Chapter 272

Zhao'er came all the way to the south of the city, before he entered the archway where Shen's house was, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen's house.

This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.

This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.

The flagpoles on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you have a serious background in the imperial examination, and you have passed the Jinshi in the imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flagpoles. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are members of the third rank or above in the clan, four dou can be set up.

There are two big flags in front of Shen's house, one is three buckets, the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.

Zhao'er, a country girl, knows this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.

The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao'er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen's residence.

The back door was ajar, and Zhao'er didn't dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.

The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"

This woman is just a gatekeeper, but she also wears satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.

The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family's uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.

"Mother-in-law, I'm looking for Sulan. I'm her younger brother. I'm here to see her."

This woman's attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog's eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao'er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.

Zhao'er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.

Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.

This person is Zhao'er's second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen's residence.

Zhao'er couldn't help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.

She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where there was no one nearby.

"Sister, did you really do it?"

Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"

"It's that, that..." Zhao'er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can't really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"

The corners of Su Lan's eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"

"Sister!" Zhao'er couldn't help stamping her feet.

Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only younger sister Zhao'er found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao'er's appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.

She sighed lightly: "Didn't I tell you before, I won't go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."

Zhao'er was so surprised that she couldn't believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That's it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."

Zhao'er's only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.

What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.

"You don't understand, and you don't have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won't dare to bully me."

"Can……"

"Okay, don't talk about me, your little husband is healed? I'm not talking about you. It's better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and work hard." .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.”

"Isn't he still young? Besides, sister, it's not like you don't know. If it weren't for my mother and father, I'm afraid I would have been sold to nowhere. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen's residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."

Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.

She was sold into Shen's residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.

In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That's why I don't want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."

Zhao'er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven't seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."

"How are you doing? The Xue family didn't make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master's aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."

Zhao'er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn't help leaning over, hugging Su Lan's slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don't worry, I'm so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don't know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much……"

She recounted what happened to Xue's family recently.

The corners of Su Lan's mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don't try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don't rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."

Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao'er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.

"Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won't be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."

Of course Zhao'er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don't worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can't afford it anymore."

Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can't confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can't confess. Come on, don't tell me The second sister doesn't feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in 'He Rongsheng', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."

'Herongsheng' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao'er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.

"This is the Shen family's business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"

Su Lan's eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don't worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won't tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."

After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao'er's hand: "Take it, it doesn't matter if you really lose, let's do it by ourselves first. The Shen family's genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."

Su Lan's figure quickly disappeared through the door.

Zhao'er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.

*

Zhao'er didn't know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.

When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.

Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.

When he heard about Zhao'er's purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao'er, I heard your sister said about you."

Zhao'er didn't expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.

"When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."

The second sister even told her gender to the other party's surprise, it didn't last long, Zhao'er's attention was attracted by Shen Ping's words.

"What is selling used clothes?"

"You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.

"These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or clothing shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."

Following Shen Ping's narration, Zhao'er's eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don't know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it's an old clothes, surely it won't be as expensive as a new one, right?"

Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."

Zhao'er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.

On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao'er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.

This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao'er is wearing.

"These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."

Zhao'er couldn't see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.

Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.

Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.

Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don't sell them, you won't lose money if you wear them yourself.

Especially all the books he has learned since he was a child. He had flipped through the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some bibliographies in elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things had been forgotten.

He thought about the reason, and felt that "he" seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he always adopted an evasive attitude. In addition, the Xue Tingxiang in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been obsessed with officialdom battles, but he doesn't care about his own knowledge.

After so many years, his memory is more about the ups and downs of the officialdom, the various forces in the party struggle, and the speculation of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.

Seriously speaking, 'Xue Tingxiang' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.

But obviously he doesn't need these things now, as if a young child has a sword, he knows the significance of these things to his future. But today a young child needs nothing more than a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.

But these memories have already begun to affect his own memory. He doesn't want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine with 'Xue Tingxiang''s advanced understanding of many things. This is the right way.

And the best way to master it is nothing more than copying books.

Obviously this yellow bamboo paper is of very low quality, the brush strokes should not be light or heavy, the ink will be uneven if it is light, and it will smudge if it is heavy, but Xue Tingxiang writes on it like flowing clouds and flowing water as if there is nothing. The handwriting on it is full and round, and it is extraordinarily majestic.

Zhao'er held his breath and didn't even dare to make a sound. His eyes fell on Xue Tingxiang, who was writing vigorously. Suddenly, he had the illusion that a little man had grown up.

Xue Tingxiang quickly wrote a sheet, and he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao'er quickly took it, and spread it carefully on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn't tell how beautiful they were, but felt like a painting.

