My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Having received a definitive answer, Su Wanrou poked her small head out from the quilt, her eyes sparkling brilliantly even in the dimly lit room. They shone right into Lu Youming’s heart. Lu Youming couldn’t help but reach out to stroke her hair again before tucking her back in. “Go to sleep.”

Su Wanrou leaned against Lu Youming, closing her eyes with sheer joy. “Then from now on, you are my Lady Wife.”

Lu Youming couldn’t help but laugh at her words. Their long black hair tangled together as silence returned to the room. Two steady breaths intertwined while the faint morning light outside began to touch the ground. If this wasn’t the definition of “the years are quiet and good,” then nothing was.

Newly in love, Lu Youming and Su Wanrou couldn’t help but smile whenever they saw each other. Their eyes were so bright with affection that anyone could tell this young couple was deeply in love.

During the holiday, there weren’t many activities. Chongjiang County was poor and had suffered a great disaster, so Lu Youming couldn’t organize any grand celebrations. She settled for a simple method: every day after the Hour of Mao (5:00 AM), incense was burned and firecrackers were set off at the City God Temple. This symbolized dispelling the bad luck of the past year and welcoming the new. Since winter dawn came late, the firecrackers served as a perfect wake-up call for the families to start their day.

After resting for five days, Lu Youming began discussing how to develop Chongjiang.

“There’s no way around it; I’ve looked through the county records from previous years. Chongjiang has floods almost every year, alternating only in scale,” Su Wanrou said, rubbing her forehead as she sat on the Luohan couch.

“I actually have a way to reinforce the levees,” Lu Youming said, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

“What way, Husband?” Su Wanrou leaned on the small table, looking at her.

“This method might be a bit risky,” Lu Youming replied. Su Wanrou immediately sat up straight. “Tell me quietly, Husband. I’m listening.”

“I know of a substance called cement. The production cost is low, it dries quickly, and it becomes stronger over time. It is also resistant to both fire and water.” Lu Youming listed the advantages of cement.

“I’ve never heard of such a magical mud. But we can try it.” Su Wanrou searched her memory but couldn’t recall seeing such a method in any book.

Lu Youming was also deliberating on whether to attempt it. The initial cement might not have a high degree of hardness, but it would certainly be sufficient for building houses. Fortuitously, the large workshop she had ordered built could now be put to use. If she could find volcanic ash, the hardness would be even higher.

Lu Youming wrote down the formulas one by one. She realized that spring was coming and planting would soon begin; she couldn’t find enough people to produce cement at scale yet. Su Wanrou suggested a solution: run the project through her dowry shops. Her staff were all lifelong family servants, so there was no need to worry about loyalty or secrecy.

Together, they drafted the plan for a cement factory. It couldn’t be in the city; it had to be at an estate in the countryside. This meant the workshop Lu Youming built earlier wouldn’t be used for this; they needed to buy a new estate in Chongjiang.

When Lu Youming saw the budget reached a thousand taels of silver, she clutched her chest in physical pain. “Building a factory is so expensive!”

“It’s fine. This is all early-stage investment. The later income could let our names go down in history,” Su Wanrou said, amused by Lu Youming’s “flesh-piercing” pain over the money.

“Linjiang County produces limestone. They have several lime mines, and the price isn’t too high,” Su Wanrou noted, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the primary material. “The distance from Linjiang to Chongjiang isn’t far; it can be shipped in about three days. We can send an order to the Magistrate of Linjiang. Coincidentally, I sent him New Year’s gifts.”

“That’s perfect. It’s like someone handing you a pillow just as you’re getting sleepy,” Lu Youming joked.

“Indeed. The Magistrate of Linjiang is an interesting man—refined and slick.” Su Wanrou remembered how the Magistrate of Linjiang had spoken of her grandfather with such high praise, albeit in a very roundabout way, promising to visit when he had the chance.

Lu Youming immediately wrote a letter, waiting a few days to send it by express courier to Linjiang.

“Husband, this cement has immense use. In the future, it can build not just levees, but houses and city walls.” Su Wanrou’s brow furrowed as she spoke. She finally understood why Lu Youming thought this was “risky.” It was too good; it would eventually have to be surrendered to the court.

Lu Youming stopped writing and took Su Wanrou’s hand. “Once our experiments succeed, we can build the levees and houses while simultaneously reporting to the court.”

Su Wanrou looked at the hand covering hers. The fingers were well-defined with light calluses; it felt wonderful. Her ears hidden under her hair turned red. She barely heard what Lu Youming was saying, focused entirely on the feeling of their fingers touching.

Lu Youming felt the lingering touch. Seeing Su Wanrou looking at their hands with trembling lashes, she smiled and gently interlaced their fingers.

“Husband…” Su Wanrou called out in a tender, coquettish voice. She tried to pull her hand back because the heat of their palms was becoming too intense. Lu Youming didn’t let go; instead, she moved to sit beside Su Wanrou, squeezing in close. Her eyelashes fluttered. “Shall we continue our discussion?”

“Mmhmm?” Su Wanrou responded softly, her face as red as a ripe apple.

Looking at her, Lu Youming felt her throat go dry. She suddenly had a craving for apples. In a daze, she remembered she could grow winter vegetables. She had been so busy with houses and buckwheat that she’d forgotten a winter survival essential (greenhouses).

“Actually, we could ask Grandfather’s opinion,” Su Wanrou suggested. Her grandfather had always worried about who would look after her once he was gone.

