Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 62 This is a deep pit

He Qing walked out of the prison cell, his heart still pounding in his chest.

He swallowed twice, facing the scorching evening wind, and strode towards the county government office.

In the courtyard where the archives were in charge, the yamen runners were chatting. When they saw him suddenly arrive, they were so frightened that they immediately stood up.

Normally He Qing would scold them, but today he didn't even look at them. He simply had the person in charge of the key open one of the rooms and then went inside.

He Qing was so familiar with the Zhang family that he knew exactly which year Qiu Niang returned.

He found the cabinet where the documents from that year were kept, and with almost no effort, he found the documents that Old Master Zhang had kept when Lu Jia was registered as a citizen.

If she is Xie Zhang's daughter, why wasn't she registered as a citizen until she was five years old? Why was she only registered after arriving in Tanzhou?

He read it carefully several times, almost engraving every word into his mind, before fearfully putting the document away and quickly leaving the house.

Lady He is still awake.

She couldn't sleep either.

She was pondering her son's remarriage under the lamp when she heard the door open and stood up. Before she could even stand properly, He Qing rushed in!
"You scared me!" she exclaimed. "I thought a robber had broken in!"

"How could a thug break into your house?!"

He Qing turned and closed the door, then approached in a low voice: "Do you remember a few months ago, someone from Tanzhou Prefecture asked me to come over and inquire about a young lady from out of town who was around fifteen years old?"

Madam He stood up: "I remember, when you came back you said that the man was someone important, a servant of a powerful nobleman surnamed Lu in the capital. He secretly summoned officials from various prefectures and counties to inquire about him, and his demeanor was unlike that of an ordinary person. You also said that the person they were looking for was probably not an ordinary person either."

"Do you remember when I told you that the young lady went missing?"

Madam He thought for a moment: "Ten years ago, in the autumn, around the Mid-Autumn Festival."

He Qing's voice trembled with excitement: "Do you remember when Old Master Zhang's daughter, Zhang Qiuniang, and her husband arrived in Shawan?"

While surprised and puzzled, Madam He recalled and said, "They returned shortly before Old Madam Zhang passed away, which should be around October ten years ago."

"That's more like it!"

He Qing clapped his hands: "From the capital to Shawan, whether by land or water, it takes about a month. From Mid-Autumn Festival to October, it's about a month! They're traveling with their families and children, so they'll definitely have to travel slower!"

"They all match up perfectly!"

Madam He was completely bewildered: "What are you doing? What's wrong with you?!"

Could it be that he's been so frightened by the imperial envoy that he's lost his mind?!
"We're not afraid anymore!" He Qing straightened his back. "I know where this young lady is, and I'm going to pass on this message right now!"

"At that time, not only will I be safe and sound in the Zhang family matter, but I might even get a promotion!"

Lady He: ...

……

Lu Jiatuo's two boats set sail at noon, and she went to see them off.

If you travel north by water and don't delay, you can reach Jishuitan in about twenty days. After staying there for a few days, you can go south to Tanzhou. The round trip will take about one or two months.

According to his previous life, Lu Jia had already returned to the Minister's residence and stayed there for two months, gradually adapting to his previous life.

At that time, everything seemed normal on the surface in the Lu family. She knew that Jiang was hypocritical. Her purpose in going back was to avoid the oppression from Zhang Qiu Niang and the others, so she kept all the details of how Jiang had treated her to herself to herself.

In the first few months, Madam Jiang tested Lu Jia in various ways to see if she remembered how she "got lost." Lu Jia kept her mouth shut, and seeing that Lu Jie didn't suspect her, Madam Jiang gradually relaxed. She then had Lu Jia learn needlework and supervised her day and night.

Lu Jia naturally had a group of loyal servants when she was young, but after she "went missing", in order to cover up her own actions, Jiang had already used their failure to protect their mistress as an excuse to sell them off.

Back at the Lu family home, Lu Jia was surrounded by people arranged by the Jiang family. She was like a lamb entering a tiger's den; even if she wanted to seize power within the family, she would never have the chance.

In two months it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. On that day, the Yan family will go to the Lu family to propose marriage. It is a marriage that no one dares to refuse.

The person Lu Jia has entrusted to go to the capital will arrive just in time to receive this news.

Even though she was prepared to return to the capital six months later after Lu Ying successfully married into the Yan family, she still needed to grasp the general situation of the Lu family in the present.

It's nice to have money!

Money can make the devil turn the millstone; it can turn passivity into initiative, and you won't be controlled at every turn.

Shen Qingzhou arrived at the Xie family's residence when the sun was setting.

Lu Jia prepared several gifts, including one for the old lady of the Su family, one for Su Mingxing's wife, one for his son and daughter-in-law who had hurriedly taken over Su Mingxing's affairs in the past few days, and one for their children and young ladies. In short, she made sure to cover all the needs of the family.

Shen Qingzhou was quite surprised: "I didn't realize you were such a good manager."

If this were his previous life, he wouldn't be surprised. After all, she had been the young mistress of the Yan family for five years. How bad could she be?
But she is clearly a fifteen-year-old girl who has just escaped poverty.

"I just messed it up. I don't know if it will work."

Lu Jia dared not let him know that she was reborn. She had finally managed to win him over, and she couldn't scare him away.

Shen Qingzhou said, "Nothing could be better."

After saying that, he circled around twice and said, "We're still missing a car."

Lu Jia clapped her hands, and Xie Yi and Li Chang each pulled a cart to the front yard—one a horse-drawn carriage and the other a donkey cart.

Lu Jia grinned and asked, "Which car would you like, Butler Qin?"

Shen Qingzhou couldn't contain himself any longer: "What else have you prepared?"

"Your room!"

Lu Jia stood with her hands on her hips, looking smug, almost as if she were holding two walnuts in her hands. "Since you're going to be my housekeeper, of course I'll take care of your food and lodging."

She led Shen Qingzhou to the house next to Xie Yi's: "This is your place for now. Once the house next door is vacated, I'll get you a courtyard."

The room was tidied up perfectly, with all the tables, chairs, benches, beds, and wardrobes being brand new, probably bought directly from a carpenter's shop.

Shen Qingzhou was speechless for a moment.

He did agree to be her housekeeper on a temporary basis, but he never thought that once he became the housekeeper, he would have to stay and live there.

Why does this pit seem to be getting deeper and deeper the more you climb out?
He quickly went out of the courtyard and beckoned He Qu and Tang Yu in: "These two friends of mine are also homeless. Since you're short-handed, why not hire them too? As for their salaries, I've already talked to them. You can give each of them one tael of silver."

Lu Jia looked at He Tang and the other person.

He Qu immediately put on a mournful face and sang, "Please, young lady, take me in!..."

Good heavens! He has elderly parents to care for and young children to raise. His eldest son is three years old and his eldest daughter is one year old. Yet, in the words of this young master Shen, he has become a homeless person!
(End of this chapter)