Chapter 15: Yang Zhengshan is also a sentimental person
Yang Zhengshan helped Lu Zhaoqi put on his cotton clothes, carefully stitching the embroidered bamboo leaves. Lu Zhaoqi lightly sighed, “You’ve got a heart!”
He blamed his original body for not taking good care of his daughter, but also understood that his original body had no choice, given the suffering from dark injuries and lack of strength.
If he wanted to blame someone, he should blame himself for not intervening earlier to stop this marriage.
He was dissatisfied with Yang Zhengshan as a son-in-law, but didn’t truly resent him.
In fact, the original couple had a good relationship, living a poor but harmonious life together for twenty years, with only occasional bickering.
“This is what we should do!” Yang Zhengshan helped Lu Zhaoqi into his cotton clothes.
The fit was just right, although the fabric was only ordinary cotton, but the stitching was meticulous, showing that Yang Yuyun had put in effort.
“I heard your injuries have healed?” Lu Zhaoqi asked nonchalantly.
“Yes, they have. Just…” Yang Zhengshan revealed a sorrowful face.
This wasn’t an act; he genuinely felt sorrowful, but the reason wasn’t his original body’s wife.
He was once a young, vigorous man, but now he’d become a grandfather, with a healthy body no longer being his. The more he thought about his mysterious aging, the more bitter he felt, as if he’d eaten a bitter herb.
However, he’d already accepted these hardships since coming to this world a month and a half ago. It was just that when facing his father-in-law, he had to put on a show of grief for his deceased wife.
“Ah, never mind. It’s Qing’er’s bad luck. You still have your children; you must take care of them!” Lu Zhaoqi comforted him, his dissatisfaction dissipating.
Yang Zhengshan let out a sigh of relief, but his face still wore a faint hint of sorrow.
Oh, how miserable I am!
Thinking about my carefree days, my heart becomes bitter and painful.
I was once a little dragon in a wine shop, but now I’ve become a father and a grandfather, oh so miserable! I can no longer revel in life.
As he recalled those happy days, Yang Zhengshan’s eyes reddened.
He missed that enchanting figure under the bright lights, missed those long legs walking on the streets, and missed that warm hand in the bathhouse.
Seeing him like this, Lu Zhaoqi’s heart softened further.
Ah, Yang Zhengshan is also a sentimental person!
He had a misunderstanding, but it wasn’t entirely a misunderstanding. Yang Zhengshan did have sentiment, but it was for those carefree days, not for a person.
He was sentimental about the vast ocean, not an individual.
Yang Zhengshan stole a glance at Lu Zhaoqi, seeing his gentle expression. He felt he’d put on enough of a show, quickly hiding his sorrowful face and forcing a smile.
“Father, two days ago, I killed the leader of the bandits that raided Jiang Family Village – Dao Pian Liu. County Office has a 300-tael silver reward for him…”
Yang Zhengshan didn’t finish his sentence, waiting for Lu Zhaoqi’s reaction.
He didn’t come only to reconnect with Lu Zhaoqi but also to seek his advice.
Although he’d killed Dao Pian Liu and should receive the 300-tael reward, he didn’t know if there were any hidden traps or if County Office would really fulfill their promise.
Whether he could get the reward wasn’t his top concern; he mainly feared that this incident might bring trouble to the Yang family.
It wasn’t that he was overly cautious, but this world wasn’t like his previous one, and the society wasn’t as peaceful.
As a newcomer, it was better to be prudent.
“You killed Dao Pian Liu!” Lu Zhaoqi exclaimed.
“Yes,” Yang Zhengshan nodded.
Lu Zhaoqi’s eyes widened, “I heard he was very formidable.”
“He was, but not as strong as me,” Yang Zhengshan said.
Lu Zhaoqi scrutinized him, thoughtfully saying, “This is a good thing. The reward isn’t important; what matters is that this incident can catch Lord Luo’s attention!”
“What do you think?”
Yang Zhengshan shook his head, “I don’t know much about County Office; I’m not sure what to think.”
Lu Zhaoqi stroked his white beard, slightly nodding.
“Lord Luo is a capable person; getting into his sight is already your good fortune. However, if you want to strive for an official position, you’ll need to plan carefully.”
As a warrior, one could become an official. In the military, a warrior could get promoted to a low-level officer like a-company commander or battalion commander within a year.
In the local government, a warrior could hold positions like a magistrate or a clerk. Specifically, it would depend on their luck, like becoming a county magistrate, which wasn’t something the current Yang Zhengshan could think about. He actually liked the position of a patrol officer, although it was only a ninth-rank official, as it came with its own office and a few dozen soldiers to command, and the responsibilities weren’t small.
Anning County had three patrol offices, making it easier to strive for compared to a county magistrate.
However, this was just Yang Zhengshan’s thoughts; it would depend on whether Lu Zhaoqi could help him.
“This isn’t urgent; let me ask my eldest son about it first,” Lu Zhaoqi said after thinking for a moment.
He naturally wanted to help Yang Zhengshan get an official position, as Yang Zhengshan was his son-in-law, and the Yang family children were his grandkids and granddaughters. Helping Yang Zhengshan was helping his deceased daughter.
In the past, Yang Zhengshan didn’t have the ability or opportunities, so Lu Zhaoqi didn’t have such thoughts. Now that Yang Zhengshan had the chance, Lu Zhaoqi would definitely lend a hand.
Yang Zhengshan wasn’t in a hurry; he just had this idea, and it wasn’t like he had to get an official position.
If the opportunity arose, he would try his best to strive for it. If not, he wouldn’t be too disappointed.
At noon, Yang Zhengshan stayed for lunch at the Lu family.
Lu Zhaoqi had two sons and a daughter. His eldest son, Lu Zhaoqi, worked as a county clerk, while his second son, Lu Zhaoran, managed the family’s fields. The Lu family’s land wasn’t just a few dozen acres but rather hundreds of acres, making them a prominent landlord family.
Lu Zhaoqi also had four grandsons – Lu Wen Chun, Lu Wen Jie, Lu Wen Hua, and Lu Wen Yuan. The most studious among them was Lu Wen Yuan, 16 years old, already a child student. If everything went well, he would participate in the Imperial Examinations next year.
However, Yang Zhengshan didn’t see Lu Wen Yuan today, as he was studying at the county school and rarely returned to Qinghe Town.
The Lu family treated Yang Zhengshan, their son-in-law, with great care. The younger generation were very respectful towards him, without any arrogance or disregard.
So they had a very lively lunch, with Yang Zhengshan even drinking a few cups of wine with Lu Zhaoran. When he left the Lu family, he felt a bit tipsy.
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