Lu Yu returned with a full load.
Among them, Lu Yu was most satisfied with the screen.
At the Mu Tao workshop, she fell in love with the screen at first sight.
The screen was very simple and plain, placed in a corner of the shop.
It was embroidered with lotus flowers, but the styles of the lotus leaves were varied. Some large and round lotus leaves were like big umbrellas propped up in the water, providing shelter for the lotus flowers from wind and rain; some were pointed and round, hiding under the lotus flowers, still needing the protection of the lotus flowers.
These lotus leaves supported each other without overshadowing the beauty of the lotus flowers.
According to the boss, it was privately sold to them by a young gentleman. Although the painting was beautiful, the embroidery was not good, which piqued Lu Yu's curiosity.
In this era, it was rare for men not to know embroidery, while men were generally not good at painting. The man who made this screen was very special, and she would definitely meet him if she had the chance.
Lu Yu hummed a tune as she busied herself with the wedding preparations for the next day. The calls of orioles sounded from time to time, as if accompanying her song.
Shen Xuan's knee injury had not healed, and coupled with being confined to his room, he could only recuperate indoors.
Shen Xuan rummaged through a small cabinet in the corner and took out some poems and essays he had written over the years. He flipped through them, pursed his lips, and as if making a decision, handed them all to A Fu, instructing him to dispose of them.
"Young Master, this is your hard work over the years." A Fu reached out to stop him, unwilling to throw them away.
Shen Xuan was reluctant to part with them, but he was about to get married. If his future wife saw these things, they would only bring him trouble.
After some deliberation, Shen Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "What hard work? They are useless if kept. I just wrote them for fun when I was bored. I'm moving tomorrow, and there's no place to put these things. It's better to get rid of them sooner rather than later."
"Have all those fan paintings been sold?"
"They have been sold."
Lu Yu turned and took out a bundle from the cabinet, handing it to A Fu.
"There is nearly two taels of silver in here. Please keep it for me. This will be my dowry."
Shen Xuan gazed at the man in the painting hanging on the wall, lost in thought. This was a painting by Shen Xuan, depicting his imagined father.
Although the person in the painting only had a back view, one could discern his concern for his child. He held the child's hand and gently stroked the child's forehead with the other.
"This is the dowry my father prepared for me," Shen Xuan said, then suddenly smiled. As he smiled, his eyes turned red. He got up and walked to the painting, carefully putting it away.
He waved his hand, signaling A Fu to go down and rest. A Fu had also suffered a lot these past two days.
A gust of wind blew past the window, causing Shen Xuan to shiver.
"Cough, cough," Shen Xuan sat back on the bed, tightened his clothes, and looked out the window, his gaze unfocused, as if preoccupied.
"Father, how did you discover that scoundrel Lu Yu's scheme? This is great. I can not only get rid of Lu Yu, but we can also drive Shen Xuan out. This is called, what is it? Yes! Killing two birds with one stone!" Shen Jia's joy was evident on his face, and he happily displayed his good mood.
"Silly child, that's called killing two birds with one stone," Zhao Liu stroked Shen Jia's head. "Lu Yu's little tricks can't hide from me, of course. You just wait at home with peace of mind. Father will surely ask your mother to find you a good marriage."
"Mmm!" Shen Jia hugged Zhao Liu and whimpered, acting spoiled.
In Canghe Village, two large red lanterns hung at Lu Yu's house, visible from afar, attracting much discussion among the villagers.
"Is Lu Yu really going to turn over a new leaf?"
"Probably. Someone heard Lu Yu's words on the street today with their own ears. Could it be that this second young master of the Shen family has such great charm that he's making Lu Yu change for the better?"
"I really want to see this second young master of the Shen family. What kind of beauty could make Lu Yu reform?"
"Have you seen him?"
"No, no."
"Neither have I. Young masters from large families have more rules and can't go out at all. How would we have a chance to see him?"
"If you ask me, he must be as beautiful as a celestial being. What do you think..."
Outside, the villagers were chattering and discussing heatedly, but none of it affected Lu Yu.
