Chapter 102: Job Hunting at the Duke's Mansion, Meeting an

The next day, the sky cleared up.

When Luo Zijun got up, two carriages were already parked outside the main gate.

His brother-in-law and sister had already begun moving things.

Xiaohuan was also packing things up.

Just as he was about to go help, Luo Jiaorong immediately barked: "Don't you move! You are a scholar, how can you do manual labor? Go find a cool place to stay!"

Saying this, she picked up a large trunk and, sticking out her belly, walked out the door.

Li Zhengshan also said: "Zijun, you go rest. There isn't much stuff, and they have everything there; we only need to bring some clothes and other daily necessities."

At this moment, Xiaohuan called out crisply from inside the room: "Young Master, do you still want these books?"

Luo Zijun asked: "What books?"

"Jade Feet..."

"I do! Don't you move, I'll come pack them!"

Luo Zijun hurried into the room.

Li Zhengshan asked from behind: "What Jade Feet?"

Luo Zijun turned his head to explain: "Jade Bamboo, it's a type of elegant bamboo. Many books are written about it, and scholars often use it in their writing to metaphorically describe people, praising their character as being like jade bamboo—upright and noble."

Li Zhengshan didn't understand, didn't ask further, and continued moving things.

Luo Zijun entered the room and gave Xiaohuan's bottom a swat to show punishment.

This little maid was doing it on purpose.

The young maid covered her bottom and laughed: "This servant really didn't do it on purpose; this servant thought the master and mistress were both outside."

Luo Zijun pinched her cheek again before going to pack the books.

Xiaohuan suddenly looked at him with some worry and said: "Young Master, I heard that in the Duke's mansion, there are many pretty young maids."

Luo Zijun, while packing other books, said deliberately: "It's fine, if there are any prettier than you when the time comes, I'll just have my sister give you your deed of indenture and return your freedom."

The room immediately went quiet.

Luo Zijun finished packing the books, sensed something was wrong, and turned to look.

The young maid was standing there, pouting her little mouth, her eyes already brimming with glistening tears.

Luo Zijun hurried over to hug her and said: "Silly girl, Young Master was just joking with you. Even if there are many more pretty young maids there, Young Master only likes you, and will never let you leave."

Xiaohuan held back her tears and asked: "Young Master, really?"

Luo Zijun helped her wipe away her tears and said: "Of course it's true, when has Young Master ever lied to you? Besides, our Xiaohuan's little feet are so cute, Young Master couldn't bear to part with them either."

Xiaohuan immediately broke into a smile through her tears, wiped her eyes, and suddenly said shyly: "Young Master also promised this servant that when we move into the new house later, you would... would let me serve you."

"Aren't you serving me all the time?"

Luo Zijun pretended not to understand and hurried to say: "Alright, stop crying, I'm going out to help my sister and brother-in-law move things."

Saying this, he immediately left the room.

Xiaohuan immediately pouted her little mouth, her eyes dim and melancholy.

After a while, she whispered to herself: "Hmph, when the time comes, it won't be up to Young Master; at worst, I'll just play by myself..."

There wasn't much that needed to be moved from the house.

One carriage was already full.

The other carriage was only half full, just enough to seat people.

Luo Jiaorong hadn't found that trunk under the bed, but after asking and seeing it had been taken by her brother, she said nothing more.

The family of four locked the door and got into the second carriage.

With a shout from the driver, the two carriages began to move slowly.

Luo Jiaorong pushed aside the curtain and looked at their house, her eyes filled with reluctance, but soon, it turned into determination.

As long as the family is safe and together, anywhere is home.

"Zijun, I don't want to sell this house for now."

Luo Jiaorong suddenly sighed and said.

Luo Zijun said: "If you don't want to sell it, then don't. We aren't short of this money, so let's just leave it here for now."

Li Zhengshan also said: "Having lived here for so many years, it is indeed hard to part with it so quickly."

Luo Jiaorong asked: "Zijun, how much money do you have left? Is it enough?"

Luo Zijun, fearing they would worry about money, had already prepared it. Hearing this, he took out five banknotes from his person, handed them over, and said: "Sister, these five hundred taels are what I earned from selling books. You take them and use them first; don't worry about money. If you can't bear to part with the house, then don't sell it."

