Chapter 126: Lin Fusheng got a slight promotion, becoming the head of the Agriculture Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue

At night, Lu Yuan held his wife as they leaned against the headboard, taking a break.

"Tomorrow when you get up, write a letter to your family, telling them to come to the East City Gate the day after tomorrow at nine."

"Your second uncle's restaurant is all set, opening auspiciously; everyone come for the fun, and once they're here, just have them stay at the big courtyard."

Su Liyan's face was flushed, slightly out of breath as she rested her head on her man's chest, nodding happily.

Lu Yuan smacked his lips, then suddenly said:

"Wait until tomorrow when I go buy a few beds, so they can stay here a few more days before heading back."

Su Liyan also quickly nodded and said:

"Mm~ have them tidy up the big courtyard; we can't let them stay for free."

Lu Yuan: "……"

His wife really thinks just like him.

Lu Yuan nodded, then didn't say anything more, instead preparing to rest.

At that moment, Su Liyan suddenly sat up, took a pack of cigarettes from her bedside table, and handed it to Lu Yuan in a coquettish voice:

"Brother, if you want to smoke, just smoke; I feel I'm definitely pregnant, it's fine, go ahead and smoke."

Lu Yuan looked at his wife and couldn't help but grin:

"We've only just started a week; we won't know for sure until at least a month later."

But Su Liyan, blushing, said:

"I'm definitely pregnant; each time we've done it a lot, it's fine, brother~ go ahead and smoke~"

"That won't do; Lu Yuan can't smoke until he confirms the pregnancy."

Lu Yuan set the cigarette aside, then said:

"It's fine, it's only a few days; I've held out these past days, I can hold out a few more—let's wait until you find out you're pregnant."

After saying that, Lu Yuan threw off the covers and grinned:

"Come on, let's continue~"

With Su Liyan's enticing moan, Lu Yuan and his wife once again embarked on their baby-making plan.

……

The next day, Lu Yuan slept until past ten in the morning.

Now it's snowing, the older women have all gathered in a room, no longer coming to the courtyard, so the courtyard is quiet.

After getting up and taking the washbasin outside to wash his face, he then saw Wang Yulan come out and look at him, saying:

"Brother Lu, you really got up late today; I came to call you around nine-thirty, but no matter how I called, I couldn't wake you."

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at Wang Yulan, chuckling, and said:

"Don't bother calling me lately; I've been busy at night. How about you, why don't you go play with Taohua?"

This isn't from a week ago; Lu Yuan had returned to a normal schedule.

Meaning he at least slept until nine-thirty; now he doesn't need to go for a morning run, instead having Wang Yulan, who lives in the same backyard, call him each morning.

However, over this past week, Lu Yuan found he couldn't get up even at nine-thirty.

There's nothing to be done—he's been too vigorous at night!

Meanwhile, Wang Yulan, walking familiar roads toward Lu Yuan's house, said:

"I went to look for her; she's not home today."

Oh?

Does Taohua ever not stay home?

Chen Taohua is really kept at home by Gao Xushi all day, either doing this or that.

She never has free time to go out and play, to wander.

Usually she's at home.

How could Chen Taohua possibly not be at home?

After Wang Yulan entered Lu Yuan's house, she helped him take the dishes warming in the pot out and put them on the table in the main hall.

Recently Wang Yulan has also gotten into the habit of helping Lu Yuan after he gets up.

Anyway, they're both from the same backyard; Brother Lu is a good person, and Wang Yulan isn't lazy.

Although she doesn't cook or do chores at home, that's because Wang Yulan doesn't know how.

But taking a bowl of rice from the pot, Wang Yulan can do that.

"Brother Lu, your rice has gone cold."

Wang Yulan stood in the main hall of Lu Yuan's house, looking outside at Lu Yuan brushing his teeth, and said:

Lu Yuan then waved his hand and said:

"If it's cold, just leave it; put it somewhere. It's almost noon—let's go out later and have a big meat noodle bowl together."

"The weather is freezing now, the kitchen lacks Kang heating ducts, and with Lu Yuan getting up later and later, the rice left in the pot won't stay warm."

Wang Yulan stood in Lu Yuan's main hall, slightly pursing her lips, and said:

"My family now won't let me go out to eat with Brother Lu, saying it's not proper."

Lu Yuan blinked.

Hmm…

A few previous times when Lu Yuan went out with Wang Yulan to eat big meat noodles, someone saw and told Pang Kaige.

Pang Kaige didn't dare say it directly about Wang Yulan, so he told her family instead.

So Wang Yulan's family no longer lets her go out to eat with Lu Yuan every day.

But that's actually reasonable.

