Changzhou is a good place, north of the Yangtze River, east of Taihu Lake, west of Maoshan Mountain, south of Tianmu, is not only the traffic artery, but also the land of fish and rice, "Su Changshu, the world is full" said is Suzhou and Changzhou.

Changzhou and Jinling are not far away, Li Chengcheng is also the first time to come, although the city is not as magnificent as Jinling, but it is also prosperous.

When he came, Li Chengcheng had already made up his mind, no matter what, he would take Li Jinhua's grandson back to Jinling, and then slowly explain to his parents. The two came to the north of the city, inquired, and found Li Jinhua's house.

Li Dazhun makes a boat all the year round, although the family is not noble, it is also a solid home, the house is along the street, a big locust tree is planted at the door, and the door of black elm is not good.

Li Chengcheng stepped forward and knocked on the door, but no one answered, so he shouted a few words at the door, but there was still no one, the door of the house next door opened, and a middle-aged woman asked in a Wu voice, "Who are you looking for?"

"Auntie, does Li Jinhua live here?"

The middle-aged woman looked wary and asked, "What are you looking for her?"

"We are her friends, and this time we came to visit her and Mr. Li. ”

The woman said, "Oh, I've moved away." I thought you had come to ask for a debt. ”

Li Chengcheng asked, "Where did you move?"

The woman said, "I don't know about that." ”

Li Tingcheng pounced, so he took out a pearl from his arms, and asked the woman about Li Jinhua's family, the woman was so big, where had she seen pearls, and saw Li Tingcheng's generosity, so she opened the conversation box and told the story.

"The Golden Vase is a miserable child. She lost her father and mother when she was a child, and followed her grandfather to play boats to make a living, but fortunately, she was sensible and willing to endure hardships. She went on a boat last year, and when she came back, she seemed to be a different person. It is said that he met the son of a rich family, and when he was free, he would come back to marry her as a concubine. ”

Li Chengcheng thought to himself, where do I want to marry her as a concubine, I want to marry her as a wife.

"At first, the boy still sent letters to people every day, and the golden bottle was so happy at that time, and in his spare time, he asked my son, who was studying in a private school, to read letters. At the end of the year before last, the boy also sent someone to send a thousand taels of silver, a hundred pieces of silk, and many rare objects that could not be seen. Old Man Li was on the dock, and even the hall master of the Dragon and Tiger Hall was polite to him. ”

On the way west of Li Chengcheng, he often wrote letters about the encounters during the journey and sent them to Li Jinhua, of course, he just picked out interesting things, as for the dangers encountered, he naturally didn't mention a word, as for the gift during the Spring Festival last year, it must have been sent by Li Changsheng in his name, so he asked, "Then why did you move away again?"

But from last year onwards, the epistle was broken. ”

After the siege of Yinyang last year, Li Chengcheng couldn't send a letter out, but it was cut off for two months, but after Zhao Lanjiang became the city lord, he continued to send letters, how could he say that the contact was cut off?

Most of the time, the boy was a negative man, and he found another girl and abandoned her, otherwise how could there be no news? The golden bottle was stubborn, and she went to Jinling City to inquire, and when she came back, she was depressed and washed her face with tears every day.

The house leak happened to rain overnight, last autumn, the old man Li trafficked in illicit goods, was caught by the people of Longhutang, broke his leg, Li Jinhua took the silver to ransom people, Longhutang opened his mouth to ask for 1,500 taels, sold those gold and silver jewelry, and sold the boat, and scraped together enough silver taels to ask for people. Who expected that Longhutang would be profitable, asking for 1,830 taels, when she was about to sell the house, Li Dazhun's legs were not treated, and it was a cold winter, so he was disabled. “

When Li Chengcheng heard this, his fists clenched, and there seemed to be a flame burning in his eyes, and the woman was also frightened when she saw him like this, and she didn't even say a word.

Li Chengcheng said, "You continue. ”

Woman,?" Later, the people of Longhutang came to the house every once in a while to find fault, moving tables and chairs today, and smashing the stove tomorrow, this family couldn't survive. The golden bottle is also stubborn, she sews and mends people in the Huan Washroom every day, does some needlework, makes money to support her family, and has to treat the old man's illness and pay off her debts. That Longhutang also wanted to sell her to the kiln to be a slave maid, if it weren't for the golden bottle with scissors against her neck, forcing her to die, the consequences would be unimaginable! After the New Year, she sold the house, saying that she was going to seek refuge with relatives in Huzhou. ”

"What relatives does she have in Huzhou?"

