Chapter 465: Peppercorns
“Miss Lu!”
A familiar voice traveled over, causing Mdm Mao and Zhao Xian, who were about to leave, to turn back at the same time.
This person was the county magistrate they had seen just now.
However, he was smiling amicably at the girl beside He Yan.
Lu Sheng smiled at Fu Xianyun. “Magistrate Fu, where are you going?”
“Sisi and the rest are at the restaurant. I just finished my work and was about to go over. Why are you here?”
“Cousin and I came over to settle the divorce papers.”
He Yan was surprised at how familiar their conversation was.
Mdm Mao and Zhao Xian were also dumbfounded.
They already felt that it was an honor to know a small constable. In the end, the other party knew the person with the highest rank in the government office?
Fu Xianyun nodded in realization. “So, this lady is Miss Lu’s cousin!”
He Yan regained her senses and bowed to him hurriedly.
Lu Sheng nodded. “Yes, she’s my uncle’s daughter.”
“Oh?” Fu Xianyun was surprised. “So, this lady is Brother He Zhang’s daughter.”
“Lord… Lord, you know He Zhang?”
Mdm Mao was simply dumbfounded.
When did He Zhang know the county magistrate?
Fu Xianyun had always been kind to the people. When he heard Mdm Mao’s question, he answered.
“Miss Lu is Lord Chu’s fiancée, and Lord Chu is my cousin. Brother He Zhang is Miss Lu’s uncle. We will be family in the future, so we naturally know each other.”
Lu Sheng was stunned when she heard that. In the end, she could not help but cover her mouth and laugh secretly.
Fu Xianyun must have known about Mdm Mao’s relationship with He Yan, which was why he replied that way.
As to the reason, one could tell from Mdm Mao’s red face.
Yes, Mdm Mao was full of regret.
If she knew that He Yan had such a powerful background, she would never have agreed to the divorce.
However, it was all too late now!
Zhao Xian looked at He Yan with a complicated expression before leaving with Mdm Mao, who was still in a daze.
“Are the two of you going to the restaurant? If so, shall we go together?”
Fu Xianyun smiled and watched Mdm Mao and her son leave. Then, he turned his head and spoke to them with a smile.
Lu Sheng shook her head. “We won’t be going. We still have some things to do.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave first.”
He addressed himself casually when speaking to Lu Sheng, but formally to Mdm Mao and her son. No matter how stupid He Yan was, she could tell that Fu Xianyun seemed to respect Lu Sheng a lot.
On the way back to An Mu Village, He Yan was silent.
Lu Sheng thought that she was in a bad mood after the divorce, so she did not disturb her.
Little did she know that He Yan was actually shocked by Fu Xianyun’s words.
She did not expect unimaginable changes to happen to the Lu family and the He family within a year of her marriage.
In the past, they did not even know a constable from a government office, let alone a county magistrate.
This was also the reason why Mdm Mao bragged that she had a nephew who was a constable in the government office.
As she thought, she suddenly thought of something.
He Yan suddenly lifted the curtain and asked Lu Sheng, “Lu Sheng, was what you said today true?”
“What?”
Lu Sheng turned around and glanced at her.
“The ghost behind Zhao Xian. Was that true?”
Lu Sheng’s reaction today was too real, so He Yan believed it.
Lu Sheng smiled and said, “I was just bluffing him. However, my master has some knowledge in this aspect, so I can tell that he has indeed been haunted by ghosts recently.”
“There’re really ghosts?”
He Yan was shocked. “What do they look like?”
“Them? Ah…”
Lu Sheng pondered and said, “They’re similar to humans, but humans have physical entities while theirs are illusory.”
He Yan did not understand what physical or illusory entities were. However, from Lu Sheng’s words, she seemed to have seen them before.
Her body trembled slightly. “Lu Sheng, you’ve seen that kind of thing before?”
Lu Sheng contemplated for a while before asking softly, “Do you want to hear the truth?”
He Yan nodded. “Of course.”
“Yes, I can even communicate with them.”
“Chuckle…”
He Yan was stunned before she scoffed.
She felt that Lu Sheng was definitely joking.
When Lu Sheng heard her smile, she only raised her eyebrows slightly and did not pay much attention.
“How is it?”
When the two of them returned to An Mu Village, He Dong asked impatiently.
He Yan nodded. “It’s settled.”
“That’s great!”
He Dong smiled and said, “When Father, Grandpa, and Grandma return, we must inform them of this great news.”
He Yan smiled and nodded.
“Xiaodong, do you have a sack at home?”
“Yes.”
He Dong asked suspiciously, “Cousin, why do you want a sack?”
“Don’t worry about it first. Go and get me a sack.”
