Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

Although Wang Qing'er had her doubts, she didn't ask Wu Zihao in front of Zhou Shi and the others.

Thinking it best to wait until later to ask him, Wang Qing'er mentally calculated that although four days later was rushed, it would still be enough time. She then spoke:

"Auntie, there's really nothing to prepare. Everything needed for the wedding room has been bought, we just need to decorate it. Brother Mu Nan will write the invitations, they'll be ready today, and Mu Xiao will deliver them first thing tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow I'll go to Fuxianglou and tell Manager Li to send two chefs to take charge. We have vegetables and fruits at home, and we can order the meat in advance."

"Hmm, now that Qing'er says that, it doesn't seem so rushed anymore, we've made it in time." Mu Yan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

"I'll go and tell my aunts and uncles to come and help out. My cousins ​​can handle things outside."

The group discussed Wu Zihao's marriage in the courtyard, and Wang Qing'er even brought out a pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write everything down.

Mu Nan spent two hours writing the invitations and is ready to send them out tomorrow.

Wang Qing'er also made an excuse to call Wu Zihao to the back garden and ask him if something had happened yesterday.

Wu Zihao didn't hide anything and told his older brother and sister-in-law everything that Jingyi had experienced the day before.

This includes the fact that the Jing brothers were involved, and they also concealed the fact that Jingyi had been drugged and that they had already consummated their marriage.

They said they were worried that things might change if they waited too long, which is why they moved the wedding date forward.

Wang Qing'er was furious and gave the Jing brothers a severe scolding.

She had originally planned to send some vegetable seeds to their family after they got married.

Now, it's good enough if we don't kick those brothers while they're down.

We also need to find out about the Lu family in Fucheng as soon as possible from Qin Miaomiao, to see just how powerful their backing really is.

The eldest son of the Lu family tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing more than he gained, and was even beaten up by Jingyi.

She guessed that the Lu family would not let the matter rest, as the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle."

Wang Qing'er's guess was correct. In the hospital bed at Shengtang Clinic in the county town, Lu Yanting was lying on the bed, groaning in pain.

He cursed Jingyi a thousand times in his heart, vowing that once he recovered, he would definitely kidnap her again and "treat her well".

It is said that the two brothers of the Jing family were worried that Lu Yanting would die in that courtyard, so they spent some money to have a few beggars go to the courtyard and carry him to Hesheng Hall for treatment.

If Lu Yanting comes looking for them in the future, they should pretend they don't know that Lu Shao was beaten, and just say that they didn't see him and Xiaomei when they went to the courtyard.

As for how the younger sister returned, they didn't know either.

They truly did not know.

Yesterday, as soon as the two brothers returned home, their father, suppressing his anger, sent them to run errands in the neighboring county.

The two had something to hide and were worried that Lu Yanting would come after them, so it was better for them to go into hiding.

When you go to another city, you can visit brothels and find a pretty girl to have some fun with.

The two happily returned to their room, had their wives pack their luggage, and then drove off in their carriage that very day.

The next morning, as the family was having breakfast, Zhou suddenly blurted out, "Zhang Xianglan is gone, and Wang the Cripple hasn't returned yet. The village chief is helping with the funeral arrangements. Cuiying will take some money later to help with the funeral arrangements."

Wang Cuiying opened her mouth wide in surprise and asked, "Gone? When did it disappear?"

"It's gone last night. Wang the Cripple has been gone for several days and hasn't come back. He only has a few children at home and no relatives. Zhang Xianglan's family doesn't care either. The village chief's idea is to have each family with money contribute some money and those without money contribute some labor, and get the person up the mountain together."

"Mother, how much money should my family contribute?" Wang Cuiying asked her mother-in-law.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou said, "Take five hundred coins first, and we'll add more if it's not enough."

"Okay," Wang Cuiying agreed, then complained, "This Zhang Xianglan is really something. Now that she's gone, what are we going to do about Zihao's marriage? Should we postpone it?"

"Who says otherwise? I need to talk to your younger sister about it." Zhou was also very annoyed, but what could she do?

Respect for the deceased is paramount; let's get her up the mountain as soon as possible.

"Grandma, I'll go with Mom and see if there's anything we can do to help."

Wang Qing'er also wanted to visit the Zhang family. She had her eye on the Zhang family's third daughter. The third daughter was about the same age as Mu Qin. Although her appearance was ordinary, she seemed quite clever. It wouldn't be bad if she could be placed by Mu Qin's side.

Wang Qing'er had already planned in her heart that she would give each of Mu Qin, Mu Yao and Zi Tong a maid to raise and train while they were still young.

In addition, Xiang Gong, Mu Lin, and Zi Hao will each be responsible for raising a servant.

When they go away to study in the future, they will definitely need someone to take care of them.

They don't need to travel far now, but we need to train them so they can be used immediately when needed in the future.

Furthermore, if there are any people with bad character, they can be dealt with early on.

This is the main reason why she bought so many girls and boys who were not quite grown up in the county town.

"Qing, what are you going there for? Zhang Xianglan died of illness, and she has a lot of resentment. It's better not to go."

Wang Cuiying was a little puzzled. This daughter-in-law usually didn't like to join in the fun, so why would she want to get involved in such an unlucky event as a death?

"Mother, I'm not afraid of these things, nor do I believe in them. I'll just go and take a look, and I'll come back if everything is alright."

What are you talking about? How could a modern person like her be afraid of these things?

Zhang Xianglan's house is in the middle of the village, but at the foot of the mountain behind it, there are five thatched houses surrounded by a bamboo fence.

There are several plots of land in the yard, all planted with lush green vegetables, and the yard is kept very clean.

Zhang Xianglan was too ill to get out of bed, so these chores must have been done by the children in the family, which shows that the girls were all diligent and clean.

White lanterns and white sails have been hung in the main house.

Zhang Xianglan has been placed in her coffin, and her daughters, dressed in white mourning clothes, are kneeling on the ground sobbing.

The coffin and all the funeral supplies were donated by the village chief in town early in the morning. Once the villagers had raised enough money, they would send it to the shopkeeper.

Wang Cuiying handed five hundred coins to the village chief and said, “Village chief, please keep this money for now. My mother said that if it’s not enough, our family will add some more.”

"Oh! Cuiying, I thank you on behalf of the Wang family. Wang the Cripple and Zhang Xianglan offended many people in the village before, so not many people were willing to come. This morning, only your family and the other branches of your Mu family brought some money. Your family's five hundred coins were just enough to buy a coffin. The other things didn't cost much, so I'll cover it." After thanking them, the village chief said with a helpless expression.