Lu Shouchang accepted Qian Xing's gift and asked Qian Xing's servant to take the message back. When he was free, he invited Qian Xing to his home for a drink.
The two boys got the answer and went back happily with the return gift.
After they left, Mrs. Chen couldn't help but ask, "Do you know Qian Xing very well, sir?"
Lu Shouchang laughed: "Have you forgotten how old I was when I went to Mudu to study?"
"I'm not familiar with him, I just met him a few times when I was a kid."
"Right now, his family wants to use the excuse of drinking yesterday to come and go, so just drink. Since I've been dismissed from home, I don't have so many worries."
When Mrs. Chen saw this, she said, "I just have to know what I'm doing."
…
Let's say that when the two boys returned to Qian's house, one of them immediately went to Qian Xing and reported back: "The housekeeper of the Lu family and Mr. Lu are very polite. They also said that when the house is empty, they will invite the master to have a drink."
Qian Xing asked: "Are there any guests at their house?"
The boy said: "Yes, not only the Wulang of the Wang family that the master mentioned, but also the prefects of Suzhou, Changzhou, and County Magistrate Zhou are here. It is said that the two prefects came last night, but they just went to the Lu family today. It is estimated that it will take
We had dinner at the Lu family before leaving."
Qian Xingdao: "Did you hear what they said?"
The boy shook his head: "No, we all asked the coachmen outside. The courtyard of the Lu family is fine for a family to live in. But it becomes cramped when there are many guests. The coachmen all set up a shed outside the door to warm themselves by the fire."
When Qian Xing heard this, his eyes lit up.
If you want a big house, he has it!
The Lu family's new house was built together with the academy. It would be difficult to live in it within half a year. There are not many large houses in Qingquan Village, let alone empty ones.
But his family has one, and he has put a lot of effort into renovating it. It is no worse than the Lu family's.
Qian Xing thought, stroking his beard and laughing. He could tell Lu Shouchang next time he went to Lu's house.
But before he went to the Lu family, Wang Man was already thinking about this matter.
After dinner at Lu's house, they went to Yingshan Lake together.
Construction of the academy started today, and all the people in charge of the yamen were there. Wang Man walked around and looked at the drawings.
Seeing the vivid drawings drawn by Lu Yunhong, the roof ridges have double eaves, the bricks and tiles in front of the windows, and the stone pillars and steps are comparable to the palace gardens built by the Ministry of Industry.
Wang Man was surprised and said: "Okay, it would be a pity if you don't go to the Ministry of Industry."
Lu Yunhong rolled up the drawings and said: "It's not worth it. The specific construction depends on the skills of the masters."
Wang Mandao: "Of course. But in the world, there are not many scholars like you who know about architecture. After all, many people just have talk but no knowledge. I saw that you painted six types of column foundations. I'm afraid
Have you never seen some of the masters?"
Lu Yunhong smiled slightly and said: "Gardening is the most popular in Jiangnan, and there are still many good masters."
Wang Man said: "Give me some unused sketches or some scrapped ones. I will take them back to show them to the old men at the Ministry of Industry and make them miserable."
Lu Yunhong knew that his uncle wanted to pave the way for him in advance, so he immediately found a few pictures.
Wang Man saw Lu Yunhong's scrapped drawing. The double eaves and golden pillars were lifelike, and the corners of the eaves had been colored. It was simply more exquisite than the one kept on file by the Ministry of Works. How could this be scrapped?
When he turned it over and looked at the back, it read: The construction was complicated and all the masters abandoned it.
Wang Man: "..."?
What was he talking about? What a waste of money.
Looking through a few more photos later, I found that Lu Yunhong had even painted the floor tiles, including chrysanthemum-style cobblestone paving, garden-style cobblestone paving, lotus floor tile paving, and swastika pattern paving, etc. In the end, the construction masters found it troublesome.
And abandoned it, choosing the simplest way to pave the way.
Wang Man instantly felt sorry for his brother-in-law. It wasn't that he didn't have talent, it was that he had talent but didn't put it to use.
