Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 560 - 0521: Heading to the Capital, Second Brother’s Assistance (2)

Chapter 560: Chapter 0521: Heading to the Capital, Second Brother’s Assistance (2)

Lou Chengye left Prefect Lou’s study and went to Lady Lou’s quarters.

Having been away for many days, according to custom, he needed to pay respects to his elders.

Thinking of his mother’s usual indifference towards him, Lou Chengye didn’t want to see Lady Lou.

But out of respect, he still forced himself into the courtyard.

Lady Lou’s nanny and maid saw him approaching and greeted him with a smile, "Fifth Young Master, you’re back?"

"Oh, yes, I’m back." Lou Chengye replied perfunctorily.

Entering the main house, he heard Lady Lou’s gentle voice instructing the maid, "Hurry and serve tea, and tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes, as Fifth Young Master will be dining here today."

Lou Chengye was very surprised, why was Mother so amiable today?

"Mother." Lou Chengye stepped forward.

Lady Lou smiled and beckoned him, pointing to the seat beside her, "Come sit here."

Lou Chengye walked over cautiously, and after sitting down, he didn’t speak.

When did he start becoming so estranged from Mother?

Previously, when Mother saw him, she would either scold or show a cold face, gradually making him reluctant to come here.

The maids and nannies, seeing Lady Lou in a good mood, were all cheerful, serving tea and snacks, carrying fire pans, and bustling about.

Lady Lou’s expression remained gentle as she inquired about Lou Chengye’s experiences outside.

Lou Chengye chose to talk about simple matters.

Lady Lou said, "You should have done so long ago. You used to be mischievous and unambitious, almost angering me to death."

Lou Chengye remained silent. In the past, everyone in the family said he was not good, and no one ever told him about his strengths. Where was he supposed to show them?

If it weren’t for Li Xingsheng and Li Yu En enlightening him, he might have remained confused for a lifetime.

Why did Mother wait until now to say this?

Lou Chengye felt uncomfortable, blaming Lady Lou for neglecting him.

He didn’t want to stay here and wanted to escape.

Outside, the voices of other young masters from Lou Mansion were heard, as the brothers entered the room talking and laughing.

Lady Lou’s face filled with more smiles, loudly welcoming her sons.

Seeing this, Lou Chengye felt increasingly uneasy, confirming that Mother liked his brothers more.

Mother wasn’t cold to him today, merely slightly better than before; his position in her heart was still different from the others.

Lou Chengye made an excuse to go see Old Lady and left.

Returning to Shuanghua Courtyard, just as he entered, Second Lady Liu, who was pruning branches, immediately greeted him with a smile, "The second son-in-law is back?"

"Second son-in-law." Er Niu and San Niu also approached smiling.

The people in his own courtyard were indeed nicer, Lou Chengye nodded with a smile and headed towards the main house.

Nanny Chen, who was sent by Old Lady Lou, came out from the house, lifted the door curtain, and called inside, "Fifth Young Madam, Fifth Young Master is back."

Li Yu En quickly ran out.

Today, the weather was warm with a hint of spring in the air.

Li Yu En had taken off the heavy cloak, wearing only a quilted skirt.

Since she was still newlywed, she was dressed in red, and because she was plump, the red dress fluttered as she ran, like the bright red kapok flowers on a spring branch.

Lou Chengye couldn’t help but smile and walked towards her, "Yu En."

"Chengye, you’re back? Come in quickly, I’ve prepared a table full of delicious food for you. Without you here, eating alone is boring." Li Yu En ran forward, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside.

Lou Chengye said with a smile, "Isn’t it true that Aunt Liu and Er Niu, San Niu keep you company?"

"Oh, you don’t know, they eat very little, like sparrows pecking at food, it’s not fun." Li Yu En sighed.

When she and Lou Chengye dined together, both enjoyed their meals, watching the other eat happily made their own meal enjoyable too.

Neither Liu Er Bai’s family nor Er Niu and San Niu were big eaters, and as servants, they wouldn’t dare to compete for food with Li Yu En.

When they ate, they were always cautious, and Li Yu En felt that her meals weren’t tasty while watching them eat like little birds.

Lou Chengye, having been away from home for more than ten days, also missed dining with Li Yu En.

He smiled and said, "Alright, I’ll eat with you."

Entering the house, Lou Chengye saw the table inside was filled with food.

All their favorite dishes.

There was roast goose, braised duck feet, dried venison, mutton soup, and some dried fruits and pastries, with wine on the side.

Li Yu En also pointed to the two rolls of fabric and a box placed on a small couch, smilingly said, "These are rewards from Father, worth three hundred taels of silver."

Lou Chengye felt very happy; it was the first time he earned this much silver with his skills.

"Yu En, keep it well, I will earn more money in the future," Lou Chengye said excitedly.

"Alright, I will keep it," Li Yu En said with a smile, "I told you, my husband would definitely succeed in his career."

.

The couple had dinner and then went together to see Old Lady Lou.

