Marry a Northern Song Dynasty civil servant

Chapter 7

Song Xiaohua looked up at him and said, "I'll pay you back in a bit."

"Shall we talk?"

"Okay, is it here?"

Lu Ziqi was both amused and exasperated by her fiery tone: "I didn't mean to argue with you."

Do I look like I'm about to start a fight with you?

"I admit I was wrong about what happened before, please forgive me."

His sudden apology left Song Xiaohua, who had just mustered all her strength, completely dissipated. She was stunned for a moment before replying lightly, "Actually, I was wrong too..."

"In that case, let's not blame each other anymore, and let's not be angry with each other anymore, okay?"

"good……"

"So, can we talk calmly now?"

"Can……"

Lu Ziqi smiled slightly with satisfaction, while Song Xiaohua was filled with regret. She had been so easily led by him step by step, completely losing the initiative.

So this guy is a smiling tiger who doesn't show his true colors! A cunning wolf who can trick people without batting an eye!

So, Song Xiaohua was living in a den of wolves and tigers! She was spending every day with tigers and wolves! ...

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The sun sets in the west, and the crescent moon rises. A breeze stirs, and the air grows cool.

Song Xiaohua's hair wasn't completely dry yet; it was just loosely tied with a strip of cloth. A few slightly yellowish strands of hair fell across her forehead and cheeks, making her face, which still had some water stains, appear somewhat fair.

Yellow-haired girl...

These four words flashed through Lu Ziqi's mind, and he couldn't help but smile slightly as he took off his white outer robe: "If you don't want Doctor Hu to prescribe another ten or fifteen days' worth of medicine for you tomorrow, then put this on quickly."

Song Xiaohua looked at him and took it from him. Health is the most important thing, and besides, after all that commotion, she did feel a bit cold.

When she put on the long gown, a small part of it dragged on the ground. At first, she happily imitated the way opera singers waved their sleeves a few times, then looked back at the white hem of the gown spread on the ground, and a strange sense of melancholy welled up in her heart.

I used to dream of walking down the red carpet in a long, white wedding dress, but now I've inexplicably become someone's wife. Forget about going to the church to the sound of the wedding march, I haven't even had the chance to experience the fun of riding in a sedan chair and lifting the veil. What a waste!

Seeing her smile and frown alternately, while he was completely baffled, Lu Ziqi felt a little discouraged and had a headache. He coughed lightly to bring her back to attention: "Because Huo Nan used to take care of the household, my salary is kept in the cabinet to the right of the bed in the west wing room. Here's the key; just go and get it if you need it. Of course, if you find it inconvenient, you can move it to wherever you think is more suitable. In short, you are in charge of all the household matters."

"ah?"

"Your dowry must not be used lightly again."

"ah……"

"From now on, never again say that you will pay the bills, and never again say anything foolish like divorcing your wife!"

Ah~

"The people here are simple and honest. They only want to repay me in their own way because they think I, the county magistrate, have done my duty. So it's not what you call... 'flattery'."

"ah!"

Song Xiaohua ended her bewilderment from being caught off guard with an exclamation: "Do you mean that from now on, your salary... all your money, will be under my control?"

"yes."

"So...from now on, what's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine?"

"……yes……"

"Okay! I agree to everything you said! I promise that from now on, even if someone kneels down and begs me to sell them something cheaply, I will never let them cut the price by even a single penny!"

"...That's...right..."

"This conversation has come to a successful conclusion!" Song Xiaohua, beaming with joy, bounced around and tossed her long sleeves in the air: "Congratulations!"

Lu Ziqi helplessly rubbed his temples. Had he married not only a 'shrewish wife', but also a 'money-grubbing wife'?

Chapter Nine: The Life of a Parasite Has Arrived

Song Xiaohua was in a great mood; she almost wanted to thank God.

The Song Dynasty was famous for its policy of "high salaries to encourage integrity." A government official in the Song Dynasty would have earned a salary that was no less than, if not higher than, that of a civil servant in 21st-century China. Moreover, as a local "head," even if he was an honest official, he could still live a very comfortable life.

Although he had a little "burden" with him, the "burden" was quite adorable. Aunt Zhang said that Lu Ziqi never mentioned his family, presumably because they were all gone. Therefore, this family consisted only of the father and son, without any other unnecessary relatives or extended family members… Including Song Xiaohua, it was a standard, typical, perfect "family of three"!

Now, she holds the reins of finances and controls the economic lifeline. She no longer has to work overtime every day from nine to five, often to the point of exhaustion. What kind of person can enjoy such a life? A freeloader! The freeloader life she had longed for has finally arrived!

Lu Ziqi cooked dinner again, because he wanted to stay as far away as possible from the dog that was being fought over by the two 'naughty kids'...

The simple congee and side dishes were a delightful and satisfying meal for Song Xiaohua. Every bite was made with pure, natural, and organic food—something that money couldn't buy back back then!

After the meal, Song Xiaohua and Lu Ling fed the dog rice porridge, while Lu Ziqi, who originally wanted to go to the study, was asked to prepare a comfortable little bed for the dog.

Reluctantly accepting the order, he wandered around the house, found a slightly worn bamboo basket, cut an opening in one side for the still-young puppy to crawl in and out, and then used a small quilt that Lu Ling used to use as a liner.

