Chapter 1193: Chapter 1172: Mutual Harm

Manbao lifted the curtain and said with a smile upon seeing them, “Let’s skip the chitchat. I should have invited you to stay at our place, but we are dealing with some troubles and it’s not appropriate to have you stay at our home. I’ll take you to an inn. Settle down there for now, and later I’ll introduce you to a reliable house agent to discuss what kind of property you want to rent.”

This was somewhat beyond Steward Xu’s expectation, but there wasn’t time to ponder, and he quickly bowed in agreement.

Manbao took them to Zhou’s restaurant.

Since Zhou Wulang started running a restaurant in the street, he had gotten to know quite a few people as he was in charge of purchasing and greeting the customers.

He was familiar with innkeeping and house agents, so there was no need to find Shopkeeper Zheng again.

Moreover, Zhou Wulang, Zhou Liulang, as well as Datou and Second Son, all knew Fu Wenhua; they used to sell sugar to him when they went to the county town.

Although they hadn’t seen each other in a few years, and faces might have changed so much that they might not be completely recognizable, the friendship was still there.

The most important thing was that meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land is a joyous occasion.

However, what Manbao said was right, their family was currently in some trouble. Providing medical treatment and doing a bit of business were fine, but personal interactions weren’t advisable.

Therefore, although Zhou Wulang was very enthusiastic and found them a decent inn to stay and a reliable house agent, he did not invite them to eat at his family’s restaurant.

Steward Xu had an inkling that something was amiss. Considering they had just arrived in the capital and were old acquaintances on both sides, he thought they should be supporting each other. He took hold of Zhou Wulang and inquired, “Brother Wulang, I wonder what trouble your family is in? Without hiding it from you, the grandfather of my family’s Second Miss serves as an official here in the capital. Although there is some friction between the two families, after all, we’re relatives by marriage. Perhaps we could lend a hand?”

Zhou Wulang’s eyes lit up, but the light quickly faded, and he sighed, “I won’t hide it from Steward Xu. Our family has offended the Prince of Yizhou and the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, as folks from the same hometown, County Magistrate Fu used to be our parent official, and we would have surely treated you well. My youngest sister doesn’t want us to have too much contact, actually, it is for your own good.”

Steward Xu: …The people they’ve offended are a bit too powerful.

He saw the guests out, accepting Zhou Wulang’s good intentions.

Fu Wenhua was writing a letter inside the house; he planned to complain to his father and urge them to come to the capital as soon as possible.

Upon entering the room and seeing this, Steward Xu said, “Young Master, the Lord and the others will arrive in just two or three days, so writing this letter won’t make much difference. The priority now is to rent a decent courtyard and to gather some news about the capital.”

Fu Wenhua looked up at him, “Gather what news?”

He sighed and said, “Find out the news about Old Master Yue. Today, while I was feeding the horses, I talked to Chang Le and found out that the house where the Yue family lives was purchased.”

“What’s wrong with it being purchased?”

“Living in Chang’an is not easy, and Old Master Yue is but a newly promoted fifth-grade imperial censor who shouldn’t be buying property in the capital. Why not rent a house? It’s cheaper, spacious, and well-located. How good is that?” Steward Xu continued, “Now, half of the money for the house they purchased came from the Second Miss’s funds.”

Fu Wenhua’s eyes widened as he slammed down his pen, “Why should she?”

“Exactly, properties in the capital are so expensive; isn’t this just emptying the Second Miss’s dowry?”

Otherwise, Steward Xu would not have made an issue now rather than waiting for County Magistrate Fu and Mrs. Fu to arrive in the capital.

The difficulty of Fu Wenyun’s childbirth and the matter of buying a house, if they waited for County Magistrate Fu to arrive in the capital to raise these issues together, they might be easily glossed over by the Yue Family.

If that’s the case, it would be better for them to take the initiative. Reveal the matter of the difficult childbirth first, and when County Magistrate Fu arrives, then bring up the issue of using the dowry to purchase a house.

