Chapter 78

It was a good time to meet someone. It was too early or too late, and her second sister might not have time to see her, and she would have to wait for a long time.

Zhao'er came all the way to the south of the city, before entering the archway where Shen's house was located, he saw the two large flags more than five feet high erected in front of Shen's residence.

This is the Jinshi Jidi Banner, which can be set up only if someone in the family has won the Jinshi.

This fame flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwich stone and the flagpole.

The flag buckets on the flagpoles are also exquisite. If you come from a serious imperial examination, you can set up two flagpoles for the flag buckets if you are a Jinshi in the imperial examination. If it is the number one scholar, it will be a three-dou flagpole, and if there are high-ranking members of the third rank or higher in the clan, four dou can be set up.

There are two large flags in front of the Shen family's gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family once had a number one scholar, and had an important minister in the court.

Zhao'er, a country girl, knew this because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.

The main entrance, the side entrance, and even the corner entrance are not accessible to Zhao'er with her status. She made a long detour before arriving at the back entrance of Shen's residence.

The back door was ajar, and Zhao'er didn't dare to rush in, so he knocked on the door respectfully.

The door opened with a creak, and a round woman came out from inside, and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"

This old lady is just a doorkeeper, but she is also wearing satin gowns and jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.

The Shen family is indeed rich, and in this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county is about to tremble three times. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family, except for the Shen family's uncle and second master who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.

"Mother-in-law, I'm looking for Sulan. I'm her younger brother. I'm here to see her."

This woman's attitude is not warm, but she is not as inferior as a dog's eye. At least from this trick, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao'er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.

Zhao'er waited for a long time before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman came out from inside. I saw her radiant skin, phoenix eyes and vermilion lips, wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. A head of black and thick long hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a golden hairpin inserted into it.

Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all these on her body gives her a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, she has a good figure.

This person is Zhao'er's second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Su Lan in Shen's residence.

Zhao'er couldn't help frowning, since the last time she saw her second sister, her second sister has changed a lot. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.

She was a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and went to the corner where no one was around.

"Sister, did you really do it?"

Seeing her younger sister frivolously wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What can I do or not?"

"It's that, that..." Zhao'er hesitated for a while, and then said with a blushing face: "You can't really be the housekeeper for the sixth young master, right?"

The corners of Su Lan's eyes twitched, and the corners of her mouth twitched: "Why do you care about these things?"

"Sister!" Zhao'er couldn't help stamping her feet.

Su Lan looked at her younger sister, and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third younger sister, Zhao'er, found out her whereabouts from the matchmaker, and walked all day and night to see her by herself. At that time, she was full of panic, Zhao'er's appearance made her know that she was not alone, and that no one would know that she would not die in this mansion, and she immediately softened her heart.

She sighed lightly: "Didn't I tell you before, I won't go out of the house to go through that kind of hard life. Although I am a housekeeper now, but the sixth young master promised me that when grandma came in, I would give it to me." An aunt will do it."

Zhao'er was so surprised that she couldn't believe it. She knew it already, but she was still shocked when she learned from the second sister that she really did such a thing.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say, so she hesitated for a while and said, "That's it? If you treat someone like a child, you will be bullied by the big wife."

Zhao'er's only cognition told her that when she was young, she had few days to live comfortably.

What the younger sister said made Su Lan feel extremely uncomfortable, and she waved her hand nonchalantly. On the snow-white and slender jade fingers, there is a golden opal ring on it, which exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.

"You don't understand, and you don't have to be afraid of me being bullied. As long as the sixth young master is on my side, even if the sixth grandma comes in later, she won't dare to bully me."

"Can……"

"Okay, don't talk about me, your little husband has recovered from his illness? It's not that I said you, it's better for you to come into the mansion to be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house and exhaust yourself .Which woman is looking for a man who is not looking for someone who can protect herself. You are fine, but you are working outside to earn money to support your family.”

"Isn't he still young? Besides, sister, it's not like you don't know. If it wasn't for my mother and father, I'm afraid I would have been sold somewhere long ago. You were lucky enough to be sold into Shen's residence. But there are also those who are unlucky and sold into that dirty place."

Su Lan pressed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.

She was sold into Shen's residence back then, it was not explained by good luck.

In the sparkling eyes of the phoenix, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a breath and scolded: "That's why I don't want to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and make me troubled."

Zhao'er kicked the pebbles under his feet: "I just thought I haven't seen you for a long time, so I came here to have a look at you."

"How are you doing? The Xue family didn't make things difficult for you, right? Just wait, when my sister becomes the sixth young master's aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, I will help you deal with him."

Zhao'er heard it warmly in her heart, and couldn't help leaning over, hugging Su Lan's slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don't worry, I'm so aggressive, who dares to bully me. You don't know that the Xue family is such a moth." too much……"

She recounted what happened to Xue's family recently.

