Whoever became a big official and who made a fortune was too far away for the common people, but it spread quickly among the local gentry and even among the scholars. As long as there has been a relationship before, they have come to congratulate or send congratulatory gifts to their families, and even Duan Xiaoshan, the eldest young master of the Duan family, who did not go to Gansu with Duan Dazhang but spent all day drinking in his hometown in Ba County, has come.

Because Second Master Fei was far away, he knew relatively late, and when he rushed to Ba County from Bishan, Duan Jiqing was helping his daughter and little grandson move.

The new house is located in Cuiwei Gate, which is a two-story house with two entrances in the front and back, a large house in the middle, and a two-story mansion on the east and west sides. The main gate and the second gate are two stone gates. Entering the courtyard, a hollow carved "shade door" divides the courtyard into two entrances, the front is the front hall for welcoming guests and deliberations, the back hall is the resting place, and the east and west sides are the wings where the family lives. The yellow walls and gray tiles, the vermilion, ink and black in the house are intertwined, rich and atmospheric.

The whole house is behind the Huguang Guild Hall, which is not only close to the Provincial Bureau, the government office and the county government, but also not far from Chaotianmen, the largest waterway wharf in Ba County, which can be called the best location in Ba County.

The original owner was a Huguang merchant with a lot of money, and this mansion was only one of his many properties in Ba County, and he had not even lived here since it was built, and almost all of it was used to receive dignitaries and those fellow villagers who came to Sichuan to do business.

The reason why he sold the house to Han Si and only sold it for 6,000 taels was because he was not only buying and selling rice now, but also turned into a salt merchant with the arrival of Wu Wenxi.

Because of this, he hosted a banquet for Wu Wenxi's friend Zhang Dejian for three days.

From Zhang Dejian, I overheard that Han Si and the Wu family not only have a relationship, but also have a good relationship. Not only the small family of Wu Wenxi of the salt tea ceremony, but even the small family of Wu Wenrong, the governor of Huguang, is all taken care of by Han Si. I also heard that Duan Jiqing wanted to help Han Si change his house, so he personally came to Duan Jiqing early the next morning to talk to Duan Jiqing about this "money-loss" deal.

This kind of cheap delivery to the door, Duan Jiqing did not take advantage of nothing, took out the silver from the "Rishengchang" Baxian branch, sent it to the merchant's house, got the deed, and called more than a dozen porters to start helping his daughter move.

My sister has never lived in such a good house, Qin'er has never lived, holding the dog egg to see the front yard to see the back hall, after reading the back hall to see the wing, here has climbed to the upstairs, pushed open the window to look outside, and then pushed open the window facing west and leaned over and shouted: "Dad, you can see the Chuanjiang River upstairs!" ”

"What's so nice about Chuanjiang, be careful of the baby, hold it and don't fall."

"Oh."

Thinking that his little grandson hadn't been weaned yet, and he had no milk to eat after moving over, Duan Jiqing raised his head again and said, "Qin'er, what's Aunt Wang's sister-in-law's name?" ”

"It's called Hongying, what do you ask her to do?" Qin'er hugged the dog and walked to the window again.

"I'll go back and discuss with her later, and ask her if she's willing to move in," Duan Jiqing looked up and said with a smile while beckoning Second Master Fei to have tea: "If she is willing to come and be the nurse of my dog, she won't have to go back to the countryside when the dog is weaned, and she will do things here in the future, let her baby play with my dog, and when she is older, she will be a scholar for my dog." In short, as long as she wants, we will not treat her badly. ”

Thinking that now that the family has money, there is no need to save so much, and his father is such a big official, if he is as small as before, he will be laughed at, Qin'er muttered: "Hongying must be willing, she used to joke with me like this, but what should her man do when she moves over?" ”

"Let her men come to the city, I will help her men find an errand, as long as they are willing to come, it is better than farming in the countryside."

"Okay, I'll ask when I get back later."

After their father and daughter finished talking about family affairs, Second Master Fei put down the teacup and sighed: "Duan Jingcheng, I will say that Zhixing has a bright future, it has only been a long time, and he has already been promoted to two Huaiyun vice-presidents!" ”

"Thanks to your old blessing, if it weren't for your old support in the capital, my family's ambition would be where it is today?"

"Duan Jingcheng, you really lifted me up by saying this. I'm not afraid of your jokes, not only do I not have the ability to carry Zhixing, but I have received a lot of favors from Zhixing! ”

"Second master, why are you talking about this again?" Duan Jiqing's face was straight, and he said very seriously and sincerely: "I Duan Jiqing don't know anything else, I Duan Jiqing only know that if it weren't for your Second Master Fei, my family Zhixing wouldn't be able to do the first thing in the guild hall, and if I couldn't do the first thing in the guild hall, there wouldn't be so many adults, and Zhixing wouldn't be where I am today." ”

"Words are serious, words are serious, I am Rang Xian."

