Chapter 156 - 156 Lady Ruan the Scapegoat
156 Lady Ruan the Scapegoat
Lu Jiao left with the dirty dishes while Xie Yunjin remained deep in thought.
He seemed to have wronged Lu Jiao before but she didn’t seem to hold a grudge against him. Was this because she liked him and therefore forgave everything he did?
Through all the details, Xie Yunjin was certain of one thing – Lu Jiao liked him.
That thought made him extremely happy and he felt like there was a halo of light beaming above him.
Lu Jiao didn’t think so much. After she washed the dishes, she got out a bunch of stuff for Lu Gui to bring back.
Lu Gui stared at the pile in shock. Was his sister making him carry back everything she had? Wasn’t that rude?
Lu Gui quickly declined, “Sister, you don’t need to give me so much stuff. If my brother-in-law found out, he would get mad at you.”
Lu Jiao rolled her eyes at him, “What are you saying? These are foods the villagers brought me yesterday. It’s too much for us to finish and they will go bad if not eaten in time. Take it and share it with everyone.”
Lu Gui wondered, “How come they keep giving you stuff?”
“I taught them herb harvesting and they made money yesterday. So every family gave me a little something.”
Lu Gui was highly interested, “Sister, how much did they make?”
“Most families made 700-800 while some earned three taels of silver.”
Lu Gui went into shock. Three taels of silver? That’s so much!
Though they started making money with tofu making, they’ve never earned that much in a day.
Lu Gui was now once again intrigued by herb harvesting, “Sister, what if I learn herb harvesting from you?”
Lu Jiao rolled her eyes and then went into the kitchen. After a moment, she came out with a bag of herbs.
“These are all herbs I harvested. You can use these as samples and harvest your own. Take what you harvest to Baohe Tang in Qili. Tell them you’re my brother and they won’t scam you.”
Lu Gui excitedly plunged forward and hugged Lu Jiao, “Sister! You’re truly my biological sister! You’re so great.”
Lu Jiao didn’t expect this from him and she froze in place. Soon, she gritted through her teeth, “Enough now, let go of me.”
Lu Gui hugged her for a while longer before he let go, “Sister, you bring so much fortune to our home. Ah no, you bring fortune to my brother-in-law and the Xie Village.”
Lu Gui thought over all the attributes Lu Jiao displayed lately and stared at her in shock, “Sister, truly, you’re such a fortune bringer. I am confident that you are going to be very happy in the future.”
Lu Jiao glared at him, “Leave and stop talking so much. Ah right, remember to ask everyone about leech keeping. If they want to be a part of it, send someone to let me know so I can teach everyone at the same time.”
Lu Gui nodded, “I got it. Then, I will go home now.”
“Get out of here.”
Lu Jiao and the four little ones sent him away. The four little ones waved at him sadly, “Uncle, come back to visit soon.”
“We will miss you.”
“You don’t need to bring gifts next time. We just want you to come.”
Lu Gui wanted to bring the four little ones with him after he heard what they had to say.
“Once your dad’s legs heal, come visit me.”
The four little ones snapped their heads around to look at Lu Jiao, who nodded. The four little ones cheered, “We will!”
After Lu Gui left, Lu Jiao took the four little ones inside to take their nap. Once they fell asleep, she got up and went to the east bedroom to practice writing. She’s learned some characters from Xie Yunjin this past week and she wanted to start practicing.
In her previous life, Lu Jiao practiced calligraphy. To ensure she didn’t appear suspicious, she intentionally made her writing look ugly. Even then, Xie Yunjin was shocked, “You write so well even though it’s your first time writing. I will find a few copybooks for you to practice later.”
Xie Yunjin could tell Lu Jiao was intentionally making her writing look ugly. What did this mean? It meant this woman knew how to write.
He found this to be so strange. She obviously didn’t know how to read so how come she knew how to write? What was that about? Could it be that where she came from had different characters than here?
Xie Yunjin thought he discovered the truth, but just what did the characters look like where she came from? He found it hard to imagine.
To ensure Lu Jiao didn’t get nervous, Xie Yunjin praised her, “If you practice every day, I’m sure your writing will look beautiful.”
Lu Jiao dryly smiled and went back to practicing.
In the afternoon, Lu Jiao waited until the children were done teaching before taking them into the mountains. Since she promised the four little ones that she would teach them how to climb trees, she tied up the four little ones’ sleeves and cuffs.
The four little ones brought all their equipment. First, they put their bows and swords into their baskets, then they carried the baskets with them. Lu Jiao gave each one of them a pot of water and packed some clean peaches and grapes.
Before they left, the four little ones bravely went into the east bedroom with their baskets to report to Xie Yunjin and bid their farewells.
“Father, we are going into the mountains. Today, mother is teaching us how to climb trees. Afterward, we will be practicing shooting arrows with a bow.”
The Second Born announced excitedly.
The other three were also very excited. The First Born, however, was a little worried about leaving Xie Yunjin home alone.
“Daddy, we are leaving now. If anyone hurts you, scream. I’m sure brother Xiaobao will come and protect you once he hears.”
Xie Yunjin patted his son’s head and laughed, “I’m an adult and I can take care of myself. Stop worrying.”
The four little ones finally stopped worrying and left with their baskets full. Once out, they b.u.mped into Xie Xiaobao, Mutou, and Gousheng.
“First Born, we want to climb the mountain with you.”
Kids liked to hang out with each other. The four little ones looked to Lu Jiao for permission.
Lu Jiao allowed it, “Sure, let’s go.”
The group marched into the mountains. On the way to the top, they ran into several people who were harvesting herbs. Of course, they all had their baskets full and when they saw Lu Jiao with the kids, they complimented her.
“Yunjin’s wife is so devoted to taking care of the four little ones.”
“It’s true. Did you see? There is now some fat on the little guys’ faces. I also think they look taller.”
“I feel the same way. I am now certain that Lu Jiao used to act out because the fourth grandma bullied her unreasonably. Look at how nice she is now.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, confident in the belief that Lu Jiao had always been a good person. She was only unreasonable before because Lady Ruan was an awful mother-in-law. Now that she had left the Xie family, she was a whole different person.
Lu Jiao remained silent when she heard the comments. It was convenient that everyone found an excuse for her change in character. Lady Ruan was a great scapegoat!