He currently had a total of 1,350 taels of silver on him; he could be said to be carrying a huge sum of wealth.

"Five... five hundred taels..."

Luo Jiaorong and Li Zhengshan were both shocked when they heard this.

Luo Jiaorong hurriedly took them with trembling hands, carefully examined them with wide eyes several times, and said: "Is... is this real?"

Since she was young, she had never seen a banknote.

Li Zhengshan also hurried over to check, grinned, and said: "It should be real; I've seen this kind of banknote at someone else's house."

Luo Jiaorong's voice trembled with excitement: "Five hundred taels, a whole five hundred taels; Zijun, your brother-in-law and I have lived this long and have never even touched this much money..."

Li Zhengshan laughed: "That's right, the most I've ever touched was twenty taels of silver."

Luo Jiaorong suddenly restrained her smile and hurriedly asked: "Zijun, what books did you sell to earn so much money? Didn't you only earn thirty taels of silver last time you sold books?"

Although she was holding the five hundred taels of banknotes in her hand, she still found it hard to believe, feeling somewhat like she was dreaming.

Luo Zijun said: "The previous books sold very well, so the price of the books I wrote later increased quite a bit. They were just some short stories, and I wrote quite a few, so they sold for a good amount of money."

Luo Jiaorong grabbed his hand, her expression serious, and said: "Did you really earn this by selling books?"

Luo Zijun spread his hands: "Sister, besides selling books, what else do you think your brother could do to earn money?"

Luo Jiaorong glanced at his handsome and delicate face, held back, but couldn't help it, and said: "Zijun, it wasn't given to you by some woman, was it?"

She muttered secretly in her heart, could it be that some woman saw her younger brother was handsome, so she deliberately paid a high price to buy his books to please him? Otherwise, how could he sell books and make five hundred taels all at once?

One must know, for a family like theirs, this five hundred taels was a huge sum they could not earn in a lifetime.

Luo Zijun looked speechless: "In Sister's heart, is your younger brother that spineless?"

Although most of this money was indeed given by that Liu, it was also indeed earned by his own ability, not just taken for nothing.

Luo Jiaorong gave a dry laugh and said: "It's good if it's not."

Then she added, half-joking and half-serious: "Actually, even if it were, there's nothing spineless about it; earning money with one's face is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just that if the other party is a young, wealthy Young Lady, that would naturally be best, but if it's an old one..."

Li Zhengshan could no longer listen, and hurriedly scolded: "Enough, enough, stop talking nonsense. Is Zijun that kind of person? It's a good thing Zijun can earn money; are you sick in the head, suspecting this and that?"

Luo Jiaorong glared and said: "Yo, Li Zhengshan, now that you've become a guard for a great family, your wings have hardened, right? You actually dare to scold me?"

Li Zhengshan ignored her.

Just as Luo Jiaorong was about to scold him further, Luo Zijun snatched the silver note from her hand and said: "If Sister doesn't want it, I'll just keep it myself."

Who knew Luo Jiaorong would immediately get anxious and snatch it back: "I want it! When did Sister say I didn't want it? If I leave it with you, who knows how you'll waste it; Sister will save it for you, you still need to buy a house and marry a wife in the future."

Saying this, she happily put it away.

Then she hurriedly praised: "Zijun, you really have a future now. Your brother-in-law and I have worked so hard for so many years and couldn't even save fifty taels of silver, and you earned five hundred taels in one go... Sister believes you will definitely be able to pass the provincial examination and become a high official in the future."

Li Zhengshan also smiled from the side: "The books Zijun writes sell so well, his talent must be very formidable; let alone passing the provincial examination in the future, even passing the palace examination to become the top scholar is not impossible."

Luo Jiaorong's eyes immediately turned red: "If our Zijun can really become the top scholar, even if I were dead by then, I could happily jump out of my coffin."

Luo Zijun: "..."

Li Zhengshan immediately glared and said: "What are you saying! You only say inauspicious things; if you don't know how to speak, then don't speak!"

Luo Jiaorong, with tears in her eyes, smiled and glared at him: "Only you know how to speak!"

Luo Zijun watched his family being happy, warm, and harmonious, and a warm current surged in his heart, feeling that the happiness of life was nothing more than this.

