Lou Xiaoyi was even more embarrassed. He had already deceived his mother with the first question. He could not deceive her with the second question. How many more questions could his mother ask?
"Yes, yes, someone else's …"
Lou Yaoshi was stunned. Her son's answer was far beyond her expectations. Her countless choices were all unreliable! That's right. That Second Sister Li was someone else's!
She had countless things she wanted to say, countless reasons she wanted to preach, and countless negative examples she could point out. However, after much thought, she could only come up with one sentence.
"I see! Our family's Little Yi is truly different from others!
Alright, since you like her, let's take her! "
His mother did not speak again. Lou Xiaoyi did not speak again. In tacit agreement, he slowly pushed his mother back to the farmstead. A few of her personal maidservants surrounded her, wanting to carry her to the bed. This was a scene that happened almost every day. As the wheelchair turned, the old woman fell into a deep sleep amidst the fragrance of the soil.
Lou Xiaoyi stopped them. "You've prepared for so long. Let's begin …"
According to the night system, when one's parents died, one had to observe the system for a year. It was not forced. In reality, the higher one's status, the more they had to abide by this ancient law. The commoners did not need to.
Lou Xiaoyi built a straw hut in front of his mother's grave. In fact, it was also in front of Aunt Cai's grave. They were buried together. He did not have to use this method to show his filial piety. Filial piety was something he had done in front of his mother. There was no need to do it after her death.
The reason why he still did it was because he did not have anything important to do. Firstly, it was to observe the system. Secondly, it was for Aunt Cai. Thirdly, he still needed to stay here for a year to properly arrange the servants in Lou Province. This was his mother's wish. He did not want to disappoint her.
In addition, he wanted to think about his future here!
He did not have much time! He did not have much to squander.
There were not many who came to offer condolences, because Lou Xiaoyi did not make a big deal out of it. Only some of the closest servants in the farm were grateful for the old madame's kindness and spontaneously held a low-key and not extravagant funeral. They believed that if the mother knew in the underworld, she would have preferred such a method, and not a group of disloyal people who said beautiful words!
The most important part of Lou Province's assets, as well as the most difficult part to deal with, was the Lou Province itself. It was difficult to find a suitable person to take over this piece of land in the city's wealthy district. The person had to have economic strength, social status, and not care about the decline of Lou Province …
The nouveau riche didn't want to receive them, the corrupt officials didn't welcome them, and the smelly merchants took a detour. With all these factors, the only result was that no one cared about them!
Ping An found him and proposed a new idea. Don't sell Lou Province!
Instead, it was transformed into a private garden in the city. No one would live in it, and it would only receive a small number of private visitors. This was something he had learned in the county. He did not want the manor that he had served for decades to fall into the hands of the common people. Some of the expenses came from his own farm.
"It will be very difficult to do this! It's not a matter of one generation, but several generations. Even if it's just a slow renovation, the investment will be huge. It's not something that your two farms can support! "
Ping An insisted. "If there's a surplus, I'll move a mountain rock. If there's a good harvest, I'll dig a pond. Year after year, when I die, my son will do it, and when my son dies, my grandson will do it. There will be a day when it's done!"
Lou Xiaoyi was silent. In theory, this was the best way. He was not short of money, so it would be best if he could keep the Lou Mansion as a memento. However, doing so would put Ping An under great pressure. It was not financial, but after he left, there would be endless covetous eyes from the city's upper class.
"I have to give it a try. I think that within a few years, with the old madame's grace and the power of Uncle Zhaoye City, nothing will happen. After that, I can only rely on myself! I want to give it a try! "
Lou Xiaoyi laughed. He was thinking too much. A mansion could not be brought with him when he was born, could not be taken with him when he died. Even if it was not there, what could it mean if it was burned down?
In the worst case scenario, Ping An would sell the mansion and fill his own pockets. However, since he did not care about the money, why would he think so much?
He believed in the feelings of the old people in Lou Province for Lou Province. As for how far they could go, how long they could last, and how long they could last, he might not even be alive in this world. What did it have to do with him?
So, he took out a pouch. With a wave of his hand, dozens of ingots of gold appeared in front of Ping An. He was shocked. Although he had followed the young master for many years and knew about the young master's miraculous abilities, this was the first time he saw it in action!
After teaching Ping An how to use it, Lou Xiaoyi said,
"Since you want to do it, I'll support you! This gold is my investment! However, you must remember that this gold is not for you to use to renovate Lou Province. After I leave, you will reveal your wealth and seek death. No one can save you! "
Ping An's personality belonged to the type that was reserved and scheming. He was a bit tenacious.
"Young master, Ping An understands! I'll just treat it as if I don't have this gold! I'll earn the funds for the construction of the private gardens based on my own ability. The more I earn, the more I repair. The less I earn, the less I repair. I'm like this, and so are my children and grandchildren! "
Lou Xiaoyi patted his shoulder. "Ping An, you must understand that you can't rely on your dreams to persist in life. Even if you can do it, you have no reason to ask your children and grandchildren to do the same. They have never done it in Lou Province, so why should they devote their lives to it?
If you think this way and ask this way, in three generations, Lou Province will definitely be sold out by your children and grandchildren! "
Ping An's face turned red, but he did not know how to refute. He knew very well that the young master was not wrong.
Lou Xiaoyi laughed. "Just treat it as a business! A business that your children and grandchildren must not give up! A business that all the ancestors of the past generations have invested in!
Not only do we need to be able to earn money, we need to be able to maintain contact with the upper echelons of society and obtain protection. We need to make your descendants feel that keeping the Lou Residence will be profitable. This is the long-term plan! "
Ping An was deep in thought. Lou Xiaoyi pointed at the storage bag. "These things are just in case. Every time there's a natural disaster or man-made disaster and there's no way to deal with it, you can open this bag and use it carefully. When there's a surplus, you can make up for it. This way, it can last for a hundred years.
After a hundred years, it'll all become dung. The dynasty might not even exist, let alone a mere Lou Province! "
A year later, when the time limit was up, he did not inform anyone. He tore down the straw hut and left. From then on, everything in Pu City had come to an end. He had nothing to do with it anymore!
More than seven years had passed since the ten-year promise that the Foundation Establishment Daoist from Zhaoye City mentioned. It was less than eight years away. If he took into account the distance of Liang Country and the difficulty of the journey, he would have to put in another year's time. In other words, he only had a little more than a year's time. If he counted carefully, it would be fifteen months!
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