After being exiled to Lingnan, Prime Minister Quan's family collapsed and his people were set u

"That's right." Ren Ruian nodded and put the paintings into his sleeves. "You can go home by yourself. I have to go to the bookshop to make arrangements for the painting."

Ren Yining stood up, lifted up the hem of her skirt and walked outside, "Then I'll go to the embroidery room and see what Ruoruo has embroidered. If it looks good, I'll buy it and take it home to support."

Ren Ruian smiled helplessly, "As long as you like it."

……

Zhou Shitang originally planned to go to the bookstore to talk to Ren Ruian about the picture album after finishing the story. But now he saw him in the restaurant in advance and gave him the painting, so he didn't need to look for him again.

Zhou Shiye looked at his two younger sisters, not daring to take a step away from them for fear that they would encounter some malicious person. "There is still a lot of time now. Where do you want to go? I'll go with you!"

The weather is cold and there are not many pedestrians on the street. Everyone likes to stay indoors to keep warm.

Zhou Shitang put his hands in his pockets and shrank his neck, "My parents have gone shopping for the New Year. Let's go check out the house first. Mom gave me some money. After this new year, we will probably be able to move to the city. It will be convenient to do business then.”

Zhou Shiruo held her arm and nodded, "I listen to you, then let's go and have a look."

Zhou Shiye had no objection.

The three of them asked a passerby for the location of the tooth shop, went straight to the tooth shop, and found the tooth man.

Yaren was stunned when he saw three children, but he quickly smiled and said, "What kind of house do you need? I have all types of houses here."

Zhou Shitang put forward his own requirements, "It is best to have a yard of our own, where our family can live, seven people, the price is right, the environment is quiet, and the surroundings should not be too noisy. It is best to have everything nearby, and it is convenient to go shopping."

Yaren smiled kindly and said, "I happen to have such a house here. Come with me."

Yaren led them through a small alley and came to a house. He took out the key and opened the lock, pushed the door in and introduced, "It is quiet here, and the environment meets your requirements. Originally, this place is quiet." "The whole family rushed to the capital because they won the lottery. They probably wouldn't come back, so they asked Yaxing to rent out the house and collect rent, one tael of silver a month."

Zhou Shitang walked in and looked around.

There is a square courtyard. As soon as you enter the courtyard, you will find the main room, the east and west wing rooms, the east and west side rooms, and a side room. It is definitely enough for seven people in one room. There is also a well in the middle, which is very convenient for drinking water.

Zhou Shitang and the other three looked inside and outside every room.

Yaren was still introducing, "There is a great master who has lifted people up here. He is very lucky. If you live here, you can also be blessed with the good fortune of the master who has lifted people up. If he wins, your whole family will burn high incense."

Zhou Shitang's eyebrows arched as he listened to Yaren's introduction, "Why has no one rented such a good house before? If you are so lucky, many people should be willing to rent here, right?"

Facing Zhou Shitang's eyes that seemed to be able to see everything, Yaren's smile froze, but he couldn't hide it any longer. He would know this if he went out and inquired about it. He sighed, "The master's younger brother was elected to the imperial examination by him." After his death, the richer families felt that this was an unfavorable place and were unwilling to rent, while the poorer families could not afford to rent."

Zhou Shitang thought this place was pretty good. She didn't care about people dying. However, she frowned and asked, "Isn't it really a bit unlucky if someone died?"

Zhou Shiruo was also very satisfied with this place. When she heard what Zhou Shitang said, she immediately understood what she meant and said: "It is a blessing to win the exam, but compared with life, life is of course more important. If you rent this place, We won't get into any bad luck, right?"

Zhou Shiye shivered, "Then let's leave quickly. I feel chilly all over. Don't let me get into any bad luck."

Seeing how scared the three of them were, Yaren couldn't help but sigh again. He himself didn't dare to live here. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "The rent can be cheaper. How about 800 cash?"

Zhou Shitang's face turned pale, "We'll rent it for five hundred cents, otherwise we'd better look at other houses."

Yaren thought about it for a moment. No one was willing to rent this house for a year. Finally, someone was willing. He could make some money with 500 Wen. He nodded with determination, "Okay, 500 Wen is just 500 Wen." .”

Zhou Shitang raised his eyebrows, "How about we pay a deposit of 100 yuan first, and then come over and rent the house after the Chinese New Year?"

Yaren nodded, took out the contract, and signed his name.

Zhou Shitang also signed his name and paid a deposit.

