Chapter 137 Reunion

  Half an hour later, the ox cart stopped beside a lane.

  Luoyin and her brother found an inn nearby, then she went to find a porter.

  Since it was a rental, things were much simpler. After looking at several houses, Lu Xuan chose a courtyard. This courtyard was more than three times larger than the one she had in Chengdu. The owner's room and the servant's room added up to fourteen rooms, which were clean and beautiful, and even came with a housekeeper. However, the annual rent was eighty taels of gold. Lu Xuan negotiated with the landlord and finally removed the housekeeper, renting it for sixty-five taels of gold per year. Living in this place for two years would cost more gold than her own home in Hanyang.

  The house is fully equipped and can be moved in after a slight cleaning.

  After moving in, Lu Yun was busy reading books. He had finally found a famous teacher, but was driven out, and he actually held a grudge in his heart. He always thought that one day he would become a great scholar and reappear in front of his former teacher. Lu Yun thought that when that day came, he would definitely let his teacher see what it means to be truly powerful and unyielding, and not be swayed by wealth and status.

  After wandering outside for half a month, on this day, Lu Yue rented a homing pigeon and sent a letter to Luo Zi in Hanyang.

  She told Luo Zi that she had arrived in Jiangzhou and settled down. She also told him about the situation in Jiangzhou, which she had observed. She said that Jiangzhou had just experienced a major earthquake in the official circle, and almost all the big families were reshuffled, with many industries still vacant and unmanaged. Then she vaguely mentioned her dealings with the nobleman, and finally asked Luo Zi if he was willing to come to Jiangzhou to help her out. She said that if he was willing to come, no matter how many people came with him, she would take care of all their travel expenses, accommodation, food, and clothing.

  After the carrier pigeon flew out, Lu Xuan let out a breath of relief.

  To be honest, she really wanted Luo Zi to come over. Although she was now walking around in men's clothing, after all, she was a woman and felt too lonely, and there were many inconveniences in her actions.

  Lu Ying didn't expect that in just four days, she received a flying letter from Luo Zi, telling her that he would come to Jiangzhou with seven beggar brothers.

  Having obtained Luo Zi's promise, Lu Xuan was overjoyed. With this matter settled, Lu Xuan's next task was to continue familiarizing himself with the officialdom and aristocratic families of Jiangzhou, as well as the influence of the street gangs, and comparing the various businesses of Chengdu and Jiangzhou.

  It's been another ten days of busy work.

  That evening, after Lu Yun had finished dinner, he suddenly said: "Sister, in more than three months it will be your birthday."

  Birthday?

  Lu Yu was taken aback. Yes, she's almost of age! In a normal family, after a girl comes of age, the next step is to get married.

  Twenty days later, Luo Zi brought a group of brothers to Jiangzhou. On this day, Lu Xuan specially rushed to the city gate to meet them.

  Still far away, Luo Zi saw the beautiful young man leaning against the cow cart, although he was a bit tanned, his eyebrows and eyes were even more handsome, and his figure was straight and slender.

  It's been a while since we last met, and Ah Yu seems to have become even more beautiful.

  Luó Zǐ found himself a bit parched, and subconsciously, he reached out to smooth his disheveled hair from the long journey.

  Luozu was stunned, and a beggar pulled his sleeve and asked: "Brother Luozu, who is our new master?"

  "Luoyue is over there, let's hurry," Luozi said in a low voice. As soon as he finished speaking, he ran towards Luoyue.

  As he ran, he saw Lu Yue raise her eyes and smile at him. At this moment, Lu Yue was handsome and elegant, as if she were a born noblewoman. Luo Zi's heart skipped a beat when he met her smile, feeling his heart pounding rapidly.

  This time, his mother was unwilling for him to come. After all, not long ago he had rushed to Chengdu just for her, but as soon as they met face-to-face, the matter had just been settled when he was driven away again. Yang Shu's distrust of Lu Yue came from deep within her heart.

  He couldn't help but persist in Luo Zi. Luo Zi didn't know what to think either, the last time he went to Chengdu, he told himself it was because he thought following Lu Xuan would have a future.

  Now she has offended that noble person, and by rights, her future will be difficult to navigate, and she is no longer a good object of dependence.

  But somehow, the moment he received her flying pigeon, the only thing left in his heart was joy. He couldn't wait to rush to Jiangzhou, and he told himself over and over again that Ah Yu was so clever, even if she had offended someone, she would still be able to thrive. He also told himself that it was always a rare opportunity to send charcoal in the snow, and this time he had chosen her, she must remember his kindness. Maybe she would treat him like her brother Lu Yun.

  In a daze, Luo Zi panted and arrived in front of Lu Xuan.

  Looking at him, Lu Xuan smiled and said: "Luo Zi has grown taller again." Glancing at the crowd of young men behind him, Lu Xuan said: "Let's go, food is all ready, today's dinner will be sumptuous."

  The young people cheered up.

  This joy turned into ecstasy when they saw Lu Yue's new rental house and knew that from now on, they would also live here.

  After arranging for the young people, Lu Xuan found a tailor that night and had two new sets of clothes made for each of them. Since the clothes were all made of medium-grade fabric, it also cost Lu Xuan quite a bit of money.

  During the period of making clothes, Lu Xuan did not allow them to go out, but instead asked them to practice their walking, speaking and eating posture repeatedly.

