When they arrived in Qingping County the next afternoon, the two of them did not go home and went directly to the Gu family village side.
The ruins had already been cleared and the people were building the foundations.
It was hot and many of the men were bare-chested and sweating from the work.
She and Liu Cui Lan were carrying a bucket of cold white boiling water and when they saw the carriage from afar, they put it down on the ground and greeted it.
She had been disturbed for the past two days, fearing that something might happen to them.
Only when she saw them getting off the carriage in good condition did her anxious heart settle down.
“Yue’er, it’s hot, you’d better go home.”
Although her granddaughter was only nine years old, it was not appropriate to see so many bare-chested men.
Song Wan Yue looked at the men working in the distance and understood what Grandma Song had in mind, smiling as she took her arm, “I have something to discuss with a few village leaders.”
Grandma Song couldn’t stop her and pointed towards the entrance of Gu’s village, “They’re all over there.”
Song Wangyue followed her point and looked over to see Master Song sitting under the shade of a tree with a table in front of him and a teapot on it.
Song Wan Yue walked over.
When the several village chiefs saw her, they stood up in a panic, a little uneasy, “Song, Miss Song ……”
They all originally wanted to follow the work as well, it was Elder Song who insisted on pulling them over for tea.
“I happen to have something to discuss with a few of you.”
As Song Wan Yue sat down next to Elder Song, Village Chief Gu got up and brought a bowl over, personally pouring tea and bringing it to her.
Song Wan Yue thanked him, “I still need to trouble you to bring over a pen and paper.”
The village headman had some at home, so he trotted back and quickly brought it.
Song Wangyue dipped her ink and began to draw on the paper.
Several people watched unblinkingly.
Seeing Song Wangyue first drew a circle of fences, then in the middle were workshops, in rows of a dozen or so, and two rows of rooms on each of the east and west sides.
The workshops, a few people could understand; the two rows of houses, a few people could not understand.
Several people looked at the village chief Song, signalling him to ask, the village chief Song cleared his throat and pointed to the two rows of houses, “Yue yatou, you have this ……”
“We have so many workshops, someone has to watch them, I plan to buy some people back when the workshop is built, so they can watch the workshop.”
The people drifted off.
Song Wangyue put down her pen, “I may not always come over every day, so I will leave the construction of the workshop to you all, please keep a good eye on it.
Five taels of silver?
Several of the village chiefs stared in shock.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa the village chief will help you keep a good eye on it. ”
The village chief came back to his senses first and patted his chest to assure him, after dealing with him so many times he had got to know Song Wangyue, she would definitely give five taels if she said she would.
Seeing him do so, the rest of the village chiefs also followed suit, beating their chests and taking a stand.
“Then I’ll trouble you all, if you need any money just give my second brother a word, he comes over every day.”
Several people happily responded.
When Song Wangyue got up and left, they complimented Elder Song one after another.
Old Master Song was complimented and kept smiling as he stroked his beard, “Come, come, drink tea, drink tea, this is the good tea that my eldest daughter-in-law brought from the capital, it is said to be several tens of taels of silver a catty ……”
Song Wan Yue and Song Shen turned around, the crowd saw them coming, the more vigorous, want to leave a good impression on them, when the workshop is completed to recruit people can give priority to them.
……
The capital.
The old gentleman had ordered things to be packed up early in the morning, and when the fourth prince had finished paying his respects and he and Xu Yan had returned from the palace, they couldn’t wait to have someone prepare to leave for Qingping County.
Mr. Er could not let go and had been persuading him for the past few days, but the old gentleman insisted on going and he had no choice but to call Xu and Song Lin over and instructed them again and again.
Xu said, “Second Uncle, don’t worry, we will take good care of Grandfather.”
Meng had also packed her things long ago, this time bringing along the two maids who had been serving her in the small courtyard all those years.
All of them left the door, got into the carriage and headed for the city gates.
Mr. Er’s family and Xu Yan’s family stood at the gate, knowing that they could no longer see the carriage before they turned around and entered the house.
When their figures disappeared from the doorway, around the far corner, the First Gentleman came out and looked at the direction where the carriage had disappeared, standing for a while with a dark face before turning around and walking back.
After Wen Zhong’s death, he moved away from that mansion. He left the Xu family, asking for nothing, pawning a jade pendant he had on him to rent a remote courtyard, and now he was down and out worse than an ordinary man, without any semblance of the glamour he used to have as a great gentleman of the Xu family.
He walked for two quarters of an hour before returning to the door of the small courtyard, which was unlocked, so he pushed it open and went in directly.
The man slowly turned back.
Mr. Big’s pupils shook slightly, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty.”
……
The moment the carriage entered Qingping County, the old gentleman felt his whole body and mind relaxed.
“Song Lin, don’t get off the carriage later, go straight back and bring Yue’er over, I haven’t seen her for so many days, I miss her.”
Song Lin smiled in response and waited until he reached the entrance of the mansion, asking the people to get off the carriage and wait at the entrance, he went to the marketplace to ask Song Shu for the key, when he arrived there he was startled to see the stall empty, he hurriedly went to ask the people who ran the shop nearby.
“You mean the Song family, ah, it is said that the business of this cold skin has been given to Song San Xiao, and Song San Xiao is busy taking care of Miss Qi, so this stall has not been out.”
Song Lin listened to the clouds, “Can you tell us more about it?”
The man gave him a detailed account, and after hearing it, Song Lin couldn’t believe it, so he jumped on the carriage and hurried to go and settle the score with Song San Xiao, but stopped halfway. In his heart of hearts, he would not have been willing to give up Xu back then, and the old man was not at fault.
After stopping the carriage and looking around, he saw a stone in the corner of his neighbour’s house and quickly walked over to pick it up while walking back, “The family hasn’t come to set up their stall, so I’ll smash the lock first, so everyone can go in and rest first.”
No stall?
Xu’s heart surged with unease.
Ever since they started their stall last year, even when it was raining or winding, Song Shu and Liu Cui Lan had been out as usual, but now they were not out on a sunny day, something must have happened at home!
When everyone went in, Xu fell in last and pulled Song Lin to ask in an eager whisper, “Is something wrong with the family?”
Song Lin gestured for her to go back to the courtyard to talk.
When she got back to the courtyard and heard Song Lin’s words, Xu let out a sigh of relief. As long as the person was alright, it was good.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Song Shu and Song Shen moving the things out of Song San’s hut.
“What are you doing?”