Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 130: Setting off

Magistrate Zhang began to pay special attention to Liu Yanqing due to a few words from his wife. Naturally, he wouldn’t start by having Assistant Li investigate Liu Yanqing’s personal affairs. Instead, he subtly observed Liu Yanqing’s character. To do this, he needed to interact with him more.

When Magistrate Zhang went on inspections, he specifically asked Master Liu to bring Liu Yanqing along. After the first time, Master Liu understood and started bringing Liu Yanqing on outings without needing to be asked.

With this increased interaction, Magistrate Zhang grew increasingly satisfied with Liu Yanqing. Not only was he good-looking, but he also had an excellent temperament, was steady and reliable, and handled matters efficiently. Apart from not pursuing the imperial examinations, he met all the standards Magistrate Zhang had for a partner for his niece.

In fact, he hadn’t found anyone as satisfactory among the county scholars.

Since he was looking for a husband for his niece, Magistrate Zhang unconsciously adopted a more familial attitude toward Liu Yanqing. He would often chat with him about personal matters and village life in Yangshan when they were not discussing official business.

Liu Yanqing had no idea that Magistrate Zhang was evaluating him as a potential son-in-law. He thought Magistrate Zhang was simply interested in understanding the common people’s lives, so he answered all questions honestly, including those about his family.

Within a week or so, Magistrate Zhang learned everything about Liu Yanqing’s age and marital status without needing Assistant Li’s help. When he returned home and discussed it with his wife, his satisfaction was evident.

“There’s just one issue: a constable is not quite what our family was looking for,” he said.

Before considering Liu Yanqing, Magistrate Zhang hadn’t worried about these details. Now that he had taken a liking to Liu Yanqing, he felt a bit troubled.

Madam Zhang understood her husband’s concerns. The Zhang family had been poor, and her husband had started his studies late. Despite his mediocre aptitude, the entire family supported him, and he only became a county magistrate in his middle age after passing the imperial exams.

He was the only successful person in the family, so all hopes were pinned on him. For example, regarding the marriages of the two nieces, because Magistrate Zhang passed the imperial exams, some local gentry families had proposed marriage alliances. However, his elder brothers had sent their daughters to him, hoping for better matches.

From their perspective, a constable might not seem better than a local gentry family. But Magistrate Zhang was quite fond of Liu Yanqing, hence his dilemma.

Madam Zhang wouldn’t have suggested this if she hadn’t seen that the Liu family’s Ruyi Embroidery Shop was doing well and heard good things about the family. Now, seeing her husband troubled, she offered a solution. “I think it’s simple. If you truly believe Liu Yanqing is a good match, write a letter back home explaining the situation. See what your parents and elder brother and sister-in-law think. If they approve, we, as the uncle and aunt, can help arrange it. If they don’t, then it’s not meant to be, and we shouldn’t force it.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll write a letter immediately,” Magistrate Zhang said, getting up to head to his desk. Madam Zhang followed to help grind the ink.

While waiting for the ink to be prepared, Magistrate Zhang remarked, “I fear that because Yanqing is a constable, the family might not be inclined towards him. That would be quite a pity. I hadn’t paid much attention to the constables before, but I vaguely knew there was a talented one among them. After interacting with him these past few days, I genuinely find his character and overall qualities impressive. His family background isn’t bad either. It would be an excellent match.”

Magistrate Zhang was genuinely invested in finding good matches for his nieces and nephews. Zhang Xiaofu and her sister had come from their hometown last autumn and arrived in Anyi County in the winter. In the past six months, he hadn’t found anyone suitable.

Firstly, the Zhang sisters were his nieces, not daughters, making it harder to find suitable matches. Secondly, Magistrate Zhang himself was picky. He couldn’t accept overly frail scholars, those with poor character, those lacking ambition, or those with troublesome families. He was genuinely concerned about their future, but his busy official duties left him little time. After considering five or six candidates, he was still undecided.

Having personally experienced the hardships of the imperial examinations, Magistrate Zhang knew many who struggled for decades without success. Finding a scholar to become an official’s wife wasn’t easy. The promising young ones weren’t in a hurry to settle down, and those who had a lower chance of success married early. The remaining unmarried ones were few, and finding a reliable one among them was even harder.

If they succeeded, it would be fine, but if not, the niece would suffer for a lifetime. Marrying into a family like Liu’s would ensure a good life.

With this in mind, Magistrate Zhang became even more appreciative of his wife’s suggestion. She had genuinely considered his niece’s best interests. He hoped his family would understand and appreciate it.

After thinking for a moment, he began to write a letter to his family. He didn’t just praise Liu Yanqing and his family but also explained his considerations about the scholars he had reviewed.