Old Lady Lou had already heard about Lou Chengye’s recent performance and praised him heartily, as well as rewarding a number of items.

She gave Li Yu En a cape as a reward, and a pair of deerskin boots to Lou Chengye.

Old Lady Lou said, "These shoes are specially made for you, if you perform well, I’ll have more made for you."

The deerskin shoes were beautiful and sturdy. Looking at the new shoes on his feet, Lou Chengye nodded repeatedly, "Then I’ll rely on Grandmother to make all my future shoes."

This made Old Lady Lou laugh heartily.

At this moment, Lou Chengye noticed that Lady Lou was no longer coughing. He asked in surprise, "Grandmother, when did your illness get better?"

Old Lady Lou smiled and pointed at Li Yu En, "Thanks to your wife, I’ve been having her medicinal porridge, and my cough gradually improved. After you left home for a few days, I wasn’t coughing much, and in the past two days, I haven’t coughed at all."

Li Yu En did not seek credit, smiling, "Perhaps it’s because the weather has gotten warmer."

Old Lady Lou laughed and said, "This child, always so humble."

.

According to annual tradition, after the Lantern Festival, Prefect Lou had to go to the Capital for his official duties.

Previously, only Mr. Lou accompanied Prefect Lou to the Capital.

But this time, Prefect Lou planned to take both Mr. Lou and Lou Chengye, saying he wanted to let Lou Chengye experience the world.

Lou Chengye had never left Zhen An Prefecture before. He was worried he might not do well and embarrass his father.

Li Yu En said, "Chengye, why don’t you chat with my second brother? He’s familiar with the affairs of the Capital."

Lou Chengye suddenly realized, yes, the Li Family were originally from the Capital and had lived there for decades.

"Good, let’s go find Second Brother."

Lou Chengye bought some wine, dishes, snacks, and fruits, and went with Li Yu En to Li Xingsheng’s small house.

Li Xingsheng had also heard about Lou Chengye’s performance in Feng’an County and praised him, "Well done! Chengye."

Lou Chengye said modestly, "Thanks to Second Brother’s enlightenment, I have achieved today’s success."

Li Yu En said, "Second Brother, Chengye is going to the Capital with Father tomorrow, but he’s never been to the Capital and is worried he might embarrass Father. Can you tell him about the things he should pay attention to in the Capital?"

Li Xingsheng smiled and said, "Sure, Chengye, not bad at all, you can go with Lord Prefect to handle affairs in the Capital."

"This is my first time traveling far, and it’s to the Capital. I’ve heard everyone in the Capital is formidable," Lou Chengye sighed, "Please, Second Brother, offer me some guidance."

Li Xingsheng chuckled, "You are indeed asking the right person, come on, let’s eat and chat."

Lou Chengye set out the wine and dishes he brought, and Li Xingsheng called over Liu Er to stew a pot of lamb soup.

The three sat at the table, eating and chatting.

The Capital is full of high-ranked individuals. When you go out on the street, if you bump into someone, they’re either a servant of a third-rank official or a nephew of a fifth-rank official.

Sometimes, if luck is good, you might bump into a princely heir or a commandery prince in disguise.

The shops in the Capital are mostly owned by high-ranking officials.

At the worst, they are owned by the servants of the high-ranking officials.

In short, timid people cannot survive in the Capital.

Li Xingsheng mentioned several unreasonable people and also told Lou Chengye which shops to avoid, saying that a general person entering them would be ripped off nine times out of ten, and even if they suffer losses, they can’t win a lawsuit because the owners are powerful figures.

Besides those difficult and arrogant people, Li Xingsheng also mentioned several names of high-ranked individuals who are good-natured.

Li Xingsheng told Lou Chengye, if he encounters difficulties in the Capital, to look for these people, and said two of them owe him a debt of gratitude, and Lou Chengye can ask them for help without worries.

After talking a lot, Li Xingsheng worried Lou Chengye might not remember everything, so he brought paper and pen and wrote it all down.

Looking at the list full of names, Lou Chengye was amazed, "Second Brother, I didn’t expect you to be so familiar with the Capital, moreover, all the names you wrote are of high-ranked individuals."

Li Xingsheng laughed, "Ah ah, yes indeed. Back in the day, I suffered too much and annoyed too many high-ranked officials in the Capital, otherwise our family wouldn’t have fallen to settle in Zhen An Prefecture. Chengye, these names are all hard-learned lessons, you must remember this sheet of paper."

Li Yu En pursed her lips and smiled, Second Brother is exaggerating again, Second Brother feared nobody in the Capital.

Everyone in the Capital liked Second Brother, regardless of gender or age, as long as Second Brother was around, they’d invite him for meals.

Lou Chengye nodded, "Understood, Second Brother."

.

Zhen An Prefecture is far from the Capital, it takes a month of travel one way by carriage.

Calculating this way, Lou Chengye would be away from home for at least three months.

Being apart for too long, he worried about Li Yu En alone at home.