Chapter 455: Buying the Bamboo Forest
Li Zheng waved his hand. “It’s not worth much. No one eats bamboo shoots either. Chop as many as you want. Don’t feel uneasy.”
“How can I do that?”
Lu Sheng shook her head. “If Uncle is unwilling to offer a price, I’ll go up the mountain and chop bamboo. Although the bamboo on the mountain is further away, at least it has no owner. I can chop it with peace of mind.”
Li Zheng had helped her a lot. She could not keep taking things for nothing.
“Why are you so stubborn?”
It was the first time he saw someone who was unwilling to take something for free.
Lu Sheng chuckled. She looked at Li Zheng and suggested, “Uncle, why don’t I give you five hundred taels to buy that bamboo forest over?”
She remembered that the bamboo forest at Li Zheng’s house was not small. It was at least ten mu.
“Five… Cough, cough—”
Li Zheng almost choked to death on his own saliva.
Lu Sheng hurriedly patted his back. “Uncle, don’t be agitated. If you don’t want to, you can reject it directly.”
It took a while for Li Zheng to regain his senses. He glared at Lu Sheng and said, “Five hundred taels. How can you say that?”
“Huh?”
Did she give too little?
Lu Sheng scratched her head. She had never bought a bamboo forest before and didn’t know what was a good price.
Li Zheng sighed softly and asked helplessly, “Do you know how much Uncle spent buying that bamboo forest back then?”
“I don’t know!” Lu Sheng shook her head.
She really did not know.
“Six taels. That bamboo forest has a total of ten mu. Uncle bought it for six hundred coins a mu back then.”
If it were anyone else, they would have long sold it to Lu Sheng.
“Huh? So cheap?”
Lu Sheng did not expect that the bamboo forest cost only six taels.
“You think six taels is cheap?”
Li Zheng snorted coldly. “How about this? If you want it, just give me six taels. That bamboo forest will be yours in the future.”
Lu Sheng was elated. “Thank you, Uncle!”
There must be a lot of bamboo shoots in such a huge bamboo forest. If they were all dug out to be made into sour bamboo shoots and processed in a restaurant, they would definitely be sold for quite a bit of money.
Lu Sheng was not in a hurry to chop bamboo anymore. She went home and gave Li Zheng ten taels.
Li Zheng refused to accept it. When he heard Lu Sheng say that she only had ten taels, he told Lu Sheng to give it to him when she had six taels.
Lu Sheng had no choice but to give him six taels.
The next day, Lu Sheng and Li Zheng borrowed an ox cart and personally went to Qingshui River to chop bamboo.
On the way, she b.u.mped into the villagers, who had just returned from farming and were preparing to go home for lunch.
Seeing her pull a cart of bamboo, they hurriedly asked with a smile, “Oh, Lu Sheng, are you inheriting your father’s skills?”
Lu Dahua was a craftsman, but his weaving skills were well-known in the village.
At least, there were no less than five craftsmen in the village. However, most people still came to find him because he was skilled.
Lu Sheng smiled. She neither admitted nor retorted.
This made everyone think that she really wanted to inherit Lu Dahua’s skills.
Someone even joked, “Make two vegetable baskets for Aunt tomorrow. My baskets are already moldy.”
Someone else said, “Would Lu Sheng lack your coins now? I think there are other uses for these chopped bamboo, right?”
“To make a fence.”
Lu Sheng casually explained and said to a group of people, “Uncle and Aunt, please make way. I’m in a hurry.”
When everyone heard that, they hurriedly retreated to both sides of the road and let her ride over first.
After she walked further away, everyone sighed. “I thought that once Lu Dahua and Mdm Liu were gone, the Lu family would be finished. I didn’t expect them to lead a better life.”
“Isn’t that so?” Someone sighed. “Previously, Lu Ran followed Sun Hu and the rest. Lu Sheng was also a shy girl. Who knew that once the two of them were gone, they became capable and even bought a courtyard in town to open a restaurant.”
They did not even have the money to build a decent house, but others had already bought a house in town.
In just half a year, the gap between them and the Lu family had widened.
Someone guessed. “I think these two children must have felt disgusted with Mdm Liu. Is that why they’ve been hiding their temper?”
“Possibly!”
“What?”
When Mdm Zheng, who was following the crowd, heard that, she said disdainfully, “If that girl wasn’t lucky enough to have a fiancé like Lord Chu, would their family be where they are today?”
Ever since she witnessed Lu Sheng’s methods, although Mdm Zheng and Lu Daming were jealous of her, they did not dare to provoke her anymore.
Seeing how Lu Sheng’s family was getting better, her heart ached.
“That’s true!”
Everyone agreed with her.
The Chu Mansion was famous for having a big house and business in Huang Yang Town.
