Gu Lan raised an eyebrow and looked over, only to see a slightly hunched little old man, accompanied by several attendants in official robes, walking into the grain store.
The moment the old man noticed his gaze, the wrinkles on his face deepened, and he forced out a full smile before hurrying over in quick, shuffling steps.
“Prefect Dou?” Gu Lan said with a faint smile. “You’re not on duty at the authorities. How do you have time to come all the way over here?”
Langzhou City was enormous. The authorities were on the west side of the city, while the Gu Residence was in the east. If he had come here for a casual stroll, that was obviously impossible.
Dou Fu clasped his hands and said honestly, “Young Master Gu’s grain store is opening. How could this humble official miss coming to show support? I came as soon as I heard.”
In fact, ever since the day he finished registering, he had already sent a small yamen runner to keep watch on the east side of the city.
Even if he could not get into the Gu family, it was still possible to keep tabs on Gu Grain Store.
After Dou Fu finished explaining, he turned to the several obnoxious women and said coldly, “You gossiping women, do you recognize this official?”
“Prefect Dou, this common woman does recognize you…”
Once they realized the little old man before them was the Langzhou prefect, they all fell silent in fear at once!
They had never imagined that a tiny grain store owner could have such a connection with the prefect, enough to make the prefect rush over here to show support!
“Good that you recognize me. You are disturbing Young Master Gu’s rest here and blocking the entrance, hindering the grain store’s business. That counts as disturbing public order, and this official will deal with you…”
As Dou Fu spoke, spittle flew everywhere.
“Forget it, Prefect Dou.”
After watching him scold them for a while, Gu Lan worried that this little old man might get too excited trying to curry favor with him and drag these women off to the execution grounds.
The women were being unreasonable, but they had not committed a crime worthy of that.
“Since you are not buying grain, then leave.”
At his words, the women looked at Dou Fu helplessly and timidly.
Dou Fu glared. “Why are you looking at this official? Young Master Gu already said to let you go, so hurry up and leave!?”
“Thank you for your mercy, Prefect Dou! Thank you for Young Master Gu’s understanding!”
Only then did the women understand who was truly in charge here. They hurriedly bowed and nodded, then scurried off in tiny steps in a panic.
They were afraid that if they said one more word, they would be dragged to the authorities to answer for it.
After today, the fact that Gu Grain Store had ties to the authorities would probably spread through the city very quickly, and no one blind enough to cause trouble would come again.
Moreover, with official backing from Langzhou Prefecture like this, more people would come to buy grain.
That would save him some unnecessary trouble… Looking at this flattering little old man, Gu Lan found him a bit more pleasing to the eye.
Seeing that this matter had been resolved properly, Dou Fu turned back around. After a brief hesitation, he finally stated his purpose: “Young Master Gu, actually, I came today because of the grain seeds…”
This morning, a secret order from the Xuantian Bureau had only just arrived, assigning him full responsibility for Gu Grain Store’s grain sales.
Otherwise, he would not have been able to come so promptly to show support…
No matter how high or low one’s official rank was, everyone was terribly afraid of the Xuantian Bureau!
“Find Old Yang. I don’t handle the accounts.” Gu Lan pointed in the direction of the crowd in the estate, thinking that Dou Fu wanted to buy grain seeds. “But each person is limited to two taels, and you are no exception.”
Dou Fu froze for a moment, then hurriedly smiled. “No, no, Young Master, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here to buy grain. I want to help your grain store transport goods out…”
“Isn’t that the escort agency’s job?”
Gu Lan asked in confusion.
To expand their business, grain stores would all spend money hiring escort agencies to transport grain seeds to other prefectures and counties. That was a rule everyone knew.
“Exactly, so Young Master doesn’t need to spend money anymore. Langzhou authorities will help you transport them.”
Dou Fu nodded, his eyebrows lifting in a rather comical way.
“You’ll help me transport the grain, provide the manpower and the effort… and not take any money?” Gu Lan stared at him.