  She even went so far as to tell them to write their names in the mud on the ground.

  At dusk, with the sunset in the west, against the golden clouds, Lu Yue quietly looked at the eight young men and smiled: "Have you ever envied those big families' managers? Have you ever thought about standing out and being respected wherever you go? From today on, I will teach you to read and write, and make you look radiant in any place."

  She paused for a moment, put away her smile, and said slowly: "I just hope that one year later, anyone who sees you will think you were born rich!"

  As soon as the words fell, all the young people's breathing became urgent.

  In fact, those who could follow Luo Zhi to Jiangzhou, a distant and unfamiliar place, were all unwilling to be mediocre and dreamed of making a name for themselves one day. Lu Xuan's words, though simple, made their already boiling hearts boil even more.

  Many people cannot sit and eat the mountain empty. After the new clothes were made, Lu Yue took them to the market first, took out 40 taels of gold, bought eight strong donkeys, and then assigned a task to let the young people learn to ride donkeys.

  Learning to ride a donkey is an easy thing, and in less than three days everyone has learned. Then, Lu Xuan takes them to the dock, where he lets them drive the donkeys forward towards the guests who come down from the big ships, saying that they are willing to take the guests anywhere.

  Jiangzhou City has just gone through a disturbance, and this dock is still not being targeted by any forces. Jiangzhou is a big city, with many ships coming and going, and many merchants and travelers. Although a donkey can't carry too much, for some people who are light on their feet, they are willing to spend some iron money to be sent home.

  In order to establish credibility and rules, Lu Xun specially embroidered a "Zhuang" character under the robes of all young people.

  Thus, the young people started the business of sending off guests at the dock. The places to send off guests were far and near, Lu Xuan uniformly stipulated that everyone who received a job must report to Luo Zi, and then return 80% of the money earned to her. She was responsible for the clothing, accommodation, food, reading, writing, etiquette and rules of the young people in Jiangzhou.

  The young men, although they could only get 20% of the income, had no worries at all. The 20% was just enough for them to save. Occasionally, when they sent guests to distant places or walked too far and couldn't come back in time for dinner, they would use a little bit, but there were no complaints.

  Lu Xuan was very strict with their requirements, and even specially made two sets of exquisite clothes. No matter how tired they were, before returning home each time, they had to change into those exquisite clean clothes, and also comb their hair and face cleanly.

  In the blink of an eye, three months have passed.

  After three months of hard work and study, the young people have completely changed, no longer having the vulgarity and filthiness they had when they were beggars, but instead looking very spirited and neat.

  And the young people who were learning more and more characters, when transporting guests, couldn't help but show off a bit, or tell stories from books they had heard from Lu Yu, and imperceptibly, more and more guests began to believe in them and respect them.

  In any era, when the literacy rate is less than one percent, being able to read and write in itself represents a kind of power, a kind of self-confidence.

  Unified, high-end attire, as elegant speech as possible, being able to read and write, and passionate and thoughtful service, make the young people's business more and more prosperous.

  They did a great job, and inevitably someone else set their sights on the dock area. Luo Zi took charge, Lu Xuan came up with a plan, and after several rounds of confrontation, the Jiangzhou dock gradually became their territory.

  At this time, Luo Zichao went to Hanyang and sent a letter, and also invited twenty or thirty beggars. In order to welcome their arrival, Lu Xuan specially rented another large house in the commoner district. She made a rule that only those who had passed the test and were the most capable could live in this large house and have the opportunity to be taught by her personally.

  When winter gradually passed, and another spring day arrived, Lu Xuan was 16 years old in actual age and 17 years old in virtual age. She had already controlled more than a hundred people under her command. Not only did she grasp the entire Jiangzhou dock's guest delivery business, but also the commercial transportation of this dock had to go through her hands. Moreover, due to her good relationship with the officials who managed the dock, Lu Xuan's men also took charge of the dock's management and security work.

  At the same time, she not only had more than 60-70 donkeys in her hands, but also added 30 donkey carts. At the same time, Lu Xuan's gold on hand had reached 460 taels.

  After having enough money on hand to enter another field, Lu Xuan thought that he should seek fame.

  On this day, the Qiuxiang Building fleet was moored at Jiangzhou Wharf. This fleet usually wouldn't moor, but once it did, it would show off its stunning beauties, music and dance to the wealthy and powerful families in the area.

  For half a year, Lu Ying had been quietly accumulating wealth. On this day, she changed into her silver-white long gown and dressed up like a handsome young man, sitting on an ox cart, following the endless crowd to the dock.

  At this time, the Jiangzhou dock was empty, with other boats moored far away. Only the ships of the Qixiang Building were lined up in a row, almost occupying the entire dock. The boats were decorated with red lanterns and fragrant rouge, entwining with the early spring breeze, giving people endless tenderness.

  Lu Xuan's ox cart had just come to a stop when she heard a familiar voice calling out: "Lu?"

  Lü Yu turned her head, and she saw Xi Liu sitting in the carriage. As soon as she saw him, Lü Yu subconsciously searched for him, and soon she saw the noble's handsome face in the black but luxurious carriage. Just as she looked at him, the noble turned his head and met her gaze steadily.

  Four eyes met, and Lu Xuan smiled brightly at the noble, revealing his snow-white teeth!