Not to mention the Great Zhou Dynasty, even on modern Earth you couldn't do that.

Lu Yuan got this wrong.

And Lu Yuan grinned, saying:

"Then when I'm eating, tell the shop people to have them bring it over for you."

Wang Yulan was stunned, then excitedly said:

"You can still do that?"

Lu Yuan smiled, nodded, and said:

"Of course you can, just wait at home for it."

Wang Yulan kept nodding.

After Lu Yuan finished washing up, he returned to the room, putting on his coat while looking at Wang Yulan curiously and said:

"You just went to Peach Flower Sis's place to find her, but didn't ask why Gao Xushi wasn't home?"

Wang Yulan shook her head and said:

"Don't mention it, her house is locked up, nobody's home."

Lu Yuan nodded and said, "That's how it is."

That's really strange; it's not a holiday or festival, yet nobody's home.

Lu Yuan didn't think much of it, and instead took Wang Yulan out of his home.

While Lu Yuan was locking up, Wang Yulan said from the side:

"Brother, get him to add an extra slice of big meat, and also a bottle of old soda."

Lu Yuan smiled, nodded, and said:

"Okay."

Wang Yulan has plenty of money, all given by Wang Nianjun.

Pang Kaige is also well off—don't think Wang Yulan never cooks or does chores at home; Pang Kaige does it all.

But Wang Yulan has money, so she often sends Pang Kaige out to buy some braised beef and bring back a little liquor.

Pang Kaige's life is also comfortable.

Having said that, Lu Yuan headed toward the stables.

Although there are bicycles now, Lu Yuan doesn't want to ride one.

After all, back on Earth, from middle school through high school I'd ridden for six or seven years—what's fun about that? Riding a horse is more stylish.

Still, riding this horse is tiring.

No stirrups.

Speaking of stirrups, they're really impressive.

The stirrup's structure is extremely simple, yet this invention is highly regarded in history.

Many historians consider the stirrup's greatness comparable to that of the wheel.

Speaking of which, both ancient waves of heavy cavalry enthusiasm arose because of the stirrup's appearance.

One was in ancient China, the other in the West.

Both are because of the stirrup.

It is precisely because of the stirrup's appearance that cavalry became the main force on the battlefield.

Without stirrups, horseback riding is truly a hardship, especially when the horse gallops or jumps—the rider sits on the saddle with legs dangling, able only to grip the horse's body with his legs.

Even with Lu Yuan's perfect physique, riding all the way from the imperial capital to Qiu Qiu Village would make him feel a bit tired.

Let alone others.

People like Lin Fusheng and Director Xu, being older, find horseback riding truly a hardship.

That's also why Director Xu, as soon as he produced the first bicycle, immediately switched to riding it.

Bicycles are really comfortable.

A historian once commented on the stirrup, saying that very few inventions as simple as the stirrup have had such a huge catalytic impact in history.

The advent of the stirrup allows even women, children, and the elderly to quickly grasp the essentials of horseback riding.

Long marches also become easier, handled with ease.

With something this impressive, why doesn't Lu Yuan make one?

Nonsense, of course he wants to keep something up his sleeve.

Keep something handy so he can produce it on the spot when needed.

Even the cat teaching the tiger keeps a trick up its sleeve.

Lu Yuan definitely needs to keep one too.

Besides, the thresher, greenhouse, and Kang heating ducts have already made Lu Yuan famous.

Now Lu Yuan's life is already very comfortable; there's no need to invent anything else at this point.

Even if he invents something else now, it would just be icing on the cake.

So, for now it's not needed.

Lu Yuan led the horse out of the siheyuan, then went to the noodle shop and ordered himself a bowl of meat noodles.

He also told the boss to send a bowl over to Wang Yulan.

After Lu Yuan finished eating, he first went to the small eatery outside the threshing machine factory to see what it was like.

He hadn't had time to look before.

After going, it was just as Lu Yuan expected, after all, Liu Shoucai had built it using the design Lu Yuan gave him.

It's a two-story building, with a courtyard in back, plus a cellar and a well.

There are also a few small rooms in the courtyard; when the time comes, Second Uncle and his son can just stay in one of these rooms.

In the future, if we make money, we'll buy a house in the city.

The Threshing Machine Factory has now been completely built; over the next few days we'll move in some equipment, and the factory will soon start operations.

Across the street from the Threshing Machine Factory, right where this restaurant stands, a row of buildings has already been erected.

Besides this restaurant, there are all sorts of other things.

However, Lu Yuan's restaurant is in the best spot, right diagonally across from the Threshing Machine Factory's main gate.

