At the beginning of December of the 16th year of Fengle, a heavy snowfall came, turning most of Huazhou into a white and reckless area. Wealthy people can ride donkeys in cars and enjoy the snow, while ordinary people have to worry about whether the roof will be crushed by the snow. Compared with last year, this year's snow is not heavy, and with last year's experience, the officials and officials, accompanied by the village elders and village officials, went to the door to register the disaster, and the money and food for relief were quickly arrived. This year, the granaries of the yamen in each county are full, and the silver taels for disaster relief do not need to be paid out of the pockets of the counties, but only need to be disbursed, and the government will deduct them in the year-end solution.

After seven or eight days of busyness, it was the turn of the tenth day of December to take a break, Jiang Anyi was finally able to take a breath, sit in the warm pavilion in the courtyard of the back house, drink a little wine, listen to a little song to relax.

The flute and piano sounded together, Tong'er who played the flute, and it was Xin Fei who played the piano. Tong'er stood outside the pavilion, wearing a yellow brocade dress, covered with a silver-white long fur, concentrating on the, flying snow lingering around her, Jiang Anyi couldn't help but think of the scene in Xu Yuan again, and the comment of "Snow loses three colors, Mason two points of fragrance" came to mind again. Compared with the past, Tong'er looks thinner, a little less lively and more cold, and in the wind and snow, it is more and more like a plum blooming in the snow, which is lovely.

After the song was played, Jiang Anyi poured two glasses of wine and said with a smile: "The clouds rise and the snow flies, like the sound of heaven." The weather is cold and the snow is cold, and it is cold to drink a glass of hot wine. Xinfei and Tong'er glanced at each other and raised their glasses to drink.

Tong'er stepped into the warm pavilion from outside the pavilion, the pavilion was surrounded by brocade curtains, and there were two pots of charcoal fire in the corner, which were as warm as spring. Tong'er took off the long fur she was wearing and handed it to the maid on the side, her long hair spilling from the hat, gentle as a waterfall. The surface of the long fur is silvery white, smooth and supple, and the tip of the hair flashes blue light when you look closely, Tong'er was standing in the snow just now, and there was not a single snowflake on it. Xin Fei smiled: "This fur fur looks very expensive, where did my sister get it?" ”

"A few years ago, I took care of my family's business in Nanyang and bought it from Wala Country", Tong'er replied with a smile: "This is the silver rat skin of Wala Country, the silver rat is alert by nature, it is very rare, and you can't catch a few in a year." Nearly 200 pieces of silver rat skin were used for this coat, which could not be made without twenty years of accumulation. If your sister likes it, she will give it to you. ”

"Yo, I can't afford such a valuable thing, so my sister should keep it for herself." Xin Fei sneered.

Listening to the meaning of the sword faintly coming out of the words, Jiang Anyi felt a headache, the blessings of Qi people are not enjoyable, at this time, Jiang Anyi missed the gentle Dong'er as much as water. Some time ago, I received a letter from home, and Dong'er said that when the weather is warm, she will take Zhi'er to Huazhou after the year, and she will be reconciled in the middle, and the atmosphere at home may be better.

In the gentle gaze of his wife and concubine, Jiang Anyi raised his glass and drank it all.

Jiang Chenxing's cry came from the house, and Xinfei stood up and said, "Xing'er is awake, I'll go and see." Sister, you sit with Jiang Lang for a while. ”

Xin Fei left, and Tong'er also stood up and said, "It's not too early, Jiang Lang, you can send me back." ”

Jiang Anyi took the fur fur and put it on for Tong'er, and the long fur tentacles were gentle and smooth, without the stiff feeling of other furs. Jiang Anyi thought to himself, his mother's legs felt uncomfortable in winter, and he had to pay attention to buying a few good clothes for his mother. There are cattle and sheep in Huazhou, which produce fur and leather, and the fur made by craftsmen with leather nitrate tanning is easy to stiffen, and it is far less soft than the fur on Tong'er's body to the touch.

Tong'er didn't live in the back house, the Li family bought a five-entry house for her not far from the mansion, from the servants at home to the furniture purchase, the flowers and plants were all handled by the Li family, Xinfei also wanted to help buy some things, but Li Yunxia, the housekeeper sent by the Li family, refused, and said that it was the mother's will at every turn, so angry that Xinfei left it alone. After going through ups and downs, Tong'er looked down on these, and the next day after getting married, she came with Jiang Anyi to meet Xinfei, handed tea and shouted "sister".

