241 Clothing and Jewelry
Classmate Han shook his head, "Though it was Lady Lu who earned the money, you're still honorable for writing her name. Do you know how many men in this world betray or even kill their wives for money?"
The two of them soon left the government office. Classmate Han was going to give Xie Yunjin a ride home when Xie Yunjin surprised him, "I want to go to a textile store. I want to buy Lu Jiao some clothes and jewelry."
Classmate Han nodded in encouragement, "This is the right thing to do. You should buy lots of clothes and jewelry for your woman. I noticed today that Lady Lu only wore old clothes and absolutely no accessories."
Xie Yunjin pursed his lips and remained quiet. He then cooly stared at Classmate Han. It took Classmate Han some time to realize that something was wrong.
Yunjin was jealous.
Classmate Han suddenly remembered that Xie Yunjin looked at him like this before when he chatted with Lady Lu. All these sneaky glares were all because he was jealous!
Classmate Han started to laugh and even pushed Xie Yunjin away.
"Yunjin, were you jealous before?"
Xie Yunjin's body tensed up and his face turned cold. He subconsciously denied it, "That's not true. Don't talk nonsense. She's my wife and should keep herself at a normal distance from other men."
Classmate Han raised an eyebrow, "Is that all?"
Xie YUnjin threw him a look, "That's it."
Classmate Han didn't dare to push it. Truly, Xie Yunjin wasn't the type to get jealous. This man had always been calm and collected. Why would he ever get jealous over a woman?
Classmate Han didn't think too much and smiled, "It's not embarrassing to get jealous over a woman like Lady Lu."
Xie Yunjin's face cooled down even more and he gave Classmate Han the side eye. Classmate Han stopped talking instantly.
But now, he was highly skeptical of Xie Yunjin's claim that he was not jealous.
The two chatted and headed to the clothing store. Since Xie Yunjin wanted to get something really nice for Lu Jiao, they went to a rather famous store in the city of Qinghe County.
Not only did this place have clothes that were ready-to-wear, there were also lots of pieces of jewelry to choose from.
Classmate Han was about to go in to help pick out some jewelry when Xie Yunjin stopped him. Xie Yunjin asked him to wait outside and he himself went in with 200 tales of silver borrowed from Classmate Han.
Classmate Han grunted and mumbled alone outside. How was he not acting jealous?! That man continued to pretend but he will for sure show his real self someday.
After he stayed with Lu Jiao for so long, Xie Yunjin had a good idea of what Lu Jiao liked. It didn't take him long to pick out three sets of clothes for Lu Jiao. Each set was 10 taels of silver and made out of silk. The surface of the robes was bright and smooth. He also intentionally picked out colors that were bright and engaging.
With the three sets of clothes in hand, Xie Yunjin couldn't help but envision how beautiful Lu Jiao would look in them. His cheeks subconsciously grew hot.
The worker at the shop complimented Xie Yunjin's taste, "Young master, you have great taste. These sets will for sure look beautiful on the body. Young master, do you want to pair some jewelry with the clothes?"
Xie Yunjin then picked out some accessories for Lu Jiao. He picked out the best-looking ones without looking at the price tag.
He basically wasn't going to leave until he spent all 200 taels of silver.
The worker made some recommendations. Xie Yunjin made his pick based on the color of clothing he chose and what he thought Lu Jiao would like. In the end, he chose a set of silver hair ornaments. Though the set was silver, everything was delicately made. That alone cost him several dozen taels of silver. Then, he picked out a gold hairpin with a cloud and phoenix pattern. After all, all 200 taels of silver were spent.
With all the money gone, he walked out with a bunch of stuff, satisfied. The store worker was even happier and walked him all the way to his horse carriage.
Back inside the horse carriage, Classmate Han noticed how content Xie Yunjin was. He couldn't help but tease, "What did you buy? You look so happy. Let me see."
Sadly, the moment Classmate Han extended his hand, Xie Yunjin pulled away his cloth-wrapped bundle.
Coldly, he sneered, "What's a grown man looking at a woman's clothing for?"
Classmate Han was speechless, "It's not like I won't get to see it. Lady Lu will wear it at some point."
"You can see it when she wears it then."
Then at the very least, he'll be the first person to see Lu Jiao wear it. The thought of that made him smile.
What more could Classmate Han say? He gave Xie Yunjin a ride back.
Back at the Xie courtyard, Lu Jiao and the four little ones were setting up their bedroom together.
The back courtyard had four principal rooms. Lu Jiao decided to take the east bedroom as her own. Outside would be the greeting room for guests. The west bedroom would be where the four little ones stay. Outside of that room, she planned to make it into their study room.
As for Xie Yunjin and Lu Gui, they could stay in the front courtyard. Xie Yunjin could stay in the principal room in the front courtyard and turn the room beside his bedroom into his study room.
Lu Gui could stay in the western wing room in the front courtyard.
Lu Jiao had planned everything out without even entertaining the idea of having Xie Yunjin stay in the back courtyard. The four little ones were unaware of her plan and were in a great mood, believing that finally, their mommy and daddy will share a bed.
Excitedly, they set up their room with Lu Jiao.
The west bedroom originally only had one bed. Lu Jiao moved another bed inside. And there, there were now two beds in the bedroom.
Luckily, the room was big and had enough space for both beds.
"You four can decide amongst yourselves how to share the beds."
Before, the four little ones split up to sleep with their mom and dad every night. The First and Second Born would sleep together while the Third and Fourth Born slept together. They decided to do the same again.
The Fourth Born pounced onto the inner bed and rolled around in it, "I want this one. I want this one."
Lu Jiao knew why right away. He was easily scared and therefore wanted to sleep inside.
His older brothers didn't blame him and agreed.
Lu Jiao asked the four little ones, "What else do you want in your room?"
The room was already equipped with everything. But it was missing some childishness.
Lu Jiao walked around, "I will ask someone to buy two vases. One here and one here. We'll use them for flowers so your rooms would smell good. What do you say?"
The First Born nodded aggressively, "Okay, mommy."
Lu Jiao then pointed at the wall, "We should hang a painting here." She then thought about it, "Hmm, I will go buy you a painting sometime?"
Lu Jiao liked to paint but she was going to get really busy. So she decided to buy one for now.
She didn't expect the four little ones to object right away, "Mommy, let daddy paint us one."
Lu Jiao was about to tell them that their father was busy and had no time when Xie Yunjin entered.
"Sure. I will paint you a painting."
The four little ones smiled happily, "Daddy, you should paint us four. Also Soot and Marble! Oh right, also paint our sheep and rabbits."
The First Born chirped out, "Also mommy and daddy."
Lu Jiao was speechless. The painting was going to be a family portrait?
The Fourth Born added, "You should include uncle in the painting too."
The other three nodded to show that they approved of the idea.
242 Toss them if you don't want them
Lu Gui laughed like an idiot again as his heart warmed. The four little ones were such good kids and even remembered to include their uncle.
Lu Jiao glanced at him and wanted to remind him to stop laughing like that. He looked like a true moron.
Before Lu Jiao could speak, Xie Yunjin answered, "Sure. I'll do as you say."
He had decided to paint their old home in the Xie Village as the background. Though the house there was tattered, they met Lu Jiao there and Lu Jiao changed their lives.
The house may be gone now, it remains imprinted in their heads. He thought painting the house as he remembered it was a pretty good idea.
Xie Yunjin turned to Lu Jiao and then shoved the cloth bundle into her hands.
Lu Jiao stared at him, weirded out, "What is this?"
Xie Yunjin felt a little shy but he did his best to remain calm, "I bought you some clothes and jewelry."
The four little ones heard that their dad bought their mom clothes and circled around, "Mommy, open it up! Open it up!"
The children's excited shouting made Lu Jiao giggle. She opened up the bundle and saw the sets of new clothes and jewelry.
All those new things laid out on the bed appeared extraordinarily dazzling.