As long as Su Liyan's Second Uncle isn't totally inept, he'll definitely make money.

As for his skill, there's no need to say more—Lu Yuan has tasted it, and it's genuinely good.

After looking at the rooms, Lu Yuan then rode his horse to the Agriculture Bureau.

Along the way, Lu Yuan felt that there are suddenly a ton of bicycles everywhere!

Speaking of which, bicycles were developed after the Thresher, so why is it that the Threshing Machine Factory has just been completed while bicycles are already flooding the streets?

The reason is that, in the Ministry of Works' view, bicycles are simply amazing.

The Ministry of Works immediately halted a few less-important workshops and converted them straight into bicycle workshops.

And the bicycles turned out exactly as the Ministry of Works had expected.

As soon as bicycles hit state-run shops and department stores, they were sold out almost instantly.

Nowadays, if you want to buy a bicycle, you have to queue up and wait to snag one.

There's nothing to be done—bicycles are truly something every household needs.

In people's eyes, this thing is far better than a horse.

You don't have to feed it, nor do you need to clean it every day.

If it gets dirty or whatever, you just wipe it clean with a basin of water.

Anyway, people in Huangcheng basically never go out to the countryside; they stay in the city.

Having said that, bicycles aren't truly unusable in the countryside.

It's just that riding is awkward in the rain or when the snow is melting.

At other times, if you really need to go, you can still make it.

It's just a bit harder to ride, a bit bumpier, but otherwise it's fine.

But this situation is only the case in Huangcheng.

Bicycles sell like crazy in Huangcheng alone—what about other places?

Now we can truly say we're in the midst of massive construction.

The wasteland around Huangcheng is literally going crazy building bicycle factories.

In the future, this bicycle factory might need tens of thousands of workers.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Lu Yuan right now; Lu Yuan is currently living a leisurely life.

He just pops by his greenhouse now and then to record the day's temperature, humidity, and so on, then heads back.

Well… you can't say there's absolutely no connection at all.

The Forging Bureau specially created an Advanced Creation Award for Lu Yuan because of his bicycle.

Lu Yuan originally thought the bicycle would earn him a three-hundred reward, but in the end it gave him seven hundred.

This really messed up the vibe in the Siheyuan.

Besides that, the Agriculture Bureau awarded Lu Yuan a thousand.

Look, Qian is just Qian.

The Ministry of Revenue is just the Ministry of Revenue.

Lu Yuan came up with this super big invention at the Ministry of Works, and Director Xu racked his brains, made up some award, and finally gave Lu Yuan seven hundred.

The Agriculture Bureau just gave a thousand.

But the people in the Siheyuan don't even know about this thousand.

Anyway, Lu Yuan is actually rolling in money now.

As soon as Liu Shoucai makes money, he rushes over to settle accounts with Lu Yuan.

Back when he first transmigrated, Lu Yuan didn't just sell the furniture from his mansion; he also sold antique decorations and such.

He sold them for over nine thousand at the time.

During that time, Lu Yuan went on a eating and building spree—he even built a house for his father-in-law, among other things.

Recently, he tallied up the accounts.

Goodness, not counting the three hundred thousand silver dollars left by the three elders, Lu Yuan's readily available cash alone is over ten thousand.

This means that during this period, Lu Yuan went on a spending spree and still ended up making a thousand.

You say this money can't be spent—who do you even complain to?

It's infuriating!

He rode his horse over to his own experimental greenhouse.

Lu Yuan had just dismounted when he saw Lin Fusheng come out from a nearby greenhouse, cheerfully calling out to him.

These days, Lin Fusheng wishes he could move his office desk right into the greenhouse.

Seeing Lin Fusheng like that, Lu Yuan couldn't help but say:

"Hey, sir, why are you so happy today?"

Lin Fusheng hurried up to Lu Yuan and laughed heartily:

"The vegetables in the greenhouse have borne fruit!"

Lu Yuan nodded; the flowers in the greenhouse had withered a few days ago, which is a sign that fruiting was coming—he had expected it.

Lu Yuan nodded, not yet waiting to say anything.

Lin Fusheng looked around, then whispered beside Lu Yuan:

There are still five months; the Agriculture Bureau chief can't be promoted and will retire.

Oh?

If that's the case?

Lu Yuan looked at Lin Fusheng somewhat unexpectedly.

Lin Fusheng, meanwhile, gave a hehe grin, somewhat proudly speaking in a low voice:

If all goes well, in five months, the Agriculture Bureau chief will be your grandpa me.

Thanks☆Li Yang…and Hu Wukelian, the two old brothers' 100 book coin tip, thank you very much~

See you at dawn~

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(End of chapter)