Red Mansion Reader

Chapter 107 Sell That Girl
"It's all because we didn't manage this year's Mid-Autumn Festival properly and offended the gods in the sky, so not a single drop of rain fell!"

I don't know when it started, such absurd remarks were spread in Yangzhou city.

At first, most people in the city just took it as a joke.There are so many festivals in a year, and we can't manage all of them well. It doesn't matter once in a while.

However, as more and more northerners fled south, even the naive and romantic Yangzhou people gradually realized the problem of drought.

Danger will never disappear by itself just because you turn a blind eye.

Most of the first batch of northerners who came to Yangzhou had good family backgrounds.Although they don't have the court care like the rich and powerful, but they have many more choices than ordinary people.

Most of them have been to Shandong, which is closer.After seeing the number of disaster victims over there, I felt that something was wrong, and immediately set off south to Yangzhou, Jinling, Suzhou and other places.

For them, the drought is more like a reason to go out for fun.As long as you have money, the world is so big, there is always a place to enjoy the shade under the clouds and the sun.

In Yangzhou city, Wei Yinghong severely punished several rumor spreaders, but he couldn't restrain the panic from brewing in the dark.

The first thing to be affected is naturally the price of rice. The grain merchants who received the notice in advance did not dare to break ground on the head of the magistrate.

Although he intends to earn a lot of money from ordinary people, seeing the increasing number of officers and soldiers on the street, after careful consideration, he still does not want to be the unjust ghost who has a life to earn but not a life to spend.

The first ones to come forward were the three newspaper shops in the city.Led by "Jing'an Daily", "Huaiyang Daily" and "Jiangnan Shibao" simultaneously published the news that grain trucks from Suzhou Prefecture were being transported to Yangzhou.Only then did the Yangzhou people who were making a fuss feel a little more at ease.

The eldest sister Chen Qing's ceremony of Jiji arrived as expected amidst the panic and noise.

Chen Heng has been living at home for the past few days, and the academy has requested that students like him who have families in Yangzhou have three meals a day at home.

As long as you don't miss class, it doesn't matter if you don't come home at night.

The mood of the Chen family is still calm. Thanks to Chen Heng's previous planning and preparation, the family's food storage is enough for them to last until the New Year with peace of mind.

According to the rules of the Yong Dynasty, relatives and friends such as the secretary of rites and guests should be invited for the ceremony of Jiji.There must be female elders in the family to put hair on and wear crowns for the children, and then several honorable guests will add dresses for the children, and then meet the elders in turn.

If rich and noble families handle this matter, banquets and opera troupes are even more indispensable, and the child's marriage will last until the evening before it is considered over.

The old Chen family didn't have the capital to do this, so they could only buy Chen Qing a set of nice clothes and jewelry as a token.In addition, there were no relatives or friends around, so the whole family closed the door and had fun.

Seeing the groomed granddaughter, Mrs. Zhou was very happy.

Chen Qing's appearance is very upright. Although her complexion is not very good due to her frequent housework, she also has a gentle and strong temperament on her body.

It's definitely not Chen Heng's boasting. If anyone marries his sister, he will definitely find a treasure.

"Grandma's good granddaughter has grown up." Mrs. Zhou helped Chen Qing who was saluting to herself. Thinking of Chen Qing's appearance when she was just born, she suppressed her emotions and only smiled, "Don't worry, grandma will definitely pick you up." A wishful gentleman."

Chen Qing blushed and nodded shyly.She knew that after today, she would be considered a complete grown-up.

Talking about marriage is naturally an unavoidable topic.

In fact, the real meaning of Zhou's words is: if the child has something suitable in mind, you can whisper it to her and let her come and have a look.

Gu was worried that her daughter would not understand, so after Chen Qing saluted, she took her hand and said: "Grandma is asking you to pay attention to the candidates yourself, but Qing'er, the elders still have to decide the marriage. You can choose quietly." See, you must never make a rude promise."

"My daughter will save it." Chen Qing nodded, and she came to the second aunt again to salute.

Mrs. Li didn't talk much, she just took out the gift she sewed with her own hands, and told her elder sister that if there was something on her mind that she couldn't figure out, she could discuss it with her secretly.

On such an occasion, naturally no man has the place to speak.Chen Yushan took his two sons and sat obediently, nodding his head to accept the etiquette of the younger generation.

Then Chen Heng and his brothers and sisters presented the gifts they had chosen.

The gifts for Chen Qingyue and Chen Yin were naturally prepared with the help of the elders.

