Chapter 69.2 - Going out together
Zhao Liu became even more excited and wanted to talk to someone. She went to find someone to talk to.
Jiang Zhen went to Lijia first.
Li Mingzhe had his family’s long-term worker already sort out the goods. After Jiang Zhen had looked at the goods and made sure they were in order, he signed an even more detailed contract with Li Mingzhe.
“I have a lot of things going on at home lately, so I won’t follow along, but my cousin will go with you and show you the way when you get there.” Li Mingzhe was a pretty good talker. After talking with Jiang Zhen about various situations, he even asked Jiang Zhen to stay for dinner.
“No need,” Jiang Zhen refused. “I have a lot of people with me, and I’ve especially invited some people to cook, so it is time to go back for dinner.”
“Then next time we are free, I’ll invite Older Brother Jiang for dinner,” Li Mingzhe said, and then personally sent Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge out.
“Master, it’s happening again outside!”
Just then, a woman who looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old hurried in from outside with a child in her arms, her face not looking very good. She walked somewhat in a hurry, but after noticing that Li Mingzhe was sending Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge back, she immediately slowed down.
“What’s the matter?” Li Mingzhe asked and introduced Jiang Zhen again, saying that the woman was his wife and that the child in her arms was his son.
“Master, it’s nothing important.”
When the woman came in, she said that there was a disturbance outside, but now she kept silent with a smile and asked Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge to stay for dinner.
Jiang Zhen refused again. Jiang Zhen arranged for his men to carry the goods, and by the time all the goods had been carried on the ship, it was time for him to go. But as soon as he walked out of the house, he saw an acquaintance standing outside.
It was the very thin and small Li Zugen who he had once beaten up because he was trying to hit on Zhao Jinge. This Li Zugen was very timid, and after being beaten by him once, he never dared to come back, which made Jiang Zhen feel it was quite a pity. If it wasn’t for the fact that it would have affected Zhao Jinge if things went too far, Jiang Zhen would have wanted to go to his house to teach him another lesson . . . Of course, he didn’t do that. As a result, just after he got married to Zhao Jinge, he had pretty much forgotten about this person. Right now, he was surprised to meet this person again . . .
When Jiang Zhen saw Li Zugen and Li Zugen saw Jiang Zhen, his whole body suddenly froze up.
This Li Zugan, since he was a child, was protected by his parents like a treasure. Because his mother was so fierce, when he played with others as a child, he had never been wronged or hit. So it was really scary for him to be beaten by Jiang Zhen last time. These days, he didn’t even dare to set foot in Hexi Village anymore! But even though he didn’t go to Hexi Village to find Zhao Jinge, this day would still come.
Li Zugen’s parents also knew that they couldn’t sit idly by, so they used the remaining silver to buy 3 mu of paddy field. Since they couldn’t finish planting them, they rented them out. It was a good idea, but in this way, Li Zugen wouldn’t be able to marry a wife.
His parents told him to take care of his four children and not to marry a wife. Even if he could live a good life, Li Zugen didn’t want to. He wanted a wife who could warm his bed. But . . . if his Li family couldn’t bring out the bride price, who would be willing to marry him? Li Zugen couldn’t think of a way, so he finally set his mind on Xue, who had abandoned him and the children.
Although Xue was now a concubine and was pregnant with another child and received good treatment at Li Mingzhe’s house, when Li Zugen went to look for her with their four children pitifully, she became soft-hearted. Speaking of which, as long as Li Zugen’s family life was a little better, Xue wouldn’t want to stay at Li Mingzhe’s house, but she was afraid of poverty. Thinking about the days when there was not enough to eat at Li Zugen’s house and there were always people who came to ask for the repayment of debts during the Spring Festival, even if Li Mingzhe didn’t really like her and her own children didn’t call her “mother” here, Xue still wasn’t willing to go back. But even if she didn’t leave, she still felt sorry for her other children, so when Li Zugen came to the door, she gave him some money she had saved and brought stewed chicken from the kitchen to let her children eat.
Then . . . Li Zugen kept pestering her.
Since Xue was able to abandon her husband and sons, she was not the kind of person who was willing to be squeezed again and again. She immediately fell out with Li Zugen.
Li Mingzhe happened to see that scene, but he was very good tempered. He felt some sympathy for Li Zugen’s thin appearance and gave him ten silver.
This was a mistake! Originally, Li Zugen pestered Xue and hid from Li Mingzhe, the landlord. He didn’t dare to offend Li Mingzhe. But now . . . Li Zugen was suddenly no longer afraid of Li Mingzhe. Compared with Jiang Zhen, this landlord who was always smiling, was not so terrible. Even when he made a lot of trouble, he just let the long-term worker in the family pull him out . . . From time to time, he would come to annoy him and receive some money.
At the moment, Li Zugen came to make trouble, as he did every day, which was why Li Mingzhe didn’t want to go out. His wife was taking care of a child less than two years old and his concubine still had one in her belly. If she was frightened by this meddler . . .
“Li Zugen, what’s the matter with you?” Seeing Li Zugan, Li Mingzhe couldn’t help but frown.
Li Mingzhe’s wife, however, was viciously glaring at her husband. If it weren’t for her husband’s rotten kindness, how could Li Zugen stick to them?
“Li Zugen, I’ll have someone take you to the backyard,” Li Mingzhe’s wife said.
She wanted to get rid of Li Zugen first, so she would not lose face in front of others. As a result . . . Li Zugen was now in a daze and was unable to move.
“Master Li, apart from delivering goods to others, our Jinzhen Escort Agency will also take care of some other work to help people solve their various problems no matter whether it is about their domestic problems or teaching people a lesson concerning their debt. If it is not a problem, does Master Li want some help?” Jiang Zhen asked. “This kind of small trouble can be solved by calling someone to beat him at random. Only ten silver will guarantee that he won’t dare to come to your door again . . .”
Jiang Zhen was smiling when he spoke to Li Mingzhe and then gave Li Zugen a glare.
People then saw Li Zugen shaking all over before quickly running away.
Li Mingzhe: “. . .” This person who had been pestering him for several days was scared away just by a look?
“Here, the ten silver you said about earlier . . .” Li Zugen’s wife couldn’t help but say. She really couldn’t bear that Li family, feeling as if she did something heinous . . . However, it was Xue who insisted on staying, and it was Li Zugen who promised to borrow his wife’s belly to have children at the beginning.
“No need, Lady Li. I was just joking.” Jiang Zhen smiled and left with Zhao Jinge.
After leaving the Li family, Jiang Zhen took his people to another merchant. He did not like procrastination, and after three days’ work, he moved all the goods to his chartered ship and also found local sailors.
They were ready to go.
Early that morning, in order to display unity Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge changed into clothes similar to their subordinates’, but with more decorations on the shoulders, and then they went out with their things.
It was at this moment that Zhao Liu noticed something was wrong. “Wait! Jinge is going too?”
She always thought it was Jiang Zhen who was going out alone! As it turned out, her son was going too!