Not only were the four little ones stunned, but Lu Jiao was also stunned.
All this stuff must've cost a fortune. Why did Xie Yunjin buy her such expensive things? Was he crazy?
Lu Jiao gaped at Xie Yunjin, "Why are you buying me so many new things out of nowhere?"
Xie Yunjin looked at her from head to toe and said, "All your clothes are old. You should buy some new things. Also, you have absolutely no jewelry so I got you something to match the new clothes."
Lu Jiao naturally knew that. She planned to buy herself some new things soon anyway. Now that she was starting anew in the city, she was going to stop dressing like a poor housewife as she did back in the village.
Apparel makes men look good the way saddles make horses look good. She wasn't about to get looked down upon by others.
Plus, she had lost a lot of weight and was no longer chubby like before. She was sure that she would look great in clothes now.
She didn't expect Xie Yunjin to beat her to it.
Lu Jiao bundled up the new clothes to put them in the east bedroom.
Beside the door, Xie Yunjin saw that Lu Jiao showed no sign of excitement. At once, he grew nervous, "You don't like the clothes?"
Lu Jiao thought about it. She actually really liked the clothes and had to admit that this guy's got good taste.
Lu Jiao answered, "I like them."
Happiness arose within Xie Yunjin. He felt accomplished as if his hard work just got validated.
However, once the two of them left the west bedroom, Lu Jiao asked him in a low voice, "How much did you spend on this? I will pay you back."
Her question dampened Xie Yunjin's joyous mood. His heart felt like it had just been rained on. He hung his head low and only looked up after several seconds, "Why must you calculate everything down to the tee between us? You've bought me a lot of things before and I've never done the math with you."
By the end, Xie Yunjin was so frustrated he stared at Lu Jiao and said, "If you want to bring up money with me, then I will toss the clothes and jewelry."
He then left in giant steps which made it obvious how furious he was.
Behind him, on the stairs, Lu Jiao watched him go. She didn't know what to say. She stared at the big bundle in her hands, and a rush of warmness filled her.
All her life, her original life and now, nobody's ever bought her things just for her, let alone something so expensive. She would be lying for her to claim she wasn't happy.
She truly was.
Lu Jiao went to the west bedroom to put the things away.
Xie Yunjin didn't appear again all afternoon. Only until dinner was ready, did he come out. He looked normal and acted like nothing had happened.
Lu Jiao didn't bring up what happened. The family ate gleefully and the four little ones didn't even notice the tension between their parents. After all, something exciting was going to happen tonight.
Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao thought the children were happy to move into such a big house and didn't think too much.
After dinner, Lu Jiao and Lu Gui brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen. In this new house, the kitchen wasn't close by like before. It was now located in the back courtyard very far away. As Lu Jiao carried away the bowls, she vowed to hire some helpers as soon as possible.
There were advantages to having a big house, but big homes meant servants were necessary. Not only was she going to need help cleaning, but she'll also need help running errands as well.
Lu Jiao and Lu Gui walked together with the dirty dishes while Xie Yunjin followed them a bit further away.
Lu Jiao knew he was angry at her and didn't talk to him. The three of them ended up washing dishes together in the kitchen.
Lu Gui was in shock as he stared at his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law did housework?! He was also so good at it?! His sister didn't stop him?!!
Lu Gui couldn't stop himself, "Brother-in-law, you don't have to do this. Leave it to me and my sister."
Lu Jiao ignored him and ordered, "Go boil two giant pots of water. I'm going to bathe the children later."
Lu Gui glanced at Xie Yunjin, who gave him the okay, "Go ahead."
Lu Gui had no choice but to go and boil water, leaving behind Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin, who did the dishes in silence.
In the end, it was Xie Yunjin who spoke first, "This afternoon, Classmate Han and I went to transfer the title to the house. I will give you the deed later."
He was so angry before he forgot to mention it to her.
The mention of the deed excited Lu Jiao. She smiled at Xie Yunjin, "Thank you."
Though her words made their relationship appear distant, Xie Yunjin knew that was just the kind of person she was. Too lazy to waste his energy being mad, he looked at the gorgeous woman beside him and out of nowhere, felt greedy. Was there a way for him to make up an excuse that would require her to stay?
Lu Jiao wasn't aware of what he was thinking and smiled at him, "What is it?"
Xie Yunjin reminded himself that he was a man and that if she didn't want to stay, he had no right to force her to. Most importantly, he had already written her the divorce letter.
Xie Yunjin was quiet. Lu Jiao saw that he didn't want to chat about it more and changed the subject.
"Now that we've moved and got a new place, should we invite your classmates over for dinner?"
Xie Yunjin thought about it. Though he knew he was going to separate from Lu Jiao, nobody else knew. Traditionally, he needed to invite everyone for dinner. Those classmates of his invited him over to their place a lot before.
"Would it be too much trouble?"
He was being very courteous, which made Lu Jiao grin and say, "It's no trouble at all."
Xie Yunjin nodded, "Okay. But we'll only do it once we get some servants. With servants here, you won't have to cook everything yourself. You can just manage all the work that needs to be done."
243 A Lock on the Door
Xie Yunjin decided that if the broker fails to come tomorrow, he'll go personally to find a broker and buy some servants. This house was so big Lu Jiao and Lu Gui needed help.
Lu Jiao was going to be busy changing up the front courtyard, raising the children, and seeing patients.
The thought of Lu Jiao's job as a doctor made Xie Yunjin think of Baohe Tang and the town of Qili. They were now very far from the town of Qili. Could it be that Lu Jiao would need to go all the way there when Baohe Tang gets a patient who was difficult to treat?
Xie Yunjin was anxious about that. However, he was also slightly happy. If Lu Jiao could stop going to Qili, then she won't have to interact with that Dr. Qi and Owner Zhao.
"You agreed to consult patients at Baohe Tang. Now that we moved into the city, are you still going to do that? It seems really inconvenient."
Lu Jiao smiled, "It's okay. Owner Zhao said he will be relocating Baohe Tang to the city of Qinghe County. It would be easier for me to see patients that way."
Xie Yunjin started to grit his teeth. That Owner Zhao was truly haunting. Was he relocating Baohe Tang because he was a clever businessman, or because he had his eyes on Lu Jiao?
Logically speaking, that shouldn't be the case. After all, Lu Jiao was his wife. That man, however, still worried him.
Xie Yunjin coldly snickered, "Owner Zhao sure is thoughtful."
Before Lu Jiao could answer, Lu Gui came out of the kitchen, "Sister, the water is done boiling. I'll bring it to the front."
"Sure, let's wash the four little ones together."
Lu Jiao then turned to Xie Yunjin, "You should get some hot water and wash up too."
Xie Yunjin shook his head, "I'm in no rush. Let me help you bathe the kids. I also want to give you the deed."
The mention of the deed made Lu Jiao agree. The three of them carried the two giant buckets of water to the children to wash them. After the bath, Lu Jiao brought them to their room.
Lu Gui went to dump out the water while Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin headed to the east bedroom.
"Here is the deed. I left your name here."
Lu Jiao took a look and actually saw her own name on it.
She couldn't help but giggle. Xie Yunjin was ahead of his time.
The deed made Lu Jiao grin from ear to ear. If Xie Yunjin wasn't here, she would've kissed that piece of paper. This was her first real estate in this era and it represented the fact that she had rooted herself here.
The sight of happy Lu Jiao softened Xie Yunjin's eyes. So this woman liked houses. That means once he makes more money, he will have to buy a lot of properties and leave her name on all of them.
At this very moment, Xie Yunjin had forgotten all about their pending divorce.
He only snapped back to reality when Lu Jiao reminded him almost shyly, "It's late. You should wash up and go to sleep in the front courtyard."
Xie Yunjin was slightly disappointed. However, he knew that given their situation, it was only right to stay in separate rooms.
