Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Chapter 525: Worried about extortion

In contrast, Ah Jian looked at her and laughed.
Reaching out to take her hand, he smiled and said to Lian Ze: “Your sister and I are now engaged.
We will get married after her period of filial piety.
Third Aunt said that since she is the eldest daughter and is the head of the household, she just needs to keep filial piety for twenty-seven months.”

The implication of this was that she only had one or two month left and then he could call him brother-in-law.

“Really!” Lian Ze’s eyes brightened, delighted.
He laughed excitedly: “That’s great, that’s great! That’s really great!” Smiling, he said: “By then, Che’er will also take his exams and then our family will really be blessed! Sister, Brother Ah Jian!”

Seeing that he was smiling like a happy fool, Lian Fang Zhou and Ah Jian couldn’t help but laugh.

Lian Fang Zhou tugged gently at her hand but Ah Jian felt her tightly, refusing to let go.
Helpless, she laughed and scolded: “Finally someone wants your sister and she will finally get married! You can’t wait to get rid of her! Looking at your joy, I must be a big burden.”

Lian Ze grinned.
“Sister, you are wronging me! I am happy because you’re finally together with Brother Ah Jian.
You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to this!”

She blushed slightly, looking at Ah Jian with a smile.

Hearing this, Ah Jian was even more relieved.
This was a good child, it was worth teaching him!

“Now you can feel at ease.
I will take care of your sister and protect her from now on.
You are the eldest son of the Lian family and Che’er and Qing’er will depend on you.
You have to be more careful, they depend on you to protect them.” Ah Jian smiled.

Lian Ze’s heart trembled with a sense of pride and caution, feeling the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Standing up, he said: “Yes! From now on, my sister will rely on brother-in-law and I will definitely protect Che’er and Qing’er!”

Lian Fang Zhou opened her mouth slightly, wanting to protest, but she felt that it wasn’t good to say anything.
She closed her mouth and gave Lian Ze a light look.

Hearing ‘brother-in-law’, Ah Jian was naturally very happy.
Looking as if he had just eaten ginseng, he smiled shamelessly.
“Don’t worry, brother-in-law! We are family, don’t be so polite!”

“That is true, that is true.” Lian Ze nodded, smiling.

Unable to sit still anymore, Lian Fang Zhou got up and said: “You keep talking, I’m going to go and rest for a little while.
I’ll be back later.”

Ah Jian’s eyes followed her tenderly but as soon as she left, the smile left his face.

Facing Lian Ze, he said seriously: “Your sister is very worried, Ah Ze.
Now that your family has more money in your hands, you are in charge of more important matters.
As the eldest son of the Lian family, no matter how capable your sister is, in the future you will inherit the family properties.
I don’t know how many people with ulterior motives will try to trick you.
When you make friends with people, you must be careful and not easily fooled.
When you are outside, be sure not to get drunk…”

~

Lian Fang Zhou rested for a while.
Feeling that the awkward moment had passed, she returned to look for Lian Ze and Ah Jian.
It was getting late and they needed to be on their way.

But when she reached the door and heard the conversation between the two inside, she smiled softly and quietly walked away.

By the time Ah Jian and Lian Ze finished speaking, it was already noon.
Lian Ze smiled at his sister in embarrassment.
“It’s all because I’m too stupid, I need my brother-in-law to point out a lot of things.
I’ve delayed sister and brother-in-law’s trip!”

Lian Fang Zhou laughed.
“It’s okay, it’s just half a day! You… well, you have to remember what Ah Jian said.”

He nodded quickly in agreement.

After giving him a few more words of advice, Lian Fang Zhou left with Ah Jian and Chun Xing.

In the carriage, she smiled softly at Ah Jian: “Thank you!”

Due to Chun Xing’s presence, Ah Jian did not hold her hand or pull her into his arms, but his gaze was blazing.
Smiling, he said: “He can be regarded as half of my student, so I should teach him.
Besides, he is now my brother-in-law.”

Chun Xing pursed her lips to prevent laughing and lowered her face and eyes, pretending not to hear anything.

Blushing, Lian Fang Zhou gave him a sideways look and stopped talking.

The three of them had lunch at the county capital.
Sending home their carriage, they hired a new one to go to Shuangliu county, where they caught a boat to Nanchang.

The boat sailed for six days and finally arrived.

Nanchang was the province capital.
Compared to Shuangliu, it was busier with wider streets, fancier shops, and an endless stream of people and horses.

As soon as the boat docked, the coachman waiting eagerly on the pier swarmed up, crying out to attract customers.

There purpose in coming here this time was not only to buy a shop but also to hire a professional shopkeeper.
Neither of them had been here before and knew nothing about the local situation.
It was important to inquire about news and gossip.

After all, they had no shortage of money.

Ah Jian protected Lian Fang Zhou while Chun Xing followed close behind.
The three of them hired a decent looking carriage and asked the driver to take them to the bustling city center to find a good inn.

Although they were dressed in ordinary clothing, the coachman had seen all kinds of people in this industry and knew not to judge people by their appearance.
He smiled and said: “How about the Fujin Inn? It’s located at the city center and surrounded by big shops, very popular.
Fujin is also one of the best inns in the Nanchang, their rooms are well furnished and have great service.
A first-class room costs ten taels a night and ordinary rooms are four or five taels.”

Lian Fang Zhou nodded.
“Good, let’s go there.”

After half an hour, the carriage finally stopped.

Their group got out of the carriage, paid the fare with an extra two pieces of silver as a reward, and were about to go in when Lian Fang Zhou’s heart suddenly moved.

Smiling at the coachman, she said: “We will live in Nanchang for half a month but we are foreigners and will inevitably need a carriage to travel.
Instead of going to the pier every day, why don’t you take us out?”

In fact, Lian Fang Zhou really wanted to talk about this with the coachman on the way but it was inconvenient while sitting inside the carriage.

Despite the benefits, the coachman didn’t play any tricks.
His words were articulate and thoughtful and his attitude was good.
He was straightforward and enthusiastic, which gave Lian Fang Zhou a good impression.

“This…” He glanced at Lian Fang Zhou, hesitating.
“I rely on this job to support my family, I wonder if Miss intends to go out very often these days?”

Sure enough, he was straightforward.
His words were polite and tactful.

Smiling, Lian Fang Zhou asked: “I wonder how much money you earn a day?”