283 Protect him more Closely

Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin smiled to indicate that they were okay with it.

Though their daughter, Zhao Hehua had some wrongdoings, officer Zhao and Lady Lu were good people. Plus they were neighbors and they shouldn’t act like strangers.

“Is there something we can help you with?”

Xie Yunjin asked. He then glanced at the young man they brought, who didn’t look like officer Zhao but more like Lady Lu. He was naturally handsome and since he was a student, his aura was rather gentle and respectful.

When officer Zhao saw Xie Yunjin look at his son, he spoke up, “I heard that you rented a house nearby to help the pupils study for the exam in September. My son is one of those people taking the exam this year, so I came today to ask you for a favor.”

Xie Yunjin knew what he wanted right away and answered, “We are neighbors, there’s no need to be so polite. You can tell him to come starting tomorrow.”

He then asked the young man, “What’s your name?”

Zhao Hong stood up and answered, “My name is Zhao Hong.”

Scholar Xie was famous here in the Qinghe District. Many people claimed he was cold and didn’t like talking to others and that the only reason he was popular was because of his good looks and his achievements. Despite him being the talk of many conversations, most people respected him a lot.

Zhao Hong, for example, admired Xie Yunjin very much. To be able to get Xie Yunjin’s guidance made him unspeakably happy and satisfied. He suddenly felt confident about his upcoming exam.

“Thank you, scholar Xie.”

Xie Yunjin nodded lightly, “There’s no need to be too polite. We are neighbors and you can call me by my name.”

“Okay.”

Zhao Hong happily agreed. Beside him, officer Zhao wanted to politely decline but decided against it. He thanked Xie Yunjin, “Scholar Xie, you should charge us as much as you are charging the other students.”

He had already asked around. Xie Yunjin was taking two taels of silver from everyone and then another 30 taels of silver for those who passed the exam.

Xie Yunjin smiled, “Officer Zhao, there’s no need to be so courteous. To charge those students was the intention of the dean. The dean helped me get this gig because of my leg injuries. This gig allows me to help the school while making money. As for Zhao Hong, there’s no need for you to pay. We are neighbors and we don’t need to act so distantly.”

Lady Lu didn’t feel right about his suggestion. Embarrassed, she said, “How can that be? No, no, we should do things the right way.”

Officer Zhao’s eyes darkened. He had other intentions of bringing Zhao Hong here today.

He had already predicted that Xie Yunjin would refuse to accept money from them. This would allow him to be indebted to Xie Yunjin and in the future, he would have an excuse to protect Yunjin closely.

Officer Zhao said, “Since Scholar Xie refuses the money, then I accept your kindness. In the future, if you ever need anything, call for me and I will be here.”

Lady Lu gave her husband a strange look. Her husband didn’t normally enjoy freeloading. How come he was okay with it today?

Xie Yunjin was happy. Officer Zhao worked in the Qinghe District and was highly efficient. He must be really good at his job. With them being neighbors, he may actually need the help someday.

Xie Yunjin was in a good mood now, “Officer Zhao, you can call me by my name as well. Calling me ‘scholar’ feels distant. I’ll refer to you as uncle Zhao.”

“Okay”

After they chatted some more, the Zhao family left.

Behind Xie Yunjin, Lu Jiao commented, “How come officer Zhao is extra warm towards you?”

Logically speaking, officer Zhao should be a man of few words given his masculine personality. However, he seemed very friendly toward Xie Yunjin.

Xie Yunjin thought about it and figured that was normal, “I thought he was just being himself. He wanted me to teach Zhao Hong well so he could pass the exam and become a scholar.”

Lu Jiao decided that made sense and didn’t think more. She then went to the back courtyard.

Back there, the four little ones were not sleeping and were playing with something. It was the gift given to them by Qi Lei.

They were four silver necklaces with longevity locks.

Though they were made of silver, the craftmanship was extremely detailed and expensive looking. More importantly, the four necklaces looked exactly the same.

The four little ones obviously liked it and kept on playing with the locks.

When they saw Lu Jiao, they picked up the necklace and swung it around, “Mommy, this is so pretty.”

Lu Jiao took it over and checked it out. In this era, those with a little money all prepare necklaces or longevity locks for children. She had forgotten all about that.

“Keep them safe. Tomorrow, wear them to the Hu’s.”

Once she gets some time, she will prepare more accessories for the children. It wasn’t necessary to wear them at home but during visits, not wearing accessories will have others look down on them.

Children liked to compare themselves to others. Though she didn’t want to encourage that, she wanted to make sure that her children didn’t feel too bad.

The four little ones nodded happily. The Third Born kept on checking the necklace out and he found it hard to keep his lips closed.

Lu Jiao reminded them, “Take a nap. You can play once you wake up.”

The four little ones finally went to sleep. Lu Jiao went to her room to take a nap herself.

At night, Lu Gui and Lu An came back.

Lu Jiao said to Lu An, “I’m sure Lu Gui’s told you everything. I’m starting three businesses with Baohe Tang’s owner so I recommended you to be the second in command in running that place. I won’t be there all the time in the future, so I hope you can be my eyes. The businesses will likely need my secret formula, which I will be making here. When the time comes, you just have to pick it up from me.”

Lu An was thrilled as he stared at Lu Jiao. How was it possible that his little sister was so capable? Not only was she good at curing others, she even started businesses with others.

Because of his sister, he was now the second in command. That thought alone excited Lu An.

Lu Jiao poured cold water all over his good mood, “It will be up to you as to whether or not you’ll get to keep your position. If you have no real abilities and owner Zhao dislikes you, I will have no issues with replacing you and sending you back to the apricot flower village. This is your one and only opportunity. You better treasure it.”

“I got it.”

Lu Jiao gave Lu Gui a look, “Clean up the room beside yours for the second brother. Tomorrow morning, give him a ride to Baohe Tang and have owner Zhao delegate tasks to him.”

“Okay, sister.”

Lu Gui happily went to get the bedroom ready for Lu An.

Behind them, Lu Jiao was somewhat anxious. She asked Xie Yunjin, “Do you think my second brother will be a good manager? If not, I will have to find someone else for the job.”

She had to make sure the person with this job was someone she trusted. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Zhao Lingfeng, it was just that she didn’t want to risk anything when it came to her spiritual water.

Xie Yunjin thought about it, “The second-brother-in-law has a pretty well-rounded personality. As for his capabilities, I can’t tell just yet. He does seem very passionate about this job so I’m sure he will work hard. Weren’t you the one who said that people will more likely succeed if they are doing what they love?”