Chapter 78 Are you also imitating me, a woman?
The middle-aged man in the darkness smiled and said, "Xiao Mei'er was scared. It's your uncle's fault. But it's not good for you to come back so late at night without a guard tonight."
"Mei'er was just walking on the street with two of her best friends." Pang Mei'er bowed and said slowly, "One of them is the daughter of the Yang family. She has great martial arts inherited from her family. She is more than capable of protecting Mei'er. She will not be in danger."
"My second uncle has also heard of these two, Master Lu's wives and concubines." The middle-aged man was calm and composed, his face looking a little eerie in the dark. "If they were still unmarried, it would be fine for Xiao Mei to play with them, but these two women are already his wives. If you have too much contact with them, it will not be good for your reputation. The Pang family may not care much about this matter, but as your elder, my second uncle still needs to remind you of these things."
Pang Meir frowned, looking a little unhappy.
At my grandmother's house, she just didn't like her second uncle, who always liked to preach in front of her.
Do you really think she doesn't understand these things?
But the other party was an elder anyway, so Pang Meier had to bow her head and said in a gentle tone: "Thank you for your reminder, Second Uncle. Meier will listen carefully and keep this in mind."
The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction and chuckled twice: "It's good that Mei'er is willing to listen. By the way, Mei'er, come with me to visit Master Lu tomorrow. First, thank him for taking care of you during this period of time. Second, I want to meet him and discuss something with him."
Hearing this, Pang Meier was stunned, and then she said with embarrassment: "Second Uncle, it's fine if I go to see Jinhua and Bilian alone. But I am not qualified to take you to see Master Lu."
It's not Pang Meir's fault. It's normal for women of similar family background and status to visit each other, usually through the side door. But this doesn't mean they have the qualifications to bring outsiders to meet the head of other families at will.
Not to mention that Lu Sen is now a famous person with the title of "real person" and his reputation is well-known all over the world. If ordinary people want to see him, they must first consider whether they have the same reputation and status if they are not acquaintances.
His status as a fifth-rank civil servant alone was enough to block a large number of people who wanted to see him.
People see officials?
It’s not that easy!
"It's okay. Second uncle is not looking for trouble with him. He just wants to talk to him about your matter."
"My business?" Pang Meier felt something was wrong the more she listened: "Second uncle, what does my business have to do with Master Lu?"
"Mei'er, you have been traveling with Master Lu all the way, and you have stayed at his place for the past two days. Now the famous hermits in Hangzhou City have begun to gossip about your Pang family." The middle-aged man sighed pretentiously, and then said, "I hope Master Lu can show up at our poetry meeting in the next two days, and explain your situation to others."
Hearing this, Pang Mei'er was furious and she cried out in a tender voice, "Uncle, outsiders are spreading rumors about Mei'er, and not only do you not stop them, you are also joining them in bullying irrelevant people. Is this what an elder should do?"
The middle-aged man was stunned. Pang Meir often lived here and got along very closely with her old mother. She always behaved properly and generously. This was the first time she got angry in front of her elders.
After being stunned for a few breaths, the middle-aged man immediately frowned and said, "Mei'er, don't be ungrateful. What do you mean by bullying someone who has nothing to do with you? Second uncle is doing this for your own good. You are a woman waiting to be married, and the granddaughter of Master Pang. You have a glorious family background. The more so, the more you should be proud of your status and do things uprightly! There are rumors about you and Master Lu in Hangzhou now. If you don't clarify it, how can you marry a good match in the future? Master Pang is a high-ranking official. If he is implicated by this matter and his reputation is insulted, what will you do?"
Pang Mei'er trembled all over after hearing this: "Uncle, it was Grandpa who agreed to come to Hangzhou with Master Lu's family to visit Grandma. As an important official of the court, he doesn't worry about these things, so Uncle doesn't need to interfere."
These words were already very harsh, and Pang Meir almost cursed: It’s none of your business.
"you!"
The middle-aged man pointed at Pang Meir for a while, snorted, and turned away.
Pang Meir calmed down, opened the door, and went back to sleep.
She quickly put the matter behind her, but when she woke up the next day and went to the main hall for breakfast, she saw her grandmother's family sitting in the hall, more than 20 people, divided into three tables, talking in low voices. When they saw her coming, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.
Based on her instinctive intuition, Pang Meir felt that something seemed wrong.
But she still walked over gracefully, bowed and greeted her grandparents first, and then asked about the other elders one by one.
And then say a few words to yourself.
This process alone will take almost half an incense stick of time.
