Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 181 What my sister has, I don't

When the men escorting Shen Zhui returned, Shen Bo had already been sitting behind his desk for some time. Hearing footsteps, he looked up: "How is he?"

The messenger said, "Chen Qi and Gao Lin are guarding there. I have already had food prepared and sent to the Second Young Master."

Shen Bo nodded: "Starting tomorrow, have them both stay with him and never leave his side."

The visitor confirmed it.

Shen Bo picked up his pen: "Any news lately?"

The visitor stepped forward: "Things have been peaceful lately."

Shen Bo didn't ask any further questions. After finishing writing, he picked up the paper, blew on the ink to dry it slightly, and handed it to him.

The person received the letter, glanced at the signature at the bottom, and silently folded it up and stuffed it into their pocket.

……

While tensions were running high in the back courtyard of the Shen family, Yin Liu returned to Yanzi Hutong.

Qiu Niang wanted Lu Jia to stay, but Lu Jia thought that Jiang Shi must be unwilling to accept the loss she had suffered today, so she could not relax at all. Therefore, she took Changfu and Yinliu back to the Lu residence.

By the time I got home, it was almost dawn, and the dew was heavy, making me rub my hands together involuntarily.

Thinking back to the excitement I felt when I first went there, eager to uncover the mystery of Shen Qingzhou's background, now that it has been completely revealed, I feel a mix of emotions.

She had never known anything about the Shen family in her previous life, and now she learned that there were disagreements between the father and son. Why did they disagree? She couldn't guess.

It was only then that she realized that while she might understand Qin Zhou, she didn't understand Shen Qingzhou at all.

She sighed, gazing at the waning moon on the horizon, rubbed her hands together, and stepped inside. But as she entered, she suddenly paused—

Yes.

Since he went to Shawan for the sake of Tanzhou's water transport, he should have focused all his energy on the important matter. Why would he spare so much energy to help me?

From the time he met Shen Qingzhou until now, he has almost always been responsive to her requests, whether it was helping her deal with the Zhang family or asking her to take him back to the capital—even though he was originally going to return to the capital anyway, he should have his own pace, so why did she just go back?

I hadn't thought about it this much before, but now it seems a bit strange. The time he helped me fight off the thugs in the alley was in February, and the imperial envoy's trip to Tanzhou was shortly before that. Now it seems like he came to my rescue as soon as he arrived in Tanzhou. ...

Ultimately, the truth was revealed too suddenly, and many parts of it were still unbelievable.

……

When Lu Jia returned to the mansion in the middle of the night, Madam Jiang knew.

She tossed and turned all night, barely able to sleep.

Even if the servants in the outer courtyard no longer bother her with such matters, the people in her own courtyard are enough to keep track of these movements.

But she was too lazy to care anymore.

These trivial matters are not worth making a fuss about.

This brat's actions truly took her by surprise. How did she manage to develop such a meticulous mind growing up in a small merchant's family?

She actually knew to have made a three-point agreement with her father before entering the manor. She had already taken the initiative before she even showed her face, yet she still hadn't told Lu Jie about being murdered ten years ago or the recent attempted murder by a passerby. What exactly is she trying to do?
What mischief is she up to now? Madam Jiang was already worried that she would recklessly complain to Lu Jie. While that might not necessarily bring her into the spotlight, it was still a real headache, because if the matter were publicized, Lu Jie would at least become suspicious of her, especially after seeing how readily he had stood up for her these past two days. Who knows how Lu Jie would react if he knew she had plotted against this girl!
But now that Lu Jia is still silent, Jiang Shi has started to have second thoughts.

She always felt that this brat was brewing some big move.

When she heard that Lu Jia had stayed out until almost dawn before returning, even if she didn't punish her for that, Jiang was still more anxious about her lawless behavior.

The reason why the servants inside and outside the Lu family were so well controlled by her was because she was strict and ruthless. They dared not disobey her. As soon as Lu Jia returned, she broke her rules everywhere, leaving her, as the mistress of the house, with no authority whatsoever.

So even her last bit of sleepiness was worn away by her tossing and turning.

Lu Ying arrived at breakfast and, upon noticing the dark circles under her eyes, said, "Mother, you've really had a tough time these past two days."

Jiang remained silent.

Lu Ying glanced at the maids and servants in the room and said, "I heard that Granny Du is still nowhere to be found. It's strange, how could a perfectly healthy person just disappear into thin air?"

She glanced at her tentatively: "Mother, do you think it's possible that my sister secretly switched her out with someone else?"

Jiang's spoon clinked against the rim of the bowl, and her previously lazy gaze suddenly sharpened.

A moment later she said, "How is that possible? Firstly, she only has a few maids and servants around her, and secondly, she has been away from home for a long time and is not familiar with the current situation of the Lu family. How could she do that?"

It's not easy to accomplish this at all. Even if all the maids and servants around her are capable, someone would still need to be there to receive a living person after sending them out.

Where did the people coming from to meet us come from?

“That’s true.” Lu Ying nodded. “But I just feel that if he hadn’t been sent away, how could we have searched all night and still not found him?”

She looked at Madam Jiang: "The Du brothers have already been sent back by Father. They're easy to deal with; whether they live or die, if they can't be handed over, we'll just give them some more money and send them back. There's nothing we can't do."

"That's the fact that really leaves a knot in people's hearts."

"If it really was my sister who took her away, then why did she take Granny Du away? If she really hated Granny Du, wouldn't it have been more satisfying to catch her and send her to Father for punishment?"

Seeing Lu Ying's puzzled expression, Madam Jiang began to feel uneasy.

If Granny Du is really in Lu Jia's hands, then Madam Jiang certainly knows what she wants to do!
She put the bowl down: "What kind of plan can a girl raised in the streets have? Why are you worrying about these things?"

Lu Ying smiled and said, "She's just a 'girl' who grew up in the city, yet her father has made her assist in managing the household affairs starting today."

She turned her gaze to the door and said slowly, "I consider myself my father's beloved daughter, but having grown up by his side all these years, he has never once asked me to assist in managing the household affairs."

"And my sister has only been back for three days, but she is already able to participate in the management of the household."

"Only then did I realize that my father hadn't been indifferent to matters of the inner quarters before; it was just that these matters were usually unrelated to the people he truly cared about."

Jiang suddenly stopped.

The person you truly care about?

Is she saying that the person Lu Jie truly cares about is Lu Jia?

After sitting for a moment, she said calmly, "Since we are all young ladies of the Lu family, and we are all responsible for managing the household affairs, it is only right that we all participate."

"Someone, go and see if the master is in the manor. Tell him that from today onwards, Ying'er will also be involved in managing affairs!"