Meanwhile, at the Ruyi Embroidery Shop, just as Madam Zhang had predicted, business was booming. The housekeeper from the Qin family returned on the second day after the shop’s opening and selected seven sets of clothes, each expensive, spending over thirty taels in total.

The red tickets delivered by Liu Yanqing also brought in good business during the first three days. Except for one customer who only bought one set, most bought a lot. Although there were no more high-spending customers afterward, the new shop attracted many curious visitors looking to buy autumn clothes. With Liu Yu ensuring fashionable designs, business was thriving, bringing in twenty to thirty taels daily.

By the night of August 9th, when they closed the shop, Wei Shi and Liu Yu were in the main room counting the day’s earnings, with Liu Yanqing observing.

In just over ten days, they had earned over 390 taels. The first three days alone brought in 180 taels, though the profit margin wasn’t large.

Nevertheless, 390 taels, plus the congratulatory gifts from several families, totaled over 400 taels.

Although Wei Shi knew that more than half of this amount was the initial investment, she couldn’t help but feel excited. It felt different from the 400 taels her son had previously brought home. Earning it through their own efforts was much more thrilling.

Wei Shi looked over the counted silver again and again, finally satisfied. She asked Liu Yu, “Yu’er, how should we allocate this money? Should we use it all for restocking?”

Liu Yu thought for a moment and took out a small account book, which contained several pages. It was a list handwritten by Lu Chengzong, detailing the fabric lent to them by the Lu family. Some items were checked off and signed by Liu Yu, indicating what the shop had used and needed to settle.

Pointing to the account book, Liu Yu said, “This is what we’ve used so far, amounting to fifty-two taels. We should settle this with Brother Lu tomorrow morning. We’ll keep the remaining money for operational costs, and I’ll take three hundred taels to Hongdu Prefecture with Uncle Lu.”

Lu Xun had already discussed this plan a few days ago. They would leave for Yuanzhou on August 10th to deliver Mid-Autumn gifts to the Li and Qian families and then proceed to Hongdu Prefecture to purchase goods together with Qian Hong.

Besides her tailoring work, Liu Yu had also started making her wedding dress. However, she needed to visit the Jinxiu Workshop in Yuanzhou to check on Lu Chengxiao’s wedding outfit and see if there was anything to learn from their designs. Lu Xun valued her opinion and wanted her to accompany him for the fabric purchase.

Therefore, it was agreed that Liu Yu would go to Hongdu Prefecture, a plan made in sync with the shop’s opening. Liu Yu and Wei Shi were accounting today to prepare the money they needed for the trip.

Now, Wei Shi followed Liu Yu’s lead in everything. Upon hearing Liu Yu’s plan, she immediately divided the money into three portions: the amount for Liu Yu to use for purchasing goods and to settle accounts with the Lu family was handed over to her, and the accounts were properly documented.

Liu Yu accepted the fifty-two taels for the Lu family but did not touch the three hundred taels. She packed the money into two pouches and handed them to Liu Yanqing, saying, “Big Brother, you should keep the money for the goods. It’s better to exchange it for banknotes at the bank tomorrow morning for easier transport.”

Liu Yanqing agreed with a smile.

For this trip to Hongdu Prefecture, the family had discussed that Liu Yanqing would take leave to accompany Liu Yu. Wei Shi couldn’t feel at ease letting her daughter travel alone, even with the Lu family men accompanying her. It was agreed from the start that Liu Yanqing would go with her, and he had already requested leave from the yamen a few days prior. Naturally, it was safer for him to keep the money.

After finalizing the plans, everyone went to bed.

The next morning, Liu Yanqing went to the bank to exchange the silver for banknotes, while Liu Yu took the account book to Lu Feng’s fabric shop across the street to settle accounts with Lu Chengzong. Not only was Lu Chengzong there, but Lu Xun and Lu Chengzhang were also present.

After greeting everyone, Liu Yu got down to business.

Lu Xun glanced at Liu Yu’s attire and smiled. He then looked at his second son, who was dressed quite flamboyantly, and shook his head discreetly. It was evident his son lacked experience, and it was wise to bring him along this year for learning.

Once Liu Yu had settled the accounts and returned to the embroidery shop, Lu Xun asked Lu Chengzhang, “Did you notice anything when Yu’er was here?”

Lu Chengzhang was still thinking about the account books. He had seen that Liu Yu had settled fifty-two taels in ten days.

Lu Chengzhang had inquired early in the morning. The Liu family had purchased a batch of materials themselves and later borrowed some from the Lu family. Not counting their materials, the borrowed materials had amounted to fifty-two taels in ten days.

