Chapter 148: Prepare a set of ordinary people's clothes for me; I will personally

From what can be seen so far.

In Gu Qingwan's heart, Lu Yuan is absolutely perfect.

Even if Lu Yuan has a bit of vanity, sneaking off to the market to buy fish and pretend he caught it himself to fool others.

But in Gu Qingwan's heart, this makes him even more perfect.

If Lu Yuan didn't have this vanity, it would really be a bit inhuman.

These days, Gu Qingwan has been watching everything about Lu Yuan every day.

Although the time hasn't been long, Gu Qingwan truly admires Lu Yuan very much.

Plus, there's the stuff Lu Yuan previously made.

Gu Qingwan really wants to bring Lu Yuan to her side right now.

But after thinking it over, what could Lu Yuan do if she brought him to her side?

Lu Yuan is already busy with whatever is most beneficial to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

That is the potato.

Calling Lu Yuan to her side now wouldn't let him do anything.

On the contrary, it would just put pressure on him.

Better to leave it as is for now, wait until the potato research is done, then talk about other things.

Gu Qingwan merely feels it's a pity.

Otherwise, if Su Liyan were pregnant and she already knew Lu Yuan, she could bestow many things upon her.

These days, she can only see it in the memorial.

……

Around five in the evening, Su Liyan had already busied herself with a table full of dishes.

Sitting beside her husband, Su Liyan obediently poured him a cup of wine.

For the sake of her belly, her husband really hasn't had a drink in a long time.

Lu Yuan smelled the familiar aroma of wine, smacked his lips a moment, and felt like having a drink.

But at that moment, a knocking sound came from behind the door.

Huh?

Lu Yuan glanced back, and Su Liyan immediately went to open the door.

When the door was pulled open, the one who came was not a stranger but Kou Yang.

Looking at Kou Yang, Lu Yuan also rose and said:

"Hey, why are you coming to my place today?"

Kou Yang normally doesn't run to the backyard, and with Lu Yuan's schedule...

That's really unusual; since the New Year, Lu Yuan hasn't really seen Kou Yang.

At this moment, Kou Yang didn't even look at Lu Yuan, merely gazing happily at Su Liyan and saying:

"Sister Su, I heard you're pregnant, right?"

Su Liyan startled, then broke into a happy smile and said:

"Today I went with Brother Lu for a checkup, and the doctor said I'm pregnant."

Kou Yang also happily nodded repeatedly and said:

"Like that, here, Sister Su, this is the chicken stew I made; take it to nourish yourself."

Having said that, Kou Yang lifted the clay pot in his hand and handed it to Su Liyan; the pot was still bubbling, looking as if he had just brought it over fresh from the stew.

Lu Yuan stood beside his wife with a black line on his face.

My wife is pregnant, and you bring her a chicken-feather chicken soup!!

Of course, Lu Yuan also knows that Kou Yang, this simpleton, is just like that—truly warm-hearted and genuinely kind to people.

If we were talking about a sycophant, he wouldn't even qualify.

After all, a sycophant wants to lick up something, but Kou Yang doesn't have that thought.

If Lu Yuan were to secretly mess with Kou Yang over this, it would make him seem like a worthless person.

Besides, this person came smiling to deliver gifts, so Lu Yuan immediately curled his lip and said:

"Have you eaten?"

"You're just in time; come in and have a drink with Brother."

Lu Yuan felt that letting Gu Lie go at noon was a mistaken decision.

For such a great joy, drinking alone—how unsatisfying is that?

Looking around the courtyard, there are people he could drink with.

Go tell those three elders; those three elders could grab a stool and sprint a hundred meters to his house.

But the problem is, inviting those useless lot to drink would be a loss.

Among the men in this courtyard, only Kou Yang counts as a proper person.

Kou Yang originally didn't want to eat here.

But when Lu Yuan stepped aside, Kou Yang saw the big table of dishes in Lu Yuan's main hall.

"Hey, I was wondering why the courtyard smells so fragrant today—turns out it's Sister Su's cooking!"

Kou Yang looked at that table of dishes and couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

As a cook, Kou Yang doesn't usually crave food.

But he can't resist all these delicious dishes!

Speaking of which, only Lu Yuan's household in this siheyuan can eat like this.

Cut the chatter, hurry up and bring your chicken soup in.

Immediately Lu Yuan stepped aside, and Kou Yang gave an embarrassed smile, but he came in as well.

After coming in, Kou Yang, while placing his sand pot on the table, said:

"Hey, this turned out to be in my favor today."

Su Liyan had no objection to her husband inviting Kou Yang over for a meal.

Our family has no relatives in this city.

Moreover, I only found out about this this afternoon.

My younger brother is working today and can't come.

Su Liyan doesn't care whether it's lively or not; she's just worried that her husband drinking alone will make him unhappy.

My husband hasn't had a drink in almost two months.

For such a happy drink, we naturally need to find someone to come in and have a few drinks with.

