Chapter 128: Admiration

  Slowly, Lu Xuan woke up from his unspeakable complexity and melancholy.

  Thinking of the jade pendant, Lu Xuan thought to herself: I've already accepted the noble's jade pendant. Before I have absolute freedom, no matter what, I mustn't let people wait in vain. At this point, she bit her lip and said, "Then how should I respond..."

  Before she finished speaking, the merchant shook his head with a bitter smile. "This... my benefactor only said to deliver this sentence and this letter to Madam Lu's hands, as for a reply, he said it was not needed. Besides, I, a humble person, have come to Chengdu this time, and may not leave for several years."

  After saying a few more words, he heard the sound of talking coming from not far away. The merchant thought that staying with Lu Xue for too long would be bad for her reputation, so he bid farewell and left.

  It wasn't until the person had walked far away that Lu Xuan finally lowered her head to look at the envelope in her hand.

  The letter was very thick, with fifteen or sixteen pages, written in elegant script about all the things that happened after arriving in Luoyang. Every word and sentence hid longing!

  From this letter, Lu Xiang seemed to see that lonely, ink painting-like elegant and handsome young man, in loneliness, with life and death, and trickery, guarding the bright moon and writing his thoughts little by little.

  Every sentence in the letter seems to have been carefully crafted.

  It turns out that emotions arise unknowingly and have already become deeply entrenched?

  Unexpectedly, Lu Xuan didn't have a good rest for two consecutive nights.

  On the third day, Lu Xuan had just opened the door when he saw Luo Zi standing by the wall. It had been several months since they last met, and Luo Zi looked like he had lost a lot of weight, his face was gaunt and there was a new scar on his forehead. His clothes were clearly old and too small for him now, and wearing them made him look shabby and embarrassed.

  Luó Zǐ seemed to be in a daze, his eyes closed, and the hair on his forehead still had wet marks, it was unknown how long he had been there.

  Upon hearing Lu Xuan's cough, Luo Zi opened his eyes. He turned around and met Lu Xuan's gaze, his eyes lighting up. Hurriedly walking over, he imitated the Confucian scholars by bowing to Lu Xuan, Luo Zi called out in a gentle voice: "Ah Xuan, I'm here."

  The young man looked up at Lu Xuan's eyes, shining with a lively light, and it was clear that he was very happy to see her. Just like Yang Shu, however, he looked more haggard than when they were in Hanyang.

  "Why didn't you knock on the door and wait outside?"

  Lu Zile smiled and rubbed the back of his head, saying: "I haven't been here for long." This smile made Lu Yue notice that the corners of his mouth were bruised, obviously having fought with someone not long ago.

  Lu Xuan didn't say much, welcoming him in and saying, "In the future, there's no need to be like this. Are you thirsty or tired? First, have a sip of water." He offered Luo Zi tea, and seeing that he was restless, Lu Xuan directly said: "I have three to four hundred taels of gold on hand, and I want to do some business. Recently, I've also gotten acquainted with several local wealthy families in Chengdu, we can form an alliance with them. If the gold is insufficient, we can also make up for it."

  She looked at Luo Zi and said, "What kind of business do you think I'd be good at?"

  Luo Zi, a youth about the same age as Lu Yun, due to his father's early death and taking charge of the household at an early age, looked much more mature than Lu Yun. His eyes, for instance, were constantly darting around, and his entire person exuded a kind of cunning amidst his suave and worldly demeanor.

  "Chengdu is a big place, with many rich people. I think it's still possible to work hard on food and clothing." Lu Xue asked, Luo Zi thought very seriously. After a while, Luo Zi's eyes lit up, excitedly saying: "A few days ago, I entered a gambling house..."

  Lu Yun shook her head and cut him off, "Not now, this kind of business can only be done secretly when the time is ripe, it can't be revealed in public."

  Luó Zǐyī was stunned, he touched the back of his head and muttered: "That, that opening a wine house, how is it?"

  Lu Xuan stood up, walked a few steps and smiled: "Luo Zi, you're right. No matter what, we have to work hard on food, clothing, shelter and transportation." After a pause, she said: "Let's go take a look at the wine tower first."

  She had thought for so long, but still hadn't come to a conclusion, so she might as well go with Luo Zi to take a look at the various wine houses and see if there was any feasible way. When it came to this, Lu Xuan said: "Wait a moment, I'll go prepare."

  "Good." Watching Lu Yuanyuan enter the room, Luo Zi's eyes were a bit wide. He touched the back of his head and thought to himself: Ah Yun is really lucky, if I had a sister like that it would be great.

  Just now, when Lu Ying introduced him, although it was only a few words, he still felt the power in those few words.

  He is a man from Hanyang who came to Chengdu. It's not easy for him to get by, even just a meal is hard to come by. In a place like Chengdu, it seems like everything has been taken over, every spot occupied. Even beggars have their own territory, and outsiders can't even find a gap to squeeze in. When he's extremely hungry, he thinks of going to the market to pick up some rotten vegetable leaves, but even that requires fighting with others...

  The mother is also, the two of them have been living in the broken temple recently. The mother wants to embroider something and sell it, but the price is being suppressed by someone, not even half of what they would get in Hankou can be obtained. Even that broken temple has beggars competing with them for space. Last night, those beggars were fighting over the clean and bright spot in the temple, and had a fight with him, tearing their clothes apart, now they only have this set to see people.