Thinking about it, Lu Chengzhang realized that the Liu family must have used more of their materials and less of the borrowed ones. Even so, the sales in ten days were impressive, likely surpassing their own Lu Feng shop.

When Zhou Qiongying had returned home at the end of last month, she had praised the Ruyi Embroidery Shop highly, and now Lu Chengzhang had a clearer idea of its success.

When Lu Xun asked him, he was still pondering this and belatedly replied, “I noticed that Sister-in-law’s embroidery shop is doing very well.”

Unfortunately, the materials they lent her weren’t profitable for them, which seemed a shame.

Lu Xun sighed inwardly; his second son only saw what was on the account book.

He tugged at Lu Chengzhang’s sleeve, saying, “Didn’t you notice anything else? Look at what Liu Yu is wearing today, and what do I wear every year when I go to buy goods?”

It took Lu Chengzhang a moment to realize that his father’s clothing was of simple material, blending into the crowd, whereas he was wearing his best outfit, excited for his first long journey.

Lu Chengzong, standing nearby, laughed, “Second Brother, you might not have noticed, but Father never wears silk clothes when traveling for goods. Carrying money, it’s best to dress plainly to avoid attracting thieves.”

Lu Chengzhang finally noticed that Liu Yu was also dressed in plain clothes. Though she often wore plain clothes before, running an embroidery shop that sold high-quality clothing, she wouldn’t usually dress like this in the shop. It was clear she was dressed for the trip.

He felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I really didn’t think that far ahead.”

Turning to Lu Chengzong, he asked, “Big Brother, could you lend me two sets of plain clothes? Going back to Xifeng Town to get them now would delay us.”

Since the two brothers were similar in size, Lu Chengzong readily agreed.

Lu Xun shook his head and said, “You’re now handling things on your own. Even though the goods are directly supplied from home, you need to understand the process of procurement thoroughly. You need to learn and observe more.”

Lu Chengzhang nodded repeatedly.

~

The designated time for departure was 7:00 pm. Wei Shi saw off the Liu siblings. Liu Yu now had a veiled hat on, which Lu Xun found reassuring, so he didn’t need to use the one he had prepared in his cart.

Wei Shi was still reluctant to part with them. At the end of the month, she had just seen off Liu Yanping, and on the third day, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanan had also left. They had taken the water route directly from Changfeng Town to Xifeng Town and then onward to Yuanzhou, so she hadn’t been able to see them off. Now, she had to see Liu Yu and Liu Yanqing leave as well.

Liu Yanqing had a bundle on his shoulder and carried two heavy three-tiered food boxes in his hand, while Wei Shi held a basket full of various snacks. Their preparations were much more thorough than those of the Lu family men.

Lu Xun quickly sent his sons to help.

Wei Shi laughed, “These are for eating on the way. The food boxes contain dishes, and the basket has various snacks, including freshly baked mooncakes. You probably won’t be back for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so having mooncakes on the boat to Hongdu Prefecture will at least help mark the occasion.”

With so many preparations, there were naturally portions for the Lu family as well. Lu Xun thanked her, and Lu Chengzong and Lu Chengzhang took the items and placed them in their mule cart.

The mule cart had been specially arranged by Chen Shi, who had called a worker from town to drive it. The cart was loaded with Mid-Autumn Festival gifts prepared for the Qian and Li families, which would be transferred to the boat at the dock before the cart returned.

After exchanging a few words, the shop worker drove the cart. Since it was full of items, the five of them walked to the dock.

Wei Shi, despite her reluctance, couldn’t accompany them to the dock as the embroidery shop needed her attention. She watched from the shop entrance until Liu Yu and the others frequently looked back and urged her to go inside.

Once they were out of sight, she finally turned back to the shop.

At the dock, the boat had been reserved by Lu Chengzong two days earlier. The boatman was familiar with Lu Xun and helped load everything from the cart onto the boat. After untying the rope and pushing the boat into the Yu River, they set off towards Yuanzhou.

Compared to Lu Xun, who was used to traveling, the younger generation felt a mix of nervousness and excitement.

Liu Yu was relatively calm, having previously traveled to Yuanzhou with Lu Chengxiao and her brothers. However, it was the first time Lu Chengzong and Lu Chengzhang were leaving Anyi County. Their reactions were more pronounced than Liu Yu’s.

Lu Chengzong felt nervous, while Lu Chengzhang was filled with anticipation, eager to see the bustling city of Yuanzhou and imagining himself one day taking on significant responsibilities like his father.

As for Liu Yanqing, his expression remained steady, and Lu Xun couldn’t discern any anxiety on his face.

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