The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 43 My people, no matter how powerful.

This isn't flirting, it's seduction!

The business evening is uncertain; it plans to take another look.

Seeing that Shang Wan still didn't speak, Lu Chengjing pursed his lips, looked up at her, and noticed that the corners of his narrow eyes had been tinged with rouge, making his cool and aloof appearance alluring.

Shang Wan: "..."

That's seduction! Even if the King of Heaven himself came, it would still be seduction!
How could there be someone who looks so much like her?
Shang Wan grabbed the beautiful hand from the sleeve and kneaded it along the fingers. "Go ahead and tell me, I'm listening."

Her ears, hidden beneath her dark hair, turned a deep red. Lu Chengjing gently tried to pull his hand back, but Shang Wan held on tightly, glancing at him sideways. "That's it."

Lu Chengjing curled his fingers slightly, finally giving in to Shang Wan's wishes and no longer struggling.

Do you know why I refused to be Li Wenhua's advisor?

Shang Wan, engrossed in playing with the beautiful hands, said without looking up, "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly."

Trying to ignore the unfamiliar touch on his hand, Lu Chengjing said, "Li Wenhua is a man who seeks fame and fortune and is good at deceiving his superiors and subordinates."

"Four years ago, a flood affected countless villages. The imperial court sent relief grain to Dongning County. Li Wenhua pretended to be concerned about the people's suffering, but secretly replaced the imperial grain with old, moldy grain mixed with stones and gravel."

"When the disaster victims were complaining, he opened his private granary and distributed grain for three days, which made the disaster victims grateful to him. They called him a living bodhisattva who saved them from suffering. Some people even set up longevity tablets for him in their homes."

"Despicable and shameless." After commenting, Shang Wan asked in confusion, "How do you know it was him who switched the grain?"

Lu Chengjing's voice was deep and resonant, "Half of the old grain came from the Lu family."

Shang Wan clicked her tongue, seemingly oblivious to Lu Chengjing's meaning. She didn't ask why he hadn't told the truth, but simply said, "Isn't Lord An a just and upright official? Even he was fooled by Li Wenhua?"

"At that time, the person in office was not Lord An, and besides, Li Wenhua was not the only one who replaced the disaster relief grain."

Shang Wan understood; it was a case of officials protecting each other and colluding with each other.

She asked, "What does this have to do with the disaster relief grain?"

"Although Li Wenhua's actions were despicable, his reputation as an official was well-known. Now that Lord An is in charge of the county, he will do no worse than Li Wenhua, both for the sake of the people and for the sake of the official's reputation."

Shang Wan understood; Lu Chengjing had taken advantage of an information gap.

The villagers had previously suffered from floods and were cheated by the disaster relief grain distributed under Li Wenhua's shady dealings, causing them to lose trust in the so-called disaster relief grain.

The solution proposed by Lu Chengjing and the elders is essentially a safety net for them. Even if the disaster relief grain provided by the imperial court is still problematic, the villagers will naturally ask them for it after Lu Chengjing and the others have made their prior statements.

Lu Chengjing knew that there was an 80% chance that the disaster relief grain would be safe, but the villagers didn't know that.

Farmers may not have much, but they have plenty of strength. Weighing the two factors, it's not a big deal to expend some labor for the sake of actual food.

"How did you convince Uncle Wu and the others to share the risks with you?"

Lu Chengjing chuckled, "They are from Elm Tree Village."

The elderly may not be willing to share the risks with Lu Chengjing, but their strong sense of belonging to Yushu Village makes them unwilling to see Yushu Village become like the Willow Village described by Shen Qi'er, where people are in a state of panic and disarray.

After being further persuaded by Lu Chengjing's words, she agreed without much hesitation.

Shang Wan looked up and carefully examined Lu Chengjing. The more she looked, the more she felt that her vase looked like a fox, and that he was very good at scheming.

