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Chapter 42: Shopping

Upon hearing Wen Ruyu’s words, Lu Jinnian stood stunned on the spot.

In that moment, he suddenly felt that his mother’s remarks were even more shocking than his own actions.

“You better remember my words well—engrave them in your heart! If I ever hear of you flirting with others or fooling around outside again, you can just go live in Lu Village with your second brother.”

Lu Jinnian was in a daze. He had expected Wen Ruyu to scold him for bringing shame to the family, but surprisingly, she didn’t say anything of the sort.

“Mother…” Was this still his mother?

Just as Lu Jinnian was about to ask that question, Wen Ruyu continued, “You caused our family to spend money and lose face today. Without rules, nothing gets done. Punishment is necessary.”

Hearing that, Lu Jinnian breathed a slight sigh of relief—but then his scalp began to tingle.

It was over.

As he was thinking that, he heard Wen Ruyu call out, “Bring the punishment paddle!”

Last time, when they punished Lu Bo’nian, it was in a hurry and they didn’t use the official paddle. This time, they weren’t going to cut corners.

That paddle was thick and heavy—one strike was enough to draw blood.

Wen Ruyu sat regally in a chair, with several maids standing behind her, enhancing her dignified presence.

She spoke to Lu Jinnian in a stern voice: “Not only did you disgrace the family, but you also fought in public today. Originally, I was going to give you twenty strikes, but considering you have an exam soon, I’ll cut it in half. Ten strikes it is. Jinnian, do you accept this punishment?”

If she was going to beat him, he had to accept it willingly. Otherwise, what was the point? Wen Ruyu didn’t do anything inefficient.

Originally, she had planned to punish Lu Jinnian after his exams. But she figured if he passed the scholar’s exam and returned, he might feel differently about things by then.

Who knew if he would still feel remorse?

Wen Ruyu didn’t think it was wrong that Lu Jinnian was involved with a man—the mistake was in choosing a minor official and getting into a fight, nearly landing himself in the magistrate’s hands.

So he needed to remember this beating to make sure he wouldn’t repeat his mistake.

Lu Jinnian, of course, dreaded the punishment.

But everything Wen Ruyu said was reasonable. Despite reading so many Confucian classics, he couldn’t come up with a single line to defend himself.

So he could only kneel on the ground, pale-faced, and say, “I accept the punishment.”

Only then did Wen Ruyu nod. She ordered him to remove his shirt and kneel properly for the punishment.

The servant in charge of the beating didn’t dare go easy, not with Wen Ruyu watching. He swung the paddle with full force.

Lu Jinnian thought he could endure at least a few strikes—but after just one, his tears came flowing.

By the third strike, he couldn’t help but cry out loud.

Zhao Shu, fearing Wen Ruyu might go too far and injure him, had already sent someone to fetch her husband.

When Lu Songnian heard about what Lu Jinnian had done, he didn’t even leave his study. He simply told the servant, “He deserves it,” and sent them back.

Zhao Shu had hoped to call for reinforcements—but it turned out she’d called the wrong person.

After ten strikes, Lu Jinnian was a weeping mess.

Wen Ruyu ordered people to carry him away and apply medicine to his wounds.

The family paddle likely wouldn’t cause internal injury, but to be safe, she instructed the maids in his room to keep a close watch on him.

If anything seemed off, they were to seek medical attention immediately.

Back in his room, Lu Jinnian wasn’t sure if he was upset about being cheated on or just hurting from the beating—or both.

In any case, the moment he lay on his bed, tears streamed uncontrollably, soaking half the pillow.

He had naturally delicate, feminine features, and crying made him look even more pitiful. The maids in the room, seeing him like that, secretly wiped their own tears.

They had wanted to scold him and urge him to behave better and stop fooling around with people outside.

But seeing him cry, none dared to say a word.

After applying the medicine, he was doing okay the next day—just sore. He couldn’t lie on his back comfortably without pulling at the wounds.

Everything he needed for the exam was prepared by the maids and brought to him for inspection. Once he gave the okay, they packed it up.

The fight between Lu Jinnian and Song Lin had left neither of them better off, though thankfully, the injuries were only superficial—scratches on the face, nothing serious.

Meanwhile, back at the Song household, Third Young Master Song didn’t fare any better.

The elder Song couple, who placed great importance on lineage, couldn’t tolerate their son getting involved with a man.

Because Song Lin had the exam coming up, they let him off with just kneeling in the ancestral hall for an hour.

Unlike Wen Ruyu, who blamed Lu Jinnian’s own lack of moral restraint, the Song elders blamed Zheng Qiao for corrupting their child. They ordered the servants to drive Zheng Qiao away with brooms if he ever showed up again—and if that didn’t work, to splash him with sewage!

That evening, Zhao Shu came to bring more ointment.

She handed it to Lu Jinnian’s maid to pack into his bundle, so the servant boy accompanying him could help reapply it later.

Seeing Lu Jinnian in low spirits and injured, Zhao Shu couldn’t bear to say much. She checked his wounds and quietly left.

After putting her son Lu Qing to bed, her husband returned from the study.

The old matriarch had recently ordered that they stop reading after dusk to protect their eyesight.

Lu Songnian had already finished his review and felt somewhat confident, so he followed her advice to rest more.

Now that their family business was thriving under the matriarch’s management, he no longer bore the burden of supporting the family, and he was far more relaxed.

In the past, if he failed the exam, he might not get another chance until his brothers became scholars. But now, even if he failed once, he might still get to study for another three years.

He didn’t care about being remembered as a prodigy—his goal was to cultivate himself and eventually help govern the country.