He patted Lu Yunhong's shoulder gently and said melancholy: "I've wronged you."
Lu Yunhong smiled and said, "I'm not wronged. Axiu said that the academy will listen to everyone's opinions, and when it comes to building our garden and other gardens, they will all listen to me. She fully supports me."
Wang Man instantly said proudly: "That's right, my sister has a vision."
With that said, he said to Lu Yunhong: "I will leave with Zhou Xu tonight, so don't stay. I have something to do."
Lu Yunhong said clearly: "Okay, I won't tell Axiu either."
"Pah!" Lu Yunhong was hit on the back of his head.
He wondered: "Why did fifth brother hit me?"
Wang Mandao: "What are you thinking about? Am I the kind of person who can't live without a woman?"
"Besides, let's come all the way here to make some trouble and ask Axiu to explain to her fifth sister-in-law."
"I'm going to do business!"
Lu Yunhong frowned: "Then you don't have to hit me!"
Wang Man looked fierce: "What's wrong with me hitting you? I can't hit my sister. Why can't I hit you?"
Lu Yunhong: "..."
Forget it, I can't keep up the momentum, so I'll suffer a small loss.
But I still have to ask for it back from my wife when I go back.
The younger brother will take the blame!
Reasonable.
…
Lu Yunhong went home, and Wang Man said to Zhou Xu: "I want to buy a villa for my sister. Do you have any good recommendations?"
"I want it around Yingshan Lake so that the couple won't have to travel back and forth. It doesn't matter if the price is a little higher."
Zhou Xu looked eager: "Do you still lack a sister?"
"Is it okay for my younger brother too?"
"I can lower my requirements. What do you think of my godson?"
Wang Man laughed and scolded: "Get out!"
Zhou Xu said regretfully: "I knew I should have come to ask for marriage, but why am I also a second-ranked Jinshi?"
Wang Man sneered coldly: "If your wife hears this, you can sleep in the woodshed tonight."
Zhou Xu hummed softly: "That's not the case, after all, I am not Lu Yunhong."
As soon as the words fell, both of them laughed.
Later, Zhou Xu took Wang Man to see the house. It was a farm built at the foot of Xishan Mountain. It looked simple, but it was spacious.
There is a vegetable garden in the manor, which can be turned into a flower garden. In addition, the main house is very spacious, and can be equipped with a study room and a sewing room. There are also six side rooms, five servant rooms, as well as stables and cowsheds, which are convenient for carriage travel.
The head of the household is a well-known local wealthy family, his surname is Du, and he is known as Mr. Du.
He knew that Wang Man was bought for his sister, the eldest grandma of the Lu family. He was worried that he would not have a chance to catch up with the Lu family. The original asking price was two thousand taels of silver, but later he only said that it would cost one thousand taels, and the hillside behind the farm would be sold.
He also gave them to them. There were many fruit trees planted on the hillside, and thousands of kilograms of fruit were harvested every year.
Among them, peaches and loquats are the most abundant, followed by bayberry and cherry trees, and some scattered plum trees and mulberries. Although they are few, they are enough for the whole family to pick and eat.
Wang Man was very satisfied and gave Mr. Du two thousand taels of silver. This was a farm he bought as a gift to his sister, not something for the Du family to use to make friends.
After the deal was completed, Wang Man looked at the huge farm and thought for a moment: "I have to find a good name, and I will ask Yun Hong to paint a picture for me, so that I can deliver business when I return to Beijing."
Zhou Xu laughed and said, "Why are you here with so many tasks? Why do you still need to paint after buying Zhuangzi?"
Wang Man said with a headache: "You don't understand. You see that my sister is living a good life now, but compared with our Wang family, it is like heaven and earth."
"Let me tell you this, the wing room she lives in with Lu Yunhong now in our Wang family is not enough to hang her clothes for one season."
Zhou Xu: "..."
He suddenly wanted to ask, did the Wang family still lack a girl?
Even if he lacks a daughter-in-law, he happens to have a daughter.