A Good Country Wife
Chapter 374 - 368_1

Chapter 374: Chapter 368_1

"If that’s the case, would my visit be enough to persuade him to come?" Lin Yue questioned, already sensing Master Chen’s attitude and knowing that Old Lu had an eccentric personality, which might be even worse.

"I’m not sure about that," replied Master Chen, "but I’ve heard that Old Lu is interested in intricate and complex designs and constructions. Your drawings look quite sophisticated, so perhaps he might be intrigued." Lin Yue’s drawings were very vivid and also meticulously annotated, so much so that even Liu, the shopkeeper who was a layman, could understand them and felt the house would definitely turn out well. As for Master Chen, being a man of considerable pride, he promptly refused upon hearing that the job was to build a house for a farmer in the countryside without even glancing at the drawings; otherwise, he might not have declined so easily, since a well-built house would benefit his own reputation.

"Then where does Old Lu live, and can you take me there, Shopkeeper Liu?" Although Lin Yue was not optimistic about convincing Old Lu, giving up without even trying was not her style, so she decided to go and ask for his help.

Whenever Lin Yue made a request, Shopkeeper Liu had no reason to refuse. "I know where he lives, but I’m not sure if Old Lu is home at the moment. I’ll take you there to try your luck."

Shopkeeper Liu drove the carriage through a series of twists and turns before stopping in front of a small house. He approached the door and knocked, "Is anyone there, open up?"

A young boy opened the door with his hands behind his back, bearing an air of pretension, and his voice held a touch of impatience, "Who is it and what do you want? My grandfather said he’s very busy and has no time to bother with you idlers. Go find someone else if you want to build a house."

Old Lu’s renown was not limited to Xin’an City; he was among the most esteemed in the whole Dazhou. With the number of people seeking him out, the boy had grown weary of being pestered, thus his unkind attitude towards visitors.

Lin Yue was somewhat speechless at encountering such arrogance one after another. She was only trying to hire a skilled craftsman to build a house—was that so difficult? But seeing that the other party was only a child of about ten years old, she didn’t feel it was worth arguing with him.

Shopkeeper Liu, however, was not the least bit put off by the boy’s attitude and greeted him with a smile, "Your grandfather? You must be Old Lu’s grandson. I’m aware of Old Lu’s rules and won’t trouble you for long. Please just hand these drawings to your grandfather; my address is also on them."

The boy saw that Shopkeeper Liu was holding out a few sheets of paper and merely lifted his eyelids, showing no intention of taking them. Shopkeeper Liu, as expected, produced a small paper package from his bosom.

"Young master, this package contains scallion pancakes that I specifically bought for you, freshly baked on my way here. They taste really good. You should take them and enjoy," Shopkeeper Liu said, having come prepared. He knew in advance that the boy who kept the gate at Old Lu’s residence had a fondness for delicious food, and scallion pancakes were among those delights. The boy was not to be bought with silver, but surely could not refuse a bribe of good food.

As expected, the boy sniffed the fragrance coming from the paper package, swallowed several times, and ungraciously accepted the scallion pancakes, finally offering a faint smile towards Shopkeeper Liu and Lin Yue.

"Wait here. I’ll go and pass the message on to my grandfather. But whether he agrees to see you is not up to me." After saying this, the boy closed the door and skipped back inside the house to deliver the message, showing a rare glimpse of his childish side.

Seeing this, Lin Yue smiled at Shopkeeper Liu, "Shopkeeper Liu, you’re astute. You must have known the boy’s weakness, which is why you brought me here."

With a smile, Shopkeeper Liu tacitly acknowledged, for he had indeed wanted to earn favor with Lin Yue and naturally wanted her to recognize his efforts.

"Grandfather, just now two people knocked on the door, asking me to show these design plans to you." The child was quite cunning, knowing to hide the scallion pancakes before entering the room.

Old Man Lu found it a bit strange as to why the child was so willingly passing along the message, but he took the design plans from the child’s hand nonetheless. Initially he had been somewhat indifferent, but the more he looked at the plans, the more he found the house designs to be exquisite. He became so engrossed that he carefully reviewed the plans once again before remembering what he had forgotten.

"Child, the ones who gave you the plans, are they still here?" Old Man Lu was now eager to meet the person who had drawn the plans.

"They should be, as they came to seek your help in building a house. Without a word from you, Grandfather, they must be waiting outside. Do you want to see them?" The child had taken Mr. Liu’s offerings and was somewhat supportive of them in his words.

"Of course, I want to meet them. You clever little rascal, quickly invite them in." Old Man Lu had always been quirky and not very given to granting favors lightly. The rare use of the word ’please’ indicated the importance he placed on meeting the visitors.

Lin Yue and Mr. Liu had been waiting outside for quite a long while. Seeing that the child had not come out and there was no movement in the yard, they were beginning to lose heart.

"Madam Lin, you don’t have to worry too much. If Old Man Lu doesn’t wish to take on the job, I’ll help you find another craftsman. If there’s no suitable one in Xin’an City, we can ask in the neighboring cities. The Family Head instructed me before leaving, and I’ll definitely see to it that your matters are taken care of."

"Then I must trouble you, Mr. Liu." Lin Yue didn’t put on any airs of refusal, as Mr. Liu’s help came undoubtedly because of Jiang Ziqi, and she remembered the favor owed to Ziqi.

"Madam Lin, it’s been a while, and there’s been no response from inside. I’m afraid Old Man Lu is unwilling to take the job. Why don’t we head back for now?" Although Mr. Liu had gathered information about Old Man Lu and the child’s preferences, there was only so much he could do. The decision of Old Man Lu was not his to force. Seeing that there had been no movement for a long time, waiting any further seemed futile, so he suggested to Lin Yue that they go back.

"Alright then." Lin Yue had approached the situation with a try-and-see attitude anyway. Given Master Chen’s precedent, it wasn’t unexpected for Old Man Lu to refuse, so she didn’t feel much disappointment.

Just as the two were ready to leave, the child finally opened the door. "Grandfather wants to see you, follow me." The child’s attitude towards Mr. Liu and Lin Yue had improved quite a bit, but he still carried an air of arrogance, leading the way for Mr. Liu and Lin Yue with a certain pride.

Upon hearing that Old Man Lu wanted to see them, Lin Yue and Mr. Liu exchanged glances, both revealing a trace of joy on their faces. It seemed that there was a high likelihood that the job was theirs. Those design plans had impressed Old Man Lu enough for him to decide to intervene; otherwise, there would be no need to meet with them.

Upon meeting Old Man Lu, Lin Yue saw him as just an ordinary elderly man with greying hair, yet he still appeared quite spirited. Unlike the superficial arrogance of Master Chen, Old Man Lu was very approachable. He chatted with Lin Yue easily, just like a friendly grandfather from next door, so unlike the rumors of his reclusiveness and difficult nature. Lin Yue felt that the rumors must definitely be off.

"This young lady is truly remarkable. For a layperson to draw up such plans is no easy feat. I’ll take the job, and leave the house building to me."

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