Hai Shuzu felt that it was not enough, and the most valuable thing he was now was the five-masted ship and the cargo on board, so what was the point of tying him up again? Moreover, the sailors and merchants who came back said that the Australians were very polite to everyone and did not act inviolently.

But his wife's family resolutely refused to allow him to go to Lingao, and the family's opposition was so strong that he had nothing to do. The matter of going to Lingao dragged on. After thinking about it, I had to go to Guangzhou to find the help of my friends and colleagues from my father's generation when I was studying in the past, and borrow some silver to come over and slow down.

Although Hai Shuzu relied on the fame of his ancestors and had a high reputation, he was just a prisoner, which was given to him by the government for the sake of being a descendant of Haigong. The family also does not have much financial resources. So this borrowing trip was not smooth, although friends helped more or less, or twenty or fifty taels. After more than ten days, I only scraped together more than 300 taels of silver, which is a drop in the bucket compared to what I need. I have been in Guangzhou for a long time, and everything here is expensive, and it is not easy to live here. Hai Shuzu knew that staying any longer would be fruitless, so he had to leave early to return to Qiongshan to do errands.

He didn't dare to go home, so he settled in his own grange first. Go to the head of the village to inquire about the news. Only one sat in the house. When he went out this time, he didn't even dare to bring the servants he usually used in the house, because he owed them money. Although these servants did not dare to make a fuss because of their status, they had already neglected to serve a lot, and from time to time there were still cold words, and Hai Shuzu couldn't bear this humiliation, so he had to ask his friends to borrow a small servant to listen to the errand temporarily.

I thought that I was in the Qiongzhou Mansion. Although he is not a prominent family, five or six servants greet him when he goes out on weekdays, and his subordinates are always respectful in front of him. I didn't expect that now I would fall into a situation where even my own maid can't be called!

While sighing, suddenly there were a few small sedan chairs carried by two people on Zhuangzi. Zhuang Ding hurriedly reported in, and since Zhuang Tou had gone out, he couldn't ask Zhuang Ding to greet the guests, so Hai Shuzu had no choice but to come out.

I saw that the leader was the head of his own house, Haiji, but he didn't know the sedan chair and the attendant. Hai Shuzu was stunned. When the sedan curtain opened, he saw his wife, children and mother sitting in the sedan chair.

Haiji cried: "I can't stay at home anymore

It turned out that after he left home, the people who came to the door to sit on the rope and make noise because they couldn't see the owner of the house, they were afraid of recovering their losses, and there was no hope of recovering their losses, so they became even more noisy. In desperation, I had to ask the yamen to come forward to suppress it.

"This is an errand in the yamen. As soon as they came, they wanted to ask for personnel benefits, and they were not satisfied with the hundreds of dollars, so they only worked and did not contribute, and some people threatened to rush into the second door to find the wife and the old lady to comment. It was still Mrs. Zhang from the county who came over and couldn't look at it, so he took care of a few flail numbers on the spot before he could be suppressed. ”

Hai Shuzu just lowered his head and sighed, although he knew that Mrs. Zhang was out of kindness to his family. However, such a practice of using official power to oppress people will inevitably insult the reputation of the family.

His mother, wife, and children, because they couldn't bear to be harassed, had to borrow a sedan chair from relatives and friends and sneak out.

Seeing that his family was panicked, Hai Shuzu only carried a few packages in his hand, looking extremely embarrassed, thinking that his business failure would affect his wife, and he would also harm the family's reputation, it was really a failure to cultivate his family, and he couldn't help but shed tears.

"These slaves are really hateful," Xiao Haiji still babbled to himself, "If you owe them money, you don't have to say how much, and you still have a head." Those who do not owe money will not come to greet and serve, and some are already asking someone to find a place to work."

"When the catastrophe comes, they fly separately, and they don't complain that their ancestors are disheartened, their own family has lived in Qiongzhou for more than 100 years, and it can be called a family of virtue and goodness, although the family background is ordinary, and there is no place to treat people, but I didn't expect that in front of a little silver, all this has come to naught. The liliang of money, he had never felt so clearly.

sigh and sigh, things have to be solved, so that the whole family hides debts and hides outside. Hai Shuzu had to discuss with his mother and wife, preparing to sell the family's land, plus the silver borrowed from Guangzhou, he could always repay something.

"It's just that after it was sold, there was no penny, and even if it was a well-off family, it would be unbearable." Hai Shuzu said gloomily.

There are sacrificial fields in the clan, and there is always something to eat, but the leisurely days of the past are not passable.

After selling the land to repay the debt, his mother wept and said, "It's just the silver you borrowed from Guangzhou, how can you repay the family if you don't have the land in the future?"

Hai Shuzu thought that people were willing to borrow, and he was not prepared to pay it back. But I can't say that.

The family was thinking about how the future would live, and they discussed and discussed, but there was no result. I didn't even bother to eat lunch. In the afternoon, Zhuang Tou came back in a hurry.

"Sir!" The head of the village didn't have time to salute, "The moneylender will be gone."

