He will die soon as well! Lu Hanbai bows to no one, except…
Noon.
All the way back, Lu Yu had been questioning Lu Hanbai about the food. Upon learning that Jiang Queyun had still saved a good portion for him, he was beyond thrilled, immediately starting to hunt for food the moment he stepped through the door.
“So good. Slurp. Gasp.”
Lu Yu had generously loaded on the chili powder himself, slurping between bites. With the weather already sweltering, it broke him out in a cold sweat.
Jiang Queyun was alarmed. “Your dad said you can’t eat spicy food. Putting this much chili powder, are you trying to frame me? I definitely can’t beat him in a fight!”
“I love it, and I’ll eat spicy food from now on,” Lu Yu declared.
He was going to be a real man. What was a little chili? There was no way he was going to let that troublemaker look down on him, hmph!
“Loving it is fine, but eating too much chili will make you sick and give you the runs. Eat fewer snacks. You haven’t even touched the ciabatta yet, and I made it really delicious,” Jiang Queyun said.
“I can eat it!” Lu Yu picked up the ciabatta and took a large bite. It was packed with rich fillings, and the eggs were fried into patties and sandwiched in the bread along with plenty of minced meat.
So good!
Wisely dropping the subject, Jiang Queyun didn’t say any more. Lu Yu wasn’t a little kid, and many things didn’t need to be explained too much, otherwise it would just invite annoyance.
Stepmothers had a hard time of it, after all.
Probably because he was growing, Lu Yu finished the hearty bread, drank a bowl of soup, and polished off most of the fried gluten puffs as well.
“So good. Are you going to carry all these things to town every single day?” Lu Yu patted his round belly in curiosity. “That’s bound to wear you out. You can’t even carry the cooking pot.”
“I need a small pot, and a pushcart. Your dad gave me silver.” Jiang Queyun leaned in close to his ear, though he didn’t lower his voice at all.
Even Lu Yu was a bit surprised at that.
His dad actually gave the troublemaker silver? Previously, whatever silver the family had was completely scraped together by the troublemaker to subsidize her maiden family. The household rarely had any silver left over, let alone giving any directly to the troublemaker. To think he gave it again.
Dad surely wasn’t getting scammed, right?
Looking dubiously at Jiang Queyun, he asked, “Are you going to buy things by yourself?”
She wouldn’t just blow the silver recklessly, would she? The family was dirt poor and couldn’t afford any of the troublemaker’s nonsense.
“With your dad.” Jiang Queyun gave him a reassuring look.
At such a tender age, the kid’s mind never stopped turning. He was practically ready to manage the entire household himself.
Although the original owner had visited town once or twice, it was only to wander the main street, meaning she didn’t know much about the town. Going with Lu Hanbai would be much more reliable.
Lu Yu felt relieved. With Dad around, the troublemaker definitely wouldn’t dare spend money randomly, let alone squirrel it away to subsidize her maiden family.
It took half an hour to walk from home to the academy, and Lu Yu didn’t have much time to rest after eating. After such a chat, he had to hurry back toward Jujube Village.
“I’ll pack up the leftovers for you to share with your classmates. Do you want to take a mantou?” Jiang Queyun asked while tidying up.
“Take one,” Lu Yu said.
The mountain road alone consumed a lot of energy, and after arriving at the private school, he would have to use his brain to study. He couldn’t afford to have an empty stomach. Studying on an empty stomach simply wouldn’t work.
Packing everything up neatly, Jiang Queyun handed the bundle straight to Lu Hanbai, not forgetting to instruct, “Take it and share it right away. Don’t save it for later. I didn’t put too much chili powder in it, so keep an eye on things when you hand them out.”
“Got it!” Lu Yu replied crisply.
A cheerful smile lit up his tender little face. This troublemaker was genuinely annoying, fussing and nagging endlessly over such trivial matters, so annoying, hehe.
Lu Hanbai dropped Lu Yu off at the entrance of the private school, watching until he and his friends went inside together before turning to leave.
