"It's really unreasonable!" Xiao Wanlin came back from the Hangzhou Mansion, and sat on the main seat of the Xiao Mansion Hall and lost his temper, "Usually the virtuous brothers and virtuous brothers are affectionate, but when they encounter this incident, they put on a businesslike face! Who is this for? I am really angry with the old man!"

"Master, dissipate your anger," Xiao's mother, who was talking to Yin Xiaomei about trivial matters in the hall, hurriedly picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Lao Xiao and handed it over, "Don't you know all the dirty things in the government?

"What kind of family is my Xiao family?!Will they covet the one hundred thousand stone refined salts? They also underestimate me Xiao someone!" Xiao Wanlin put the tea cup in his hand on the table and said angrily.

"Master, how many years have you been in the business world, don't you know the faces of these officials? This must be something that some people have seen that my Xiao family has a rich background, so they want to let you have some blood, it's just some little tricks. Xiao's mother is worthy of being a heroine who accompanied Xiao Wanlin in the business world back then, and she guessed the inside story in just a few words.

"I don't know what's going on with this kind of thing? I've seen a lot of these indiscriminate methods over the years, but I've never seen such a faceless person!" Xiao Wanlin gritted his teeth angrily for a long time.

Mother Xiao saw that her husband's temperament was upright, so she no longer persuaded her, but just persuaded, "Hey, this matter is probably caused by the turmoil between the prince and Young Master Leng in Hangzhou a while ago. I think that Li Fu Yin probably doesn't have the courage to dare to fight against Xiao Mansion!"

"Madame is right. Xiao Wanlin stroked his beard and nodded slowly.

While the husband and wife were talking, Xiao Fei strode in from outside, "Father, this matter is not easy to handle, several people in charge of the Salt Administration Department gritted their teeth and did not let go, and said that this matter is inseparable from my Xiao family, I am really angry!"

"What's so angry?!" Xiao Wanlin glanced at Xiao Fei, who was pretending to be irritable, "Didn't you expect it before you left the house and went to the Yamen of the Salt Administration Division?"

Xiao Fei's anger was naturally feigned, he had long expected that whether it was the government or the salt administration, the current attitude would either be tough, or use the excuse to delay the Tai Chi, and put the charge of maliciously sabotaging the salt administration on the head of the Xiao family. Therefore, after knowing about this matter, he strongly opposed communicating with the government, no matter how much effort was spent, it would be in vain. But Xiao Wanlin doesn't think so, he firmly believes that the official relationship he has bothered to maintain over the years will eventually end without a problem under effective communication. Due to Xiao Wanlin's insistence, Xiao Fei had to go to the Salt Administration Department, and Xiao Wanlin personally went to the prefect's yamen in an attempt to lobby relevant officials to prove his innocence. But he didn't expect that the result was indeed as Xiao Fei expected, he touched a nose in the government, and in front of a group of officials and officials, Xiao Lao almost couldn't get off the stage, which was really a shame.

Afraid that his father would not be able to hold his face when he returned home, Xiao Fei pretended to be angry the moment he entered the house, wanting to unite with the old man and the enemy, and did not want the old man to be unappreciative.

"Fei'er, sit down and take a sip of tea," Xiao's mother knew that Xiao Wanlin did like to play with children's temper sometimes, so she quickly pulled Xiao Fei to sit down, and beckoned Yin Xiaomei, who couldn't speak, to pour him tea, "Are you also angry over there?"

"Mother, it's a trivial matter for a child to be angry, but there is still a child with this bit of energy. It's just that if this matter is really dragged back according to the wishes of the government, it will really be very unfavorable to my Xiao family! Even if we can't find evidence that my Xiao family directly participated in the crime, we can be pushed to a situation where we will never recover!"

"Yes, people who do business, don't they just pay attention to reputation! We care more about our own face than ordinary people......" Xiao Wanlin sighed.

Xiao Fei always felt that Xiao Wanlin was not depressed, with Xiao Fei's understanding of his father, the old and spicy Xiao Wanlin must have a back move, and there is more than one.

"Father, what should our Xiao family do now?" Xiao Fei sat on the chair, drank a cup of tea, and gasped for breath before asking.

"Hmph, don't worry, I have my own ideas for dealing with these clowns who jump off the beam," as Xiao Fei expected, the old man was still confident, "Let's wait and see what Teng'er has to gain." ”

The Xiao family's father and son soldiers were divided into three ways, Xiao Wanlin and Xiao Fei went to the two yamen, and Xiao Teng went to his own dock to see what clues there were.

"That's right, madam," Xiao Wanlin really didn't mention this matter anymore, but turned his head to ask Xiao's mother who was standing aside, "Has my little sister's boudoir been cleaned up......?"

"The concubine herself arranges this matter in the back house, how dare you let the master worry about it," Xiao's mother smiled and took Yin Xiaomei's hand and smiled, "The house is ready-made, I have asked Teng'er to move Teng'er's things back to Fei'er, and vacate his yard for my daughter to live in." ”

"How can this be made?" Xiao Fei hurriedly stopped, his brother and sister were in Xiao Mansion, and it became more and more obvious that Xiao Teng was picked up, Xiao Fei was like this before, and the little sister compared Xiao Fei to Xiao Fei as soon as she came, Xiao Teng had just gained the freedom to live alone, and this time the two of them returned to the same state. As the younger sister's brother-in-law, Xiao Fei is naturally against this matter, although Xiao Teng is nervous and doesn't care, but Xiao Fei can't take the kindness of the second elder of the Xiao family for granted.

