The twenty-sixth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty.

On the fifth day of the fifth month of May, Duanyang Festival.

This should have been an auspicious day for dragon boat racing and paper kites, but at this moment, it was a bleak scene in Dinghai County, Ningbo Prefecture, Daming Zhejiang Chengxuan.

The streets were deserted, and there was no sign of the hawkers who were shouting at their throats on weekdays. The city gates in various parts of the county are closed, and on both sides of the city gate are notices posted by the government: in order to prevent the robbery of the Japanese robbers, the county seat of Dinghai will be closed for ten days from now on. Men, women, and children were not allowed to leave the city. Violators will be punished according to the general punishment.

At this moment, in the northeast corner of the county, Xu Chen, the mother of the Xu family, was pacing in the flower hall, shaking her head and sighing from time to time.

"This widow didn't come early, he didn't come late, but he came at this time, isn't this adding to the chaos!" She coughed as she spoke. Xu was coughing too quickly and too strongly, she covered her chest with one hand, and came to an official hat chair with her back bent and sat down.

Beside her, a young man in a pale cyan shirt hurriedly took a few steps forward and respectfully delivered a cup of hot tea to her.

"Mother, don't worry too much, this widow is like a gust of wind, it comes and goes quickly. The county is strong and clear, and the Japanese will not be able to reap the benefits, and they will leave in a few days. ”

Xu Chen took a sip of the teacup and sighed: "I hope so, the business can be pushed back, as long as the family is safe." Your father is still in Hangzhou Mansion, and he can't come back now. Fortunately, Brother Qiu, you have grown up, otherwise my mother is really worried. Stay at home honestly these days, and don't go out on the streets. Oh yes, you sent someone to Mr. Wu to take a leave of absence, and said that the homework for the past few days will be made up when the Japanese are gone. and then send this year's bundle to his old man's hand. Mr. Wu is a great Confucian and your teacher, so you must not be lazy. ”

It turned out that the Xu family was a well-known wealthy merchant in Ningbo, mainly engaged in silk and grain business. The Xu family is very close to the big businessmen in Hangzhou and Huzhou. Don't talk about Dinghai County, that is, the silk and grain business of the entire Ningbo Prefecture, and the Xu family accounts for at least half of the share. Not long ago, Xu Huaiyuan, the head of the Xu family, had just received a big order, and he wanted to make a big profit, but he caught up with the troubles, and it was impossible to transport the goods he received into Ningbo for sale, but the money had been paid, and the Xu family had to bear the losses during the period. Xu Huaiyuan is now living in Hangzhou Mansion like a year. If Dinghai County is really closed for ten days as the government said, if it is closed for a month or two, then the loss of the Xu family will be too great.

This young man is Xu Huaiyuan's only son, Xu Yan. Because he was born in autumn, his name is Brother Qiu. Although Xu Yan is now fifteen years old, in private, the grandmother of the Xu family still likes to call him by his name.

Xu Yan bowed his head slightly when he heard this, and responded in a harmonious voice: "The child knows." ”

Xu Chen waved his hand and said, "Go down." ”

Xu Yan respectfully bowed to Xu Chen, and then retreated.

Leaving the flower hall, Xu Yan walked all the way along the verandah, passing through the two moon gates before coming to his courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, the scholar greeted him.

"Young master, has Madame figured it out?"

Shuangxi is about the same age as Xu Yan, but his body is obviously very thin, dressed in a green coat and a small hat, as if he is about to fall down when the wind blows.

Xu Yan bowed slightly: "Mother has figured it out, but we still have to take precautions." ”

Shuangxi scratched his head and said, "Isn't this wolf here to show off his might?" What is there to prevent? ”

Xu Yan paused and said, "How long will we have enough fruits and vegetables at home?" ”

"Huh? That's what I can't ask me about. However, it is estimated that ten days and a half months will definitely be enough. ”

Xu Yan frowned, and it took a long time before he let out a breath.

"That's not going to work, you go and talk to the butler quickly, at least make up for a month."

"This ......"

Shuangxi said with an embarrassed face: "Young master, what are we going to do when we buy so many fruits, vegetables and vegetables in one go?" These things are not like grain, you can buy them after eating, they are still fresh, aren't they? ”

Xu Yan shook his head and said, "If you don't say it, then I'll go." ”

With that, he flicked the sleeves of his robe and walked towards the courtyard where the housekeeper Xu Bin was.

Xu Bin's courtyard is not far from Xu Yan's courtyard, and Xu Yan has been pacing for a short time.

Xu Bin was tending to the flowers and plants in the yard, and when he saw his young master coming, he hurriedly put down his work and walked forward quickly.

"Young Master, why are you here in person? What is the order to send someone to call? ”

This Xu Bin has a short figure and extremely small eyes. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into a slit.

"The stakes are high, and I have to explain it to you personally."

Seeing his young master's solemn look, Xu Bin also smiled and made a deaf look.

"Young Master, please speak."

"How long will the fruits and vegetables in the house be enough to eat?"

Xu Bin was stunned when he heard this, obviously he didn't expect this high-ranking young master to care about these trivial matters.

After all, even if it's short, no one's meal can be short, Xu Yan.

"Ah, ten days must be enough."

Xu Bin rolled his eyes and replied very respectfully.

But this answer is not satisfactory to Xu Yan.

"Too little."

Xu Yan shook his head: "You quickly send people to buy more and come back, at least to ensure the stock of one month." ”

Xu Bin was extremely puzzled, but he still smiled and said: "Young master, the fruits and vegetables in our house have always been prepared for about ten days, and we will buy them when we are almost finished." This is the rule set by the master..."

Xu Yan saw that the housekeeper took out his father to press him, and he sneered in his heart.

"Why, is it useless for my young master to speak? Now that the Japanese are raging, the county has ordered the city to be closed, so what if you don't have enough to eat by then? If you're worried about storage, buy more shelf-stable cabbage. ”

After all, Xu Bin is just a housekeeper, and when he saw that his young master said so much, he immediately smiled and said, "Look at what you said, isn't it just to save more fruits and vegetables, I'll do it." ”

After saying that, Xu Bin gave a deep salute to Xu Yan and wanted to turn around and leave.

"Wait!"

"What else does the young master command?"

"Check how much grain is still in the grain store's cabinet, and report a number to me."

"I'll do it."

Xu Yan looked at Xu Bin's back and gradually moved away, and sighed.

The reason why he asked Xu Bin to prepare more fruits and vegetables was naturally not because of panic, but because he knew that this plague would last for nearly a month.

Of course, Xu Yan can't be unpredictable, he can make such a judgment because his soul comes from the afterlife at this moment.

The incident happened half a month ago, when the young master of the Xu family contracted a cold, the high fever did not go away, and the person was also unconscious.

Xu Chen invited several Lang Zhong to heal his son. But at this time, Xu Yan is no longer the original Xu Yan, his soul comes from a history professor with the same name and surname as him in later generations.

This Xu Yan specializes in the history of the Jiajing Dynasty in the Ming Dynasty, especially the local government and county records of Ningbo.

He once clearly remembered that the Dinghai County Chronicles clearly recorded that a major event occurred in May of the 26th year of Jiajing, and the Japanese invaders ravaged the coastal areas of Ningbo Mansion for a month!

Of course, what he said to Xu Chen was some words of relief, but when he learned that there was a shortage of fruits and vegetables at home, Xu Yan couldn't sit still.

If you want to buy the fruits and vegetables in Fuzhong after ten days, it will be sky-high. So no matter what, Xu Yan also had to let Xu Bin save enough for a month to prevent problems.

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