Xie Yunjin headed to the door. However, before he got there, he heard a "clunk" that indicated someone had hung something on the door. He pulled on the door and found it to be locked.
Subconsciously, he looked toward Lu Jiao. Lu Jiao walked over and pulled on the door knob. It was true, someone had locked the door from the outside. Lu Jiao looked through the crack and saw the four children standing outside in a line.
Angry, she scolded, "What are you doing?! Why would you lock the door? Hurry up and open it."
The First Born quickly responded, "Mommy, you promised that you would start sleeping with daddy once we move."
The other three also chimed in, "Mommy and daddy should sleep together."
"That way, we'll get a little sister soon."
"Once we get a little sister, mommy won't leave anymore. Grandma taught us that."
Inside the room, Lu Jiao's face grew dark. Just what did her mother teach these kids? Plus, she promised them she would discuss the matter once they move into the city. She never agreed to start sleeping with their dad.
Lu Jiao lied to the kids, "We haven't even washed up. We need to wash up."
The four little ones became bewildered.
Just then, the First Born shouted, "It's no big deal to not bathe for one night."
Lu Jiao almost cursed. What kind of children were they?!
Xie Yunjin marched closer to the door and seriously scolded, "Stop joking around. If we don't bathe, we can't sleep."
His words somehow managed to make the four children cry, "You two don't actually want to sleep together, do you?"
"Daddy, do you still not like mommy?"
"Are you still planning on divorcing?"
The Fourth Born cried the loudest, "Mommy, you're still going to leave us?"
Since the four little ones were now crying, Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao stopped scolding. They soothed them in a soft voice, "That's not true. Don't cry. We are not saying we won't sleep together, we just need to wash up."
"Does that mean you will sleep together after washing up?"
The two adults exchanged glances. Xie Yunjin quickly whispered to Lu Jiao, "I think we have to do as they ask for now. Don't worry, we'll do what we did at your mom's place. You can sleep on the bed and I'll sleep on the ground. In the future, I will stay in the front courtyard most days by using my studies as an excuse. Occasionally, I'll come here so the children don't feel bad. Do you think that's okay?"
Xie Yunjin then added, "Don't worry. I won't take advantage of you."
He didn't need to take advantage of her in any way to want to be in the same room as her. Being with her made him happy.
Lu Jiao listened to him and thought of the children. Her head hurt but in the end, agreed. They've made such a fuss already back at the Xie Village over this matter. If they didn't do as they said, the four little ones might just cause chaos again.
"Okay, we'll do as you suggested."
After the two of them agreed, they said to the children, "We'll go to sleep after we wash up."
The four little ones got excited right away and asked, "Mommy, are you for real?"
Lu Jiao could only nod, "Of course."
The four little ones trusted their parents a lot because they'd always done as they promised.
They started to cheer excitedly, "Then, wait a second, mommy and daddy, we will unlock the door."
The four little ones started tinkering outside. Unfortunately, they couldn't figure out how to unlock the door. In the end, the First Born said, "Go ask uncle to come and unlock the door."
"Okay, I will go."
The Second Born went out and the Third Born followed him.
The two adults inside the room naturally understood what was happening. There was a lock on the door and the lock was given to the children by Lu Gui. There was no other way the children could've gotten their hands on a lock. If things went as they expected, Lu Gui was the one who got tricked.
Lu Jiao silently cursed his little brother for being stupid. How could someone like that dream to be a steward? He was the type to count his cash after getting trafficked.
244 My Mommy is an Angel from the Sky
The Second and Third Born found Lu Gui quickly. He stared at the four little ones in shock.
"Why did you four use the lock to lock your parents inside?"
The First Born blinked innocently, "We were playing hide and seek."
The First Born didn't want his uncle to know about their parent's separation. His grandma had asked him to not tell anyone about that because it would embarrass his mommy and daddy.
Lu Gui didn't question him at all and unlocked the lock while smiling at the children.
After the door opened, Xie Yunjin glared at the four little ones while Lu Jiao stared down at Lu Gui.
Lu Gui was confused, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Lu Jiao chuckled, "Go fetch your brother-in-law some hot water so he can bathe."
Lu Gui went as told while Lu Jiao took the four little ones back to their west bedroom. She warned them in a serious manner, "If you have something on your mind, you can talk to your dad and me about it. Why do you play tricks on us at such a young age? If I catch you doing this again, I will punish you!
Remember, when it comes to your family or people you care about, don't play tricks. That would hurt their feelings."
The four little ones listened seriously and realized what they did wrong, "Mommy, we know we were wrong now. We won't do it again."
The four little ones were very happy. Their mommy and daddy were going to sleep together! It was okay that they got in trouble because they were going to get a little sister soon. Once they get a little sister, their mommy won't abandon them! They'll have a mommy forever then.
That night, Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin really did end up sharing a room. One slept on the ground while the other slept on the bed – similar to their setup back at the Lu family home.
Lu Jiao lay on top of the bed and thought of Xie Yunjin's legs. It's only been a month and not yet two, it was bad for him to sleep on the ground.
She whispered, "Starting tomorrow, you sleep in the principal room in the front courtyard."
Her words dampened Xie Yunjin's mood and he didn't respond.
Then, Lu Jiao added, "Your legs aren't fully healed yet, and sleeping on the ground is bad for you."
Xie Yunjin's low mood swung upwards. He snuck a peek at Lu Jiao and noticed that there wasn't a lot of space between them. A smile blossomed.
"I got it."
The next morning, Lu Jiao woke up a little late. Xie Yunjin and Lu Gui worked together to make breakfast.
By the time Lu Jiao got up, breakfast was ready.
When she walked into the dining room, everyone turned to stare.
Lu Jiao wore the coral-colored dress that Xie Yunjin bought her. She wore the coral upper garment with the long coral dress, matched with the set of silver jewelry.
Lu Jiao was naturally pale with a pink undertone. She was somewhat curvy and the bright-colored dress made her appear more dazzling than a flower.
Coupled with her confident demeanor, she oozed with elegance and charm.
Xie Yunjin stared at her, utterly stunned. She knew Lu Jiao would look good in colorful clothing but he had no idea the result would be this shocking. Right now, she was like a delicate flower that grew up under the most meticulous care. Anyone would want to hide her in their home so nobody else gets a glance.
The four little ones forgot how to close their mouths as they studied their mother. Their mother was this good-looking? She was prettier than them!
Lu Gui's eyeballs almost popped out. That was his sister?!
She looked like a wealthy daughter raised by a rich family. There was no way she grew up in the countryside.
Lu Jiao couldn't help but giggle after she saw the stunned look on everyone's faces. Amused, she spun around in the living room and asked, "What do you think? Do I look good?"
Xie Yunjin answered without thinking, "You do."
He grew embarrassed right away and looked away.
The four little ones were not at all shy and ran towards Lu Jiao to hold onto her.
"Mommy! You're so beautiful! You're like the angel in the sky!"
"That's right, my mommy is an angel!"
"I look just like mommy!"
The Third Born enjoyed checking out his own reflections and therefore knew his own face very well. When he saw Lu Jiao today, he knew right away that he looked just like his mom. If his mommy was this good-looking, then he must be this good-looking too! The Third Born laughed happily.
The Fourth Born expressed loudly, "I will make lots and lots of money in the future so I can buy mommy clothes! Mommy looks so good in those clothes!"
Everyone's compliments made Lu Jiao embarrassed. She grinned, "Alright enough already. You're making me want to hide."
Lu Gui couldn't help but say, "Sister, could it be that you're not actually a child from our family? I think mom took you from someone."
Lu Jiao rolled her eyes at Lu Gui. Honestly, she looked somewhat like Lady Tian. However, Lady Tian worked hard daily in the Sun and aged fast. That was why it was hard to tell.
The family ate breakfast cheerfully and spent the morning together harmoniously.
After breakfast, before they could even finish cleaning up, the broker arrived.
Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao went together to pick out which servants to hire. Of course, Lu Jiao had the say and he was only there for support.
When Lu Gui and the four little ones heard that they were going to hire some help, they were ecstatic. Excited, they tagged along and headed to the front courtyard.
The broker, who was a grandma, brought over 30 to 40 people. The group consisted of young and old, men and women.
Lu Jiao scanned the group and found some to appear quick-minded while others appeared more sluggish and honest. There were even some pretty young women amongst the bunch. When those girls saw Xie Yunjin, their eyes lit up, and they refused to look away. Silently, they calculated ways to get picked and stay.
The grandma broker stepped forward, "Yesterday afternoon, young master Han asked his servant to find me so I could bring some people for young master Xie and Lady Lu to pick from. I'm uncertain what kind of help you're looking for, so I brought a whole group for you to pick from."
Xie Yunjin looked toward Lu Jiao and asked, "What kind of help are you looking for?"
Lu Jiao thought about it and said, "Have them introduce themselves. I want to know where they're from and what they're good at."
Xie Yunjin nodded and said to the grandma, "Have them introduce themselves and tell us what they're good at."
The grandma studied the family before her and forgot to retract her gaze. The family was absolutely beautiful. The husband was handsome and the wife was breathtaking. Their children were just as good-looking.
Given that the grandma didn't respond, Xie Yunjin frowned a little, "Grandma, ask them to introduce themselves and tell us what skills they have."
The grandma finally snapped back to reality and cursed herself. She's been a broker for almost three decades and has seen all kinds of people. Yet today, she froze up because of one good-looking family. She must be losing it.
The grandma apologized, "I'm sorry, your family is so beautiful I became dumbfounded."
She then shouted at the group of people she brought, "You all, introduce yourselves. As to whether or not you get to stay, that will depend on your skills and luck."
245 Acquired Help
After the grandma instructed the bunch, everyone started to step out one by one to introduce themselves and their skills.
The group of people the broker brought consisted of all types of people. There were those who no longer wanted to stay home, those who wanted to work to help out their family, and those who were sold by their family. There were some people who used to be servants of now-convicted criminals. Once someone is deemed a criminal, their servants are normally sold to a broker.
Lu Jiao scanned around the people the broker brought her and found it hard to make a decision. Honestly speaking, she didn't want to hire anyone who once served a criminal in order to avoid any potential trouble. However, it just so happened that those were the kind of servants who were hardworking and capable.
Those with a fully clean background or those who were sold by their families were normally poor. Though their families have no criminal records, they didn't have many skills and were uneducated. Most of them didn't even know how to properly greet others and acted rather rough on the edges. One person started to laugh hysterically while he introduced himself, which made himself look like a country scoundrel.
Lu Jiao's head hurt. Just then, a rather good-looking girl stepped forward to introduce herself. Before she even spoke, however, tears already filled her eyes and she fragilely and pitifully started to tell everyone tales of her past.
"I was sold by my parents. My parents wanted to gather enough money to fund my brother's marriage so they sold me. Young master, you are a good man, please buy me."
The girl then fixated her tearful gaze on Xie Yunjin.
Xie Yunjin's expression changed right away. He subconsciously looked over to Lu Jiao, who tauntingly looked back at him.
That girl liked Xie Yunjin.
When Xie Yunjin saw Lu Jiao look back at him, he stood up straight and scolded the girl who spoke, "We asked you to tell us about your skills, we didn't ask you to cry. I am looking to buy servants, I'm not here to do charity."
Without giving the girl another chance to speak, he waved his hand, "Step back. Next."
The crying girl froze and stared at Xie Yunjin in disbelief.
Xie Yunjin was emotionless and pretended he didn't see her. Beside him, Lu Jiao saw the girl's reaction and almost laughed.
This young woman truly needed to go through more hardships to realize not everyone in this world had a tender heart for the fair maiden. Even if she does ever encounter one, it was likely a trap that would end up hurting her.
The next person stepped out. This time, it was a middle-aged woman in her forties. Though she was older, she appeared clean and organized. When she greeted the family, her posture was proper and dignified. It was obvious to Lu Jiao that she was no regular woman.
Lu Jiao couldn't help but check her out a few seconds longer than usual, "My surname is Qiu, others call me aunty Qiu. I once managed the sixth-ranked official's home until he became convicted. Due to his crime, he was forced to join the army and I was sold. I was once the head of the servants and specialized in sewing."
Once she finished, Lu Jiao couldn't help but stare at her. This aunty seemed very capable and logically, she should be a popular choice to every family. Why was she still a part of this unhired bunch?
Lu Jiao's concern was not without reason. It was because the Qinghe County was a comparatively poorer county and therefore, it was a rare place for a sixth-ranked official to live. This would mean this aunty had traveled with the group from elsewhere instead of being sold at a larger city.
Lu Jiao wasn't the only one who was curious. The broker herself knew aunty Qiu well. She was normally quiet and never made much fuss. The only condition she had was that the family she ends up with must also accept her husband.
Aunty Qiu's husband was known as old man Wen. Like aunty Qiu, he was once in charge of security at the same official's home.
Old man Wen was loyal and when his master at the time was captured, he did his best to protect him and the investigative officials ended up breaking his legs. Since he received no immediate medical help, one of his legs lost its functionality and he was now a cripple.
Nobody wanted a crippled old man. This was why aunty Qiu was still up for grabs.
The broker had suggested selling aunty Qiu individually multiple times. However, aunty Qiu had vowed that if that were to happen, she would kill herself and the broker would end up without money or her. If that were to happen, the broker would also have to compensate the buyer for the loss. This gave the broker no choice but to let aunty Qiu be.
They've visited so many families together and still, nobody wanted aunty Qiu. However, the broker grandma knew that this result was also because aunty Qiu never did much to showcase herself to buyers. It surprised the broker that today, she willingly stepped out to introduce herself. It appeared that she liked this good-looking family and wanted to stay.
The broker smiled at Lu Jiao, "Aunty Qiu is very capable. She knows how to run the household and is great with needlework. She can for sure manage all your servants for you."
Lu Jiao considered aunty Qiu very seriously now. She asked the broker, "If that is the case then aunty Qiu would've been sold a long time ago. How come she's still here?"
The broker's face fell long. The million-dollar question had shown itself again.
The broker said helplessly, "The reason why nobody wanted to hire aunty Qiu is that she has a condition."
Aunt Qiu hesitated but straightened up and stepped forward, "I want to be with my husband."
She then turned to look at old man Wen.
Lu Jiao followed her gaze and saw that old man Wen appeared older than aunty Qiu and perhaps it was due to years of hard work, but he seemed weaker and exhausted.
Lu Jiao looked at him and gestured for him to step up and speak.
The second old man Wen moved, Lu Jiao understood why nobody wanted aunty Qiu. Not only was old man Wen skinny and without energy, but he was also crippled in one leg. Who would want such an old cripple? Other than watching the main gate, he wouldn't be good for anything.
Lu Jiao temporarily decided against aunty Qiu and old man Wen. She asked them to step back.
The others restarted their own introductions. Though Lu Jiao was good at medicine, she didn't have much confidence in her ability to manage people. She thought of the two people she was more interested in and realized they had both worked for convicts before. Worried, she whispered to Xie Yunjin, "Xie Yunjin, I want to hire aunty Qiu and old man Wen. Aunty Qiu can help me around the house and do some sewing. Old man Wen can watch the gate. I also want to get the Lin family."
The Lin family consisted of four members. The man of the house was once the coachman of the convict and the wife was the cook. Lu Jiao was looking for people to do those jobs and therefore, she was interested.
As for their children, they had two sons. The older one was 15, perfect for the role of Xie Yunjin's personal page.
The younger 8-year-old could help out the four little ones.
Lu Jiao wasn't certain about her choices and asked Xie Yunjin for help.
The fact that Lu Jiao asked for his opinion made him bubble with joy. His lips curled up subconsciously.
