Li Yufa was immediately frightened: "This, this... Mr. Official, there are many people doing this, and my uncle is also a seventh-grade official."
Li Yu said: "Since we are both officials, we cannot know the law and break it."
Li Yufa quickly said: "Yes, yes."
Li Yu said: "I don't want to pursue this matter too much, but I can't get a wife. As for the money owed, I still have to pay back what is due."
Li Yufa was overjoyed: "What I said makes sense!"
Li Yu continued to look at Mr. Chen: "You don't owe him the money. You can help him pay back half of it. 75 taels is considered worthy. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. How about that?"
Mrs. Chen knelt down with a bang: "Master, you are really the great master of Qingtian! I listen to you!"
Li Yu then sternly said to her useless husband Wang Chengjian: "You have three days to write the letter of divorce without delay."
Wang Chengjian's face turned ashen: "Master, it should be at least 100 taels."
Li Yu had a black line on his head. Is this what people say? He raised his foot and was about to kick him, but Chen agreed: "One hundred taels is one hundred taels."
Mrs. Chen picked up a pair of scissors from the table, cut off a large bunch of hair and threw it in front of her husband.
Lu Bicheng was very happy and pulled Chen up: "Well done!"
Li Yu said: "If the wife's contract is torn up, I need to write a new IOU."
The pawnshop owner quickly picked up pen and paper and asked them to sign and pledge again.
The useless husband Wang Chengjian was relieved of the pressure of 100 taels, so he immediately asked Li Yufa: "Sir, can I return it after three years?"
Li Yufa was in a bad mood because a good thing was ruined today: "Fuck you, it will be three months at most. If you haven't paid back the money for three months, let me see what you will do!"
Li Yufa picked up the IOU and left cursing.
Li Yu didn't want to worry about him and quickly took Lu Bicheng and Chen home.
This woman is thanks to Li Yu's guidance, otherwise it would be difficult for women to take this step with today's thinking.
But the most important thing is that Li Yu gave her the possibility of economic independence, otherwise the feudal dregs would still be unable to be cleared away, even the human blood steamed buns would not work.
However, after such an incident, it is estimated that Chen is unlikely to remarry in the future.
Li Yu didn't know if he was doing the right thing, so he could only do this for now.
Lu Bicheng had already asked her about her details on the road. It was true that Chen came from a low-level official family, but her family was greatly affected by the Gengzi national disaster. Her father died in the war, and she had no choice but to marry.
Then I don’t know why my husband owed so much money, and he came up with the bad idea of arrogating his wife.
Mrs. Chen asked: "Master, madam, what can I do to earn 30 taels of silver a year?"
Li Yu said: "There are many things that can be done, and there are many vacancies in my factory."
Mrs. Chen quickly said: "I have studied for several years and know how to read."
Li Yu said: "That's very good."
With the illiteracy rate at this time, literacy was considered a good education.
After all, as mentioned before, studying in ancient times was a very expensive thing.
After returning home, Li Yu directly assigned her to Konoe Aki: "This is a new employee, please train her."
Konoe Akihitsu already knew about Li Yu and Lu Bicheng, but without instructions from his superiors, he didn't know what to do next, so he could only continue to lurk, so he agreed: "Girl, please come with me to register."
Her behavior was unusually calm.
After returning to the study, Li Yu whispered to Lu Bicheng: "Be careful in the future, she is a Japanese spy."
Lu Bicheng was surprised and said: "Miss Zhaoxue?"
Li Yu said: "Yes, I have obtained tangible evidence."
Li Yu told Lu Bicheng about her previous secret release of letters.
Lu Bicheng opened her mouth: "Miss Zhaoxue is actually such a person! What should we do now?"
Li Yu said: "Don't alert the enemy for the time being. Spies who know the details are easy to deal with. It would be terrible if we send another one who doesn't know the details."
Lu Bicheng said: "Then what do we usually do?"
Li Yu said: "Just do what you have to do and pretend you don't know."
Lu Bicheng nodded: "I understand."
——
A few days later, the enamel production line from Austria also arrived, but it would still take about a year to prepare for factory construction, equipment debugging, and establishing a raw material supply chain.
Fortunately, a few Jews came over and they were all skilled workers. The people Li Yu brought from several universities in Shanghai knew English and I could learn from them.
Zhu Guozhen was very energetic. He got up early every day to memorize vocabulary words. He would read Li Yu's lectures on Western learning in the morning, study machinery in the afternoon, and continue to memorize vocabulary words in the evening.
Seeing his attitude in preparing for the imperial examination, Li Yu knew that he would succeed in his studies soon.
Li Yu was busy with factory matters for a while, and then prepared to go south.
Before going to Dunhuang, you must make some preparations.
Lu Bicheng saw Li Yu packing his things and asked, "Where are you going?"
Li Yu said: "Shanghai, deal with some small things, then return to the capital, and go west to Yangguan with you."
Lu Bicheng said: "I also want to go to Shanghai with you."
Li Yugang wanted to say that going to Shanghai was just to make some preliminary preparations, but seeing the expectant look in Lu Bicheng's eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse: "Okay, let's go together!"
Lu Bicheng said happily: "I'll pack my luggage too!"
You can still only go to Shanghai by sea.
On the sea, Li Yu took out a handful of melon seeds and ate them on the deck while watching the seagulls.
Lu Bicheng was beside him, and Li Yu handed her a handful of melon seeds to eat together.
