Chapter 263: Case Closed
“What could possibly be wrong with him?” Shang Wan yawned, propping her cheek on one hand at the counter. “Xiao Huan, I want to eat the peach pastries you make.”
Seeing her sister still in the mood for pastries, Xiao Huan immediately stopped worrying. Her brother-in-law was definitely fine.
She headed to the backyard. “Sis, wait a bit. I’ll go make them right now.”
Shang Wan hummed in acknowledgment. She truly wasn’t worried. Lu Chengjing would surely have considered the possibility of being suspected by the government before acting, and with his personality, it was impossible that he hadn’t prepared an explanation.
Just based on a guard’s suspicion, heh, with no evidence, how could the government possibly convict Lu Chengjing?
Tapping her fingertip on the counter, Shang Wan was now only concerned with one thing: how to get the county magistrate to nod and approve their chamber of commerce.
This matter had to be settled before going to the capital city. Otherwise, once they arrived in the capital city, being unfamiliar with the place would only cause more trouble.
The beauty furrowed her brows while gazing at the doorway, lost in thought. This scene, in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, looked just like she was worrying about Lu Chengjing.
Before long, rumors unfavorable to Lu Chengjing spread out, but these rumors suddenly vanished without a trace before they could reach Shang Wan’s ears.
In the dark alley, Chen Cai knocked his folding fan against the heads of the three thugs in front of him and said coldly, “You think you can spread news without going through me? Since you don’t know the rules, you can forget about keeping your tongues.”
The thugs were scared to tears, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
But Chen Cai turned around and lightly waved his hand downward. “Do it.”
Two enforcers stepped forward gripping daggers.
Ignoring the movement behind him, Chen Cai twirled his folding fan as he strolled out of the dark alley, muttering softly, “I’ll remember this favor. He’ll pay it back to that killjoy later.”
At nightfall, the official personally escorted Lu Chengjing to the entrance of Shang Manor.
“Daddy!” Yuan Yuan stood up from the threshold and came running over on her little short legs, pouncing to hug Lu Chengjing’s leg.
“Why were you sitting on the threshold?” Lu Chengjing picked her up, touching her little face and small hand. Feeling that they were warm, he finally relaxed.
“Waiting for Daddy.” Yuan Yuan smiled and hugged her daddy’s neck, gesturing with her other small hand in the air. “Auntie made some that can be pulled really long. Waiting for Daddy to come back and eat.”
“It’s candied taro.” Lu Chengjing carried the child inside, with Xiao Hei circling at his feet.
He asked, “What is Mother doing?”
“Mother went to find pretty auntie. Not here.”
Lu Chengjing paused in his steps and asked, “Which pretty auntie?”
To his daughter, all aunties were pretty aunties. With his daughter putting it that way, Lu Chengjing really couldn’t guess who it was.
“Little Flower, Book Book, Sugar Sugar…” Yuan Yuan counted on her fingers. It wasn’t that she couldn’t remember; she was just too lazy to.
Fortunately, Lu Chengjing often heard his own daughter chatter about them, so he asked, “Was it Hua Niangzi, Niangzi Shu, Tang Niangzi, and the others?”
“Mm-hmm.” Yuan Yuan nodded her little head.
Lu Chengjing understood now. His wife must have gone to discuss establishing the chamber of commerce with the sisters from the Lancang Association.
He couldn’t get involved in this matter.
He smiled and pinched Yuan Yuan’s little face. “Let’s go eat candied taro.”
“Yay!” Yuan Yuan happily waved her small hand, not forgetting to add, “For Mother, save some.”
“Okay.”
By the time Shang Wan returned, the family had already finished dinner and was sitting in the hall listening to Yuan Yuan recite from memory, reciting content that Shi Tou had learned at the academy today.
Shi Tou felt utterly defeated.
They both had brains, so why had he read it four or five times and still not memorized it, while Yuan Yuan memorized it after hearing it just once?
Could it be that the new brain worked better?
“Treasure is so great.” Xiao Huan hugged Yuan Yuan and planted a kiss on her little face.
Yuan Yuan giggled, then suddenly turned her head toward the doorway and called out in her crisp, tender little voice, “Mother!”
