My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

While Lu Youming was working with feverish intensity, Su Wanrou was finally able to leave the provincial capital.

She was accompanied by a majestic large wolfdog. The big dog lay in the carriage, watching the withered world pass by; the marks left by the flood along the roadside were still visible. Su Wanrou looked at the yellowing leaves washed by silt and quietly looked away. Liu Qing sat to the side, cautiously keeping an eye on Swift-Wind.

Swift-Wind flicked its eyelids at her once, then closed its eyes to continue its daze. It lay obediently in the carriage, only wagging its tail in response when Su Wanrou called its name.

The journey from the provincial capital to Chongjiang County took a full day. As night approached, they finally reached their destination. Two soldiers stood at the repaired city gate. Seeing the family emblem hanging from the carriage and the bronze bells on the roof, they knew this was the family of a fourth-rank official.

Steward Lin dismounted to introduce them: “Inside the carriage is the wife of the Lord Magistrate.”

The two soldiers nodded. “Lord Lu gave orders to have you go directly to the County Office. She is out in the countryside today inspecting the farming.”

“Understood. Thank you both.” Steward Lin nodded and informed Su Wanrou. The group entered the city and headed for the yamen.

Through the window, Su Wanrou observed the houses along the street. Most were newly built using a mixture of mud, with most roofs thatched with straw. There weren’t many people walking about, though occasionally someone would stop to stare at them. Closing the curtain, Su Wanrou gained a profound understanding of Chongjiang’s poverty. She knit her brows; this was Lu Youming’s jurisdiction, and in all likelihood, they would live here from now on.

The impoverished Chongjiang and the bustling Jinling were like two different worlds. To restore Chongjiang to this extent in less than a month—Lu Youming was truly impressive.

Lu Youming knew Su Wanrou was arriving today. She had spent the day inspecting agriculture and distributing the buckwheat seeds, instructing the villagers to turn the soil for planting.

“Lord, it’s getting dark. Let’s head back first,” the newly recruited runner beside her urged.

Lu Youming looked at the freshly sprouting buckwheat and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the sky; it was indeed late. “Let’s go.” The group hurried back toward the town.

Su Wanrou had prepared herself mentally, but when she saw the newly built rear yamen, she actually felt it was quite decent. Clearly, the commoners had put their hearts into rebuilding the government office. Though the buildings were made of mud and were mostly empty inside, they were spacious, and even the courtyard paths had been leveled and repaved.

Su Wanrou was led to Lu Youming’s main quarters. Aside from two cabinets, a bed, and a desk, there was nothing else.

“Steward Lin, Chongjiang is just starting to recover. This environment is already quite good. Take the others to rest; we will organize everything tomorrow,” Su Wanrou instructed.

“Yes.” Steward Lin departed to begin securing the furniture and valuables they had brought. Little Wu, who had matured considerably, was busy running back and forth. The long-silent courtyard suddenly felt like their old home in Qinghe again.

Su Wanrou sat in the room watching Liu Qing and the maids arrange their belongings. Soon, the empty room felt lived-in. She had traveled light, knowing from her uncle that the disaster here was severe and houses had been wiped out. Thus, she found it remarkable that Lu Youming had rebuilt the county seat in just half a month. She saw hope in the eyes of the commoners, rather than the numbness she had expected.

When Lu Youming returned to the yamen, she immediately felt the difference. There were many more lanterns; places that used to be pitch black were now brightly lit.

“Master!” Little Wu popped out from nowhere, excitedly springing in front of her.

Suddenly, someone behind Lu Youming stepped forward to block Little Wu. Wen Shu stared coldly at the startled boy. Little Wu was taken aback by the person suddenly emerging from Lu Youming’s shadow. “Who are you!?”

“Wen Shu, this is the family servant, Little Wu. Little Wu, this is Wen Shu,” Lu Youming introduced them, holding Wen Shu back. Little Wu felt a river of sadness in his heart. He had worked so hard hoping to become his Master’s personal attendant. Where did this guy come from to steal my spot? He watched in disbelief as Wen Shu followed Lu Youming into the rear yamen. Didn’t Master dislike people being too close? Why has that changed?

