Chapter 155: How come I don't know how to attend to people? I even lit a cigarette for you

Lu Yuan froze, then slowly moved closer, lit a cigarette and took a puff.

Lu Yuan shook his head and said:

"I just smoke outside; my wife's pregnant, so I can't smoke at home. I come out to smoke a couple extra, then I don't need to smoke when I get home."

Lu Yuan hardly smokes at home these days.

His wife is pregnant now, but he doesn't need to quit smoking.

But because his wife is pregnant, Lu Yuan can't smoke at home.

Nowadays, the only time Lu Yuan smokes at home is after dinner in the evening.

Su Liyan went outside to wash dishes; just then the house needed airing by opening a window, so Lu Yuan sat in the main hall smoking for a while.

After the smoke cleared, he tidied up, closed the window, and went to sleep.

At other times, unless Su Liyan isn't home, Lu Yuan goes outside to smoke.

Gu Qingwan, hearing Lu Yuan's words, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and look at him, saying:

"Oh, you dote on your wife so much—I haven't really seen a man hide his smoking from his wife like that."

Lu Yuan was taken aback, then took a sip of old-fashioned soda and laughed:

"She's pregnant—just be careful if you can."

Gu Qingwan nodded slightly and said:

"Then your wife must be very beautiful; otherwise, how could you dote on her so much?"

Talking about this, Lu Yuan became proud.

He immediately lifted his head and said:

"Of course—my wife is the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than you."

Hearing Lu Yuan's words, Gu Qingwan was momentarily stunned, then tilted her head slightly with a wry smile and said:

"When I hear you say that, in your heart I'm also considered good-looking."

Lu Yuan looked at Gu Qingwan with a strange expression and said:

"I'm not blind—I can still see that."

Gu Qingwan couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth; before she could say anything, Lu Yuan spoke solemnly:

"You too—don't lose heart. You're so good-looking that if no one wants you, it must be your personality. I know your family background is good, but think about it."

"Your conditions are good, but anyone who's a match for you would also have good conditions."

"Such people would surely prefer a woman who knows how to attend to others—they have everything they need; why would they marry someone with a bad temper who doesn't know how to serve?"

"So, learn to attend to people a bit more, and you'll be able to marry."

The faint smile that had just appeared on Gu Qingwan's face vanished instantly.

Then, suppressing the urge to slap Lu Yuan, she looked at him with a false smile and said:

"How do you know no one wants me? How do you know I can't get married!!"

Lu Yuan let out a soft snort, shook his head and said:

"If someone wanted you and you could get married, you wouldn't still be living at home, bossing Gu Lie around every day."

"You'd have already moved to your husband's house!"

Gu Qingwan pursed her lips, too bothered to deal with Lu Yuan.

But after walking two steps side by side, Gu Qingwan felt the anger rising again.

She immediately glared at Lu Yuan and said:

"How come I don't know how to attend to people? I even lit a cigarette for you!"

Seeing Gu Qingwan suddenly getting serious, Lu Yuan wore an amused expression and said:

"Lighting a cigarette doesn't count as attending to someone, and that little bit of smoke you gave me is still what I taught you."

"You need to be gentler, not have such a bad temper—got it?"

"You're so beautiful; if your temper were a bit better and you learned to attend to people, someone would surely want you."

Gu Qingwan really wanted to give Lu Yuan two slaps, but thinking that he doesn't know her true situation, she let it go.

She merely looked at him with a false smile and said:

"Well, I really have to thank you for the reminder!!!"

Lu Yuan waved his hand and said:

"No need to thank me—we're friends, it's only natural."

At that moment, Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan also returned to the Bing Jia Chang factory.

The Bing Jia Chang factory had just finished work, and there weren't many people inside.

Lu Yuan found his horse tethered at the workshop door, swung up onto it, then rode over to Gu Qingwan, grinning and said:

"I'm heading home now—you should head back early too."

Gu Qingwan watched Lu Yuan swing up onto the horse.

Her eyes, which had been utterly indifferent and emotionless before, now blinked as she said:

"Today's events, I really have to thank you for; otherwise, I'd invite you to dinner tonight."

"I think you seem to really like the vinegar fish from Beyond the Tower."

Lu Yuan then waved his hand and said directly:

"No one may want you, but someone wants me—my wife is waiting for me at home, and her cooking is ten thousand times better than that Beyond the Tower vinegar fish!"

"Let's go."

The next second, Lu Yuan flicked the reins and rode away on his horse.

By the time Gu Qingwan came to her senses, Lu Yuan had already run out of the Bing Jia Chang factory gates and vanished in an instant.