The corners of Su Lan's mouth curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don't try to test the human heart, it will usually disappoint you. Don't rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."

Su Lan is a bit extreme, but Zhao'er knows why the second sister is like this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely speaks out.

"Then what do you do now? If your little man really loses, then he won't be able to go to school? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be hard for the two of you The Xue family has a foothold."

Of course Zhao'er understood this truth. She stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don't worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, the two of us will be alone. Dog likes to learn, so let him learn." , until I can't afford it anymore."

Su Lan poked her forehead with her jade finger, hating iron and steel: "You still can't confess, how old are you? After a day of good life, I think I can't confess. Come on, don't tell me The second sister doesn't feel sorry for you, I have someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in 'He Rongsheng', if you go to him, he can at least find a way for you to make some money."

'Herongsheng' is the name of the pawn shop, there are many branches in Binh Duong Province, and there is one in Huyang Township. Zhao'er usually comes and goes in the town, so he has naturally heard of this name.

"This is the Shen family's business with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers?"

Su Lan's eyes flashed a hint of complexity, and she said impatiently: "Don't worry about it, you can go directly to a man named Shen Ping. Well, I won't tell you anymore, the sixth young master will have lunch later Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hoofs rush to the front to show courteousness again."

After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao'er's hand: "Take it, it doesn't matter if you really lose, let's do it by ourselves first. The Shen family's genealogy is famous in the whole Pingyang Mansion. Sister will become an aunt in the future, and see if I can ask the Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in as a companion or something. I really owe you in my previous life, and I have to worry about everything."

Su Lan's figure quickly disappeared through the door.

Zhao'er stood where he was, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang grabbed it tightly and left.

*

Zhao'er didn't know where He Rongsheng in the county was, she had inquired along the way.

When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.

Shen Ping is a very young boy with a good appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight gown, and looked about twenty years old, but he did not expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawnshop.

When he heard about Zhao'er's purpose, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao'er, I heard your sister said about you."

Zhao'er didn't expect that the second sister would tell Shen Ping her name, and she smelled something unusual. While speaking, Shen Ping had already led her in.

"When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business would allow you to do it for a long time. After thinking about it, I think selling old clothes is quite suitable for a girl like you."

The second sister even told her gender to the other party's surprise, it didn't last long, Zhao'er's attention was attracted by Shen Ping's words.

"What is selling used clothes?"

"You should know what a pawnshop is for. This pawnshop accepts everything, and you can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the things are not needed. Of course, there are also those who do not redeem their living debts within the time limit, and naturally they become death debts.

"These things are accepted by the pawn shop and exchanged for money to the owner. Naturally, they will be resold. For example, some old clothes that come from pawns are directly sold to embroidery workshops or garment shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can buy them from Take some old clothes here and sell them back."

Following Shen Ping's narration, Zhao'er's eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, "Then I don't know what the price is? Is it calculated on a piece-by-piece basis, or what? Since it's an old clothes, surely it won't be as expensive as a new one, right?"

Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to layman: "Come with me, I will take you to have a look."

Zhao'er followed him all the way back, the yard behind the pawn shop was huge, it looked like it was a warehouse.

On the way, he met a lot of people in pawnshops, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao'er followed him to a warehouse, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a buddy dragged a large bag of things out, and opened the door in front of it.

This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. It seems that they have not been worn twice. The texture of the clothes is also various, some are made of cotton, some are made of silk, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, they are better than the coarse cloth clothes Zhao'er is wearing.

"These are usually mixed together, because they are collected at a low price, so the asking price is not high. If you give me two taels of such a bag of clothes, it will be yours."

Zhao'er couldn't see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she went up to check it out.

Such a package of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.

Even if a piece of clothing sells for 20 Wen, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes are sold for more than twenty yuan just based on her visual inspection. What can be done with twenty renminbi, at least six or seven feet of cloth is needed to make a suit of clothes, and the worst cotton cloth is seven or eight renminbi.

Not to mention that there are some good fabrics in it, and even some cotton clothes, even if you don't sell them, you won't lose money if you wear them yourself.

"You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.

"The kid hasn't entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."

"I can't see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don't dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."

"Then thank Uncle Chen first."

*

For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao'er left early and returned late.

Someone from Xue's family asked twice, and Zhao'er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn't help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn't read books, but ran around playing.

You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.

In the blink of an eye, it was five days.

This day is no different from ordinary days.

The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family's livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.

If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.

Because of Mr. Xue's beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn't dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn't hold back.

Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn't have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.

Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn't want to be recruited, but it's a pity that he can't be persuaded.

For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue's expression on the top was particularly serious.

But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can't lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn't come back until the sun was high.

The news about the competition between the two children of Xue's family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.

It's not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It's not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one's money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.

Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng's house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng's house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.

Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng's house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.

There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today's matter at the same time.

In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar's shirt and a flat scarf on his head.