Chapter 174: Experience
"Why are you back again?"
When Li Xingnian brought Daohua and her siblings back, followed by a group of injured men, both Fan Shi and Jiang Shi looked confused.
Li Xingchang, standing aside, didn’t rush to ask anything.
Daohua smiled as she stepped forward and hooked her arm around Fan Shi's. "Aunt, we’ll need to trouble you for another day."
Fan Shi smiled, patted Daohua’s forehead, and said, "You, girl, are starting to be polite. Your cousins have been hoping you’d stay longer."
With that, she pulled Daohua inside, along with Yan Wenxiu and Yan Wenkai.
Li Xingnian instructed the servants to take Qin Wu and the others to the guest rooms to rest before explaining the situation to Li Xingchang.
After hearing the details, Li Xingchang sighed, "Daohua is only ten years old, but her thinking is already so thorough."
Li Xingnian nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If my brother-in-law wants to rise further, he can’t do without these bodyguards. As for Wenxiu and the others, it’s time for them to start building their own network of people."
"Like those noble families, when their sons and daughters are born, the family starts selecting capable people to train them from a young age, so when they grow up, they are both useful and loyal."
Li Xingchang nodded. "The Yan family comes from humble origins, so their foundation is too thin. These matters—people and such—must be bought or selected from outside. By the way, have you investigated the background of Qin Wu and the others? The guards we hire are related to our family’s safety, so we must be careful."
Li Xingnian laughed. "Don’t worry, Big Brother. Our three nephews are all sharp. On the way back, Wenxiu asked Qin Wu for their household registration and travel permits to verify their identities. He also asked them about their hometowns."
"As for Wenkai, though he’s a bit careless, he didn’t miss asking the right questions. He’s gotten along well with the young men, and by now, I’m sure the two brothers have learned nearly everything about them."
"I also paid attention to Qin Wu and his men. Their martial skills are quite solid, and they are good enough to guard the Yan family. Moreover, with the favor of saving them this time, they will be even more dedicated."
Upon hearing this, Li Xingchang didn’t say more.
At the Li Family Guest Courtyard
Qin Wu and the others quietly allowed the physician to tend to their wounds. After the physician left, they finally dared to speak.
"I thought we were done for this time, but who would have thought things would turn around, and now we’ve landed such a good job?" The eldest, Qin Yong, said with a sigh, then smiled at Qin Xiao Liu.
"Xiao Liu, you’re our lucky star this time. If it weren’t for you, we probably would have been exiled."
Qin Xiao Liu scratched his head, embarrassed. "I didn’t really do anything. It was Daohua who recognized me first."
Qin Wu glanced at him, then patted his shoulder, sighing with a smile. "You really do have some good fortune. Old Ancestor always says that good deeds are rewarded. If it weren’t for your kindness back then, we wouldn’t have our good fortune today."
Hearing his admiration, Qin Xiao Liu was so excited that his face turned red. He grinned and kept laughing foolishly.
Seeing him like this, the others also laughed.
At this point, Yan Wenxiu and Yan Wenkai walked in.
Qin Wu and the others immediately stood up. "My lord, Fourth Master."
Yan Wenxiu smiled and waved his hand. "Don’t stand on ceremony. You’re all still injured, sit down."
Qin Wu didn’t sit. Having spent years working outside, he had learned some etiquette and knew that servants couldn’t sit while their masters were speaking.
"Is there something you wish to say, my lord?"
Yan Wenxiu noticed they didn’t sit but didn’t press the issue. He just took out some silver and placed it on the table. "I was just talking to Daohua. You must have been away from home for a long time. Since you’ll be working at my place for a while, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to return home during that time."
"We discussed it and decided to give you some time to visit home. We’ll give you half a month, after which, you’ll come to the Xingzhou prefecture office to find us. What do you think?"
Qin Wu and the others were completely stunned by this unexpected kindness. They were so happy they didn’t know what to say.
Yan Wenxiu pushed the silver on the table. "If you think this plan works for you, this money is to cover your travel expenses, similar to the one thousand taels of ransom money, but this is an advance on your payment."
After the initial shock, Qin Wu quickly calmed down and thought for a moment. He walked forward and said, "Thank you, my lord, for your consideration. However, since you and Miss Daohua are heading to Xingzhou, you’ll need someone to escort you. I think I should stay behind, and let the others go home and see their families."
Qin Xiao Liu immediately added, "I don’t need to go back either."
Yan Wenxiu smiled at Qin Wu, thinking that the man had a good sense of propriety and hadn’t become overconfident. "Alright, I’ve allowed you to return home to visit. Now go, this time, our uncle will be accompanying us, so there’s no need for you to escort us."
He had their household registration and address, so he wasn’t worried about anyone running off.
At this, Qin Wu didn’t persist, instead expressing his gratitude. "Thank you, my lord, Fourth Young Master, and Miss."
After the Yan brothers left, Qin Wu looked at the silver on the table with a complex expression. He remained silent for a while before speaking to the others. "The master has treated us so well, we must work hard from now on."
Qin Xiao Liu quickly nodded. "Of course! Fifth Brother, let’s divide the silver now, so we can bring some good food back for our younger brothers and sisters."
Seeing the eager faces of the others, Qin Wu began to divide the silver.
That Night
Daohua, having not slept well the previous night, went to her room to rest after dinner, unwilling to stay up late for a chat with her two cousins.
In the main courtyard, Li Xingchang and Fan Shi also prepared to sleep.
Fan Shi tossed and turned in bed, sighing after a while.
Li Xingchang, annoyed and unable to sleep, asked helplessly, "What’s bothering you today?"
Fan Shi replied, "I feel regretful."
Li Xingchang, puzzled, sat up. "What are you regretful about?"
Fan Shi sat up as well, clearly resigned. "It’s about Daohua. I was thinking, if my brother-in-law had remained the county magistrate, maybe we could have asked for her hand in marriage."
Li Xingchang was shocked. He hadn’t expected his wife to think of such a thing. After recovering from his surprise, he was speechless. "You need to forget about that idea."
Fan Shi responded with irritation, "I’ve already let it go, no need for you to remind me. I know that even if my brother-in-law never gets promoted, he still won’t allow Daohua to marry into our family."
Li Xingchang sighed, "Good that you know."
Fan Shi still seemed a bit regretful. "You see, that girl is so insightful. When I think of our own daughters, they’re always arguing over food and clothes, but Daohua has already started worrying about her parents."
Li Xingchang paused before responding, "It’s the circumstances that shape a person. The circle we interact with is vastly different from the Yan family’s."
"Daohua’s social circle consists of either high-ranking officials or noble families. She’s seen and heard a lot, so her perspective is naturally broader."
"Today, I asked her why she thought about hiring bodyguards for the family. She immediately said that she’d noticed the Zhou family and the Dong family had guards, so she thought our family should have them too."
"You see, it’s the difference in the circles we move in that shapes the difference in perspective."
"Now, think about our daughters. They mostly interact with merchant families. Not to criticize, but compared to the nobility or government families, merchants are far behind in terms of etiquette, rules, and family education."
Fan Shi sighed deeply. "That’s true. I never realized how much our daughters were lacking until I compared them to Daohua."
Li Xingchang reassured her, "Alright, don’t think too much about it. Birth is something we can’t choose. Zixuan, Zixin, and Daohua get along well, don’t they? In the future, let them spend more time together. We don’t expect them to be as insightful as Daohua, but we just hope they’ll broaden their horizons."
(End of Chapter)
0 comments:
Post a Comment