Chapter 376 - 370_1
Although Old Lu was advanced in age, he was still vigorous and energetic. He directed his workers with clarity and precision, and despite being busy at home, for the children’s sake, Lin Yue had originally planned to settle down in the newly purchased house in the city. Little did she know that Songshan Academy had a rule: Once enrolled, students had to live on campus and could only return home during breaks. This was also a way to encourage students to focus on their studies.
Lin Yue was still worried about Dalang and the others, as they had just arrived at the academy and might not have adapted yet. She wanted her elder brother to take care of them a bit, but Songshan Academy was divided into several courts. New students could only stay outside, and their living quarters were not together; even if Lin Qing had the intention to look after them, he could only find time to visit now and then. Lin Yue knew this and had no choice but to give up on the idea, especially since her brother was studying hard, aiming for academic honors. She could not afford to delay his studies.
"Mother, don’t worry. The three of us brothers are all right. The rooms in the academy are spacious and even more comfortable than our home," Dalang said in an attempt to comfort Lin Yue. However, it was also the truth. Their new house wasn’t built yet, and the four brothers had been crammed in one room. At the academy, on the other hand, each had a room to himself, even more spacious than their rooms at home, furnished with everything needed including a bathroom and a kitchen, which made it not only comfortable but also very convenient.
Such rooms were considered mid-range in Songshan Academy; just the accommodation cost three taels of silver per year. For three brothers, that added up to nine taels of silver. However, Lin Yue didn’t hesitate to spend the money to ensure Dalang and the others lived comfortably. She remembered her brother Lin Qing lived in a lower-quality room at the academy and wanted to upgrade him to a mid-range one, but Lin Qing firmly refused, leaving her no choice but to let the matter go.
Since Dalang and his two brothers were staying at the academy, Lin Yue didn’t have to worry about them and thus returned to the village first. Recently, Jiang Ziqi from Capital City had sent word, asking them to rush another batch of goods to the city. Zhao Erhu was busy with it all by himself, so she needed to go back and help out.
"Erhu’s wife, the shop renovation is done. You should check it out and see if it meets your expectations," Old Lu said. Although he had a quirky personality, he was extremely easy to get along with if he liked someone. In all these years, few had caught his eye, but the Zhao Family had made a good impression on him. He was content with their relationship, precisely because they treated him like a craftsman, which was all he ever wanted. He had no interest in flattery or adulation.
The most important thing, however, was Erhu’s wife’s design blueprint. Old Lu couldn’t fathom how a woman raised in the countryside could come up with such ingenious ideas. The only thing he’d been interested in all his life were these designs. After completing the decoration of the city shop, without even taking a rest, he went directly to Zhao Family Village, to Zhao Erhu’s house, and started working on building the farmhouse.
"Old Lu, is the ornamentation finished already?" Lin Yue had allowed extra time for the remodeling, and its early completion somewhat surprised her. However, she did not worry about the quality of the work—she trusted Old Lu’s character and skills.
"That’s great. I’ll go take a look this afternoon." Lin Yue had invested a lot of effort in this project and couldn’t wait to see the finished result of her blueprint designs.