The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 744 - 733

Chapter 744: 733

Zhou Lijun said, "Grandpa, in a couple of days, I’ll be going to Yizhou City with Fourth Uncle. Why don’t we take it to my junior aunt on the way?"

"Your junior aunt has money on her. Carrying so much money while traveling could be risky; what if she loses it?" Old Zhou refused and said, "Anyway, she’ll be coming back for the New Year, and I’ll give it to her then."

Zhou Lijun always felt that his grandfather wanted to cheat his junior aunt out of her money, which worried him.

The Zhou brothers, however, didn’t pay much attention, because they knew that their father’s words were not final; it all depended on their mother’s opinion.

Even if they were to collect their youngest sister’s money, it would be their mother who kept it, and their father would probably only get to see it.

So, as Ms. Qian didn’t speak, none of the Zhou brothers expressed any opinion.

Zhou Liulang counted the money he had on hand and took out his little account book to calculate again. Finally, his eyes lit up as he squeezed his way to Zhou Silang’s side, "Brother Si, how much did you say the shop you asked about for me cost?"

Zhou Silang looked at him in horror, "Liulang, you’re not actually thinking about buying a shop in Yizhou City, are you?"

"Why not?" Zhou Liulang said, "I did the math, and I’ve saved up one hundred and eighty-nine taels now."

Zhou Silang couldn’t help but have stars in his eyes, "How come you have more than me?"

Zhou Liulang proudly said, "Because I spend less."

He lowered his voice and said, "Look at all the things you bring back for Si Sao and Sixth every time, plus what you spend yourself. It’d be weird if you could save any money, so if you want to save, you can’t get married."

Zhou Silang: ...

Zhou Wulang, who was sitting nearby and happened to hear this: ...

Zhou Silang just patted him on the shoulder and said, "You could buy a shop with one hundred and eighty-nine taels, but the location certainly wouldn’t be good. If you want a good one, you’ll need to prepare around a thousand taels, right?"

Zhou Liulang’s eyes nearly bulged out, "That much? Are they robbing people?"

"That’s how it is for a good shop. You might as well just rent one."

Zhou Liulang was conflicted, "Renting, huh... It’s not my own shop, I wouldn’t feel secure using it. What if I get kicked out halfway through my business?"

Zhou Wulang said, "You should ask Manbao what she thinks."

Zhou Silang disagreed a bit, "For this kind of thing, wouldn’t it be better to ask me rather than Manbao? What does she know about these things?"

But Zhou Liulang did indeed go to Yizhou City to ask Manbao.

He was no longer working at his elder sister-in-law’s restaurant and was thinking about sorting out his things and trying to go it alone in Yizhou City.

Everyone, from Old Zhou and Ms. Qian down to Junior Ms. Qian, approved of this idea, thinking that if he went to Yizhou City, it would be much easier for Manbao to eat the food made at home.

Though Zhou Liulang’s culinary skills were still not as good as Ms. Qian’s, he was now the second person in the house who could cook delicious food.

Zhou Liulang took his share of the silver and, along with Zhou Si and Erya, hurried to Yizhou City by carriage. Manbao, without a second thought, said, "Sixth Brother, why don’t you just find a shop near the academy on Kangxue Street to rent? Students like to eat out a lot."

Zhou Silang threw cold water on their plans, "Shops like that are not only expensive but also hard to rent."

Manbao thought for a moment and said, "Or Sixth Brother, stop thinking about renting a shop for business for now and find a restaurant to work as a chef first? See how others do it."

Zhou Silang thought it was a good idea, and even Zhou Lijun said, "Yes, Sixth Uncle, what your aunt started in the county town is profitable because there are few good restaurants there, and because they can buy rice, flour, vegetables, and greens from home or the village. That’s not possible in Yizhou City."

Manbao nodded, "Sixth Brother, you don’t have much money, you should be cautious, so go check out other restaurants first. Your cooking skills are not bad now, so find a restaurant to start with."

Zhou Liulang considered it seriously and decided to follow Manbao’s advice. Then he handed over the silver he had brought to Manbao, saying, "This is the money the family divided for me. Manbao, please keep it safe for me. I’ll use it when I buy a shop."

Manbao was surprised, "The family divided money? Is there a portion for me?"

"Yes, Father is keeping it for you."

Manbao was horrified, "Father is keeping it?"

Zhou Silang said, "They say Father is keeping it, but actually, it’s Mother who’s keeping it."

Manbao then breathed a sigh of relief.

Daji entered from outside and said, "Miss Man, the Prefecture School will be letting out soon. Are you going to the Prefecture School to read today?"

"Yes, just wait for me." Manbao immediately picked up Zhou Liulang’s money, ran back to her room, threw the money into the system, picked up her basket, and went out.

Daji went to pick up Bai Erlang from Dazhi Academy first, and then dropped the two off outside the walls of the Prefecture School.

Manbao and Bai Erlang, familiar with the route, climbed into the school walls. As soon as they jumped down, they could hear Wei Ting talking with someone behind a tree.

The two of them didn’t avoid it and went straight over.

After all, except for the teachers and a few students, everyone in the Prefecture School knew about them, so there was no need for secrecy anymore.

Seeing them, Wei Ting greeted them warmly, "You’ve come to read again?"

Manbao nodded and, seeing they had laid out mats with fruits, snacks, and tea on the ground and were sitting cross-legged on them, she was curious, "Why are you sitting out here in such cold weather?"

"Just chatting. It’s too stuffy inside the classroom, and speaking loudly will get you warned by the teacher, so we’ve come out here," he said, smiling. "Look, Bai Shan has arrived too."

Wei Ting waved vigorously at Bai Shan, "I told you he would come, right?"

It turned out that as soon as the school ended, Wei Ting had invited Bai Shan, but Bai Shan had declined.

When Wei Ting saw Bai Shan not going straight home but heading to the Book Collection Tower instead, he knew that Zhou Man and the others would be coming today, so he specially called everyone to the Apricot Grove. And sure enough, not only did Zhou Man and Bai Erlang arrive, Bai Shan also came.

Bai Shan gave him a glance, sat down first on one of the cushions at the edge of the mats, and then patted a cushion next to himself for Manbao to sit down.

Manbao put down her basket and sat down, curiously asking, "Is there good news? You all look so happy."

"Of course we’re happy," said one of them, pouring tea and laughing. "You guys probably don’t know, right? This morning, Counsellor Chang was demoted, and soon he’ll be called back to the capital. He supported the princess a lot when Ji Hao was seriously injured. Now that he’s in trouble, of course we’re happy."

Those present were friends with Ji Hao and naturally joined in on the schadenfreude. Since they felt Bai Shan and Manbao were on their side, they naturally had to share the good news with them.

Lost for words, Bai Shan and the two others asked after a moment, "Why?"

Wei Ting, always well-informed, smiled and said, "Actually, I got the news last night. My father said it was County Magistrate Tang who impeached Counsellor Chang for indulging his family in inciting tenants to rob farmers transporting seeds and crops and for maliciously squeezing out competitors."

Wei Ting said gleefully, "Who is County Magistrate Tang? His father is the Left Capital Censor. His accusation had barely been submitted before the stack of impeachments against Counsellor Chang piled up on the desk, and then he was demoted."

"It’s a pity that the blame was placed on his cousin. If it had been on him, it would’ve been more than just a demotion."

"Being demoted is already good. Once he’s gone, the Chang family will surely have to go too, since their ancestral home isn’t in Yizhou Prefecture." Wei Ting hummed, "When the Chang family leaves, think how much quieter Yizhou City will be. Just thinking about it makes me happy."

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