Lu Hanbai Refused. Am I Not Good? Then Who Do You Think…
The next day.
After dropping Lu Yu off at Shanzao Village, the two of them took an ox cart into town.
Although it was neither a market day nor a temple fair, the streets of the town were still quite busy. Those old food stalls had long since built up their reputations, and some regular customers swore strictly by them.
“Shouldn’t you go check in with the escort agency first? It’s my fault, too. If I had just settled these things yesterday while you were resting, it would have been fine.” Jiang Queyun felt a pang of heartache over the silver; losing even a single day meant losing several hundred wen.
“I do need to go. You wait for me in the shade, and I’ll be right back.” Lu Hanbai said, walking off in a hurry as if afraid Jiang Queyun would chase after him.
Jiang Queyun actually wanted to follow, but watching Lu Hanbai disappear into the distance, he wouldn’t have been able to catch up even if he rode a bike!
He simply decided to walk into his usual apothecary to look around, and by the way, inquire whether they still bought common medicinal herbs from the villages. If the price was right, he could let the villagers dig them up to sell for money.
Jiang Queyun had no idea that Lu Hanbai stopped as soon as he rounded the corner.
“Come out.” Lu Hanbai shed his usual gentle and unrestrained demeanor, replaced entirely by a solemn and cold expression.
A figure silently dropped down before him, kneeling on the ground, ready to take his orders.
“Keep sending men to the escort agency as usual; don’t give away any flaws.” Lu Hanbai cautioned. “Once Jiang Queyun sets up his stall in the town, be sure to have someone keep an eye on him.”
“Understood!” the figure in black replied respectfully.
Remembering something else, Lu Hanbai asked, “How are things handling over there?”
A cold sweat immediately broke out on the black-clad man’s body. “Lord Feng hasn’t sent word yet. It will be hard on Your Lordship to continue lying low for a while longer.”
“Dismissed.” Lu Hanbai frowned and said no more.
He knew all too well how difficult matters on that side were to handle.
So be it, for now.
He lingered in the small alley for a short moment before pretending to return in a rush toward Jiang Queyun, leading him into an alleyway to find a craftsman to get to work.
The moment Jiang Queyun saw the master craftsman, he greeted him cheerfully and showed him his blueprints. “I want to place a pot here, and it needs to be able to burn a fire underneath. The compartments on the side also need to hold things, so you have to make it look spacious for me. Can you do it?”
The master craftsman squinted his eyes to look it over. “None of this is difficult, but the pot and the stove funnel for the fire will need to be custom-made. Otherwise, the dimensions probably won’t match up.”
“I understand. Just make it as you see fit.” Jiang Queyun nodded understandingly. “I hope the wheels underneath can have brakes, making it easier to park.”
“That’s not difficult either.” The master craftsman said leisurely. “If you have any other requests, state them all at once. My craft has been honed for decades; there is nothing I cannot make!”
Jiang Queyun raised an eyebrow. If he put it that way, he wouldn’t hold back.
Of course, he didn’t make things too difficult for the master craftsman.
After all, most of the effects and performance he wanted had to be achieved through modern technology. At this moment, being able to meet the basic requirements was already quite good.
Seeing that he finally stopped talking, the master craftsman quickly said, “Give me one tael of silver as a deposit, and come back to pick it up in two days.”
“Alright.” Jiang Queyun readily handed over the deposit, bid farewell to the master craftsman, and left.
Lu Hanbai was naturally familiar with the town, leading him to a grain shop to buy some rice and flour, and then to a spice shop for some uncommon seasonings, stopping only when neither of them could carry any more.
Although it was still morning, bustling around like this had worked up a sweat.
Jiang Queyun sighed softly. If only there were iced drinks available.
“Husband, is there ice sold in the town?”
“Ice is expensive. There is none in the town, and in the county city, only some wealthy merchant families use it.” Lu Hanbai said.
A single catty of ice blocks cost several taels of silver, which wasn’t worth it for ordinary folks.
