I’m Starting to Pick Up My Wife

Birdsong and blooming flowers filled the blue-tiled, green-walled compound; a little bridge arched over the murmuring water.

It was March, and the weather had warmed. The sky was clearer than it had been on most days.

At the home of Haicheng’s foremost wealthy family, the Lu Residence, the maids were already waiting in Gongan Garden for their mistress to wake.

“Miss, it’s time to get up.” Tao Hong, her personal maid, could not help lightly knocking on the door.

Only then did a languid voice sound from within.

“Come in.” Compared with the maids waiting outside, Lu Ling was rather late to rise.

There was no helping it; last night she had a get-together with her circle of young ladies, and drinking was inevitable. On top of that, Qingzhu Tower had just launched a new plum wine with calamansi added, making it especially refreshing.

No one in the group of sisters could resist having a few extra cups.

Even her personal attendant and little confidante Tao Hong had drunk half a pot, yet somehow she hadn’t gotten drunk.

“Xiao Hong, I think you could apply to be the business manager at our winery.” Lu Ling got out of bed while holding her head. The others quickly helped her wash up. Normally she did everything herself, but this time she truly had no energy to tidy up, so she could only leave it to them.

After she was cleaned up, Tao Hong came over to support her in front of the dressing mirror.

In front of the gilt mirror, a graceful young woman made a series of exaggerated faces; those odd expressions added a hint of playfulness to her already beautiful features.

Tao Hong could not help smiling. “Miss, did you forget today’s schedule?”

If she hadn’t said it, Lu Ling might not have remembered that today was the monthly market discussion meeting.

Tao Hong not only attended to her meals and daily needs; she was also her assistant.

“The sisters in the club probably haven’t gotten up either. Let’s skip it for today.” After thinking it over, Lu Ling decided she should still head out early.

On the fifth day of the third month, her mother and brothers, who were usually busy outside all year, would return once, bringing their families with them. So among them, her father and she, who stayed year-round in Feng County of Haicheng, were actually the permanent residents.

“Madam sent word yesterday that she’ll be delayed two days. The weather on the island is bad. She also said you shouldn’t go boating either; if you want to enjoy the spring scenery, then all of you should go ride horses instead,” Tao Hong relayed.

Lu Ling nodded. “It seems something else has come up on the island. Tell Mother not to worry; she can take care of it slowly.”

“The sea isn’t like land; even the smallest matter has to be treated cautiously.”

The two chatted idly.

Lu Ling’s makeup was already done. She wanted a light face, so she would look naturally lovely and more understated.

This life’s self was very much like her previous life’s self, only a premium version.

“Let’s go. No need to tell me when my brothers come back; I’ll come home for dinner tonight on my own.”

“Yes, Miss.” Tao Hong skillfully took a specially customized silver pill box from the cosmetic case, wrapped it in moisture-proof oiled paper, and placed it into a sachet she carried with her before fastening it to Lu Ling’s belt.

Lu Ling touched the sachet with satisfaction and stepped out of Gongan Garden, getting into the carriage already waiting on the inner courtyard path.

The coachwoman was skilled at driving horses.

“Xianglan, take me to Qingzhu Tower.” Lu Ling stepped up using the stool.

The woman immediately closed the door properly and drove off from the front gate with practiced ease.

The Lu estate was vast, and Lu Ling did not like moving around much; fortunately, several carriage lanes had been designed to connect directly to the front gate.

By rights, as the county magistrate of one county in Haicheng, her father did not have the qualification to live in such a huge compound. Its footprint was practically on par with the residence of a third-rank official in Kyoto.

Fortunately, the Great Chong Dynasty had no explicit ban on merchants and officials owning private estates.

As a rule, so long as they kept a low profile, nothing would happen.

After all, this was Haicheng, a place so remote that even the Emperor could hardly reach his hand out here.

Add to that the fact that many officials in the Great Chong Dynasty opposed maritime trade, and the ports of the coastal city were often in a state of chaos; one day the docks were sealed, the next day they were opened.

There was almost no pattern to it.

But not in Haicheng. Haicheng had a government-run harbor, which just happened to be the channel through which private goods from the north came and went.

