However, as soon as Ma Yuntao was halfway through the car, he heard the sound of firecrackers. Ma Yuntao was shocked, and immediately let the handlebar find a place to stop the car, while he held the curtain and kept observing the movement on the road outside. About half an hour later, I saw two mule carts full of goods led by Lu Zhengan and a man with a familiar face all the way to this direction.

Seeing that Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu were safe and sound, he was surprised and angry at the same time. Sitting quietly in the carriage and watching Lu Zhengan's mule cart go far away, Ma Yuntao ordered the handlebar to continue walking.

"Master, it seems to be a horse steward in front."

At this time, Ma Yuntao was angry and anxious, and he didn't hear the surprise and confusion in the handlebar-style tone. He commanded in a deep voice: "Pull him over to Lao Tzu!" ”

The handlebar responded, then he got out of the car and ran over to support the arm of the horse steward, and asked with concern: "What is the matter with the horse steward?" Why are you so embarrassed? ”

Hearing this, Steward Ma waved his hand at the handlebar style and sighed: "Don't mention it, why did you bring the master here?" ”

"The lord was very worried when he saw that you had not returned, so he asked the little one to come and have a look. However, when the old man saw the Lu family mule car passing by, his voice seemed to be a little displeased, you have to be careful when you always reply. ”

Hearing the handlebar-style mention, Steward Ma didn't understand why Ma Yuntao was angry. Hearing him say this, the steward thanked him, and then gently pushed his handlebar-like hand to the carriage, bowed down and called 'sir.'

After that, the steward had just walked to the door of the carriage on the footstool, only to feel a pain in his chest, and the whole person fell backwards. Fortunately, the handlebar was quick and hurriedly reached out to support the horseman's shoulder, which saved the horseman's death.

"Ouch, Master Ma, you are still a little steady under your feet. The wheel is not low from the ground, and it is estimated that you will have to lie down for a while if you fall down. ”

The steward covered his chest with one hand and sat up with the other hand along the handlebar-like force. raised his eyes and looked at Ma Yuntao, whose expression was as gloomy as water in the carriage, and immediately shuddered.

Although Ma Yuntao was furious at this time, he also knew that outside was not the place to speak, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and turned the handlebar back to the inn. As soon as he entered the room of the inn, Ma Yuntao kicked Steward Ma's waist and abdomen again.

Steward Ma, who knew that the situation had not been handled properly, did not dare to dodge in the slightest, and saw that his master's anger had dissipated a little, and then Steward Ma spoke.

"Old man......"

"Didn't you say it was foolproof? Why did Lu Zhengan's family not only have no, but on the contrary, they were jubilant and set off firecrackers and shipped them again. ”

Faced with the questioning of his master, Ma Guan's family felt aggrieved. "Master, the little one really watched Xiao Zhang release the five hundred flower snakes into the courtyard of Lu Zheng'an's house. The snake was not only violent, but also extremely venomous. It stands to reason that his family shouldn't have been hiding. ”

Remembering the incident of meeting Lu Zhengan on the road just now, Ma Yuntao did not want to pursue this matter anymore. So he continued to ask: "Then what's going on with Lu Zheng'an's family today?" But do you really cooperate with other people? ”

Hearing this, Steward Ma saw that his master's face was gloomy again, and he was afraid that he would come back late and attract another punch and kick, so he hurriedly bowed down and replied: "No, no, when the little one came back and washed his hands in the ditch, he heard from the people in their village that the boy of the Lu family seemed to have opened a shop in Yuanyang. It is said that it will open on the 26th of this month. ”

As soon as Steward Ma said this, Ma Yuntao's narrow eyes immediately narrowed. No wonder the kid surnamed Lu refused so simply, it turned out that it was not because he had a big appetite, but because his heart had become bigger. A shop in Yuanyang can cost a lot of money, and this kid has built a workshop and bought a shop this year, but he didn't keep a hand with us last year! Damn, I didn't expect it to look like an honest one, but I didn't expect it to be an unfed wolf cub. ”

As he spoke, Ma Yuntao took a sip. "Phew! I made so much money from Lao Tzu, I didn't thank you, and I wanted to dump Lao Tzu when I turned my head, it was not so easy! If you don't give him a little look, he really doesn't know how many eyes Lord Ma has! ”

Hearing what his master said, Steward Ma immediately asked, "What is the master going to do?" Yuanyang is no better than Linzhou in the end, and we are still cautious and subtle. ”

"What are you afraid of! Money can make ghosts grind, he Lu Zhengan is a raw melon and egg with no foundation, I still don't believe he can't be handled?! You hurry up and get ready, and we'll leave for Yuanyang early tomorrow morning. ”

As soon as Ma Yuntao's words came out, Steward Ma only felt that this move was not appropriate. I wanted to step forward and persuade a few more words, but I didn't know that I had just taken a step closer to Ma Yuntao. Ma Yuntao only felt a foul smell rushing towards him, and he was busy covering his nose to keep Steward Ma away from him.

"What does it smell like on your body, does it stink and fall off the toilet?"

After that, Ma Yuntao noticed that Steward Ma was wearing a shirt, and immediately twisted his eyebrows and asked, "You wore this in the morning?" What did you do? ”

Seeing that his master was getting angry, Steward Ma recalled what happened before, and his old face also cried. "When the little one came back, he was not afraid to stumble, and he didn't know whose wild dog had landed on the side of the road. The little ones didn't pay attention, so they ......"

Without waiting for Steward Ma to finish speaking, Ma Yuntao immediately blasted people out. "You, you hurry up and go out to wash, there is no need to come and serve without me today."

As he spoke, Ma Yuntao only felt that the stench lingered in his nose, and he hurriedly covered his nose and took a few steps back. "You get out right now, ...... vomit"

Seeing his master like this, Steward Ma only felt full of grievances, and hurriedly bowed down and retreated from the room.

And Ma Yuntao immediately opened the windows in the house after Steward Ma went out, and he felt better after nearly half an hour.

Turning around and sitting back behind the desk, Ma Yuntao glanced at the account book on the table, and the originally suppressed anger slowly came out again.

After thinking for a moment, Ma Yuntao got up and called the maid guarding the door in. After whispering a few words in his ear, he reached out and rubbed his opponent's chest vigorously. After seeing that the maid's eyes were already filled with spring water, Ma Yuntao pinched her chin and whispered: "People are looking for it quietly, don't let Steward Ma know." ”

Seeing that the maid nodded shyly and timidly, Ma Yuntao immediately smiled and said, "Then go and do it quickly, I am waiting for your good letter." ”

Chapter 127

After two days of turbulence, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu finally arrived at Yuanyang City. After paying the entrance tax, the group drove the mule cart to the front of their shop.

The shop has been completely renovated, even the cabinet partition in the house has been put up, and the only thing that is not in place is the plaque of the shop.

However, at the moment, these are irrelevant, Lu Zhengan will Lu Tiezhu and the others, who are curiously looking at the door, carry all the goods on the mule cart into the warehouse upstairs. Seeing that not only the beds in the cubicle had been placed, but even the windows of the cubicle had been reinforced, Master Cao even used the space next to him to make a half-person-high cabinet.

"I don't know how long Master Cao has been cleaning up here, not to mention the reinforced windows, and even helped to open the cabinets."

Song Huaishu caressed the carved bamboo pattern on the cabinet door, and his heart was full of emotion. Looking up at Lu Zheng'an, who was looking up at him, he stretched out his hand and grabbed his sleeve and shook it, saying, "I guess Master Cao should give the plaque in two days, and we will definitely thank him when the time comes." ”

"Well, Master Cao and Erwang's wages haven't been settled yet, and when the matter in the shop is over, let's wrap him a few more taels of silver, Master Cao has no children and no daughters, so let's walk around him more in the future."

Hearing Lu Zhengan say this, Song Huaishu immediately responded. Seeing that the warehouse was filled with most of the goods brought by themselves, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu walked downstairs, beckoned Lu Tiezhu and the others, who were resting in the shop, to wash their hands, and then took a few people to the Shen Ji Restaurant next to it.

The children in the restaurant still had an impression of Lu Zheng'an and Song Huaishu, and knew that the two were opposite the shopkeeper of the shop, and when he saw that he had brought someone with him, he hurriedly swept the table and stool with the handkerchief on his shoulder and placed a few people to sit down.

"Guest, what are you going to eat today?"

Lu Zheng'an looked at the anxious appearance of a few people, and was afraid that a few people would be embarrassed when he ordered food, so he simply said to Xiao Er: "What do you have to eat, I have been on the road for several days in a row, and I want to go back to rest early after eating." ”

"Cheng, it's just a new dish, and the guest officers can choose at will."

Lu Tiezhu and the others were trembling when they went to the small restaurant in the town, and now that they entered such a good restaurant, they didn't dare to raise their heads. Moreover, now that Lu Zheng'an's shop has just opened, this meal will definitely cost a lot of silver. was about to persuade Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu to change their family to eat, but they saw the two of them come to the counter with each other.

Seeing this, Lu Tiezhu and the others didn't want to say anything, so they hurriedly got up and followed.

"Zheng'an, how much does it cost to have a meal here?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhengan smiled: "It doesn't cost much, don't worry about eating." And you can continue to eat after eating here, if you can't eat enough, you can ask Xiao Er to give you more. ”

When Lu Zhengan returned to the table after cooking, he saw Xiao Er coming to Lu Zhengan's table with a few cups of tea. Seeing Lu Zhengan and the others looking at him with puzzled expressions, Xiao Er immediately said, "Guest officer, why hasn't the old master who came with you with you seen others in the past few days?" ”

Hearing Xiao Er's question, Lu Zheng'an immediately put down the chopsticks in his hand and asked, "Little Second Brother is talking about that little master?" How many days has he been busy, estimating that tomorrow and tomorrow will arrive? Is there something wrong with the little second brother looking for him? ”

"That's right, our boss saw that your shop was very chic, and it happened that our boss wanted to open a branch in Linzhou. Knowing that the old master was working carefully, I wanted to ask him to help him. ”

The owner of Shen Kee Restaurant has a very good reputation, not only giving preferential treatment to his own employees, but also offering extremely high wages to the masters who help them do the work, and he never defaults. If Master Cao can take over the work of the Linzhou branch of Shen Ji Restaurant, it is estimated that he will not have to worry if he does not work for three years.

Hearing Xiao Er say this, Lu Zhengan responded happily. "Cheng, when Master Cao comes, I'll ask for his old man. When the time comes, if he agrees, let him come and go back to you. ”

Seeing that Lu Zhengan was so helpful, Xiao Er was suddenly overjoyed. Seeing that there was no one around, he took a spoon and filled a spoonful of meat and vegetables for a few people.

After eating and drinking, I came out of Shen Kee Restaurant, and it was already afternoon time.

Lu Zheng'an thought that after a few people had traveled for two days, he wanted to go to the inn and open two rooms for them to rest for the night before going back. Who knows, Lu Tiezhu and the others refused.

"Zheng'an, it's not that a few brothers don't accept your favor, my brother knows that you are also difficult now, you are all crop households, and you can sleep anywhere, so why spend this unjust money. Moreover, our shop is about to open, and Uncle Gen and Uncle Song will have to come over in a hurry in the next few days, because there will be no shortage of manpower in the village. Wait until the Chinese New Year, and the brothers will be waiting for you at home, and you will have to treat us to a drink at that time. ”

"Yes, Brother Zheng'an. We can't help here, and if we come back early, we can earn an extra day's wages, and I'm still thinking about saving up money to marry a daughter-in-law. Liu Jianxi looked at Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu, scratched the back of their heads, and laughed.

Seeing this, Lu Zhengan was embarrassed to persuade again, nodded with a smile and sent the person to the city gate. Seeing these people disappear at the end of the road in a cart and mule cart, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu walked back holding hands.

"I brought a lot of goods this time, and I still scored and classified them when I went back, so as not to find them when I got them."

At the beginning, Song Huaishu was still a little frightened by Lu Zhengan's intention to let him take over the shop, lest he would not be able to do a good job and poke out a big basket for him. But as I watched the shop step by step with Lu Zhengan to the present, the worry in my heart has turned into expectation.

"Well, I'm going to go back and write a few small pieces of paper and stick them on them, and when the time comes, I can just take whatever I want, and I don't have to worry about getting mixed up."

After speaking, Song Huaishu thought of Ma Yuntao, who was hiding in the shadows and staring at them, and he couldn't help but worry in his heart. "You think that Boss Ma can still do it?"

"It's best not to do it, and we're not afraid of him. It's not that I said that he wasn't, but the man surnamed Ma was too small-hearted and not a person who wanted to make a living. The fact that his shop has been able to open in Linzhou for so long has a lot to do with the housekeeper who follows him, and it is estimated that there are no reliable people around him, and I am afraid that he will not be able to hold on for a long time. However, the steward is not a good bird, and he will not give up, and I will wait for them here! ”

……

Master Cao, Lu Changgen, and Song Xiren arrived at Yuanyang City together on April 25.

Lu Zhengan wanted to ask Master Cao how the plaque was engraved, but he saw that the other party turned his head and beckoned Li Erwang to take out a plaque covered with red cloth from the carriage. Signaling Lu Zhengan to move the ladder out, Master Cao and Li Erwang directly hung the plaque on the door, but the red cloth was not removed.

Lu Changgen was very happy to see Master Cao coming, grabbed his shoulders, and said with a smile: "You can only arrive tomorrow as Xiao Cao, but I didn't expect you to come today." ”

"I promised to make a plaque for your precious nephew, where do I dare to delay. I didn't find the right wood, so I sent it as soon as I carved it. ”

Master Cao and Lu Changgen had a lifelong friendship, and it was Lu Changgen who asked Lu Zhengan to look for him, which rekindled his hope for life. Therefore, Master Cao was very excited about Lu Changgen in his heart, and he was also extremely attentive to the Lu family's work.

"That is, you, if you are someone else, I am not at ease. When the shop is busy, I will treat you to a drink when the time comes, and we brothers will not return home if we are not drunk. ”

Master Cao followed Lu Changgen into the shop and found that there were already a lot of preserved fruits and dry goods in the shop. Whether it is the cabinet or the table and chair, it is polished, and there is a bouquet of orchids in the plum bottle on the table. As soon as I entered the room, there was a vague orchid fragrance, mixed with the aroma of sweet and sour preserved fruits, and the taste was very attractive.

When Song Huaishu saw the elders enter the door, he hurriedly took two blue and white plates, each containing some preserved fruits and melon seeds and peanuts, and brewed a pot of rich jasmine tea and sent them into the inner room.

Li Erwang was helping to wipe the wooden pillars in the room with a rag, and when he saw Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu withdrawing from the inner room, he hurriedly greeted them with a rag.

"Brother Zheng'an, Brother Song, I haven't been home for a long time, my father and mother are in good health?"

"Well, every day in the workshop, the villagers talk and laugh, and everyone has gained a lot of weight. It's just that you haven't been back for so long, and I'm a little worried about you, saying that I saw the kid of Liu An's family, and I was a little anxious to hug my grandson. ”

As soon as Lu Zheng'an's words fell, Li Erwang's face immediately turned red, and his eyes flashed when he looked at Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu, and his eyes never dared to look at the faces of the two. "My father and mother are really worried about it, and I am only thinking about how old I am, let me get married and hold my grandson."

Song Huaishu looked at Lu Zheng'an with a smile and a serious nonsense, and secretly tugged at his sleeve and asked him not to go too far. "You're not too small, aren't you seventeen? You see, Uncle Changshan's Liu An is not much older than you, and he has children. ”

"Then Brother Zheng'an and Brother Xiao Song were both twenty years old when they signed the contract, aren't you two younger than me?" After that, Li Erwang scratched the back of his neck with a wry expression, "Oh, let's not talk about this, after your shop opens, my master said that he will go back to rest for a few days, and I will tell them myself when the time comes." ”

Hearing this, Lu Zhengan nodded. At the same time, he remembered what Xiao Er of Shen Ji Restaurant said, and immediately said to Li Erwang: "I guess you and Master Cao can't rest for a few days, two days ago I went to Shen Ji for dinner, and their little brother told me that his boss wants to open a branch in Linzhou, and I want to ask you to take over because you and Master Cao are working carefully." If Master Cao agrees, I'm afraid you two will have to be busy for a while. ”

When Li Erwang was helping Lu Zheng install and repair the shop, he had been eating at Shen Kee Restaurant, and he was already very familiar with his family. Hearing Lu Zhengan say this, he was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

"I once met the owner of Shen Kee Restaurant, who was very kind and very generous to the people who worked in the store. If the master is willing to follow, it is estimated that the salary will definitely not be less. ”

At the mention of this, Li Erwang's eyes rolled, and he didn't know what he remembered. The whole person instantly became happy, and he stretched out his head to see that several elders in the inner room were chatting hotly. Stuffed the rag in his hand directly into Lu Zhengan's hand, and ran out of the door like a rush.

Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu looked at Li Erwang's back, the two glanced at each other and couldn't help laughing.

At this moment, a window on the second floor of Shen Ji Restaurant opened slightly, and Ma Yuntao, who was dressed in fancy clothes, and the shopkeeper were sitting by the window quietly watching the movement of Lu Zheng'an's shop.

"I didn't expect this kid surnamed Lu to be so big, such a shop, I'm afraid I can't get it without seven or eight hundred taels of silver, I underestimated him before."

As he spoke, Ma Yuntao picked up the teacup and took a sip, looking at Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu, who were affectionate at the door of the shop opposite, and a trace of jealousy flashed in his eyes.

"In the end, he is climbing the Ji family, and the old lady of the Ji family still values him so much. If the Lu family kid opens a shop, the Ji family will have to subsidize a little. Speaking of this, Steward Ma glanced at his master. Recalling the incident of his quarrel with Lu Zhengan, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"Master, tomorrow this Lu family boy's shop is about to open, what are you going to do?"

Hearing this, Ma Yuntao looked at the red silk plaque hanging downstairs and hooked the corners of his mouth. "You don't have to worry about this, Ming'er, you just have to wait to watch the show." After saying that, Ma Yuntao raised his eyebrows, turned his head to Steward Ma, and instructed: "In order to have the best place to watch the play tomorrow, you can wait and prepare a generous gift to bring over tomorrow morning." How can we say that we are old friends, and it is really unetiquette to come to the door empty-handed. ”

……

On April 26, it is advisable to open, cut trees, break ground, marry, build, repair graves, and erect monuments

Early in the morning, Lu Zhengan and Song Huaishu came to the door of the shop dressed up. Lu Zhengan pushed open the door of the shop, turned his head to look at Song Huaishu, who was so nervous that he couldn't help taking a deep breath, and joked: "Today is the main scene of the shopkeeper Song." ”

Listening to Lu Zhengan's words, Song Huaishu glared at him with red earlobes. "I'm already nervous, so don't tease me."

As he spoke, Song Huaishu covered the back of Lu Zheng'an's palm, making him feel the cold sweat and coldness of his palm. "Well, I haven't done this cold sweat since I got up."

Seeing that Song Huaishu was so nervous, Lu Zhengan felt distressed and funny, and when he saw that there was no one around, he reached out and hooked the person into his arms and pecked him lightly on the forehead. "Don't be afraid, I'm in everything."