After changing clothes, washing up, and soaking his feet, Zhao Shu watched him from the side.

She couldn’t help but say, “Back when Bo’nian was beaten by the matriarch, you at least went to check on him and comforted him. But now that Jinnian has been beaten, you haven’t said a word. Have you even gone to see your brother? His back is covered in blood! He’s still so young, and looks so pitiful.”

For once, Lu Songnian disagreed with his wife.

“How can he be compared with Bo’nian? Bo’nian was reckless, yes, but still stayed within moral boundaries. Jinnian did something that defies the natural order—what justification could there be? If he can’t even understand the basics of ethics while studying, how can he serve the people if he becomes an official one day?

Precisely because he’s young, we must discipline him now. Even if Mother hadn’t beaten him, I would have. If he can’t be set straight, he’ll be ruined.”

Lu Songnian was usually gentle and patient, but he had no tolerance for anything that violated traditional Confucian values.

Zhao Shu didn’t think it was a big deal that Lu Jinnian had been with a man. After all, two men couldn’t have children, and since he wasn’t married, a bit of curiosity seemed harmless.

She felt that harmony within the family was most important. Lu Jinnian made a mistake, he was punished, and that should be the end of it.

But since her husband disapproved, she dared not say more. After he finished soaking his feet, the couple went to bed early.

It was spring, the season of renewal, and the Lu family followed a routine of early to bed, early to rise.

The next day, Lu Jinnian was to leave for his exam, so he went early to pay respects to Wen Ruyu.

Seeing that he could still move around fine, Wen Ruyu just gave a few instructions to the servant boys going with him.

“Be diligent these few days. Take good care of the young master. There will be a reward when you return.”

The boys quickly knelt and agreed.

To make sure he wouldn’t be short on money while away, Wen Ruyu gave him an extra two taels of silver.

The exam location wasn’t far—just a day’s travel—so she wasn’t too worried.

After sending him off, she called for Lu Mingzhu and headed to the jewelry store for a shopping trip.

Their family income had been good lately. Wen Ruyu considered buying land to expand the estate, but the weather had been odd this year and the crops in Lu Village weren’t growing well.

With grain prices rising, she decided to save money and stockpile food.

Whatever was left could go toward her enjoyment and her daughter’s dowry.

Everything else was secondary. Only gold and silver retained value in both peaceful and chaotic times.

At the jewelry store, Wen Ruyu asked to see gold bangles.

She had assumed that ancient styles would be limited, but to her surprise, the shopkeeper brought out filigree and enamel pieces in a variety of designs.

Wen Ruyu wanted to order a two-tael gold bracelet for her daughter. They had them in stock, but the design wasn’t quite to her liking.

“If I place an order now, how long will it take?” she asked.

The shopkeeper, seeing the wealthy pair dressed in fine silk and accompanied by numerous servants, followed them closely and attentively.

“You want the filigree-enamel style—it takes more effort to make. It’ll be ready in half a month. If you want a plain one, we have it in store.”

Lu Mingzhu said, “Mother, this bracelet is quite heavy. One tael is enough.”

Gold and silver weights differed from modern times. In their era, one tael of silver weighed about 30–40 grams, so two taels of gold was around 70–80 grams.

Still, it wasn’t too bad—similar to a jade bangle.

But Lu Mingzhu didn’t like heavy jewelry and preferred lighter pieces.

Wen Ruyu knew her daughter was still innocent and hadn’t thought about dowries yet. But she was already making plans.

“Fine, we’ll take the one-tael bracelet now and order the two-tael one for delivery.”

Two taels of gold equaled twenty taels of silver, and with labor costs, the order amounted to nearly a year’s income for a small household.

Spending that much just for delivery? The shop was more than happy.

Having spent thirty taels already, Lu Mingzhu thought the shopping was done—but Wen Ruyu took her to look at hair ornaments next.

Gold, silver, pearls, and jade—it was dazzling.

Though Lu Mingzhu wasn’t fond of jewelry, she did love pretty things. Seeing beautiful hairpins, she couldn’t help but like them.

Wen Ruyu added several pearl and silver pieces to her collection—and even got a simple gold bracelet for herself.

As a widow, Wen Ruyu couldn’t wear bright colors, but as the Lu family’s matriarch, she had to dress expensively to maintain the family’s image.

In total, they spent about fifty taels of silver that day.

Wen Ruyu’s main goal was to buy something for herself, prepare jewelry for her daughter’s dowry, and even got a silver hairpin for Zhao Shu in appreciation for her hard work at home.

By noon, it was time for lunch.

She sent word home and planned to treat her daughter to a meal at a restaurant. The home-cooked meals were good, but it was rare to dine out—they should enjoy something different.

She believed in raising her daughter in luxury so she wouldn’t fall for some smooth-talking man in the future.

There might not be blond-haired foreigners here, but plenty of men were still eager to marry into a better life.

During her time in the Lu household, Wen Ruyu had grown closest to Lu Mingzhu. As she spent more time in the past, she began to see her as her real daughter.

And if so, how could she let her daughter marry into hardship?

So she not only taught her to study, but also ensured she had the material comfort to live with dignity.

Mental and material preparation might not guarantee success, but she believed she could raise a daughter with self-awareness and sound judgment.

Just as they were about to leave the shop, they ran into two familiar but not-so-close women.

One of them was the county magistrate’s wife—Madam Yan—whom Wen Ruyu had been quietly asking about.

With her was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, lovely and elegant—a real beauty.

Seeing them, Wen Ruyu naturally smiled and greeted them.

Given the Lu family’s status, Madam Yan didn’t ignore them either.

Since they ran into each other here, Wen Ruyu stopped to exchange a few polite words…