After Su Liyan closed the door, she also looked at Kou Yang and smiled, saying:

"Kou Yang brother, have a seat; I'll go get you bowls and chopsticks; today you keep your brother company for a couple of drinks."

Kou Yang then quickly smiled and said:

"Sure thing, Sister Su."

Looking at Kou Yang's behavior, Lu Yuan curled his lip and said:

"Hurry up and pour a drink for your brother!"

Kou Yang was taken aback, then curled his lip, picked up the wine bottle on the table, and said:

"Hey, what's with your attitude!"

After eating and drinking their fill, Su Liyan cleared the bowls and plates.

Now that I'm pregnant, Aunt Li also said we shouldn't share a room for the first three months.

With that, life naturally returns to normal, just as it was before.

No need to cling to my husband after every meal anymore.

After Lu Yuan and Kou Yang finished eating, they sat in the main hall, opened the front and back windows, and smoked.

Su Liyan, meanwhile, took the bowls and dishes and the warm kettle out to wash them.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the main hall, took a puff of smoke, and said:

"I'm saying, when are you getting married? In our courtyard, everyone's married except you."

"My wife and Brother Tingyu's wife are both pregnant, Kaige's side is also soon, how come you over here don't even have a prospect?"

Lu Yuan felt they needed to quickly find a wife for Kou Yang.

"You pour all that enthusiasm onto your wife; does my wife need your concern?"

After all, you don't strike a smiling person.

Still, that's the saying.

If Kou Yang were to covet my wife like Tingyu did before...

then Lu Yuan would definitely have to step in and deal with it properly.

But Kou Yang is purely without ill intent, and Lu Yuan really feels a bit embarrassed to act against him.

But even though he means no harm, Lu Yuan feels awkward inside!

So, hurry up and find a wife for this guy, hurry up and get married, done.

Kou Yang is also a decent man; if he ever gets married, who knows how much he'll dote on his wife.

As for this matter, Kou Yang also worries and says:

"I find this a bit hard to find..."

Regarding Kou Yang's situation, Lu Yuan also has a rough idea.

Nowadays free love is trendy in the city, but Kou Yang isn't a worker.

He's busy all day with his father at the restaurant; where would he meet a woman?

Although female factory workers sometimes come to Kou Yang's eatery to eat.

But the problem is...

They look down on Kou Yang.

Don't think Kou Yang's family lacks food or drink; he can still earn a few dozen each month.

But the fact is, Kou Yang is just a second cook who makes big-pot dishes.

There's no room for advancement in the future.

Take Gao Tingyu, for example—don't think his life is great now.

But that's only because it's not as good compared to Lu Yuan's and Pang Kaige's families.

But regardless, Gao Tingyu is a proper craftsman.

This year he's taking a grade exam, next year another grade exam.

By the time Gao Tingyu is thirty, he could be a level-four or level-five worker.

Craftsmen have stable income rain or shine, not to mention.

He earns fifty or sixty a month—isn't that much better than Kou Yang?

Just wearing the factory-issued uniform makes Gao Tingyu a step above Kou Yang.

So Kou Yang really is hard to find a match for.

This free love approach just won't work...

Lu Yuan looked curiously at Kou Yang and said:

Then let's find a matchmaker; if we can't find an artisan to be a wife, isn't finding someone from the countryside just as good?

Look at your Su sister—she's also from the countryside, but how is she any worse than city women?

A hundred city women couldn't compare to my wife~

Su Liyan, washing dishes outside, heard her husband's words coming from the open window, and her face was filled with a sweet smile.

Lu Yuan brought this up, and Kou Yang curled his lips and said:

Who says no? Ever since I saw my Su sister like this, I haven't wanted to look for a city girl.

But my dad won't let me find one, saying I'm too young and telling me to wait two years—what can I do?

Seeing Kou Yang like that, Lu Yuan pondered, then smiled and said:

What do you care what your dad does? You've worked with him these years and saved up quite a bit of money, and the money for marrying a wife isn't much.

Find a matchmaker, have her find someone willing, directly bring the wife home—could your dad still drive her away?

Nowadays we're in a new dynasty; as long as you get the certificate, unless you two yourselves want to split, no one can say otherwise!

Kou Yang's eyes lit up, and then he said:

Yeah......

Soon Kou Yang couldn't sit still, and immediately got up and said:

I'll go back and think it over, first talk to my dad; if he still refuses, I'll just do it!

Lu Yuan looked at Kou Yang's current state and nodded happily.

Mm~

The young can be taught!

Kou Yang left the house excitedly, greeted Su Liyan, and prepared to go back.

However, he happened to see Pang Kaige coming out with a bowl and chopsticks.

This afternoon, Pang Kaige went with Wang Yulan to Wang Nianjun's home.

After they left, Wang Yulan's mother calculated the days and found that the previous dates were indeed off.

And today is also the dangerous period for his own wife.