Only Chen Xian looked at Chen Qing with teary eyes. She suddenly realized that after Ji Ji, she would embark on the road of getting married.

She is only one year younger than Chen Qing, and when she thinks that one day the eldest sister who has been with her day and night will leave home, she will also take this step.

Chen Xian couldn't stop crying.

Zhou Shi and the others were laughing and watching, wondering if they would think of their own childhood.

When Chen Qing started to unwrap the presents, everyone soon noticed the presents from Chen Heng.

"Sister, why is your necklace so beautiful?" Chen Qingyue exclaimed on the spot.

Although the golden necklace is not embellished with precious pearls and jade, it is still engraved with various gemstones. Chen Qing felt distressed: "Brother, this necklace costs a lot of money."

Chen Heng smiled and said, "My sister likes it, that's the most important thing."

The money he originally had was used to buy a house and a shop for his family, and the odds and ends had already been spent.

If it weren't for the newspaper shop paying him 40 taels of manuscript fee last month, Chen Heng wouldn't be able to afford such an expensive item.

Although newspapers have started to make money, compared with the continuous investment of Xue, Wang, and Hu, they are still far from profitable.

If you want to get the dividends from the newspaper shop, you have to wait at least a year.

Chen Heng's family is poor, so he naturally wouldn't spend money with them.Even the Hu family began to feel a bit overwhelmed, and had to sell their own floor to Xue and Wang.

But this kind of thing is not up to Chen Heng.He is the initiator of the newspaper shop and the pillar of the newspaper.

How could the other three families bother him with such nosy matters.Everyone tacitly bypassed Chen Heng, and only waited for the profit in the future, so as to give him bonuses in batches.

"Accept it, it's also your brother's wish." Mrs. Gu came out to make the decision, put the necklace on for Chen Qing, looked at her daughter, and couldn't help but praise: "When you get married in the future, it's enough to take it out gone."

Seeing this, Chen Qing smiled shyly at Chen Heng and said, "Thank you brother."

Chen Heng waved his hand and joked with the family, "Sister, don't listen to mother's urging, and brother doesn't want you to marry in a hurry. If sister is willing, she will stay with brother for another two years. When brother earns more money, he will buy some for you." Better jewelry."

Chen Qi who was on the side couldn't help nodding his head, he really wanted to let her marry just this precious daughter, how could he be willing to do so.

After listening to her son's words, Mrs. Gu just smiled and said nothing.She and Zhou just want Chen Qing to realize that she needs to start thinking about this issue.

Chen Qing was really in no hurry when she got married, even if she had chosen the right one, she still had to inquire about the situation in the other's family.

It doesn't matter whether the man's family is poor or poor, character and family style are the most important things.

At this time, there was a knock on the door suddenly.

The whole family was a little surprised, in order to avoid publicity and affect the neighbors.They deliberately moved the time to night, so why would there be visitors?
Chen Huaijin was the most curious, and before Chen Yushan could speak, he already ran out on his own initiative.As soon as the second uncle left, Chen Qingyue had already caught up with Chen Huaijin's ass.

After the two went out for a while, they came back with strange expressions, and said to Chen Heng, "Heng'er, I'm your guest."

"Brother, they are two good-looking sisters."

elder sister?Chen Heng was a little surprised. Sister Lin didn't say that she would come to see him tonight?

He got up and walked to the courtyard, and saw two maidservants he had seen standing in a dimly lit place.

"Master."

"Master Chen."

Those who shouted were Daiyu's maidservant Xueyan and Baoqin's maidservant Chunyan.Seeing that it was them, Chen Heng couldn't help asking curiously, "Why are you here?"

"Miss ordered me to give big sister a gift." Xueyan said innocently, but her eyes fell on Xue's servant girl, seeming to be curious about why she came.

"Master Chen, the servants are entrusted by the young master and miss, and are here to give congratulatory gifts to the sister of the Chen family."

Sister Lin would prepare presents. Although Chen Heng was surprised, it was not surprising.But the two siblings, Xue Biao and Bao Qin, were beyond his expectation.

Chen Heng patted his forehead in distress, he finally remembered.

When he had a headache for the gift before, he asked Xue Biao for reference, but he didn't expect that the other party would remember it in his heart, and he made it up tonight.

Since the other party has come, there is no intention of driving them out.Chen Heng had no choice but to invite them in and hand over the gift to Chen Qing face to face.