Since Lord Chu was Lu Sheng’s fiancé, it was normal for him to buy her a courtyard and open a restaurant.
Other than Mdm Zheng, there were also the Duan family who felt sour in their hearts.
However, for the sake of Duan Zhen’s career, they did not dare to casually lie about Lu Sheng. Every time, they only dared to secretly curse Lu Sheng.
“Hey, your daughter, Lu Wei, has reached the age of marriage. Haven’t you found someone yet?”
Someone asked Mdm Zheng.
Mdm Zheng’s face changed and she laughed dryly. “Not yet. She went to Zheng Village with her grandma a few days ago.”
Lu Wei yearned for Duan Zhen. Mdm Zheng had thought that her daughter would stand a chance after Lu Sheng broke off her engagement with the Duan family.
She did not expect the Duan family to still look down on Lu Wei even without Lu Sheng.
She had hinted to Duan Zhen’s mother, Mdm Ma, several times, but Mdm Ma kept pretending to praise Lu Wei for being a good girl and that she would definitely marry a good man in the future.
No matter how stupid Mdm Zheng was, she knew that Mdm Ma did not like her daughter.
“I remember that she’s three months older than Lu Sheng, right?”
Mdm Ma faked a smile and said, “It’s indeed time to find someone. I saw a few young masters beside Lu Sheng. They often come with Lord Chu and the rest. There are also two of them by Lu Ran’s side. Why don’t you find Lu Sheng and ask her to introduce one of them to Lu Wei?”
She had only suggested it casually. She did not expect Mdm Zheng to take it to heart.
One had to know that anyone beside Chu Sihan was much stronger than Duan Zhen.
Her gaze darkened and she already had an idea.
On the other hand, Lu Sheng had just removed the bamboo and was sitting in the courtyard drinking a few mouthfuls of water.
Just as she stood up and was about to prepare lunch, Mdm Zheng walked in with a basket. She had a ‘kind look.’
Lu Sheng raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked rudely, “What’s the matter?”
“Hehe—”
Mdm Zheng laughed dryly and placed the basket on the table under the tree. She looked at Lu Sheng and said ingratiatingly, “Aunt has a lot of eggs recently, so I brought some over for you.”
Without waiting for Lu Sheng to speak, she continued, “Aunt knows that I was in the wrong in the past and made you unhappy. I came here today to apologize to you. We’re family, so we should be amiable, right?”
Lu Sheng sneered and leaned against the tree with her arms crossed. She smiled insincerely and said, “Did the sun rise from the west this morning?”
To be honest, it was a little scary for Mdm Zheng to speak to her so gently.
“I’m here to apologize to you. I don’t mean anything else.”
Mdm Zheng smiled guiltily, but her eyes kept darting around.
Lu Sheng laughed coldly. “If you have something to say, say it. I still have things to do.”
Mdm Zheng frowned but quickly regained her expression. “Look at what you’re saying. Why would Aunt find you for?”
“If there’s nothing else, leave. I still have some matters to attend to.”
As Lu Sheng spoke, she stood up and was about to enter the kitchen when Mdm Zheng stopped her.
Lu Sheng glanced coldly at the hand that was tugging at her clothes, scaring Mdm Zheng so much that she let go hurriedly.
“Cough—Well, Aunt came here today to ask for your help.”
“Oh?”
Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “What kind of help?”
Mdm Zheng was elated. “Lu Sheng, look. You already have a fiancé, and he’s a Lord. However, your Sister Wei’s marriage has not been settled…”
Lu Sheng narrowed her eyes. “So?”
“Aunt saw that Lord Chu often has two young masters by his side. They probably haven’t married yet, right? Can you…”
Lu Sheng smiled.
She looked at Mdm Zheng and said, “On what basis do you think those two young masters will fall for Lu Wei?”
Putting aside Yu Mingyue’s and Fu Sisi’s ident.i.ties, Lu Wei could not compare to them in terms of looks alone.
“Your Sister Wei isn’t bad either, right? Her skin isn’t tanned either. Why won’t they like her?”
Mdm Zheng had only seen Yun Ting and s.h.i.+ Yi from afar. She only knew that they were quite tall, but she had not seen their faces up close.
“Stop dreaming. They already have fiancées. One is the daughter of the Prime Minister of the capital, and the other is a girl from the Yu Mansion of Huang Yang Town. On what basis do you think they will fall for Lu Wei?”
Mdm Zheng suddenly looked up. Lu Sheng’s sneer made her feel a bit ashamed.
She initially thought that the two of them were just ordinary young masters. Who knew that their fiancées were people of high status?
It seemed like the two young masters were of similar status.
“Take your things away and I’ll spare you today. Don’t forget what I said.”
