Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 201 It’s easy to add icing on the cake, but it’s difficult to provide help when it’s time

After resting for a day the next day, Mrs. Zhu sent her prepared luggage to He Lai Hall and showed it to Wang Heng. She included clothes for all seasons, hats and coir raincoats, and two hundred taels of Yinchuan money. She also prepared a few taels of broken silver for the road. make.

Grandma Zhou of Westinghouse sent me a new style book box. This kind of book box has just become fashionable in Suzhou. When you go out, there is such a book box that can accommodate pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

There was nothing to do in the afternoon, so Wang Heng and Xiao Cai strolled by car to visit relatives at the Yu family's house on Magong Street. The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, and they felt more energetic, and their walking seemed much faster.

Soon after entering the second door of the Yu family's house, as soon as I stepped in, Xiaochan, the maid of the eldest mistress, saw her and hurried to the inner hall to report: "Madam, Madam, the Seventh Young Master's house is here."

As soon as Wang Heng and Xiao Cai entered the house, they were surrounded by the female relatives and received a warm welcome.

It was very different from the lack of attention in the past. The female relatives thought that they knew that Wang Hengyin had cheated on him as a supervisor of the Imperial College, so they all pulled him to ask him about his welfare.

Wang Heng has mixed feelings in his heart. Since ancient times, it is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to provide help when the time is right. Even among family members, it is difficult to escape snobbishness.

A useless person does not deserve care, but who can guarantee that he will always be useful?
Wang Heng asked Mr. Wang San which house he was in. He went to say hello first.

Ling, Mrs. Wang San's wife, said nonchalantly: "I've probably gone to have tea with some old acquaintance. I won't come back until dinner."

It turned out that last month, uncle Yuan Yu wrote a letter and asked Mrs. Zhu to arrange an errand for Mr. Wang San. Mrs. Zhu asked Mr. Wang San to take care of the Wang family ancestral hall and pay him twenty taels of silver every month.

In fact, it was equivalent to helping him with more than 200 taels per year, which was barely enough. Therefore, Mr. Wang San regained some of his gentlemanly style and often socialized with old friends in Taicang Prefecture City.

Aunt Liu, Xiaojiu's biological mother of the Wang family, brought a cup of tea and said with a smile: "Seventh Young Master is getting more and more active. We are brothers fighting tigers. Father and son go into battle. Young Master goes out alone and has few people to help him. Why don't you ask Xiaojiu to follow you to Nanjing?" Let me run errands for you.”

Aunt Han, the biological mother of the eighth brother, had very sharp ears. She quickly came up to make some noise and said: "Xiaojiu is only ten years old. He can cook and wash clothes. Our little eight is two years older than him after all, so he is just right for the seventh son." Footman."

The two aunts said something to each other, and the trouble was about to break out.

Wang Heng was used to it, so he understood it and said: "Don't worry, my two aunts. After a few years, the little brothers will be a few years older. I will be released from prison. If I am awarded an official, I will take my brothers out to be officials. Brothers, Isn’t it beautiful?”

After hearing that Wang Heng drew a big cake for them, the aunts and grandmothers just stared at each other and stopped talking.

While they were talking, the landlord's wife, the Yu family, came to visit. Wang Heng took the opportunity to leave and go for a walk in the patio.

Xiaocai patted his chest and said, "I was almost robbed of my business. I was so scared that my heart was pounding."

Suddenly, a pleasant female voice whispered: "Xiaoba, Xiaojiu and the others, with their big names, only know a lot of things. How can they steal Brother Xiaocai's business?"

Xiaocai laughed out loud, turned around and saw a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old in a white dress. It turned out to be Wang Heng's eldest sister Yongzhen. He saluted and said, "How are you, Miss Six, always good?"

General Wang Heng didn't see his eldest sister in the hall, so he thought she rarely went out.

The eldest sister took a pair of cloth shoes in her hand and said, "I made a pair of shoes for the seventh brother. As soon as the seventh brother came in, I went back to the house to get them." Wang Heng saw that this pair of shoes had a green forged surface and a 100% base. Seeing that he had put a lot of effort into it, he praised: "Ah Zhen's needlework is really good."

The eldest sister smiled and said: "Staying at home every day with nothing to do is not just doing work. My shoe-making skills were taught by Aunt Hong earlier."

"Aunt Hong?" Wang Heng was stunned. Aunt Hong was born in a noble family, and her needlework skills were quite good. He asked casually: "Has there been any news since Aunt Hong ran away last month?"

Yongzhen looked at no one around and said, "I'm afraid Aunt Hong will come back."

Wang Heng was surprised and asked: "What's going on? Didn't the eldest mistress say that day that her father tacitly allowed her to go out and find a way out on her own?"

Yongzhen nodded and said, "I personally heard my father telling Uncle Wang whether Ahong's affairs were settled and whether she still had money. I asked Uncle Wang to send her twenty taels of silver."

Xiaocai was full of doubts and asked, "Where is Aunt Hong from? Could it be that she went back to her ancestral home?"

Yongzhen shook her head and said: "Aunt Hong has been in our house for so many years, but no one knows where she is from. She was redeemed by her father from Lanyulou in Hangzhou. Her mouth is so white that she is most likely from the Tang family. I think she is mostly from the north.”

Wang Heng recalled that Aunt Hong's appearance was so beautiful that she was indeed slightly different from the girls from Jiangnan.

Everyone chatted for a while, but they couldn't get the point.

Wang Heng asked his eldest sister to go to Wang Yamen to pay her respects to Mrs. Zhu if she had nothing to do. Instead of going to flatter her, she would just accompany the eldest sister to talk about household matters and see how Mrs. Zhu manages the house. At the worst, she would be able to recognize a few more words. Okay, if you get married and become a mistress in the future, you must at least be able to read the account books and use the servants.

Yong Zhen responded one by one, and Wang Heng suddenly remembered something and laughed loudly: "You should also make a pair of shoes for Xiaocai, otherwise, you are afraid that he will steal your business."

Yongzhen was confused and immediately agreed.

After a while, Mrs. Yu said goodbye and left. Wang Heng entered the hall and looked at no one. He said to Mrs. Ling alone: ​​"My eldest sister got hairpins last year. Is there anyone here to propose marriage?"

Mrs. Ling sighed loudly and said: "The family situation is difficult, and your father has lost his official position. How can anyone come to propose marriage."

Wang Heng took the opportunity and said: "My eldest sister is more than gentle and quiet, but not very talented. It is necessary to carefully choose a husband. Before we get married, we must see each other. If I am suitable, I will show her to you."

Mrs. Ling said angrily: "My eldest sister can't afford a hundred taels of silver for her dowry. How can anyone come to see her?"

Wang Heng said sternly: "Madam, you must remember that you can't marry someone randomly. I will use my brain to think about the dowry. There are ways to be poor and rich."

Mrs. Ling was the eldest sister's biological mother, so she agreed easily.

After sitting for a while, until dusk fell, Mr. Wang San didn't come back either. He left early the next morning, so Wang Heng said goodbye to Mrs. Ling, took some clothes prepared by Mrs. Ling, and returned to Wang Yamen.