At the same time, the goal in his heart became even firmer.

Study hard, practice martial arts hard.

Do not let down Sister, do not let down brother-in-law.

No matter what happens in the future, he would never let anyone hurt them.

The carriage was inspected when it entered the Inner City.

Li Zhengshan took out the document given to him by the Su Guo Fu and handed it to the guards at the city gate; the other party's attitude immediately improved, they casually checked the number of people, and let them pass.

"People from the Outer City and other places cannot enter the Inner City at will."

"One needs a guarantee from an acquaintance in the Inner City or documents from the mansions of some nobles. Of course, there are no restrictions for scholars. As long as one is a budding talent, one can enter at any time."

Li Zhengshan explained as the carriage continued to move.

At this time, Luo Jiaorong had already lifted the window curtain and was looking at the street scene of the Inner City outside with curiosity and excitement.

Luo Zijun's gaze also looked out from the window.

This should be his first time coming to the Inner City.

The streets of the Inner City were clearly more spacious, and the streets were also much livelier.

The houses were lined up like fish scales, built quite neatly and beautifully.

The pedestrians on the road were also dressed more luxuriously, and some Young Masters and Young Ladies had seven or eight servants with them when they went out.

There were also several luxuriously decorated sedan chairs traveling on the streets.

Luo Jiaorong said with a face full of excitement: "Zhengshan, Zijun, Xiaohuan, from now on we are also people of the Inner City; how much face that will have when we say it out."

Li Zhengshan said: "Can face be eaten as a meal?"

Luo Jiaorong retorted: "Yes!"

Li Zhengshan ignored her, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but urge: "Wife, that Su Guo Fu is not just any place; if you go there, you must never shout or scream at will in the future. If you can avoid speaking, try not to speak, do more work and speak less, and even more so, do not discuss the nobles in the mansion at will. If someone reports you, the light punishment is being swept out the door, and the heavy one is even facing punishment."

Luo Jiaorong rolled her eyes and said: "Do you take me for a fool? In that kind of place, I will definitely speak less; even if you asked me to shout and scream, I wouldn't dare. Even if I haven't lived inside, haven't I heard of it? Even wealthy families can beat servants to death or sink them in wells at will, let alone a Duke's mansion. I don't want to die there without knowing why; I still want to watch Zijun marry a wife and become the top scholar in the future." Li Zhengshan smiled bitterly: "It's not that serious. I didn't sign a slave contract; as long as it's not something too excessive, they wouldn't beat us to death."

Luo Jiaorong looked at him and said with some worry: "Zhengshan, you are the one who needs to be careful. You are a guard and will often go out with the master and mistresses in the future; if you encounter danger, don't foolishly rush forward alone, you must save your own life first. If you are gone, Zijun and I will have no support and will definitely be swept out the door."

Luo Zijun couldn't help but say: "Enough Sister, if you don't know how to speak, don't speak; these are inauspicious words."

Luo Jiaorong hummed, ignored them, and continued to enjoy the lively scenery outside the window.

Xiaohuan giggled on the side.

Soon, the carriage turned into a street in the West City.

After driving for a while longer, they entered a quiet and spacious street.

"What big lions!"

Luo Jiaorong's eyes suddenly lit up and she said: "It should be there."

But the carriage did not stop and turned into a small alley nearby.

After entering the small alley.

!

The speed of the carriage began to slow down, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Luo Zijun looked from the window and only saw a long, high wall that seemed to have no end.

At the same time, some flower branches poked out from the wall, like people longing for freedom.

The carriage drove in the small alley for a long time before finally stopping.

At the same time, human voices came from outside.

Li Zhengshan hurriedly jumped off the carriage first, cupped his hands and said: "Sorry to trouble Steward Zhang to wait here in person."

Luo Zijun also helped his sister get off the carriage.

Xiaohuan followed behind.

That Steward Zhang was round and plump, with a clean-shaven face and a smile that filled his features, looking quite amiable.

"Zhengshan, don't be so formal. Heiniu is my son-in-law, and since you are his brother, you are naturally not an outsider. He had matters to attend to and went out today, but he specifically instructed me not to forget to wait for you here, otherwise you wouldn't be able to get in."

