Chapter 136

Chapter 136

The man was none other than Zhou Qiao, the second young master of the Zhou family, who had been previously engaged to Zhang Qiulan.

Prior to the engagement being called off, the two had met once. Zhou Qiao had spoken in a highly improper manner to him, leading to an unpleasant parting.

Later, Zhou Qiao became a joke in Ping Prefecture after he got into a huge fight at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion over a courtesan, spent a fortune to redeem her, and brought her home as a concubine.

Zhang Qiulan could not possibly marry such a playboy, so he requested his father to terminate the engagement. His father, also believing that Zhou Qiao was not a good match, readily agreed to the cancellation.

They were supposed to have no further contact, but fate brought them together here. Zhang Qiulan did not wish to engage with him and, pulling Xiao Chun, headed straight forward.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Qiao was looking for trouble and deliberately blocked their way, not letting them pass.

"Don’t hurry off, old flame. How about we chat a bit?"

"Mind your words! Who is your old flame?"

"Ah, my mistake. It should be former fiancé."

Xiao Chun, standing behind, was so angry he stepped forward and shouted, "Qiulan is my fiancé now. If you keep spouting nonsense, don’t blame me for getting rough."

"Oh really, how will you be rough, young man?" Zhou Qiao said lewdly, stroking his chin. "With your scrawny build, can you handle such a big carriage? If you can’t, just give it to me. I’ll reward you with a few taels..."

"Go to hell!" Xiao Chun pulled Zhang Qiulan aside and kicked Zhou Qiao in the groin. Wincing in pain, Zhou Qiao doubled over, howling.

Zhou Qiao’s cronies rushed over to help, but Zhao Beichuan had already arrived. "Who's causing trouble in the tavern?"

Clutching his stomach, Zhou Qiao shouted, "Your employee attacked me! Pay me five thousand taels in compensation, or this isn’t over!"

"Screw you!" Zhao Beichuan grabbed him by the collar and threw him several meters away, where he rolled on the ground a few times.

The others hurriedly ran out, helped Zhou Qiao up, and quickly left.

Zhang Qiulan, his face stern, bowed and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Beichuan waved him off. "If he talks nonsense again, just give him a beating."

Zhang Qiulan’s expression eased slightly. He led Xiao Chun to the carriage, gently pinched his cheek, and said, "Don’t be angry. Leave it to me. He dared to humiliate me in front of everyone. I won’t let him off lightly."

Xiaochun looked downcast and said, "Am I... useless...?"

"Who says that?"

"I can only cook... I can’t do anything else. I'm not as tall as you, and I don’t look very good." Xiaochun's eyes were red, and tears were about to fall.

Among the four siblings, he was the only adopted one. His appearance was different from his elder and younger brothers, and he had always felt somewhat inferior because of his short stature.

But having it pointed out hurt even more. He also felt he didn’t deserve Zhang Qiulan. After all, Zhang Qiulan was so handsome and capable. As those people said, he was just a cook.

As soon as Zhang Qiulan saw him crying, he felt a warmth in his lower abdomen. He lifted Xiaochun's chin and used his thumb to wipe away the tears on his cheek. "I fancy you."

If not for the people coming and going on the street, he would have held Xiaochun in his arms and comforted him.

"Ignore what others say. Remember, I fancy you, okay?"

Xiaochun’s ears were so red they looked like they might bleed from embarrassment, and he nodded with a blush, "I understand."

"Be a good boy and go inside now."

After Zhang Qiulan climbed into the carriage and it drove away, Xiaochun reluctantly turned and went into the restaurant.

News of this incident soon reached Lu Yao. The Zhou family, a somewhat well-known merchant family in Ping Prefecture's city, made their fortune selling pottery. They owned two kilns, and the wine shop still had business dealings with them, as most of the wine jars came from their family.

Lu Yao was very displeased by this incident. He immediately informed Lu Shiliu that they would no longer purchase pottery from the Zhou family. Even the pottery used in the restaurant was replaced with that from another supplier.

Naturally, the Zhang family also learned about this incident. Father Zhang was so furious that he severed all business ties with the Zhou family. The two families had been long-time friends, and if not for Zhou Qiao’s reckless behavior, they would have become in-laws. Instead, they had now become enemies.

Not only that, because of Zhang Yu's connections, the Liang family also stopped doing business with the Zhou family.

This was no mere trifle. It was a clear signal to cut ties with the Zhou family and have no further dealings with them.

The three families were all major merchants, and many other merchants who had good relations with them followed suit, almost halving the Zhou family's business.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qiao had no idea about the huge mess he had caused. He was planning to find an opportunity to properly teach the little cook at the Lu Family restaurant a lesson. That brat had almost kicked him in the groin, and if he didn't get revenge, how could he swallow this humiliation?

However, the next day, he was summoned to the study by his elder brother.

"Zhou Qiao, what trouble have you caused outside again!"