There's no way around it, there are so many people in the clan, it's just so troublesome.
After Pang Meier greeted her good morning, the silver-haired old woman waved her hand and said softly, "Meier, come here."
Pang Meir smiled gently, walked over obediently and sat next to the old woman.
"Don't mind what Second Uncle said last night, he was doing it for your own good." The old woman took Pang Mei'er's hand and said earnestly, "So no matter what, you still have to take Second Uncle to find Master Lu. If you don't like Second Uncle to follow you, let Big Uncle go with you."
A middle-aged man with a sallow complexion next to him said with a smile, "Mei'er, none of the uncles need to go out to work today. You can ask anyone to take you there."
When Pang Meir saw her grandmother, all the joy in her heart disappeared.
She glanced at the people around her , then looked at the old woman and asked, "Grandma, do you also think we must invite Master Lu over?"
"Uncle, this is also for your own good. A daughter's reputation is very important." The old woman said earnestly.
The four aunts nearby laughed softly, and there were some younger cousins around watching the fun.
Hearing this, her heart suddenly became colder.
She suddenly realized that at her grandmother's house, apart from her grandmother, who was relatively close to her, she didn't interact much with the others.
After all, she likes quietness, so she usually chats more with her grandmother. The rest of the time she likes to stay in the room, holding a book and leaning against the window , listening to the sound of the wind and the swaying of the forest, and watching the hazy smoke in the south of the Yangtze River.
"Grandma, this is really hard to handle." Pang Mei'er held the old woman's hands with both hands: "I'm just with Jinhua and Bilian..."
Before she finished her words, a decent-looking woman beside her interrupted and said, "So many excuses. It seems you really don't want to keep your reputation."
"Shut up!" Pang Meier turned her head and stared angrily at the woman who had just spoken: "You are a person who can't even read a single word. You are ignorant and stupid. What you say can only make people laugh."
The woman was startled, then felt wronged, and immediately stammered, "You...you...we are only doing this for your own good, don't be rude..."
"For my own good! What's good for me? If you really clarify this matter, it will be regarded as helping me to make things clear, do you understand?" Pang Meir exploded, stood up suddenly, and said: "Besides, Master Lu, can you meet him just because you want to?"
"Why not? You can even go in and out of Master Lu's house." The second uncle stood up and shouted, "I am a man of honor, a gentleman and a celebrity. How can I not see him?"
The woman who was timid after being scolded by Pang Mei'er was my second aunt. As her husband, my second uncle naturally had to stand up and speak.
"I can see them because I'm a girl. I went to see Jinhua and Bilian, not Master Lu." Pang Mei'er's eyes were wide open, as if there was a raging rage in them: "Second uncle cut off his own ancestral hall? Do you want to learn from me, a girl, and go through other people's side doors?"
Generally speaking, only informal visitors or people of low status would use the side door.
"You you you..." My second uncle was so angry that he couldn't speak.
The people nearby were in an uproar.
The youngsters, on the other hand, looked at their cousin with admiration after his sudden outburst.
"What do you mean by you!" Pang Mei'er had been feeling depressed these days, but she couldn't vent it. Now that she was forced out, she slammed the table with her left hand and scolded, "Second uncle, do you think you have status just because you are a gentry celebrity? It's just that others gave it to you because of your grandparents' status. What's Lu Zhenren's status? He is a true immortal who has been rejected by the government for more than a dozen times. He is also a fifth-rank official. He stands in the same hall with my grandfather, and he only bows when he sees my grandfather, without any greetings. My grandfather has to find a good reason to visit his house. My father, who is a fourth-rank official, doesn't even have the qualifications to pay a visit. What's your status, second uncle? Do you want to follow a woman like me to pay a visit to him? Are you qualified?"
After shouting these words out loud, Pang Meir suddenly felt relaxed both physically and mentally.
But the others were all terrified.
Finally, the grandfather who had been silent put down his chopsticks and said, "Don't be angry, Mei'er. Your second uncle was inconsiderate. Don't blame him."
Pang Meir looked into her grandfather's eyes intently, and then an expression of disappointment gradually appeared on her face.
Then she said to her grandmother, "Grandma, since you have recovered, I plan to return to Bianjing City. I think Master Lu will be there in the next two days. I will stay at Jinhua's place for two days and get some things done first."
Grandpa's expression froze, and after a while he said, "Mei'er, there's no need to do this!"
"I'm not like that." Pang Mei'er calmed down at this time, but when she spoke, there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice: "Grandpa, you think too much."