Li Zhengshan hurriedly thanked him again, then introduced his family.

"This is my wife, this is my younger brother Luo Zijun, and this is his maid, who usually helps him with reading and grinding ink."

Luo Jiaorong, her younger brother, and Xiaohuan hurriedly stepped forward to offer their greetings.

Steward Zhang smiled and said, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities; from now on, we are all our own family."

He then looked at the young man before him and praised, "What a handsome and elegant young man! This appearance and temperament are not something an ordinary person can compare to. Zhengshan, I heard you praising your younger brother yesterday, and I thought you were exaggerating a bit, but seeing him today, you were actually being modest."

Li Zhengshan smiled and said, "Steward Zhang, you flatter him."

Steward Zhang smiled, then hurriedly ordered the servants behind him, "What are you standing there for? Why don't you hurry up and help move the things?"

Those servants hurriedly lowered their heads and walked toward the carriage to help move the items down.

Li Zhengshan was about to go help, but Steward Zhang smiled and said, "Zhengshan, you don't need to lift a finger; they will move them for you. You are a guard, and your duty is to protect the safety of the residence; let the servants do these menial tasks."

He then looked at Luo Zijun and said, "Zijun, I heard from your brother-in-law that you are a scholar and are studying at West Lake Academy?"

Luo Zijun hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "That is correct."

Steward Zhang nodded with a smile and said, "That's perfect. The school in the Master's residence is currently lacking a teacher. Although you are young, you can go and give it a try. If you can teach there, it will be very helpful for your future prospects."

He then whispered, "Those who attend classes there are all little nobles, and sometimes little nobles from other residences come over as well. If you can build good relationships with them, it will be much easier if you want to enter officialdom in the future. If you can get to know their fathers, then you won't have to worry about anything later on."

Luo Zijun cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks for your guidance, Uncle Zhang."

He changed his address from "Steward Zhang" to "Uncle Zhang," and upon hearing this, the smile on Steward Zhang's face became even brighter. He said, "Let's go, let's first go take a look at the courtyard where you will be staying. After we have lunch later, I will personally take you to the Master's residence to try for the school position. If you can stay, your brother-in-law and I will both have something to be proud of."

The group followed behind him and entered the residence through the back gate.

Those servants carried their luggage and parcels, following at the very back.

Upon entering the gate was the back garden.

At this moment, the garden was filled with vibrant colors, and various flowers were competing for beauty, blooming exceptionally brilliantly.

Not far away was a lake.

The lake water was clear, and a thin layer of mist floated on the surface, looking hazy and indistinct.

A warm breath of air drifted over.

Steward Zhang smiled and introduced, "There is a hot spring beneath this lake, so the water is warm all four seasons of the year, and the flowers in this garden also bloom all year round. The residence over at the Master's place is the same, though the garden and lake there are much larger."

Although Luo Jiaorong tried her best to maintain a quiet and virtuous image, the scenery here was truly too beautiful and the place was truly too large, so she couldn't help but secretly turn her neck and look around; every place she looked, she marveled in her heart.

It was as if Granny Liu had entered the Daguanyuan for the first time.

Luo Zijun and Xiaohuan also couldn't help but look around.

Xiaohuan whispered, "Young Master, this back garden alone is larger than the entire area of the residence where this servant stayed before."

Luo Zijun nodded and thought to himself: The ancients are truly extravagant.

Not far away, there were many houses of vastly different styles, as well as some towering pavilions.

There were even some small animals running about in the garden.

Steward Zhang led them forward all the way, exited the garden, and stepped onto a stone bridge.

Below the stone bridge was a pond.

After walking for about another quarter of an hour, they finally arrived at the small courtyard where they would live in the future.

Although it was called a small courtyard, the houses inside and the front and back yards were actually much larger than the house they had lived in before.

Luo Jiaorong's mouth was wide open with joy.

The servants subsequently moved all their belongings into the house.

Steward Zhang chatted with them for a while longer and then smiled, saying, "You have just arrived and probably still need to unpack. I won't disturb you any further. After lunch, I will come back to take Zijun to the Master's residence across the way to ask about the teaching position at the school."

Li Zhengshan hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "I have troubled you, Uncle Zhang."