  If it weren't for finally getting news of Lu Xuan and having his mother wait especially for him, he wouldn't know how to hold on.

  It was precisely because he felt that life in Chengdu was so difficult that he became even more determined to follow Lu's wife. He thought, among the people he had heard of, there was no one as intelligent and capable as Lu's wife. For so many years, how many ordinary people came to Chengdu, hoping to make a name for themselves in this famous land of wealth and prosperity, but how many actually returned home with glory?

  What about Lu Xuan? How long has it been? She not only has a house in Hanyang, but also in Chengdu, such a valuable place, and even saved hundreds of taels of gold.

  He thought that if there was one kind of person who would certainly stand out from the crowd, it must be someone like Miss Lu.

  There were many times when he would even think about it and sincerely envy Lu Yun.

  He came over before dawn today. He had prepared to knock on the door several times, but stopped himself each time.

  He thought that since he had made up his mind to follow Lu's daughter, he should take on the attitude of a follower. He was not like his short-sighted mother, who always thought that having been neighbors with Lu's daughter and seeing her poverty-stricken days meant she could forever act as an elder in front of her.

  He thinks that if he wants to rely on someone, he must see his own position clearly.

  In Luo Zi's daydream, Lu Xuan walked out, still holding a package in her hand.

  Handing the package over to Luo Zi, Lu Xiang said softly: "There are two sets of clothes made for Ah Yun inside, they're a bit big, Luo Zi you wear them first."

  As soon as Lu Xuan's voice fell, Luo Zi subconsciously pressed down on his elbow. The robe he was wearing was currently his best one, but even so, there was a hole at the elbow pit that had been torn out by those beggars the night before last. His mother's craftsmanship was good, and he had thought that the repaired area was fine and inconspicuous, something that ordinary people couldn't see.

  But he didn't expect that with just one glance, Lu Xuan would see through him... In an instant, Luo Zi felt a sense of embarrassment and helplessness in front of Lu Xuan.

  After a while, Luo Zi finally took over the package she handed over, blushing and nodding: "Thank you, Ah Yue."

  Lu Xuan smiled, "We're about to leave now, change into it quickly."

  "Yes."

  Before long, Luo Zi walked out wearing Lu Yun's clothes.

  Looking at Luo Zi, Lu Xuan smiled and said: "It's quite a bit more handsome." The clothes that Lu Xuan made for Lu Yun were of the worst medium quality fabric, but the style was the most popular among scholars. This blue robe on Luo Zi's body, although it was a bit tight on him, was also because of its fine workmanship, which made his whole person look refined and elegant, and even more so because it was a scholar's robe, which made Luo Zi's rustic and awkward air disappear by half.

  Luó Zǐ also felt this way, he straightened his waist and walked out a few steps, full of energy.

  Compared to his attire, Lu Yu's was extremely ordinary, an old worn-out Confucian robe that Lu Yun used to wear. Seeing her like this, Luo Zi was taken aback and asked in confusion: "A Yu, why don't you change into something better?"

  Lu Xuan smiled and said, "I don't mind." She knew that with her exceptional temperament and dressing well, people would think she was a spoiled child from a wealthy family. What's the point of doing business then? It would be strange if she wasn't directly taken as a rich lady to be cheated.

  Seeing Luo Zi's excited face after putting on new clothes, Lu Yue returned to her room.

  Before long, she took out another bundle and handed the bundle in her hand to Luo Zi. Lu Xuan said softly: "These are my clothes when I was in Hanyang before, you take them back to your mother to modify."

  Lu Xuan walked out while gesturing for Luo Zi to follow him and asked, "Do you mother and son have a place to stay now?"

  "Some."

  Lu Xuan turned his head and looked at him, saying: "Don't worry about the accommodation, once I find a suitable business, I have arrangements."

  She casually said "I have an arrangement", which made Luo Zi suddenly feel a sense of reliability, and he immediately responded with: "Yes." In the blink of an eye, he whispered softly: "Ah Yun is really lucky."

  The girl walking in front of her has a steady figure, as if she can be trusted like a mountain, and relaxed like water. Lu Yun is really a very fortunate person.

  Lu Xuan didn't notice what Luo Zi was thinking, after leaving the mansion gate, she and he arrived at the market place, sizing up the stalls on both sides. Lu Xuan said again: "This street has a wine tower, there is also one at the corner in front. Within a radius of 2,000 steps, there are five wine towers. The one near West Street posted a notice a few days ago saying it was for sale."

  Lu Xuan turned back and smiled at Luo Zi, "Let's go take a look at that house."

  "Yes."

  Seeing him tense, Lu Yue said softly: "Luo Zi, you are the husband, and this is a matter of throwing your head out in public. In the future, I will trouble you more... I know you are brave, and we were neighbors since childhood. Don't hold back. You can also rest assured to do it, I won't treat you unfairly."

  Luó Zǐ bèi yī tǒng, áng zhe tóu lǎng yìng dào: "Wǒ zhī dào le!"

  Translation:

  "Alright, I got it!" Luo Zi said with a straight back and head held high.

  Having gotten his answer, Lu Xing smiled.