And during this period, Xue Tingxiang wrote another one.

In this way, Xue Tingxiang wrote and asked children to dry it. After a while, the kang was covered with paper.

A book of the Three Character Classic does not contain more than a thousand characters, and Xue Tingxiang finished it very quickly.

He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn't written at such a high density for a long time, and it was a challenge to his wrist strength.

"Actually, I can copy books to subsidize my family." He said suddenly.

He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books blindly. He really managed to "keep his ears off the outside world and read only the books of sages and sages".

The former "he" was helpless and emotional about this situation, but he had more than enough energy, and Zhao'er was really capable, and he had a talent that no one else had in business, and he answered everything in every detail, and never let him go. He worries about money, so he doesn't think about it anymore.

Looking back, he realized that 'he' cared more about this matter than he imagined. Now that he can earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.

How can a man be raised by a woman, he should be the one who shelters her from the wind and rain. He didn't understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.

"Copy books to make money?" Zhao'er shook her head again and again: "How can I do that? It's hard work and hurts my eyes."

"How can you say so exaggeratedly? Look, I just copied a book in a short while." He organized all the pages of the book into a pile, and gave it to Zhao'er for her to bind.

"Copying books can not only earn money, but also read books. Why not do it. I remember that there are bookstores in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and bring this book to the bookstore. Look at the shop owner, if it’s feasible, you can help me pick up a book and try it when you come back.”

Having said that, he paused for a moment: "Well, I'll go with you, and we'll go to town together tomorrow."

"Is this really possible?" Zhao'er always hesitates when it comes to matters involving little men.

"There's nothing wrong with it."

*

Now that the matter was settled, the two of them woke up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.

Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, just named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Township, and Yuqing Village is one of the larger villages.

From Yuqing Village to the town, if walking, it takes nearly an hour. If you take an ox cart or a mule cart, it will be faster, and there are carts from the village below to the town every day. Bullock carts are slow and cheap, and you can take one ride for two pennies. Mule carts are expensive, and one person gets four renminbi, but the speed is not comparable to that of ox carts.

Going out of Yuqing Village, walked to a fork in the road, and walked west for a while, Zhao'er and Xue Tingxiang stopped and stood under the big tree by the roadside to wait for the bus.

Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao'er, who was wearing a man's clothes.

"It turns out that every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field behind, just to change into this clothes?"

Zhao'er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she has made a decision, she has prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingxiang only showed a trace of surprise when he saw it, but he didn't show much disgust.

"It's more convenient to go out in this way. You can't recognize me as a girl."

Xue Tingxiang pursed his lips and glanced at her.

The young man in front of him looks handsome. From a man's point of view, he looks a little thinner, but there is really no sign of a daughter's family. He observed carefully, only to find that Zhao'er had thickened his eyebrows, and he did not know how to do it on his chest, but it became flat.

She also seemed to find that the little man's eyes stayed on her chest for too long, Zhao'er explained: "This is too inconvenient, so I wrapped it with a cloth."

She spoke very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we have for lunch, but Xue Tingxiang felt like he was reckless.

He recalled the dream in which Zhao'er's breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be crushed, so he couldn't help but ask, "Won't she be crushed?"

Zhao'er was a little surprised when she heard that, but she didn't think too much about it, so she said, "It's useless anyway."

Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved there. Naturally, she didn't notice that Xue Tingxiang's expression was very strange.

Seeing that he was riding in a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingxiang couldn't help being a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao'er gave the money for the car, and pulled him into the car: "This car is faster, and it will be here in a while." In fact, Zhao'er was afraid that he would not be able to stand the bumps of the bullock cart after recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule cart if he had one.

The middle-aged man driving the car smiled and said, "My little brother is insightful. This car is not only fast, but also stable. It is not comparable to a bullock cart. By the way, this is your brother?"

Xue Tingxiang, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.

It's not surprising that people say that he is Zhao'er's younger brother, and he is also dressed as a man. He is obviously thinner than Zhao'er, and he is half a head shorter.

Zhao'er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, it's my younger brother."

While speaking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.

This car is indeed much faster than the bullock cart, and it runs without bumps. The car will stop at intervals to pick up one or two people. This special extended car can seat twelve people. The roof of the car is specially customized, and some not-too-heavy things can be placed on it.

By the way, the biggest advantage of taking this mule cart is that there is a carriage to keep out the dust, so you don't have to find a place to pack yourself when you arrive in the town.

"When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car." Zhao'er couldn't help but said to Xue Tingxiang, finally showing a little childishness.

"Will you rush?"

She froze for a moment, then said: "I can't rush, I can learn."