"Okay, okay, we're not polite, okay?"

"Okay, the family doesn't say a word, let's say something else."

Duan Jiqing smiled, put down the teacup and sighed: "Second master, you always know about Pan Changsheng and the big head, but I didn't expect these two babies to come out." The day before yesterday, the government of the government transferred two official documents from Beijing to the county government, one from the Ministry of Officials and one from the Ministry of War. ”

"Pan Er and Datou are all officials?" Second Master Fei couldn't believe that this was true, and looked surprised.

"All the officials, as soon as I received the news, I sent someone to Zoumagang to report the news, calculate the time, the shopkeeper Pan will arrive from noon to the afternoon, so it is better to say that you are old and come early, and celebrate when the shopkeeper Pan arrives."

"The second child of his family can follow Zhixing on an errand, and his Pan family can have today, it is really the ancestral tomb that is smoking!"

"Shopkeeper Pan was still worried that the money he lent to Zhixing's uncle would not come back, I bet he must regret borrowing less at that time, hahahaha."

"Really, really." Second Master Fei couldn't help but laugh.

After Duan Jiqing finished laughing, he said regretfully: "It's a pity that Datou's father and mother died early, if they are all still alive, they will definitely be happy to see Datou so promising." ”

"I remember that the big head baby seems to have a grandfather in Ba County."

"There is one, it turned out to be a porter on the dock, and when he saw that the big head had no father and no mother, he adopted the big head, pulled the big head big, and depended on the big head on the dock. It's a pity that I got sick in March and couldn't survive it, people live for 70 years, and it is considered a long life to live to be 70 years old, but I didn't see the day when I was born. ”

People are afraid of death when they are old, Second Master Fei doesn't want to talk about this topic anymore, and he doesn't know what to say, Duan Jiqing suddenly asked: "Second Master, how are you doing during this time?" ”

"It's hard to put into words."

"What's wrong?"

When he mentioned these, Second Master Fei felt uncomfortable, looked at Duan Jiqing and said with great envy: "The world is declining, the world is hot and cold, and now there are fewer and fewer descendants who are as filial as Zhixing and so affectionate." Speaking of which, it's also blamed on my lack of interest, although I won the move, I didn't get a half-official position, and I didn't earn much money. The insider left early, and he had no children under his knees, so he deserved not to be treated by his nephews and daughters-in-law. ”

"They dare to be unfilial!"

"Family ugliness should not be publicized, don't say it, don't say it."

Fei Erye can guess a few points without saying Duan Jiqing, and he thinks that future human relations are indispensable. For example, last month, Yongchuan's Huang Kaiji Huang returned to his hometown from the post of the prefect of Taiwan, and when he passed through Ba County, he couldn't go to Chaotianmen Wharf to meet him because of something, and felt that there was a lack of someone at home who could help with entertainment, so he couldn't help but propose: "Second master, don't go back to Bishan if you are old." ”

"Duan Jingcheng, what are you kidding, where else can I go if I don't go back to Bishan?"

"You don't have to go anywhere, just help Zhixing here."

"Zhixing is far away as an official in Taizhou, what can he do at home?" Second Master Fei asked puzzled.

Duan Jiqing explained with a smile: "If Zhixing is at home, then there is no need to ask for your help. It is precisely because he is not at home that he can't afford to be without someone who can help him deal with those things on the scene. If you think about it, Qin'er is a daughter, and even if you don't have to bring a baby, it's inconvenient to show up. I have a lot of things outside, even if I don't do side tea business, it is not suitable for me to go to many official things. After all, I have been in the government for so many years, and everyone knows me, and everyone knows that I Duan Jiqing not only has no fame, but also has been a Xu official. ”

"But ......"

"It's nothing, second master, you are not only a master, but your friendship with Zhixing is also well known, and you will come forward on behalf of Zhixing about those official things, and no one will say anything irresponsible. Besides, the dog has grown up in a blink of an eye, and the wish of Zhixing is not known to others, and you must know it, so he expects the dog to study hard in the future and gain a reputation. I haven't been admitted to the exam myself, and I can't teach it well, and I have taught my own son, but I don't dare to teach dogs, and I don't worry about asking others to teach me, it's not the same when you're old, but I don't have to worry about it, and I don't even have to worry about the dog's studies. ”

Second Master Fei has had enough of his nephew and daughter-in-law's anger in the past half a year, and he doesn't want to go back to his hometown in Bishan in his heart, the reason why he didn't nod just now is because he doesn't want to be favored by Han Si anymore, and he doesn't want to live that kind of life under the fence.

Hearing Duan Jiqing's words, he suddenly found that staying here could really help Han Si, not relying on other people's poor food to eat, and said with a smile: "Dog's studies are really not a trivial matter, Duan Jingcheng, since you have talked about this, then I won't go back, but you have to send someone to help me talk to my nephews." ”

"Great, you can put down the affairs of your hometown, and I will help you arrange it properly."