Waiting for Lu Youming to eat, Su Wanrou raised an eyebrow when she saw Wen Shu. Her watery eyes turned to Lu Youming. At the sight of Su Wanrou, Lu Youming’s stern expression softened. “When did you arrive?”

“Just half an hour ago.” Su Wanrou rose gracefully. Seeing Lu Youming covered in dust, she felt a pang of heartache. As she leaned in, Lu Youming caught a gentle floral scent. Su Wanrou reached up and plucked something from her hair.

“Were you in the fields?” Su Wanrou set aside a piece of wild grass.

“Yes, I went to see if the buckwheat had sprouted.” Lu Youming’s voice softened instinctively.

Wen Shu stood at the door like a little stone guardian, seeing and hearing nothing, neither speaking nor leaving. When Liu Qing entered with the food, she was nearly startled by the “door god.” “Oh my! Who are you?” She stepped back, her heart pounding as she looked at the dark, staring eyes of the girl-disguised-as-a-boy.

Lu Youming realized she hadn’t introduced Wen Shu yet. “This is Wen Shu, a personal attendant I recently hired. She knows martial arts,” she told Su Wanrou, then turned to Wen Shu. “Wen Shu, she is the Mistress of this house.”

Hearing Lu Youming call her the Mistress of the house, Su Wanrou’s gaze became even more vivid. “Indeed, Husband needs someone to run errands, and someone with martial skills is good.” She beckoned Wen Shu over.

Wen Shu glanced at her boss. Lu Youming nodded, and only then did the girl walk over, her small face still serious and unsmiling.

“Does Wen Shu not like to smile?” Su Wanrou asked. Wen Shu immediately pouted at Lu Youming, looking very wronged.

Lu Youming rubbed her forehead. “No, she loves to smile too much. She couldn’t maintain authority, so I told her to keep a straight face every day and not smile.”

Su Wanrou laughed softly at the reason. She pleaded for the poor child: “Then in private, let her smile.” Wen Shu looked expectantly at Lu Youming. Her little sister had recently complained she was getting “scary.” Lu Youming finally nodded.

“Go rest. Someone will bring food to your room,” Lu Youming said, letting Wen Shu “off the clock.”

“Thank you, Lord!” Wen Shu saluted happily and left.

Left alone, Lu Youming and Su Wanrou looked at each other with no trace of strangeness. Su Wanrou looked at her with pity. “You’ve grown thin. And darker.” She wanted to reach out and touch her but felt shy, so she just squeezed her handkerchief.

Lu Youming touched her own face. “Am I darker? I didn’t notice.”

“Just a little bit,” Su Wanrou gestured with her pinky. “About this much.” Lu Youming burst out laughing.

“Master, long time no see!” Liu Qing placed a bowl of chicken soup on the table and gave a formal bow. She was profoundly grateful to Lu Youming for saving her mistress. When Su Wanrou had been pushed down the hill, Liu Qing had nearly jumped after her. Steward Lin had held her back, and they had searched the woods for days to no avail. The floods had blocked the way to Jinling, and news only got out days later.

Steward Lin, feeling he had failed to protect the mistress, was too ashamed to return to Jinling, so he stayed to help clean up Qinghe. Qinghe had been flooded, but thanks to Lu Youming’s sandbags at the city gates, the internal damage was halved. Even the Lu family home was perfectly preserved.

As Liu Qing recounted the events, she began to cry. Su Wanrou wiped her tears. “I didn’t expect my final act in Qinghe would save it. It seems the main force of the flood didn’t hit the town directly, or those sandbags wouldn’t have held,” Lu Youming mused.

“The people of Qinghe are truly grateful to you,” Liu Qing added. Being thanked made Lu Youming feel some of her fatigue lift.