The problem is that you have done everything, even drive the car by yourself, so why do you need a man? Xue Tingxiang thought silently in his heart, and then realized that in his dream, it seemed that he was really useless as a man.

It seems that he will learn to drive in the future. Xue Tingxiang made a secret decision.

*

After the mule cart was full of people, it finally stopped halfway to pick up people.

After about a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town could be seen in the distance.

The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate, and everyone in the cart got off, Zhao'er took Xue Tingxiang to the town.

This Huyang Town is neither big nor small. Zhao'er used to go to Dongshi mostly, and Dongshi sells the most groceries, but this time he mainly went to the bookstore, so he was going to Nanshi.

The former dynasty emphasized civility over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the war at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, it was because the Tai/Zu Emperor of Dachang came to power at the beginning because he was a supporter of the civil servants in the previous dynasty. It is popular.

Even illiterate ordinary people can say that everything is inferior, only reading is high, which is evident.

Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It is best to be able to test for fame and fame. If you can't test for merit and fame, you can get a few words, and the workmanship is cheaper.

This kind of folk custom has led to quite a few bookstores and book shops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi that sells pens, ink, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting facilities, all of which are business for scholars.

Although Zhao'er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingxiang a few times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingxiang to go immediately, but went around to a place with a lot of food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to go there after breakfast.

"The meal in the morning is the most important. We missed breakfast because we were in a hurry. Sharpening knives is not a mistake for woodcutters. Let's go when we are full."

The owner of the Zhaoerguan noodle stall ordered two bowls of sliced ​​noodles.

This noodle is a unique food in Pingyang Prefecture. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles. It is black and red in color.

"The sliced ​​slices here are very delicious, try it."

Xue Tingxiang tasted it, and it was really delicious.

Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portion is large, and the ingredients are sufficient, unlike Xue's food, which is reluctant to put oil and salt, and tastes bland.

But the price is also expensive, Xue Tingxiang finished a large bowl of jerky slices, and gave eight Wen when he asked his son to settle the bill, which means that this bowl of jerky slices is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .

"Is it delicious?" Zhao'er was still asking him when he was walking towards Nanshi.

"It's just a bit expensive."

It is indeed a little expensive for Xue Tingxiang. He has no pocket money since he was a child, and the only chance to have some money in his hands is the few pennies given by Mr. Xue every year.

In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two weird thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingxiang feel weird.

"Why is it expensive? It's not expensive. You don't come to the town often, but you come here once after all. Naturally, I will take you to have a good meal."

It's really a good meal, don't look at Zhao'er's face without changing her face, but in fact, when she came to the town alone before, she would buy a steamed bun at most when she was hungry.

She has never been reluctant to bear with herself, and always wants to save more, but she is very willing to bear with Xue Tingxiang, and she is at her wit's end. So every time Xue Tingxiang thought of everything in his dream, he couldn't believe that he would be the one who killed his wife and children.

"When I earn money by copying books, I will bring you to eat every day." He couldn't help but said.

The sun had already come out, and the pale golden sunlight shone on the young boy's still immature face. His fair face was like the finest white jade, with fine fluff on it. The slightly pale lips were pursed lightly at this moment, and it could be seen that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn't dare to look directly at her, but looked aside.

Zhao'er's smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn't help stretching out his hand to rub his head: "Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come to eat that every day." There was a pampering expression in his expression.

But the voice was silenced in his dark pupils, and Zhao'er finally realized what he said and did.

She was a little guilty, and it was strange, she had never been afraid of a little man before, but since he recovered from his illness this time, she has become a little afraid of him occasionally.

It must be her illusion!

She withdrew her hand, looked left and right, suddenly her eyes lit up, and said: "Look, we're here." As she spoke, she walked into the bookstore first.

In the second room, Zhao'er went to pour some hot water, and after washing their feet, they went to rest on the kang.

A big Kang, two quilts, one for each person.

But Zhao'er couldn't sleep today, and when she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.

She rolled over and over again.

"You do not sleep?"

It is reasonable to say that they would not rest so early, but today both of them have been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after recruiting children to go to the kang. However, there is a moon outside, and you can still see clearly in the room.

Zhao'er sat up halfway, and moved to Xue Tingxiang's side.

"Dog, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?"

Zhao'er knows how to swear, and has sweared before, but she has never seen such a method of swearing, and Yang Zhong is so annoyed by the swearing, and Xue's family doesn't even know how to persuade him. From Zhao'er's point of view, isn't this the culmination of swearing, can you swear without uttering dirty words?

She wanted to learn this method, and it would come in handy.

Xue Tingxiang turned over and gave her a backbone.

Zhao'er poked his shoulder with her finger: "What's wrong? Why are you angry again?"