As he was talking, the shopkeeper of Zoumagang "Tongxingdang" Pan followed Guan Bantou into the courtyard, and as soon as he crossed the threshold, he arched his hand and said: "Duan Jingcheng, Duan Jingcheng, Pan is late, please forgive me." ”

"Forgive me for the crime, come on, come on, I've seen Master Fei first."

Only then did the shopkeeper Pan notice that Second Master Fei was also there, and hurriedly bowed down.

After a pleasantry, sit down to eat tea and get down to business.

The shopkeeper Pan had already heard from the official who sent the letter that the second son had been promoted, but he didn't know the details, and learned that although the second son was an alternate salt transportation department, he was different from those alternate officials who were waiting for the commission's trial.

"Shopkeeper Pan, the family doesn't say a word, let's talk about such a happy event."

"Duan Jingcheng, I'm not afraid of your jokes, my Pan family has such an official as Changsheng, I really don't understand what to do, I listen to you and Master Fei everything, I will do what you two say I should do!" It was really the ancestral tomb that was smoking, and the shopkeeper Pan was a little incoherent with excitement.

Duan Jiqing looked back at Second Master Fei, put down the teacup and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Pan, don't hide it, Zhixing did the official document from the Wupinyun Deputy early, we were going to go to Zoumagang, set up a few tables of wine, and invite all the neighbors of Zhixing's hometown, Baozheng, Jiachang and Zhixing's hometown, to help Zhixing Guangzong and his ancestors, help my in-laws to hold up their face, and make my in-laws and mother-in-laws happy, and later the pillar said that Zhixing's hometown has a few rooms, and we all go to not only can't live, but there is no place to put wine." In addition, I have been busy changing this house these days, and it has been delayed until today. ”

"Do you have to do it in the country? Is it okay to be on the job? Shopkeeper Pan asked eagerly.

"Naturally, it is necessary to operate in the countryside, and how to glorify the ancestors on the post."

"It must be done in the countryside, but there is nothing to do in the countryside, and it is really a little troublesome for a while."

"So I want to invite you to come over and discuss it together," Duan Jiqing smiled, and then changed the conversation: "We originally planned to take the dog egg to worship the ancestors first, and then set up a few tables of wine, set off some cannons, and send some happy money to those babies in the neighborhood, but then I thought about it, it was too simple." Zhixing is now from the five products, the glory of the ancestors to have the appearance of the ancestors, the family tree must be repaired, the ancestral hall is also to be built, and so on in the future to seek grace to build a memorial arch, but whether to build the ancestral hall or to build the archway, and for a while and a half will have money can not buy the land! ”

Shopkeeper Pan reacted suddenly, and hurriedly said: "Duan Jingcheng, why didn't you say it earlier, it's not easy to buy land!" I have more than 100 acres of thin fields in the countryside, of which 46 acres are not far from Zhixing's hometown. If you can see it, I will give those forty-six acres to Zhixing. ”

"No, no, no, how can Zhixing ask for your Pan family's field in vain!"

"Duan Jingcheng, if I didn't have the ambition to help, my parents and students could have today, and my Pan family could have today? Forty acres of land can be worth a few dollars, it should be regarded as a congratulatory gift, if you don't want it, you will look down on me. ”

"Shopkeeper Pan, listen to me, I received your heart on behalf of Zhixing, but this land must not be in vain, what kind of person is my family Zhixing, if I really want your land for nothing, he will not be happy if he knows."

"Yes, shopkeeper Pan, Zhixing will not ask for your land in vain." Second Master Fei thought so.

If the land is gone, there is a chance to buy it again, and if the favor is gone, it will really be gone, how can the shopkeeper Pan miss this opportunity, and said eagerly: "The price is five hundred taels, Duan Jingcheng, this is always okay, right?" ”

"I know the market of the fields in the countryside, and now one acre of land costs twenty taels at least, and it can't be made up for thirty taels. Shopkeeper Pan, forty-six acres of land are only sold for five hundred taels is too little, and I, Duan Jiqing, can't let you suffer. ”

"Six hundred taels, six hundred taels, it can't be more!"

"It is said that the price is all over the place to sit on the ground and pay back, shopkeeper Pan, how can you do this business? I know this is a piece of your heart, if you don't appreciate it at all, you will definitely not feel comfortable in your heart, so let's do it, just a thousand taels. ”

"One thousand taels is too much, eight hundred taels at most."

"Shopkeeper Pan, if you do this again, I won't buy it from you, I don't believe that there is silver that can't buy land!"

"Okay, good, it's just a thousand taels."

"That's right," Duan Jiqing arched his hand, secretly thinking that this big gift must be liked by his in-laws, and when he got to the countryside, he would see if his son-in-law's nephews were the material for studying, if those babies were smart and motivated, he would send them to study in the academy in Zoumagang, in short, the son-in-law was not at home, but the son-in-law's hometown affairs must be helped by his father-in-law.