The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1194 - 1173: The Battle for People I

Chapter 1194: Chapter 1173: The Battle for People I

Fu Wenhua paid a visit, and everyone was taken aback. Bai Dalang promptly led the three youngsters to welcome the guest, and even Mr. Zhuang and Old Madam Liu came out to meet him.

Among this group of people, aside from Old Madam Liu, on closer examination, Fu Wenhua had actually met everyone before.

It goes without saying for Mr. Zhuang. He had some modest fame among the literati in Luojiang County and would sometimes stand amongst the crowd to listen to County Magistrate Fu’s speeches during larger events at the County School.

Fu Wenhua himself had often been brought by his father to absorb some literary aura and thus had seen him, although they were not close.

Both Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang had been taken by Old Master Bai to visit County Magistrate Fu’s home, especially during the New Year, when the local gentry of Luojiang County would invite County Magistrate Fu for meals and drinks. Occasionally, they would bring their children along to boast about them.

Old Master Bai’s usual boast was about Bai Dalang.

Before Bai Shan became famous, Bai Dalang was considered one of the leading young talents in Luojiang County, as it was an achievement to be admitted to the Mianzhou Prefectural School at such a young age.

And when County Magistrate Fu would express his son’s lack of accomplishments, Old Master Bai would bring up his second son, suggesting that his younger son was also quite troublesome.

Old Master Bai had won quite a bit of goodwill from County Magistrate Fu through this tactic of mutual sympathy.

So now, as the two parties met, Fu Wenhua’s gaze slid from Bai Dalang to rest upon Bai Erlang after passing over Bai Shanzhou Man, and he reached out to shake Bai Erlang’s hand, saying, "Young Master Bai Er, it’s been a long time."

Bai Erlang, having just been heart-to-heart with his brother and still teary-eyed, grasped Fu Wenhua’s hand, "Young Master Fu, it has indeed been a long time."

The other three people present: ...

Mr. Zhuang and Old Madam Liu found it amusing and asked Fu Wenhua a few questions. Learning that County Magistrate Fu and his family would soon arrive in the capital too, they smilingly asked Bai Dalang and the others to take good care of the guest before leaving the space to them.

The group of youngsters then moved to a small garden where they set up for the evening meal.

Fu Wenhua looked around and commented, "Your house here is even larger than my Second Sister’s."

Bai Shan replied, "It’s rented."

Having listened to Steward Xu’s analysis, Fu Wenhua knew that it was better for a family in their situation to rent rather than buy property, so he snorted and said, "It’s still better than my Second Sister’s place."

The servants served up the meal, and while eating, Manbao asked him, "Will your parents make decisions on behalf of Second Sister Fu?"

"Definitely," replied Fu Wenhua without hesitation. "Steward Xu said that once we’ve rented a place, we’ll go rescue my Second Sister out. Oh, and I was hoping to ask for your help as well."

He continued, "My Second Sister has just given birth, her body is probably frail, and I’m concerned our rescue might harm her."

After considering it for a moment, Manbao said, "When we went there the other day, we noticed that the Yin Family didn’t have many servants around. You could hire some more people to hold back the servants, then you can just carry Second Sister Fu out. It would be best to do this around noon when the yang energy is strong. Make the carriage comfortable with padding. Once the person is carried out and the child is picked up, you can leave."

She added, "If you’re worried, I can wait in the carriage, and as soon as you get on, I’ll be able to take care of everything."

Fu Wenhua’s eyes lit up, "Then it’s settled. Do you know where in the capital to hire reliable people?"

He said, "My Second Sister will have to go back there eventually, so we can hire tough people, but they mustn’t be violent. They can’t hit anyone, damage property, and must follow orders..."

Manbao then looked towards Bai Shan.

Bai Shan pondered and said, "Manual laborers from outside are often unaware of their own strength, and it’s hard for them to follow the employer’s commands. It’d be quite difficult, but I know a few friends. I’ll introduce you to them tomorrow, and you can borrow some servants from them. If you’re worried about men being too rough, you can borrow some strong women from them."

"However," Bai Shan looked up at him, "Hasn’t Brother Zhou Wu told you? There’s some trouble in our family right now. It’s fine for us to seek help from you, but for you to be seen so close with us..."

Fu Wenhua said nonchalantly, "Housekeeper Xu didn’t mention anything was wrong."

Bai Erlang: "...You trust your housekeeper that much?"

Fu Wenhua looked at him curiously, "If I don’t trust my housekeeper, should I trust yours instead?"

Although there’s nothing wrong with this statement, it seemed like it wasn’t an answer to his question.

Bai Dalang cleared his throat to interrupt their conversation, "Let’s eat, Erlang, you haven’t finished your homework yet."

Bai Erlang argued confidently, "There’s no school tomorrow, it’s a rest day."

So homework can be done slowly.

Manbao said, "Aren’t you supposed to take Fu Wenhua to meet Yin Huo tomorrow? We have to go out, don’t you need to do your homework?"

Indeed, the friend Bai Shan planned to introduce to Fu Wenhua was Yin Huo. Although he didn’t say it outright, in the capital, they were rather familiar with each other, and the only ones willing to send someone to fight for them was the Yin Family.

Feng Zongping’s grandfather is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, so he certainly wouldn’t do something illegal despite knowing the law. Liu Huan could help, but it’s unlikely his servants would listen to him.

After weighing the options, Yin Huo was the most suitable.

He is the precious child of the Yin Family, and although the family’s servants didn’t used to heed his words, ever since he injured himself with a knife, his grandmother and sisters dared not speak harshly to him, let alone the servants.

He was the type to point east without ever looking west, direct north without giving a thought to south. Asking him to lend a hand was the simplest and easiest.

Yin Huo was indeed very straightforward. As soon as Bai Shan asked, he agreed and even inquired of Fu Wenhua, "Are we just snatching the person? Should we snatch the dowry too?"

Fu Wenhua: "...Can we snatch the dowry too?"

Yin Huo tilted his head and said with puzzlement, "We’re not snatching the dowry? I remember my second sister mentioning that when the lady from State Duke Su’s mansion was making a fuss about wanting a divorce, Eldest Master Cheng led his family’s men to State Duke Chen’s residence and carried back the dowry. The two families fought right on the street."

Manbao’s eyes suddenly lit up, asking excitedly, "There’s such a thing? Why did they want a divorce? Did the divorce happen in the end?"

Bai Shan and the others also pricked up their ears to listen.

After smiling, Yin Huo said, "It was seven or eight years ago, and I was quite young then. I don’t remember clearly, but I vaguely heard my sisters discussing. It seems that the heir of State Duke Chen frequented pleasure houses and drank too much outside. He came back and clashed with his wife. They argued, and it turned physical. The heir’s wife cried and returned to her family, insisting on getting a divorce."

He chuckled, "State Duke Su has only two daughters, one married far away and one under his watchful eye, whom he adored deeply. So, he had his three sons catch the son-in-law and beat him up. The heir of State Duke Chen was indignant and spoke insultingly. The heir’s wife heard this and was even less willing to return. She was determined to get a divorce and also wanted to take the children. The Cheng Family simply went to take the children and dowry back. The family’s men started fighting in the street, and the matter eventually reached the emperor."

Bai Shan’s eyes flickered, asking, "Did anyone die?"