“Not only will we not take money, Langzhou Prefecture will also put up money to subsidize your grain store business!” Dou Fu said decisively.
The people around all looked over in surprise, never expecting that the notoriously stingy county magistrate would one day actually take the initiative to subsidize the business of the common people!
“Helping me transport grain for free… was that your purpose in coming to find me today?”
Gu Lan’s eyes gleamed as he asked slowly.
After receiving Dou Fu’s affirmative answer,
Gu Lan became increasingly certain that the court definitely had officials helping him. Otherwise, with Dou Fu being just a low-ranking 6th-rank minor official, there was no way he would willingly spend money!
Not to mention the matter of registering for the imperial examinations last time.
It was fortunate that this man had been helping me all along, and was not an enemy from the capital… Gu Lan let out a breath and did not ask any further.
Being noticed by someone was admittedly uncomfortable, but as long as it was a friend and not an enemy, there was no need to take the risk of digging out exactly who it was.
After all, high officials were still only mortals.
They would not threaten him; only cheat-wielding monsters would…
“I understand. You can go back first. In three days, I will have Old Yang pack up the grain seeds and send them to the authorities.” Gu Lan said softly.
“No need to trouble Young Master with that.” Dou Fu pointed at the yamen runner beside him. “When the time comes, just send word, Young Master, and we’ll come personally to your residence to pick them up.”
“All right.” Gu Lan agreed.
Tea was served, and the guest was seen out.
Dou Fu walked to the door, then turned back as if he had remembered something. In a low voice, he said, “Right, Young Master Gu, there’s one more thing I should remind you about. Since this grain store is a business, it will have competitors. Because your grain seeds are so good, there will probably be some other unscrupulous grain merchants…”
Jealous rivals in the same trade, setting traps behind the scenes, huh… Gu Lan smiled faintly and directly dumped the responsibility for keeping watch onto this little old man: “Then I’ll have to trouble you, county magistrate. In Langzhou’s little patch of land, are there still merchants who don’t listen to you?”
“There really are…”
Dou Fu gave a bitter smile and added, “Some merchants are hard to deal with… In any case, Young Master, be careful. If you run into trouble, come find me at the authorities, and I’ll do my best to help you handle it.”
“All right.”
Gu Lan nodded in agreement, smiling brightly.
…
In the dusk, the three of them rode the carriage back to the residence.
Although Old Yang and Liu Yexi had been busy all day and were tired, at this moment they were tallying up the account book, and they were still quite happy inside.
The profit was not much… just one month’s revenue from the teahouse.
But knowing that these grain seeds would save the lives of many suffering people made the exhaustion worthwhile.
They got off the carriage.
Liu Yexi glanced at the lights in the residence, saw that Gu Lan was looking too, and smiled teasingly. “Old Yang and I will make dinner. Young Master has been out all day, so you must be in a hurry to go see Madam!”
Without the Empress present, there was no need to observe ruler-subject etiquette, and her girlish nature became much livelier.
Old Yang nodded vigorously.
Gu Lan laughed heartily and admitted, “You really do understand this Young Master. As the ancients said, ‘When one sees a beauty, one cannot forget her; if one does not see her for a day, one misses her like mad’… Missing my wife, isn’t that only human nature?”
Gu Lan strode toward the study.
By the window, a beauty’s silhouette was cast through the latticework in candlelight, slender and graceful.
Tsk, tsk. As expected of Young Master, he could even make such cheesy sweet talk sound so refined. No wonder he and Madam were inseparable day after day…
Behind him, Liu Yexi and Old Yang stopped and looked up, getting goosebumps all over.
…
Gu Lan entered the study.
He saw Mu Yuyan holding a book, reading with complete absorption.
Her jade arm rested on her fragrant cheek, phoenix eyes sparkling like stars, her slender jade fingers turning a page from time to time, quiet and beautiful.
Gu Lan quietly walked closer and discovered that she was not reading her usual favorite storybook at all, but the agricultural classic he had just written several chapters of, “Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People”!
“Wife, are you interested in books like this?”