When Lu Huaiyi saw her, he immediately frowned. She was already in front of them, so he couldn't avoid her and had to greet her, "Auntie."
The newcomer was Lu Xiuer, Lu's cousin from the neighboring courtyard.
Lu Xiuer had married well to the heir of Jinxiu Tower, the best restaurant in the county seat. Although not a grand restaurant, business had been quite good over the years.
However, this woman was not of good temperament. Even as an unmarried girl in her home, she was always contrary with Lu Yuanwan.
Later when she married into the city as the madame of the restaurant, Lu Yuanwan was married off by her father to a poor country boy. Whenever Lu Yuanwan returned home for the holidays, Lu Xiuer never missed a chance to belittle her.
It was only after Jiang Yuchuan passed the imperial examination as a Juren that she didn't dare say anything more, though she still made sour remarks behind their backs.
The Lu family all knew about this, but never made much of it out of respect for the elders.
"Yo, isn't this Brother Huai! Where are you all headed?"
Lu Xiuer cocked her eyebrows and glanced over the group, finally settling on Jiang Yuchuan and Jiang Yuqing.
Lu Huai and Lu Jin stepped forward to shield their little sister behind them, and raised the rabbit cages in their hands, "We bought a pair of rabbits to take home and raise."
Looking at the Jiang siblings, Lu Xiuer said, "These must be your auntie's children. They really are as beautiful as golden boys and jade girls."
As she spoke, she shoved Lu Huai aside and grabbed Jiang Yuqing, pulling her so forcefully that Jiang Yuqing nearly fell over.
The children cried out in alarm and hurried to pull their sister back.
Lu Xiuer arrogantly shook off the Lu brothers' hands and said unhappily, "What are you doing? I only want to talk to her, I won't eat her!"
Still gripping Jiang Yuqing's wrist tightly, Lu Xiuer forced an ingratiating smile. "Don't be scared, I'm your mother's cousin. Just call me Auntie.
I have a young son at home as handsome as can be. Auntie will take you to play, how about that!"
From the moment Cousin Huai shielded her, Jiang Yuqing knew this woman was no good. But she never expected her to lay hands on her so quickly.
Jiang Yuqing struggled fruitlessly, angrily saying, "Let go, that hurts!"
The Lu brothers and Jiang Yuchuan also came over to hit and scold Lu Xiuer, "You've hurt my sister, let her go, let go quickly!"
After taking several heavy blows, Lu Xiuer felt some pain and had no choice but to release Jiang Yuqing.
Jiang Yuchuan immediately pulled his sister back and shielded her protectively behind him.
The half-grown boy already possessed some of his father's dignity and authority. Glowering, he angrily berated, "My mother has no sisters. What aunt of mine are you?
You presume upon kinship without asking if we even recognize it."
Having checked his sister's arm and seen five red finger marks already darkening on her fair skin, his anger grew.
He shouted furiously at Lu Xiuer, "You've injured my sister. My uncle's estate in Qingzhou will not let this rest. Just you wait!"
With that, he squatted down and steadily carried his sister away despite not being very big himself yet.
The Lu brothers also glared severely at the troublemaker before hurrying after the siblings, carrying the rabbit cages.
As soon as they arrived home, Jiang Yuchuan tattled to the elders, telling the whole story from beginning to end. Uncle Lu said nothing, only wore a dark expression as he told a servant, "Go to Gao's place..."
In less than an hour, Lu Xiuer's husband Gao Chong came to Xiushui Bay.
As soon as he entered, he slapped Lu Xiuer hard across the face, leaving her head buzzing and unable to cry for a good while.
Lu Xiuer's mother Zhou and her two sisters-in-law were shocked by this sudden violence. As they recovered their wits, they hurried to pull the daughter back.
Zhou angrily demanded, "Without telling what my daughter has done, you enter and immediately strike her. If you cannot explain yourself clearly now, don't blame me for losing my temper!"
Gao Chong had always looked down on this family. If not for Lu Xiuer being Master Lu's niece before the end of her mourning period, he would not have married her.
Gao Chong's face was gloomy. "What has she done? Why don't you ask your good daughter what she has done!"
Zhou paled in fright. She knew her son-in-law had always disdained her family, but he had never been so taciturn and struck her daughter right in front of her before. Her heart pounded anxiously.
