The red building is so arrogant

Chapter 119
Although it is also in Changshengfang, the place where Zhang's family lives is really a bit out of the way.

The coachman inquired several times, and finally arrived at the door in a detour.

Jiao Shun, who was wearing an official robe, got out of the car, took a look at the surrounding environment, and found that although the land was secluded, the houses and courtyards were quite elegant.

In particular, there are a few red plums protruding from the partition wall. Although they are not yet in full bloom, they are dotted with many flower buds in an orderly manner. The fragile branches and tender stamens are very refreshing.

This look is deliberately pruned.

Since Zhang Cheng lost his wife in his early years and his son was a failure, it must have been done by him himself.

And being able to have such a leisurely and elegant attitude shows that this is a resilient person—ordinary people who have gone through dismissal from office and ransacked their homes, most of them will give up on themselves and fail—this also makes Jiao Shun look forward to this visit a little more invisibly.

With a slight lift of his chin towards the courtyard door, Shuan Zhu immediately stepped forward knowingly to knock on the door.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the slap landed on it, the door panel, which seemed to be fairly neat at first, was completely stuck to the ground with a slap!

Both master and servant were taken aback.

But Jiao Shun immediately thought that this must be Ni Er's handwriting, so he raised his voice and asked, "Is Mr. Zhang at home?"

For a long time, it was still quiet inside.

Jiao Shun hesitated for a moment, stepped across the threshold, and entered the main room looking around.

The layout of this courtyard is very similar to that of Lai's old residence in Ningrong Lane, especially the vegetable bed under the west wall, which looks very friendly.

When I arrived at the entrance of the main room, I saw several pieces of furniture under the corridor, all missing arms and legs, and one chair was simply broken into firewood.

Because of this foreshadowing.

After Jiao Shun entered the door, he saw the half-empty living room, so he didn't find it strange at all.

He looked around for a while, and his eyes fell on the flower stand on the east side. There was a large stack of fluffy newspaper clippings on Gein. There were footprints on it in a mess, and the few pages on the surface were torn apart.

Jiao Shun walked over and looked through it, and found that it was basically important government news in recent years, and many of them were specially bound in one place in batches, forming a clearer context.

Does this mean that he is worried about his lord because he is far away from the rivers and lakes, or does it prove that he is unwilling to sink here and dreams of making a comeback one day?
However, since Zhang Cheng has always been related to the government, it is presumably not a big problem to reintegrate into the officialdom.

"grown ups!"

Just as he was watching, Shuan Zhu came out from the room, shook his head at him and said, "Sure enough, there is no one inside - it's already lunchtime and you still don't go home, could it be that you went to a restaurant?"

Jiao Shun rolled his eyes at him, and said angrily, "Didn't you see the attitude of a creditor coming to the door in this room? He wants to have some spare money to go to the restaurant, and how can he be smashed into such a mess?"

"That's the reason."

Shuan Zhu scratched his head suddenly, and said in doubt: "Then he..."

"Who are you? What are you doing blocking my door?!"

At this moment, he suddenly heard a shrill voice coming from outside, Jiao Shun's heart moved, and he hurried out to meet him, only to see a tall, thin middle-aged man confronting the coachman with a red face.

This man was dressed decently, but he was holding two steamed buns in his hands, and some pickles were stuffed in the eyes of the steamed buns.

Probably because he regarded the coachman as a door-to-door troublemaker, he unconsciously exerted force on his hand, and the sauce in the cornbread overflowed, dripping dripping down his wrist.

After a little observation, Jiao stepped forward and cupped his hands, "Dare to ask, but Mr. Zhang is in person?"

When Zhang Cheng saw a court official walking out of his home, he couldn't help but be taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly bowed his hands and returned the salute, and said repeatedly: "How dare you call the word 'Mr. ..."

In the middle of speaking, his eyes glanced at the cornbread in his hand, and he hid behind him in a hurry and embarrassment.

"My surname is Jiao and my name is Shun. I am now an official in the Ministry of Industry."

While Jiao Shun was introducing himself, he turned his attention to the courtyard.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng hurriedly said: "If Mr. Jiao doesn't dislike it, let's go to the humble house to talk about it."

The two made a few words of humility to each other, and then they walked side by side to the living room of the main room.

