Chapter 552: Chapter 513: Invitation to Visit (2)

Lou Chengye said awkwardly, “I really don’t look at anything else, just calculations.”

Li Yu En’s eyes sparkled with an idea, “Chengye, I have a suggestion.”

Lou Chengye, in a good mood, said, “Yu En, just say it.”

Li Yu En then said, “Chengye, why don’t you go and help Father with his work?”

Lou Chengye was taken aback, “But I don’t know anything about government affairs.”

Li Yu En replied, “Helping to check accounting is also a type of government work, and only capable people can do this job. Those who lack ability cannot handle it.”

Lou Chengye furrowed his brow, “Yu En, can I really do it?”

Li Yu En smiled and said, “You did extremely well today, Father even rewarded you, indicating that your accounting checks are quite important. Why not frequently go to Father’s study to help out? Don’t worry about what you don’t know, just help with what you can do. Consider it as passing the time, what do you think?”

Lou Chengye frowned, pondering over what Li Yu En had said.

Ever since getting married, he couldn’t run around and play as freely as before, and being idle every day was indeed quite boring.

Why not, as his wife suggested, go and help Father?

When he went to the study today, neither Father nor Brother had him do anything difficult.

He’ll just pick the tasks he knows how to do.

Lou Chengye thought for a while and said, “Alright, I’ll go check in Father’s study again tomorrow.”

“I knew it, my husband isn’t inferior to the brothers.” Li Yu En smiled and patted Lou Chengye’s shoulder.

Praised, Lou Chengye gained more confidence.

Just before dinner, Li Yu En finished making the medicinal porridge.

Lou Chengye helped her carry the porridge bowl and went to see Old Lady Lou with her.

Old Lady Lou wanted to keep them for dinner, enduring the unpleasant medicinal smell and finished the porridge.

While dining with Old Lady Lou, Li Yu En told her about Lou Chengye being rewarded by the Prefect Lou.

“Chengye found several major errors in the documents for Father, who rewarded him with a fox fur hat and a scarf, delivered by Uncle Shuosheng.” Li Yu En said with a smile.

Lou Shuosheng is the prefect’s long-time attendant and rarely does errands unless the matter is important, which shows that the magistrate values this matter.

Old Lady Lou was very pleased and praised Lou Chengye, “Look, you always said you were not good at this or that, unwilling to go to your Father’s study, but didn’t you manage it today? And you got a reward. If there’s nothing much tomorrow, go to your Father’s study again, just focus on what you can do.”

Li Yu En laughed, “Grandmother, I told Chengye the same.”

Old Lady Lou chuckled, “Chengye, you are not as perceptive as your wife.”

Lou Chengye said embarrassedly, “I’ll listen to Yu En.”

After finishing dinner, the couple returned to the He Feng Courtyard.

Second Lady Liu took the tea leaves from Li Xingsheng and brewed tea for them.

The tea in this house is all tribute tea issued by the government, not as good as the wild tea from the countryside.

The tribute tea has been through many screenings, long past its freshness period.

While the wild tea from the countryside is all freshly brewed from the current year.

Li Yu En tasted the tea and said to Lou Chengye, “Chengye, let’s invite Father and Mother here for tea tomorrow.”

Lou Chengye asked, “Why suddenly invite them for tea?”

Li Yu En smiled, “To thank Mother for the charcoal and Father for the nice hat and scarf for you.”

As long as his wife was happy, Lou Chengye didn’t object, “Alright, I’ll arrange it.”

Li Yu En said, “Invite them for tea in the afternoon, and tomorrow morning we’ll buy some pastries and fruits.”

Lou Chengye said, “I’ll buy them, I know what pastries and fruits Father and Mother like.”

After discussing, Li Yu En had Second Lady Liu go invite Lady Lou and Prefect Lou.

“Aunt, please invite the master first, then the madam.” Li Yu En instructed Second Lady Liu.

Second Lady Liu asked in confusion, “Why is there a sequence?”

Obviously, Lady Lou is closer, and Prefect Lou’s study is farther.

Li Yu En laughed and said, “If you invite Madam first, she might not come, but Sir will definitely come. If he agrees to come, Madam will come too.”

Lou Chengye suddenly realized, “Right, right, Mother values face. If Father came and she didn’t, she would be criticized by Father.”

Second Lady Liu laughed and said, “Understood.” She thought to herself, Mrs. Li was worried that Second Miss was foolish, advising her to always remind Second Miss not to be taken advantage of.

But over the few days, she didn’t find Second Miss any less intelligent than others, and she actually felt that Second Miss was exceptionally clever.

Following Li Yu En’s instructions, Second Lady Liu went to Prefect Lou’s study to invite him.

“Fifth Young Master and Fifth Young Madam said, to thank the master for the hat and scarf sent to Fifth Young Master, to invite the master for tea at He Feng Courtyard tomorrow afternoon.”

Because Lou Chengye performed well today, Prefect Lou was in a good mood, and even if the couple didn’t invite him for tea, he planned to visit them sometime tomorrow.

