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As soon as Madam Wang mentioned it at the Lu residence, Wen Ruyu quietly took note of Qin Fu’s situation in her heart.
That day, after Madam Wang left, Wen Ruyu dismissed the maids around her, keeping only Chu Ying behind for a private conversation.
She asked, “If Qin Fu encounters any danger, could you secretly send someone to protect her?”
Chu Ying thought for a moment before replying, “If the court takes action, I can indeed arrange for her to hide elsewhere. After all, the Qin family was implicated because of my father, and Mr. Qin was kind to me. I am not one to forget such kindness.”
Wen Ruyu raised an eyebrow and asked again, “What about domestic issues? When you visited the Xu family, was she bullied by her husband or mother-in-law? I mean physically abused?”
Chu Ying replied, “How would I handle that? Break her husband’s and mother-in-law’s legs?”
“My secret guards are for saving lives, not dealing with petty issues. They can’t reveal their identities over small matters.”
Wen Ruyu didn’t agree. “Domestic abuse is no small matter. It could end in tragedy.”
Chu Ying frowned. “According to the law, if a husband beats his wife, she can divorce him.”
“Divorce? She’s pregnant and has no family to rely on. Who will support her if she leaves? The Lu family again?”
“Besides, the law doesn’t guarantee the child will go with her. Do you think she’d choose to endure or leave?”
There is always a gap between law and reality. Modern people can’t even reject a 996 work schedule, let alone expect a woman in ancient times to rely on the law and initiate a divorce.
Chu Ying was silent for a long time before saying, “There’s nothing I can do.”
“If I had power, maybe I could help her. But right now, I’m still secretly wanted by the court.”
“Still, rest assured, Madam. When I was at the Xu family, I only heard her husband speak coldly to her. Her mother-in-law didn’t bully her, and he didn’t physically harm her either.”
Wen Ruyu didn’t look much reassured.
Even if there’s no physical violence, emotional abuse could still harm a pregnant woman.
She should’ve expected this.
The Qin family was in ruin, exiled and their property confiscated.
Though married daughters weren’t legally affected, unless the family was exceptionally kind, they wouldn’t easily accept the daughter-in-law in such times.
Clearly, the Xu family didn’t have that kind of tolerance.
If things weren’t handled properly, Qin Fu would have a hard time in that household.
After all, in modern times, even serious crimes like domestic assault and attempted murder can be brushed off as “domestic disputes.” How much worse must it have been in ancient times?
Out of concern for Qin Fu, Wen Ruyu made excuses to try and call her over in the following days.
As the younger generation, unless she was bedridden, it was natural for Qin Fu to come visit Wen Ruyu—not the other way around.
But Qin Fu declined each time, saying she was unable to come.
Wen Ruyu, still uneasy, then said she wanted to visit the Xu matriarch instead and asked if the old lady was available.
Even the Xu matriarch declined to see her.
The Lu and Xu families didn’t have a close relationship to begin with, so it wasn’t surprising that the Xu matriarch refused.
But this meant Wen Ruyu had completely lost contact with Qin Fu.
All she could do now was ask Chu Ying.
Chu Ying only promised that if Qin Fu’s life was ever in danger, he would inform her immediately.
As for anything else, he truly couldn’t help.
Wen Ruyu could only drop the matter.
Time flew by, and before long, it was already September. After collecting the harvest, Lu Bainian returned home quickly.
Now that he didn’t need to study, he would often just drop by the store, sometimes coming back within half a day.
Wen Ruyu didn’t push him too hard either. After all, there was a manager at the store. As long as Lu Bainen managed the staff well, it was enough.
More importantly, Lu Bainian wasn’t as careless as before, which was the main reason Wen Ruyu had loosened up.
Perhaps the fact that his illegitimate younger brother had married before him struck a nerve. Recently, Lu Bainen rarely drank or hung out with his old friends. Even when he went out, he stayed away from courtesans.
At home, he either read or practiced martial arts with the two ladies.
When bored, he would carry his little nephew around.
Lu Qing was just a child, naturally playful. Lu Bainian, being good at entertaining kids, quickly bonded with him.
Now, Lu Qing spent more time clinging to his second uncle than with his own parents.
One day, after school, Lu Qing came to talk to Lu Bainian.
“If the Xiongnu attack, Second Uncle, you have to protect me.”
“If I can’t beat them, we’ll have to hide.”
“Where would we hide?” Lu Qing blinked curiously.
“In the cellar, or in the mountain gullies,” Lu Bainian said.
“Why don’t we fight them?”
“Silly boy, if we get caught by the Xiongnu, they’ll eat you. You know, when the army had no food, they used to eat captured women and children.”