Xie Yunjin leaned into Lu Jiao, "You're amazing. Both those families are employable."
Lu Jiao was still worried, "But they both used to serve convicts. I'm worried there might be trouble."
Xie Yunjin answered her in a low voice, "I watched them carefully. The look in their eyes is pure and they don't seem to be the type to lie and cheat. I believe they're good choices."
246 They're so Fortunate
Though Lu Jiao didn't agree to stay by Xie Yunjin's side, she remained confident about his capabilities. This man was going to be the future first assistant. If he had no good judgment of character, how will he survive his competitive field?
She smiled and agreed, "Okay, then we'll go with these two families."
Lu Jiao was about to tell the broker when Xie Yunjin grabbed her, "Hire one more person to serve you."
Lu Jiao stared at Xie Yunjin in shock and even forgot to retract her hand.
Xie Yunjin didn't dare to move a hair while he held her arm, scared that Lu Jiao would notice and move away.
Holding her made his entire heart feel warm.
When Lu Jiao looked back at him, he softly let go and whispered, "I think that young woman, Feng Zhi, is not bad."
Lu Jiao knew who he was talking about right away. She was the young woman who intentionally cut her own face because the man of the house she served wanted her as his concubine.
Lu Jiao looked for the girl with the scar. They were similar in age. She was tall and slender, and appeared fearless. Before she got a scar on her face, she must've been very beautiful.
Lu Jiao said to Feng Zhi, "Feng Zhi, why didn't you want to marry the master of the house?"
Feng Zhi became agitated right away.
She could tell that the husband and wife of this family liked each other. The man of the house was almost blind towards other woman. Plus, with her scar, she was sure he wouldn't be interested in her.
If the wife was asking her a question, it must mean they have the intention to keep her.
Feng Zhi stepped out to answer, "My mother died young. Before dying, she told me that I must become the wife of a man who loves me. If I become a concubine, then she won't be able to close her eyes even in death. Therefore, I rather never marry than be someone's concubine."
Her resolution impressed Lu Jiao, who smiled at the broker, "Feng Zhi can stay."
The broker beamed happily. One sold.
Lu Jiao turned back to the group. The 30 to 40 people remaining grew nervous.
Lu Jiao nodded toward aunty Qiu and old man Wen, "Aunty Qiu and old man Wen, you can stay."
The broker thought she heard it wrong. Only when aunty Qiu and old man Wen stood out to thank Lu Jiao, did she finally react.
Oh my goodness, she finally sold those two old people. What great news!
The broker almost kowtowed towards Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin.
Lu Jiao then bought the Lin family.
The broker wanted to kowtow even more now. Both of those families were difficult to sell. Aunty Qiu was difficult because she wanted old man Wen with her. Old man Wen was a cripple and nobody wanted him.
Though the Lin family was a good family with the man being a coachman and the woman being a cook. The entire family was tall, skinny and very hard-working. The thing was that they were a family and most people didn't need so many servants. Plus, people are normally afraid to buy an entire family, in case they get bad ideas and coop against the master.
The two difficult families were now sold. The more the broker thought about it, the happier she got. She complimented endlessly, "Young master, young lady, you've done such a kind thing. You accepted those two families."
It wasn't just the broker who thought so, the ones who were bought also thought so.
Lu Jiao felt a little guilty. She made her decisions based on her needs, not based on what she thought would be a kind act.
The two parties negotiated the price quickly. Once paid, the broker left with the remainder. Those who didn't get sold were highly disappointed.
A few of the young women even cried and knelt down to beg Xie Yunjin to take them. Sadly, Xie Yunjin remained cool and ignored them.
The seven people stayed. Four from the Lin family, aunty Qiu and old man Wen, and the young woman with a scar on her face, Feng Zhi.
The seven servants knelt down to officially greet their new masters, "It is an honor to meet you, master, lady, and young masters."
Lu Jiao glanced at Xie Yunjin, who gestured for her to speak. These people were going to be Lu Jiao's servants and he had no right to speak.
Lu Jiao didn't push it off. After all, they'll be working for her. She looked at the group and stated, "I don't have a lot of requirements, only one thing – loyalty. If I ever catch you betraying my family, I will never forgive you."
The seven people kowtowed and promised, "As your servant, I would never do anything to hurt you or your family. Please do not worry."
Lu Jiao nodded and started to introduce members of her family.
"This is my husband. He's a scholar who's going to take the provincial exam next year. Therefore, he will spend most of his time in the front courtyard. If you have nothing important for him, don't interrupt him from his studies."
Lu Jiao peeked at the four little ones as she made that statement. The children didn't seem to object, which made Lu Jiao sigh in relief.
She then introduced the four little ones, "These are my quadruplets. This is the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Born."
Lu Jiao was about to start delegating when she caught sight of her brother standing up straighter. Lu Jiao suppressed a laugh and introduced, "This is my younger brother, Lu Gui. He's going to manage the place. If you need anything, go to him first. If he can deal with it, he will. If he can't, he'll find me."
The servants answered in unison, "Yes, ma'am."
Lu Gui was in shock. He was going to manage this place? He was a stewart now?
Lu Jiao was too lazy to pay attention to that almost moronic man. She looked back at the servants and started to delegate, "Aunty Qiu and Feng Zhi can help out in the back courtyard. Aunty Qiu can be in charge of all the sewing work. Feng Zhi can run errands for me. When you're free, you can clean up the yards and do some general housework."
Aunty Qiu and Feng Zhi stepped out quickly and lowered their heads, "We will do as you ordered."
Lu Jiao then looked to old man Wen, "Uncle Wen can help me guard the gate. When you're free, you can rest in the southern rooms."
The fact that Lu Jiao referred to old man Wen as uncle Wen surprised aunty Qiu and old man Wen. Their eyes reddened quickly. This was the nicest thing that's happened to them in so long.
Old man Wen knelt down, "I will do as I am ordered."
Lu Jiao wasn't used to this level of politeness and being viewed as a master who owed servants. She said, "You don't have to answer me like that every day. Though you work for me, we can be more casual and comfortable like a family."
Now, even the Lin family felt touched.
They were all so happy to have ended up with such a nice master. They were so fortunate!
Lu Jiao then delegated tasks to the Lin family, "Uncle Lin, you will be the coachman. Later, you go ahead and buy a horse carriage. Whenever someone from the family needs a ride, you can drop off and pick up. When nobody needs a ride, you can help dust up the yard and organize things."
The rather skinny uncle Lin happily responded, "Yes, ma'am, I will remember that!"
247 Scored a Bargain
Lu Jiao then looked toward aunt Hua. Unlike uncle Lin, aunt Hua was tall and stocky. She introduced herself as a good cook who was once the head chef at her previous owner's.
"Aunt Hua, you'll be in charge of cooking."
Aunt Hua responded quickly, "I will do that."
Lu Jiao then glanced at aunt Hua's two sons. Uncle Lin and aunt Hua were a little nervous about what the lady would ask their sons to do.
Lu Jiao saw that the eldest Lin boy appeared rather intelligent and quick on his feet. It wasn't a bad idea to assign him as Xie Yunjin's personal page.
Lu Jiao said to Xie Yunjin, "Husband, I'm thinking, what if Lin Dong becomes your personal page?"
Uncle Lin and Hua stared at Xie Yunjin nervously. To be the page of such a man meant their son may end up living a good life. If they start serving their masters now, once their masters flourish, their son will also be deemed successful!
Xie Yunjin checked out Lin Dong and thought of him as smart and sharp. However, he cared mostly about loyalty so he decided he needed some time to test him out. If he found the little boy to be useful, he could do what he can to help him develop.
"Sure. Then he can help me with errands."
Xie Yunjin then said to Lin Dong in a serious manner, "From now on, I am your master. You must do as I ask."
Uncle Lin and aunt Hua glanced toward Ling Dong quickly, "Dongzi, you're going to work for the master from now on. Remember, whatever the master asks you to do, you do it."
