Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 384 Jia Qiang of Ningguo Mansion
Zhen Jia,

Inside the study.

The two Zhen brothers gathered around the stove, drinking hot tea and talking without any hurry.

When Zhen Yingjia saw the silver note in her eldest brother's hand, she thought about it. There were confidants in the weaving industry in Suzhou. It must not be the silver from the cloth shop. That means someone came to spend money to do things, but who would spend so much money? Looking for the Zhen family.

thinking,

Zhen Yuan said that he was a little impatient and told him the reason.

"Second brother, don't think too much. My eldest brother is not collecting money randomly outside. This money is the payment for goods in eldest brother's shop. That guy Huang Rutai, the salt merchant, came to my door and packed up all the inventory in my shop. You bought it and you don’t know what happened?”

Huang Rutai, Zhen Yingjia's name sounded familiar, and she thought to herself, it's him!
Su Jinkai’s people,
When I thought about this person's abnormal behavior, I knew it must be related to Luo Yunhou. It seemed that Su Jinkai had found a way to protect Huang Rutai. He was indeed the all-round president of the Chamber of Commerce.

"That's okay, big brother. The business can be done, but we have to provide enough things and don't create unnecessary problems."

"It's natural. I heard that it's required every year. From now on, big brother won't have to worry about running out of money to spend. Come on, the money will be returned to the public account of the house. It's also considered a little kindness from big brother."

"Brother, you."

Zhen Yingjia did not expect Zhen Yuandao to be so generous. Before he finished speaking, Zhen Yuandao put down the banknote and stood up and left, as if his wish had been fulfilled.

inside the city,

Zhang Jinyu led the people down the mountain, and without asking any more questions about what was going on in the city, he led the soldiers back to the Pier Guards Camp and went straight back to Mrs. Wang's house in Louchuan. After entering the door, she took off her cloak and stood in The door shook, and snowflakes fell one after another, soaking the floor.

Qin Keqing saw her and hurriedly came over, holding a blanket and helping to sweep the snow off her back, and asked distressedly;

"Where has Mr. Lang gone? He's not coming back after such a heavy snowfall. Yue'er has made ginseng soup. Hurry up and have a bowl to warm yourself up. Don't freeze."

"Here we go, I went to the city for a while and was delayed by things outside."

After Zhang Jinyu shook off the snow on her body, she reached out to touch Qin Keqing's waist at the partition in front of her, pulled her over and hugged her hard. Qin Keqing never expected that Lang Jun would be so bold, her face turned red with embarrassment, and she pushed away anxiously. ,

"Mr. Lang, you."

Before he finished speaking, he heard Mrs. Wang’s voice coming from inside,

"Why don't you come in and drink some ginseng soup? It's the same month this month. It's spring and it's snowing."

Zhang Jinyu instantly let go of Qin Keqing, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
"Here we come, my son is sweeping the snow off his body in front."

After saying that, he and Qin Keqing went into the inner room and sat down at the table. Lan Yuer brought a bowl of hot ginseng soup from behind. Zhang Jinyu was not polite and drank it after a few sips.

Just a small sip makes my whole body feel hot. Good thing, ginseng soup is so effective.

"You too, you're still running around outside in the snow, and you're not afraid of catching a cold,"

"What mother said is that the snow fell at the wrong time. It fell halfway. Fortunately, I brought a cloak to block it. I don't know how long it will continue to snow?"

Mrs. Wang put down her sewing and complained sadly, but she also knew that some things had to be done. When she heard how long it would continue to snow, she responded,

"The snow in Jiangnan won't last long. It will definitely stop tomorrow. Is there anything else?"

Zhang Jinyu hesitated for a moment and replied without hiding anything;
"Mother, what my son wants is that if the snow stops tomorrow, he will immediately lead the entire army back to Beijing to resume their duties and leave the Jiangnan boundary. Do you think it is feasible?"

Mrs. Wang turned her head and looked over, not knowing why, and asked,

"But what happened?"

"Going back to mother, Enke is approaching this year, and Jinling is the place where southern scholars study and take exams. I went to Bailu Academy today, and I realized how many scholars there are in the world, and even more of them are civil servants who are fighting for power behind the scenes. , it’s better to stay away from the place of right and wrong.”

Zhang Jinyu kept thinking about this on the way back, feeling that this year's Enke seemed to be a huge pit, and the three major academies in Jiangnan must be in constant disputes.

Although the capital is also the center of right and wrong in Jiangnan, it is the capital after all. If the sky falls and there are tall people to hold it up, how can I be so conspicuous in Jiangnan.

Mrs. Wang frowned slightly and said;

"It's good. Everyone in Jiangnan is very cautious about Enke every year. These students have studied hard for many years and are just waiting for this day. There are more chores every year. They are afraid that someone will join forces to cause trouble, so it is better to avoid it."

Seeing that her mother agreed, Zhang Jinyu felt that it was better to leave sooner rather than later. Leaving at night could avoid people's eyes and ears, so she no longer hesitated, drank the ginseng soup in one gulp, got up and left the house. "Ningbian, immediately send someone to notify Eunuch Zhao, Duan Hong, and General Lu. They will set off back to Beijing tonight. Tell Eunuch Zhao to arrange the withdrawal of the forbidden troops in the city as soon as possible. Also send someone to notify Su Jinkai and the Xue family."

"It's Lord Hou,"

Ningbian responded, and then took people off the building to inform the city.

Beijing,

Jia Jianing’s Mansion,
The steward Pan You'an, after being taught a lesson by the eldest master Jia Zhen, did not reprimand him. Instead, he rewarded him afterwards. He was in charge of the boiler room and coal purchase in the house. Many servants and servants showed envy. The look in his eyes made Jia Rong feel a little jealous. Purchasing in the house was originally a job of oil and water, but now it was given to the coal business to support those workers, and the money didn't just come.