“Oh.”
He Dong went to the warehouse where the rice jar was stored and took out two sacks.
After Lu Sheng received the sacks, she smiled and said, “Let’s go up the mountain.”
He Yan said, “There’s no hurry. Let’s change our clothes first.”
He Yan and He Dong returned to their rooms to change into their old clothes. Then, they took their sickles and bamboo baskets and went up the mountain with Lu Sheng.
“Cousin, what are you trying to contain in these two sacks up the mountain?”
He Dong could not think of what Lu Sheng wanted to fill the two big sacks with.
“Where did you dig the tree you planted at home?” Lu Sheng asked.
“Cousin, you’re referring to that pepper tree?”
Lu Sheng nodded. “Yes!”
“It’s right in front. I’ll bring you there.”
As He Dong spoke, he led the way.
The pepper tree was on a hill. There were big and small trees, and they were almost full of peppercorns.
Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up and she passed the other sack to He Yan. “Help me pluck them.”
As she spoke, she had already climbed onto the slope with ease and started harvesting.
Although He Yan and He Dong did not know why she wanted to pluck them, they followed suit.
When the two sacks were filled, the sun was setting.
He Dong and He Yan, who initially wanted to collect some firewood, did not manage to collect any in the end.
He Dong carried the bag of peppercorns on his shoulders with difficulty and prepared to descend the slope.
“Don’t move. Give them all to me.”
Lu Sheng carried the sack over from his shoulder easily. Then, she carried the sack over one shoulder and walked down the mountain with ease.
He Yan and He Dong were speechless.
Was she even human?
It was difficult to carry even one bag, but she carried two bags as if they were empty. What kind of strength was that?
“Cousin… Cousin, don’t you feel they’re heavy?”
Lu Sheng said lightly, “I’m trained in martial arts and know qinggong. It’s not heavy.”
She looked at the sky and said to the two of them, “Hurry down the mountain. It’s getting late.”
Then, she walked ahead.
Behind her, the siblings stared at her back. Their initial shock turned to envy.
It was good to know martial arts. She could carry such heavy things down the mountain easily.
The duo carefully climbed down the mountain and hurried after them.
“Lu Sheng, do you really not need our help?”
He Yan swallowed her saliva and asked softly.
“No need. I can do it myself.”
The two people who were rejected felt bad. They asked more than ten times along the way, but Lu Sheng always said that she did not need their help.
It was only when they reached home from the mountain that He Yan and He Dong believed that it was really effortless for Lu Sheng.
“Oh!”
When Mdm Xu saw Lu Sheng, her eyes lit up. “When did Lu Sheng come?”
Lu Sheng placed the items on the ground. “I came in the morning.”
“Really?”
Looking at the two sacks on the ground, Mdm Xu asked suspiciously, “What are these?”
“These are peppercorns.”
“Peppercorns? That’s a nice name.”
Mdm Xu reached out and straightened the sack on the ground.
She thought it was not heavy, but when she tried to position it properly, she was shocked by the weight.
When she saw Lu Sheng carrying it earlier, it seemed to be very light. She did not expect it to be so heavy.
Such a big sack weighed at least seventy to eighty pounds.
“Why didn’t you help Xiao Sheng carry a sack just now? It’s so heavy. Isn’t it tiring to let her carry it herself?”
After Mdm Xu reprimanded He Yan and He Dong, she looked at Lu Sheng sympathetically.
He Yan and He Dong were speechless and did not know how to explain.
“It’s not that they don’t want to help, but I didn’t let them. I can carry it myself and walk faster.”
He Yan and He Dong, a skinny woman and a half-grown boy, were walking on the mountain path. If they were to carry them, they would probably not be able to leave the mountain before dark.
When Mdm Xu heard that, she was a bit surprised. “Oh my, you’re so strong.”
Lu Sheng chuckled.
She said to them, “Grandma, Grandpa, Sister Yaner, Xiaodong, I’ll go back first.”
She did not know if the three people at home had already eaten.
He Hu said, “Go back after dinner. It’s already so late.”
Lu Sheng shook her head. “No, Xiao Jiang and Xiao Xin are still at home. I was so happy that I forgot about them. I have to go back early to cook for them.”
“Forget it.”
Mdm Xu said helplessly, “Then be careful on the way. Do you have a lamp? There’s a lantern in your uncle’s room. If not, I’ll bring it to you.”
“It’s alright, Grandma. I have one in the carriage. I’ll light it up later.”
Lu Sheng moved the two sacks of peppercorns into the carriage. She clapped her hands and said to Mdm Xu, “Grandma, there’s a big piece of happy news today.”
“What is it?”
Mdm Xu looked at her suspiciously.
