Chapter 99: Prosperity

After listening to Feng Yue’s reminder, Lu Bainian finally relaxed a little.

The young soldier was indeed frightened.

Lu Bainian was quite strong, especially after growing taller during this period and training for so long. Not to say he had a tiger’s back and a bee’s waist, but he was certainly well-built.

Being abruptly yanked off the ground by such a person was a considerable shock.

Once the soldier was back on the ground, he swallowed his saliva and said, “I only know it’s from Qinghe County. Not sure which prefecture it’s from. Don’t worry, brother, it might just be a coincidence with the name.”

“Apologies, he was just too anxious,” Feng Yue apologized on behalf of Lu Boyan.

Lu Bainian also looked apologetic. “I was too anxious, brother, please understand.”

“No worries,” the young soldier knew Lu Bainian’s temper well and knew he was a very good-natured person.

Fortunately, Lu Bainian had already become well-acquainted with those around him, and it was rare for anyone in the army to dislike him.

So, the soldier wasn’t angry at Lu Bainian. Instead, he comforted him. After all, anyone would be anxious if they heard that their home might be raided by bandits.

In such chaotic times, whether rich or poor, most people’s greatest wish was for their family to be safe and sound.

Leaving aside those in the military, most of the soldiers here had their own stories to tell.

They were all people who had endured hardship, so they could empathize with one another.

After getting the details about the monk from Qinghe County from the soldier, Lu Bianian and Feng Yue immediately set off to find him.

Soldiers rarely had rest time, as they spent most of their time training. After all, the government paid their wages, so there was no room to complain.

This day happened to be a rare rest day, and tomorrow they would head west to fight the Xiongnu. Lu Boyan had just received the news and decided to take advantage of today to find the person.

Not knowing if his family was safe, he couldn’t focus on his military duties.

When they arrived, it was during the afternoon break, so many soldiers were resting in their rooms.

By chance, as Lu Bainian and Feng Yue arrived, they encountered Jiang Chao, who had just finished washing up.

Jiang Chao was a handsome young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with lean muscles. His shaved head had started to sprout hair, and his face, though tanned, still showed signs of being quite handsome. One could only imagine how striking he would look if he were a little fairer.

But it was probably better this way—darker and more muscular, it made him less likely to attract unwanted attention.

Lu Bianian stopped him and asked the dark-skinned, bald man, “You’re from Qinghe County? Named Jiang Chao?”

Jiang Chao didn’t seem shy. He looked back at Lu Boyan and said, “Yes.”

Lu Bainian continued, “We’re from the same hometown. I’m also from Qinghe County. The Lu family in Qinghe County, do you know them?”

Jiang Chao glanced at him. Seeing that Lu Bainian’s facial features resembled Lu Jinnian’s to some extent, he guessed his identity.

But he still replied, “There are many Lu families in Qinghe County. I don’t know which one you’re referring to.”

Lu Bainian replied, “The Lu family that everyone knows in Qinghe County is just ours. It’s the Lu family of Guihua Lane. If you’ve ever been a monk in Qinghe County, you would definitely have heard of us.”

After all, his family donated a lot of incense money every year.

Jiang Chao glanced at him coldly and said, “Now I know.”

Lu Bainian was a little displeased with Jiang Chao’s attitude. Though they were fellow townsmen, Jiang Chao seemed indifferent.

But since he wasn’t here to exchange feelings, Lu Boyan just asked, “Do you know about the bandit incident in Qinghe County? Was the city affected?”

Jiang Chao seemed to relax a bit when he heard this and said, “That was quite some time ago. Qinghe County was indeed attacked by bandits, but it was outside the city. The temple on the mountain was burned, and a few families outside the city were affected. The bandits didn’t break through the city gates.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Bainian felt reassured and muttered “Amitabha” several times.

Seeing that Jiang Chao was still straightforward, though perhaps a little cold, Lu Boyan relaxed his earlier bias and no longer disliked him as much.

He then tried to strike up a conversation: “There’s only one famous temple in Qinghe County. Did you come from Longxing Temple?”

Jiang Chao’s attitude remained cold. He didn’t respond with words, only nodding.

“I’m Lu Bainian, with the courtesy name Yannián. We’re from the same hometown. I was a bit anxious earlier, so I might have been a bit abrupt. I apologize for that, and I hope we can look out for each other in the future,” Lu Bainian said, standing straight and bowing deeply to Jiang Chao.

Jiang Chao gave a short nod and then said he had something to do, striding away without waiting for Lu Boyan to respond.

Feng Yue, who was beside him, saw Lu Bainian being rebuffed and shook his head helplessly. “You’re both from the same hometown. His attitude is a bit too cold. You’re not a tiger—are you going to eat him?”

Lu Bainian had never met Jiang Chao before. Even though he had heard of “Miao Zhen” before, he never imagined there would be any connection between them.

Unable to understand, he decided to put it aside.

Since Jiang Chao wasn’t showing any warmth, the next time they met, he would just greet him and move on. There was no need to go out of his way to get on his good side.