Yaren smiled and collected the contract and deposit. Since the deposit was given, he was not afraid that they would not rent the property after the new year. If they don't rent, he won't return the deposit. If they rent, there will be money later, so he won't lose money no matter what.

Zhou Shitang and the others were in a good mood. They bought some food on the roadside and prepared to go back.

A servant came to them and invited with a smile, "Our young master would like to invite you to go to the government office for a talk."

Zhou Shitang looked at the person in front of him, "Is your young master the county magistrate's son?"

The servant nodded proudly, "Exactly."

Zhou Shitang smiled lightly and said, "If you want to stay with us for a long time, let him come to Siman Restaurant to find us, otherwise we won't have to talk."

The servant hesitated, "This..."

Zhou Shitang didn't care about that and just dragged Zhou Shiruo and Zhou Shiye away. She was not stupid and went to the county magistrate's house to find abuse.

The servant was stunned. He didn't expect that these peasants would dare to refuse his young master's invitation. Looking at their leaving figures, he couldn't help but stamp his feet. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and go back to report to Lin Jinhong.

After hearing what the servant said, Lin Jinhong smashed the tea cup in his hand with a stern look, "Let me go to the restaurant to find them? How dare they."

"Prepare the carriage, I want to see if their lies can continue!"

Lin Jinhong flicked his sleeves and strode out, feeling the anger of being deceived all over his body.

Zhou Shitang and the others went to Siman Restaurant again.

When Lu Sijian saw them leaving and returning, he smiled and said, "Are you planning to pack meals? I'll let someone arrange it right now."

Zhou Shitang shook his head, "We are not here to eat. The county magistrate may come over later. He may have found out that we live in Shanhe Village, but it's fine. We are not breaking the law. He is the county magistrate and cannot arrest people casually. But just in case, if we are captured by him, please ask Uncle Lu to find Ren Shaodong’s house.”

Lu Sijian's face changed suddenly and he said seriously: "Okay, don't worry."

The person he hates the most now is the county magistrate. He is simply haunting him. The county magistrate is really unlucky to have such a son. He doesn't know how he will die.

Zhou Shitang and the others went to the private room on the second floor.

Zhou Shiruo poured a cup of tea and drank it in one sip, "The villain is difficult to deal with, and his ghost lingers, which is really bad luck."

Zhou Shiye also felt very unlucky, "I just want to make some money quietly and live a good life, but there are always people who want to cause trouble for us. Isn't it unlucky?" Lin Jinhong led a dozen guards upstairs aggressively.

Many guests saw it and started discussing, "Who is this? Did you bring so many people here for dinner? But why does it look so aggressive, as if you are looking for someone to settle a score?"

"I know that the leader is the county magistrate. I heard that he wanted to buy the restaurant from shopkeeper Lu, but shopkeeper Lu refused. Later, he secretly asked people to suppress the restaurant's business, and the restaurant was almost destroyed. , I don’t know where Shopkeeper Lu found a storyteller more than ten days ago, and then he attracted customers to come for dinner again. "

"Oh my god, are you buying and selling by force? Can the county magistrate do such a thing? Does he still have the law in his eyes?"

"His father is the county magistrate. He doesn't care. How can we, the powerless people, still care? Just watch the excitement. Don't get involved, lest it affect you. Let's eat. I think the food here is better than It tasted much better before.”

"I have eaten here several times before, and I have been eating here often recently. I found that the food here is better than before, and there are more styles."

Lin Jinhong was led by the waiter to the private room where Zhou Shitang was. He asked a dozen guards to stand guard outside while he pushed the door open and went in.

His handsome face was covered with frost, and his eyes were full of coldness. He strode in and saw the three people sitting inside. He found a seat and sat down casually, "I have asked someone to check, you guys." His household registration is in Shanhe Village. He has no farmland or shop, and even his only house is rented from the village chief."

"Do you have anything to say? I'll give you a chance to make excuses!"

Zhou Shitang picked up a barbecue skewer. Eating barbecue skewers in winter was very comfortable. She bit off a piece of meat with both hands, chewed it a few times and swallowed it. Then her eyes fell on Lin Jinhong's face and said in a light voice, "So what?"

"Do you think you are the only one with a backer? My uncle is the Minister of Rites, my aunt is the wife of the Minister of Rites, my master is the Marquis of Zhenbei, and my senior brother is the prince of the Marquis of Zhenbei."

