There are long rows of large boats lined up along the river bank at the wharf, and there are many porters who step on the planks to carry goods up and down, and it is a hot scene.

Zhenzhen saw the excitement here, so she said to her brother: "There are so many boats, it is very different from the Tianzi Wharf where we went ashore that day." Chongli said: "Of course, Tianzi Wharf only welcomes officials, where are there so many officials who come to Guangzhou?" Zhenzhen pursed her lips and pulled Shuning and said, "Good sister, why don't we get on the boat?" What's the point of just looking at it from afar? ”

Shuning caught a glimpse of the eldest brother of the guard who was following him with an embarrassed look, so he smiled and said, "A comprador that our family usually recognizes, there is a business house nearby, let's ask him to go." "It's a real delight. Duan Ning asked, "But the merchant surnamed Huo?" Shuning nodded: "On weekdays, we communicate with Jingli, but half of them are entrusted to him to take to Hangzhou to forward, and his wife often comes to ask for peace, so he is quite familiar." Duan Ning nodded.

Huo Comprador is a middle-aged man, slightly chubby, with two crooked smiling eyes on a round face, and he speaks kindly, which is very likable. When he saw Shuning, he greeted him first, "Why is Miss Shuning free?" I haven't seen each other for a few months, but I've grown a lot taller. How are you and Mrs. The little young master is still healthy, right? I got a thing before, and I still want to catch Ming'er and give it to the little master. Turning his head to look at a few other people, his gaze stayed on Duan Ning: "This is your brother, isn't it?" I look at it as if an adult has a mark coming out, look at this style, it's really a talent. ”

Duan Ning nodded, Shu Ning saluted, and said, "Mr. Huo, are you in good health?" I haven't seen you for a long time, and yesterday my mother asked Mrs. Huo why she didn't come to sit. ”

"Isn't it hot? Cheap went to the countryside to escape the summer, waiting for her to come back. So I asked her to come to the house and say goodbye. He looked at Chongli and Zhenzhen behind him, "Which young lady is these two?" Look good. ”

Shu Ning made an introduction, and Huo Comprador was immediately in awe. I heard that they wanted to visit the big ship in the West, so I agreed. After a while. There was a reply, and a large ship from Spain was willing to receive it.

When you get on the boat, the scenery is different from what you see from under the boat. Unfortunately they could only visit from the deck, and Comprador Huo advised them not to go down to the end, because there were many crew members living there. "They're all rough people." He said. "It wouldn't be good if you collided with the two young ladies." The two young masters listened and knew what to expect.

Shuning and his entourage walked around the deck, Zhenzhen also touched the rudder in the captain's room, and saw that at the entrance of the cabin, there were two small figures dodging, and when they looked closely, they were two little boys of seven or eight years old, with black hair and green eyes. They look exactly the same, but they are twins.

Shuning also saw the two children and thought they were very cute. They shrunk their heads and looked at the group on the boat. Talk a few words from time to time and smile like an angel. Jinjin walked out of the captain's room. Wave to them. They hesitated for a moment, then tugged and tugged over.

Huo Comprador looked at it and smiled: "It should be the captain's two sons." I've been traveling with my father for many years, and I've seen more things than we do. ”

Looking closely, I felt that the big eyes of the two children were as green as gems, and Zhenzhen liked it very much, so she asked the little girl Jiu'er who came with her to give them a few sugar cakes. Jiu'er waited for a long time before handing the things to them, and then immediately withdrew his hand and hid back, and the two children ran away with a smile.

Zhenzhen felt that Jiu'er had caused her to lose face, so she counted and said, "What are you doing here?" Little family gas! Jiu'er said, "Girl, they have green eyes, and I'm scared." Zhenzhen was angry and funny: "What are you afraid of? Look how cute they look, I think they're better looking than you! ”

She turned her head to Shuning and said, "I think their eyes are so good-looking, my sister said yes?" Shuning nodded, but Chongli looked helpless: "If you look good, you look good, what are you staring at others?" I think they're scared away by you. "Let's avoid my sister's clutches.

Comprador Huo still looked like a smile, welcomed them off the boat again, and then invited them to his firm. Passing through a row of small Western-style buildings, behind you is the place known as the "Thirteen Hang Street", where many trading houses load and unload goods. Walking all the way, you can see that some of the commercial houses are engaged in the tea business, some are raw silk and Songjiang cotton cloth, and there are a few large wooden boxes in front of the door, which have not yet been nailed to the lid, and there is a pile of cotton wool inside, faintly revealing a few porcelain inlaid with gold wire and painted ground.

It didn't take long to arrive at the Huo family firm. In fact, this comprador Huo is not the boss of any of the thirteen lines, but he has something to do with two of them, so he relies on them to do business, divides some comprador work every year to do, and gets some foreign goods from them, which are sold in Suzhou and Hangzhou. His local business bank is not big, and as soon as he enters, it is a small hall to talk about business, and several bookkeepers look like people say hello.

Shuning and his entourage left most of their entourage outside, only took Huzi and Jiu'er, followed Huo Comprador a few turns, and after several guards, they arrived at a room, where there were not only tables and chairs, but also a few shelves of porcelain and jade carvings. He saw that Shuning and Zhenzhen were looking at the extremely fine landscape jade carving, so he said: "This is ordered by the old man of Jiangnan Diwang, and it is carved from a whole piece of high-quality Burmese jade. ”

Chongli came over and glanced at the jade carving, and was also a little moved: "This jade carving is not ordinary, it is more than enough to make tribute, what kind of character is the old man Wang?" Huo Comprador replied: "He is the president of the Jiangnan Salt Merchants Association, and I heard that he is also a figure with good hands and eyes, but the specifics are not something that a small businessman can know." Chongli was silent, and looked at the surrounding furnishings. After Duan Ning sat down, he saw a tightly covered Nanmu box on the table, and he was a little curious. Seeing this, Huo Comprador smiled, and opened the box for him to see, but it was a whole box of various colored gems, shining with colorful light.

"This is early this morning, a foreign businessman who is familiar with me sent it, and before I want to become a monopoly The latest chapter is in the warehouse, and there will be a few friends to pick it up when I go back." He said.

Sook Ning and Jinjin also came over, and there are really few women who are not attracted to jewelry. Zhenzhen pointed to an emerald and asked Shuning, "Sister, look, isn't this elephant like the eyes of those two children?" ”

Shuning nodded. Indeed, the earth is very like. Seeing that Zhenzhen seemed to like it very much, the Nahuo comprador said, "If Miss likes it, take it, a piece and a half are nothing." ”

Zhenzhen was stunned. Straighten your face: "I don't want it." Chongli frowned and said, "My sister just said casually that you want to give her such a valuable thing." Can't you take the opportunity to bribe us? ”

Huo comprador hurriedly shook his hand and said: "Don't dare, don't dare, misunderstanding, I said this when I saw that Miss liked it, this thing is valuable outside, but I got it." It really doesn't cost much, and if Miss Childe thinks it's inappropriate, I won't mention it. ”

Chongli and Zhenzhen's faces were slightly better, but they quickly offered to take their leave. On the way home, Chongli asked Shuning: "The guy surnamed Huo just now, your family knows him, and I can't say anything, but the first time he saw us, he bribed blatantly like this." It's really not like a good person, so your family should have less contact with him. ”

Shuning smiled: "I know this, in fact, he is probably deliberately trying to please you." If it is a bribe, the penalty is too low. What is that piece of emerald? To say the least, you have to get a box. ”

Zhenzhen was surprised: "That gem is the size of a pigeon's egg." Nothing? Shuning nodded: "It's very valuable outside, but he doesn't care." I heard him say. The British East India Company had a shareholder who lived in India all year round and came to Canton once or twice a year. That man loved tea the most, and once Huo Comprador gave him a box of tribute tea, and when he returned the gift, he used the box full of gems, the smallest of which was the size of my fingernail. Since that time, Huo Comprador has often sent tea to that person, and he has also obtained a lot of good gems, which is considered to be a famous place in the area of the Thirteen Lines. The emerald just now, in his opinion, is just a little tea money, and it is indeed nothing. ”

Zhenzhen suddenly realized: "No wonder he doesn't seem to take that box of gems to heart, just put it on the table like that, and don't lock it." Shuning said: "Do you think he is easy to get into?" Didn't see the guards along the way? That's not something that ordinary people can deal with. She paused, pursed her lips and smiled at Zhenzhen: "Here, it is common for merchants of the Thirteen Lines to give gifts to the official family, and when you Ama first arrived, they don't know his temper and will wait and see for a while. What you just said and did there, they will soon find out. Someone will come to your house to visit, and you should say hello to your family, so you can be prepared. Zhenzhen nodded, and Chongli thoughtfully.

When she got home, Shuning pulled Duan Ning and asked, "Brother, why are you so quiet when we went out recently?" It doesn't look like it used to. Duan Ning was stunned, and then said with a smile: "I'm used to it, I have often followed Marfa out in the past few years, and I don't dare to speak." He was silent for a moment, and then asked quietly: "That comprador Huo, the relationship with our family is not just as simple as helping us deliver a letter, right?" Shuning also replied in a low voice: "It's nothing if my brother knows, don't tell anyone to go." In fact, others often give gifts to our house, and there are a lot of foreign goods or valuable things in it, and if we can't use them, we will ask him to take them to Suzhou and Hangzhou to sell. He is very kind, but he is sleek, but it is not bad, and my brother doesn't have to worry. Duan Ning thought for a moment and nodded.

Su Yun walked to the front yard and saw that the two brothers and sisters were there, so he said, "What are you whispering?" Madame is asking about you, so go in. ”

When the two siblings entered the upper room, they heard Tong say, "Are you back?" It's just right, let's help the eyes, which of these silks is better? Shu Ning saw that it was all big red silk, so she asked: "It's not the New Year, what are you doing with this big red?" Who's going to do it? ”

Tong nodded at her head and said, "Little conscienceless, have you forgotten?" It was Mr. Su who wanted to get married. ”

It turned out that Su Wanda's wedding date was originally to be advanced, but who knew that first heaven and earth would be in chaos, and then Zhang Bao took over as the prefect, and he was busy with official affairs and couldn't spare time to do happy events. finally settled down, but Zhang Bao was troubled by the newcomer Wu Tongzhi, and the marriage was delayed until now.

Wu Yincheng, a newcomer, is a little different from the Guangzhou government officials he is familiar with, he is a typical scholar, he loves to be vassal, his speech and demeanor are also crepe, but he does not understand practice, and he has made a mess of official affairs within a few days of taking office. He insisted on the duty of Tongzhi, and he wanted to stretch out his hand to solve the criminal name and throw the agricultural affairs back to Su Tong for judgment, but he himself knew nothing about the law, and made a mess of Su Tong's half-way case, so angry that Su Tong sued several times in front of Zhang Bao.

It's a pity that Zhang Bao has nothing to do with this Wu Tongzhi. He was originally from Zhaoqing Mansion, where the Yamen of the Governor of Liangguang was stationed, and he could be sent to sit in this position, so he was naturally the proud person of Shi Lin, the Governor of Liangguang. Zhang Bao pressed the two mountains of the Governor of Liangguang and the Governor of Guangdong, although he had some friendship with Wudan, he didn't dare to make a mistake, so he had to endure it. In order to reduce the trouble, he talked badly, took the agricultural and water conservancy back to himself, and persuaded Wu Tongzhi to return the criminal investigation to Su Tong for judgment, and he just went to the court to ask about the case and write official documents. Wu Tongzhi saw that he deserved a lot of benefits, so he turned a blind eye and started to be the shopkeeper.

Poor Zhang Bao has been an official in Guangzhou for several years, has connections and qualifications, is of high origin, and has good political achievements, plus others are not greedy, and often share the benefits with the people below, so he can get everyone up and down in a short period of time and sit firmly in the position of the prefect. Even so, there is nothing to be done.

In order to thank Mr. Su for his help all the time, Zhang Baozao made an appointment with Su Tong to have a happy event. On the same day, they booked a floor in the best restaurant, and set up thirty tables of banquets, and sure enough, they were full of friends, and it was very lively, and even the general sent a pair of jade cups as a gift, and the Su and Chen families felt that they had a lot of face.

Zhang Bao was persuading people to drink, Zhao Asheng suddenly came, whispered a few words, and saw Zhang Bao's face turn blue.