Meanwhile, in the capital.

After the “heartbroken” mood passed, Wen Ruyu went to the outskirts and handed Qin Fu’s letter to the women of the Qin family.

Qin Fu’s mother had been gravely ill but was now recovered, though her hair had turned half-white, making her look much older than Wen Ruyu, who was of the same age.

The Duke of Cheng was exonerated, and as a result, Qin Fu’s father was also brought back and appointed as the Minister of Rites, which could be seen as a form of compensation.

Although the Qin family could not recover their former property that had been confiscated, the court had arranged for them to live in similar accommodations.

However, the Qin family still needed time to sort things out. After all, those who had fallen ill or passed away, and with their family in decline, they could never return to their former glory.

Upon receiving the letter from Wen Ruyu and hearing that she had taken good care of the distant Qin Fu, the matriarch of the Qin family nearly knelt down in front of Wen Ruyu. She only stopped when Wen Ruyu gently helped her up.

The matriarch of the Qin family, tears streaming down her face, held Wen Ruyu’s hand and said, “Our family has been through so many hardships. We’ve seen the warmth and coldness of human relationships. Those relatives and friends who once saw us and quickly avoided us—they are nothing to be surprised about. What’s truly hateful are those who, seeing us in trouble, still come to step on us. Sister, you have given us help in our time of need. The Qin family will never forget.”

Wen Ruyu patted the matriarch’s hand and said, “Our two families have been friends for generations. This is nothing.”

After exchanging a few words and some instructions, Wen Ruyu noticed that the Qin family had some servants around, and since she had been with the master family for so long, they were likely trustworthy. She decided not to keep any of the Lu family’s servants around.

After all, the Qin family had suffered enough. At this point, if she drew too much attention, it might reveal that the Lu family had ties to Prince Qin and Chu Ying, and that might still make the Lu family a target for those in higher positions.

Wen Ruyu didn’t want to bring trouble to her son, who was working in the bureaucracy. So, she only visited the Qin family this one time before the return of the Qin patriarch.

After visiting the women of the Qin family, Wen Ruyu went back home and started making inquiries about buying a shop.

After setting aside enough money for the year’s expenses, there was enough left for her to secure a shop.

She was still planning to continue with the “Haitang Miscellaneous Books.”

So, with the help of her two daughters-in-law, she soon reopened a shop.

The designs that had been used in Qinghe County were still fresh to the people in the capital.

Wen Ruyu also brought her previous drafts, so there was no need for extra effort—she just used the same designs as before.

Since it was a women’s magazine, she created a makeup section in “Haitang Miscellaneous Books.” This section allowed submissions from all over the country, and the submissions had to include sketches.

In other words, she started a section for external submissions.

Naturally, if a submission was accepted, the Lu family would pay a fee of two taels of silver.

Every month, the section would feature five makeup and hairstyle looks.

Initially, the makeup drafts were researched by her, the embroidery girls from Qinghe County, her two daughters-in-law, and her daughter.

Currently, the shop in Qinghe County needed to be closed for two months, so the “Haitang Miscellaneous Books” couldn’t be released in time.

However, with the reopening in the capital, “Haitang Miscellaneous Books” was now open to all women in the capital.

If someone bought ten taels of fabric from the Lu family in a quarter, they would receive a free copy of “Haitang Miscellaneous Books.”

If they didn’t meet this condition, they could buy it for the cost of production plus a small amount of copper coins.

The Lu family’s fabric shop was also renamed to “Haitang Fabric Shop” by Wen Ruyu.

From then on, the shop had a more feminine touch, thanks to Wen Ruyu and her daughters-in-law, rather than just being the Lu family’s store.

The shop was redecorated and waited for the goods to arrive. After many months of preparation, it finally opened during the winter season.

With Lu Songnian’s salary and Lu Ke’s official position, the family could maintain itself through land income and the earnings of the two brothers.

But to live comfortably, they would still need the shop’s sales performance.

During this time, Wen Ruyu and her daughters-in-law had been interacting with the women in the capital’s social circles.

Though their family’s official status wasn’t high, the wives and ladies of other families still treated Wen Ruyu and her daughters-in-law with respect.

After all, the original master of the family had been an official, and both sons of the Lu family were well-educated.

So, after the shop opened, many families came to show support.

They might not come back to buy later, but at least they bought something for the opening to show their respect.

With the winter season and the shop opening in November, the sales were quite good.

This year’s quarterly profit had already surpassed the yearly profit from one of the Qinghe County shops.

Naturally, aside from the shop’s profit, the sales of “Haitang Miscellaneous Books” were also a significant source of income.

One day, Zhao Shu looked at the account books handed to her from the shop, counted the figures, and murmured, “I have to say, the capital is indeed prosperous. Every family seems to be doing well.”

As she finished speaking, she completed the calculations.

Just then, her third sister-in-law came to find her, and the two of them headed to Wen Ruyu’s place.