"Gone?" Hai Shuzu thought that this group of people was the most energetic in asking for debts, because they all had IOUs in their hands, as long as they were not making trouble, as long as the government couldn't do anything, how

"I heard someone bought their IOU!"

“？” Hai Shuzu was taken aback and bought an IOU? What do you buy it for? In his condition, the bankruptcy of the family is only overnight, even if he can sell the land to repay some money, he can only pay back two or three percent, didn't this person buy a pile of waste paper?

Hai Ji said: "Isn't it that the old man admires the high righteousness of the family master and specially came to lend a hand?" ”

Hai Shuzu didn't believe that there was such a good thing. These loans have more than 2,000 taels without interest, but I don't have such rich friends. Those who can support him for thirty or fifty taels are already very righteous and emotional. How could a person who has never known each other come up with such a huge sum of money for himself.

was wandering, and Zhuang Ding came outside to report again: "There is a Master Lin outside to worship." As he spoke, he presented the prayer post.

Hai Shuzu looked at the cover of the notebook, he didn't recognize Lin Qiaoguang, so he said, "Tell him I'm not there." ”

"Master Lin said that as long as you open the worship post, the master will naturally recognize it." Zhuang Ding Road.

Hai Shuzu was helpless, and picked up the prayer post casually. But it was heavy, and it turned out that there was an envelope underneath. When I opened it, it was actually my own IOU.

Shocked for a moment, he flipped through the IOU again. Yes, it was the IOU issued by himself, a lot, in this envelope. Each IOU is ticked off the bill.

Needless to say, this Master Lin is the one who secretly bought his IOU! What exactly is he trying to do? Hai Shuzu was caught off guard for a while, and he didn't know what to do.

However, Haiji had some insight and said, "Master, this Master Lin seems to have no malice." You see, he checked all the IOUs and gave them back. If so, why do it? "Oh, yes, yes," Hai Shuzu was broken by his words, "this must be seen." ”

"Master Lin, our concubine is invited!" Haiji himself came out to meet him.

Lin Zhiguang smiled slightly. Today, after the government has called on a few people who have made the most trouble, the confidence of creditors in asking for debts has fallen to the lowest point. The senior brother effortlessly removed the interest cap on the IOU and bought all the IOUs at a price of 30% of the real principal.

Brother Gao originally wanted to buy all the shareholders' shares at a discount, but Lin Qiaoguang instructed him not to do so.

"We can only get rid of some pressure first, and at the same time show our sincerity and really solve everything for him. He has no worries, in case of "money, my whole family will pay you back if you make cattle and horses, and it is a dream to ask me to help you come forward to open a mine." What to do with empty words? Can we still kill him? ”

"His debts are in our hands. Don't be afraid that he won't obey. Brother Gao said.

"Hehe, that's really hard to say." Lin Baiguang said with a smile, "Of course, maybe we can coerce him with this, but this is a big taboo to leave a pimple in my heart." ”

"Moreover," he continued to educate him, "you have to look at the family background of Haishuzu. He is a Shishen, a scholar, and a descendant of Haigong. Originally, a group of local people forced him together, but now it has been replaced by our family forcing him, this Qiongzhou Mansion is full of hatred and hatred, we are outsiders, won't we be empty of people and money at that time? ”

"I see." The senior brother showed his sincere admiration.

"The Hai family is like this, and only by showing grace can they get their gratitude. As for the pressure, you still have to leave him a little bit. When he agrees to cooperate with us, it's not too late to help him solve it. ”

"What if he's a vain and a snake? When the time comes, make excuses to shirk. ”

"You have also learned well now, Hai Shuzu is always the descendant of Hai Gong, this kind of bad means can't be done." Lin Yiguang said, "Even if he has this heart, the Hai family's reputation will not be frowned; Allow him to do so. ”

It didn't take much effort for Lin Zhiguang to persuade Haishuzu to open a coal kiln. For Hai Shuzu, who was already desperate and desperate, although the road in front of him was not glorious, it was better than a diner who went bankrupt and became an ancestral hall, not to mention even if he was bankrupt. It will not be able to pay off the losses of these shareholders.

Thinking that he would be scolded by many people after his home, Hai Shuzu could not feel at ease. At present, the conditions proposed by this old man from Guangzhou are very tempting:

Funded by Master Lin, Hai Shuzu came forward to open a coal kiln in Qiongzhou Mansion. The Hai family does not need to contribute.

You can make a profit of 20%. Master Lin has eighty percent.

Hai Shuzu hesitated and said: "I understand the meaning of Brother Tai, it is nothing more than asking my brother to come forward to deal with the government and the local government, which is easy, and the brother is still a little thin in the local area." There is only one word of persuasion, whether there is coal to be mined here in Qiongzhou Mansion, the brother has never heard of it in the past; In addition, firewood is very easy to come by here, and I am afraid that it is unlikely that anyone will use coal to make fires. Brother Tai is so rash to build a kiln, I don't know if you have thought about it before and after? ”

Lin Qiaoguang nodded, Hai Shuzu can be called "upright"! I admire it in my heart, no matter what time and space it is, it's always reassuring to deal with honest people. ，！