“What? They eat people?” Lu Qing got scared and grabbed his uncle’s sleeve.
Seeing this, Lu Bainian mischievously teased him, “Of course! Especially kids like you. They call it ‘Soft Bone Delight.’ They’d boil children in a pot until their bones go soft—tastes the best!”
“Women are tasty too, called ‘Better Than Lamb.’ Tender and not stinky.”
“I’m scared, Second Uncle.” Lu Qing trembled.
Seeing his nephew scared, Lu Bainian laughed instead of comforting him.
Lu Qing tugged at his uncle’s sleeve, not letting go. “Will they eat you too?”
“Me? I’m not tasty. They usually don’t eat me,” Lu Bainian said, shaking his head.
“What? Why not?” Lu Qing frowned, clearly disappointed.
Seeing his nephew’s disappointed face, Lu Bainian burst into laughter.
Just then, Lu Songnian’s voice rang out from outside, “Why not eat him? They would eat your second uncle too—he’s just too smelly and his meat too tough, needs too much fire to cook.”
“Dad!” Lu Qing ran out of Lu Bainian’s arms and jumped into his father’s arms.
Lu Songnian picked up his son and scolded his brother, “Qing is too young to hear this stuff. If he has nightmares, I’ll deal with you. Always saying you’ll study seriously, but all you read is nonsense. Watch it, or I’ll burn your stupid books.”
Lu Bainian just laughed and didn’t take it to heart.
Lu Songnian sighed, “We have guests in the house. After Third Brother gets married and they leave, I’d like to see who you’ll learn martial arts from then. Of all things to obsess over…”
Martial arts were meant to build strength, but Lu Songnian worried his brother had become too obsessed—maybe even losing interest in women.
He knew his second brother well. Lu Bainian seemed carefree, much like their youngest brother, but when he fixated on something, no one could stop him.
He didn’t care about appearances or consequences.
He once fell out with the family over Liu Suqing, making them the laughingstock of Qinghe County, and he didn’t even mind.
Now, with martial arts, although the two ladies agreed to teach him, they were secluded and unmarried women. There were societal rules to follow.
But Lu Bainian visited their guest room every day, not avoiding suspicion in the slightest.
People who knew him would say he was just obsessed with martial arts. Those who didn’t might think he had other intentions.
Lu Bainian didn’t reflect deeply on his brother’s advice.
He knew that as long as he didn’t cross any major lines, his eldest brother would never truly get angry. So he often just let the words go in one ear and out the other.
But something Lu Songnian said did catch his attention, and he frowned, “They’re leaving? Master Qingluan and the others?”
“They were guests from the beginning. Who would stop them from leaving?”
“Did they say this themselves?” Just when things were getting interesting, they wanted to leave? That dampened his spirits.
“They just said it two days ago, already asked the old lady for permission. She persuaded them to stay until after Third Brother’s wedding. If you don’t believe me, go ask her.”
Hearing this, Lu Bainian’s cheerful mood disappeared, and he sat down with a sigh.
“It’s almost dinner time. I’ll take Qing back now.” Without waiting for Lu Bainian to reply, Lu Songnian left.
Outside, Lu Qing, who had napped too long, was still full of energy and wanted to go to the garden.
Lu Songnian had no choice but to accompany him.
Since it was Lu Qing’s idea, he had to walk on his own.
Lu Songnian didn’t carry him but just held his hand as they walked toward the garden.
As they approached, the sound of running water reached their ears.
Over the past year, thanks to the reforms introduced by the old matriarch, the Lu family’s shop had earned a lot of money.
Even though others copied their business, thanks to the influence of The Haitang Miscellany, no shop in Qinghe could compete with theirs.
Other shops released copycats like Peach Blossom Miscellany or Apricot Blossom Miscellany, but with poor content and plagiarized designs, they failed to attract attention.
When it comes to fashion, being trendy is everything.
Ladies and young misses loved to keep up with trends, and if your outfit was a quarter out of date, you were no longer stylish.
So the Lu family’s fabric shop, with its fresh and appealing styles, remained the most profitable.
With their earnings, the old lady began to revamp their estate.
The main structure remained unchanged, but the garden had been expanded and a new landscape added.
She bought a piece of land behind the mountain, directed live water into the estate, and added pavilions and bridges. Red maple trees lined the water.
These maples were specially selected large trees. It was the perfect season to admire their leaves, which had fallen all over the ground, some drifting with the current.
Since the trees were newly transplanted, they hadn’t fully blended into the scenery yet.
The project wasn’t complete, so only the men of the house occasionally came to look.
The old matriarch had plans for this place—she even designated a part of the land to build a waterside pavilion and a residence, likely planning to live there with Lu Mingzhu in the future.