Lu Chengjing felt slightly uneasy under her gaze, so he looked away and stared intently at the mushy vegetable leaves at the bottom of the bowl.

From the fact that Shang Wan called him a vase several times, he knew that in Shang Wan's eyes he was probably good-looking, fragile, and in need of care and protection. He could also glean some insight from the way Shang Wan treated him.

That was the first time he had proactively shown an aggressive side to Shang Wan. He was anxious about Shang Wan's reaction, yet also eager to see it. Would it be... like her mother's?

Noticing Shang Wan's gaze on him, Lu Chengjing stared intently at the mushy vegetable leaves, quietly waiting for Shang Wan's reaction.

"Why are you so nervous?" Shang Wan raised their clasped hands and shook them. "You've made my hands red."

Before anyone knew it, Lu Chengjing had taken the initiative, tightly gripping the soft, white hand that had been playing tricks on him. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, as if he was worried that the owner of the small hand would shake him off.

Reminded by Shang Wanyi, Lu Chengjing released his hand as if electrocuted, a flash of annoyance crossing his eyes. He then hid his hand in his wide sleeve, quietly clenching it into a fist.

Seeing his overreaction, Shang Wan chuckled, shook her hand, and said with a smile, "Scholar, you don't need to use so much force when holding hands. Be gentler next time."

The teasing tone made Lu Chengjing's cheeks flush red, and he lowered his eyes, becoming even more afraid to look directly at the person beside him.

Shang Wan leaned closer to him, extended her index finger and hooked his chin, "My people, no matter how powerful, are fine with me."

Lu Chengjing suddenly raised his eyes, his dark pupils staring directly at Shang Wan.

Shang Wan didn't dodge or avoid the question, but a pleasant smile curved her lips. "Although a clumsy vase is cute, I prefer a clever fox."

"You..." Lu Chengjing opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his heart seemed to have been implanted with an accelerator, beating faster and faster.

The pounding of his heart disrupted his thoughts, making him forget what he wanted to say. He just stared blankly at the face in front of him, carefully, bit by bit, quietly sketching and secretly treasuring its contours, eyebrows, and expression.

"Is there something on my face?" Shang Wan raised her hand and touched her face in confusion.

Lu Chengjing: "..."

He turned his face away, his bright red ears flashing beneath his dark hair, and mumbled, "No."

Shangwan: ?
Why are you being so awkward again?
She stood up with the soup bowl in her hand. "The soup is cold. I'll go get you a hot one."

After eating her fill, Yuan Yuan crawled around on several benches that were connected together. Without Shang Wan blocking her way, she bumped into Lu Chengjing.

The little guy raised his hand and touched it, then tilted his head up to look at his dad.

Huh? It's so red!
With her big, dark eyes blinking, Yuan Yuan grabbed Lu Chengjing's arm for support and stood up. She pouted and blew cool air onto his red ears, "Whoosh~whoosh~it hurts, it hurts, fly away."

The little boy's soft, sweet voice was full of concern. Lu Chengjing reached out and hugged the little guy, saying gently, "Daddy doesn't hurt."

"Ouch." Yuanyuan pointed to her reddened forehead with her little finger, thinking it was her turn. "Ouch."

Lu Chengjing lowered his head and gently blew on it, and at the little guy's insistence, he kissed him again.

I was just about to tease my daughter when the little one turned her bottom and quickly crawled away down the bench to find her friends to play with.

Lu Chengjing: "..."

After breakfast, everyone got to work.

First, everyone cleans their own house, putting what is usable aside and piling up what is unusable together, which will then be disposed of by the village.

After finishing their own tasks, they would help those nearby, moving from four directions toward the big elm tree in the center of the village, leaving no one out.

Shang Wan handed Yuanyuan to Lu Chengjing to hold, and then started working with Xiao Huan and Shi Tou.

A glint of excitement flashed in her round, dark eyes, and she mumbled, "Come...get busy..."

(End of this chapter)