Many officials used this dock to bring in fresh goods from outside, so they mostly turned a blind eye.

And among the harbor’s five docks, three belonged to the Lu family. Even the official relatives connected by marriage, if they wanted something custom-made, had to go through the three islands under her mother’s control.

Naturally, for a special merchant-official escort family like the Lus of Haicheng, some face had to be given. Everyone took what they needed.

The Lu residence’s newest carriage was shock-absorbing, spring-loaded, and especially comfortable to sit in.

As soon as she left the estate, she entered Feng County’s main street, the golden district, where goods and peddlers filled the roads.

Every day, people could see that familiar carriage pass by, enough to feast their eyes on it.

The carriage had barely sped down the street when its tinkling warning bell rang as well, alerting pedestrians.

Stallholders on both sides of the road smoothly moved their wares aside, then moved them back once the carriage had passed. Even diners who were already eating were used to this.

They would even gossip a little. “What new treasure has Miss Lu found this time, to be going out so early?”

“Exactly. At ordinary times, Miss Lu sleeps until the sun is three poles high and no one would even urge her.”

“She must be going to Qingzhu Tower.”

The nearby people were long used to it.

Everyone knew that Qingzhu Tower used to be called the Red House, a brothel-like wine house; its business was naturally the sort of place people went for pleasure.

Five years ago, it was acquired by the then-thirteen-year-old Miss Lu and converted into a beauty house specializing in Haicheng’s fashionable products.

It was said she had cashed in the dowry prepared in advance for her coming-of-age gift, then sold it off and bought the place.

It sold rouge, powders, and finished embroidered garments.

At first, Haicheng looked down on Qingzhu Tower’s former identity, thinking it was an improper place.

Then, somehow, it became a place where Haicheng’s merchants often went to discuss business.

It was also very popular with the wives and female relatives of officials from Zhangzhou Prefecture.

It was said that Qingzhu Tower specially hired women as shop assistants in the embroidery workshop; their monthly wages were five qian, with three meals and lodging included. In a month of thirty days, they got five days off to go home, earning two qian more than the laborers hauling cargo at the docks.

Because of that, many poor families tried sending their daughters in. The less responsible ones thought it would be fine even if they were sold off outright, and simply signed a contract of sale.

The more responsible ones worried their daughters would end up in an unclean place.

In the end, Miss Lu simply recruited people on the spot and set out bizarre-sounding requirements. Those who passed still had to undergo a one-month trial period; if they didn’t make the cut, they would be dismissed all the same, though the probationary wage was still three qian.

That was even more than a shop assistant’s monthly pay.

So many poor families took advantage of the probationary benefits and sent their girls to try.

What’s more, Miss Lu was generous enough to allow family members to come see the girls working. Bit by bit, everyone realized Qingzhu Tower had become a proper establishment, even a place where the wives of government officials regularly came to shop, and so they relaxed.

Over time, anyone who worked at Qingzhu Tower carried prestige by association.

Because it was a high-paying job.

By now the carriage had already arrived at Qingzhu Tower.

The tower’s facilities imitated an amusement-park parking lot from Lu Ling’s previous life, with an expanded area at the entrance divided into parking spaces.

Lu Ling’s carriage was in a special spot.

As soon as she got down, Qingzhu Tower’s manager, Liu Yuer, came forward warmly to greet her.

“Oh my, Miss, you really didn’t need to get up so early. That wine from last night still hasn’t worn off, has it?”

“Yue-jie, I came rushing over here to drink your hangover soup. Did all the sisters leave yesterday?” Lu Ling could not help asking with concern.

Really, it was also a reminder; she did not want to be seen at this critical moment.

As expected of Qingzhu Tower’s manager, Liu Yuer quickly gave a meaningful look. “Last night there was a young lady who didn’t want to leave; I coaxed her back. I’m guessing she won’t come over again until tomorrow.”

After saying that, her peach-blossom eyes gave a suggestive blink. “There’s a good deal today. I’ve arranged it in a private room. It’s just that this seller is a bit odd; they say they brought something rare, but they won’t let anyone look closely.”

Rarely did Lu Ling see even a manager so adept at business look troubled.

