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On this side, mother and son had just exchanged a few words when the aroma from the kitchen started drifting over.
Earlier that day, Wen Ruyu had instructed that crucian carp soup be made. To bring out the flavor of the broth, the kitchen used fatty pork.
The Lu family’s old house wasn’t very big, and the smell of greasy food tended to spread easily. The scent wasn’t as strong anymore, but when that rich aroma floated over, Lu Bainian—who loved meat—sensed it clearly.
This was the familiar handiwork of their family’s cook. Knowing he would surely be invited to the table today, Lu Bainian felt pleased.
Seeing Wen Ruyu looking weary from the long journey, Lu Bainian didn’t continue chatting with her. He withdrew and headed into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Zhao Shu was checking over the day’s ingredients.
The kitchen in Lu Family Village wasn’t large, and most of the food had been brought from home. Even though they were only staying for an afternoon, it still required four or five carts.
Two carriages for the main family, one for the servants, another for daily necessities, incense, and offerings, and another for pots, dishes, and prepped meats.
Once they arrived at the Lu residence, three to five cooks filled the kitchen. The space was so small that even the Lu family’s own cooks had trouble moving around.
There was a lot to prepare, and the work was busy and tedious.
When Lu Bainian came in, Zhao Shu had to handle him as well, so she urged herself to speed up.
It had been a long time since she’d seen him. Once the lunch menu was confirmed, she turned to chat with him.
“Baining, it’s been a while. You’ve filled out a bit,” she said, happy to see he hadn’t grown thin. After all, he was her husband’s younger brother, and while their mother-in-law might not say it aloud, she was surely worried about him too.
Lu Bainian made polite conversation. “Sister-in-law, is everything well at home?”
“All is well,” Zhao Shu replied with a smile.
“What brings you to the kitchen? Lunch will be ready soon. Go chat with the old madam a bit more,” she urged, hoping he would build a better relationship with his mother.
Lu Bainian replied, “The journey today must have tired her out. Mother is resting now.”
“Why hasn’t Jinnian come?” he asked, clearly reluctant to leave the delicious-smelling kitchen and trying to keep the conversation going.
“Oh, he’s not feeling well,” Zhao Shu’s smile faded.
Everyone had heard the gossip—Lu Jinnian had tried to woo Qin Rong, only to get slapped in the face. The sound of that slap had echoed throughout the household. It was quite the scandal.
No wonder he hadn’t shown up. If he came out and people saw the slap mark on his face, the shame would reach all the way back to Lu Family Village.
Lu Bainian, unaware of the full story, asked, “Is he alright? He’s supposed to take the exam soon, right? Will it affect him?”
“It’s nothing serious,” Zhao Shu explained. “He just needs a couple of days to rest.”
“But how did he fall ill? What kind of sickness is it?” he asked again.
She answered vaguely, “Illness doesn’t knock before it comes. It’s not serious—just a little unwell from the humid weather. He’s resting as a precaution.”
Just then, one of the cooks came to ask Zhao Shu a question.
Seeing that she was busy, Lu Bainian didn’t want to disturb her anymore. Reluctantly, he left the kitchen and went back to the side room to wait for lunch.
Inside, Liu Suqing stayed hidden and didn’t go out to greet anyone.
Everyone in the Lu household, whether family or servants, had a poor opinion of her. She didn’t want to go out and face their scorn.
The rumors in the village were already enough to deal with—why go out and be hated more?
When Lu Bainian entered the room, he comforted her, saying, “I’ve told the kitchen to bring you some food later. You’ll have to put up with things for now. Once this hard time passes, everything will turn around for the better.”
Liu Suqing was used to hearing flowery words from men, but Lu Bainian was the only one who had actually bought her freedom.
She did trust him, but the longer she stayed in Lu Family Village, the more unease built up in her heart with each passing day.
Outwardly, she nodded. But inside, she was constantly calculating, thinking about how to escape this situation quickly.
About half an hour later, the Lu family’s cook finished the meal and served it in Wen Ruyu’s room.
The whole family sat down to eat, including Lu Bainian.
Lu Qing, being younger, stayed at home with the nanny and wasn’t present.
Before they started eating, Wen Ruyu asked Zhao Shu, “Was food sent to Miss Liu?”
Since Lu Bainian hadn’t given Liu Suqing any official status, Wen Ruyu still referred to her as “Miss.”
Zhao Shu didn’t dare speak on Liu Suqing’s behalf and simply reported, “It’s been sent.”
Only then did Wen Ruyu nod, picking up her chopsticks and placing some meat in her bowl.