After watching it, Song Xiaohua nodded repeatedly. As someone who is both a father and a mother, her cooking skills are good and she is very meticulous. She has quite the air of being able to "be elegant in the living room and enter the kitchen".

The dog seemed quite pleased with its new bed. As soon as it was put down, it eagerly stumbled and wobbled towards it. Its four short legs pawed around for a while before finally diving headfirst into the bed. Its adorable and endearing appearance made Song Xiaohua and Lu Ling burst into laughter, and even Lu Ziqi, who was standing far away, couldn't help but smile.

"It's getting dark, it's time for Wuque to go to sleep!"

Song Xiaohua picked up the dog and its kennel and headed towards her room. Lu Ziqi was taken aback when he saw this: "Yaoyao, you're not going to put it at your place, are you?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

How can a person sleep in the same room as a dog?

"Why not? If I wasn't afraid of crushing it, I would have liked to let it sleep on the bed! It's cold at night, and it's so small. It would be terrible if it got sick from the cold. And you don't have any pet doctors here..."

“There are veterinarians, but they mostly treat livestock… No, I mean…” Lu Ziqi shook his head, trying to clear his jumbled thoughts: “You could put it in the front hall… oh no, it’s better to put it in the kitchen.”

"No! It will be scared!" Song Xiaohua hugged the basket in her arms tightly, took a step back, and glared at him warily.

Lu Ziqi could only smile wryly under her gaze, which looked at him like he was a 'big bad wolf,' but he still didn't give up trying to persuade her: "But... your own body isn't fully recovered yet. What if you tire yourself out while taking care of it..."

Song Xiaohua tilted her head and thought about it. She felt that what he said made sense. However, she was not afraid that she would get tired, but rather that she would sleep too soundly and not be able to take care of everything.

She had always wanted to own a dog, so she had read a lot of information about dogs. As far as she knew, puppies that are only a month old and have just been weaned are very vulnerable and require constant attention, especially at night when she had to get up to feed them. Therefore…

"Alright then, I won't leave it here." The next sentence immediately made Lu Ziqi's breath catch in his throat: "Just leave it in your room for now, please!"

Amidst Lu Ling's cheers, Song Xiaohua took a few steps forward, intending to hand the dog to Lu Ziqi, but saw his expression change. He took a large step back before barely managing to stand still: "Huh? What are you doing? Don't you like it? Or... you..."

Song Xiaohua rolled her eyes, grinning mischievously as she pressed closer: "No way? You're a grown man over 1.8 meters tall, while Wuque is only a tiny little thing, and you actually..."

"I just..." Lu Ziqi struggled to keep from turning and running away. In order to maintain his fearless image in front of his son, he could only interrupt Song Xiaohua and do his best to show off: "I just don't really like dogs."

Under Lu Lingru's miserable gaze as if she had just heard the bad news, and amidst Song Xiaohua's malicious chuckles, Lu Ziqi closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and slowly reached out as if accepting a thousand-pound burden, his hand trembling slightly as he took the 'hot potato'. Then, he held out his arms, staring wide-eyed at Song Wuque in the basket from a distance of a full foot.

Right, it's still so small, it won't bark or bite, what's there to be afraid of? Besides, it's fluffy and looks quite docile and clever, very cute...

But why is his scalp still tingling? Why are his body hairs standing on end?

Is it really true that innate fears are so hard to overcome? Lu Ziqi, who fears nothing in his life, only has this one weakness, which no one else knows except for Huo Nan. How could it have been exposed to that girl in just half a day, and even that she agreed to such a terrible request? Could she really be his nemesis...?

"Hey, be careful, don't let Wuque fall!" Song Xiaohua added fuel to the fire: "Let me tell you, you have to keep a close eye on him at night. If anything seems wrong, get up and check on him immediately. He might be cold, hungry, need to pee, or his nose might be blocked by a thread or cotton, causing breathing difficulties, etc. Also, you have to feed him rice porridge at least twice a night. It's not winter now, so it should be fine if he eats it cold. Of course, it would be best if you could warm it up for him! As for other things... I won't say much. You're a father yourself, so you definitely know how to take care of a baby. Just treat Wuque like Ling'er was back in the day, simple, right?"

Lu Ziqi no longer had the strength to even force a bitter smile. He had never taken care of Ling'er even once back then. It seemed that from the moment he realized he had a son, Ling'er was already able to stand in front of him and clearly call him "Daddy".

Could this be a deliberate act by fate, making him experience the time he missed? ...How could such an absurd and foolish thought even arise? Does he really think of comparing Ling'er to a dog? ...

After teasing him, Song Xiaohua started to worry. He seemed genuinely afraid of dogs. What if he wouldn't dare touch them at all, or perhaps she'd just throw him out in the middle of the night...?

"If you're pushing yourself too hard, you should leave it to me!"

"No! Father won't force me, right?" Lu Ling looked up at his father, who was the bravest, tallest, and most omnipotent man in his eyes, with pleading eyes: "Father will definitely like Wuque, right?"

Lu Ziqi's arms were a little sore, and he unconsciously pulled them back a bit. The dog noticed the shaking and swayed uncomfortably, trying to stand up, licking its wet little nose. Actually, this palm-sized little thing wasn't really that scary... The best way to overcome fear is to face it, so, okay!