"Naturally, the daughter of my Xiao family will not live in that small courtyard all the time," Xiao's mother let go of Yin Xiaomei's hand and stood in the hall to point out the country, "Now that the weather is cold, when spring begins, the old body will let people build an embroidery building in the back garden, and the little sister will live there in the future." In the garden, let the gardener pick up a good look, don't use some mountain village flowers to fill the number, it doesn't matter in the past, in addition to the old body at home, there are one old, two young and three rough men, and I can't be interested in finding someone to visit the garden. Now it's okay, with the little sister, it's up to our two to have the final say in this back house, let's have a flower group first!"

Ignoring Xiao Wanlin's father and son, who were sitting on the side stunned, he turned around and asked Yin Xiaomei, "Good daughter, what do you think of this arrangement for my mother?"

Xiao Fei saw it exactly, Yin Xiaomei was already full of interest, and when she heard her mother ask herself, she quickly replied, "The mother's arrangement is very appropriate, and the daughter listens to her mother." ”

Xiao's mother glanced at the Xiao family's father and son proudly, "It's still a considerate daughter, and after a while, I'll go to the back with my mother to choose a few fabrics and make a few clothes for my good daughter." ”

"Mother, you let the second brother move back to live with the child," Xiao Fei stood up and walked to his mother's side and asked respectfully, "Is this unfair to the second brother?"

"Fair?" Xiao's mother was stunned when she heard this, obviously not expecting her eldest son to ask this question, "What's unfair? Didn't your brothers all live together before?"

"It was before, but now that the child and the second brother have grown up, it is more appropriate to live separately," Xiao Fei said, "After all, last summer, you also discussed with your father that you wanted to find a family for the second brother, and it was time for him to be independent." ”

"Fei'er is right," Xiao's mother admonished Ruliu, "That's it, let's build another yard after the beginning of spring, Fei'er's current yard is in the same place as the one where Teng'er lived before, and then clean it up." Not only the second child, Fei'er, you should also consider starting a family. Originally, your marriage with your little sister was still very optimistic about your mother, who wants to make people...... When the matter of the dock is over, the two brothers will pay attention to your mother, and if there is a suitable woman, you will hire them quickly!

Xiao Wanlin had no other opinions on this matter, and said with a smile: "What Madame said is extremely true, and this matter depends on Madame's wishes." ”

Unexpectedly, my mother came around me in three or two sentences, didn't she talk about the house? Why did she talk about her marriage again?

"Father, mother, eldest brother, second sister, I'm back!" Before the words fell, Xiao Teng strode into the flower hall from the courtyard, freeing Xiao Fei from his embarrassment.

"Second brother, how is it on the dock?" Xiao Fei asked, and Xiao Wanlin also looked at his youngest son with an inquiring gaze.

"On the other side of the dock, a few stewards are also dedicated, and the business has not been affected much at present. The three lost boats were cargo ships that returned to the Zhenjiang shipyard for repair last month, and they have only returned to the dock in recent days, and have been parked at the dock because they have not arranged a trip recently. Xiao Teng reported to his father and brother what he had learned for half a day.

"Teng'er, have you been to the warehouse?" Xiao Teng asked about another key location, which was also the place where the incident occurred.

Naturally, the boy went, and as Fauber said, there were residues of sea salt on the ground and salt stains on the walls, but the steward of the warehouse said that there was no record of entering or leaving the sea salt recently, and he suspected that it was a thief. ”

"Wait a while, what about Fu Bo?" Xiao Fei remembered that Fu Bo followed Xiao Teng to the dock, why was he the only one coming back now.

"Fu Bo is arranging people to investigate the whereabouts of five people, he suspects that those few are internal thieves, thank you Second Sister!" Xiao Teng took the tea cup handed over by Yin Xiaomei and drank it all, and then said: "Those five people were recruited by the chief steward of the dock at the end of last month to join the dock for night patrol, but they disappeared this morning. This should have been done by a few of them as internal responses and together with outsiders. ”

"It should be like this, I didn't expect them to start planning this matter last month, it seems that the old man is not wronged this time!" Xiao Teng stroked his beard and looked at Xiao Teng and said, there was no resentment between his words, and there was a faint joy that some second sons could share their worries for themselves.

"Master Qiyu, Zheng Tiju, the Secretary of Salt Administration, is here. At this time, the second housekeeper Xiao Zheng reported at the door.

Xiao Wanlin's face turned cold and said, "Please." ”

Before the words fell, a fifty-year-old official in a cyan official uniform had already walked in, raised his hands, and waved slightly, "Xiao Yuanwai." ”

"Lord Zheng," Xiao Wanlin got up, forcibly endured the other party's rudeness, and said with a smile on his face, "I don't know what the matter is that the adults took the time to come to the cold house?"

"What's the matter?" Zheng Tiju smiled coldly, "Xiao Yuanwai is really a noble person who forgets things, this case just happened on the dock of your house this morning, and now you have forgotten it?" ”

"Why did Lord Zheng say this?" Xiao Fei stepped forward and said, "I just came back from the Yamen of the Salt Administration Division, and I have already explained the situation to all my lords. There are still hidden circumstances in this matter, and the case should be solved quickly to return Xiao's innocence. ”

"Hehe, Xiao Gongzi, right? How could this official ever say that this case was done by your Xiao family? It's just that the incident happened at your Xiao family's wharf, and your Xiao family naturally can't get out of it!" Zheng Tiju scolded Xiao Fei loudly, "The lower official was ordered to come and inform the Xiao family: tomorrow morning, the old man will go to the government hall to accept the inquiry of the prefect and my salt administration, and it will not be postponed!"

Xiao Wanlin pulled Xiao Fei behind him and looked directly at Zheng Tiju, "Please also ask your Excellency to return to the Salt Administration Department and the government officials, the Xiao family is innocent, and this time they were framed by traitors." The old man swears here, no matter who wants to touch my Xiao family, even if Xiao Wanlin scatters his family wealth, he must make him look good!"