Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 267 - 267 268 Accompanying Reading_1

Chapter 267: Chapter 268 Accompanying Reading_1 Chapter 267: Chapter 268 Accompanying Reading_1 Madam Liu still held her breath, “Forget it, I’m not in the mood, and the children are still at home; I worry about them, so I won’t go.”

She had never intended to forgive Mrs. Liang in the first place. If Lord Lu was so kind-hearted as to use such a method to indirectly pardon Shitou, why would there be a need to cause so much trouble now? But of course, she could only think such thoughts to herself.

The government official was somewhat surprised; he had thought they would jump up with excitement. Instead, they were so indifferent and even seemed not to want to go, unaware of the great honor it was to be personally entertained by the County Chief.

Muniang managed a smile, “My aunt has some affairs to see to; I’m afraid she won’t be able to make it, but I’ll go.”

The official quickly said, “Of course, that’s fine!” If neither of them went, the County Chief would surely blame him for his inefficiency.

Muniang spoke to Madam Liu, who nodded, knowing well that the County Chief was indeed not someone to offend.

Muniang and Yu Ze followed the official into the inner hall and saw that Lord Lu was already waiting inside.

“Lord Lu,” Muniang said respectfully.

“Come, have a seat, don’t worry about the formalities,” he replied.

As Muniang and Yu Ze took their seats, Lord Lu noticed someone was missing. Muniang timely said, “My aunt is worried about the children and has gone back first; I hope you don’t take it amiss.”

Lord Lu quickly waved his hand, “Not at all; she probably wasn’t very willing about today’s matter anyway. It was just my soft heart acting on its own.”

Muniang smiled and said, “Your kind heart is a blessing to the people; thanks to your fairness and integrity in this case, two children’s innocence was restored. Otherwise, a beating would have been bad enough, but ruining their future prospects would have been a true misfortune.”

Lord Lu nodded, feeling that the young woman in front of him had an extraordinary temperament and manner of speaking, not at all like a typical village woman, and his fondness for her grew.

“Speaking of which, I have been in office for merely a year, striving to do my utmost for Chatu Town, but there is still too little time; some things are beyond my capabilities. I have no grounds to hold Mr. Gao to account, and it is hard to offend the Ling Family,” Lord Lu said with a hint of embarrassment, acknowledging the dilemmas faced by a fatherly official before the powers-that-be.

Yet Muniang didn’t see it as a problem; if he could not smoothly navigate the relationships, he likely wouldn’t be able to maintain his position, with too many people offended. She was not one to fret over such matters. Well, to be honest, it was because if Lord Lu couldn’t handle it, she would settle things herself privately.

That Lord Lu had especially invited them over to explain without putting on official airs was something Muniang admired.

“There’s no need for that, Lord. You do not have to blame yourself; just giving the children justice is enough for us. As for other matters, they are trivial. Moreover, as country folk, we wouldn’t want to offend those influential families.”

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” A crisp voice called out, and Lord Lu immediately turned, only to see a delicate little girl throwing herself into his arms. Lord Lu started, “Why have you run to the County Government Office?

The woman behind her, seemingly a nursemaid, said helplessly, “My lord, the miss insisted on finding you; I couldn’t stop her.”

Lord Lu immediately put on a stern face, “Stop this nonsense! Daddy is working on a case; what will people think if they see you here? Not staying home to study properly, making the Master we hired for you a waste.”

The little girl was displeased and pouted, “Studying alone is so boring, Dad is busy with cases every day and doesn’t care about Qi’er anymore. Am I an unwanted child? Do you not want me anymore?”

Lord Lu immediately wore a helpless, bitter expression, “My little ancestor, how could Dad not want you? I’m just busy with important matters, aren’t I?”

He then said, “Since you find studying alone boring, how about I find you a study companion to read with you next time? Would that be good?”

Muniang couldn’t help but take another look at Lord Lu. It was rare in ancient times for someone to cherish a daughter so much, treating her with such indulgence in every way.

Lord Lu seemed to notice Muniang’s gaze and said, “This child’s mother passed away early, leaving just this one child. I usually dote on her, and have spoiled her rotten.”

Lu Qi batted her eyes at Muniang and giggled, “This sister is so pretty, I want this sister to study with me, looking at a pretty sister.”

Lord Lu’s face turned red, and he smiled awkwardly at Muniang, “The child is just making a fuss, don’t take it to heart.”

Muniang smiled, “It’s nothing, your daughter is quite adorable. It’s just that sister is already married, so let’s forget about the study companion.”

Yu Ze’s lips curved into a smile, simply delighted by her words “already married” for quite a while.

Suddenly, Muniang thought of something and asked, “Lord Lu wants to find a study companion for your daughter? What kind of family are you looking for?”

Lord Lu was taken aback for a moment before responding, “I haven’t started considering that yet. The type of family isn’t important, as long as the person is honest and decent, with a good heart.”

Muniang mentioned Tianniu, “This child is definitely good-hearted; she is the Qiao family’s eldest daughter. Just look at how well the Qiao family’s two sons have been raised by their mother to see how good the children she brings up are. Moreover, she is smart and has a good nature; she will surely get along well with your daughter.”

Lord Lu exclaimed in surprise, “So the Qiao family has a daughter too.” He had experienced the resilience of Honghai and Hongde firsthand, which was almost to the point of never yielding even in the face of death. He already liked these two boys from the bottom of his heart; therefore, their sister would probably not be too far behind.

Seeing that Lord Lu was interested, Muniang smiled and said, “Yes, indeed. And my aunt’s family is not a poor household either. Moreover, she cherishes her daughter deeply and wants her to be educated. But openly hiring a private tutor for home teaching would be too showy, especially since we’re in a small village with few families pursuing education. Hiring a private tutor would be too much of a display of wealth. My aunt has been worrying over this. When I heard you were looking for a study companion for your daughter today, I thought why not let Tianniu give it a try?”

Lord Lu nodded repeatedly, “Then, bring the child over to meet us next time.”

“It’s just—”

“Just what?”

“If the child is to be a study companion, she definitely can’t bring the status of a slave, and her family wouldn’t allow it, so—” Muniang showed a troubled expression, hoping Lord Lu would understand.

“That goes without saying, as long as she has a good disposition and a kind heart, it’s enough. As for the matter of slave status, if they are unwilling, I can very well overlook it. It’s as if I found a playmate for my daughter,” Lord Lu said with a smile.