"Then I don't know, I haven't heard her say that she has such a relative before. However, not long ago, I heard from Xiao Wu that he saw the golden bottle in the city. ”

Xiao Wu was Li Dazhun's former shipwright, and when Li Chengcheng traveled west, he was responsible for operating the ship. Li Tingcheng heard that Xiao Wu might have clues about her, and asked, "Where can I find Xiao Wu?"

"He's also miserable, working as a hard worker at the docks. ”

Li Chengcheng thanked him and went to the dock. The woman asked, "Who are you, son?"

Li Chengcheng took a deep breath, held back his tears, and said, "I'm the one who has a bad heart!"

The woman was dumbfounded and muttered, "I see, I see, why did you go earlier?"

Li Chengcheng was asked by this sentence, and he didn't expect that in the past year or so, Li Jinhua has suffered so much and suffered so many grievances, but he has done nothing. If he had explained two more sentences at the beginning, or asked Li Changsheng to take them to Jinling City, maybe the ending would have been different.

For a while, self-blame and guilt came to my heart.

"This house is uninhabited now, auntie, this is a thousand taels of silver tickets, you go to the current owner and help me buy this place, is the money enough?"

Where have the women seen it?

The money, he said, "Enough, enough, this is not in the city, a thousand taels of silver, you can buy this street for miles, you can't use so much." ”

Li Chengcheng said, "The rest of the money, I will bother you to buy or renovate here, the extra money, you are your hard work, in the future, I will marry the golden bottle, and I will come here to propose, maybe I want you to help." ”

After that, he and Xiao Jinyan left.

The woman looked at the two figures, looked at the silver ticket in her hand, and pinched her thigh hard. It's not a dream. ”

Li Chengcheng was depressed, and Xiao Jinyan comforted him beside him, as long as people are fine, everything else is easy to say.

After the two inquired, on the dock, they found Xiao Wu who was moving goods, Xiao Wu saw Li Chengcheng, his face was full of disdain, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for the Golden Vase!"

Xiao Wu scolded, "Do you still have the face to mention her name?" If it weren't for you, Lao Li would have done a good job on the river, if it weren't for you, Longhutang wouldn't have come to trouble them." ”

"Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Xiao Wu pushed the cart to transport the goods, "Get out of the way, block Lao Tzu to make money!"

What kind of person is Li Chengcheng, if it was usual, if someone talked to him in this tone, he would have been beaten all over the ground to find his teeth, but now he was ashamed in his heart, and he didn't have any anger at all.

"I came to her as soon as I returned to Jiangnan, Xiao Wu, just tell me. ”

Xiao Wu put down the car and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Are you still looking for her? Isn't it enough for you to cause her trouble? She went to Jinling to find you, isn't it enough to be humiliated by your Li family?"

Li Chengcheng asked, "When did she go to Jinling and what happened?"

"How do I know?" Xiao Wu said dissatisfied, "After she came back, she kept crying, crying, looking at your letter and tears." I asked her what was going on, and she wouldn't say. ”

Li Chengcheng asked, "Then how did you offend the Dragon and Tiger Hall?"

Xiao Wu shouted, "What kind of place is the Dragon Tiger Hall, where do we dare to offend the Dragon Tiger Hall? ”

Although Xiao Wu was indignant, he also found a place and told him about the original situation.

It turned out that less than a month after Li Jinhua came back from Jinling, Longhutang entrusted Li Dazhun to transport a batch of silk goods to Hangzhou, who expected that halfway up, was found by the government, and there were 500 catties of private salt hidden on the ship, which was not much, and it was worth dozens of taels of silver.

Li Jinping couldn't get angry, so he went to the Dragon and Tiger Hall to theorize and pushed the master of the Dragon and Tiger Hall, but he was extorted more than 1,000 taels of silver, and later intensified, forcing Li Jinhua's family to a dead end.