"What can you do to me?" Zhou Shitang looked at Lin Jinhong with contempt in his eyes, exerting his power as a fox and a tiger to the extreme, and his temperament was cold and compelling.

Lin Jinhong's aura instantly weakened when he saw Zhou Shitang's cold eyes, and his heart couldn't help but tremble as he thought quickly in his mind.

Is everything she said true?

The Minister of Civil Affairs and the Marquis of Zhenbei were all important figures, and even his father could not see them even if he stood on tiptoe.

However, he was puzzled, "If that's the case, why is your family living in such poverty?"

Zhou Shitang picked up another skewer. She said she was tired and didn't want to talk anymore.

Zhou Shiruo said calmly, "You are not qualified to know. If you don't believe it, why don't you send someone to the capital to find out?"

"Okay, let's eat the skewers in peace. Don't be an eyesore here." Zhou Shiye's eyebrows were deep and he was impatient to chase people away.

Lin Jinhong felt aggrieved. He finally found out where they lived in He County and found out that their family was in poverty. He was angry that they had lied to him, so he aggressively came to settle the score with them. In the end, they told him that they really had a backer, and their backer was Everyone has spoken out.

He stood up and cupped his hands, "I'm sorry for bothering you all. I'll definitely give you an apology gift someday."

Zhou Shitang was not surprised, "There's no need to apologize. Just don't appear in front of us. What rare things have we not seen before? Do we need you to give them to us?"

"Yes, you really don't need me to send it." Lin Jinhong looked embarrassed and turned away.

In any case, he first sent someone to the capital to inquire about it.

If it were true, he might be able to take this opportunity to make friends with them, and then climb up to the big shots like Zhenbei Hou.

If it's fake, hey, he won't let go of people who lie to him over and over again.

After Lin Jinhong left, Zhou Shiye picked up a bunch of grilled wings and ate with his mouth full of oil. He didn't take Lin Jinhong seriously. He had seen so many people from aristocratic families before. Even if he is now down and out, his courage and knowledge are not comparable to Lin Jinhong's. Worthy.

Zhou Shiruo curled his lips, "He was too slow in investigating the news. It took him a long time to find out that we live in Shanhe Village. Tsk."

Zhou Shitang smiled slightly, "Didn't we tell him before that our backer was in the capital? It's normal for him to have no clue. Now he has shifted his attention to the capital. We didn't lie anyway."

"I don't know how Uncle Su, Auntie Ahuai and the others are doing. They should have arrived in the capital by now." Zhou Shitang had a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.

Zhou Shiruo finished one skewer, threw away the skewer, and picked up another skewer, "We have been here for more than half a month. They should have returned to the capital by carriage. They may have arrived in the capital by now."

Lu Sijian opened the door and came in, wiping the cold sweat on his head, "He's finally gone. The people can't compete with the officials. I'm really scared."

I was afraid that the restaurant that had finally come back to life would be gone.

Zhou Shitang comforted, "Uncle Lu, you don't have to worry too much."

Lu Sijian nodded with a look of rejoicing, "Fortunately I met you, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep this restaurant."

Zhou Shitang: "Uncle Lu's words are obvious. I can get money from you by doing almost nothing. It's what I should do to keep the restaurant."

She just came up with a few recipes, she didn't have to look for people, she didn't have to manage the restaurant, and she didn't have to do any messy chores. She just lay around and made money. This kind of life was really comfortable.

Of course, it would be better if there were no people like Lin Jinhong looking for trouble.

Dealing with villains every day is also troublesome.

Lu Sijian smiled and said nothing more. Anyway, Ah Tang was his benefactor, so it would be fine if he knew.

Zhou Shitang and the others finished eating the skewers, patted their butts and went home.

Mrs. Li had been waiting here for a stick of incense. When she saw Zhou Shitang and the others finally coming out, she subconsciously complained, "I don't know where the three of you went to have fun. It took me so long to come out. I'm so cold here." "

Zhou Shitang apologized, "Sorry for keeping Auntie waiting for so long. When we move to the city in the future, this kind of thing won't happen."

Li's face froze.

Is Zhou Shitang apologizing?

This is piercing her heart!

She didn't want to move to the county seat at all. Moving to the county seat meant that they were going to separate. So how could she live a life of food every day?

She worked very hard to embroider a few things to earn a little money, which was not as much money as Zhou Shitang and Zhou Shiye made from working with others.

It was a restaurant, and there was a steady stream of money coming into the bag. There was a lot of money without doing anything.