The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 74 It means something

戌正 (8:00 PM).

Inside the post station.

The six women, including Lady Lü, began making preparations as soon as they received the letter.

She bathed and changed clothes early in the morning, and carefully drew her eyebrows and styled her sideburns.

She was complaining that she had gotten a tan recently.

Laughter could be heard from inside the house from time to time.
Even Lu Shi, who had been looking world-weary lately, changed her expression slightly after hearing from the Huang-surname leader that the military officer she served was the head of this checkpoint.

She frowned as she looked at the long knife scar on her right cheek reflected in the bronze mirror.

It took a thick layer of jasmine powder to barely cover the knife marks.

She then picked out a touch of light pink blush and gently patted it onto her cheeks.

Using your fingertips as a brush, carefully blend the blush, making the rouge on your cheeks look like the gentle morning dew.

Finally, she changed into the thin gauze that the officials had previously purchased in Yuzhou Prefecture, and inserted a plain hairpin in her hair.

He casually pushed open the door to that room.

inside the house.

The deputy centurion had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, and his brows furrowed with impatience.

He lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the person who had come in, scrutinizing them.

Inside the daytime security checkpoint, there were many soldiers.

Lady Lü was unable to recognize who the top leader was.

Now, we finally have the opportunity to get up close and personal with them.

Judging from the length of her arms and legs, this centurion was probably at most half a head taller than her.

He was very thin; he didn't look like someone who would be a soldier.

Thick lips, triangular eyes.

His gaze seemed to see right through her dress, giving her goosebumps.

Startled, Lady Lü lowered her head and dared not meet his gaze again.

The deputy centurion's lips curled up slightly.

He was very pleased with the woman's elaborate attire.

He chuckled, "Ha, the courage of a noblewoman is truly extraordinary! Observing so carefully, how does this official compare to your top scholar husband?"

Lady Lü lowered her head even further, trying to ingratiate herself, saying, "How can a mere scholar be compared to a fifth-rank commander?"

These flattering words pleased the other party greatly: "Haha! Then what are you still standing at the door for? Hurry up and come serve me!"

They couldn't even wait a quarter of an hour; they were incredibly impatient!
"Yes"

Lu's legs felt weak, and she walked shakily toward him.
He really is a beast in human form!
As Lady Lü was being tormented to the point of near death, she thought this.

afterwards.

The deputy commander was unwilling to let Lady Lü leave, and started chatting while playing with her fingers:
"You've been very good at serving me. Would you like to stay?"

"I am honored by your high regard, sir. I am unwilling to be separated from my husband and our two children."

"Tsk tsk, you'll regret it if you miss this opportunity! In this outpost, my word is law, and there are at least 60,000 to 70,000 border troops in the border town! Just think how desperately women are needed in the red tents there?"

Lady Lü lowered her head and remained silent, hoping that the road to exile would be longer.

As for the other party wanting her to stay...

Haha, what's the difference between a wolf's den and a tiger's lair?

Moreover, her children are the last bloodline of the direct line of the Zuo clan.

No matter how capable this deputy centurion was, it was impossible for him to keep her children.

How could she possibly stay here and be someone's plaything?
The other party was just saying it casually, and after she didn't respond, she naturally didn't bring it up again.

After a dozen or so breaths of silence, the deputy centurion asked again:
"There are over eighty women of similar age to you, so why are only six of you willing to take customers?"

Forcibly suppressing her anger, Madam Lü swallowed hard before saying, "That's because they weren't driven to the brink of despair!"

"A dead end? How far must one be driven to be considered a dead end?" "Being locked up in a prison where no one can hear your cries for help, without a man to protect you, what other choice do weak women have but to submit to another man? They are not pork beauties!"

"So what if she's a pork beauty?"

"Ha, she's honed her strength and knife skills by slaughtering pigs for ten years. In the past few months, not a single man has gotten away with anything from her."

"Everyone says that pork seller is a fool. How could a fool protect herself so well?"

"He wasn't very good before he was exiled, but now he goes crazy on a whim, and he'll just chop anyone he sees!"

Hearing the sarcastic tone in Lü's voice, the deputy commander immediately perked up, his triangular eyes gleaming:

"You mean she's pretending to be stupid?"

"We'll need a doctor to examine you before we can make a diagnosis."

"What does she like? Fine clothes and gourmet food, or gold and silver jewelry?"

"I didn't realize that, I only know that she treats her own child the best! Not long ago, someone kicked the child, and she almost killed the whole family."

"Little brats? Oh, they're all their mothers."

The deputy centurion seemed to have thought of something and could no longer lie still; he quickly got up and left.

Lu's eyes flickered in the candlelight, their expression a mixture of joy and sorrow, making it impossible to discern the truth.
Silent all night.

Zuo Wenkang and the others slept for no more than an hour that night.

They got busy as soon as it was light.

The military farmland of the Nanhe Prefecture Garrison was located in a village about 20 li away.

Last night, when the families saw the exquisite straw sandals the soldiers brought back, more than a hundred people wanted to learn the craft.

They also conducted an initial internal assessment, eliminating those who were clumsy.

Even so, 97 people still arrived at the Thousand Household Office early in the morning.

Just by looking at the clothes and appearance of the military households, you can tell that life was not easy for them!

The elderly woman in her fifties or sixties studied harder than anyone else to prove she wasn't just a freeloader.

Zuo Wenkang first explained the preparation work, such as the selection of cattails and the soaking time.

They also assigned a mentor to each of their four- or five-person apprentice groups.

The master does the work, he just gives the orders.

He calmly got to the point: "It's best to weave two layers for the soles to avoid chafing your feet. When weaving the uppers, choose the finest cattail stems."

Anyone with a basic understanding of knitting will find this very easy to learn.

The craftsmen slowed down their work pace and it took them two hours to finish.

Zuo Wenkang commented on each of the shoes made by the craftsmen.

Looking at the satisfied faces of the military families, he asked, "Would you like to sell these shoes for three or five taels of silver?"

The soldiers' families said, "Master, these shoes are just woven from cattail reeds, not threaded with gold!"

Zuo Wenkang shook his head: "This way is naturally not acceptable. Everyone says that scholars appreciate elegance, but do you know what they consider elegant?"

The military families had no idea about this and remained silent.

Zuo Chixia quickly offered his support for his master:

"Master, I know! Burning incense, tasting tea, listening to the rain, appreciating the snow, waiting for the moon, drinking wine, cultivating flowers, seeking secluded spots, playing the zither, and reciting poetry are the ten refined pursuits!"

"You're right! If you embroider any patterns on your shoes that are even remotely related to these refined pursuits, the value of your straw sandals will increase many times over. Everyone, look closely, I'll embroider a few orchids on the toe of the shoe for you to see."

These days, most bamboo craftsmen are men, so the old women don't find it strange that a group of masters are all young men.

They were absolutely thrilled with this young scholar who could even hold a needle!
If it weren't for the fact that the scholar was a prisoner, they would have loved to snatch him back and make him their son-in-law.

Let's take another look at the final embroidered product.

The military dependents stared in disbelief.

"My goodness, those few stitches are the finishing touch!"

"Why is it only scholars who like it? I want to embroider a pair of chubby babies on it; all the noble ladies of Nanhe Prefecture will love to wear it."

(End of this chapter)