Yizhou, Daotai Mansion, partial hall.

Today, Zheng Hu sent New Year's goods from Jiangning, and Cao Hao set up a table here to pick him up, and called Wei Hei and Cao Fang to accompany him.

After the wine and food came up, Cao Hao put a pot of hot tea in his hand, and asked the waiter on the side to fill the three people sitting with wine.

Hearing that he was in Jiangning from Guangzhou Mansion after Laba, Cao Hao said: "In such a hurry, you didn't rest much in Jiangning, so you went north!" Why bother, it's just to escort a few carts of things, and it's a peaceful year, and there is nothing to hinder on the road, just send others here! ”

Zheng Hu laughed twice, touched his head and said: "I originally calculated to arrive in Jiangning at the end of winter, but I didn't think about it, the road was delayed, and it only arrived on the eighth day of the first month!" Coming north to Shandong, in addition to asking for peace and sending New Year's goods, the tiger also has two things to ask the master to call the shots! ”

After listening to Zheng Hu's words, Cao Hao nodded and said, "That's the case, what is the matter, let's hear it?" ”

The other two at the table, Cao Fang is Zheng Hu's uncle and father-in-law, and Wei Hei is Cao Hao's confidant, and they are not outsiders. Zheng Hu didn't hesitate and said: "There was a time when it was about a little girl, she was twenty-two years old, and she was really old enough to leave the cabinet." The batch of beads last winter, after picking, the little girl went to Guangzhou, these masters know. For the whole year, she stayed by the side of the little one. This summer, it is said that the Wang family has children who have come over there to make a living, and they have done several transactions with our government. Later, the two went back and forth, and somehow, he fell in love with the little girl, so he asked someone to propose marriage. The little one doesn't know his details, and he hasn't asked his master, and he hasn't answered yet! ”

Hearing Zheng Hu mention his sister, for some reason, Cao Hao's eyes floated in front of the slightly stubborn woman who tried her best to retract her hand into her sleeve, and couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Zheng Hu and Cao Fang both looked at Cao Hao, looked at him silently, and neither spoke.

Wei Hei saw that everyone looked a little uncomfortable, and said to Zheng Hu with a smile: "You came up and talked about your own business, Lao Hei forgot to ask you, how is Wei Wu's kid?" But he still doesn't please his mother-in-law, I heard that he has several Nanyang mothers-in-law by his side, is he handsome? ”

Zheng Hu turned his head, looked at Wei Hei and said: "Master Wei, what I said, speaking of Nanyang mothers-in-law, all of them are black and thin, where is there a Jiangnan woman Shui Ling?" The fifth master is just hunting for curiosity, speaking of which, he treats those Oriental mothers-in-law, which is even rarer! ”

Wei Hei was also a character in Fengyue Field in his early years, all kinds of women, and he also saw a lot, but he only heard about Dongyang and Nanyang. I wanted to ask a few more questions, but I saw that Cao Fang was here, although Su said that he spoke and acted unscrupulously, but after all, he was Zheng Hu's elder, and it was inconvenient for Zheng Hu to talk about Fengyue.

Cao Hao was also surprised when he heard the Oriental and Nanyang people, and asked: "Over there in Guangzhou, there are Oriental and Nanyang people, but what about Westerners?" Wei Xin, this kid, didn't think about getting a Western woman, right? ”

Speaking of Wei Xin, he is really free, he is the youngest son in the family, the four elder brothers above support the portal, and he goes to Guangzhou to help Cao Hao take care of business, and the little son is very comfortable.

Cao Hao thought that he was working hard, and he had to guard against this and that, and he was very envious of Wei Xin's business life.

Zheng Hu said: "The master knows the surname of the fifth master, but he doesn't worry about it!" Later, there was a church that brought his female dependents to land in Guangzhou, and the fifth master went to see it, but he was bluffed, and the straight road was like a rakshasa, and he didn't mention it again! ”

A few words, and everyone laughed.

