Chapter 215: A Golden Hoe Tills the Earth

After the Scholars from Shandong returned to their hometowns, Songjiang Prefecture, and indeed the entire Great Ming, remained unimpressed by this selection of Junior Officials.

What is a Junior Official? They are nothing more than a group of Miscellaneous Corvee; it is work anyone can do, so why must there be an examination?

To use the imperial court's and local funds to support them is simply madness.

Regarding these public opinions, Zhang Yunxiu treated them as wind passing by his ears; if he did not listen, he would be at peace. Whatever he said now felt like a superfluous explanation.

He did not need to explain to everyone; time would provide the answer to the masses.

With that time, it would be better to rest well.

Just past the hour of Chen this day, Zhang Yunxiu held Xu Ruoxi's hand and slowly arrived at the small pavilion in the Xu Family's back garden, with Lvluo following gracefully behind them.

Upon entering, Lvluo first wiped the stone stool and nimbly laid down a soft cushion.

Zhang Yunxiu and Xu Ruoxi sat down together.

This was the first time since their marriage that they had come to this garden to enjoy the scenery in such a capacity. Looking at his beautiful wife and concubine, Zhang Yunxiu beckoned with his hand, and Xu Ruoxi's small face flushed red as she obediently nestled into his embrace.

"And you, come here too." Patting his left side, Zhang Yunxiu pointed at Lvluo and smiled.

Lvluo nodded, moved with lotus steps, and came forward to lean against Zhang Yunxiu's left shoulder. As the mistress and servant huddled in the same man's arms, they could both see the shyness in each other's eyes.

The three of them remained like this, snuggled up together.

The refreshing summer breeze, carrying a faint scent of lotus, blew from the pond in front into the open-walled pavilion, instantly making everyone feel refreshed.

Xu Ruoxi brushed back the dark hair disheveled by the wind, lifted her beautiful head, looked at her husband, and gathered the courage to ask: "Husband, am I... am I a useless vase, which is why you keep me by your side?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled, smoothed out her scattered hair, pecked her on her fair forehead, and said softly: "Everyone has things they excel at."

"Then tell me, what is it that I excel at?" Xu Ruoxi sat up straight.

"Hmm, gentle and lovely, proficient in music, and possessing an air of scholarly elegance," Zhang Yunxiu said without hesitation.

"Isn't that just a pretty vase?" Xu Ruoxi said, her eyes misting over. "Xi'er, Xi'er is so smart, yet I am so stupid; I am just a vase that only knows how to act spoiled."

"Miss, how are you stupid? It is Lvluo who is stupid." Lvluo also stood up and paced to Xu Ruoxi's side to comfort her.

Watching the mistress and servant singing in harmony, Zhang Yunxiu shook his head, looked at Xu Ruoxi, and asked: "Tell me, what exactly do you want to do? I haven't seen you care about business matters before, have I?"

"I want to help you."

"How will you help?"

"Learn to do business, and have Xi'er teach me arithmetic."

Xu Ruoxi bit her lip and puffed out her cheeks as she stated her inner desire.

Originally, she had no interest in doing business. It was not until a month ago that Hao Ren visited the house and called her "Madam Zhang," but called Zheng Xi'er "Lady Zheng."

She was sentimental by nature, and she could not sleep at all that night.

Why could Zheng Xi'er be called Lady Zheng, being so prestigious outside that even high-ranking officials would tremble upon seeing her? Yet she, the legal wife, could only shrink away at home and be treated as a vase?

When it came down to it, it was because she had no power in her hands.

Today, she and Lvluo were trying to coax her husband precisely to get some "power."

"Even if you learn, you won't be able to master it," Zhang Yunxiu replied.

"I refuse to believe that; why wouldn't I be able to learn?" Xu Ruoxi's competitive spirit was piqued, and she immediately bit her cheek to retort.

Lvluo looked anxious and chimed in: "That's right, Master, our Miss is very smart. She learned the zither at five, and by the time she was ten, even the masters on those painted boats could not rival our Miss."

"As long as Miss is willing to learn, she will certainly be able to." Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said nothing.

With these two sweet and innocent girls, if they really went to do business, they would be swindled until not even their bones were left. To do business, the first requirement is to have a thick skin, and the second is to be cunning.

As the saying goes, there is no trade without cunning, and no merchant without guile.

These two... but since his own wife had this heart, he could not dampen her enthusiasm. After thinking it over, Zhang Yunxiu thought of a place: "How about this, if you really want to help me, from now on, go out more often to listen to music and play the zither with the wives of various households."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ruoxi frowned and looked at her husband with suspicion, thinking: What kind of errand is this? Listening to music and playing the zither—isn't that still just being a pretty vase? "This matter can only be done by you; Xi'er cannot do it." Zhang Yunxiu saw what Xu Ruoxi was thinking, pulled her into his arms, and said softly, "You are my legal wife and my representative; only you have the qualifications to meet with those ladies."

That sentence—"she is the legal wife, only she can represent her husband"—made Xu Ruoxi feel greatly valued. Yes, she had the Xu Family behind her and had given birth to the eldest son; to go out and be a merchant would indeed be a bit beneath her status.

Xu Ruoxi seemed to understand something; she gave a soft "Oh" and agreed with a smile.

"In this regard, your sister-in-law is an expert; you must go and ask her for advice."

"Understood, I will go now."

As Xu Ruoxi said this, she actually stood up and left immediately.

Sniffing the lingering fragrance on his hand, Zhang Yunxiu turned around and looked at Lvluo with a smile. Lvluo hung her head, fingers interlaced, fidgeting with the corner of her skirt, looking nervous and uneasy.

She was not as pretty or smart as Zheng Xi'er, nor did she have the status of the Miss.

Her purpose was only to substitute for the Miss when the Miss was feeling unwell.

"Lvluo," Zhang Yunxiu called out.

"Ah! Yes." Lvluo answered immediately, then suddenly lifted her head.

"How many years have you been in the Xu Family?"

"Replying to Master, when I was eight, there was a great flood in Songjiang Prefecture. It was the Master who saw that I was pitiful and brought me back to the mansion to be the Miss's personal maid."

"Oh."

Zhang Yunxiu gave a heavy "Oh," and Lvluo's heart instantly jumped to her throat.

She really wanted to know how Zhang Yunxiu would dispose of her; she wanted to become a concubine like Zheng Xi'er.

To make the Master unable to leave her.

Instead of just being a plaything to please a man between the sheets.

But she was also afraid—afraid that if she asked for too much, the Master would think she was a greedy woman.

Just as Lvluo was struggling with her thoughts, Zhang Yunxiu's lips moved, and he spoke as if delivering a verdict: "I have two thousand acres of land in Huating County.

Most of it is rented to Hao Ren and Yang Youcai, but there are two hundred acres still in my own hands; I will give these two hundred acres to you."

"You may do whatever you wish with them."

Two hundred acres? Lvluo was stunned.

If that were planted with grain, she wouldn't be able to finish eating it even if it stuffed her to death.

Before her family's home was hit by the flood, a family of four lived off just four mu of land; two hundred mu of land was simply unimaginable to her.

Thinking of this, Lvluo's eyes became teary, red enough to make one's heart ache.

Her mouth puckered, and she began to sob, "Rest assured, Master, I will definitely send people to manage these fields well. When the grain grows, our family will never have to buy grain to eat again!"

(End of chapter)