Lu Sheng’s warning reminded Mdm Zheng of the time when she was beaten up by Lu Sheng. She hurriedly picked up her basket and left.
Lu Sheng watched her leave coldly before entering the kitchen to cook lunch.
After lunch, she went to chop a cart of bamboo poles and spread them in the courtyard to dry.
The sun had been s.h.i.+ning brightly recently. It had only been three days, but the bamboo poles had already changed color.
Lu Sheng built a shed beside the kitchen and started planting watermelons.
On this day, Lu Zhou and Shangguan Dian came again, saying that they wanted to eat crayfish.
Lu Sheng did not mind. Crayfish reproduced very quickly. For the past two days, she had been thinking of using her farm to raise crayfish.
She let Lu Zhou and Shangguan Dian catch crayfish while she went to catch river crabs.
She had just finished cooking when Chu Sihan, s.h.i.+ Yi, and Yun Ting arrived.
This time, besides the three of them, there were also Fu Sisi and Yu Mingyue.
There were often carriages parked outside the Lu family’s house. Everyone in the village was used to it.
Over the past few days, the plants had started to sprout. Seeing them walking around, Lu Sheng hurriedly reminded them.
“You may admire them, but don’t step on my things.”
Almost all her treasures that she could get rich with were here.
“Miss Lu, what’s in that shed?”
Yu Mingyue pointed at the watermelon shed and asked.
“I planted delicious food.”
Lu Sheng smiled and winked at her.
Yu Mingyue smiled. When she turned back, she realized that s.h.i.+ Yi was smiling at her.
Her face reddened and she hurried off to find Fu Sisi to play.
Lu Zhou and Shangguan Dian glared at them bitterly.
“Third Prince, Young Master Shangguan, what… happened to you?”
s.h.i.+ Yi felt a chill run down his spine under their cold gazes.
“Hah.”
Lu Zhou snorted and turned his head.
s.h.i.+ Yi was stunned. He looked at Yun Ting and Chu Sihan, his face full of confusion. He did not know how he had offended Lu Zhou.
Chu Sihan smiled and did not speak.
Shangguan Dian complained, “If you came a little later, we could have eaten.”
Now, they had to add more dishes. He had to wait for a long time, and he felt hungry.
The reason why he said he felt hungry was because he was already past the fasting stage and would not feel hungry.
“Ah… just because of this?”
s.h.i.+ Yi’s lips twitched. He did not expect Lu Zhou and Shangguan Dian to blame them for this.
Shangguan Dian said, “You can’t eat the crayfish later. They’re both ours.”
“That won’t do!”
s.h.i.+ Yi was the first to protest.
Why did they come over so early in the morning? Wasn’t it because of crayfish?
Shangguan Dian shrugged. “We caught them. If you want to eat them, go and catch them yourself.”
s.h.i.+ Yi chuckled and had an idea.
Seeing him walk to the kitchen, Lu Zhou immediately gave Shangguan Dian a look. Shangguan Dian understood and pulled s.h.i.+ Yi back.
“What do you want?”
s.h.i.+ Yi struggled and said, “Nothing much. I just wanted to see what delicious food Miss Lu made.”
“Don’t think I don’t know that you want to secretly eat crayfish. I advise you to sit back obediently. Otherwise, don’t even think about eating other dishes today.”
s.h.i.+ Yi, who was warned, howled in fury. However, he could not break free from Shangguan Dian’s grip.
Fu Sisi and Yu Mingyue watched from the side. One of them laughed heartily, while the other covered her mouth and giggled.
Lu Sheng looked outside unhappily and shook her head helplessly.
Of course, after the dishes were served, everyone had a portion of crayfish. However, Lu Zhou and Shangguan Dian didn’t eat as much as they wanted.
After filling their stomachs, they gathered under the tree to drink tea.
The pa.s.sing villagers looked in from time to time, but no one dared to enter.
“Master, please entertain everyone first. I’ll leave for a while.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
Chu Sihan stood up and nodded at them before walking to Lu Sheng.
Lu Zhou glanced at the two of them and nodded. “Go ahead. Come back early.”
Chu Sihan followed Lu Sheng to a few houses. From Lu Sheng’s conversation with them, he knew that Lu Sheng wanted to dig a pond.
On the way back, Chu Sihan raised his eyebrows and asked, “Do you want to raise crayfish by digging a pond?”
“Yes!”
Lu Sheng smiled and nodded. “If possible, I want to build a farm.”
“A farm?”
Chu Sihan pondered for a while and said in a low voice, “The Chu Mansion has a farmstead nearby. There’s a big pond there. It was used to raise fish previously, but not now. The pond hasn’t dried yet, and there are still some fish inside.”