After the team set out, everyone was a little depressed. Hua Yan declined the invitation to dinner and returned to Pingchuan County. Father Lu took everyone in the Lu family to find a restaurant and ordered three tables of food.

In addition to Lü Bocheng and Lü Boshou, one son each from the two gūgū ^[1]father’s sister was conscripted. So a total of four people, 2 wàisūn ^[2]son of daughter and 2 sunzi ^[3]son of sons were conscripted from the Lu family. The old man couldn’t even eat. He sat there in a daze.

Lu Bozu was not affected at all. Even though he was forced not to go to school, he still came to see him off. However, he did not say a word to his brother and did not even put on any show.

When he thought that Lu Bocheng, who used to quarrel with him, was no longer in the family, he felt as if a huge stone had been lifted from his heart. He felt as if all the clouds and fog had cleared up. He was the only one at the table who enjoyed his meal.

This caused Old Lu to frown and look at him several times.

After dinner, Old Lu took Grandma Lu, who wanted to stay in town for two days and left with everyone. The Lu family also went about their own business.

Su Qingyu returned to her room and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. The house was not big, but she just felt empty.

Without Lu Bocheng chattering in her ear, she felt awkward no matter how she looked at it.

She fell on the bed and prepared to rest for a while. She thought about how she had gotten used to Lu Bocheng’s presence these days and how she was sulking in the morning because of Hua Yan’s appearance. She felt a little angry with herself.

She grabbed Lu Bocheng’s pillow and hit it hard a few times to vent her anger.

When she put it back, she found something underneath. What was this? Why was there a purse?

She sat up suddenly, took it out, looked at it, and poured out the contents.
Two pieces of paper, a silver note, and a piece of letter paper.

After shaking it open, she finally understood. Lü Bocheng left all the fifty taels of silver he got from his father to her. He also asked her to exchange the fifty taels for a large gold ingot to keep in her box.

The letter told her not to have affairs with other men and to stay at home and wait for him to come back. If he didn’t come back, he would let her remarry. But she had to find a good family. If she gave birth to a son, he would be named Wei Yang, and if she gave birth to a daughter, she would be named Wei Xi.

Su Qing’an sniffed as she looked at the fifty-Liang silver note. What Wei Yang, Wei Xi, there’s no trace of them. Lu Bocheng, you poor student, you should come back alive. You’re still thinking too much about giving them names!

She stuffed the letter and the silver note back into her purse, fell back on the bed, and pulled the quilt over her head.

The next day, Su Qingyu counted the silver in her hand and found that there were still 62 taels, so she had an idea in her mind. She put the silver and banknotes on her and left the room.

But she didn’t expect to be stopped by Wu Shi in the yard.

Wu Shi handed her a few pieces of cloth and said, “Bocheng’s grandparents have been unhappy since they sent their grandchildren away, so your father said we should buy some clothes to make them two sets of clothes to show our filial piety. You just got married and have never been to the Lu family in the countryside. Take these pieces of cloth back and make them two sets of clothes, so that they can know the filial piety of their grandson’s wife.”

A few pieces of cloth were suddenly stuffed into Su Qingyu’s arms, and she hugged them in a daze.

Wu Shi shook her hands and continued, “Take your time, and don’t rush. Make sure you do the work carefully. Your grandparents will wear it at home, so it must be durable.”

After Wu Shi finished speaking, she walked away gracefully.

Su Qingyu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when she saw that she left in a hurry without even waiting for her reply.

Were you afraid that she would reject you?

As soon as Lu Bocheng left, she found something for her to do? After making clothes for the old man, what else would she do next time? Did she not want her to go out?

Wu Shi really didn’t want her to go out.

When she arrived at the Lu family, Lu Bocheng’s biological mother was still alive. She was afraid of being gossiped about, so she acted like a scoundrel and didn’t dare to go out. She was also not good at housework. She went into the kitchen every day and cooked three meals a day for Liu Shi. When Liu Shi was sick and lying in bed, she boiled medicine for her day and night and served her.

There was no reason why her daughter-in-law should enjoy a good life just after marrying in.

She didn’t do anything, just hang out outside every day. She was like a young lady, worry-free, and never touched by the smell of kitchen smoke. This girl who married from the countryside, who used to dig for food in the fields, was now enjoying a comfortable life after marriage?

No matter if she was related or not, she was still the mother-in-law! Wasn’t it the daughter-in-law’s job to serve her mother-in-law after marriage?

When she married into that family, she suffered so much trouble from the mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law of that family! She went to the fields before the sun rose and was still working in the fields after dark. She was so hungry that she didn’t dare to put down the hoe. When she finally got home, she couldn’t rest. She had to wash the clothes of the whole family until the middle of the night.

What a hard life.

Fortunately, she got close to the peddler Lu Shengcai and jumped out of that fire pit, and now she was living a good life.

How many years did she have to endure to live the life she has now? Su Shi, who married from the countryside, wanted to enjoy a comfortable life right after marriage? How could that be possible!

That bastard Lu Bocheng never took her seriously. It was true she couldn’t handle him, but can’t she handle a country girl?

Wu Shi returned to her room. Lu Yuzhu was lying on the couch. Seeing her come in, she asked, “Did you give it to her?”

“Well, Mother gave it to her, how could she not accept it? I am the mother-in-law and she is the daughter-in-law, how could she refute it?” Wu Shi said with some pride.

“You have the solution, mother. You should let her do some work. She stays away from home every day, thinking she can enjoy a good life after marrying into the town? She eats and uses our money, but she doesn’t want to work. She’s dreaming of making a fortune! Dad is really something. He insists on making me do it. Which young lady does needlework every day? I’ve even made an appointment with Ruyue to listen to a story.”

Wu Shi tapped her forehead and said, “Your father just wants to keep you under control and let you practice needlework so that he can find you a good marriage partner. Nowadays, soldiers are conscripted from time to time, and your father has selected several families but none of them are satisfied.”

Lu Yuzhu said with disdain: “There are no good families in this town. Even if they have some money, it will be confiscated anyway! I want to marry into a wealthy family with officials in the future!”

Wu Shi rolled her eyes at her and said, “Why would a wealthy family with an official position like you? Your father is not a prominent figure. His parents were all looking for people with shops and fields in the town, who were a good match for him…”

Wu Shi said in a rare sober tone.

Lu Yuzhu pouted, “I don’t want it! Do you think a small shop and a couple of hundred acres of land are a lot? That’s just a lot of silver! Linlang Pavilion is a shop. I heard that his jewelry shop has branches everywhere, and someone in his family is an official in the court.”

Wu Shi didn’t want her to be so ambitious, so she turned her head and looked at her: “Have you met the shopkeeper of his family? I was wondering why you always like to go to his shop. You silly girl, the shopkeeper has a wife and children, and the shop is not his.”

Lu Yuzhu said disdainfully: “How can I think highly of him! He is just a shopkeeper, not the young master.”

Wu Shi’s eyes widened: “You are interested in the young master? How can he be interested in you?”

“Why won’t he like me? What’s wrong with me? Mom, you said I look like you, weak and frail, and that men like such women.”

Wu Shi choked.

She didn’t know why Yuzhu fell in love with that young master, who only came once a year. There was a huge difference between her family and his. This damn girl actually had such an unrealistic dream, which was really worrying.

Su Qingyu didn’t know that Lu Yuzhu’s love had blossomed, she was holding a few pieces of cloth and preparing to go back to her room. Halfway through, she thought about it and changed direction.

(End of this chapter)