Zhang Cheng quietly put the cornbread on the flower bed and covered it with a veil, then he breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and said with a wry smile: "The family is struggling, and there is no tea for the guests, please forgive me— But I don’t know why my lord came here?”

"I heard that Mr. Zhang once worked as the head of the village in Huangzhuang, and he is very proficient in copywriting and accounting. That's why Jiao specially came to the door and wanted to hire Mr. Zhang as a friend and counselor with the government."

"This……"

Zhang Cheng was taken aback when he heard the words, and asked in confusion: "There are quite a few people in Beijing High School who are in this industry, and Zhang has never had any fame, how did your lord find me here?"

"Mr. Zhang probably has heard about me."

Jiao Shun said, pointing to the newspaper clippings on the flower table, and said: "Because Jiao was born in slavery, and got into an official position by relying on craftsman's skills, so he is not ashamed by scholars, I want to find a decent teacher It's not easy."

"It turns out that your honor is the Rongguo Mansion..."

Zhang Cheng couldn't help exclaiming for a moment, but luckily he stopped the conversation in time.

Immediately he fell into deep thought.

Although Zhang Cheng did not come from a serious imperial examination, he also knew what kind of attitude scholars would take against such an outlier as Jiao Shun.

So why Jiao Shun found him, there is no doubt.

But the problem is that if he really becomes Jiao Shun's master, most of his future future will be tied to Jiao Shun, but he is being suppressed by the scholar group, the risk is too great.

If a trouble is not good, it may be implicated by it!

But say no...

Zhang Cheng clenched his sleeves, feeling the stickiness at the hands and the pungent smell of pickles, and couldn't help but smile wryly.

Now because of the shortfall owed by the son, both the father and the son are almost starved of food, but how can there be room for rejection?
At that moment, he was no longer pretentious, he got up and gave a deep salute: "Thank you for your love, how dare Zhang Cheng refuse to obey!"

Jiao Shun was overjoyed, and hurriedly exchanged a gift: "Okay, okay, from now on Jiao will rely on Mr. Zhang!"

After negotiation, the two decided on a monthly salary of 20 taels, plus the "convention" of the New Year's Day, there would be an income of 300 taels a year.

Among the friends of the sixth- and seventh-rank Beijing officials, this is considered to be above the middle level, and it is considered a high salary for hiring a novice like Zhang Cheng.

It was also agreed that he would take up the post the next day, and Jiao Shun left 50 taels of silver, which was regarded as an advance payment to Zhang Cheng for two months' salary, and he left with his hospitality.

But he said that after Jiao Shun left.

Holding 50 taels of silver in his hands, Zhang Cheng stood in front of the door in a daze for a long time, then raised the door to cover the door, and then returned to the house.

In the main hall, he was stunned for a while, then suddenly ran to the flower platform, took off the veil, picked up the corn-bread pickles, and threw them into the yard fiercely.

It's over, it's all over!

After struggling for so many days, I finally see a way out!
Standing in front of the door, he thought about how to help Jiao Shun gain a firm foothold in the Ministry of Industry in the future, and at the same time thought about his son's future.

His mother-in-law brought her daughter to remarry to You's house, and he knew it a long time ago, but because of the family's decline, he has been embarrassed to contact him.

Now that his time has finally turned, and when he accumulates some family wealth, it's time to mention this marriage.

For one thing, it's better for his son to get married earlier and be under more control than for him to mess around at home all day long!
Next time...

I heard that the eldest girl of the You family married to the Ningguo Mansion and became the nobleman's house. With this kind of relationship in the future, she might not be able to help her son find a future.

Just as his mind was full of the shadow of his son getting married and starting a business, he suddenly heard a 'bang' outside the door, but the door panel was pushed down again.

Immediately afterwards, a frivolous voice exclaimed: "Father, why did the gate of our house fall down?!"

Zhang Cheng immediately changed his color, rushed out of the living room in two steps, and roared angrily: "You son of a bitch, you still have the face to come back?!"

　The second daily routine [Next] will be updated around 11 o'clock. If you go to bed early, you can watch it tomorrow.

　　Thanks to book friends: Met Fielding, My Favorite Broken Flower, Jing Lin——for your rewards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)