However, the Li family's style showed the meaning of rebellion, which made Xinfei very unhappy, although she was very polite to Tong'er on the surface, she was very rejective in her bones, which was completely different from her attitude towards Dong'er. Siyu couldn't help but ridicule when she saw Tong'er, Tong'er smiled indifferently and didn't hear it, Xinfei looked at Jiang Anyi's face and secretly persuaded Siyu a few times. Siyu was angry, and he couldn't see it, so he took a few female guards and ran to Hecheng County, and went to train the soldiers with Jiang Anyong.

The distance was very close, Jiang Anyi and Tong'er did not take the car, and when they went out of the back house, Tong'er naturally held Jiang Anyi's arm. A faint fragrance came, Tong'er exhaled like an orchid, and whispered into Jiang Anyi's ear, "Jiang Lang, why doesn't Sister Xinfei like me?" ”

Tong'er Bingxue is smart and can feel Xinfei's coldness, but Jiang Anyi doesn't know how to answer, so he can't complain about the Li family's approach in front of Tong'er.

"Jiang Lang doesn't have to be embarrassed, I know that Sister Xinfei blames me for taking Jiang Lang's heart", Tong'er's faint voice came from her ears, "Tong'er doesn't want to compete with Sister Xinfei for Jiang Lang's heart, I am already very happy to be by Jiang Lang's side in this life, God has mercy on me, and if I want to ask for it again, it is not enough to have people's hearts." ”

Jiang Anyi's heart was sour, and he said apologetically: "Tong'er, it's none of your business, it's me who is inattentive and makes you embarrassed." ”

Tong'er turned her head and leaned on Jiang Anyi's shoulder, and the two snuggled tightly together, quietly walking through the snowstorm.

The plaque in the mansion reads Jiang Mansion, and Jiang Anyi feels like a guest every time he steps here, which is probably similar to the feeling of entering the princess's mansion. Except for Tong'er, everything here seems unfamiliar, the unfamiliar servants, the unfamiliar arrangements, including the salutations of the family members all make Jiang Anyi feel that he is a son-in-law who comes to the door, polite and distant.

The housekeeper Li Yunxia hurriedly greeted with two servants, and after seeing the two, she bowed slightly, and said, "Miss, uncle, you are finally back, someone from the family has come." "Li Yunxia is a member of the Li family, she returned to the Li family after being widowed, she is Tong'er's aunt according to her generation, and she took Tong'er for a while when she was a child, so Tong'er was very polite to her.

"Who's coming?" Tong'er asked with a smile. Married far away to Huazhou, Tong'er was very happy to hear that her mother's family was coming.

"The fourth and sixteenth masters came here at noon, and I was about to send someone to invite you back." Li Yunxia led the way in front, and whispered, "Miss, I didn't say you, there is a big mess at home, you don't always run to the mansion, the fourth master and the sixteenth master have been waiting for you for a long time, this is a lot of delay." Uncle, it's not me saying you, Miss is newly married, you should be more considerate and considerate, take her around on this snowy day, and don't even have a car, what if it freezes? ”

Jiang Anyi's brows furrowed, Tong'er noticed Jiang Anyi's unhappiness, and interrupted Li Yunxia's words: "Aunt Xia, I'm coming, what's the matter with the fourth brother and the sixteenth brother coming to Huazhou?" ”

The Li family is a family that has been inherited for hundreds of years, and Tong'er's generation is the word "east", and Li Dongfeng, the seventeenth grandfather of Li Shicheng, who has seen in Jiang'an Yi Zechang Academy, is this ranking. Tong'er introduced Jiang Anyi softly: "The fourth brother's name is Li Dongxiang, who is my uncle's son, and the sixteenth brother's name is Li Donghai, who is my second brother-in-law. ”

Tong'er had a smile on her face, but she was uneasy in her heart, these two people must have come for the family's business. Before marrying Jiang Anyi, the uncle and his father told him that the Western Regions trade route would be handed over to him in the future, and the family would take out 20% of the dividends as a reward for their own business, and now the business is still in its infancy, what will the clan send the fourth and sixteenth brothers to do?

In the past, he had taken care of the Nanyang business, and it was doing well, but the clansmen were red-eyed and intervened on the grounds that they were married daughters, including the fourth brother and his own second brother.

Tong'er's willow eyebrows were raised, and she glanced at her husband beside her, now it is not the past, she has married into the Jiang family, and her husband is with her husband, it is impossible to let her mother's family toss around, everyone follows the rules, Jiang Lang will naturally help each other, if her mother's family only thinks about profit, and even wants to use Jiang Lang's signboard to do some illegal things, then she will never allow it, and she would rather not divide the profits, and the Li family's business will not be touched.