"What trouble could I cause?" Zhou Qiao had never shown much respect for his older brother, Zhou Lang, since he had been pampered by their parents from a young age. After their father passed away a few years ago, the burden of the family fell on Zhou Lang's shoulders, but Zhou Qiao didn't think much of him.

"You scoundrel! A few days ago, didn't you provoke the Lu and Zhang families!"

Feeling irritated, Zhou Qiao picked at his ear, "I saw Zhang Qiulan and that young cook and couldn't help saying a few things. So what?"

"So what? Do you realize that our business has almost collapsed because of this?"

Zhou Qiao thought his brother was just trying to scare him, "Come on, what can a young cook do? He kicked me once, so what? One of these days, I’ll drag him out and geld him..."

"Smack!" Zhou Lang, furious, gave him a hard slap across the face, "You good-for-nothing! Not only do you cause trouble outside, but now you’ve provoked the Zhang and Lu families! Do you know that Zhang Qiulan's aunt is the wife of Commander Liang? And that the Lu family is backed by the Northern Pacification King? Are you courting death?"

Zhou Qiao, holding his face, felt a knot form in his throat. He hadn't thought it through before, but now, hearing his brother's words, he started to worry.

"What can we do now? I’ve already said what I said, and besides, I was the one who got beaten up."

With no other solution, Zhou Lang said, "Tomorrow, come with me to the Zhang family and apologize. If they don’t forgive you, you’ll kneel at their door until they do!"

"I, I don’t want to go... It’ll be so embarrassing if people see."

Zhou Lang sneered, "You still care about saving face? If you don’t go, tomorrow we’ll go to the government office to divide the family. From then on, we’ll live separately! You can mess with whoever you want, just don’t throw your problems onto my head!"

This thoroughly frightened Zhou Qiao. "Brother, don't be angry. I’ll go, alright?" He knew he was useless on his own. If they divided the family, he would squander everything within two years and end up begging at the city gates in three to five years. He needed to cling to his brother's support to live so freely.

The next day, Zhou Lang dragged his brother along with a generous gift to the Zhang family. However, they weren't even allowed through the door.

A servant dismissed them, saying, "Our master is out today, and the eldest young master is also not at home. Please come back another time."

Unable to meet anyone, Zhou Lang then dragged his brother to Lu Family's restaurant. Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan were both present. Seeing the two brothers come to apologize, Lu Yao gave a cold smile, "Your brother is no longer a child. Shouldn't he know what words he can say and what words he can't?"

"Yes, yes, yes. This time, Zhou Qiao was indeed in the wrong. So, I've brought him here to apologize. I hope you, out of consideration for our past business dealings, won't hold it against him. When we return, I'll make sure to discipline him properly!"

From behind, Zhou Qiao secretly glanced at Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan, recalling the incident when he was thrown out. He quickly shrank back, fearful, and lowered his head.

"Master Zhou, you're overthinking this. The ones most hurt by this incident are the Zhang family's young master. Instead of apologizing to me, you should go to them. I have other matters to attend to and won't be able to entertain you further."

"Master Lu, please help mediate... It's better to resolve grudges than to hold onto them..." But Lu Yao had already walked past him towards the exit. Zhao Beichuan blocked Zhou Lang, "Watch your brother. If he dares to come to our restaurant again, don't blame me for taking action!"

Zhou Lang was forced to stand still, and as the two walked away, Zhou Qiao tried to mumble a response. However, seeing his brother walk away silently, he had no choice but to slink back home with him.

In the following year or two, the Zhou family's business suffered increasing pressure and declined, eventually forcing them to leave Ping Prefecture.

All this happened later, but this incident showed that Boss Lu was no longer the timid and humble person who could be pushed around as he had been in the past.

*

On the sixth day of the eleventh month, Zhao Beichuan brought three hundred taels of gold to the Zhang family to present betrothal gifts for his brother.

Mr. Zhang was overjoyed and held Zhao Beichuan's hand, praising Boss Lu for standing up for them. He had been worried that Zhao Fengchun might call off the engagement again, but much to his relief, the other party not only didn't mind but had also sent the betrothal gifts ahead of time.

"Soon we’ll be one family, so there's no way we could allow our brother-in-law to be humiliated."

Mr. Zhang laughed. "Good, excellent! My sister really knows how to choose!"

At first, when Zhang Yu mentioned this marriage to him, he was hesitant, thinking that Zhao Fengchun, being an adopted child, wasn't worthy of their Qiulan. However, after several interactions, his son grew fond of Zhao Fengchun, so he decided to let nature take its course. After all, he was getting old and couldn't delay his son's future any longer.

The two men looked at Qiulan and Xiaochun, who were standing not far away. Today, both were dressed in more festive colors, and they looked quite compatible standing together.

Zhang Qiulan was three years older than Zhao Fengchun and had been involved in the family business with his father for many years. He handled people and situations with great tact and consideration, always taking care of his younger husband and keeping him thoroughly charmed.