Cao Hao had a very good impression of Wang Lusheng, and even had a little good impression of this Zhao Wang family, but he also knew that there were many clans in places like this, with many children and different surnames, so it was not easy to comment at will, and asked: "The children of the Wang family, the descendants or the distant branches?" You came to Yizhou, but do you want to go to Yuezhao? ”

Zheng Hu looked at Cao Hao's expression as usual, and Fang said: "This still has to ask the master to be the master, if the master looks at this family business, then the tiger will go over to inquire." ”

Cao Hao shook his head and said, "If you don't have to say anything, with your own brother here, where do you need me to call the shots?" Speaking of this, he paused and said: "But since you ask me, I have to say a word, it is a lifelong event for Miss Zheng, even if you are a brother, don't be too rash, always ask her what she means, and it is only right to choose someone she is satisfied with." ”

Zheng Hu nodded and said, "Ye is right, the little one knows this reason, and he doesn't dare to make up his mind indiscriminately." That person's name is Wang Quantai, he was an official earlier, and he was the president of the guard, and when he mentioned the master, he also said that he had seen it! Because he is also from a pearl diving family, he has a past with Grandma Tiger's family, and the little girl can talk to him! ”

"It's him!" Cao Hao was a little surprised, and couldn't help but let out a surprise. For this Wang Quantai, he remembers, he is Wang Lusheng's cousin. When he inspected the pot in April, he came with his officers and soldiers. I heard that he was very brave, and the pot-burning Zhuangzi of Prince Jian of Daxing Town was directly sealed by him.

Then, when he heard that he had resigned due to illness, Cao Hao thought that he was afraid of retaliation from King Jian's mansion, so he sent a letter to Wang Lusheng, telling them not to worry about this matter.

Wang Lusheng replied that it was not because of the errand, and Cao Hao was still suspicious and uneasy for a long time. I really didn't expect that he went to Guangzhou, yes, the pearls of the Wang family were also sold to Nanyang.

Knowing that it was him, Cao Hao was also a little relieved, and said with a smile: "Well, it's time to inquire carefully, it just happened that the New Year gift of the Wang family has arrived, you take a break, and I will write a letter to Wang Lusheng later, and then prepare a return gift, and you will go to Yuezhao." If there is anything you want to know carefully, ask someone to find out! ”

Zheng Hu nodded in response, but the second thing was his own. Although he stayed in Guangzhou for two years, he also had a little money in his hands, and he tossed two small businesses, but he lost and earned.

He is not a careful person, he just went there to be stuffy in Taihu Lake for a long time, and he listened to Wei Xin's lively talk, and he went to see the world. The water and soil are not adapted, the local sound is difficult to find, and it is extremely uncomfortable to stay. If it weren't for his sister-in-law, I'm afraid she would have come back last year.

Hearing that Wei Bai had returned to his hometown, he had the idea of going to Cao Hao's side on an errand; When he arrived in Yizhou, he learned about Cao Hao's attack last month, and he made up his mind to stay by Cao Hao's side.

Cao Hao sighed, although he gave Zheng Hu the citizenship documents of his brother and sister the year before last, Zheng Hu was still a servant of the Cao family, and most of the time he only helped Wei Xin by his side.

Cao Hao didn't know it at first, but later heard Wei Xin mention it in the letter, and also wrote to persuade Zheng Hu not to do this, but he did not persuade him to change his mind.

Seeing that he insisted on doing this, Cao Hao didn't want to say too much, so he told him not to be in a hurry, and he would talk about it when it was done properly. Saying this, he thought in his heart, whether he should also donate an official shortage or something to these people in the family, so that everyone can have a head.

However, he suddenly remembered that there was one thing, that is, the matter of Bihelou, he promised the Zheng family brothers and sisters in his early years, whether it was revenge or whatever, it was his responsibility.

When Zheng Hu heard Cao Hao mention it, he said that Yang Mingchang had died of illness, and he didn't want to have anything to do with the Yang family or the Bai family, and he didn't have any thoughts about Bihelou.

It was the first time Cao Hao heard that Yang Mingchang had died, and although Zheng Hu was only dressed in plain clothes, he didn't drink a sip of the wine in the wine cup, and he thought that he was thinking about the father-son relationship in his heart.

It's just that this is not good for outsiders to say anything, so Cao Hao called the little guy and changed the tea to Zheng Hu, and a few people gossiped for a while, which can be regarded as a hot chat.

* Inner house, main house, upper hall.

Chu Yu and Amethyst looked at the list in the same way, looking at these rare objects that Wei Xin had purchased in Guangzhou. Except for a few good ones, which are kept for Halloween gifts or kept for personal use, most of the others are to be kept for the New Year's reserve envoys.

Although Cao Hao and Chu Yu are far away in the capital, they always have to send people to the capital once a quarter, and all kinds of New Year's and birthday gifts cannot be sloppy at all.

This year's New Year's Gift was sent to Beijing at the end of last month, and it was time to arrive.

After taking care of these things from the south, Chu Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said to Amethyst with a smile: "These are just right, or I don't know what gifts to send to the capital in the future." Although there are some clay instruments in Yizhou, they are turned over and over again, but those are not good, and they are not good to send every year. There is also Huangma Fajiazi Wanshou, originally thinking of sending people to the south to buy after the year, but it is cheap! ”

Amethyst said: "Isn't it? Every time I see the forehead asking people to make those potters willow weaving, the slaves and maids also follow the suspense, I am afraid that the people in the capital are afraid of the etiquette! If you think we're sluggish, it's not good! Although I know that the uncle has a weight, and the person he sends is also close to someone, but people's hearts are unpredictable, and he is afraid of others picking on him! ”

Chu Yu put down a Western-style silver mirror in his hand and said, "Yes! Although he treats people sincerely, he carefully chooses them here, which may not be in line with people's wishes, because he wants to persuade him, but he is afraid that he will be annoyed. In the various palaces in the capital, although they look decent, there are few wealthy families, and most of them eat grain in the year of Yin. Fortunately, there are only a few families on the left and right, and even if you have to pick and choose, you can't say anything unpleasant! ”

Chu Yu sent people to pack these large and small boxes and carry them down, leaving only a few plain horses of material and a few boxes of rouge from the West, and said to Amethyst: "Sister Amethyst, these are just the ladies in our house!" Although it is not valuable, it is a foreign product, a rare object, more or less, it always means! ”

Amethyst nodded and said, "The county lord is right!" Not to mention anything else, the two aunts in Mr. Zhuang's room and the two grandmothers of Han Lu are considered to be the daughters of the guests, and the ruler gift at the end of the year must be prepared according to the rules! ”

She and Chu Yu didn't count the Tian family, because they knew the identity of the Tian family, in their hearts, the Tian family was their own family.

Chu Yu thought that Mr. Zhuang's identity was not ordinary, and her husband was treated as a teacher, if he also sent it with the two masters of Han Lu, it would not be good, so he said: "The two Aunt Qiu's are more prepared, and there is no need to gather the four-color gift according to the rules, but it looks like a foreigner!" In addition to the three of them, not to mention the Tian sisters and the fifth sister, the jade dragon and the jade spider also keep a copy! ”

Amethyst responded, but because of the mention of the jade spider, he had to ask, and said, "What does the county lord mean, this jade spider is not punished?" ”

Chu Yu sighed and said, "You see that she is sick like that now, how can she be punished?" The jade dragon came specially and told the truth about the jade spider's disease, she knew that she was pulling the jade dragon to gossip and make trouble, and she was so scared that she couldn't do it! She is not a child of the family, and she has no innocent body, if she leaves the house, she will be more and more useless! ”

Amethyst hesitated for a moment and wanted to persuade again, but when she thought of herself, she didn't open her mouth after all.

*Zhao, Wangjiazhuang.

Because the head of the village outside is in charge, or the head account room of the pearl field, they are all in time to gather the accounts, so Wang Lusheng has also been busy for several days.

Today, Wang Lusheng had been on account for a long time, and as soon as he sat down in the hall and drank hot tea, he saw the old housekeeper come in in a hurry.

Wang Lusheng put down the tea bowl and said impatiently: "Which Zhuangzi person has arrived?" Damn, it's like I'm going to catch up with the master, and I won't let you rest in half a breath! ”

The old housekeeper looked around a little nervously, and after no one was around, he went to Wang Lusheng's side and whispered: "Master, there are people in the mountains!" ”

When Wang Lusheng heard this, he couldn't help frowning, and muttered with a little doubt: "This is the New Year, why did they go down the mountain?" Could it be that it's the New Year, there is no meat to eat, and you have to ask for money? ”

The old housekeeper continued: "Master, it's no one else who came, it's the Liu Er who came in the spring, and he privately looked for the old slave, saying that he had something important to discuss with the master!" ”

Wang Lusheng waved his hand and said, "Since you are here, please ask him to talk in the study!" ”

The old housekeeper hesitated for a while, and then persuaded him: "Master, the Du family has been detained in Jinan Mansion for no apparent reason, should we also avoid it?" ”

Wang Lusheng stood up, walked a few steps on the ground, and finally patted his head and said, "No matter what, let's see it first!" It's not good to turn them away like this, they are not easy to get along with, they are annoyed, and there is no good fruit to eat! ”

(To be continued)