So those two didn't eat at Wang Nianjun's place; they came back, casually made some food, ate, cleaned up, and then started.

Seeing Pang Kaige, Kou Yang then spoke in a sarcastic tone:

Yo, it's you again coming out to wash bowls and dishes—what, you don't have a wife?

Pang Kaige startled, put what he was holding into the sink and was about to chase Kou Yang, shouting, 'Old man will kick your ass!'

However, Kou Yang had already slipped away amid his laughter.

Kou Yang felt that from now on, when he marries, he must marry someone like Su sister.

That's what a wife should be.

What kind of wife is that Pang Kaige married?!

She can't do anything, she's good for nothing!

How can she be so delicate and precious?

Kou Yang will never in his life look for a woman like that as a wife.

……

The next day, early morning.

No one needed to call him; since he didn't toss and turn at night, he naturally woke up early in the morning.

But he didn't wake up together with his wife.

After all, his wife got up too early, starting her chores at six thirty.

She got up to cook and tidy the house.

Besides, although there's a washing machine now, the couple's socks, underwear, and such still need to be hand-washed.

Su Liyan wouldn't let others help with these things.

When it was time to eat breakfast, Lu Yuan finally got up.

At seven thirty his wife went to work, and at eight Gu Lie came riding his horse, excited.

Lu Yuan, without a word, prepared a big packet of medicine for Gu Lie's horse, and another big packet for his own horse, then set out.

Gu Lie didn't understand this, looking bewildered and said:

'Brother Yuan, we're not going fishing, are we? What's this?'

Lu Yuan led the horse, heading out while raising an eyebrow and said:

'Fishing my ass, I'm taking you out to do good deeds, going to **.'

Gu Lie had a black line on his face and said:

'** Who is that? No, what good deed are we doing? Can't we just go fishing?'

Lu Yuan turned his head, glanced at Gu Lie, raised an eyebrow and said:

'What, you don't want to practice boxing anymore?'

Gu Lie: '........'

Great Zhou Dynasty, imperial palace, Chonghua Hall.

Gu Qingwan looked at the memorial about Lu Yuan in her hand and revealed a faint smile.

This younger brother of mine is truly not ordinarily difficult to manage.

Even for me, it's carrot and stick.

Sometimes if you don't beat him hard, this younger brother of mine really won't listen to my words.

Tell him to go east and he insists on going west; tell him to catch a dog and he insists on chasing chickens.

Gu Qingwan had never seen anyone able to make her own brother so obedient before.

After reading the memorial in her hand, Gu Qingwan said:

You don't need to come in real time today; just organize it tonight and submit it then.

The banditry in several southern provinces has persisted for years without being eradicated; today Gu Qingwan will go to the cabinet to discuss completely wiping out the Great Zhou Dynasty's banditry.

The Nei Ne Qing Cang Wei below immediately replied respectfully:

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

At noon, Gu Qingwan emerged from the cabinet feeling a bit dizzy and headachy.

In the end, the decision on the southern banditry was still to use military force.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had just recovered from war, and Gu Qingwan's idea these past years was to avoid using troops whenever possible.

As for the southern banditry, she has consistently pursued a pacification policy.

But… it has had no effect.

Originally, Gu Qingwan had planned to delay it, but lately the banditry has become truly more and more severe.

These bandits have grown so bold as to block the official road!

If this goes on, a major disturbance is likely to break out.

This morning, the cabinet tallied the expenses for this bandit-suppression campaign.

Hmm…

It's not exactly astronomical, but… it's quite a financial pain.

Don't assume that just because they're bandits, they're only a few mountain chiefs.

Actually, the expense is nearly the same as that of a proper war.

Moreover, the south is mountainous; when these bandits can't win, they hide deep in the mountains, like a gilded dynasty in the desert.

After a while they show up to fight in an autumn valley, then they flee into the great desert.

You can't catch them, and you can't beat them in battle.

After a while they come back again.

These bandits, too, when they can't win, flee to the mountains; once the official troops withdraw, they continue to reign as kings of the mountain.

This time we must wipe them out completely, and the cost is truly enormous.

But we can't avoid spending this money; these people dare to block the official road today—who knows if they'll storm the city tomorrow?

"How are Lu Yuan and Gu Lie doing?"

Gu Qingwan suddenly asked.

Having heard too many troublesome matters, Gu Qingwan wanted to hear something light and harmonious.

The chief eunuch was taken aback, then said to go fetch the Nei Ne Qing Cang Wei.

But.

Gu Qingwan froze for a moment, then, unable to suppress the throbbing in her heart, she said directly:

Forget it, prepare a set of ordinary clothes for me; I will personally go see Lu Yuan.

Thanks to the brother with tomato phobia for the 600 book coin reward, thank you very much, mua mua~

Thanks to the brother of eternal dusk for the 500 book coin reward, thank you very much, mua mua~

Thanks to the brother whose name is a star for the 100 book coin reward, thank you very much, mua mua~

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(End of chapter)