Lin Dong was a sharp one and plus, he was very thankful to Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao. They've visited so many families before and nobody wanted them. This was the only family who would pay for them. Why would he ever disobey the master? He wasn't going to do things that would make his parents sad.
Lin Dong nodded to show that he understood, "I will listen to the master. If the master asks me to go west, I would never go east. If the master asks me to hit the dog, I would never kick the chicken."
Lu Jiao's lips twitched from cringe as she listened to him.
Finally, she stared at the youngest boy, Lin Xi. Lin Xi was only eight and has been staying with his parents all his life. Because of this, he was malnourished and very skinny. There was no way he could actually do labor.
Lu Jiao pointed at the four little ones, "You can be the four young masters' friend. You can play with them."
The Lin family was over the moon and started to kowtow.
"Okay, Lu Gui will now show you around the home."
Hearing that command, Lu Gui instantly started to act like the steward, "Follow me."
The servants followed. The four little ones also followed. Suddenly, there were so many people in their home, how fun.
At last, only Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao remained. The two of them exchanged glances and Lu Jiao chuckled, "The children must be overjoyed to see so many people here. They can take a few days to play around. Once I fix up the courtyard, they can start studying."
Xie Yunjin nodded, "You're a much better planner than me. We'll do as you say."
Lu Jiao listened to him and felt like they were really married.
She felt uncomfortable and quickly said, "Don't worry about these things. You should get busy with your students. You promised the dean and professor you would help."
"Yes, I will get on with it then."
Xie Yunjin left, thinking that he would search around to see if there were any houses for rent. It would be best for him to rent a place as soon as possible so he could start teaching. It was already August and he would have to return to school in a month or so.
At noon, Lu Jiao no longer had to worry about what to feed the family, as aunt Hua was now in charge of the kitchen.
What she did do, was set a schedule. She requested that the four little ones must drink goat milk every day and eat one to two eggs. Every day, there must be meat in the dishes, chicken or pork was fine. Fish, however, was required for at least one meal a day. Making them into fish balls would be best. Of course, plenty of vegetables and fruits were also a must.
Aunt Hua knew what to do right away.
For lunch, she made some of her best dishes.
Steamed eggs with pork, twice-cooked pork, mushroom and fish ball soup, braised fish, and radish bone broth.
Lu Jiao, Xie Yunjin, and the four little ones enjoyed the meal and they stopped worrying about aunt Hua's abilities.
Lu Jiao, Xie Yunjin, the four little ones, and Lu Gui ate at one table. The servants ate at one table on the side of the front courtyard.
Lu Jiao didn't ask the servants to be on call while everyone ate. She asked that everyone have lunch, then get busy with their work. She also instructed aunt Hua that for the servants' meals, she needed to ensure there were at least three side dishes and one soup. For every meal, there also must be one meat dish, two vegetables, and a soup.
Aunt Hua told this to the others and everyone beamed from ear to ear as if they scored a bargain.
Their new master was so generous. They were so lucky.
Right after the family was done with lunch, classmate Han arrived with the craftsmen. There were some who specialized in woodwork and some who worked well with bricks.
Lu Jiao asked Lu Gui to find a place for the craftsmen to stay and they ended up in the west wing of the front courtyard.
While Lu Gui dealt with that, Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin hosted classmate Han in the living room.
Xie Yunjin felt bad about troubling classmate Han so much lately and expressed, "We will treat you tomorrow, remember to come. After tomorrow, I will be starting my teaching job. You should come too. I prepared a room just for you to study. You must pass this year's exam."
Classmate Han was ecstatic. Yunjin was about to become his personal tutor. With Xie Yunjin's support, it would be indecent for him to fail the exam.
"Okay."
Classmate Han's lips stretched out.
Then, Lu Jiao officially invited classmate Han's wife and children to come over and visit. This house was sold to her at such a low price and he even found her craftsmen.
Lu Jiao appreciated classmate Han a lot. Though in the future, she wasn't going to be Xie Yunjin's wife anymore, she still was on the surface and needed to befriend Xie Yunjin's friends' wives.
Classmate Han liked the idea, "Sure, I will bring my wife and my two children over tomorrow."
Classmate Han has wanted his wife and Lu Jiao to talk for a while now. He didn't have hope that his wife would learn a lot from Lu Jiao, but even learning a little would be good. Lu Jiao was good at raising children and classmate Han's children were the problem.
Lu Jiao then glanced at Xie Yunjin, "When you ask your classmates to visit, invite their families as well. I will host them."
Her words and suggestions warmed Xie Yunjin's heart. The smile in his eyes deepened and his voice was soft, "Sure."
As they chatted, Lu Gui walked in from outside.
"Sister, brother-in-law, Owner Zhao and Dr. Qi from Baohe Tang are here to visit."
They were here to see his sister only, but Lu Gui wasn't smart enough to get that.
Xie Yunjin's face cooled down fast and his eyes filled with unpleasantness. People from Baohe Tang truly were ghosts that did not stop haunting. How did they even find this place?
248 Two men Confront each other
Xie Yunjin asked Lu Jiao, "Did you tell them we live here?"
Lu Jiao nodded, "That's right. I'm a doctor there. If I don't tell them, how do they find me?"
Though Xie Yunjin wasn't happy, he dealt with it silently.
Lu Jiao asked Lu Gui to bring them in.
Xie Yunjin slowly restored back to normal but the air around him remained a little cold.
Even Classmate Han felt it. After being friends with Xie Yunjin for so long, he could read his mood pretty well.
Why was Xie Yunjin this unhappy?
Wasn't Dr. Qi the person who operated on his legs? Could it be that Yunjin was okay with Dr. Qi but didn't like that Owner Zhao?
Just then, Zhao Lingfeng and Dr. Qi walked in.
Upon arrival, they smiled at Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao and greeted them, "We apologize for our sudden visit. I hope scholar Xie and lady Lu do not mind."
Zhao Lingfeng was handsome, confident, and extraordinary. He was not just an average joe.
Classmate Han knew right away why Yunjin wasn't happy. He was worried that the man was after his wife. Was that too much? Though Lu Jiao was a great person, she was married. No way owner Zhao would be after someone else's wife.
Classmate Han then recalled how Yunjin got jealous after he exchanged a few words with Lu Jiao. It appeared that Yunjin loved his wife rather selfishly.
Xie Yunjin spoke first, "If you knew it would be sudden, why did you come?"
He truly didn't want to save any face for Zhao Lingfeng.
The smile on Zhao Lingfeng's face froze. He was the young master of the Yongning marquees and nobody's ever slapped him in the face like this.
Beside him, Dr. Qi laughed, "Scholar Xie is joking."
Lu Jiao sneakily pinched Xie Yunjin and gave him a warning look.
No matter how much Xie Yunjin disliked Zhao Lingfeng, he couldn't continue this terrorizing. He forced a grin and said, "I hope you can take a joke."
Zhao Lingfeng grew up being tortured mentally by his father's wife all his life. He quickly restored his smile, "Scholar Xie truly reads. How funny."
Then, without glancing at Xie Yunjin, he smiled at Lu Jiao, "Lady Lu, you're getting more and more beautiful each day. If I saw you on the streets today, I wouldn't even recognize you."
Zhao Lingfeng's words made Xie Yunjin's face grow even colder. He stared at Zhao Lingfeng.
This time, Lu Jiao didn't glare at Xie Yunjin, she glared at Zhao Lingfeng.
She knew he was provoking Xie Yunjin on purpose. No matter what, she was still Xie Yunjin's wife by title and no man would be happy to hear another man say that about their wife.
Lu Jiao responded moodily, "Get to the point. Don't talk nonsense."
Lu Jiao's attitude comforted Xie Yunjin. Xie Yunjin's expression softened and he didn't fight back.