Lu Youming was still thinking about winter vegetables, her mouth practically watering. In an ancient winter, eating green vegetables was incredibly difficult. Su Wanrou noticed her daze and waved her free hand in front of Lu Youming’s eyes. “Husband, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” Lu Youming caught her hand, and they returned to the topic at hand. “Let’s wait until the cement shows results before saying anything else.” She was still worried about the possibility of failure.

The New Year holiday flashed by, and the two returned to their busy lives. After the office reopened, Lu Youming had endless tasks to handle, walking about outside from morning until night. Su Wanrou had Steward Lin purchase a countryside estate that a family had been looking to sell for a long time.

Time flew. While Lu Youming focused on farming, the cement factory was built and put into operation. Su Wanrou hired over a dozen craftsmen, signed them to contracts, and separated the production stages. Results came quickly.

Lu Youming looked at the bags of grey powder, which looked much like modern cement. She excitedly directed the craftsmen to build a wall to test its hardness and drying time. Five hours later, the cement had hardened. The test showed decent hardness, though not yet perfect. Another wall, which had been lightly misted with water during the hardening process, proved even stronger under a hammer strike.

The craftsmen were overjoyed to receive their bonuses. Lu Youming continued to refine the formula in her mind. Three days later, the craftsmen were shocked to see a cement wall holding a bucket of water without a single leak.

“Heavens! The Lord was right! With this, we never have to worry about our houses being washed away again!” One craftsman who had lost his home burst into tears.

Lu Youming quickly applied the cement to construction. She used cement and bricks to rebuild the collapsed walls of the yamen. The bricks had been discovered during the cement research; the clay became incredibly hard after firing. Soon, the yamen walls were restored. Compared to the old mud walls, the new ones looked magnificent.

Standing in the rear yamen, Lu Youming and Su Wanrou held hands as they looked at the new wall. Lu Youming felt a deep sense of nostalgia seeing a cement wall in this ancient world. Su Wanrou was simply thrilled to see her “husband’s” ideas come to life.

“I’ve already written to Uncle to see what he decides,” Lu Youming said, squeezing Su Wanrou’s fingers.

In the following days, Lu Youming led a team to experiment on the river levees. She used crushed stone and bricks, mixing them with sand to increase the cement’s strength. The factory expanded. She even built a small model house out of cement and bricks as a “showroom,” inviting merchants to view it so they would buy the materials. She even paved a stretch of road—the first cement road in Chongjiang. It was smooth, level, and, most importantly, clean.

“One could pave their entire courtyard with this; it’s much cheaper than stone slabs,” a manager explained to a group of smiling, curious merchants who were tapping the road with hammers to test its strength. The manager didn’t push for sales yet; the Lord had said the current output was only for the county’s use, but they wanted to build a reputation first.

In Jinling City, Shao Jiechuan picked up his niece’s letter again, which explained “Zijin’s” cement. He frowned. He desperately wanted to control the water and fix the levees, but the court’s funds were always halved by the time they reached him. He couldn’t even report it upward effectively.

He sighed. The Emperor was old, and the court was in chaos. The confined princes were still plotting, and even the sickly Eldest Prince had entered the fray. Only the Grand Princess could mediate and balance the politics. Fortunately, her recent decrees had kept the strife within the capital, preventing it from destabilizing local officials.

“I never want to be besieged by a flood again,” Shao Jiechuan muttered, his gaze fixed on the word “cement.”

Five days later, Lu Youming and Su Wanrou were surprised by the arrival of Shao Jiechuan, along with Shao Yun and Madam Shao in their carriage.

“Grandfather, Grandmother! Why are you here?” Su Wanrou cried, running to them.

Madam Shao rubbed her aching lower back and looked at her granddaughter with loving, tearful eyes. “I missed you, so I came.”

Lu Youming stepped forward to pay her respects and had them led inside. “Grandfather, Grandmother, the yamen is simple—”

“It is already very good,” Shao Yun interrupted. Madam Shao patted Su Wanrou’s hand as she looked at the clean courtyard. “Zijin has kept this place very well.”

Madam Shao knew the state of Chongjiang before she came, but seeing it in person, it was far better than she imagined. She knew the entire town had been nearly destroyed. That Lu Youming had rebuilt it in just over half a year proved the “boy’s” excellence.

“Your grandfather came to see the cement Zijin mentioned. I heard from your uncle that it is a boon for the nation and the people,” Madam Shao explained.

Su Wanrou looked at Lu Youming, who was already chatting with her uncle, her eyes filled with happiness. Madam Shao saw that look and felt both a bit worried and happy for the young couple’s affection.

“Grandfather, Uncle, I have already reinforced a section of the levee. The waterproofing is excellent, and it cost about one-third less than traditional methods,” Lu Youming reported.

“Truly?” Shao Jiechuan was stunned. The court spent millions on levees every year; a one-third saving meant 300,000 taels saved annually.

“That specific section cost one-third less. For a total project, we would need experts to audit the figures,” Lu Youming cautioned.

Shao Jiechuan nodded. “Come, take me to see your cement factory.” He and Shao Yun both wanted to see how this miracle was made.

Lu Youming looked at Su Wanrou. “Go ahead. Come back later for dinner,” Su Wanrou said softly.

Shao Jiechuan stroked his beard, pretending not to notice their intimacy. He knew his niece was essentially running the yamen alongside Lu Youming, but he chose to look the other way. He had a strange feeling that the world might be changing, a vague intuition that led him to ignore the fact that Su Wanrou was serving as a “Master Secretary.”