Because Lu Yuan said that nobody wanted him, Gu Qingwan gritted her teeth, wanting to say something.

But seeing Lu Yuan running away so fast, Gu Qingwan couldn't hold back and ended up laughing out loud for no reason.

Gu Qingwan felt there was something wrong with her heart; even though she was being teased, she could still laugh.

She spat in her heart, then turned around to look for her carriage, also preparing to go back.

However, at the same time, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind.

Huh?

Eh eh eh?

Lu Yuan's voice came from behind.

Upon hearing that voice, a hint of joy appeared on Gu Qingwan's usually stern and cold face.

Then Gu Qingwan immediately turned her head to look at Lu Yuan, who had appeared behind her again, and said with a faint smug smile:

How about it, do you still want to eat the sweet and sour fish~

Shall we go in my carriage?

Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "What sweet and sour fish?"

Lu Yuan immediately said:

I don't want to eat it; I came to tell you that I've made this mortar, and the ultimate beneficiaries will be your Ministry of War.

You Ministry of War had better apply for a reward for me; this impressive device deserves at least five hundred taels of silver, not a single coin less!

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, Gu Qingwan stood there stunned.

Then Lu Yuan bent over and handed her the old soda bottle in his hand, saying:

Help me throw it away; I've finished drinking it.

At that moment, after regaining her composure, Gu Qingwan really wanted to toss the unfinished soda bottle in her hand at Lu Yuan's face.

But in the end, Gu Qingwan took the empty bottle Lu Yuan handed her and gritted her teeth, saying:

Get lost!

Lu Yuan looked at her, bewildered by her sudden change of attitude, and said:

You're such a person, suddenly changing face again; I'm asking for the money I deserve, which won't come from your pocket but from the Ministry of War—why are you in such a hurry?

Having said that, Lu Yuan tugged the reins, turned around, and slipped away.

This time Lu Yuan really got away.

…………

He raced all the way home.

The kitchen at home was already filled with a fragrant aroma~

Every time Lu Yuan came home late, seeing the kitchen light on and smelling the aroma,

it made Lu Yuan feel that he had married the right wife!

However, today's aroma...

He tied up the horse.

After returning home,

Lu Yuan, while taking off his clothes, shouted toward the kitchen:

Honey, I'm back~

After Lu Yuan said that, Su Liyan immediately came out of the kitchen with a smile.

Before Lu Yuan could ask anything, Su Liyan hung up his coat, then took his hand and cooed:

Brother~ hurry up~ look what good thing I brought back for you~

Huh?

Lu Yuan, somewhat amused, let his wife pull him toward the kitchen.

Upon arriving, Lu Yuan couldn't help but be startled, and a happy smile appeared on his face as he said:

Eh?

Where did this come from?

The pot contains piece after piece of fried belt fish!

In some places it's called knife fish.

Lu Yuan really loves eating this.

Back on Earth, when winter arrived, the seafood market always had frozen knife fish for sale.

At that time, Lu Yuan remembered everyone carrying them home box by box.

Especially during the New Year, one could buy several boxes, then take some out to give to the elderly at home.

This stuff isn't sold alive; it's a deep-sea fish, and once brought up it dies quickly.

Lu Yuan really likes eating this.

Before, when he was at home on Earth, he often didn't feel like eating rice at night.

He would prepare some millet rice, then coat the knife fish in flour, or directly in millet flour, and fry it in the pan.

Then he'd serve it with one or two steamed buns.

The buns should be torn into pieces and soaked in the millet rice.

Wow, that's not just ordinarily delicious.

Even if his appetite was poor, he could still eat a lot!

Lu Yuan had hardly ever seen this belt fish in the imperial city's market.

That's true enough, Huangcheng isn't coastal; crabs hauled up from the sea can still stay alive for a while.

These beltfish die as soon as they're brought up, so they're not easy to transport.

Lu Yuan recalled saying he wanted to eat beltfish, or rather, it was the last time he took those two salted fish from Gao Tingyu's place and brought them back.

Back then Lu Yuan casually muttered that line.

But he never expected his wife to keep it in mind.

"Where did you get this?!"

Lu Yuan said, his face full of surprise and joy.

Su Liyan, seeing her husband so happy, felt extremely happy and said:

"I mentioned to my second uncle a few days ago that if they went shopping and knew someone who dealt with fish, they could help buy a few; today I got some and brought them back~"

Listening to his wife's words and looking at her adorable little self,

Lu Yuan's heart warmed; he couldn't help tightly hugging his wife, then showered her with kisses.

