Pei Jin entered the house and headed for the east wing to call someone.
It was a rest day today, and Qi Jiao and the others had returned from the city.
Fu Chengyi had deliberately chosen this time to come. He knew that Qi Jiao and Pei Xia were busy people, and so were the others in the Pei and Ye families. If he didn't pick a good time, he would surely come in vain.
Qi Jiao was bent over the desk, looking at the ledger. When she heard Pei Jin say that Fu Chengyi had come back, there was quite a stir in the courtyard.
She exchanged a look with Pei Xia, and the couple went out to greet him.
As soon as Fu Chengyi saw Pei Xia and Qi Jiao, he lifted his robe and knelt down.
Pei Xia's face changed slightly, scolding, "Seventh Brother, get up quickly! What are you doing?"
Fu Chengyi looked ashamed and refused to get up. "Brother Pei, Sister Jiao Niang, please let me kneel. I really have no face to see you. Because of me, you suffered such a great disaster..."
Tang Guiniang, who had rushed over after hearing the news, sighed. She stepped forward and coaxed him for a while before pulling him up.
Fu Chengyi stole a glance at Pei Jin behind Tang Guiniang and said tearfully, "I know I've brought a great disaster to the Pei family. It's only right for you to beat and scold me. Fortunately, no great tragedy occurred. Now all those thieves have been brought to justice, and the mastermind behind it has also been beheaded. I'm here today to thank your whole family properly and to compensate the villagers who were injured that day."
Tang Guiniang said, "If anyone is to blame, it's the murderer. You're also a victim. Poor thing. How have you been these days?"
Seeing Tang Guiniang so concerned about him, Fu Chengyi felt a warm rush in his chest. Holding Tang Guiniang's hand, he smiled and said, "I'm fine. How about you, Auntie?"
Fu Chengyi kept talking non - stop, asking about Tang Guiniang's well - being, acting more affectionate than a real son.
Pei Jin snorted softly and turned back into the west wing.
The courtyard was filled with gifts. Fu Chengyi explained one by one, "These two boxes of furs are from the northwest. They're best for making fur coats and warm hats to keep out the cold. Although our Yulin County is in the south, the winter by the sea is still damp and cold."
"And this box. Most of the things in it are medicinal herbs. They'll come in handy if someone has a headache or a fever."
Tang Guiniang glanced at the open box and saw that there were precious tonic herbs such as ginseng, dendrobium, and bird's nest. She couldn't help waving her hand. "When A Xia and the others were injured, your brother - in - law had already sent a lot of medicinal herbs, which are rare for our kind of family. Seventh Brother, we appreciate your kindness, but you'd better take these back!"
Fu Chengyi felt even more ashamed. "They're just some insignificant little things. I hope you don't mind. How could I take them back?"
Qi Jiao gently shook her head at Tang Guiniang, and she stopped insisting.
Apart from these, Fu Chengyi also brought two big boxes of silk and satin, as well as jade and jewels. He said with a beaming smile, "These are for Auntie, Sister Jiao Niang, and A Jin to add to their dowries."
Finally, he carefully held out a precious sword.
"Brother Pei, a precious sword should be given to a hero. I think this sword is extremely good. It's just right for someone like you!"
Pei Xia drew out the sword.
The whole sword was cast from black iron. Under the sunlight, it emitted a faint blue light. The blade was truly as sharp as autumn frost.
Pei Xia couldn't help showing his admiration in his eyes.
Seeing that he had successfully found something that Pei Xia liked, Fu Chengyi looked smug.
After admiring and playing with the sword for a while, Pei Xia returned it to Fu Chengyi.
Fu Chengyi wouldn't allow him to decline. Otherwise, he seemed ready to roll on the ground.
Pei Xia had no choice but to give him a sidelong glance, bow, and accept the gift.
Fu Chengyi was happy. His attendant presented a delicate box.
Qi Jiao guessed that there must be gold and silver in it.
She and Pei Xia had already discussed not to accept the silver sent by the Fu or Shu families. Saving people was out of righteousness. They had already received the generous gifts from Seventh Brother Fu, so they couldn't accept the silver.
