I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 34 A bargain is a bargain!

Lu Yunqing could see her hesitation and smiled, "No need for formalities, it's to atone for your sins. If I were wearing my official robes today, it would be a great disrespect for you not to bow."

Seeing that they were all looking at her, Dongfang Jin walked over and curtsied to the county magistrate.

She learned these etiquette rules from the TV series "Empresses in the Palace," and she doesn't know if they're correct or not, but that's how it is anyway.

Gu Jingye and Gu Caiwei stared blankly at everything. The county magistrate! A high-ranking official! Should they kneel down?

When the group arrived at the private room, none of them dared to sit down when they saw the county magistrate and his entourage also entering. Instead, they all stood obediently to the side.

Lu Yunqing looked at them, without any awkwardness of being uninvited, and smiled, "Sit down, please sit down." Then she looked at Gu Chenglin and asked, "Under whose command do you serve in the army?"

Gu Chenglin bowed and said, "In reply to your question, sir, when I was in the army, I served under the command of the Divine Martial General."

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhiyuan realized that he was one of Helian Yanzhi's men. Before Lu Yunqing could speak, he said, "You are injured. Sit down and talk."

"Dean Xie Yan."

Yan Zhiyuan looked at Dongfang Jin, who was pouring water for the child, and asked, "What is this...?"

As soon as Gu Chenglin sat down, he saw him looking at Dongfang Jin and the children, so he immediately stood up, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This is my newlywed wife, and these two are my children."

Lu Yunqing looked at Dongfang Jin, her eyes flashing with an unknown light: "She's not very old."

Gu Chenglin bowed and said, "Yes, Xiao Jin just turned fifteen this year, just reached the age of marriage. These two children were born to me and my ex-wife."

Ma Wencai and the others then came to their senses. They said that something was strange there, and realized that they had been quite blind.

But why did Sister Jin marry a man who had been married before? Everyone looked at the family of four with curiosity.

Dongfang Jin felt a little uncomfortable under their gazes, and her palms became slightly sweaty. She steadied herself and smiled, "This matter is a bit complicated; we'll talk about it later. Magistrate, did you specifically seek me out?"

Judging from this, it seems she plans to have dinner with them.

When Gu Chenglin heard her say that, he was about to kneel down to apologize. But as soon as he bent his knees, Master Xu quickly pulled him up again.

Lu Yunqing looked at Gu Chenglin and said in a deep voice, "I have already said that I am wearing casual clothes today and there is no need for formalities."

"Be natural, the children are all here. Your actions might frighten them."

Gu Chenglin bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "Yes, this humble subject knows that my wife and child have never left the village and are unfamiliar with the customs. Please forgive them."

Seeing his expression, Yan Zhiyuan broke the awkward atmosphere: "Hehe, you're too reserved. Relax. Your antics are making me tense too."

"Hehe, sit down, everyone. Let's not stand on ceremony today, just be like ordinary friends, be natural."

After saying that, he looked at Dongfang Jin and asked, "You can read?"

Dongfang Jin nodded slightly. She had made Gu Chenglin feel uneasy, as he kept getting up and kneeling.

This wretched ancient era! So many ridiculous rituals! Always kneeling like that, don't your knees hurt?

"Who is your teacher?" Yan Zhiyuan asked with a look of curiosity.

Dongfang Jin looked at the old man opposite her. He had a head of white hair, was in good spirits, and had a kind smile on his face that seemed to possess some kind of irresistible power.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have no master. The person who taught me to read said he was a wandering monk who had lived in Fangjia Village for a period of time."

I was not favored in the Fang family at that time. One night I was very hungry, so I went out from the backyard to find something to eat, and that's when I met him..."

Dongfang Jin could only come up with this reason because she did find such a scene in Fang Jin's memory.

That person was dressed like Tang Sanzang, and he used to live in that dilapidated house next to the Fang family's backyard.

An old man lived in that house in the early days, and he died the year after the Fang family brought her back to Fangjia Village.

That old monk lived in Fangjia Village for a long time; you can find out by simply asking around in Fangjia Village.

Master Xu exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be Abbot Fakong of Lingguang Temple? He does travel among the common people all year round."

Dongfang Jin shook his head: "I don't know about that, because I usually go out at night. I only remember that his beard was all white, and I've never actually seen what he looked like before."

As she spoke, Dongfang Jin gestured to the location of the Zhongwan point.

Seeing the determination in her eyes and the lack of hesitation, Lu Yunqing glanced at Senior Brother Yan and said, "It seems to be Master Fakong. It's just a pity that he passed away at Lingguang Temple five years ago."

Yan Zhiyuan looked at Dongfang Jin with his deep eyes. If Abbot Fakong were to teach her to read, it sounded a bit far-fetched to him, but there's always a chance.

But if you don't believe it, how do you explain her current talent? Is it really because she severed ties with the Fang family and stopped hiding herself?

You should know that as soon as they left yesterday, Lu Yunqing's subordinates went to Fangjia Village to gather information.

The information I found matched her description pretty much perfectly, but I never expected to encounter Abbot Fakong as an unexpected figure.

You can't be serious, can you? What were those Four Symbols she was talking about with those kids? Astronomy, isn't that exactly Abbot Fakong's forte?

You should know that Abbot Fakong is unmatched in the field of astronomy on this continent.

Even the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, who is currently serving the emperor, is his student, but he has only been studying under him for less than three years.

While everyone remained silent, the food was served one after another, and no one talked about much else.

The custom of not speaking while eating was truly embodied to the fullest extent by these ancient people.

No one said a word. Eating in such a depressing atmosphere was really oppressive and could easily lead to indigestion.

As soon as the magistrate placed his chopsticks on the bone dish on the table, everyone put down their chopsticks in perfect unison, as if they were being called out in numbers.

Dongfang Jin and her two children stared blankly at them, chopsticks in hand. She wasn't full yet.

There are so many rules, it's utterly ridiculous!

The "gu" in "antique" refers to the ancient people, and the "ren" in "ancient people" refers to the ancients.

The ancients were right; a bargain is a bargain! Even if a meat bun falls on your head, there's always a reason.

There must be a reason why people wear thermal underwear over cotton pants...

Sigh... I slowly put down my chopsticks. This meal...

At this moment, Master Xu handed Dongfang Jin a booklet and asked her to translate all the words in it. He told her that she could send it to the county government office to collect the reward as soon as she finished translating it.

After speaking, before Dongfang Jin could react, Lu Yunqing, Yan Zhiyuan, Master Xu, and A Dong left the private room.

How about that? Serves you right for being so cocky, showing off like Sun Wukong everywhere. Now you've been imprisoned under the Five Finger Mountain!

After they left, Ma Wencai and the other four slumped into their chairs, completely losing their composure.

"It's so oppressive, even swallowing is difficult," Ma Wencai said weakly.

Fang Shiyu sat up a little more straight: "This is enough for me to brag about for the rest of my life."

Xie Wenke rubbed his face: "My ancestors must have been blessed with good fortune, I actually got to eat at the same table as this county magistrate."

Others might not know, but he did. This county magistrate, Lu Yunqing, had a very powerful backer.

His family chose the wrong side back then. All the other members of the Lu family were convicted, but their branch of the family survived.

The emperor still retained the title of their residence, and this person was the youngest disciple of the current imperial tutor.