In the study, Li Dongxiang and Li Donghai were holding Erlang's legs, snorting watermelon seeds, and there were a lot of melon seed shells piled up on the desk, and it seemed that the waiting time was not short. Watermelon is spread from the Western Regions, widely planted in Huazhou Every summer, you can see bare-legged children in the streets and alleys of Huazhou, holding a piece of leftover melon skin in their hands, sticking melon seeds on the ground, cleaning them after returning home, adding a little salt and drying them to the top of the hospital.

Tong'er Xijie frowned when she saw the melon seed shell on the table, and she didn't make a sound when she thought of the two brothers coming from afar, and said with a smile: "Fourth brother, Donghai, when did you arrive, why don't you say it in advance, I'll prepare first." ”

Seeing Jiang Anyi behind Tong'er, the two stood up, nodded at Jiang Anyi, and called "brother-in-law", Jiang Anyi returned the salute and sat down again. Jiang Anyi looked at the two, Li Dongxiang had passed the age of standing, Tong'er's brother was less than thirty, both of them had faces like crowned jade, short beards, and looked elegant. Both of them were wearing light cyan brocade robes, covered with snow-white fox furs, with auspicious clouds and wide-brimmed brocade belts around their waists, and inlaid with beautiful jade in the middle.

After chatting a few words without being salty, Tong'er asked, "Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, how can the two elder brothers have time to come to Huiye Mansion?" ”

Li Dongxiang and Li Donghai glanced at each other, and Li Donghai said: "Sister, we have brought a batch of goods over, and the head of the family asked us when the business will start by the way?" ”

The Li family planned to export porcelain, silk, tea, and medicinal herbs to the Western Regions, and then buy spices, carpets, gold, silver, and bronze utensils, and jade from the Western Regions. Tong'er inquired about the market information from Guo Huaili and learned that most of the businessmen did this, the market was saturated, and the Li family could only get a point from the pie, and it was impossible to make huge profits.

Tong'er has done business with Nanyang, and knows that if you want to make money, you have to do your own business, like Jiang Lang's perfume and Guo Huaili's rock candy, these things are unique and expensive. Tong'er took Li Yunxia and the steward sent by the family to the border market, and also to the shops in the streets and alleys, and when Guo Huaili came to eat, the two discussed the business experience, Tong'er already had a preliminary plan in her heart, and she would start to act after the New Year. During this time ago, Tong'er just wanted to enjoy the happiness of being newly married.

Tong'er was not in a hurry, but the Li family was a little anxious, and the head of the family, Li Mingde, looked at the account reported by the tent and twisted several beards. The Li family is weak in the court, some of the family's monopoly business has someone put their hand in, Nanyang trade has stopped, the second brother Li Mingxing is a little disheartened because of Tong'er's affairs, and no longer comes forward to run the family's business, the younger generation of people are fighting for the head of the blood, one by one full of confidence, the real operation is not to take care of the private pocket or the eyes are high, seeing that the New Year will be in another month and a half, the silver in the account is beyond the means, and some facades are almost unable to hold on.

Li Mingde sighed for a long time, the Li family has a big business, and when the wind is smooth, everyone works together, once the money is not distributed to each room at the end of the year, I am afraid that someone will make trouble to divide the family, if it is really divided, it means that the Li family is really going to lose, and it is difficult to improve.

The account room is also a member of the Li family, the old man Li Shishui is not Li Mingde's uncle, he knows the pain of the patriarch best, and thought about it: "The girl Tong married in Huizhou, and the things to marry are forty or fifty thousand taels, and the clan will definitely gossip if they know it." Mingde, do you want Mingxing to take out some money to help out, he used to manage the family's business, and he should still have some money on hand. ”

Just now, Li Mingde showed him a letter sent by Li Yunxia from Huiye Mansion, reporting the cost of Tong'er's marriage, and nearly 10,000 taels of silver were spent on buying a house, buying a shop, and hiring people, and this money had to go to the public account of the clan. A few years ago, Wan put two pieces of silver in the eyes of the Li family, but now it is really a bit stretched.