He Yan pursed her lips and smiled. He Dong chuckled and said playfully, “Grandma, guess quickly.”
Mdm Xu frowned. “When your grandpa and I came back, we heard that some people from the Zhao family came today. Why did they come?”
He Yan said, “To get a divorce.”
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
After a while, He Hu regained his senses. “Xiaoyan, what did you say just now?”
He felt that he must have heard wrongly.
Mdm Xu also suspected that there was something wrong with her ears. When she heard her husband’s question, she looked nervously at He Yan.
He Dong said, “You didn’t hear wrongly. Zhao Xian has agreed to a divorce. Today, Cousin accompanied Sister to town with them.”
“Really… Really?”
Mdm Xu was doubtful.
How could someone like Mdm Mao agree to a divorce so easily?
He Yan nodded. “It’s true!”
Mdm Xu blinked. “Then… did they make any unreasonable requests?”
He Yan shook her head. “No, there’s nothing.”
“Are they crazy?”
Mdm Xu could not believe that Mdm Mao would let Zhao Xian and He Yan divorce so easily.
He Yan smiled and said, “They’re not crazy. It’s Lu Sheng who’s smart.”
“Oh?”
Mdm Xu looked at Lu Sheng. “What did Lu Sheng do?”
He Dong smiled and said, “Cousin lied to them that Zhao Xian has a ghost behind him.”
“They even believe such words?” He Hu questioned.
“Lu Sheng said that Zhao Xian seemed to have been pestered by something unclean, which was why she lied.”
After hearing He Yan’s words, He Hu and Mdm Xu looked at Lu Sheng again.
“Lu Sheng, is what you said true? That Zhao Xian is really being pestered by that thing?”
When Mdm Xu heard that, she could not help but shiver.
“Yes.”
Lu Sheng nodded. “To be honest, my master is in this line of work. I’ve learned some from him, so I can tell.”
She naturally did not dare to say that she was the one who released the ghosts that haunted Zhao Xian.
“Oh, this family must have done a lot of wicked things. Otherwise, why would those ghosts pester them?”
Mdm Xu gloated.
He Hu’s focus was not on this. He said in surprise, “I didn’t expect the Third Prince to know this. Did he learn it from the State Minister?”
“Third Prince? State Minister?”
He Yan looked at He Hu suspiciously. “Grandpa, you’ve seen them before?”
“I’ve never seen the State Minister before. However, the Third Prince is Lu Sheng’s master. He came over the last time your Uncle Qin got married.”
“Lu Sheng’s master is the Third Prince?” He Yan was dumbfounded.
What had she missed this year?
He Hu nodded. “Yes!”
He Yan held her forehead. It seemed like she had to understand the change in the He family this year.
“I have to go back.”
Lu Sheng bade them farewell and left.
When she reached home, it was already night.
When she pushed the door open, she saw three people sitting under the big tree, looking at her bitterly.
“Second Sister, we’re hungry!”
Lu Xin stood up and walked over. She pouted and spoke aggrievedly.
When Lu Sheng was at home, they usually finished dinner in the evening.
Today was definitely the latest.
“Sorry, Second Sister had something on today. I was too busy and forgot about the time.”
She brought the carriage to a side and did not have the time to bring the items down. After greeting Lan Yi, she went straight to the kitchen to work.
As it was already late, Lu Sheng could only serve them a few omelets to fill their stomachs before wrapping the vegetable dumplings.
After filling their stomachs, the three of them returned to their rooms to sleep.
After Lu Sheng cleaned the dishes, she moved the peppercorns from the carriage to the roof and placed them there. She took a hot bath before returning to her room to lie down.
—————
Two days later.
After Lu Sheng returned from the vegetable field, she was drying the peppercorns in the courtyard when He Qin suddenly came.
“Uncle, why are you here?”
After He Qin entered, he smiled and asked, “I’ve finished selling the sour bamboo shoots in the restaurant. Your uncle asked me to come over and ask if there’s more.”
“So fast?”
It had only been a few days, but such a big jar of sour bamboo shoots had been sold out?
He Qin said, “All the guests like it. They said that it whetted their appetite. Everyone had to order this to accompany their meals when they go to the restaurant, so they were sold out fast.”
Lu Sheng nodded. “There’s still a jar and some dried bamboo shoots. Uncle, bring them over later.”
He Qin was a smart person. When he came, he rode a carriage himself and even let two waiters in the restaurant ride another carriage.
Lu Sheng helped them move the bamboo shoots onto the carriage and placed the dried ones on top.
He Qin glanced at the dried bamboo shoots and asked Lu Sheng, “Lu Sheng, what should we do with these dried bamboo shoots?”