She couldn’t help asking, “What’s going on? Can I handle it?”

“It’s not really anything difficult.” Liu Yuer pulled her to a less crowded spot and whispered in her ear, “It’s said to be connected to a convicted official.”

A convicted official? Lu Ling’s face showed surprise.

Liu Yuer waved her handkerchief. “Yes. A deal tied to a convicted official isn’t something we should be selling, but the price the other side offered is really low, so I thought I’d give you a heads-up. Have a look and you’ll know whether you want it or not. If we take the goods, Qingzhu Tower’s sales figures will look better too.”

They were both businesspeople.

Naturally, Lu Ling caught her partner’s hint.

This deal was worth doing.

It just depended on whether she had the nerve to take it.

“Fine. I’ll go take a look myself. As for whether there’s any trouble, does Yue-jie really not know this is Haicheng?” Lu Ling also put on a polished front.

The whole of Haicheng existed in a gray area; no one knew what was above, and no one managed what was below, so doing things here was convenient. That was why there were the most merchants here, and why it was the most prosperous and most complicated region in the southeast.

Liu Yuer finally felt relieved and covered her mouth with a smile. “Don’t worry, sis; I guarantee you’ll be interested.”

“The merchant also happens to be from Kyoto.”

Kyoto? That was the capital of the Great Chong Dynasty.

If it was a merchant from Kyoto, then she would have to be more careful and see whether this business was really more risk than reward.

Still, even if she wasn’t afraid, taking it down wouldn’t be a problem.

Because near the sea, any evidence could be wiped away cleanly.

“Come on; let’s go meet this merchant from Kyoto.” Lu Ling took Liu Yuer into Qingzhu Tower.

Qingzhu Tower had six floors, each one smaller than the one below, like a pagoda-shaped building, but there were already enough private rooms from the first to the third floor, so there was no need to go higher.

Only high-status official ladies could go up to the top floor.

At present, there were only three households on the top floor, and only the Lu family had one room, which had not yet been reserved.

Even the wife of the prefect of Zhangzhou usually chose the fifth floor.

Because the sixth floor cost one hundred taels a day to rent, and only the Lu family, with their deep pockets, could afford it.

Since Lu Ling was a major shareholder in Qingzhu Tower, she had participated in many of its designs, including the mechanical rolling staircase inside the building, which could carry ten people up and down at once.

Lu Ling took the ancient version of a manual elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor. A block for the sixth floor would naturally pop out outside, and the attendant waiting by the rolling staircase would immediately operate it to send her up.

Today Liu Yuer accompanied her upstairs.

That was not unusual.

But today, she seemed a little nervous; she was usually so fastidious about cleanliness that she had even forgotten to wipe the sweat off her cheeks.

Lu Ling narrowed her eyes and waited quietly for the lift to rise. In just ten breaths, it reached the top.

The moment the door was pulled open, a strong smell of musk hit her face. She could already smell it before even reaching the private room she had rented.

Before Lu Ling had even stepped out of the lift, she could not help frowning. “It’s rare to see Yue-jie bring someone directly to the sixth floor without asking first. I thought you’d only bring them over later.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuer looked troubled. How could she not know that her young miss did not like men?

And even more impossible was letting a man into her private room.

But she really had no choice; she could only tug on Lu Ling’s sleeve and explain, “Trust your sister; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

Lu Ling had no choice but to step out of the lift. Out of trust, she had only just turned into the left corridor when she heard a fairly loud commotion from the private room behind her, along with the crack of a whip and the crash of chairs and tables being smashed.

At last, she could not help turning around.

Bang! A man dressed in white brocade silk was actually kicked straight out and fell into the corridor, grimacing and crying out in pain.

“You filthy bitch, you’ve got some nerve!”

“If I hadn’t bought you in Kyoto, you and that convicted official husband of yours would already have been exiled to Lingnan.”

“Don’t think that just because you’re a concubine you’re somehow precious. In a moment, I’ll sell you cheap to the most notorious stinky-footed merchant in Haicheng.”

With that, he gave a smug, lecherous grin. “I heard those people never care whether it’s men or women!”

Author’s note:

The story has begun, the story has begun.

If you like it, please collect it~

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