These two maidservants are also interesting, once the errands are finished, they dare not stay longer, wishing they could put on their wings and run out together.Outside the door, there are two young servants waiting for them to get on the carriage and go home.

Chen Heng didn't do much to keep them. The two families only sent their personal maids, so they didn't want to disturb the Chen family.

After the outsiders left, the whole family began to have a lively feast. Today, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Gu cooked together and made many more dishes.

Everyone ate very happily, but second uncle Chen Heng, he is really brave!He even wanted to pour wine for Chen Qing in front of Chen Qi.

If it wasn't for Chen Yushan and Zhou's sitting beside him, Chen Qi might have to teach this younger brother a lesson.

…………

…………

While the Chen family was eating happily, a group of people sneaked up to the door of the salt merchant in the north of the city.

The person in the lead also had a relationship with the Chen family.

It was Xu Mazi who competed with their family for the tea shop at the beginning, but the people around him today have changed a group of new faces.

"Brothers, it's me, Mazi Xu! I made an appointment with Steward Wang and I have something to talk about today."

Xu Rui showed a flattering smile, and handed some small money to the porters.

The porter shook his head and looked at each other.Let a companion enter the house to report, but didn't even say a word to the guest.

Damn, when you are kicked out one day, don't let me meet you on the streets of Yangzhou.Xu Rui cursed in his heart, so he had to lead a group of brothers to wait honestly.

After a while, the person who had just left came back proudly, raised his hand, and said to them, "Go in."

"Thank you, thank you." Xu Rui smiled and thanked, and hurriedly led the brothers into the mansion.

Although there was no one to lead the way, he had come here not once or twice, and walked towards the steward Wang's house with ease.

After the group of them left, several concierges spat at their backs and cursed, "Bah, shameless human traffickers."

"It's really dirty eyes. Why did I meet this group of dirty things who gave birth to sons and have no assholes again today?"

"All right, all right, talk less and do more."

Xu Rui couldn't hear the movement behind him, but in his business, he wouldn't care if he heard it.

How can you be a human trafficker if you are not black and your heart is not dirty?

Excitedly knocking on Steward Wang's room, Xu Rui heard a reply from inside, and signaled his brother to wait outside the door, and quickly pushed the door open.

"Steward Wang..."

"I heard that you have another good product this time?"

As soon as Xu Ruigang met, he was interested in making friends.Steward Wang interrupted him impatiently.

This Wang Guanshi is nearly fifty years old, and he is very well dressed, except for his appearance, which is a bit monkey-like.

It just so happened that his zodiac sign was a monkey, and some of his servants who were upset with him often called him Mu Monkey in private.

Seeing that Guanshi Wang is in a bad mood today, Xu Rui quickly nodded and said with an apologetic smile: "Yes, Guanshi Wang, I assure you. This girl, who was born with a beautiful country, is definitely a first-class beauty."

"With your little knowledge, do you know what national beauty is?" Steward Wang snorted softly, mocking that the toad had never seen the world.

In his house, there are several benches for entertaining guests, with candles standing around, dotted with porcelain calligraphy and paintings carefully arranged by the owner.

Guanshi Wang sat at the head, shaking his legs slightly, but he didn't intend to ask Xu Rui to sit down and talk.

He just tilted his head and played with the Buddha string in his hand. This is a treasure obtained from Daming Temple. The master of the temple personally consecrated it. Wang Guanshi is very rare to it.

"Steward Wang, I didn't say a word of falsehood. The old lady of Manchunyuan, after only seeing this girl, clamored to train her with her own hands. If I hadn't kept blocking her, she would have wanted to spend 5000 taels directly. Buy it from me."

Xu Rui waved his hands excitedly, the light stretched his shadow onto the white wall, it looked like he was wielding a knife and a gun, which was very strange.

5000 taels? !You are acting like a monk with a scarlet head, and you come to me to knock on a bowl for alms.Guanshi Wang sneered, knowing that the boy wanted to speak loudly to the lion today, so he asked the other party to explain the girl's background first.

"I abducted her from Suzhou when she was three or four years old." Xu Rui rubbed his hands excitedly, and even the pock marks on his flushed face became very conspicuous because of recalling the proud things, "I saw her at that time. Seeing that she looks good, I asked the old lady to take a look."

Manchunyuan is a brothel in Diaoyu Lane. The old women inside are very good at observing people and looking at people. Many girls in their building are selected and bought one by one from human traffickers like Xu Rui by virtue of their sharp eyes.

