Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 376 When Giving a Gift, You Must Give the Person What He or She Likes

Lu Zheng nodded continuously: "Butler Lu is right, so that's how it is."

"But since this scripture is so valuable, I can't just take it from a little girl for nothing. I should at least give her something to show my gratitude."

As Lu Zheng spoke, he started walking around in his study.

He looked around and said in annoyance, "Alas, I didn't bring many good things with me when I came to Anping County this time."

"Father, you are not allowed to bring this or that."

"If I were at home in Beijing right now, I could take out any one of the strings of mutton-fat jade beads in my collection and it would probably be worth the price of this scripture."

"Those beads are of excellent quality. Although not as rare as this handwritten scripture, she is a girl, so she would probably like beads more."

Then, Lu Zheng shook his head and missed the treasures he had collected with great difficulty, which were left in Beijing and which his father did not allow him to bring with him.

Lu Lang looked at the old housekeeper helplessly and thought, "Father really has simple ideas."

"If I give Miss Shen a string of pearls worth a thousand gold, what's the difference between her keeping this scripture worth a thousand gold for herself? Won't it be coveted by others in the same way?"

The old butler is of the same generation as Mr. Lu and has watched Lu Zheng grow up since he was a child.

At this moment, he could only helplessly teach Lu Zheng like teaching a child: "Master, this is not good. A gentleman is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure."

"Giving her a string of beads like this would only bring disaster upon her."

"I think it would be better for the master to give her some silver money, which would be most practical."

After hearing this, Lu Lang felt that the old housekeeper was more experienced in dealing with people and handling matters.

He knew that Shen Yu had borrowed money from Mrs. He, the wife of the chief constable, when he bought the restaurant.

If her father gave her some money, she could pay off the debt and Miss Shen wouldn't have to work so hard in the future.

Even if the weather is bad, there is no need to worry about a decrease in customers due to poor roads.

Lu Zheng is a casual person by nature, and he has never worried about money since he was born. He always feels that money is the most vulgar thing.

When the old housekeeper suggested giving Miss Shen money, she shook her head like a rattle: "How can that be possible?"

"Miss Shen gave me the scriptures out of kindness, but I used money to send her away."

"She is my lucky star, how can I treat her so lightly?"

"Let me think about what I should give her in return."

Seeing his father being so unsophisticated, Lu Lang felt anxious, but he couldn't refute him directly, so he looked at the old housekeeper for help.

The old butler nodded, signaling Lu Lang to be patient.

He thought about it, then said with a smile: "Master, since you think highly of Miss Shen, when you give her a gift, shouldn't you give her something she likes?"

"Master Piru is in need of such a scripture right now. Miss Shen sent it to him, so Master naturally thinks it is a good thing."

"But if you don't believe in Buddhism, and don't need to prepare a Spring Festival gift for the emperor who is a devout Buddhist, would you still think that a handwritten sutra like this is worth a thousand gold and is extremely precious?"

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Of course not. Even if Master Ci'en is very accomplished in calligraphy, a handwritten sutra would cost thousands of gold coins or even more. It is really too expensive."

The old butler nodded with a smile: "Yes, this is what it means to give a gift to the heart of the recipient and to please him or her."

"This Miss Shen is a young cook. Judging from what the master said, her cooking skills are quite good."

"Does the master have to give her a set of knives that can be used in the kitchen, or rare ingredients to be considered a thoughtful gift?"

"Master doesn't know how to cook, and the knives you chose may not suit her taste. Why not give her some money and let her buy what she likes? That would make everyone happy."

After the old housekeeper's earnest analysis, Lu Zheng finally came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Butler Lu is right. It would be appropriate to give her some money."

"But how much should I give her?"

Lu Zheng glanced at the thick envelope brought by the old housekeeper, and said after a moment's hesitation, "My father gave me five thousand taels of silver. I think this hand-copied scripture is enough as a New Year's gift. It is both noble and sincere."

"How about this, didn't you say that the handwritten sutras of Abbot Ci'en can no longer be bought for 1,500 taels of silver? How about giving Miss Shen 1,500 taels of silver?"

The astute Lu Changping immediately felt something was wrong: "Isn't it too much? This amount of money is like we bought this scripture from her."

"If it gets out, I'm afraid it will cause criticism. If it gets spread as a rumor, it won't be good."

Lu Lang thought about it and suggested, "The street in front of the market has been in a mess for a long time because of the passing convoys."

"Not only is the dust flying everywhere on sunny days, but once it rains or snows it becomes like a muddy pond with nowhere to stand."

"Father, why don't you give Miss Shen one thousand taels of silver, and use the remaining five hundred taels to build the road."

"This way, we won't be criticized for the equivalent amount of money."

"It can also benefit the people and earn some reputation for my father."

"Miss Shen's restaurant is also on that street, so we can also get the benefits from it, isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"

Master Qian smiled and said, "There is another benefit. If the road is repaired, if you want to go to Miss Shen's restaurant for dinner, it will be much more convenient whether you drive or walk there."

Master Liu was usually a taciturn person, but when he thought of the hot and delicious boiled pork slices he had eaten last time, he couldn't help but nod with a smile.

Lu Zheng just wanted to give Shen Yu a gift in return, and he had no idea what to give.

Seeing that everyone said that giving money was a good idea, I immediately thought that giving some money was also a good idea so that I could use it to buy things I liked.

Haven't I been looking forward to receiving money as a reward from my father since I was a child?

You can use it to buy things you like, and you can also use it to treat Yang Laoliu to food and drinks.

But there are really not many opportunities to get rewards like this.

When Lu Zheng thought about this, he decided, "Then it's settled."

"Xiao Si, send someone to invite Miss Shen here quickly."

"Since I have accepted her scriptures, I should give her some money as soon as possible."

"Don't let people think that I didn't even say thank you for receiving the scriptures. Wouldn't that be a loss of courtesy on my part?"

Lu Lang smiled and said, "Father, Miss Shen has been busy teaching the masters of Guang'an Temple how to make flower cakes these past two days. How can she have the time to come to our place?"

"Why not wait until the birthday celebration is over in two days, when everyone is less busy, and then invite her over and thank her properly."

Lu Zheng knew that Abbot Ci'en attached great importance to the preparation of the Huasu cakes and that this matter could not be delayed, so he immediately said, "Alright, alright, the preparation of the Wanshou Festival cakes is more important."

Then he took out a silver note worth 1,500 taels of silver from the envelope and began to assign tasks to the people in the room.