The old man was stunned for a moment and sighed softly.
Then Pang Meir didn't eat breakfast and started walking outside.
At this time, the second uncle finally recovered from his shock, took two steps forward, pointed at Pang Mei'er's back and said angrily: "Don't leave, you are so disrespectful to your elders, what are you talking about? Come back and explain it clearly before you leave."
"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Liu."
Ignoring the shouting from behind, following Pang Meir's call, two knives-wielding gangsters walked out from the shadows and stared at everyone in the main hall with murderous eyes.
"The world is so big, and the children of my Pang family can leave if they want to, and stay if they want to."
Pang Meir snorted, then looked at her grandmother lingeringly for a few moments, finally turned around and left under the protection of two gangsters.
The main hall was silent at this time. After a while, the old woman's sobbing sound was heard.
She understood that this granddaughter whom she loved so much might not come often in the future.
"Alas, why did it come to this!" The old man sighed in frustration: "To put it bluntly, it's just that we are greedy."
Pang Meir walked all the way to where Lu Sen was currently staying. She was already on the street, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
She didn't understand why she and her grandmother's family suddenly became so quarrelsome.
After thinking about it, I can only blame my second uncle.
It was he who insisted on seeing Lu Sen with some inexplicable reasons, and he really thought that Pang Meir couldn't understand his thoughts.
After all, she is the granddaughter of Master Pang. She grew up in the big dyeing factory of Bianjing City and is very smart.
When Pang Meir arrived at Lu Sen's house, she saw Jinhua and Bilian basking in the sun in the yard. After entering, she looked at her familiar friends and felt aggrieved, and her eyes suddenly turned red.
Yang Jinhua and Bilian were scared to death.
Especially Yang Jinhua, who directly pulled off the silver ribbon on her waist and shouted angrily: "Mei'er, who bullied you? Tell me, I will break his dog legs into four pieces."
Pang Meir suddenly hugged Yang Jinhua and burst into tears.
Lu Sen was not in the yard at this time, he was at the Construction Supervision Bureau.
Last night, Pan Zhihai and his men loaded the large sail onto the ship at night, and also transported the iron anchor, long oars and other "equipment" aboard.
Now we are just waiting for the personnel from the Three Divisions to arrive, and also for the logistical supplies for the ship to be transported over.
Lu Sen explained on a piece of paper with many crooked circles drawn on it: "The ocean currents in the Spice Islands are not complicated, but because there are so many islands, there are many hidden dangers below. Before we figure out the safe route, we must not bring the big ship to the island shore. Let the small boat test the way first."
Pan Zhihai nodded repeatedly.
Lu Sen continued, "In addition, Spice County Island has a tropical marine climate. The air there is extremely hot and muggy, and there is a strong epidemic. After you get off the ship, you must bring clean water with you. If there is no water on the ship, you cannot drink the water on the island directly. It looks clean, but it is actually very easy to cause diarrhea. If you are not careful, you will die of dehydration."
After hearing Lu Sen's terrifying words, Pan Zhihai asked, "What if there is really no water source? What should we do?"
"The water on the island must be boiled before drinking. If you don't have the conditions to boil water, put the water in a clean container and then expose it to the sun for a few hours. This should be able to reduce the level of the epidemic."
Pan Zhihai nodded repeatedly.
Although he had been out to sea for many years, he had never been to land for exploration. It could be said that he was a complete novice in this regard.
Lu Sen had never been there either, but people in the information explosion era were good at places like this. They knew a lot of random, obscure knowledge that they never used in normal times.
What a waste of brain storage space.
At this time, Zhao Zonghua was sitting aside, with a wolf hair brush in his hand moving, recording everything Lu Sen said.
After all, a good memory is not as good as a bad pen.
Pan Zhihai looked at the detailed map and couldn't help asking, "Has Master Lu been to this place before?"
"I haven't been there." Lu Sen thought for a while and shook his head: "But I have been there."
Such contradictory answers left Hai Zhihai confused.
Lu Sen was actually very familiar with the world map. He had liked playing a certain nautical game since he was a child, from the first generation to the fourth generation. He also played the online version for a long time during college and a few years after graduation.
He had memorized all the maps of ports and sea routes and could draw them with his eyes closed.
He also knew very well what spices were produced in the ports near Manila.
Just as Lu Sen was reminiscing about the old days, Ouyang Xiu walked in from outside.
When he saw Lu Sen, he walked straight over, bowed and whispered, "Master Lu, something big has happened, please lend me a hand."