The engagement banquet was held at Lu Family's restaurant, where close family members gathered for a simple meal. In addition to Zhang Qiulan’s father and stepmother, Liang Zhong and Zhang Yu also attended, along with Zhao Beichuan, Lu Yao, and Xiaonian.

At first, the atmosphere was harmonious as everyone discussed the couple's wedding arrangements and where they would live after marriage. The conversation naturally turned to the family business.

The Zhang family was also a merchant household, with six or seven shops. Master Zhang initially planned to give two shops to Zhang Qiulan as a dowry.

However, Lady Zhang objected. She had three children of her own, and if Zhang Qiulan took two shops, how would the remaining ones be divided among their sons? Besides, once a son was married, he was expected to stay within the family and inherit the business. How could they allow him to take the family's assets with him?

"In my view, once Qiulan is married, he shouldn’t be running around outside. Business matters are a man’s responsibility. He should stay home, serve his husband, and focus on having a child as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be harder to have children as he ages."

This statement deeply offended both Lu Yao and Zhang Yu. As a woman and a man who run their own businesses, this was tantamount to calling a monk a baldy.

Master Zhang’s face darkened instantly. "Shut up! Speak less if you can’t say something useful!"

"I'm not wrong. Besides, who gives so many shops as a dowry for a son’s wedding? Giving more silver should suffice..."

Zhang Qiulan gave her a cold look, thinking "idiot" to himself, careful not to let anyone see what he was thinking.

"Shut up! Say one more word and go back to your room! No, no, I'm sorry, my wife comes from a humble background and lacks knowledge. Beichuan, Boss Lu, don't take offense, please."

Lady Zhang couldn't keep her composure as she knew he was truly angry, and she finally fell silent.

Lu Yao didn’t really care. He had already learned almost everything about the Zhang family from Zhang Yu. After all, Xiao Chun was marrying Qiu Lan, not his stepmother.

Moreover, the dowry shops that the Zhang family provided didn’t earn much money—at most a few thousand taels a year, which he didn’t care much for. But today, he had to support his brother; otherwise, people might look down on him.

Just as Lu Yao was about to take a sip of tea, Zhao Beichuan took the cup away and replaced it with a small bowl of pork tripe soup.

"Lady Zhang, don't worry. There aren’t many rules in our family. Whether it’s men, women, or young people, everyone can work and be seen in public. Moreover, I value Qiu Lan a lot, and he is capable."

Zhang Qiulan looked at Lu Yao, his lips curling into an obedient smile.

Lu Yao thought to himself that this kid was really good-looking. Maybe if he looked a bit longer, he could have a child that good-looking too.

"As for the dowry shops, you don’t need to worry about it too much. After the New Year, I will take them to Shangjing to open a wine shop. In the future, the business in Shangjing might be managed by Xiao Chun and Qiu Lan. They probably won’t have time to come back."

Zhao Fengchun and Zhang Qiulan were both surprised. They hadn’t known about this, and Lu Yao had never mentioned it to them before.

Lady Zhang offered a strained smile and said, "Sir Lu is truly remarkable. We can’t compare to you..."

Lu Yao gave a half-smile and thought to himself, *If you know you can’t compare, then there’s no need to compare. I never took you seriously anyway.*

Zhang Yu quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Lu Yao, you’re going to open a wine shop in Shangjing? When are you leaving?"

"It depends. Maybe before the New Year, maybe after. It mainly depends on how things go with the child in my belly."

"If I didn’t have people to help me, I would want to go to Shangjing to visit!"

Liang Zhong coughed and said, "I’m helping you, right?"

"As long as you don’t get in the way, that’s enough help."

Zhao Beichuan put his arm around Liang Zhong’s shoulder and said, "We’re in the same boat."

Everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

In the end, the meal concluded with everyone happy except for Lady Zhang, who felt slighted.

As they left the Lu family’s restaurant, Father Zhang’s face turned grim. Once inside the carriage, he slapped his second wife across the face.

The woman, covering her face, stunned, asked, confused, "O-Old Sir, what is the meaning of this?"

"Put away your petty schemes. If you continue to cause trouble, I’ll give all the shops in Ping Prefecture to Lan as her dowry!"

The woman, her eyes red from tears, said, "Isn’t Lan your child? Aren’t the children I gave birth to not your children? You won’t even let your sons go out to do business. How can a father show such favoritism!"

Father Zhang, furious, laughed mockingly, "Haven’t I taken Guang and Yao out? As their mother, do you know what they’re like? Giving them money to start a business—one visited brothels at a young age, and the other was tricked into a gambling den, almost wagering his own fingers. Can I rely on them?"

The woman fell silent, choking back her words.

"If you truly care about your sons’ futures, treat Lan well. She is marrying into the Zhao family and working with Lu Yao. Her prospects are limitless. If you keep her happy, your worthless sons might still benefit from her. Hmph, if I’m gone, you and your children will end up begging on the streets."

Lady Zhang clutched her clothes, her eyes filled with hatred, and softly agreed after a long pause.