Zhao Lingfeng didn't dare to cause more trouble and said, "I am here to pay you a visit. And also here to tell you that Baohe Tang has officially moved from the Town of Qili to the city of Qinghe County. We are now located on rosefinch street."
Beside him, Qi Lei explained, "Rosefinch street is not far from the osmanthus alley. Only two blocks away."
By now, Xie Yunjin's face was like a dark cloud.
Why did Zhao Lingfeng move Baohe Tang to this city out of nowhere? Why didn't he move Baohe Tang before? Also, even if they did move Baohe Tang, why did they choose a location this close to osmanthus alley? They obviously did all this for Lu Jiao.
The more Xie Yunjin thought about it, the more depressed he felt.
Inside the living room, Classmate Han also felt like this matter was strange. It was true then, the men were here specifically for Lu Jiao. Or else the timing and location were far too coincidental.
The city of Qinghe County was a city after all and was large. The south part was an hour away by horse from the north. Without intention, it was difficult to run into anyone here.
For them to move their clinic to its current location was entirely for Lu Jiao. It appeared that this owner Zhao truly had some other agenda with Lu Jiao. It was no wonder then, that Yunjin was mad.
Classmate Han also looked at Zhao Lingfeng unfriendlily.
Lu Jiao noticed the atmosphere in the room change and understood why Xie Yunjin would be mad.
Xie Yunjin didn't know about the businesses she had partnered up with Zhao Lingfeng for. Therefore, he questioned Zhao Lingfeng's intention. Despite this, Lu Jiao didn't want to tell Xie Yunjin everything.
She simply said, "I got it. If you ever need help with a very sick patient, you can come and find me and I will go over right away."
Zhao Lingfeng however, shook his head and said, "I have another thing I want to talk to you about."
He then glanced at Xie Yunjin to hint that he and Lu Jiao should talk in private.
Xie Yunjin's face grew colder and colder. That man was obviously challenging him.
Xie Yunjin stared deadly at Zhao Lingfeng and had no intention to leave this place. At this point, he was just going to stay here and see what Zhao Lingfeng had to say.
Lu Jiao's head hurt. She was worried that Zhao Lingfeng would say something to infuriate Xie Yunjin and cause a fight.
She lightly answered, "We can discuss it later."
Beside Zhao Lingfeng, Qi Lei pulled on him and cautioned him with a look.
Qi Lei could tell that Zhao Lingfeng was purposely trying to make scholar Xie angry. He obviously could've waited and discussed this matter with Lady Lu at Baohe Tang later.
Zhao Lingfeng got the message and grinned, "I will go back today then. We can talk later."
In the living room, Xie Yunjin spoke up, "What matter is it that you cannot talk about publicly? If you need something today, say it now."
Xie Yunjin's eyes refused to leave Zhao Lingfeng. He was determined to hear what this man had to say.
Zhao Lingfeng looked toward Lu Jiao, Xie Yunjin did the same and coldly hissed, "Tell him to say it. I sure want to hear what he's planning on doing?"
At a time like this, Lu Jiao knew that if she persisted in Zhao Lingfeng to stay silent, it would look like there was something going on between her and Zhao Lingfeng.
Lu Jiao said, "You can talk. There's nothing between us that we can't discuss before others."
Zhao Lingfeng smiled instantly, "I plan on granting 30% of Baohe Tang's ownership to you. However, that would require you to come every five days and consult patients. What do you think?"
Lu Jiao knew right away that Zhao Lingfeng was cutting her a good deal. After all, they were partnering up for so many things that 30% of Baohe Tang was nothing.
249 That's my Business
Xie Yunjin didn't know about all the business plans the two shared and his face fell the moment he heard Zhao Lingfeng's suggestion.
He loudly rejected, "No, I don't agree with this."
Something was obviously off here. Why would he randomly give Lu Jiao ownership in Baohe Tang? It was impossible for Xie Yunijn to believe that this offer was innocent.
There was no way he was going to let this happen.
Xie Yunjin studied Zhao Lingfeng almost with hatred and hissed, "Owner Zhao, what are you planning on doing?"
Zhao Lingfeng's mood was floating in the cloud now that Xie Yunjin was furious. How dare that guy mock him before?
"I respect lady Lu's medical skills and want to share ownership with her. Where has your mind wandered to, scholar Xie?"
Xie Yunjin didn't believe him one bit. That Dr. Qi was also a great doctor so why wasn't owner Zhao giving him partial ownership? He obviously had a separate agenda.
Xie Yunjin turned to look at Lu Jiao, "To be paid for nothing is normally a scam. You have to be careful of this man."
Lu Jiao didn't want to fight so she merely said, "I will consider this carefully."
She then looked up to answer Zhao Lingfeng and Qi Lei, "I will think about it and respond later."
The reality was that Lu Jiao was going to take the offer. She's brought so much profit to Zhao Lingfeng it was only right she received something in return.
Zhao Lingfeng snuck a smile and turned to leave. Before leaving, however, he made sure Xie Yunjin saw how arrogant he appeared.
Xie Yunjin watched those two leave coldly. He then immediately said to Lu Jiao, "Lu Jiao, I think you should stop going to Baohe Tang. That Zhao Lingfeng guy is dangerous. You should keep your distance from him."
Before Lu Jiao could speak, Xie Yunjin added, "I know you're a great doctor and enjoy treating patients. You can open your own clinic."
Lu Jiao raised an eyebrow, "You think it's easy to open a clinic? Without some kind of pillar supporting me, how do I dare to open a clinic? It'd be easy to get in trouble that way and I may end up dead without money."
This was the very reason why Lu Jiao wanted to partner up with Zhao Lingfeng.
Lu Jiao didn't want to discuss this anymore and concluded, "Enough now. I have my own plans. Don't worry about it anymore."
Xie Yunjin was persistent, "Lu Jiao, I object. That man has no good intentions."
Lu Jiao was angry now. Impatient, she looked up at Xie Yunjin and warned, "Xie Yunjin, this is my business. Remember your role."
She then left the room, leaving Xie Yunjin stunned. He thought of his relationship with Lu Jiao and realized that he had forgotten all about their current state.
Classmate Han couldn't watch this any further. Why couldn't Yunjin talk to Lu Jiao nicely? Why did he talk so harshly? It was a good thing and now it is ugly.
Classmate Han thought he should tell Xie Yunjin, "Yunjin, can't you…"
Xie Yunjin interrupted him, "Classmate Han, I will walk you out."
"Okay."
The two strolled outside. Classmate Han watched the eerily cold Xie Yunjin and asked carefully, "Yunjin, are you still going to invite people over tomorrow?"
Xie Yunjin calmed himself down and said to Classmate Han in his usual tone, "Of course. Why not? I won't have time to host after tomorrow. It's rare for me to move and I must invite everyone over. Plus, Lu Jiao wants to change up the front courtyard so we must get together before."
Classmate Han smiled, "Okay, then I will bring my wife and my two children."
"Okay. Can you also spread the message to Zheng Zhixing, Du Yi, Li Wenbin, Jiang Yuansheng, and Luo Xinwu?"
Those were people Xie Yunjin got close to at school.
Other than hosting his friends, Xie Yunjin also wanted to find out which calculative man betrayed him.
He wasn't going to get harmed by the same man another time. He must figure out who plotted all this. Only this group of people knew of his travel plans the night he rushed home and was hit by a horse carriage. Therefore, the culprit must be one of them.
Xie Yunjin walked classmate Han to his horse carriage and waited for it to leave.
Then, rather than going home, Xie Yunjin went to order some desks. Earlier, he had rented out a house with three rooms. Now, he was going to buy some desks and study materials.
Lu Jiao stayed in her room and started to design the front courtyard.
She wanted to make a kindergarten out of the front courtyard. She planned on getting rid of the flowers and grass in the middle and building a playground. She could make a slide and use wood to construct fake caves and monkey bars. On the side, she wanted to clear an area to make room for a field that could be used for morning exercises, tug-o-wars, jump roping, and other games.