Steward Zhang smiled and left with the servants.

Not long after they left, a burst of extremely exaggerated laughter suddenly came from inside the house.

"Hahahahaha..."

Luo Zijun: "..."

The rooms were quickly assigned.

Luo Jiaorong and her husband slept in the room on the left, while Luo Zijun and Xiaohuan slept in the room on the right.

Each room also had a small outer room partitioned off, specifically for the maid to sleep in.

The house was fully equipped with all daily necessities.

Luo Jiaorong grinned from ear to ear, walking from the front yard to the back yard, then from the back yard to the front yard, and then went into every room, even peeking into the kitchen and woodshed, unable to calm down from her excitement.

At noon, the maids delivered a sumptuous lunch.

Luo Jiaorong was even happier: "Zhengshan, we won't have to spend money on food from now on, so we can save money for Zijun to get a wife with peace of mind."

Li Zhengshan said, "The little bit of money you've painstakingly saved over several years isn't even enough to match what Zijun earns from writing a book."

Luo Zijun also advised, "Sister, you and Brother-in-law can use the money I gave you however you like. As for the money for a wife in the future, I will earn it again. Besides, your younger brother is so talented and handsome, maybe I won't even need to spend my own money to get a wife in the future."

Luo Jiaorong immediately glared and said, "What, are you thinking of marrying into a wealthy family to be a servant again?"

Li Zhengshan smiled from the side, "If it were marrying into a family like the one we are living in now, what would be wrong with that?"

Luo Jiaorong immediately glared at him again and said, "Keep dreaming! This is a Duke's residence. Even if a noble young lady wanted someone to marry into her family, she would want a noble young master whose status matches her own. Would they look at us? Li Zhengshan, you were the one who opposed this kid marrying into a family with me before, why are you saying this today? Could it be that your heart is stirred and you want to marry into a family yourself?"

Li Zhengshan: "..."

Luo Zijun and Xiaohuan couldn't help but laugh on the side.

Not long after they finished eating, that Steward Zhang arrived.

"Zijun, let's go quickly. It shouldn't be rest time over at the Master's place yet, so I'll take you over to have a look. I heard that several scholars, and even some quite talented readers, have gone over these past few days to compete for that one spot."

"Let us go and try first; if it really doesn't work, it is no matter."

Li Zhengshan and Luo Jiaorong hurriedly expressed their thanks.

Steward Zhang waved his hand and left with Luo Zijun.

They hurried along the way.

They exited the residence through the back gate and walked toward the mansion opposite.

The mansion opposite was the true Duke's residence; the eldest master of the Bai Family was the head of the Bai Family who had truly inherited the title, and although he currently only held a third-rank idle post, his influence in Daliang could not be underestimated.

There were guards at the back gate.

However, Steward Zhang was clearly already a familiar face at this residence; the guards exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and after merely checking Luo Zijun's Scholar Nameplate, they let the two of them enter.

The back garden and lake here were indeed much larger than those in Su Guo Fu.

The surface of the lake was shrouded in mist, and through the hazy blur, one could see a pavilion standing in the very center of the lake water.

But there was no bridge across the lake.

A few small boats were moored on the lake, clearly requiring one to take a small boat to reach the pavilion in the heart of the lake.

In the area of water closest to the inner side of the lake, many lotus flowers were planted.

The colors of those lotus flowers were white, red, and pink, varied and vibrant; set against the backdrop of green waves, green leaves, and the beautiful scenery of thin mist, they were like delicate beauties dancing gracefully in the breeze, truly enchanting.

Just as Luo Zijun was watching, dazzled and mesmerized, a familiar voice suddenly came from the flower bushes nearby.

"Eh, Wang Dafu... pui pui pui! Luo Zijun?"

As soon as Luo Zijun heard this voice, he secretly thought it was bad and turned his head to look.

Amidst the vibrant flowers, a pretty young girl wearing a pink dress stood up from a cluster of flowers, holding a few fresh flowers in her hand, blinking her large eyes and looking at him with a face full of astonishment.

The pretty young girl thought she had seen wrong, raised her small fist to rub her eyes, and looked at him again, her small mouth slightly agape, seemingly somewhat incredulous.

"Luo Zijun! It really is you!"

(End of this chapter)