“Lu Yu, what do you have in your hand? It smells so good!”
“I smell it too. Is it something to eat? Did your stepmother make it for you?”
“Can you let us see?”
Lu Yu nodded heavily. “He made it for me, and specifically told me to share it with you all. I’ll split it up for you once we’re inside.”
“Yay!”
A group of little kids immediately dashed toward the classroom, urging Lu Yu impatiently to open it up and let them see as soon as they got inside.
Deep-fried food being what it was, the moment it was opened, the aroma rushed right into everyone’s faces. Coupled with the novelty of the food’s shape and the heavy seasoning sprinkled on top, every child craned their necks to look, and quite a few were already swallowing hard.
Lu Yu said, “He only made this much, so nobody fight. Let’s share it together.”
“Thank you!”
“Thanks, Lu Yu!”
“This was all made by my dad’s new husband.” Lu Yu chimed in quickly. This was the troublemaker’s achievement. He couldn’t take all the credit.
“Then thanks to your dad’s new husband too!”
“Right, right, thanks to him!”
“Hey! Isn’t your dad’s new husband your little dad? How come you don’t even know how to address people properly? I heard he’s super bad. There’s no way he made this for you!”
The cheerful atmosphere was instantly shattered by those words.
Lu Yu turned his head to look and saw a few kids standing in the corner. Leading them was Wang Xiaohu, who had always been at odds with him. As soon as he finished speaking, he burst out laughing.
What on earth was so funny about that? Lu Yu didn’t understand, but he knew that laughter was full of disdain and humiliation.
“He made it for me,” Lu Yu stated firmly.
“You’re lying! The nearby villages all know he’s terribly bad, always stealing vegetables from other people’s fields, lazy and gluttonous, and he doesn’t know how to cook for you at all. Even if there’s good food, he’d only give it to his nephew! You’re nothing!” Wang Xiaohu grew more pleased with himself. “He hates you to death. There’s no way he made that for you. You’re just a little liar!”
“You’re the one talking nonsense! He really made this for me. You’re just talking rubbish and bullying people!” Refusing to back down, Lu Yu angrily argued back.
Wang Xiaohu was from Jujube Village, acting like a little king or village bully among the local kids, and everyone usually listened to him.
But ever since Lu Yu arrived at the academy, many people had stopped playing with him, choosing instead to follow Lu Yu around, and even the teacher liked him very much. To Wang Xiaohu, that was a betrayal!
Seeing Lu Yu refuse to give him face, Wang Xiaohu grew even angrier and began yelling abuses without restraint, “You’re just an unlovable pest. That’s why your mother died, died well, died wonderfully! Your dad’s new husband hates you too. He will die soon as well!”
“I won’t let you curse my mom!” With eyes flushed red, Lu Yu roared and charged forward, instantly tumbling into a brawl with Wang Xiaohu.
It all happened in a split second, and the other children were so terrified that they scrambled anxiously forward to help.
Lu Hanbai walked at a brisk pace and was soon home.
Before even stepping into the courtyard, his height and long legs allowed him to spot Jiang Queyun standing on a stool to hang up laundry. He let out an involuntary scoff and stepped forward to take the damp clothes from him.
“You’re back already?” Jiang Queyun asked instinctively. Seeing that he could easily hang the laundry without standing on a stool, a trace of resentment flared up in his heart. “Can’t you tie the clothesline a bit lower? I can’t reach it at all!”
“I wanted to retie it earlier, but you threw a crying, screaming tantrum, insisting you wouldn’t wash or hang clothes.” Lu Hanbai’s indifferent gaze landed on Jiang Queyun, watching the little creature panic with guilty alarm, unable to hide a single thought.
Blinking rapidly, Jiang Queyun tried to salvage the situation. “That was in the past. Haven’t I changed for the better now? Right now, immediately, go retie that rope!”