Jiang Queyun stopped dwelling on it. Ice was practically an assassin for his wallet.
Walking onto the main street, Jiang Queyun instinctively bade him farewell. “Then I’ll head home first. You hurry off to your work; missing less time means fewer docked wages.”
Lu Hanbai stood frozen in place for a brief second, rubbed his shoulder, and replied naturally, “I’ve already asked for a day off from the escort agency. I can still accompany you around a bit longer.”
Jiang Queyun didn’t think much of it. Since the day was already disrupted anyway, taking a leave was fine; after all, in some workplaces, missing half a day meant getting docked for the entire day plus attendance bonuses, so it was better just to stay away all day.
“Then let’s look around some more. Is there anything you need to buy?” Jiang Queyun looked up and asked him. “The silver you gave me isn’t running out anytime soon. Should we buy some fabric to make you an outfit?”
“No need.” Lu Hanbai refused.
He had enough clothes to wear, so there was really no need to waste the effort.
Jiang Queyun didn’t ask further. Remembering the starch he had extracted yesterday, he said, “Shall we have cold jelly noodles for lunch? I’ll make a few pancakes too, and that will be enough for you to eat.”
Whatever was left could be put in a cool room to eat tomorrow.
Whoever cooked held the right to speak.
Lu Hanbai was somewhat picky about food, but the plain dishes Jiang Queyun made suited his palate quite well, so he would eat whatever was prepared without complaint.
“I’ll leave it to you.” Lu Hanbai said.
The two of them took the ox cart back home.
The hour was still early, and the sun hadn’t yet reached the doorway. If they went to farm the fields now, they would only end up roasting under the sun. Farming was truly the most wretched labor since ancient times.
The starch had been sitting in the well, and after a day and night of settling, the clear water had separated. Pouring off the clear water left only the smooth starch slurry.
With the preparations done and the time drawing near, without waiting for Jiang Queyun to speak, Lu Hanbai walked out the door.
Lu Yu came home covered in dust as usual, looking natural and seemingly having a good time playing with his friends.
“It’s hot. I made cold jelly noodles. The seasonings are over there; help yourselves to whatever you like.” Jiang Queyun said, dishing out the cold skin noodles and handing them over, before serving his own portion with plenty of extra chili.
“It really is cold!” Lu Yu widened his eyes. It was cool and smooth, making it extremely comfortable to eat!
Jiang Queyun hummed proudly. “Delicious, right? This is made from the washing water of the dough. Am I amazing or what?”
“Dough washing water?” Lu Yu looked doubtfully at the jelly noodles in his bowl. “You’re trying to scare me; I don’t believe it! Dad, he said this is made from dough washing water. He’s so funny.”
Lu Hanbai let out an affirmative hum and said, “It is dough washing water. The washed dough was turned into gluten, which you ate a lot of yesterday.”
At the mention of fried gluten, Lu Yu fell into an eerie silence.
Actually, he still really wanted to eat fried gluten. He only got to eat a tiny bit that day, but he didn’t dare say it; he didn’t want to worry his dad over such a trivial matter.
Jiang Queyun finished eating quickly, left the bowls and chopsticks behind, and began organizing the items he had bought.
Rice and flour were things they needed every day anyway. Even if he couldn’t sell his snacks, they would eventually end up in their own stomachs, so he wouldn’t suffer a loss.
“Are you really going to sell fried gluten?” Lu Yu squatted down beside him at some point, asking softly with a trace of craving in his eyes.
Jiang Queyun turned his head to look at him and smiled. “We are going to sell it. If it doesn’t sell well, I’ll bring it back home and fry it up for you to eat. How about that? Will you eat it?”
“I will! I’ll eat it!” Lu Yu said earnestly.
He couldn’t afford to waste food, after all.
