Chapter 296 - Chapter 296: Chapter 296 The Green and Yellow Doesnt Connect 1 (1/2)
Chapter 296: Chapter 296 The Green and Yellow Doesn’t Connect 1
Translator: 549690339
Upon leaving the marinated food shop, Wei Ruo and Xiumei headed to the backyard of the Four Treasure House. The two establishments were close, so Wei Ruo had deliberately created a passageway at the back of both shops. This allowed her to move about more conveniently and aided the wet-nurse and Uncle Xu in looking after the places.
After changing inside their room, Wei Ruo and Xiumei set off for Caili Manor.
On the way, Xiumei asked Wei Ruo, “Miss, why are you so generous to Young Master Lu?”
Xiumei had accompanied Wei Ruo for many years and was very familiar with her mistress’s attitude towards financial matters. Wei Ruo would only lavish her wealth under two circumstances: for the right people or for the right causes.
“I may not be able to avoid certain troubles. Young Master Lu is the reserve I keep for myself. I don’t need anything from him now, but I can’t rule out the possibility of needing him in the future,” Wei Ruo replied.
That trouble was referring to Chu Lan. Whether it was Wei Ruo in disguise as Xu Heyou or Wei Qingruo, there was a chance Chu Lan would become tangled in her life – a prospect that filled her with profound dread and disgust carved into her very bones.
Lu Yuhong was one of the few people Chu Lan trusted and Wei Ruo deemed it worthwhile to invest in him.
“Then, when you asked Young Master Lu to intervene on behalf of Mr. Xiu earlier, do you think he will heed the advice?” asked Xiumei.
“That won’t be easy. Even if Mr. Xiu himself is persuaded, this matter of marriage is not solely up to him. The main decision lies with the elders of both families. My request to Lu Yuhong is just a pretext, so he’ll let his guard down against me. If I need something, I can comfortably put forward my request because I have already done him favors. If I ask for nothing, he might feel compelled to reject me,” Wei Ruo explained.
Lu Yuhong was not a meticulous person and was ill-suited for such tasks. Her words on this matter were merely a ploy to ensure Lu Yuhong expressed a position to Xiu Fengyuan. As to how effective this would be, Wei Ruo was not hopeful.
Of course, such a message did have some usefulness, at least it communicated her stance to Xiu Fengyuan.
“I see,” said Xiumei, finally grasping Wei Ruo’s intentions.
Xiumei, let’s pick up the pace. Let’s get our business at Caili Farm done while it’s still early. Then we can pick up Nanny Zhang. We shouldn’t leave her there too late,” Wei Ruo instructed.
When she had left the house today, she had taken Nanny Zhang with her. That was Mrs. Yun’s request.
However, Mrs. Yun did not know that Nanny Zhang was now loyal to Wei Ruo. After she left the Military Prefecture, Wei Ruo left Nanny Zhang in a courtyard to wait for her return.
“Okay!” Xiumei whipped the horse pulling the cart, quickening their pace.
Upon arriving at Caili Farm, they met with the burly manager, Zhao Hai. Seeing his distressed expression, Wei Ruo asked, “What’s wrong? Did the new rice seedlings not grow well?”
Zhao Hai quickly waved his hands, “No, no. The new seedlings are doing very well.”
“Then why the long face, as if I wronged you all with my decision to change the seedlings?” queried Wei Ruo.
No, it’s not that, it’s… it’s…” Zhao Hai stammered, struggling to voice out his concerns.
“Is it because the tenant farmers here are finding it hard to survive?” Wei Ruo finished his sentence for him.
Zhao Hai paused, then nodded vigorously, “Yes, the harvest was poor last year, food supplies are tight. The fields are now filled with seedlings, but everyone has run out of food at home. To buy food right now is exceedingly expensive and unaffordable. People can only forage for wild vegetables and peel tree roots, but it’s not enough…”
This predicament was not unique to the tenant farmers at Caili Farm, but was rather a reality faced by the entire Taizhou prefecture.