Li Chengcheng sighed, took out another silver ticket, and said, "I came back this time to take the golden bottle back, and you tell me where she is." ”

"Take your stinky money!" Xiao Wu said, "I like your money very much, if you really have a conscience, go to the Huan Washroom on North Street, where she helps people and pays off the debts of Longhutang." ”

"How much money do you owe?"

"I'm afraid I can't pay it back in this life. ”

Li Chengcheng said, "You take me there." ”

Xiao Wu found a foreman, Li Qingcheng made a generous move, and the foreman did not embarrass him, and released him directly.

Halfway through, he saw a salt shop, stopped, went in and bought a bag of salt, and said to Xiao Wudao, "Go to Longhu Hall first." ”

......

Dragon and Tiger Hall Master Long Feitian, who has been running recently, is even more red. Two years ago, Longhutang was just a little-known small gang in Changzhou, but now it has become the leading hall in Changzhou.

And all of this, because of the relationship between the Li family in Jinling, just did a trivial thing for the Li family. Because of this incident, the housekeeper of the Li family's third room in Jinling also looked up to him, and handed over a large piece of business in Changzhou Mansion to Longhutang, and now a year down, in addition to the filial piety to Jinling, it is enough to drop more than 100,000 taels, with this relationship, even the prefect of Changzhou, last year, he had to invite him to the house to drink, this kind of honor, extraordinary.

So Long Feitian felt very lucky.

His real name is Long Ergou, he was originally a scoundrel in the city, and he gathered dozens of brothers to set up the Dragon and Tiger Hall by playing ruthlessly. Later, a fortune teller told him, "In the year of no confusion, soar to the sky", so he changed his name to Long Feitian.

Ordinary local gangs, to a certain extent, will encounter a ceiling crisis, unless it is extremely high martial arts or a very deep background, can not go further, and he is over forty years old, he thought that he would beg for food on the dock in Changzhou in this life, but who expected that he suddenly came into contact with the Jinling Li family, a family with hands and eyes, and soared into the sky. really fulfilled the fortune teller back then.

And now, his business is also all over Changzhou, Qinglou, casino, Caoyun, all dabbling, and also received barbaric sex, began to scatter wealth and make friends, although the martial arts are not high, but in the Jiangnan martial arts is very open, known as "Changzhou Meng" reputation.

Long Feitian was also intoxicated with this title, he felt that the previous life realm was too low, and he really lived for forty years in vain, sure enough, the year of not being confused, suddenly brightened, not long ago, the martial arts alliance leader Zuo Stan passed by Changzhou, he spent nearly 50,000 taels before and after, and he served comfortably, and the left league leader also promised to wait for the next martial arts conference, and get him the president of the Jiangnan branch to be a dang. At that time, their Dragon and Tiger Hall was not called Longhu Hall, but called Longhu Gang and Dragon Tiger Gate, and with the status of the rivers and lakes, and then hired a few worshippers from the Zhixuan Middle Realm at a high price, then it could be called the Dragon and Tiger Sect.

He believed in his fate, so he obeyed the fortune teller, and got him in and became the military advisor of the Dragon and Tiger Hall.

However, these two days

, his right eyelid is jumping all the time, as the saying goes, the left eye jumps wealth and the right eye jumps disaster, and he is worried that something bad will happen. The military advisor comforted, "This kind of superstitious words, even if you don't believe it, even if you believe it, you have to believe it." ”

"Which ones to pick?"

The military advisor said, "Pick a good letter, but not a good one, just let them go." Hall master, at this time, you have to arrange the Li family's ancestor worship ceremony first. ”

Long Feitian said: "The Li family in Jinling, the family is big, even if we stuff them with all the money we earn in a year, people may not be able to see it, so the gifts to the clan are rare." We can't get into the doors of several patriarchs, and the money is spent in vain. However, the housekeepers in a few rooms can't be stingy, at least 20,000 taels to start, and the filial piety silver in the account room and the concierge can not be less, and we will mainly deal with them in the future, as for the silver of the ladies and ladies in the house, the young lady and the young master, we must also be prepared, and we can't let them underestimate us. ”

The military advisor said, "You have to pay attention to the reciprocity of gifts, the porter, the account room, let the little ones go to help you with the dots, you are also the master of the hall, only need to be responsible for giving gifts to a few stewards and ladies, of course, between a few young masters, you have to walk around in person." ”

Long Feitian said, "I know an immortal young master, and he is very arrogant, the last time I went to the mansion to do business, I asked him to say goodbye, and no one looked at me." I heard that this ceremony, to pass the position of the head of the family to the third young master, I don't want to, just try to be able to say a word to him, even if I break my leg, I will admit it. ”

The military advisor laughed, "No. ”

"Why?"