Li Mingde shook his head and sighed: "The clan owes Tong girl, that bit of silver is nothing compared to what she earned back from Nanyang, at the beginning, the old six and eight, the third and the fourth, and the fifth and their gang were clamoring to take over the business from the Tong girl, but it turned out to be a money-losing business in their hands, and it was really a guy who had more than enough success." Tong Yatou married Jiang Anyi, it was a marriage given by her mother, on the surface it was Niangniang's favor to the Li family, but in fact, it was for the sake of Jiang Anyi's face, Tong Yatou went to Huazhou and was not a wife, Jiang Anyi's wife was the supervisor of Long Wei, and the clan always had to support her façade, so that she could speak in front of Jiang Anyi, and the business in the Western Regions was still counting on Jiang Anyi's help. ”

Li Shishui sighed, helpless for the incompetence of the younger generations, maybe this is the end of the family, there is no one in the follow-up, Tong Yatou is capable, but unfortunately it is a daughter, married away to Huazhou, became a foreign surname, the family is ready to rely on her to open up the Western Regions trade route, I hope that next year I can get some money from the Western Regions Road, alleviate the crisis of the family.

Far water can't quench the thirst of the near, Li Mingde frowned and wondered if he could find some valuable things from the warehouse and let people go to the warehouse first, and then redeem them after the New Year, but this matter must be kept absolutely confidential, and if the news leaks, the Li family's face will be lost.

Just when there was nothing to do, Li Dongxiang came. Li Dongxiang is Li Mingde's second son, in charge of the family's three porcelain kilns, Li Mingde saw him salute himself with a sad face, and an ominous feeling rose in his heart, and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Sure enough, Li Dongxiang told his father that several old customers informed him that they would not buy from the Li family's porcelain kiln next year. The porcelain kiln business can bring 50,000 or 60,000 taels of income to the clan every year, and it also provides work for many people in the side branches.

"What's going on?" Li Mingde was furious and asked.

"I've inquired, Juhexuan and they plan to get the goods from the southeast, and the price they give is twenty percent lower than mine." Li Dongxiang responded.

"In the southeast, you mean those porcelain kilns in Huangzhou", Li Mingde sneered, "How can the goods they produce compare with us, even if the price is two percent lower, it can't compare with us." ”

Li Dongxiang didn't dare to make a sound, his own kiln factory was dug up by two craftsmen, and now the porcelain produced in Huangzhou is not under his own.

Li Mingde saw that his son lowered his head and didn't dare to look at himself, he was suspicious in his heart, and asked: "Beast, are you hiding something from me, don't you say it quickly." ”

Li Dongxiang couldn't deny it, so he had to tell the truth, Li Mingde was angry and annoyed, and fell heavily on the circle chair. If you don't know how expensive oil and salt are, Li Mingde took over the Li family from his father and became the patriarch, which was when the Li family began to decline. Although he tried his best to support it, he still heard a lot of rumors, saying that he was incompetent, and the Li family was not as good as a day in his hands, and it was better to let Xian.

After one blow after another, Li Mingde finally collapsed, lying sick in bed, and the doctor told him to recuperate. Li Shicheng is the younger brother of the former patriarch Li Shiyou, and the second uncle of Li Mingde.

After listening to the news that Li Shishui reported that there was no money in the account room and that the New Year was difficult, Li Shicheng immediately decided to send someone to send a batch of goods to Huazhou, and raise money for the New Year after selling them. This is obviously to fight the autumn wind, Li Mingxing said with a bitter face: "Second uncle, Tong'er just married to Huazhou, and she is not familiar with life, how can she have such great ability to sell out the goods at once." And I listened to the price you offered, Second Uncle, which is one point higher than the usual price, isn't it embarrassing Tong'er? ”

Li Shishui smiled "quack" and said: "Tong'er, this girl is capable, these little things can't help her, besides, her husband Jiang Anyi is the assassin of Huazhou, and she is not a one-handed person in Huazhou, and she can sell the goods by any Hu merchant." ”

Seeing that Li Mingxing was about to speak, Li Shishui glared and said, "Tong'er marries Huazhou, I approve of it." In order to make her marry well, the clan has spent a lot of money before and after, I just heard Shi Shui say that there are at least fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver. Although she is married, she is always a member of our old Li family, and her family is so poor that she can't open the pot, so she can't see death without saving her. ”

The other clansmen have heard that they can't get any money in the New Year, and they have long been red-eyed, why did your daughter spend so much silver on her marriage, and we had to be hungry, and they all spoke out in favor of Li Shicheng's decision. Li Shicheng felt that being the patriarch was so simple, and he saw Mingde's careful calculation and conscientiousness on weekdays, how could he be so bold and happy.

It was Li Dongxiang and Li Donghai who were sent to Huazhou, Li Dongxiang was going to sell out the backlog of porcelain, as for Li Donghai was Tong'er's own brother, Li Shicheng asked him to talk well, of course, he also sold some silk by the way, Li Shicheng planned to get back at least more than 100,000 taels of silver from Huazhou, and let the clansmen have a good year, so that everyone could see that their generation of patriarchs was much stronger than the patriarch.