After a day of work, Lu Yu lay on the bed, her mind racing, thinking about how to make money.
Lu Yu's eyes darted around, and she suddenly sat up from the bed, shaking her hair. After a long while, she opened her eyes and muttered to herself, "Alas, I forgot to buy firecrackers." It was fine if the new groom didn't have a banquet, but this was absolutely essential.
"Knock, knock, knock." Lu Yu remembered that Sister Li next door had married her husband a year ago, and she might still have some firecrackers. Filled with joy, she walked to the door of the neighbor's house, tidied her clothes, and knocked.
"Miss Lu?" The person who opened the door was Sister Li's husband. Seeing Lu Yu, a woman, coming alone, he quickly lowered his head. "Please wait a moment, I'll call my wife."
Lu Yu nodded.
"Lu Yu, why have you come?" Sister Li came out, looking at Lu Yu with surprise.
Although Lu Yu was usually a scoundrel, she had a good relationship with Sister Li, otherwise, Lu Yu wouldn't be coming to Sister Li's house for help now.
"Sister Li, well, I'm getting married tomorrow. I forgot to buy firecrackers today, uh... I forgot to buy firecrackers. I came to ask if you had any leftover firecrackers from your wedding last year?" Lu Yu asked, a little embarrassed.
"Little Sister Lu, you..." Sister Li glanced at Lu Yu suspiciously but didn't continue.
Usually, Lu Yu spoke to everyone with an arrogant demeanor. Was she really changing for the better for the second young master of the Shen family, as the villagers said?
"Sister Li, I plan to live a good life with my husband." Lu Yu saw Sister Li's expression and knew what she was thinking, smiling helplessly.
"That's good, that's good. After marrying a husband, you should live a good life." Sister Li felt a sense of pride, as if her own daughter had grown up.
Lu Yu's mother-father was a famous divine doctor in the village and even the town. Their medical skills were superb, and they could treat difficult and complicated diseases that many other doctors couldn't. At that time, the town was not wealthy, and many poor people couldn't afford medical treatment. They held free clinics in the town once a week.
At that time, there were only three doctors in the town. One was an elderly doctor who was said to have come from the imperial palace, but he passed away a few years later due to old age. The other doctor's medical skills were not as superb as Lu Yu's parents. To attract customers, their consultation fees were slightly cheaper than theirs, so people with minor ailments went to see that doctor, but the number of patients was still very small, and the pharmacy was always not making money.
Later, due to a fire, Lu Yu's parents passed away. Even though several more medical clinics were opened in the town later, there was only one famous doctor in the town.
Most people in the town had been saved by Doctor Lu, so they didn't make things too difficult for Lu Yu as long as her behavior wasn't too outrageous. However, they all felt sorry for Lu Yu's parents, who had such a daughter.
Lu Yu's parents had also saved Sister Li's mother, so over the years, even though Lu Yu was a scoundrel, Sister Li helped her whenever she could. Now that Lu Yu had finally reformed and decided to live a good life with her husband, how could Sister Li not be excited?
"I didn't buy firecrackers last year either. Do villagers set off firecrackers for weddings? Only wealthy families set off firecrackers for weddings. For our villagers, it's enough to welcome the new groom into the house. There's no need for so many formalities," Sister Li said with a smile.
"Sister Li, do you know where to buy firecrackers nearby?"
"It's outside the village, almost at the town. It's not a short journey. Little Sister Lu, perhaps you shouldn't go. Villagers really don't set off firecrackers for weddings."
"Villagers don't set off firecrackers for weddings, but he is a young master from the town, and he is marrying me. Naturally, I want to give him the best."
"Sister Li, please tell me the exact location. I'll go now. I should be back before dark."
"Then you must be careful. The roads are not easy to travel at night. You go straight south from here, and then you will see a sign. That's the only shop selling firecrackers in town."
"I'm going now." Lu Yu was eager to leave.
"Hey, wait a minute. Bring more money. The firecrackers there are not cheap," Sister Li reminded her with concern.
"Alright."
Lu Yu went home to get some money, quickly locked the door, and hurried off in the direction Sister Li had pointed.