The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

Lu Jing glanced at the mess in the room. The main problem was that the small, broken bed had also been taken apart, making it impossible to sleep there tonight.

So, he had no choice but to take Amu into the city and find an inn, paying twenty copper coins for a temporary stay.

Early the next morning, Lu Jing didn't bother going back to his place. He first went to the market and bought some bowls, dishes, furniture, and a new broom, having them delivered to his house. Afterwards, he went directly to the charcoal kiln.

He left Amu to play by himself in the nearby fields, while he continued to chop wood, taking the opportunity to grind experience with the Mad Demon's 108 Staff Strikes.

As he was chopping, he saw Steward Ma, who had been supervising the kiln workers carrying charcoal, suddenly dash out of the kiln yard.

In the distance, two figures appeared on a small earthen hill.

Lu Jing recognized the person in front as the old shopkeeper from the charcoal shop in the city. He was leading a donkey, which was pulling a cart with a woman sitting on it.

The woman wore a black veil, her hair tied up with hemp rope, and she was dressed in coarse hemp clothing made of several pieces of fabric pieced together. It looked rather loose, but in some places, it was still stretched taut.

Lu Jing was no longer the illiterate he had been nine months ago and knew that this type of attire was called 'Zhan Cui,' generally worn by ministers for their rulers, sons for their fathers, and wives for their husbands during mourning.

"It's Shopkeeper Gu and Shopkeeper Wang!" someone whispered.

Then another person sighed, "Shopkeeper Gu isn't having an easy time either. Her husband died not long ago, and she's probably still grieving, but she has to take over the family business and show her face in public."

"Shopkeeper Gu has a good heart, but business isn't something you can do well with just a good heart. The charcoal kiln almost had an accident some time ago, and I heard that the charcoal shop is also encountering some trouble… If things continue like this, I don't think she can hold on for much longer. She still needs to find a man quickly."

"What, you little rascal, do you have ideas?"

"If Shopkeeper Gu could take a fancy to me, I'd be willing to be an adopted son-in-law!" the young kiln worker said without hesitation.

His words immediately drew jeers from his companions, "Stop daydreaming. The person she'll look for will definitely be a young master from a well-matched family. There are countless men in Wujiang City who want to marry Shopkeeper Gu, it's not your turn, you poor, ugly fool."

"That's not necessarily true," the man retorted, his neck reddening as he argued, "You don't understand anything. Shopkeeper Gu is now a young widow guarding a large fortune. If she marries into a wealthy family, the husband's family will definitely swallow up her wealth. It's better to find a man to be an adopted son-in-law."

However, in the end, he became discouraged, clearly aware that even if Shopkeeper Gu were to choose an adopted son-in-law, she would probably pick from those down-on-their-luck scholars. As an illiterate kiln worker, even if he was willing to be an adopted son-in-law, Shopkeeper Gu wouldn't look at him.

While everyone was discussing, they saw Ma Zhongbao on the other side already greeting Shopkeeper Wang and Shopkeeper Gu. After speaking for a short while on the hillside, Shopkeeper Gu got off the donkey cart, and then the three of them led the donkey towards them.

As soon as they reached the charcoal kiln, Steward Ma began to shout, "Put down your work, everyone! Shopkeeper Gu has brought mutton-filled buns for everyone, two per person! Eat your fill and then continue working!"

Her slender hands were even whiter than the buns she held.

After handing out a bun to each person, she would say, "Thank you for your hard work. I will continue to rely on you at the charcoal kiln in the future."

Lu Jing was also in the line, and it was almost his turn.

Suddenly, a sound of hooves came from not far away, followed by a group of people riding over in a flurry.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the charcoal kiln, but their speed didn't decrease. Lu Jing originally thought they were just passing by, but he didn't expect the young man in the lead, dressed in brocade clothes, with a folding fan at his waist and small cowhide boots on his feet, to jerk the reins, causing the steed beneath him to make a sharp turn and charge towards the donkey cart.

The kiln workers who had just received their buns were so frightened that they threw down their food and huddled on the ground, afraid to move.

Just as he was about to crash into the donkey cart, the young man tightened the reins again. The steed neighed, raised its front hooves, and stopped abruptly at the last moment.

The young man laughed and said triumphantly, "Caiwei, do you think my horsemanship is impressive?"

Shopkeeper Gu glanced at him coldly but didn't answer. Instead, she went to help up a kiln worker who had been paralyzed with fear on the ground.

At this time, the group of knights behind the young man also arrived, all dressed in tight-fitting clothes and carrying swords, looking valiant and vigorous.

The young man continued, "Caiwei, you don't need to be afraid. I heard that you've encountered some trouble here at the charcoal kiln, that some unruly commoners are taking advantage of you being a widow. That's why I specially brought people to support you. Today, we'll have a good cleanup and see who's been slacking off."

"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Song, but I wouldn't dare trouble others with my family's affairs," Gu Caiwei said, seeing the fear in the eyes of many kiln workers.

"Hey, I'm not an outsider," the young man said, jumping down from his horse with a smile. "You know my feelings, Caiwei. I've already prepared the betrothal gifts, but my father is very old-fashioned and dislikes that you've been married before. I can't openly contradict him, so I can only wrong you by making you a concubine for now. But don't worry, this is just a temporary measure. In a year at most, I'll immediately make you my wife."

Behind the veil, a rare flash of anger flickered in her autumn-like eyes. However, looking at the eight knights behind the young man, the anger in Gu Caiwei's eyes eventually turned into helplessness. In the end, she could only say:

"Young Master Song, please… please give me some more time. It hasn't even been three months since my late husband passed away. I'm still in mourning and can't remarry immediately. What would people think of me?"