“Come, have some soup first.” Su Wanrou placed a bowl in front of her. Lu Youming swallowed hard at the aroma. For weeks, she had eaten nothing but porridge or dry rice with wild greens—no meat at all. The soup was fresh and savory, accented with nourishing herbs. She finished three whole bowls of white rice that night, feeling completely satisfied.

After the meal and a bath, Lu Youming sat in the room drying her hair. Without her “masculine” makeup, she looked even more exhausted. “The yamen is still just me. No assistant, no secretary to organize decrees or documents. Wanrou, I am so tired…” Her hand slowed as she leaned against the headboard.

Su Wanrou sat on the edge of the bed and watched the girl fall asleep mid-task. She smoothed Lu Youming’s furrowed brow. Looking at the desk piled with documents, Su Wanrou stood up and took Lu Youming’s seat.

When she woke the next morning, Lu Youming felt the familiar weight in her arms and remembered Su Wanrou had arrived. She carefully slid her arm out. Her loose sleepwear shifted, revealing her collarbones. She straightened her clothes and walked to her desk, expecting a mountain of work.

Instead, the desk was incredibly tidy. Picking up the top document, she found a sheet of paper tucked inside. It contained summaries and proposed resolutions for every document—resolutions far better than those she would have come up with. Even errors in the expense ledgers had been caught and organized.

Lu Youming looked at the sleeping Su Wanrou, a warm urge to hug her rising in her heart. She couldn’t help herself; she climbed back onto the bed and gave the girl a loose, happy embrace.

By the time Su Wanrou woke up, Lu Youming was gone. Liu Qing handed her a formal government envelope. “A letter from the Master?” Su Wanrou asked.

“Yes. Master said I must give this to you personally as soon as you woke.”

Su Wanrou opened it, her eyes widening as she read. The letter contained a dazzling proposition: Lu Youming was formally “hiring” Su Wanrou as the Strategic Advisor (Master Secretary) of Chongjiang County.

While Su Wanrou could not hold an official post as a woman, she could serve as an externally hired advisor—there was historical precedent for this. A flame ignited in Su Wanrou’s heart. Half an hour later, she was sitting in the yamen’s administrative office.

Though the staff was skeptical, they didn’t dare speak up given their relationship. They simply dumped the tedious paperwork in her office. Liu Qing, her hair styled like a pageboy, helped move the documents. She thought her Master was truly visionary to let a woman work in the yamen.

Su Wanrou began auditing the disaster relief expenses, her abacus clicking rapidly. Suddenly, she paused. The money was correct, but the grain records were wrong. Every day, exactly one dou of rice was missing. The accounting was crude; Lu Youming had simply been too busy to notice the loophole.

Su Wanrou summoned the clerk in charge of the granary. “Do you know why one extra dou of grain has been taken out every day since the start of the month?”

The clerk shook his head. “The amounts taken aren’t always the same; sometimes it’s more, sometimes less.”

Su Wanrou knew someone was exploiting the fluctuations. “Where are the vouchers for the daily withdrawals?” She verified the signatures and identified a man named Qian Da. “Go arrest Qian Da. Search his home; you will likely find stored grain.”

The soldiers, who hated anyone stealing life-saving rations, arrested him immediately. Under pressure, the man confessed, and two jars full of grain were dug up in his home. With this, Su Wanrou established her authority.

Meanwhile, Lu Youming was in the fields inspecting the buckwheat. Most of the crop had sprouted from the moist red earth. They had just applied the first round of fertilizer, and the smell was… unpleasant.

Lu Youming had used organic composting: leftover stalks, weeds, leaves, and wood ash mixed with human and animal waste. It was eco-friendly, but the smell was beyond words. Several elderly farmers stood by with troubled faces. They had farmed their whole lives and had never seen this method. They were worried: Can anything grown from this stuff actually be edible?

Lu Youming looked at the green shoots poking through the dirt. She felt a sense of relief. With buckwheat maturing in just three months, the people would have food for the winter.