Shang Wan responded. Lu Chengjing went to greet her and helped her take off her cape, asking, “Have you eaten dinner?”
Shang Wan shook her head. “What about you all?”
“We ate already.” Shi Tou answered quickly.
Xiao Huan stood up. “Sis, what do you want to eat? I’ll go make it for you.”
“Dao Xiao noodles, with extra chili.” Shang Wan suddenly craved something spicy.
“Okay.” Xiao Huan agreed and headed to the kitchen.
Shi Tou looked around and, before his sister could say anything, headed to the study room on his own.
Tonight, even if he didn’t sleep, he was going to memorize this article! He refused to believe otherwise!
Little Friend Yuan Yuan ran to Shang Wan’s side and stretched out her small hand to gently pat Shang Wan’s belly, greeting her little sister in a soft, glutinous voice.
The little baby girl had already planned it out: once her little sister came out of Mother’s belly, she would take her little sister to meet her little friends. Hu Hu and the others would definitely like her little sister!
As for whether her own little sister would like the big tiger, sorry, Little Friend Yuan Yuan hadn’t considered that problem yet.
Lu Chengjing helped Shang Wan sit down, then lifted the pot to pour a cup of hot tea and placed it by her hand.
Shang Wan picked Yuan Yuan up to sit on her lap, played with her daughter for a bit, then asked, “Is the case closed?”
“Mm.” Lu Chengjing nodded. “Since the County Magistrate knows that Lu Chengyuan has already been abandoned by the Wang Family, and it was suicide, why would he delay handling it? The Capital City is far away. That guard bought a coffin and buried Lu Chengyuan in the Lu Family ancestral graveyard.”
Back then, when the Lu Family left in a sorry state, they hadn’t taken the ancestral graveyard with them. Now it saved trouble.
Shang Wan said, “By the time the news reaches the Capital City, we’ll probably already be on the road to the Capital City.”
Lu Chengjing lightly hummed in acknowledgment. Seeing Yuan Yuan reaching for the tea cup, he poured a cup of warm white water and fed it to her bit by bit.
Seeing Lu Chengjing’s indifferent attitude, Shang Wan shook her head to herself. What was she worrying about?
She held the tea cup and took two sips, then turned to talk about the results of her earlier discussion with the women.
“Sister Shu came up with an idea that might make the County Magistrate agree.”
Lu Chengjing looked up at her and asked curiously, “What idea?”
Shang Wan smiled lightly. “You know the County Magistrate is afraid of his wife, right?”
Lu Chengjing nodded. Everyone in the city knew about it.
“Sister Shu wants to pull the County Magistrate’s Madam into the group.” Shang Wan smiled slyly. “Then we won’t even need to beg. His Madam will force the County Magistrate to agree.”
Pillow talk is still very important.
Seeing Lu Chengjing’s brows lightly furrow, Shang Wan restrained her smile and asked, “This method won’t work?”
Lu Chengjing shook his head. “It’s not that it won’t work. If you really pull the County Magistrate’s Madam into the group, I’m afraid the position of President of your Chamber of Commerce will fall on her head.”
He was worried that Shang Wan and the others would work hard for a while, only to end up making a wedding dress for someone else.
“It probably won’t.” Shang Wan said, “Sister Shu has already inquired. That Madam isn’t the type who likes to manage things. All her energy is focused on preventing the County Magistrate from taking a concubine. She even lets her maternal family brothers manage her own shop.”
Lu Chengjing was always one to think deeply and worry, so he asked, “What if she suddenly wants to manage it?”
“Well…” Shang Wan really hadn’t considered this problem. She rubbed Yuan Yuan’s little face. “Sister Shu has already sent someone to deliver an invitation card to that Madam. We’ll see what she’s like in person tomorrow.”
“That’s fine too.” Lu Chengjing trusted his wife’s judgment of people.
“Sister, the dao xiao noodles are cooked. Come eat them while they’re hot.” Xiao Huan came in carrying a tray. The big bowl was filled to the brim with dao xiao noodles. Just looking at the uniformly red color made it seem quite spicy.
Shang Wan immediately stopped talking to Lu Chengjing and focused on eating the noodles.