"How old is she now?" Steward Wang didn't like to listen to such long-winded speeches, and asked the key points directly.

"I don't know the specifics. It should be fourteen or five years old."

After Xu Rui finished answering, Wang Guanshi was very surprised and said: "You are raising a skinny horse."

Most of the thin horses in Yangzhou are picked from childhood and raised until they are grown up, before being sold to a deep house.

But in this industry, there is also its own way, which is absolutely as easy as most people think.

As long as the eyes are turned away, it is an absolute loss-making business.

Manager Wang really didn't expect that Xu Mazi would have such patience and be able to raise the abducted girl to such a big age.

He also couldn't help but became curious about the girl's appearance.

"Hey hey." Xu Rui nodded with a smile, "These years, I've been entertaining her with food and drink, and I'm just waiting for her to grow up and sell it."

Steward Wang nodded, noncommittal and said, "Bring it in and let me have a look."

"okay."

Xu Mazi hurried out the door, and soon he pushed a girl into the house.Steward Wang looked at the girl's graceful figure, and couldn't help but nod in praise.

"Raise your head," Xu Mazi said.

The girl didn't know how many sins she had committed. Hearing this sentence, she just raised her head in a daze.

Under the flickering light, at first glance, the girl does not wear makeup, and the plain face looks a bit ordinary.

But Guanshi Wang took a closer look, stood up suddenly from his seat, and couldn't help trembling: "Okay...ok...it looks good."

I saw the girl in front of him, she was not very old, but she was born with a beautiful appearance.There is a bit of innocence in the bright eyes and white teeth, and the slightly raised corners of the eyes add a bit of charm, plus the rouge mole between her beautiful eyebrows, the naturally pouty lip line, and a slender and correct figure.It's really that I feel pity, and there are all kinds of styles.

People can't help but sigh, how can there be such a good-looking person.

What a pity, what a pity, why is such a beauty delayed by a pair of dull eyes.

Guanshi Wang swallowed, and said anxiously, "Did you hit her?"

"Of course not!" Xu Rui immediately denied it, and explained in a panic, "What Manager Wang said, I still count on her to make money, so why would I be willing to beat her?"

Steward Wang nodded, and saw that the girl had already lowered her eyes, hiding her flirtatious charm.

He also sat back to his seat, finally calmed down the hot and eager mood in his heart, and said, "You have come to our house so many times, you should know our master's rules."

Xu Rui nodded quickly. Who in Yangzhou City doesn't know that Huang Wendong, who is cruel and ruthless, likes a perfect body. "Don't worry, Steward Wang. These years, my brothers and I have never touched her with a single finger."

"Tell me, how many taels of silver do you want?"

Finally getting to the point, the thick-faced and dark-hearted Xu Mazi said directly, "1 taels."

Steward Wang's eyes narrowed slightly, he wanted to scold Xu Mazi, but also vaguely felt that this girl was worth the price.

It's just a pity in my heart, it seems that I am not blessed to enjoy it.

The dazed mind was slightly cleared up, Manager Wang thought for a while and replied, "6000 taels."

"It's too little, Manager Wang, you can add more." How could Xu Rui agree, he still expected to go to Jinling with this money.

Xu Mazi began to talk about his own hardships, "In these years, I have spent a lot of money just on food and clothing for her."

"6000 taels." Steward Wang didn't listen to his nonsense, how much money can a little girl spend on food and drink, do you think you are raising Miss Qianjin?
Steward Wang has always been one-of-a-kind, with a tone that could not be rejected, he only spoke persuasively: "You might as well think about how much our master will give you when he sees this girl."

It's a good fart, who in Yangzhou city no longer spreads the news of the drought.Xu Rui couldn't help complaining in his heart, he wasn't going to stay here and wait to die.

The two argued for a long time, but Xu Rui didn't let go when he saw each other.Simply said: "Then the king is in charge, I will take people back first. Can I discuss it with my brothers?"

Xu Mazi had long been prepared to shop around, and if it really didn't work, he would go to Jinling to sell it to those princes and princes' children.

The reason why I didn't go there immediately was that I was afraid that the prince's children would use force on me and directly snatch the girl away.

You want to play with me and raise prices for things that can't be on the table?Steward Wang snorted lightly, didn't say much, and got up to see off the guests.

When Xu Mazi left with the girl, Steward Wang turned around and walked towards the master's room.

　It’s close to [-] words, brothers, I didn’t make you wait in vain.

　　As smart as you guys, you should have guessed who she is.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)