Since they both refused, Seventh Brother Fu felt dejected and looked dispirited.
At this time, Pei Jin looked at Qi Jiao and coughed softly.
Qi Jiao woke up as if from a dream. She gave Pei Jin an approving look and found an excuse to send Pei Xia out.
Qi Jiao smiled at Fu Chengyi. "Seventh Brother, there's something I'd like you to help with."
Fu Chengyi perked up. "Just tell me. As long as I can do it."
So Qi Jiao told him her idea of buying a treasure ship for Pei Xia.
Qi Jiao's eyes sparkled. Fu Chengyi was just worried about not being able to give away his silver. This was just the right thing. His family was in the ship - building business.
Fu Chengyi readily agreed. "No problem. Leave it to me."
Seeing his unhesitating answer, Qi Jiao knew that the current Fu Chengyi was no longer the unlucky guy he used to be. As long as he gradually regained the power of the Fu family, building a ship was not a big deal.
After talking about the treasure ship, Qi Jiao also discussed the transportation business with Fu Chengyi.
Now that she had invested in the county government's big factory and made a profit, she naturally wanted to help Lord Hui and the others take the business to a higher level.
Qi Jiao told Fu Chengyi about carrying goods, and he also agreed without hesitation. "This time our fleet is following us. We can take a batch of goods when we leave."
After they reached an agreement on water - borne cargo transportation, Tang Guiniang invited Fu Chengyi and his attendants to stay for dinner.
Fu Chengyi also asked Pei Jin to lead him to each household in the village to thank the young and strong men who had helped last time in person.
Fu Chengyi was never short of money. Now that he had become the head of the Fu family, he had even more silver at his disposal.
His elder sister, Mrs. Fu, had stayed in the Fu family at that time to help with the funeral of Lord Fu. More importantly, she had helped Fu Chengyi clean up the inside and outside of the Fu family and consolidate his power.
Mrs. Fu was very decisive. "Seventh Brother, you're no longer a child. Although I can help you for a while, I can't help you for a lifetime. Such a big family business has been entrusted to you. You have to stand on your own feet. Also, I'll help you find a famous young lady as the mistress of the Fu family as soon as possible."
After hearing his sister's words, on the one hand, Fu Chengyi felt grateful for his sister's care and support over the years. On the other hand, he felt lost. He had never carefully considered his marriage.
Just thinking of his father's chaotic harem, Fu Chengyi instinctively resisted the idea of getting married.
But his sister was extremely insistent.
He knew that the Fu family was in urgent need of a capable mistress.
His sister gave him three months. After the three - month mourning period was over, whether he was willing or not, whether he liked it or not, he had to get married.
The three - month period passed in a blink of an eye. Seventh Brother Fu came to Baiyun Village with a confused mind.
He stared at Pei Jin walking in front of him, his eyes full of complexity. His lips moved slightly, but after a long time, he fell silent again.
Before it got dark, Fu Chengyi and his entourage left the Pei family.
He was going to stay in Lingle County this time and was not in a hurry to return to the prefectural city, so he stayed at the Shu family in the county town at night.
Fu Chengyi had something on his mind. Mrs. Fu knew him well and asked with a smile, "Did everything go smoothly when you went to the Pei family today?"
Fu Chengyi said, "… Sister Jiao Niang and Brother Pei's family are so kind - hearted. They simply refused to take my silver."
He briefly said a few words and still looked a bit dejected.
Mrs. Fu guessed, "Could it be that you've taken a fancy to a young lady? You seem so distracted!"
Just as she was speaking, Shu Qingnian, the second young lady of the Shu family, came into the room.
She joked with a smile, "Uncle, do you have a crush on someone?"
Mrs. Fu was a dozen years older than Fu Chengyi, and her niece Shu Qingnian was only a few years younger than him. They had a good relationship and had always talked about everything since childhood.
Fu Chengyi let out a sigh and covered his face with both hands. "I like her. But someone like her would never like me."