Chapter 166: Big Commotion
Shi Tou had a task today, to go to the city to pick up Dan Dajun and the He family members, set off firecrackers and then drove the ox cart away.
The women washed vegetable leaves and cooked, the men set up tables and benches and then had nothing to do, gathering in twos and threes to visit the new house.
Lu Chengjing’s task today was to entertain the guests.
His clothes were mostly moon-white, all in light colors, remembering today’s housewarming celebration, he rummaged through his clothes and finally found a plum-purple robe from the bottom of the chest.
Purple looked noble, worn on Lu Chengjing, it further accentuated his outstanding elegance.
In Shang Wan’s words, at first glance, he seemed to be on a different layer from everyone else.
To match the occasion, she also wore a crimson long skirt today.
Snowy skin and floral beauty, graceful figure, as she walked, the silver embroidery on the skirt hem bloomed like flowers, breathtakingly beautiful.
Her usually casually tied long hair was skillfully coiled up by Xiao Huan on top of her head, slanted with two red jade hairpins in begonia pattern, complementing this outfit perfectly.
The jade hairpins were bought by Lu Chengjing a few days ago when they entered the city, he spotted them at first glance in the shop.
Seeing the jade hairpins, he inexplicably thought of Shang Wan picking cliff ginger on the cliff that day, feeling they would look good on her.
Facts proved that with Shang Wan’s face, even wearing a cabbage leaf would look good.
Matching the jade hairpins was a pair of earrings, the small jade stones making her earlobes even more lustrous.
Zhang Er glanced once and then panic-strickenly looked away, not daring to look more.
Shang Wan looked around the crowd, didn’t see anyone from the Lin Family.
“They wouldn’t have the face to come.” Aunt Zhou pursed her lips, grabbed a handful of vegetable leaves, shook off the water, and put them in the bamboo basket beside her.
Rong Niangzi winked at Shang Wan, half-jokingly half-seriously saying: “So many good things, wasting them on some heartless stuff.”
Shang Wan curved her lips in a smile, she didn’t care if the Lin Family came or not, but if they wanted to cause trouble today… a dark glint flashed in her eyes, if they wanted to die she absolutely wouldn’t stop them.
Anyway, the seats were all prepared, watching the show wouldn’t be bad either.
The sun grew hotter, there were many villagers, the courtyard couldn’t seat them all, tables and benches were set up outside the courtyard.
The trees Shang Wan moved from the mountain a couple days ago became natural parasols, the dense canopy casting cool shade, blocking the fierce sun’s heat outside.
Everyone sat under the trees chatting idly.
Shi Tou hadn’t returned yet, Qiao Yu’an arrived first with A Le, also bringing quite a few gifts, making everyone curiously crane their necks to look.
“This house is built nicely, Chengjing, take me around.”
Lu Chengjing naturally agreed, after looking around the backyard, they went directly to the study room.
The study room was simply furnished, not as good as Lu Chengjing’s in the Lu Residence, but also clean and elegant, upon entering one could smell a faint floral fragrance.
Qiao Yu’an looked in the direction the fragrance came from, only to see a white porcelain vase on the rosewood console table by the window, with five white lily flowers inserted, petals still dotted with a few dewdrops.
He raised his brows in surprise, “I remember you never liked putting these in the study room.”
Lu Chengjing glanced at the flowers, lips lightly curving up, “I like it now.”
The flowers were grown by Shang Wan in the space, just inserted this morning.
Seeing Lu Chengjing’s expression, Qiao Yu’an didn’t need to think to know who arranged the flowers, he shook his head inwardly, took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over, “There’s news, take a look.”
Lu Chengjing took it, not in a hurry to open it, had A Le go close the window first.
Once the window was closed, the children’s noisy voices from the garden quieted down a bit.
Lu Chengjing opened the letter, scanned it quickly, then lightly furrowed his brows.
Qiao Yu’an had already read the letter’s contents before, seeing Lu Chengjing like this, he wasn’t in a hurry to speak.
He sat on the couch by the window, pulled out the chessboard from under the low table, and placed the chess pieces one by one.
The chess pieces fell on the chessboard, making crisp “pa da” sounds.
He wasn’t the least bit reserved, instructing: “A Le, go brew two cups of tea.”
A Le responded and pushed the door out.
Lu Chengjing gathered his thoughts, tucked the letter into his sleeve, stood up from the wheelchair, and walked to sit opposite Qiao Yu’an.
Qiao Yu’an caught sight of him walking over from the corner of his eye, eyes widening as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Y-y-you’re healed?!”
“Mm.” Lu Chengjing pinched a white chess piece with two fingers and placed it on the chessboard.
Qiao Yu’an glanced at the chessboard, placed a black piece in response, looked up suspiciously at the opposite side, “If you’re all healed, why are you still sitting in the wheelchair?”
Lu Chengjing placed another white piece, “Don’t want Niangzi’s ancestral secret recipe to leak out.”
Qiao Yu’an’s movement of picking up a chess piece paused, was this poking at him?
He asked: “Is this Younger Brother’s Wife’s idea?”
Lu Chengjing played dumb despite knowing, placed his piece and looked up at him, “What does it have to do with Niangzi?”
Qiao Yu’an pondered for a moment, continued placing his piece, pointedly saying: “Conditions can be negotiated.”
Lu Chengjing however didn’t take the bait, focused on the game.
His slender lashes cast a shadow on his eyelids, making it hard to discern the emotions in his eyes.
Qiao Yu’an’s mind turned, he tapped the chess piece on the edge of the chessboard, “Once Eldest Cousin’s leg injury is healed, I’ll have him come personally.”
Negotiating business naturally required sincerity, seeing his friend’s attitude, it seemed this matter couldn’t be settled just by him as the middleman.
What Lu Chengjing had been waiting for was exactly this sentence, but he didn’t show it on his face, placing pieces while chatting about other things.
“Bad news!” A Le suddenly pushed the door in, “Lots of officials outside!”
The two in the room exchanged a glance upon hearing, stood up one after the other and walked out.
At the door, Qiao Yu’an paused, turned back to look at the wheelchair, hesitating: “You’re not sitting in the wheelchair to go out?”
Qiao Yu’an wasn’t stupid, earlier Lu Chengjing deliberately sat in the wheelchair, probably not wanting others to know his leg injury was fully healed.
“No need.” Lu Chengjing walked briskly and decisively, his tall figure like upright green bamboo.
Qiao Yu’an’s eyes darted, he smiled and put an arm around A Le’s shoulders, “Let’s go watch the excitement.”
There was definitely big excitement to see today.
By the time the three reached the front, several parties were in confrontation.
One side was the officials headed by Dan Dajun, he had temporarily changed into official robes, his face showing embarrassment. They came properly to eat, but unexpectedly he had to catch a thief, and the thief was the host of the feast.
One side was Steward Liu, with two burly Lu Residence guards behind him. It seemed the last time being beaten by Xiao Huan like a son had left him quite a shadow.
One side was the Lin Family, Lin Jianshui who hadn’t appeared for a long time and almost became a vegetable was also there, standing obediently behind Village Chief Lin with his head down.
One side was the villagers who couldn’t figure out the situation.
The last side was naturally Shang Wan.
“What’s going on?” Lu Chengjing walked to Shang Wan’s side and stood, asking softly.
Shang Wan glanced at Steward Liu, sneering: “Some people reported to the authorities that we stole things from the Lu Residence, brought officials to the door to catch thieves.”
Steward Liu had no time to retort, his eyes fixed straight on Lu Chengjing, more precisely, on Lu Chengjing’s legs.
“Third Young Master, y-y-you can stand up?”
Wasn’t it said to be forever unhealable, only able to be a cripple? How did it suddenly heal?