But Lu Bicheng was more civilized, and she kept all the melon seed peels she had eaten in the palm of her hand.
Li Yu laughed and said: "You are so boring, so just spit it into the sea."
Lu Bicheng said: "It's so unladylike."
Li Yu laughed loudly: "Be free on the sea! Be like me."
Li Yu cracked a melon seed, then spit the skin directly into the sea, "You can try it too."
Under his urging, Lu Bicheng also tried to do it, and she felt very happy.
Li Yule said: "I'll just say it!"
Lu Bicheng smiled and said: "It's really free."
Li Yu said: "This is what Jack taught Rose."
"Jack?" Lu Bicheng asked.
Li Yu said: "Well, this is... a foreign love story about the sea."
Lu Bicheng now likes to hear stories about love, and will continue to tell them if she pesters Li Yu.
Li Yu could only change the timeline and tell her the story of the Titanic.
Lu Bicheng began to shed tears again when she heard this: "Why is this all a tragedy? If something happens to us, I will never live alone."
Li Yu touched her head: "Don't say such unlucky words."
——
After arriving in Shanghai, it was Li Shutong who came to pick up the ship.
Li Yu cupped his fists and said, "I heard that my uncle gave birth to a son a few months ago. I'm very happy and congratulations."
Li Shutong said: "Brother Shucai has won the Nobel Prize, so we should be congratulated."
A few people first went to a restaurant to eat and rest.
Li Yu took out a red envelope and said: "It's not a sign of respect."
Li Shutong said: "This is impossible!"
Li Yu smiled and said: "What comes and goes comes back, courtesy reciprocates."
Li Shutong looked at Lu Bicheng next to Li Yu and understood: "It is better to obey orders than to be respectful."
Li Yu found another folding fan that he had bought a long time ago: "In addition, I also asked my uncle to help me carry a fan."
Li Shutong said happily: "You are reciprocating courtesy so quickly? My word is not worth a few dollars."
Li Yu laughed: "If it becomes valuable in the future, I might not be able to ask for it."
Li Shutong was a cheerful person, so he quickly wrote several big words for him: "Free and happy".
Li Yu said: "It is difficult to do these four."
Li Shutong said: "Peace in the heart means natural freedom."
Li Yu pushed further: "Shutong would also have painted the painting on the other side of the fan. I have always heard that you are an expert in calligraphy and painting."
Li Shutong said: "What Brother Shucai wants, I will naturally do it."
Li Shutong put away the fan and asked, "By the way, why did Brother Shucai come to Shanghai this time?"
Li Yu said: "First, let's take a look at the school's progress, and second, I want to ask you to help me find someone."
Li Shutong asked: "Looking for someone, who?"
Li Yu said: "Zhang Yuanxu, the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, I heard that he just inherited the position of Celestial Master last year and went to the capital again. He should still be in Shanghai at this time."
Li Shutong thought for a moment and said: "It turns out to be Zhang Tianshi. He is indeed still in the City God's Temple. I heard it was very lively there some time ago. Many Taoist priests welcomed Zhang Tianshi. What are you looking for? It's impossible for the emperor to believe in Taoism?"
Li Yu said: "That's not true. I just want to get a handwriting from Master Zhang."
"Handwritten order?" Li Shutong asked.
Li Yu said: "I know a Taoist priest who wants to ask God to realize Taoism, but has been unable to do so, so I will help him find the most righteous Taoist school."
Li Shutong laughed and said: "Brother Shucai actually did preaching work."
After several glasses of wine and dinner, Li Shutong called a rickshaw and went to the Chenghuang Temple together.
For thousands of years, the City God's Temple has been the largest Taoist temple in Shanghai, and it is not far from the Bund, only about one kilometer away.
However, the Chenghuang Temple was severely damaged by the British army during the two Opium Wars, but it has been renovated at this time.
When passing by the Yu Garden next to the Chenghuang Temple, Li Yu found that this famous garden in later generations was very dilapidated, so he asked: "Who owns Yu Garden now?"
Li Shutong said: "A land without a master."
Li Yu felt very pity: "If it is taken down, how much will it cost?"
Li Shutong said: "The land itself does not cost much, but if you want to rebuild the interior of the garden, it will cost you more than thousands of taels."
This land is already quite cheap compared to other places in the concession.
Li Yu asked: "Do you like it?"
"You and me?" Lu Bicheng asked in surprise, "Yu Garden?"
Li Yu nodded: "If you like it, I will buy it for you. Anyway, we will live in Shanghai often in the future."
Lu Bicheng was a little surprised: "Is this okay?"
Li Yu said: "Of course, Jiangnan gardens have many artistic conceptions."
Lu Bicheng said: "It sounds really good."
Li Yu asked Li Shutong: "If you want to buy land in Yuyuan Garden, do you need to find the Shanghai County Magistrate?"
Li Shutong said: "That's right. Brother Shucai is good at picking places."
Li Yu said with a smile: "With the same money, if you buy it in a good place in the concession, you probably won't be able to buy a big house. It's not as good as the whole garden."
Yuyuan Garden, like the Chenghuang Temple, was severely damaged by the British army during the two Opium Wars. At that time, the British army was stationed here. They did not understand the beauty of Jiangnan gardens, so they wreaked havoc, dug rocks and filled ponds in the garden, and built Western-style barracks.
, a garden was completely changed beyond recognition.