As for the inside, she planned on making different areas that each had their own specialties. She wanted a language area, a math area, an agriculture area, an art area, a music area, a reading area, a game area, and a woodworking area.
Lu Jiao worked until night on the design. She was only interrupted by the noise of Xie Yunjin entering her room.
Xie Yunjin entered her room and sat in a chair. In a soft warm tone, he said, "Lu Jiao, let's talk. I really don't think you should accept the 30% ownership offer. Zhao Lingfeng obviously has an agenda. Are you certain you know what he's after?"
Lu Jiao really didn't want Xie Yunjin involved so she bluntly blurted out, "Xie Yunjin, this is my business."
Xie Yunjin was stifled but he wasn't mad. He continued, "I know it is. Even if it is, I don't want you to be scammed by Zhao Lingfeng. It's obvious he's not a good guy."
Lu Jiao almost laughed because of his tone, "What did he do to you to make you think he's not a good guy?"
Xie Yunjin calmly analyzed, "Think about it, why would he give you 30% of Baohe Tang out of nowhere? Though I know you're a good doctor, so is Dr. Qi. Why did he not make the same offer to Dr. Qi? It's obvious he wants something. Don't fall for it.
If you want to open your own clinic, I will help you think of a way. I can find you someone who can protect you."
Lu Jiao wanted to ask him, what was the difference between you protecting my clinic versus me taking 30% ownership from him. I am not involved with either one of you.
However, she really didn't want to dwell on this topic and simply responded, "I will seriously consider this."
She stopped talking. However, Xie Yunjin could tell she was brushing it off and continued, "Lu Jiao, don't you know that a person's heart is hidden away inside them? He may appear like a good person, but who knows what disgusting activities are going on on the inside? You have to keep your distance. "
Lu Jiao was already tired from designing the kindergarten all afternoon yet this man refused to shut up. Furious, she glared up at Xie Yunjin and almost yelled, "Shut up. This is my business and it does not involve you." Then, just as angrily, she added, "Zhao Lingfeng is my friend. You need to be careful of your tone when you talk to him. I am kind and nice to all your friends. I hope you can do the same."
250 Be Careful, Someone Might Steal her
Her words made Xie Yunjin gape in disbelief, "You are telling me that man's your friend? You're willing to accept such a person as your friend?"
Why was she able to accept everyone but not him?
Lu Jiao answered, "That's right. He's my friend. You need to be nice to him."
Xie Yunjin appeared to have been hit in the face. Lu Jiao ignored him and turned to leave. After she took two steps, she saw the four little ones at the door, watching them in shock.
The four little ones saw Lu Jiao and their eyes turned red. They managed to mumble out, "Mommy, you had a fight?"
Xie Yunjin heard the noise and looked over just in time to see the four little ones cry softly.
At once, neither of the adults knew what to say. They exchanged glances. In the end, it was Xie Yunjin who spoke first, "We didn't fight. We were discussing something and raised our voices."
Lu Jiao played along, "That's right. Because there was a disagreement, we talked a little loudly. We aren't fighting."
The four little ones stepped inside hesitantly and studied them.
"Really?"
The four little ones were highly skeptical and didn't believe them.
Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin squatted down to comfort them together.
"It's true. We weren't fighting."
They then looked at each other and smiled.
Seeing that, the four little ones calmed down a little.
The First Born grabbed Xie Yunjin's hand, "Daddy, don't fight with mommy. As a boy, you should be nice to the girl."
Mommy's taught them before that boys should treat girls nicely. Their daddy should do the same.
The Second Born jumped in, "Daddy, look at you. You don't know how to talk and never coax mommy. And today, you even fight with her?"
It was no wonder his mommy didn't want to stay. He wouldn't even want to stay.
The Third Born stared at Xie Yunjin, "Mommy is so good-looking. You need to be careful. Others might steal her."
The Third Born's statement startled Xie Yunjin. He looked at Lu Jiao. Was it true that talking nicely would work?
The Fourth Born wrapped his arms around Lu Jiao's neck and said to Xie Yunjin, "If you make mommy angry enough to leave, I am going to leave with her."
Xie Yunjin was speechless. It sure didn't take long for his sons to all take Lu Jiao's side.
Xie Yunjin's heart was sour but he still squeezed a smile, "We won't fight anymore."
The First Born suggested, "Then, you should apologize. Mommy said if you realize you did something wrong and you change your behavior, you would still be considered a good kid."
Xie Yunjin was smart this time and instantly said, "Sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have talked to you so loudly."
What else could Lu Jiao say? The children were staring. She returned a smile, "It's okay. As long as it doesn't happen again."
Seeing that the adults were now harmonious and even apologized, the four little ones decided to let it go.
They started to giggle, "You did the right thing. Let's go eat."
The four little ones pulled onto the two big ones and headed to the dining room.
Outside the door, aunty Qiu smiled in satisfaction. Beside her, Feng Zhi stuck out her thumb to praise aunty Qiu's intelligence.
The four little ones were brought over here by aunty Qiu. Children were a great tool to resolve adults' fights.
As the family ate dinner, Xie Yunjin talked about tomorrow's gathering.
"Since you want to change up the front courtyard, I think it'd be best to do the gathering tomorrow. That way, you can start construction."
Lu Jiao nodded, "Sure. How many people did you invite?"
"Five to six classmates. I didn't invite those who lived far away. I originally wanted to invite the dean and professor but decided against it."
Xie Yunjin was born introverted and aloof. Even when he studied, he didn't like to socialize too much. His only close and true friend was classmate Han.
He was better friends with the other students who had similar backgrounds as him. The others, he didn't really care about.
Of course, tomorrow's gathering was when he planned to find out just who was plotting against him.
Lu Jiao nodded again, "Okay, I will plan it out."
Xie Yunjin then said there will be female guests and Lu Jiao needed to greet them.
Lu Jiao nonchalantly responded, "Don't worry. I will treat our guests well."
At the table, Lu Gui heard that Lu Jiao was going to change up the front courtyard and asked, "Sister, the courtyard is so nice. Why are you changing it?"
Lu Jiao looked towards the four little ones, "I want to make the front courtyard a place where the children can play and study. When I'm done, there'll be room to play and study. They'll have everything they possibly need."
The four little ones were thrilled, "Mommy, are you changing it for us?"
Lu Jiao nodded, "That's right. Then, you will have to focus on learning, okay?"
As for reading, Lu Jiao wasn't in a rush. They were only four and they had plenty of time to learn from Xie Yunjin once they move to the Capital City.
The four little ones couldn't picture what Lu Jiao planned, but knowing that their mommy was doing this for them gave them the confidence that it was going to be amazing.
The First Born was the happiest one. He naturally liked to study.
At the table, Xie Yunjin could tell from what Lu Jiao described that she was going to make it look like what she had in her world. It sounded like her plan would suit the four little ones well. Therefore, he didn't object and only asked caringly, "Everything sounds great. Do you want to hire someone to teach them?"
Lu Jiao thought about it. He was right, they needed someone. She was going to be busy with her own career later on.
She will be consulting patients every fifth day and she has three businesses to attend to. Basically, she will have lots to do and need someone.
"Yes, we'll need to hire someone. But I need to think through carefully what kind of person I want."
"Okay, just let me know."
After dinner, Lu Jiao and Feng Zhi went to bathe the children and tuck them in.
Xie Yunjin and Lu Gui went to the front courtyard. It was time for him to calm down and start studying.
Back in the west bedroom in the back courtyard, the four little ones didn't find it unusual that their dad was resting in the front courtyard. This was because Lu Jiao had warned them, "Don't trouble your dad and ask him to come to the back courtyard. He has an exam next year and he must focus on studying. He also has to take the time to teach younger students. He's a very busy man."
The Fourth Born was quick to ask, "Then, can't he just not teach those people?"