Could it be her foolish daughter really did something wrong? But she had been obediently staying at home these last few days. Other than being a bit lazy, nothing seemed amiss!
Gao Chong was so angry he nearly slapped the idiot a few more times. Through gritted teeth, he growled, "The magistrate's beloved daughter, was it not her you injured?
How dare your hand act so improperly! She was just walking along the road. Why did you provoke her?
Are you dissatisfied with Jinxiu Tower's booming business, or do you think I'm not dying fast enough?"
When Zhou heard this, her face went white with fear. Trembling, she asked Lu Xiuer, "Is what he says true?"
Lu Xiuer still didn't grasp the gravity of the situation. Sobbing, she pleaded to her mother for help, "Mother, I didn't do much.
I just saw the girl was pretty and thought to coax her back as a companion for our Hong Fu. I only pulled her a bit."
When Zhou heard this, she wished she could seal up her foolish daughter's mouth.
She was also unruly, but not as great a fool as her daughter. She knew which people could be provoked and which could not.
This wretched girl, that was the magistrate's estate! Were the Jiangs people she could trifle with?
The last one who provoked the Jiangs, Tan Laosan, now had weeds half a foot high growing on his grave.
Back then, Jiang Wenyuan hadn't even passed as Jinshi yet. Now not only was he a high official, but he also had a title.
Gao Chong gave a bitter laugh at Lu Xiuer's foolishness. "Coax her back as a companion for Hong Fu?
You really dare to dream! She is the magistrate's beloved daughter, the young miss of the Marquis's estate in Qingzhou. Your son is just a merchant's brat. Yet you dare to covet their golden branch and jade leaf?
Is your head full of shit?"
Gao Chong was truly exasperated. No wonder elders said a bad wife ruins three generations. Helplessly he said, "Tomorrow you will go with me to the Jiang residence and apologize. Even if you must kneel, you must kneel until they forgive you!"
"I won't go. I don't want to see Lu Yuanwan's arrogant face!" As if she would kneel and humble herself before Lu Yuanwan. What a joke!
"Fine. Then you can live in your natal home forever!"
"You want to divorce me?" Lu Xiuer looked at her husband in disbelief.
"If that's how you want to think of it, why not?" Gao Chong nodded. By now, he truly considered divorcing the fool.
"Gao Chong, how can you be so heartless? You can't do this!"
"Why can't I? You've brought my whole family to the brink of death!" Gao Chong bellowed.
"If not for Master Lu's face, do you think I would have married you? What do you have? What could I possibly want from you?
Was it to suck your family's blood like leeches, or was it for you, a fool who doesn't know death when it stares her in the face?"
Gao Chong was also furious now. He didn't bother leaving Zhou's family an ounce of face.
Although Zhou was angry her son-in-law didn't spare her family face, she feared Gao Chong would really divorce Lu Xiuer. Then they would lose both social status and reputation.
Hurriedly pulling Lu Xiuer to the side, she earnestly advised, "Xiuer, go. Go apologize. We really cannot afford to offend the Jiang family.
Do you truly want to be divorced? It's easy for a man to divorce and remarry, but a divorced woman will have difficulty finding another match."
Lu Xiuer also became afraid. Sobbing, she nodded. After several years of marriage, she knew her husband always kept his word. If she didn't apologize, he would divorce her for real.
Early next morning, Gao Chong prepared generous gifts and brought Lu Xiuer to the Jiang residence at Xijin ferry. Jiang Wenyuan made them wait an hour before allowing them in.
Lu Xiuer was truly frightened now. Upon entering, she respectfully kowtowed to give her apology to the Lu family. Lady Lu also did not make things difficult. After accepting their gifts, she let them take their leave.
After departing Xijin ferry, Gao Chong went to Xiushui Bay and presented Master Lu with thick gifts of gratitude. Master Lu said nothing else, only told Gao Chong to keep a tight rein on Lu Xiuer in the future. Gao Chong respectfully promised he would strictly discipline her going forward.
Once they left the Lu estate, Lu Xiuer puzzledly asked her husband why he had bothered gifting Master Lu when she had offended the Jiang family. Even gifting and apologizing to the Jiangs was acceptable, so why also give gifts to Master Lu? Just because he was Jiang Yuqing's uncle? Jiang Yuchuan's blood uncle?
Gao Chong impatiently scolded her, "I said you were stupid, and you really are stupid. Master Lu sent people to bring me the news as giving me face and a chance, as well as in consideration of my usual tact.