But after all, it was his father who made the decision and couldn't interfere, so he had to drink wine in the house all day long. On the other hand, Jia Qiang, the servant of Ningguo Mansion, walked back and forth in the house every day, taking care of things when he saw them. He also has a good impression of Jia Qiang and speaks better than Jia Rong.

However, although Jia Qiang is an upright great-great-grandson of Ningguo Mansion, her parents died early and she was fostered under Jia Zhen's name. She was also raised as a young master. Now that she is older, she is a little more thoughtful.

Exactly today,

Jia Qiang brought Yang Zhu and his servant Xiao Yuan to the boiler room, where Pan Youan was also taking stock of coal purchases. He never thought that after the beginning of spring, it would snow, and it wouldn't stop for a while. According to the rules of the house, As long as it snows, the kang must be burned for the master of the house.

Coal is needed to burn the kang, and the coal buyers and sellers are old customers and old neighbors.

When he saw Jia Qiang coming, he bowed respectfully and asked,

"It turns out to be Brother Qiang. It's cold today, why do you come to this dirty place?"

Jia Qiang responded with a smile, then greeted around and said;

"It turns out that this is Manager Pan. Of course he has something to do here. Let me tell everyone that this is Yang Zhu. From now on, the boiler and the kang will be in his charge, as well as the purchased coal and other items. Tell him everything you have. He If you can't do it, just tell Manager Pan."

Pan You'an felt nervous, what's going on? Uncle Zhen didn't leave the coal purchase to him, and even Uncle Rong didn't interfere. But what did Brother Qiang mean? It was the master's intention. He carefully tested it and asked road,

"Brother Qiang, everything here is the responsibility of Master Zhen. I have never seen where Yang Zhu is serving. He can't afford the money purchased from the house."

Yang Zhu was a man from Zhuangzi outside the capital city of Ningguo. Because Zhuangzi was in poverty, he was brave, so he dragged the steward of Zhuangzi into the city and wanted to see if he could find a job in Dongfu. It happened that this man was clever. , met Jia Qiang, and was asked to serve as a servant. There was also a young boy named Xiao Yuan to serve him.

After several quarrels with Marquis Luo Yun, especially after repaying the loan from the court, the family's vitality was severely damaged, and I am afraid it will not recover for a long time.

The expenses in the house naturally became tense, and those who were in charge of buying oil and water were naturally eye-catching. Although Jia Qiang had a good relationship with Jia Rong in the house, and Jia Zhen also doted on her, after all, she was not the heir to the Ningguo Mansion, so she was getting older. If you grow up, you will start thinking about yourself. No matter what you do, you must first have money.

Recently, there is only a shortage of people in the boiler room. Looking at Manager Pan's reluctant look, Jia Qiang ignored it.

"Steward Pan, just do as you are told. Just say hello to Steward Lai. I'll collect the money. I'm here to inform you that the weather is still cold and tonight is just the right time. After nightfall, there won't be many people around. Let the government transport the coal in."

Just as he was talking, Pan Youan couldn't help it and interrupted,

"Brother Qiang, the coal in our house has always been given by the old Liu family in Dongtou. Where did the coal you bought come from? If the quality of the coal is not good, who will be blamed for it?"

"Manager Pan is more interested. The coal is the same, but I will buy it from now on. I will take care of Old Liu Tou's coal. The tribesmen in Ningrong Street and the alley next to it will also buy the goods from me. There are many people during the day, and the master’s expenses are tight, so it is inconvenient to come and go, so we can only transport coal at night. Of course, we can do things more quickly, and we can’t leave any charcoal residue on the ground or in the streets, which is true.”

Jia Qiang made it very clear. All the coal of the old Liu family fell into Jia Qiang's hands. They were still the same people, but there was one more person. Pan Youan had a clear conscience. This was because Jia Qiang wanted to make money. Thinking of it, he reached out first.

It seemed that everyone in the house knew that Mr. Zhen would definitely be partial when it came to the matter. As for Mr. Jia Rong, Pan sighed and thought of another way.
"Then just follow Brother Qiang's arrangements. I won't care about the boiler room. You guys should be careful."

After saying some words, he left without looking back, leaving a room full of servants there who didn't dare to speak, all knowing that something might have happened in the house.

outside the house,

A group of handymen came and carried blankets out one by one. The carriage was already ready. Yang Zhu seemed to have taken on the role and shouted;
"You all know the rules. Move faster when you get out. I'll say it again. First put a blanket under the carriage, then load the coal. After loading, wrap another layer around the rear to prevent it from falling. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Manager Yang."

The boy and the handyman in the house said in unison. Yang Zhu raised his face and led the people out. Seeing this, Jia Qiang nodded with satisfaction, and then took the boy Xiao Yuan back to his yard.

Pan You'an felt unwilling, but had nowhere to complain, so he had to walk around the house a few times. Uncle Zhen had no choice but to go to Uncle Rong's place. No longer hesitating, he took a detour and went to the courtyard where Jia Rong lived. Go.

Jia Rong is resting now, lying on the kang in the room, unable to fall asleep. There is no one around to warm the bed. The Dragon Guard has been on duty in the palace for half a year now, and he has adapted to the stressful life. But there is always some reluctance in my heart, especially my father Jia Zhen, who is arrogant and lustful every day and has a house full of concubines. Naturally, he is very envious. The vulgar powder in his room will naturally disappear after being used for a long time. Taste, a lot of sales, but when I think of those Qinghuan, they need a lot of money. When I think of the money, Jia Rong feels restless. There are too few monthly items.
"Where can I get the money?"

(End of this chapter)