“Did you have fun playing at the private school? I notice you come home covered in dirt every day. Don’t always roll around in the mud. What if you get sick?” Jiang Queyun frowned slightly. “When you got back, you were so busy eating that I forgot to let you change into a clean outfit. Go change right now, and throw the dirty ones into the wooden basin.”
“Aren’t you going to get mad? Other kids get scolded for rolling around in the mud. Why aren’t you yelling at me?” Lu Yu muttered, dragging his feet and showing reluctance to go change.
For a split second, Jiang Queyun lost control of his facial expression.
He was supposed to lecture the protagonist gong’s precious son? Who did he think he was to lecture anyone? He hadn’t lived long enough yet!
Jiang Queyun let out a couple of dry laughs, trying to say something, but upon catching Lu Yu’s expression, those aloof words got stuck in his throat and wouldn’t come out.
After all, he was just a seven-year-old child. Even if he was precocious, he was still immature in certain aspects.
What the boy didn’t know was that most adults who casually beat and scolded children were their birth parents, but he wasn’t one. If he treated Lu Yu poorly even slightly, people would point fingers and curse him straight down his spine.
Yet this child had a why aren’t you yelling at me look on his face.
“Are you done talking? If you’re done, hurry up and get over there to change your clothes! It’s not enough that I wait on you every day; do you actually want me to lose my temper? I think your backside is itching for a kick from my foot!” Jiang Queyun raised his voice slightly, putting on an annoyed act while feeling thoroughly guilty inside.
“Ah! I’m going right now. Why are you shouting so fiercely. Hee haha!” Lu Yu ran off while speaking, and as he darted into the room, the sound of a suppressed giggle could still be heard.
Was he really that happy just from getting yelled at a couple of times? Didn’t he used to yell at him before, leaving the boy gnashing his teeth in hatred? Children truly were fickle creatures.
Jiang Queyun sighed softly. The kid clearly had a lively personality, nothing like Lu Hanbai at all. Probably inherited it from that mother of his who had zero literary flair?
“He likes you very much.” Lu Hanbai remarked.
“You gave me a scare!” Jiang Queyun reached out to punch his arm, then puffed up with pride. “Since I’m so lovable, liking me is only natural. Are you jealous?”
Lu Hanbai sneered. It was a waste of breath for him to say anything to Jiang Queyun.
Two days flew by in the blink of an eye.
To show off his small pushcart, Jiang Queyun generously agreed to let Lu Hanbai tag along. Even if it delayed things by another day, it didn’t matter; once he got his stall up and running, those few hundred wen would be earned right back!
Besides, the man had stuffed plenty of silver into his hands, anyway!
The pushcart was built strictly according to Jiang Queyun’s blueprints. Because they had discussed it with the master craftsman beforehand, and the craftsman himself possessed formidable skills, even the minor details were handled exceptionally well, making it a fantastic piece of work.
“You are truly amazing!” Jiang Queyun couldn’t help praising, giving a thumbs-up. “If I ever need to make things in the future, I’m coming straight to you!”
“Naturally.” The master craftsman stroked his beard, lifting his chin with quiet pride.
Jiang Queyun briskly settled the final payment, said goodbye to the master craftsman, and pushed the cart away.
“Since you have nothing to do today, why don’t you come home with me and help out? I want to make a bit more stuff, and we need to buy casings too.” Jiang Queyun said with a smile. Ready labor was right in front of him; what a waste it would be not to use it!
“Remember to give me a share of the silver when the time comes.” Lu Hanbai couldn’t resist teasing him with a sharp tongue.
Jiang Queyun clicked his tongue twice. “Would I shortchange you? What kind of person do you take me for? Can’t we have even a little bit of trust? You are not being nice at all.”
Lu Hanbai raised an eyebrow. “Am I not nice? Then who do you think is nice?”
“Look at that, getting all flustered just from one sentence!”
“Is it that I should just stand there smiling while you roast me? Jiang Queyun, do you take people for fools?”
Jiang Queyun giggled. How could that be?
This was his golden thigh right here!