"Our Dragon and Tiger Hall has also helped the Li family earn millions of taels a year, I have calculated, among the eighteen gangs in Jiangnan that rely on the Li family, we can send the top three, and when he becomes the head of the family, maybe he will invite the hall master to drink a glass of wine." ”

Long Feitian said, "If you really invite me to drink, I will admit it if you break my leg." ”

The military advisor said, "Hall Master, why do you always have trouble with your own legs today? It's also our own legs, don't talk nonsense about such unlucky words." ”

"Speaking of legs, I think of that Li Dazhun, if it weren't for his legs, our Dragon and Tiger Hall would not have today's status, so speaking of which, I have to thank him for his legs, by the way, how are they in the Huanshuo now?"

The military advisor smiled, "Hall Master, don't worry, since Jinling has spoken, Li Dazhun and his grandson, how miserable is the current life." That Li Jinhua, the toad wants to eat swan meat, and she doesn't look in the mirror, just her appearance, which son of the Li family can look down on her? Fortunately, the old man is kind-hearted, otherwise the two of them would have been feeding the fish in the river by now. ”

"Well, that's good. You find a few more brothers, go to their side and toss again, add some condiments to their lives, and wait for me to go to Jinling to give gifts in two days, and I might as well report to Steward Li, otherwise it seems that we don't do anything here. ”

The military advisor said, "I'll do it." ”

After that, a few rough men were called, and they explained carefully, and each of them received two taels of silver, and happily carried sticks to the Huan Washroom.

When everything was ready, Long Feitian breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly his right eyelid began to jump again, and he said to the military advisor, "I'm jumping hard again." ”

The military advisor said, "My subordinates just found a girl in the Xixiao Building and learned the way of massage, why don't you go over now and let her give the hall master an activity?"

Suddenly, I heard a noise outside the door.

He couldn't help frowning, "The gatehouse of our Dragon and Tiger Hall is becoming more and more unruly. You find someone to ask. ”

After a while, the porter came over and said, "Hall Master, there are three people outside, saying that they want to sell us salt!"

Long Feitian scolded, "How are you working, our Dragon Tiger Hall itself is a seller of illicit salt, let us buy salt, do you get water in your head? Let them get out." ”

The porter said, "The top ten masters in our hall have all gone out to collect protection fees, and a few porters are not their opponents." ”

Long Feitian said, "This is here to find fault, go out and have a look." ”

After that, he came to the outside of the hall with the military advisor, and saw two bags of salt on the stone lion at the door, weighing about dozens of catties.

This stone lion, he was transported from Hangzhou, looking for the master of Feilaifeng to open the light, saw that the two young people put salt at will, just in response to the words "salt lion", "drowned corpse", in the local dialect, very unlucky, the fire came up.

"What are you two doing here?"

Li Chengcheng said, "Our brother has made some private salt, and now the hand is a little tight, I heard that the name of the dragon master's 'Changzhou Meng Weijun' is very loud, and I want to come here to sell it at a good price." ”

It turned out to be two people who ran the rivers and lakes, Long Feitian thought.

"How many goods do you have?"

"Just two bags. ”

Long Feitian took out two taels of silver from his arms, threw them on the ground, and said, "Take the flowers, remember to promote it more on the rivers and lakes in the future, my reputation as Meng Weijun in Changzhou." ”

"Two or two, I'm afraid it's not enough. ”

"And how much do you want?"

"One thousand eight hundred and thirty taels. No more than a penny, no less money. ”

Long Feitian sneered, "In my opinion, the two of you are not here to sell salt, but to find trouble." ”

Li Chengcheng said, "It's strange, if you lose two packets of salt, you can ask for 1,830 taels, and I also took two packets of salt, so why can't you ask for 1,830 taels?"

Long Feitian snorted and stepped forward, "What if I don't give it?"

Li Qingcheng said lightly, "It's very simple, break your legs." ”