"Alright! It's settled then!" Zuo Siming agreed immediately. Such a prodigy was rare, and he didn't want to miss out.
"There are also five older children. After school tonight, I will have them come to see the tutor," Lu Ye said gently.
"Good, good, good!" Zuo Siming's face flushed with excitement.
Seeing her grandfather's silly demeanor, Jiu Ji giggled.
That evening, when the Lu family's five children returned from school, they were overjoyed to learn they would be studying at home, jumping and dancing with delight.
Their eldest nephew, Xiao Ye Ye, was so intelligent that soon he would be their tutor, surely more capable than those old scholars.
When the five children met Tutor Zuo, they were all enthusiastic and respectful, making Tutor Zuo laugh heartily.
In the evening, when Lu Hua and others returned from work, Bai Sheng also introduced Tutor Zuo and Jiu Ji to them.
Upon seeing Lu Hua, Zuo Siming was so shocked that the teacup almost slipped from his hand. "This little girl, she… she is…"
Seeing Zuo Siming's surprised expression, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged confused glances.
If anyone most resembled his mother-in-law, Bai Li Ran Ran, it was Lu Ye. Second were Lu Yun and Lu Yu. Lu Hua only carried a hint of her mother-in-law's traits, and not much of her father-in-law, Lu Da Jiang.
Zuo Siming would surely recognize Bai Li Ran Ran. If he were to be shocked, shouldn't it be upon seeing Lu Ye, not Lu Hua? Why was his reaction to Lu Hua even greater than to Lu Ye?
Bai Sheng smiled and said, "She is Lu Hua, my husband's sister."
"Lu… Hua?" Zuo Siming's voice trembled slightly. "Young Master Lu, please forgive this old man's presumption, but may I ask your parents' surnames and their origins?"
Lu Ye and Bai Sheng exchanged a glance, and Lu Ye replied gently, "My father is from Tian Shui Town in Ta Sha Prefecture, his surname is Lu, and his given name is Da Jiang. My mother was a slave wife assigned by the prefecture."
Lu Ye did not intend to reveal everything upon their first meeting. Although Marquis Zuo was a loyal minister of integrity, people could change. Moreover, after more than twenty years, no one could guarantee that the Zuo family remained the same as before.
It was only through genuine interaction that one could know if another person was trustworthy.
"Oh, I see," Zuo Siming's eyes flashed with deep disappointment. Perhaps he had been overthinking. After all, his fourth brother had been missing for so many years, and Young Master Lu's biological father was from Tian Shui Town in Ta Sha Prefecture, a man with a name and surname, very definitive.
The school east of the lotus pond still needed a few days to be tidied up. The next day, Zuo Siming took Zuo Jiu Ji back to their home on the outskirts of the city.
As the grandfather and grandson were returning, Bai Sheng had Lu Tong drive them in the carriage.
It was evident that the Zuo family was not well-off, even living in somewhat difficult circumstances.
Bai Sheng took a bag of rice, a bag of flour, several chickens, a few rabbits, and a basket of fruit from her spatial dimension as gifts.
The Zuo family's small manor was located at the foot of Xishan Mountain on the outskirts of the city, about an hour's carriage ride from Yu Hua Alley.
The manor was not large, with three to four mu of farmland and a small two-courtyard residence.
The residence was somewhat dilapidated, appearing to have been damaged by fire, with distinct large black marks on the back wall.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the courtyard. As soon as Zuo Siming lifted Jiu Ji down from the carriage, Jiu Ji, with his short legs, ran swiftly into the courtyard. "Parents, Great-Grandfather, Great-Grandmother, Grandpa and I are back!"
Zuo Siming invited Lu Tong to sit in their home. Lu Tong smiled and said it was not necessary, as he would be back to pick them up in three days, and there would be plenty of time later.
Zuo Siming did not insist further. Lu Tong unloaded the items from the carriage, placed them by the main gate, and then drove the carriage away.
"Da Ming is back?" An old woman in gray clothes with graying hair came out from the courtyard, followed by a woman in plain hemp clothing.
"Mother, Madam!" Zuo Siming waved to them with a smile.
"Grandpa! You're back!" a girl of about eleven or twelve years old rushed out.
"Zhi'er, is your father home? Have him come to move these things!" Zuo Siming pointed at the pile of items.
Zuo Zhi smiled and said, "Father and my uncles went into the mountains with Great-Uncle to hunt. Grandpa, I'll help you move them. I'm very strong!"
The woman in hemp clothing glanced at Zuo Siming and said with a playful chide, "You too, why did you buy so many things? Isn't this just wasting money? Father doesn't even have money for medicine."
The old Mrs. Zuo also narrowed her eyes and instructed, "Da Ming, today is not like the past. Our family must spend money frugally."
Zuo Siming laughed heartily, "Mother, Madam, our family has money now! Look, what is this?"
He took out the silver note for five hundred taels and dangled it in front of his mother and wife.
Wang Shi took the silver note and exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! Five hundred taels! Husband, where did you get so much money?"
"Five hundred taels?" Old Mrs. Zuo's mouth widened in shock. Their family hadn't heard such a large sum of money in a long time.
Zuo Siming smiled proudly, "Mother, Madam, don't worry. Let's get these things home first, and I'll tell you slowly once we're inside."
After several trips, they managed to move everything into the house.
Zuo Zhi ate a piece of pastry Jiu Ji gave her and then went out to dig for wild vegetables.
In the hall, an old man with completely white hair and beard lay on a bamboo chair. Jiu Ji stood beside him, chattering about his experiences of the past two days, and even broke off pieces of the hidden pastries to feed the old man.
"Father! You can rest assured to seek treatment from now on. We have money, and your son will buy you the best medicine!" Zuo Siming called out to the old man, his voice filled with emotion.
The old man turned his gaze to him and smiled weakly.
Once everyone was seated, Wang Shi urged, "Husband, hurry and tell us. All this rice, flour, chicken, rabbit, preserved meat, and five hundred taels of silver – did you do something bad?"
Old Madam Zuo also looked worried, "Da Mingzi, our family has been a bit poor these years, but we cannot do anything against our conscience. Quickly tell us, what is going on?"
Before Zuo Siming could answer, Jiu Ji frowned, "Grandma, Great-Grandmother, where are you getting these ideas? This is the reward given by that beautiful sister named Bai who invited my grandpa to be a tutor at her home.
The beautiful sister also said that in the future, I and my older brothers and sisters can go to her family's private school to study, with room and board included. Their food is delicious; there's a lot of meat every meal."
"Oh? Is there such good fortune? But five hundred taels a year for being a tutor, that's… too much, isn't it?" Wang Shi was quite uneasy, feeling that her husband wasn't worth five hundred taels.
Zuo Siming then explained the specific details of being invited to be a tutor by that family to his parents and wife.
Wang Shi looked surprised, "You mean that family bought the old residence of the Bai Li family in Yu Hua Alley?"
"That's right," Zuo Siming nodded.
"Is the child from that family a prodigy? Is he as smart as my Jiu Ji?" Old Madam Zuo looked at her clever great-grandson with pride.
Jiu Ji, who was massaging his great-grandfather's legs, immediately replied, "Great-Grandmother, little brother Ye is much more amazing than me. He's not even two years old yet, but he taught himself to read and can now study! Moreover, little brother Ye and his older sisters and brothers are all exceptionally good-looking, just like the little children in the New Year pictures we hang at home."