Now that they took the initiative to invite him, and even said it was to express gratitude, it showed the couple were not thoughtless, but courteous people.

Prefect Lou was even more delighted, “Alright, alright, I’ll come on time tomorrow.”

Leaving the study, Second Lady Liu went to invite Lady Lou.

Following Li Yu En’s instructions, Second Lady Liu said directly that Prefect Lou would also be attending.

As expected, although Lady Lou showed reluctance on her face, she still agreed, “Understood, I will go after noon tomorrow.”

.

The next morning, after Lou Chengye finished breakfast, he left the residence to buy pastries and fruits.

The couple had lunch at the Old Lady Lou’s place, then returned to He Feng Courtyard to prepare for the tea party.

There were pastries, seasonal fresh fruits, and dried fruits.

Eight plates were arranged on the table.

The pastries and fruits were set up, and next was starting the fire to boil tea water.

The two nannies and two maids in the courtyard were idle, and Second Lady Liu called them to help.

But the four of them were perfunctory in their work, taking half a day without fetching a single bucket of clear water.

In the end, they only brought a bucket of murky water.

Second Lady Liu was angry, “Sister Jing, where did you get this water? Is it drinkable?”

Nanny Jing said, “Just as you said, it’s carried from the Lotus Pond.”

“The water I usually fetch is crystal clear, but the water you’ve fetched today is all murky, and even floating with weeds. How can it be used? It’s too dirty even for washing bath water.” Second Lady Liu angrily poured the water out.

Nanny Jing chuckled, “You saw me fetching it just now, but the water fetched is like this, what can I do?”

Li Yu En came and pulled at Second Lady Liu, “Auntie, let her be. Asking for help can’t force things, Auntie, please bear with it.”

Second Lady Liu glared at Nanny Jing, picked up the water bucket, and went to fetch water herself.

Arriving at the water pond, Second Lady Liu saw that the soil at the edge of the pond was scratched by something, about the same size as the bottom of the water bucket.

Second Lady Liu understood in her heart, the water Nanny Jing fetched was filled from the edge of the pond, it’s no wonder it was murky.

She angrily washed the bucket, refilled it with water, and carried it back to He Feng Courtyard.

She washed the teacups, the teapot, and the stove.

Li Yu En started brewing tea, wanting only Second Lady Liu and Er Niu, San Niu to help, not using Nanny Jing and the other four anymore.

The four of them thought Li Yu En was afraid of them, smugly sitting aside idling.

And Lou Chengye did not bother with the maids, making the four even more complacent.

As the tea was just starting to brew, Prefect Lou and Lady Lou arrived.

As soon as the two entered the main room, a sudden gust of wind blew in, stinging Prefect Lou’s cheeks. He hurriedly raised his sleeve to cover his face and turned around.

But even turning around, there was wind, blowing the sleeve open, unable to cover the face.

The wind was everywhere.

Lady Lou exclaimed, “So cold!”

The strong wind made her stagger.

“Father, Mother, you’ve arrived? Please sit.” Li Yu En walked forward, smiling and greeting them.

Because the room was so windy, she wore a thick fur coat and a hat.

Lou Chengye followed suit, calling out “Father, Mother.”

He was also dressed heavily, wrapped like a bear.

Prefect Lou took a breath, turned back to look, and only then realized that all the windows of this room were open, and the front and back doors were also open, no wonder the wind blew in from all directions.

The strong wind carried snowflakes, blowing into the room wantonly.

The corners had accumulated quite a few snowflakes.

The maids were so cold they shrank their necks.

Prefect Lou was so cold he didn’t know where to stand, only feeling wind everywhere. He looked at Li Yu En and Lou Chengye, “Aren’t you cold?”

Li Yu En smiled and said, “Wear more, and it’s fine by the fire, not too cold.”

Wear more? Even inside the room, wearing so much, how could one move and work? Prefect Lou frowned.

Lou Chengye also nodded honestly, “It’s fine in the bedroom, we usually stay in the bedroom.”

“Then why do you still live here?” Prefect Lou asked in surprise. He was freezing to death, not knowing how the young couple usually managed.

He only knew that He Feng Courtyard was a place to enjoy the cool in summer and view plum blossoms in winter. When he came last winter, he only admired the plum blossoms outside, never entered the house to sit, not expecting it to be so cold inside.

“If not here, then where?” Li Yu En asked with a bewildered face.

Lou Chengye also said, “This is the new house Mother arranged for us, of course we have to live here.”

Prefect Lou turned around to look at Lady Lou, asking with a stern face, “Madam? How did you arrange for them to live here? Is this a place for people to live?” Standing here for less than a quarter of an hour, he wanted to escape, how could people live here?

Lady Lou saw the windows clattering from the strong wind, “All the windows are open, of course it’s cold. Chengye, why aren’t you closing the windows quickly?”

Just as Lou Chengye was about to speak, Li Yu En said first, “The windows were damaged by the wind, they can’t be closed.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep