"Hey..." Lu Yu slowly walked behind Cao Mu and called out to her softly.
"My name is Cao Mu, not 'Hey'," she retorted.
To Lu Yu's surprise, Cao Mu wiped her eyes, turned around, placed her hands on her hips, and faced him with a haughty demeanor.
"You haven't come to say hello all day, I thought you didn't notice me?" Lu Yu continued.
"I noticed!" Cao Mu's eyes darted around. "It's just that with this steel forging, Young Master Lu is 'all show and no go,' so you can't really help. What use would it be for me to pay attention to you!"
Saying that, Cao Mu spread her hands...
Hey, was this a case of using one's own tactics against them? Lu Yu, having been outmaneuvered, couldn't help but laugh.
Cao Mu's answer was clearly something she had planned beforehand. It seemed this girl was still angry?
She sure held a grudge...
The two began their conversation with such animosity that the surrounding craftsmen felt completely superfluous and immediately bowed and took their leave.
In an instant, the courtyard was left with only Lu Yu and Cao Mu.
"Congratulations..."
"Congratulations?" Cao Mu glanced upwards. "I should be congratulating you, shouldn't I? The forging workshop was built by you, the method of steel forging was also proposed by you, and when it comes time to report achievements to Father, it will naturally be a great merit for you, Commander Lu! I am merely a craftsman under Commander Lu, how dare I receive your congratulations!"
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm…
Lu Yu mused inwardly, how much resentment did this girl truly hold? It was just a few words of criticism back then... was it worth this? Women… alas…
Lu Yu was truly at a loss. After all, she was a contributor.
It was fine for a contributor to be willful. Lu Yu wouldn't stoop to her level.
Of course, Lu Yu could not possibly understand what Cao Mu had endured over the past month, nor how strong her inner resolve was!
"Since Miss Mu doesn't appreciate it, let's change the congratulations. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, may you have many children soon!"
Lu Yu decided to change the subject. He wanted to use this topic to chat a bit longer, perhaps mention her future father-in-law, who was a decent man and likely wouldn't bully his daughter-in-law.
"Are you happy about me getting married?" Cao Mu shot Lu Yu a sideways glance.
"Actually, I'm not particularly happy, just generally pleased. Pleased for you!" Lu Yu replied with a smile.
"Hmph..." To his surprise, Cao Mu turned away. "What if this young lady doesn't want to get married?"
Ah… Lu Yu was a bit stunned.
He hadn't met Xiahou Mao, but he had heard that he was quite handsome and skilled in combat, and was also the son most valued by Xiahou Dun. Moreover, in ancient times, it was customary to obey one's parents and the matchmaker's words. Not wanting to marry? It seemed unlikely, right?
Seeing Lu Yu's expression change drastically, Cao Mu immediately shifted the topic and became contemplative. "Young Master Lu, do you know why I've stayed here for this past month?"
Instantly, Lu Yu felt a premonition. Could this girl have fallen for him?
Lu Yu was exasperated. Besides those 36C breasts, Lu Yu felt he had absolutely no interest in Cao Mu. A forced melon wouldn't be sweet.
Just as he was about to speak… Cao Mu's voice came again.
"A month ago, I was still a complete outsider who knew nothing about forging. Yet in a month, I not only became familiar with every step involved, but I also summarized your steel forging ideas and the craftsmen's practices into verifiable written records. Look at this…"
Cao Mu casually opened several thick stacks of bamboo slips placed on the table beside her…
Lu Yu finally noticed that this thick stack of bamboo slips were all Cao Mu's records.
Good heavens…
Looking at the densely packed small characters, Lu Yu felt she must have written at least tens of thousands of words.
"These thirty-five scrolls document the changes in temperature, texture, and color for each successful forging from the first to the three hundred and twentieth attempt!"
"This scroll is a summary of the previous thirty-five scrolls, dividing the entire steel forging process into thirty-four steps. As long as one strictly follows the operating methods from these successful cases, even the most clumsy craftsman will find it extremely easy to forge steel."
After explaining this…
Cao Mu gestured again to the side, where there were even larger stacks of bamboo slips.
"These ninety-two scrolls record the process of failure from the first forging attempt to the nine hundred and twentieth failed forging. Similarly, they also cover the changes in temperature, texture, and color, and even… I have specifically marked the reasons for each failure."
"And this scroll is a summary and compilation based on the ninety-two failed forging examples, recording one hundred and thirty details that need attention during the steel forging process, as well as… twenty-one critical points that can directly determine success or failure!"
After explaining this… Cao Mu handed the two summarized scrolls to Lu Yu.
Lu Yu flipped through them one by one. The more he looked, the more astonished he became…
So meticulous!
It was almost a nanny-level, prenatal education textbook!
Perhaps, only a girl's delicate mind could achieve this level of detail and conciseness in summarizing.
Hoo…
Lu Yu let out a long breath.
Without exaggeration, if anyone in the world today were to obtain these two scrolls, they would master the pinnacle of the technology tree for weapons and armor in this era, their military might unstoppable!
Hoo… another long sigh.
Lu Yu pondered, perhaps Cao Mu herself didn't know what these two summarized scrolls of hers meant in this era.
"Miss Mu… I…" Lu Yu was about to speak, though he wasn't sure what to say.
But he was interrupted by Cao Mu again. At this moment, Cao Mu walked three steps forward with her back to Lu Yu, stopped, turned around, as if deliberately maintaining a certain distance from Lu Yu.
She began to speak.
"Young Master Lu, I have persisted until today, and I have reached this point. I am not doing this for anything else, I just want to ask you one thing: is my mastery of the Hundred Crafts forging subject considered complete? Am I, Cao Mu, truly as unbearable and as childish as you once said!"
Gulp, Lu Yu swallowed his saliva.
The sound was clearly audible…
At this moment, he was truly taken aback.
Who would have thought that Lu Yu, who had merely spoken harshly and criticized Cao Mu back then, would have led Cao Mu to dedicate so much resilience, effort, and persistence just to make Lu Yu take her seriously, or perhaps to get an apology…
Stubbornness ah… this girl is truly stubborn!
Of course, in the past… Lu Yu's criticism of Cao Mu wasn't entirely his fault.
At the very least, the authors of "Book of the Later Han" and "Records of the Three Kingdoms" had to take some blame. Damn it… if not for their negative accounts of Princess Qinghe, Lu Yu wouldn't have had such a bad first impression of her, nor would he have been so confrontational and contentious upon their first meeting.
However, from the current perspective… the outcome was good, having inadvertently cultivated a master blacksmith!
At this moment, Lu Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I apologize for what I said earlier when I criticized you… You are very resilient, the most resilient girl I have ever met!" Lu Yu did not hold back his praise.
"Is that so?" Cao Mu smiled, her smile exceptionally bright. This was the first time she had smiled in a month.
Perhaps what she sought was never the success of steel forging, but Lu Yu's apology, his recognition.
Perhaps it was because Lu Yu was the first person to scold her, or perhaps because Lu Yu had achieved great merits. Even as a woman, Cao Mu craved the acknowledgment of a strong individual…
In any case, Lu Yu's apology and recognition were, in her eyes, immensely precious!
…
"Miss Mu, your father will be back tomorrow. Your marriage…" Lu Yu shifted the topic again.
Unexpectedly, Cao Mu did not engage with Lu Yu's topic at all…
Instead, she asked, "Young Master Lu, in forging Wuhui iron, I have helped you achieve merit, haven't I?"
"I suppose so," Lu Yu replied truthfully…
"Then will you promise me one thing?" Cao Mu continued to ask…
Just as Lu Yu feared, his head felt like it was going to explode. He hoped this girl wouldn't say something like… "Marry me," or he would go mad.
"Ahem…"
With a slight cough, Lu Yu simply replied, "As long as it's not asking me to marry you, anything else can be discussed!"
"You…" Cao Mu was startled. She hadn't expected Lu Yu to say that… "You… you're crazy? Who? Who wants you to marry me? You're just overthinking it!"
As she spoke, Cao Mu's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she immediately walked closer to Lu Yu. Lu Yu genuinely feared that this girl might try to force herself on him.
Fortunately, what Lu Yu feared did not happen.
Cao Mu merely said softly, "I really don't want to get married yet. I'm not ready. Can you help me?"
Ah… Lu Yu was a bit confused?
Doesn't want to get married? What did "not ready" mean? Was it like… those older single women before transmigration? Independent career women? Who lived a comfortable life, often traveling, drinking coffee, and not having to worry about raising children?
Was that what it meant?
Lu Yu countered, "Why don't you want to get married?"
"Young Master Lu, aren't you quite intelligent? You don't understand this?" Cao Mu frowned. "This young lady intends to forge the world's strongest divine weapons. If I get married, how can I still do as I please like now? People's words are fearsome. The best way to silence them is to not get married!"
Hoo… Lu Yu truly underestimated Cao Mu. While his words had cultivated a master blacksmith, the key was that her ambitions had grown larger, as large as those 36C breasts… she preferred arms to adornments!
What… Lu Yu had no one to complain to.
Most importantly, last night he was at Xiahou Dun's house, congratulating Cao Mu's future father-in-law and even promising a grand gift!
For a moment, Lu Yu was a little dazed…
"Are you going to help or not?" Cao Mu bit her red lip, her red robe looking exceptionally heroic in the breeze!
In contrast, Lu Yu fell into deep thought… a long period of contemplation.
Seeing his silence, Cao Mu made up her mind… and resorted to unreasonable tactics.
"If you don't help, I'll tell everyone that we've already secretly pledged ourselves to each other… that we've done all the things we should and shouldn't have done. Then, let's see if that Xiahou Mao dares to marry me!"
Pfft…
Lu Yu felt a surge of blood threatening to erupt from his throat.
If these words were to spread, Lu Yu had no doubt that Old Cao and Old Xiahou would break his legs. They definitely would.
"Miss Mu, this is you threatening me!" Lu Yu's brow furrowed slightly. "I don't like being threatened."
"How is this a threat? This is clearly helping you," Cao Mu's eyes blinked repeatedly. "Think about it, Master Dian is the commander of the Dragon Roar Battalion and the martial arts instructor. How could he have the time to manage forging for you?"
"But besides Master Dian, who else can command respect? Who can make these craftsmen in the forging workshop wholeheartedly submit…"
Reaching this point, Cao Mu puffed out her chest slightly and patted it with her right hand. "Only I, Cao Mu! Only with me in charge of the forging workshop can the quality of the forged fine steel weapons be assured to your satisfaction."
At this point, Cao Mu's eyes blinked repeatedly. "Young Master Lu, rest assured, this young lady has no interest in you. This young lady is only interested in Wuhui iron and fine steel. This young lady is destined to forge divine weapons that will amaze the world. Of course, this is all your fault… you have to take responsibility!"
Hoo…
Lu Yu was truly exasperated. So it was all his fault?
Alas…
Indeed, in this world, anything that involved women always became inexplicably troublesome!
…
…
That night, back in his room, Lu Yu tossed and turned.
To be honest, some of Cao Mu's words made sense. Lu Yu could leave Cao Mu, but could the forging workshop leave her?
From the matter of steel forging, one could see that without Cao Mu, the success rate of steel forging would likely be halved.
The forging workshop truly needed such a woman who was meticulous, hardworking, good at summarizing, and possessed immense confidence and "social butterfly syndrome"…
Thinking about it, Cao Mu was truly a talent!
"Alas…" he sighed helplessly.
The critical issue now was, what should he say to Old Cao tomorrow when he arrived?
And what about Xiahou Dun… what should he say?
After all, Xiahou Mao was the son-in-law personally chosen by Old Cao. Moreover, today… Madam Ding had already accepted Xiahou Dun's betrothal gifts. If another broken engagement were to occur…
It was possible that Xiahou Mao would slam the table and roar—"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young man for being poor!"
Lu Yu figured he would be utterly drunk by then.
"Troublesome, troublesome!" He tossed and turned…
Just then.
"Knock, knock!"
A light knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Lu Yu immediately asked…
"Young Master Lu, Kongming has been waiting in the front hall for a long time and said he has an important matter to request an audience for!" As this voice spoke, Lu Yu recognized it as the guard arranged by Cao Xiu to protect him.
But… Kongming requesting an audience?
Lu Yu glanced at the sky through the window. It was already the first quarter of the night. What was Zhuge Liang doing here at this hour?
Could it be an urgent matter at the oil workshop?
With this thought, "Have Kongming wait for me for a moment…" Lu Yu quickly put on his clothes, draped his outer robe, pushed open the door, and walked towards the front hall.
Speaking of which, during this period…
The oil workshop's business had been a great success, and naturally, "Zhuge Liang" had a share of the credit. This had somewhat changed Lu Yu's perception of "Zhuge Liang." He indeed had some talent in research and development!
And now, he had become an indispensable talent in Lu Yu's oil workshop. Apart from the morning lessons, he spent his days either at the oil workshop in the southern part of the city or in the backyard studying how to increase production… He could be considered a loyal contributor.
Before, Lu Yu always found him very displeasing… Now, with the ability to make money, he looked more and more pleasing to the eye.
While contemplating, Lu Yu had already reached the front hall, and Zhuge Jun was already waiting for him there.
Seeing him making eye contact, Lu Yu instructed the guards around him to withdraw. In an instant, the vast front hall was left with only Lu Yu and Zhuge Jun.
"Did something happen at the oil workshop?" Lu Yu asked first.
"It's not the oil workshop." Zhuge Jun gritted his teeth, seemingly… struggling to say something.
How could Lu Yu not see his demeanor? What was going on?
"Kongming, if you have something to say, don't hesitate to speak directly. You look like you're about to suffer internal injuries from holding back."
"I… I…" Zhuge Jun still hesitated.
"If you don't say it, I'm leaving." Lu Yu turned and made to leave…
At this, Zhuge Jun blurted out, "Master Lu, could you… could you help Sister Mu? She… she doesn't want to marry Xiahou Mao. Please, Master Lu, help her!"
"Clatter," Zhuge Jun directly knelt down…
Good heavens, now Lu Yu was even more confused!
From Zhuge Jun's eyes, Lu Yu could see his inner thoughts. Damn it, Kongming ah Kongming, how old are you? You've learned about puppy love and chasing girls already?
And you're chasing the eldest daughter of Old Cao. How deep are the waters in the Cao mansion? Can you handle it?
Immediately…
Lu Yu's expression suddenly darkened.
At this moment, he mused that if he were Zhuge Liang's father, he would surely have the urge to beat him to death.
What kind of situation was this, right under his nose? Just… like this?
Lu Yu furrowed his brow and asked:
"When did you two get together?"
…
…