Turning a deaf ear, Lu Hanbai shook out a piece of laundry, sending water droplets splashing onto Jiang Queyun’s face. Seeing him wipe his face like a cat and pull a wry smile, he burst out laughing.
“You’re awful.” Frowning, Jiang Queyun wiped his face and retaliated by wiping the wetness from his hands straight onto Lu Hanbai.
Lu Hanbai stopped laughing.
“Remember to fix that rope,” Jiang Queyun nagged again.
“You washed the clothes, so I’ll hang them. What does the height of the clothesline have to do with you?” Lu Hanbai said with utmost casualness.
Jiang Queyun was left speechless. “You’re away from home all day. Once I finish washing, I have to wait for you to come home to hang them? Won’t the clothes start to stink by then?”
Lu Hanbai shook the water off his hands and turned to look at him. “Aren’t you setting up a stall in a couple of days? When would you even have the time to sneakily wash clothes while I’m away?”
“That’s true too.” Jiang Queyun was convinced.
“What do you need to do in town tomorrow? I’ll go with you to take a look, so you don’t get scammed out of your entire fortune.” Lu Hanbai was definitely tagging along.
Even if it were the untransformed Jiang Queyun, he would still follow. Being extra cautious was never a mistake.
Seeing no need for secrecy, Jiang Queyun counted on his fingers. “I need to buy a pot for frying gluten, have someone build a pushcart, and buy a bit more flour and spices. The items I need aren’t that many.”
As for the rest of the grain, meat, and vegetables, those could be bartered with the villagers later.
“Only selling fried gluten?” Lu Hanbai raised an eyebrow, inquiring.
“Let’s get the gluten selling first, but I also want to sell fried meat sausages. I’m great at stuffing casings. I just need to buy some sausage casings.” Jiang Queyun sighed slightly. “Husband, you should know where they sell those, right?”
Lu Hanbai didn’t defer to anyone, but he admired Jiang Queyun’s pragmatism. Whenever the man needed a favor, his mouth could turn as sweet as honey.
“The butcher definitely has them. I’ll take you to buy them tomorrow.”
Satisfied, Jiang Queyun broke into a smile, even making a playful, exaggerated wink at Lu Hanbai, terrified the man might feel his emotional value delivery wasn’t up to par.
With time to spare, Jiang Queyun simply headed inside to hunt around for some paper and scrap cloth, pulled a piece of charcoal from the stove fire, laid the paper out on the table, and began drawing.
“What are you doing?” Lu Hanbai asked.
“Drawing the pushcart I want. It needs to be convenient, with wheels underneath to save a lot of effort, and a place to put things. My pot needs to be mounted on the cart too. Look.” With a few strokes, Jiang Queyun sketched out the cart he wanted.
Simple yet precise.
Ancient wisdom was unmatched. Even with just a simple blueprint, as long as they explained it to the veteran craftsmen, those masters would definitely understand what he was looking for, and adjustments could be discussed.
The more Lu Hanbai looked, the more alarmed he became.
Some less-than-favorable thoughts surfaced in his mind. He had thought Jiang Queyun had changed his ways, and had even wondered if someone was giving him pointers.
Yet with this blueprint right before his eyes, this simply wasn’t something a village geer should be able to draw, let alone conceptualize.
“Don’t show this casually to others,” Lu Hanbai said in a deep voice, his expression turning serious.
“This is my money-making treasure, of course I won’t just show it to anyone casually. Don’t worry!” Jiang Queyun patted his chest in assurance, looking immensely pleased with himself.
Sighing softly, Lu Hanbai dropped the subject.
Dusk.
Lu Hanbai brought Lu Yu back home.
Seeing the layer of dirt all over the boy, Jiang Queyun frowned. “Where have you been rolling around? Did you get into a fight with someone?”
“I tripped in the mountain.” Dropping those words, Lu Yu hurried back into his room to change his clothes.
Jiang Queyun wrinkled his nose at Lu Hanbai.
Your son!