Otherwise, with the current status of the Marquis's estate in Qingzhou, one word from the Marquis could ruin my Gao family."
Thinking of this, he broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he had always been filial to Master Lu in the past, and thanks to the face given by the Marquis of Qingzhou to his uncle. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He sinisterly glanced at Lu Xiuer next to him. As for this idiot...
After that, except for the necessary courtesies on festivals and holidays, the Gao family never gave Lu Xiuer's maiden family a penny.
After Zhou's repeated fruitless autumn breezes, she knew her son-in-law had completely abandoned them. As for Lu Xiuer, she could hardly protect herself now.
Of course, for the time being, let's not talk about the aftermath.
The incident that day did not have much impact on Jiang Yuqing. She soon forgot about it.
The county yamen would start printing in two days. Jiang Wenyan took advantage of these two days to get together with several agricultural officials to discuss the promotion of sweet potatoes.
In fact, most of this matter had already been decided at the beginning of the year. Now it was just making some minor details clearer.
The potato seeds harvested last year, minus those that were damaged, totaled about 7,100 catties.
In order to prevent these potato seeds from being distributed and then profiteered by some powerful people at high prices, these 7,100 catties of potato seeds were all collected by the county government for breeding, and then distributed free of charge to the common people.
The common people would need to sign a contract with the county government. The sweet potatoes harvested later would be uniformly purchased by the county government at five coins per catty. If the planters privately sold sweet potatoes to others, in addition to being fined heavily, they would also be beaten with wooden planks, or even exiled.
After working out the details, they estimated the seedling yield of these 7,100 catties of sweet potatoes. Calculating 50 catties per mu, 7,100 catties of sweet potato seeds can plant about 142 mu, and even if there is more, it will only be one or two more mu at most, which can be dealt with later.
It wasn't 50 catties of sweet potato sprouts that could plant one mu of land all at once, but rather the need to wait for these sprouts to grow into long and sturdy enough vines before doing secondary transplanting to barely cover it.
Otherwise, if only sweet potato blocks were planted, it was feared that twice that amount would not be enough.
They didn't have so many potato seeds, so they had to take the trouble to adopt the method of secondary transplanting. Fortunately, Qingzhou's climate was warm enough and there was enough time for the sweet potatoes to grow.
Jiang Wenyan quietly informed the Xijin ferry village chief and clan leaders. Those who wanted to plant sweet potatoes should sign up quickly, because there were not many potato seeds. For the time being, it was set at one mu per household, 500 coins per mu, and one mu was three thousand seedlings. First come, first served.
The villagers of Xijin ferry had seen first-hand how productive this new grain was, and they had long been eyeing it. They also knew that the court had ordered the promotion throughout the county.
But there were only so many sweet potatoes in total, and so many people in Qingzhou. Even if each family got one, it still wouldn't be enough. Now the benefits of having connections in the imperial court showed.
Having received Jiang Wenyan's words, the villagers of Xijin ferry swarmed to the village chief's house, surrounding it so densely that water could not penetrate.
The village chief signed up all 59 households in the village, including the Jiang family, according to the regulations given by Jiang Wenyan, signed contracts and pressed handprints.
The village chief declared that anyone who dared to privately sell sweet potatoes after the harvest would be directly expelled from the village. The villagers all laughed and said, how could that be? The adults have helped us so much, we must not smear the adults.
At the same time, the remaining 83 quotas were given to 81 in Xiushui Bay, one to Zhu's maternal uncle, and one to Jiang Wenxi's teacher. As for Blind Zhu's family, don't even think about it.
As for the nursery field, Elder Jiang generously said that it would come from his own family. The emperor had rewarded his family with such a generous thousand-mu manor, how could he begrudge a few acres of land. It would also save having to move these sweet potatoes back and forth.
Because it was planted late last year, Jiang Yuqing had used her special abilities and the spiritual spring to stimulate the seedlings to catch up with the harvest. With experience this year, they started raising seedlings after the spring equinox.
With last year's planting experience, and with the assistance of several agricultural officials, after busy working for a few days, the sweet potatoes were smoothly planted. Jiang Wenyan also built two small houses next to the nursery, with the Imperial Guards keeping watch in twelve-hour shifts to prevent anyone from deliberately sabotaging or stealing the plants.