Steward Xu has been assisting with the miscellaneous affairs of the Fu Family for a long time; he even acted as a temporary steward when County Magistrate Fu had just assumed his position and couldn’t afford to hire one, so he is very familiar with these matters.

He said to Fu Wenhua, “Young Master, you handled today’s matters very well. Just wait – I’ll go meet with the go-between introduced by the Zhou Family soon. Once I find out about a suitable house, we’ll rent it first. Then we’ll see if we can hire people to snatch Second Miss from the Yue Family. If we can rescue her before the Old Master and Madam arrive in the capital, our house will gain a decisive upper hand.”

Fu Wenhua asked, “What should I do then?”

When he and Steward Xu left, his father had instructed him to listen to Steward Xu all the way and not to cause any trouble.

He didn’t hold back his temper and hit Yue Lan today, but that couldn’t be considered causing trouble, could it?

Steward Xu thought about what Chang Le mentioned about their visit to Jishi Hall to seek medical advice yesterday, and how Zhou Man decisively treated the Second Miss. After gritting his teeth, he whispered, “Go find Young Master Bai and Miss Man. We have old ties with them, and Miss Man has a good relationship with Second Miss. You can inquire about the situation in the capital with them.”

Steward Xu stroked his beard and pondered, “Although Zhou Wulang said their family has offended the Prince of Yizhou and the Empress Dowager and encountered some trouble, I always feel that if they could still wander around so freely after offending someone, they must have some backing. Let’s act as if we know nothing and continue our interactions as usual.”

Fu Wenhua looked perplexed, “Offended the Prince of Yizhou and the Empress Dowager?”

Steward Xu came back to his senses and smiled, “It’s nothing, Young Master. Forget the letter. Go have fun with Young Master Bai and the others. They have left you an address earlier, haven’t they? Let Feng Shu take you.”

Fu Wenhua then pointed out the window to the sky and said, “It’s almost time for dinner, isn’t it inappropriate to visit at this hour?”

“It’s precisely during dinner that we should visit,” Steward Xu swiftly took out two boxes of local products from Jianzhou, which were originally meant for the Yue Family. After all, being relatives, one should not visit empty-handed. However, Steward Xu hadn’t managed to unload these gifts from the carriage in time earlier, and now they simply won’t be given to the Yue Family.

With the gift boxes in hand, he pulled Fu Wenhua out of the inn room and said, “Go on, have a meal, have a chat, and those childhood bonds will return.”

Fu Wenhua felt like vomiting blood. What childhood bonds did he have with them?

Weren’t there only grudges between them?

How many times had he been smacked on the hand because of Bai Shan during his childhood?

And after going to Jianzhou, how many times was he punished because of Zhou Man?

But Steward Xu insisted on pushing him into the carriage, telling Feng Shu, “Send the Young Master to Changqing Alley to thank Young Master Bai and Miss Man.”

Feng Shu had just arrived in the capital and had no idea about the roads, so he had to ask passersby first before driving the carriage forward.

After tossing the person to Zhou Wulang, Bai Shan and his group went home to clean up and rest. They had enjoyed watching a great drama today and were particularly happy. Seeing that both Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang were at home, they vividly recounted the day’s happenings to them.

Then with an air of someone who has been through it all, Bai Shan said to Bai Dalang, “Big cousin, when you get married, make sure not to be as clueless as Yue Dalang.”

Bai Erlang was peeling chestnuts and eating, hearing this he laughed and said, “Don’t worry, my big brother won’t be getting married within the next year or two. Right, big brother, you’re almost of marriageable age, aren’t you?”

This hit too close to home. Although it’s becoming more common for men among the commonfolk to marry later, those nearly of age yet still without betrothal plans were certainly in the minority.

Bai Dalang, indignant, snatched the chestnuts from his hand and said, “Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know. Shanbao has been in and out of jail, and yet you still haven’t caught up with his studies. What have you been doing all this time?”

This left both Bai Shan and Bai Erlang feeling blocked in the chest.

Manbao, on the side, burst into laughter, nearly in tears with hilarity.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep