Chapter 8, Section 13 Collusion between Officials and Bandits

Xiao Fei didn't know if Yin Xiaomei slept well last night, changed to an unfamiliar environment, and the only person in his heart who could rely on became his brother, but he thought that according to her temperament, he should sleep soundly, anyway, he himself slept well, just like he said to Xiaomei, he was finally not lonely in this world.

In the morning, the brother and sister came out of the bedroom and the study to have breakfast together in the surprised eyes of the two maids, and the two looked at each other and smiled, and there was a clear meaning in their eyes, and they seemed to have slept very well. It's just that the maid who was waiting on the side was puzzled, why did these two masters sleep in separate rooms last night? Could it be that there is any contradiction between the young couple, and it doesn't look like it now.

Xiao Fei estimated the time, and then took Yin Xiaomei to the main courtyard where her parents were located, and said good morning to the second elder. It just so happened that Xiao Wanlin and his wife had just had breakfast, and after Xiao Fei asked for peace, he stepped down and told the second elder about what happened last night.

Xiao Wanlin has been in the mall for most of his life, how have he ever seen such a strange thing, and he couldn't help but be surprised, "Fei'er, that's fine." After all, you and your little sister don't have the reality of husband and wife, and you will be considered blood relatives in this world in the future, and you are very happy for your father. ”

"Yes, little sister, you don't have to care," Xiao Mu also took the little sister's hand and explained, "There are so many good men in this world, and the old body will find a wishful husband for you." But there is only one brother in law, and you two brothers and sisters can recognize each other in the vast sea of people, which is a blessing in itself, but you should cherish it!"

"My little sister knew last night that he was my brother, and she was also very happy. Yin Xiaomei glanced up at her brother and said in a low voice, "There is no resentment in my heart." ”

"That's good, that's good!" Xiao's mother patted Yin Xiaomei's hand lightly and said happily, "You two don't have a marriage certificate, the wedding a few days ago was just a child's play for children, and you have to be brothers and sisters in the future, and love each other." ”

"Fei'er, what are your brothers and sisters going to do in the future?" Xiao Wanlin came back to his senses and asked Xiao Fei.

"The child doesn't have a detailed plan at the moment, so it's better to settle the little sister in the Xiao Mansion first, so that the child can rest assured. There was not much politeness between Xiao Fei and Xiao Wanlin, and he directly said what he meant.

"That's right, master!" Xiao's mother let go of her little sister's hand and said to Xiao Wanlin, with a hint of joy between her words, "Don't you often say that there are only two bastard boys in the family, Fei'er and Teng'er, saying that their brothers are old and jumpy, and they really want to have another well-behaved daughter," she said and glanced at Yin Xiaomei, "Otherwise, the concubine will accept the little sister as her daughter." ”

"It's still Mrs. thoughtful," Xiao Wanlin praised with his palms, and agreed with his wife's suggestion, "It's just that I saw it in a hurry yesterday, and the old man also likes the little sister." It's just that...... This matter depends on the little sister's own meaning. ”

The three members of the Xiao family all looked at Yin Xiaomei.

Yin Xiaomei adhered to her usual cheerful nature at the moment, and knelt directly in front of Xiao's father and mother, "My daughter is naturally very willing to meet her father and mother!"

Xiao Fei knew that Yin Xiaomei was very close to Xiao's mother. When she first entered the house yesterday, although Yin Xiaomei pretended to be a lady, the corners of her skirt rose and fell like waves when she took a small step, and the speed was a little faster. And Xiao's mother herself, when she was young, had a good family situation and received an orthodox Confucian education, but at the age of thirteen, due to the collapse of the Korean and Chinese parties, the family was ruined, and when she was exiled, she met Xiao Wanlin, who had not yet started a family, after Xiao Wanlin ransomed her, the two started from scratch, and it took more than 40 years to create this family business. In this process, dealing with all kinds of businessmen and government officials, the young Xiao mother gradually became spicy, and she was also a well-known strong woman in the Jiangnan business community, and later after the Xiao family's business became bigger, especially Xiao Fei came to the Xiao family, out of consideration for taking care of her two sons, she withdrew from the business field and concentrated on her husband and children.

And Yin Xiaomei's experience, especially when she encountered family changes in her teens, is similar to Xiao's mother's experience. Therefore, when Yin Xiaomei had not yet arrived in Hangzhou, after knowing what happened to Xiao Fei's "wife" through the channels of the Xiao family, Xiao's mother already had some sympathy and pity for this unmet "daughter-in-law", coupled with the mountain and wild temperament found in her when they met yesterday, Xiao Muden felt that Yin Xiaomei was really like herself when she was young, so after Xiao Fei told the story of the two today, Xiao's mother immediately had a strong desire to accept her as her daughter.

As for Yin Xiaomei herself, in the more than ten years she has lived in Green Willow Villa, she has never felt such maternal love. Since she was a child, she has constantly inquired about her mother's whereabouts, and she has imagined several mothers in her heart, most of which are as dignified and kind as Xiao's mother. When he was still ignorant, the Yin Kun brothers could still lie to her and say that her mother had gone far away. After being a little older, this excuse became untenable, and the Yin brothers changed their words and said that when they encountered enemies in the rivers and lakes, her mother was killed. In the past few years, Yin Xiaomei has become more and more interested in some things about her mother, whether she looks very much like her mother when she was young, every time she asks this question, Yin Boss is always silent, or awkwardly diverts the topic, and the same is true for Yin Laoer. Now that I think about it, this is really difficult for a strong man, how can you ask two old men who have never married to each other to make up lies to describe the image of a young woman to a young girl who has not left the court? Is it possible for Yin Zhong to make it up according to the fans he encountered when he was wandering the rivers and lakes? !

Therefore, when Yin Xiaomei first arrived at Xiao's house yesterday, she was most looking forward to seeing her "mother-in-law", and she was the one she was most afraid of seeing. After all, she is married to Xiao Fei, and Xiao's mother is also her mother. And today, Xiao's mother opened her mouth to recognize her as her daughter, how could Yin Xiaomei be unreasonable.

Xiao Wanlin, Xiao Fei's father and son were naturally very happy, and Xiao's mother was also excited to hold Yin Xiaomei, who was still kneeling on the ground, in her arms, and burst into tears, muttering, "My poor son." "I should think of her poor background again. Xiao Fei saw that his mother was sad, and he couldn't help but moisten his eyes, his little sister had a rough life, how could he not be like this. He was adopted by Shangguan Fengxue when he was an infant, until he was more than ten years old, and then he was raised by Xiao Wanlin and his wife, which is the same as his sister's experience, which shows how unfair God is to this twin brother and sister!

Fortunately, the thief finally let his brother and sister recognize each other, although there are some twists and turns, but in the end, they don't have to go alone with each other in the second half of their lives. Xiao Fei saw the mother and daughter hugging each other and crying, so he walked outside the hall and instructed the maid to prepare an incense case.

When the incense case was ready, Xiao's mother and Yin Xiaomei's emotions also stabilized, and under the witness of Xiao Fei, Yin Xiaomei knelt down again to serve tea to the second elder, which was regarded as a solemn completion of the ceremony of recognizing her father and mother.

A family of four was laughing in the hall, just when Xiao Teng came over to say good morning, at this time, he must have gone out to drink with someone last night for fun, according to usual, even in front of Xiao Fei, there was no shortage of scolding from the second elder. But today is different, after carefully bowing down to greet his parents, his father and mother actually smiled and answered without any follow-up, this change couldn't help but make Xiao Teng, who was ready to shrink his head and accept the scolding, a little confused. Could it be that this is the change brought about by the sister-in-law's entry into the door?

Immediately afterwards, the mother and sister-in-law called each other "mother" and "daughter", which made Xiao Teng a little unacceptable. If it is said that the daughter-in-law is close to her mother-in-law, she is not called "mother-in-law" but directly called "mother-in-law", which is understandable and acceptable. But what is the reason for the mother-in-law to call her daughter-in-law "daughter"? Is it the custom of the sister-in-law's mother-in-law's Anqing side?

Xiao Fei saw the second brother's doubts on the side, so he pulled him aside and told him about the events from last night to this morning, and Xiao Teng was dumbfounded! There is also this kind of thing, there has never been such a bizarre and coincidence in the drama he has heard.

Xiao Teng had to meet his new sister again, and Yin Xiaomei didn't see him, and directly punched him in the chest, "Little brother, my sister will cover you in the future!"

The words were spoken, and the little sister regretted that her true nature was completely exposed, but the reaction of the Xiao family was to laugh together, and she was also a little embarrassed.

Just when the Xiao family was enjoying themselves, the housekeeper Fu Bo walked in, didn't disturb others, just leaned over to Xiao Wanlin, who was sitting upright, and whispered in a low voice.

Xiao Wanlin was silent for a while after hearing this, and Xiao Mu, Xiao Fei, Xiao Teng, and Yin Xiaomei noticed the abnormality of the head of the family, and they quieted down almost at the same time.

"Tell them what happened. Xiao Wanlin raised his head and commanded Fu Bo.

"Yes, sir. Fu Bo straightened his waist, stood beside Xiao Wanlin, and told the story of the Xiao family's business last night.

The Xiao family's business in Hangzhou covers a wide range, involving silk villages, grain stores, livestock markets, restaurants, inns, etc., and the biggest local benefit in Hangzhou is a wharf at the intersection of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Qiantang River.

This is the pier where something happened yesterday. Early yesterday morning, the inspectors of the salt administration found that more than 800,000 stone refined salt were missing from the dozen or so salt ships that were about to be transported to the north moored at the Xiaojia wharf the night before, and immediately reported to the salt administration yamen, and within an hour, the officials of the salt administration and the Hangzhou government took more than ten soldiers to the wharf to search, and found the spilled refined salt particles on a hidden path, and the officials immediately asked to enter the storage area for strict inspection, but were rejected by the manager of the Xiaojia wharf. Not to mention how many precious goods of giant merchants are related to the warehousing area, but also to the credibility of the Xiao family in the local shopping mall, plus Xiao Wanlin has always paid attention to maintaining the relationship with the government, the steward really felt that this matter was not a big deal, but he just reported to the housekeeper Xiao Fuyu, and did not insist on reporting to Xiao Wanlin, but Fu Bo saw that the head of the family was very interested in celebrating because of his daughter-in-law entering the door yesterday, and did not inform Xiao Wanlin of this trivial matter.

Early this morning, the Hangzhou government magistrate personally took the officials to forcibly enter the storage area of the Xiao family's wharf, and found traces of the storage of a large amount of salt in a warehouse kept by the Xiao family, whether it was the salt foam spilled on the ground or the salt stains on the wall, indicating that no less than 500,000 stone refined salt had been parked here not long ago. At this time, the officials who inspected the waterfront of the wharf came to report that three medium-sized cargo ships belonging to the Xiao family were missing, and there was no detailed registration at the wharf.

Only then did the steward of the dock know the seriousness of the matter, and immediately sent someone to report to the Xiao Mansion, and Fu Bo came in at this time to disturb the owner of the family and report the matter.

"This matter should be the collusion of officials and bandits, otherwise a few thieves or someone in the state capital would not be able to lay out such a detailed plan, and ordinary people would not be able to sneak into the heavily guarded warehouse to lay it out, let alone the cooperation between the state government and the salt administration department. After listening to Fu Bo's words, Xiao Fei quickly gave his own inference.