Chapter 3-Part 1

Li Hehua almost choked on her own saliva and said, “Naji hasn’t finished yet, and you’re already jumping to the last step?”

(T/N:Naji, one of the Chinese marriage rituals . The third of the six rites . It is etiquette for the man to inform the woman of the good omen of marriage after asking for her name and horoscope , and to give her a gift to express her intention to get engaged.)

Lu Junyu smiled and said, “My family has already prepared these regulations, and we’ve selected several dates. We plan to come to your house tomorrow to discuss further. Since we coincidentally met today, I wanted to ask for your opinion.”

The corner of Li Hehua’s mouth twitched, and she said, “Can I make my own decisions under the orders of my parent and the matchmaker?”

How highly did he think of her? Or did he see through her slightly scheming nature after just two meetings? But everyone in the Li family’s village believed she was a brainless woman with strong limbs.

Lu Junyu was quite good at going along with things.

“Alright, I’ll have the matchmaker ask your aunt when the time comes. I want to advance the wedding because I just received news that the crown prince is about to ascend the throne and the Sage has decided to add another round of grace exams next year. Therefore, the provincial examination in Liangzhou Prefecture will definitely be held at the end of the year. I won’t have much free time for the next two years, so I want to marry before that.”

Li Hehua calculated that, originally, the provincial examination scheduled for three years later was moved up by two years. This was like an early college entrance exam, but he hadn’t even finished high school yet. Could he handle it?

Perhaps seeing her doubtful expression, Lu Junyu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I still have to give it a try. As long as you agree…”

Li Hehua immediately interrupted him, “The carriage is about to leave. Mr. Lu, just leave it here. You go attend to your own matters quickly.”

After he left, she pondered for a moment and felt that something was off. On the way, she suddenly remembered that she had already rejected his questions about the wedding date. Yet, he still brought it up on his own, leading her astray. She wanted to hit him!

Unaware that he had just bought a book that would lead to his own domestic abuse, Lu Junyu sat happily in the study of the Lu family. Soon, his personal servant, Lu Ming, came to report that  manager Fan had arrived.

He nodded and said, “Let Fan Song come in.”

Soon, a shrewd middle-aged man entered and bowed to Lu Junyu, respectfully saying, “Young master, I’ve found out. Today, Lin asked Miss Li to discuss the signing of her new manuscript contract. The best-selling book in the bookstore in the past two years was written by Miss Li.”

He explained the situation to Lu Junyu from beginning to end, watching Lu Junyu’s expression turn colder. Fan Song couldn’t help but feel nervous, especially when he mentioned that Lin was actually asking Li Hehua to become a concubine. He almost froze, stuttering as he spoke, relieved when he finished, his back soaked with sweat.

However, he also felt relieved. As a member of the Fan family, which had been with the Lu family through thick and thin, witnessing the decline of the Lu family and now its slow recovery, he saw hope for the Lu family when the eldest son emerged. Despite only three members of the main Lu branch remaining, things were improving day by day.

The master had learned from the past mistakes of the Lu family’s arrogance and established this Moxiang Bookstore to sustain the family’s livelihood. Unexpectedly, the bookstore flourished, spreading throughout the entire Liangzhou Prefecture.

Then came even better news, the court allowed the young master to participate in the imperial examinations, meaning the Lu family’s past wrongdoings were forgiven. With the young master’s talent, it was not impossible for the Lu family to return to the capital. Truly, heaven was blessing them! He looked forward to the hustle and bustle of the Lu family when they had a mistress and descendants.

Thinking of this, he almost laughed out loud. Then he heard his master’s chilling voice: “Shopkeeper Lin should not be allowed to leave. Send Fan Ping over.”

Fan Song nodded and said, “Yes, it was my negligence. I will penalize myself with half a year’s salary.”

Pausing, seeing that Lu Junyu didn’t say anything, he knew his actions aligned with his master’s intentions.

He continued, “I’ll immediately verify the information Miss Li provided and proceed accordingly.”

His mistress was also formidable; he hadn’t even noticed the dealings of Storekeeper Lin.

Lu Junyu said, seemingly reluctantly, “No.”

Seeing Fan Song’s understanding look, he shifted uncomfortably and continued, “Since Shopkeeper Lin dared to embezzle, he must have other weaknesses. Find them and make sure he can’t turn the situation around.”

Fan Song bowed, “Yes, I’ll go investigate.”

Waiting until Fan Song left without another word, Lu Junyu suddenly said, “Bring over the manuscripts Miss Li wrote.”

Fan Song smiled and said, “Yes,” before leaving.

The study was now left with Lu Junyu alone. He looked at the books in his hand, but his thoughts had long since drifted away.

His future wife was indeed not a simple-minded person; she was sharp-witted despite her fiery temperament. Such a woman could definitely be a good mistress of the Lu family. For the first time, he felt that his mother had done a good thing. Hmm, she said she wanted to earn a marriage for her, so he had to study hard.

Listening to the sound of his reading coming from the study, Fan Song couldn’t help but smile. He felt that his master was particularly happy today. But it made sense; his master was about to get married and take the imperial examinations—a double celebration for the Lu family.

However, just as he was feeling happy, two people approached him. He immediately restrained his smile and greeted them with the utmost respect, “Fan Song pays his respects to the old lady and the young lady.”