Li Hezhu frowned and was flipping through the account book in his hand.
The eldest maid Wutong walked in and tried her best to smile: "Miss, the front yard nurse reported that Mr. Zhang from the county governor's family has sent another gift. He also said... and said..."
Li Hezhu raised his head and said calmly: "What else did he say?"
Wutong said with a sad face: "He also said that the eldest daughter lost her father and no one wanted her. The girl is already over 20 years old and she probably won't be able to get married in this life. It's better than..."
Snapped!
Li Hezhu put down the brush in his hand.
Wutong was startled, "Girl, don't be angry. This bastard can't spit out ivory, so I'll have him driven away right now."
Li Hezhu sneered and said, "Inform all the nursing uncles that if this wishful waste dares to come even half a step closer to our general's mansion in the future, he will have his legs broken and thrown out."
Most of the Li family's nursing staff are retired wounded soldiers. They may not be able to do anything else, but it is still easy to teach those local dandies who dare to speak arrogant words.
"How can a young master from the county governor's mansion talk nonsense? Are you going to bully me into guerrilla general's mansion without anyone?"
Wutong nodded quickly.
Although she is just a maid, she also knows that a normal girl would rather be alone than become a concubine.
What's more, their master is still a girl from the general's palace. Someone actually wants to take her as a concubine, and they are not afraid that the old general will come back and kill him.
"Is there anything else?" Li Hezhu saw that the maid did not leave.
"Yes." Wutong handed over some more account books, "This year's autumn harvest is about to end, and the harvests and new grains from each village have been delivered. The stewards from far and near villages are waiting for your reply in the front yard, eldest lady."
"We in Guangxin County can get three crops of rice a year. If we want to plant a third crop of rice, the girl has to arrange the seeds quickly."
Li Hezhu nodded: "I'll check right away. You first ask the housekeeper to arrange for the village stewards to stay. I will get back to them today and tomorrow."
Wutong moved her mouth, wanting to persuade her to say something, but then she sighed and walked out silently.
Not long after, she burst in again with great joy.
"Big girl, big girl, there is news from the front yard. Three soldiers from the Starfall Legion came to visit. One of them is a young master named Ren Ning."
Ren Ning?
Li Hezhu glanced at his excited maid in shock.
She hesitated and said, "The one my grandfather mentioned?"
"That's right." Wutong nodded wildly, "It's Ren Ning of the Starfall Legion whom the old general has always mentioned. He praised him for his young strength and bright future."
"It's good now. He is finally willing to come to the door. Maybe he is here to mention to you, eldest lady..."
cough!
Li Hezhu's heart was beating wildly. Before Wutong could finish speaking, he quickly asked: "Did they come empty-handed?"
Wutong smiled, knowing exactly what his girl wanted to ask.
"They definitely didn't come empty-handed. They seemed to be carrying something. Maybe two wild geese."
Coming to your door with a betrothal goose means asking for marriage.
"Come here!" Wutong called to the other maids, "Hurry up and give the girl a good grooming."
Li Hezhu calmed down instead. She raised the account book in her hand and said: "What are you dressing up for? I still need to read the account book and give a reply to the stewards of each village."
"My good girl, why are you looking at the ledger at this time?" Wutong snatched the ledger from Li Hezhu's hand without any reason, "Girl, you are the master, what can I do if I wait a day or two for a little steward?" Anyone who dares to chew his tongue will be removed at worst."
Front yard, main hall.
Xiao Gang looked at the decorations in the hall with a strange expression on his face, "Brother Ren, didn't you say it was your first time coming to the south? How come you still know the people here in Nanshu City?"
Lei Er chuckled, "Actually, we only know a veteran guarding the tomb named Tieguai Li from Yanchuan Fortress. I really didn't expect that he was actually a guerrilla general in the past."
"Do you need to think about it?" Ren Ning smiled and shook his head: "Didn't he always say that if he fell, he could lie down in the red coffin? Those who can lie down in the red coffin and return home are naturally at the level of generals."
The butler who was waiting aside was frightened when he heard the word "coffin" and hurriedly stepped forward to ask questions.
"Young masters, I wonder how my old general is doing now?"
Ren Ning smiled and said, "Butler, don't worry."
"Tie...Old General Li, when I met him a few months ago, he was strong and walking like flying. He was funny and humorous. He often talked and laughed with me and other juniors."
"Even when we were sending the deceased back to his hometown, he even came out to see her off. He asked me to remember to come and visit my family if I had time."
He looked around, "I wonder who the master is?"
The housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief.
"Returning to the post of Young Master, the old general had two sons. The eldest son was killed in the Yanchuo Fortress five years ago, and the second son was killed in Zhennanguan three years ago."
"Now there are only one young master and one eldest daughter who has not left the palace. The young master is guarding the border at Zhennan Pass. As for the eldest daughter, she should be arriving soon."
You can find out about these things just by walking around Nanshu City. In addition, Ren Ning and others were strongly promoted by Tieguai Li, so the housekeeper did not hide anything.
Not yet out of the cabinet...
Lei Er looked at Ren Ning with a wink.
Xiao Gang next to him was confused.
After a long while, Li Hezhu, who was well dressed, finally arrived.
Guangxin County is located on the border, and the custom of female family members not seeing outsiders is not as strict as that of the imperial capital. Li Hezhu also seemed to be sitting far away, without wearing a veil on his face, or simply moved a screen to block everyone's sight.
Ren Ning and the other three glanced at each other subconsciously.
Tieguai Li did not lie, she was indeed a beautiful girl.
Moreover, the climate in Guangxin County is hot and the sun is so scorching that most people, both men and women, old and young, are as tanned as coal.
The Li Hezhu in front of her is a girl from the general's palace after all. She doesn't have to work hard under the sun. Her skin is fair and delicate, which is in line with the aesthetics of the people of the imperial capital.
"You three gentlemen, please take a seat." Li Hezhu introduced himself generously, his eyes reservedly scanning the faces of Ren Ning and the others.
"Ren Ning, Lei Er, and Xiao Gang have met Miss Li." The three of them held their hands.
Wutong, who was standing aside, perked up and quickly looked at Ren Ning secretly.
Seeing that he was tall and handsome, he was immediately very satisfied.
The maid's eyes flickered and fell on the table beside the three of them.
It's a pity that the gifts brought by Ren Ning and the others were very big, but they didn't move and didn't look like living things.
If it’s not a live goose, could it be a wooden goose?
Li Hezhu is also thinking about this issue.
Ren Ning is a few years younger than her and looks very pleasing to the eye. If there are no live geese, it is acceptable for Mu Yan to hire her.
Ren Ning didn't know what the older leftover woman opposite was thinking, so he casually chatted with her about Tieguai Li.
Li Hezhu listened attentively.
From time to time, she would receive letters from Yanzhi Fortress, but she was afraid that her grandfather would only report good news and not bad news in the letter. At this time, Ren Ning and Lei Er personally said that Tieguai Li was not only healthy but also in good spirits. They couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
After some talk, the two of them were about the same age, and they immediately became very close.
Knowing that Ren Ning and the others would wait in Nanshu City for the arrival of the Starfall Legion, Li Hezhu quickly asked the housekeeper to arrange for them to stay in the guest courtyard.
As a result, until the housekeeper led the three of them to the guest house, Ren Ning did not bring out the legendary betrothal goose.
Li Hezhu walked to the back house with a complicated heart.
Wutong consoled her: "Girl, maybe you are new to the family and are not familiar with the place. Mr. Ren is too embarrassed to take the initiative to propose marriage."
"But don't they have to stay for several days? Maybe they will take the initiative to mention it to you tomorrow."