No wonder the fragrance he smelled when he came back earlier felt so familiar~

Turns out it's this beltfish~

Su Liyan, being tightly hugged by her husband with kisses on left and right, instantly blushed and said:

"Brother~ I'm cooking~"

Lu Yuan startled, then pretended to be angry and said:

"Oh? You don't want to give brother a hug while cooking? Fine, then brother won't hug~"

Su Liyan obviously knew her husband was teasing her, and immediately turned to hug him, coquettishly saying:

"Don't~~"

Lu Yuan couldn't help but hehe-laugh and said:

"So, do you want a hug or not?"

Su Liyan shyly said:

"I want a hug, I want to keep hugging~"

Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows, amused, and said:

"Oh my, you still want to keep hugging?"

"My little fox, how did you get so domineering? ~"

At this moment Su Liyan turned, facing the stove, placed her husband's hands on her waist, embracing herself, and coquettishly said:

"I just want to keep hugging~"

Lu Yuan couldn't help but burst into laughter, then stood behind his wife at the stove, tightly embracing her.

He rested his chin on one of her shoulders, chatting with her while watching her fry the fish.

"Oh my, you're quite good at this, wife, how did you get so skilled?"

Lu Yuan looked at the fish his wife had fried and said near her ear:

Su Liyan, having her husband speak near her ear, felt a little ticklish, and spoke with a sweet smile:

"It's just coating it with some barley flour, then pan-frying it, not difficult~"

"What's so impressive about that? Brother, you just know how to coax me~"

Lu Yuan then grinned and said:

"Knowing you need to coat it with a layer of barley flour outside is impressive—how did you know?"

Su Liyan, her face full of a happy smile, said:

"When I went to get the fish, my second uncle told me~"

Hearing this, Lu Yuan laughed and nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said:

"By the way, did you pay my second uncle?"

Lu Yuan taking advantage of outsiders, he feels at ease about it.

But with relatives, it's not like that.

You should give money when you should, and do what you should do.

Su Liyan was startled, then blinked and said:

"We're family, what money? Even if I gave it, my second uncle wouldn't take it."

That's also true; Lu Yuan nodded and didn't say anything else.

Let's see, later we can make it up to him in other ways.

His wife really never holds back with the Su clan.

Having that little bit of bearing of his~

This really is the case of 'family doesn't enter the family gate'~

He and his wife are truly a match made in heaven~

……

At night, after Lu Yuan and Su Liyan had eaten, they went to bed early.

Now that his wife is pregnant, Lu Yuan certainly can't do much.

However, even if his wife just sits in his arms doing nothing, it's still full of happiness.

Outside, it's a snowy winter landscape.

The room is extremely warm, the main light is off, only the bedside small lamp is on.

The warm yellow light makes it even more tranquil.

The two lay in bed, covered with a thin blanket; Su Liyan rested her head on her husband's chest, embraced him, and chattered about today's events.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan embraced his wife, gently stroking her smooth, jade-like white back, smiling, and listened quietly.

They kept talking, not knowing how long had passed.

Both of them were in a daze in this warm room, asleep on Ruan Mengsi's large bed.

……

Great Zhou Dynasty, Imperial Palace.

Gu Qingwan, however, didn't sleep.

Now Gu Qingwan, extremely excited, was pulling the cabinet members to settle the accounts.

Upon returning this evening, Gu Qingwan didn't even have time to eat.

Immediately, they summoned the cabinet members and began to redraft the regulations.

According to the mortar design diagram given by Lu Yuan, the price is extremely cheap, even said to be low.

A gun barrel whose cost Lu Yuan had compressed to the extreme needed only six coins.

And the price of a shell was only three coins.

The shells needed for this bandit suppression were estimated to be about two to three hundred thousand.

That is to say, the weapon expense for this bandit suppression—even the most important weapon—did not even need one million.

Of course, this bandit suppression was not only about mortars.

Including other miscellaneous items.

The new regulations redrafted by the cabinet cost only three million.

This compares to the previous cabinet's draft of twenty million.

How could Gu Qingwan not be excited?

On the way back to Chonghua Palace, if not for the fact that there were other people nearby, Gu Qingwan would have laughed out loud.

When Gu Qingwan returned to Chonghua Palace, her face still bore a smile.

However, gradually, Gu Qingwan's smile became less and less.

Surveying this magnificent but extremely empty great hall, only a eunuch stood with hands lowered.

After Gu Qingwan blinked her majestic eyes.

Then she couldn't help but look toward the east of the imperial city……

Lu Yuan...... what is he doing?

Thanks, Cangyuan Yinghe; feelings will eventually fade. 11ID Dark Night SC, the four old fox brothers awarded 100 book coins.

One chapter left, around ten o'clock at night.

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(End of chapter)