Once the elder had eaten, the rest of the family began their meal.
It was rare to eat such good food. Lu Bainian’s manners were still proper, but he moved much faster than usual.
It wasn’t that someone was competing for the food—he just rarely got to eat like this anymore and had missed it terribly.
To him, this meal ranked just below something his own mother might cook.
If he were a guest at someone else’s home, he might still pretend to be refined. But here, everyone knew how hard life had been for him in the countryside, so he didn’t bother pretending.
Besides, eating heartily might help his mother see just how much he had suffered—and maybe soften her heart toward him.
After eating a few pieces of fatty pork, he asked a maid to bring him a bowl of crucian carp soup. That milky white broth had made him hungry for a while.
After lunch and a brief rest, Wen Ruyu and the others prepared to leave. It was already afternoon, and if they delayed another two hours, they might not make it back before curfew.
Before leaving, Wen Ruyu didn’t say much to Lu Bainian, which left him feeling a little down.
As they were sending them off, Lu Baining pulled Zhao Shu aside.
“Sister-in-law, my brother is taking the exam this year. I don’t want him to be troubled because of us younger ones. Please keep an eye on Jinnian and make sure he doesn’t follow in my footsteps. If not, mother will be angry, and my brother might suffer too.”
Zhao Shu was a little confused.
“Are you saying Jinnian is secretly keeping someone outside too?”
“I don’t think it’s gotten that far,” he replied. “Just… keep a closer eye on him.”
He couldn’t say more—it would sound like he was tattling.
Zhao Shu looked dazed for a moment.
Just then, Wen Ruyu’s maid came to call her to the carriage, and she snapped out of it and returned to the vehicle.
In another carriage, Lu Ke sat by the window and had seen Lu Bainian and Zhao Shu speaking.
But his expression remained cold and distant, showing no interest in the matter.
On the other end, Wen Ruyu and her party returned home.
Two days later, Zheng Qiao came to Lu Family Village.
Because there were guards at the gate, Lu Bainian only dared to accept a roast chicken from him and didn’t take any money.
“You’re a guest and can bring gifts, that’s fine. But let’s not talk about money. I still owe people back home, and if I don’t pay up, they might want to eat me alive.”
Seeing he wouldn’t accept the money, Zheng Qiao just put it away.
No one chases someone to give them money—it’s usually the other way around.
He was happy to save the two taels of silver.
“You borrowed a few taels here and there—no one’s going to hold it against you. Everyone knows times are hard for you right now.”
Meanwhile, Liu Suqing was about to go to the kitchen to bring some warm wine for Lu Bainian.
He, seeing she was still recovering, didn’t want her doing chores. “You sit here—I’ll get it.”
Liu Suqing knew how tenderhearted he was and didn’t insist, sitting quietly.
Zheng Qiao watched their interaction.
When Lu Bainian left, Zheng Qiao turned to Liu Suqing and said, “Miss, you must’ve suffered a lot in the countryside. You’ve lost weight.”
Touching her own gaunt face, she replied softly, “Still better than where I was before. At least I’m freer here.”
Zheng Qiao observed her plain, makeup-free face and noted her natural beauty, now tinged with illness, which only enhanced her charm. He couldn’t help but say what was on his mind.
“I had thought about redeeming you too… but he beat me to it.”
Liu Suqing froze, her hand holding the chopsticks.
Just then, Lu Bainian returned with the wine, and silence fell between them again.
Lu Bainian had farmland to manage. To improve their meals, Liu Suqing also raised two hens in the yard. She cooked and did chores too.
Zheng Qiao, seeing how tough their life was, didn’t stay long. After lunch, he took his leave.
He also hadn’t seen Lu Jinnian for a few days. Visiting the Lu house, he learned that the old matriarch had confined him at home.
Zheng Qiao liked both men and women and preferred attractive company. Without the Lu brothers available, he looked elsewhere for amusement.
Thankfully, while his reputation wasn’t great, he had plenty of friends across Qinghe County.
That day, after returning from Lu Family Village, the afternoon was still young. He strolled to Osmanthus Alley and ended up at the Song residence, next to the Lu house.
He knocked, and the gatekeeper opened up.
Seeing Zheng Qiao, the gatekeeper was surprised. He rarely visited, but since he had a decent relationship with their third master, the servant greeted him respectfully.
“Master Zheng.”
Zheng Qiao smiled. “Is your Third Master home?”
The gatekeeper replied, “Our eldest master just took a new concubine and there’s a banquet going on. Lots of people coming and going—I’m not sure. Please wait while I check.”
“Much obliged.”