could be treated as a plaything and controlled, but a wife was the mistress of the house, equal in status to her husband, with the right to participate in managing household affairs and even the right to scold and drive away concubines who managed the inner quarters.

  Things were settled, Lu Qi helped his mother put away the silver box and went to the outer hall of the kitchen for a meal. When they arrived at the outer hall, only his elder brother was there. Lu Qi knew that his sister-in-law had returned to her natal home.

  Ning Er arranged the dishes and stood aside. Lu Qi couldn't let Ning Er sit down to eat with them in front of his mother, even if he called her, she wouldn't listen.

  "Ning Er, take this dish to the kitchen and eat it, you'll need to go back to your room to attend to Xiao Qi later." Lu Mu handed Ning Er a plate of food, although she was strict with her, she also cared about Ning Er deeply.

  Ning'er softly expressed her gratitude and took the dish into the inner kitchen. Lu Qi let out a sigh of relief and looked at his elder brother, Lu Tianhua's expression was full, his temperament had recovered a bit of elegance, only waiting for his dark and yellow skin to turn white and clean to recover its original appearance, which needed time to nourish and recover.

  "Brother, how's the renovation of the shop going?" Lu Qi asked in a low voice.

  "It's half done, it'll take another three or four days to complete." Lu Tianhua replied while eating.

  "Brother, have you got any leads on what I asked you to pay attention to and investigate?" Lu Qi asked while eating a mouthful of food.

  Lu Tianhua paused for a moment, worriedly saying: "Little Seven, I saw two very fierce men enter the shop to take a look and ask when it will open. The craftsman told me that they are Chen Hu's people. He advised me to make sure to get in touch with Chen Hu before opening the shop, otherwise not only will the business not go smoothly, but our lives may also be in danger."

  Lu's mother was shocked and said: "Xiao Er, are you saying that someone will go to the shop to cause trouble and hurt people?"

  "Mother, don't worry, I'm the county constable. As long as I wear my official uniform, that Chen Hu will be as tame as a cat when he sees me. I'll go talk to him before opening the shop and at most pay some protection fees." Lu Qi hurriedly spoke up to comfort his mother.

  Lu Mu nodded in relief, but Lu Tianhua was still worried and said: "Xiao Qi, the craftsman said that Chen Hu has the support of Niu Daren, the county magistrate. If you directly find Chen Hu, it will offend Niu Daren's interests. Why not go to Niu Daren first to smooth things over?"

  "Don't worry, brother, I'll take care of it."

  Lu Tianhua nodded in relief, finished dinner and went outside. Lu Qi pulled his brother to the door and said in a low voice: "Brother, ask the craftsman again about Chen Hu's situation, ask him what Chen Hu likes to do every day, does he leave the county or not? Also, besides Chen Hu, are there any other black forces on West Main Street? Remember to ask from multiple angles when inquiring, and give the craftsman some money."

  Lu Tianhua nodded and said: "Brother remembered, your meaning is still directly finding Chen Hu to negotiate."

  Lu Qi nodded and said, "Yes, my position as county commander is temporary. It's not necessarily effective to directly find Lord Niu, and even if it works, the cost of gifts will be higher. It's better to follow the business rules and pay protection fees for a long time."

  Lu Tianhua nodded and asked: "Xiao Qi, can you spare some time tomorrow?"

  Lu Qi was taken aback and replied in a gentle voice, "Brother, is there something on your mind?"

  Lu Tianhua hesitated for a moment, and then said in a low voice: "Your sister has returned to her parents' home, and she went with more than 20 people. The craftsmen said that recently the bandits outside have been very rampant, and they even dared to rob on the road between the county town and Tongxiang Village, which is only ten or so miles away. It's said that two wealthy families were robbed when they went out, and their family members were taken away for ransom. Brother is a scholar and can't deal with bandits. Tomorrow, you can go to Wangjiang Village to take a look. If your sister is safe, tell her not to return to the county town alone on horseback. She must wait for you to pick her up."

  Lu Qi thought for a moment, smiled and said: "Alright, tomorrow morning I'll go to the military camp first to settle down, then I'll go see my sister-in-law. If she wants to come back, I'll escort her back directly. If not, I'll instruct her to wait for me to pick her up."

  Lu Tianhua said with shame: "A scholar is useless in a hundred ways, brother, I'm really ashamed."

  "Brother, the governance of our country is in the hands of scholars. You must study hard and master the classics on governance, so that when we have the opportunity to serve as officials in the future, your talents will be of great use."

  Lu Tianhua nodded emotionally, and after a heart-to-heart conversation with his brother, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

  One day, Lu Qi couldn't help but hold Ning Er in his arms and give her a good cuddle. After satisfying himself slightly, he hugged Ning Er and said that his mother had decided to let him propose to Xin Yun'er with the ceremony of a wife of equal status. Ning Er's heart sank when she heard this, for although she had mentally prepared herself for Lu Qi's proposal to Xin Yun'er, she hadn't expected it to be as a wife of equal status - which meant that there would soon be someone above her in authority.

  Lu Qi felt Ning Er's change and hastily said: "Ning Er, don't worry, I won't let others bully you."

  Ning'er didn't say anything, and silently pressed her face against Lu Qi's chest. She had already come to terms with it, as long as she could spend the rest of her life with Lu Qi, from now on no matter how great the humiliation, she would endure it willingly.