Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 219 I have an idea to improve my performance
The job of the opera troupe and the storyteller naturally fell on the number one lackey Jia Rong.

This guy has changed a lot since Jia Lian came back. He has become more calm and steady. At such a young age, he has to shoulder so many things. It's difficult!
If it were today, this guy would be just a junior high school student, but now he manages quite a few people.

The cigarette factory's business was booming, and it was all managed by Jia Rong.

In response to Jia Lian's call, Jia Rong naturally responded promptly.

After learning about Jia Lian's thoughts, Jia Rong changed his usual habit of answering casually, and instead pondered for a while before speaking.

"As for the opera troupe, there are plenty of people willing to take over in the south of the city. A troupe has at most 20 to 30 people, and it doesn't cost much money every month. Storytellers are even easier to find. There are storytellers all over the city, and there is absolutely no reason to refuse as long as you give enough money. But this matter requires someone to run around. I wonder if Second Uncle has someone to choose?"

The answer was clear and logical, and Jia Lian felt that this guy had been trained well.

"Where can I find a suitable candidate among the market people? If you have any recommendations, just tell me."

"There is a scoundrel on Rongning Street, called Ni Er. He has a nickname of Drunken King Kong. If Second Uncle could condescend to see him, he would serve him."

After hearing this, Jia Lian immediately remembered that this guy was the thug who collected usury for Lai Wang.

I don't know if Wang Xifeng used the money to lend out. I'll find out when I get back. Usury is very common in this era and is protected by law.

Jia Lian said that he could meet Ni Er, and after finishing his shift, Jia Rong took Ni Er and waited outside the door.

"Why don't you go in? I wonder what others will say if you stand outside." Jia Lian reminded them.

Jia Rong said, "I just arrived a short while ago, so I won't go in and disturb my uncle while he's working."

Ni Er stepped forward to greet him. Jia Lian glanced at him and saw that he had a fierce look on his face and was full of flesh, like a street hustler.

"Let's find a place to have tea and talk." Jia Lian instructed, and Jia Rong led the way to a roadside teahouse. After ordering tea, they sat down to talk. Jia Lian said, "Ni Er, you are a person favored by Rong Ge'er, so I naturally trust you. The same was true for Yun Ge'er before. I have a job here, and the monthly errand pay is two taels of silver, and it can be increased over time. Can you do it?"

Ni Er was overjoyed when he heard this. He stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Second Master, since you have given me a job, I will do my best and will not make any mistakes." Obviously, Jia Lian still underestimated his own appeal and did not have a clear concept of money. Two taels of silver a month, this job is hard to find even if you look all over the capital.

Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's it. You go first, and I'll let Rong Ge'er talk to you in detail later."

After sending Ni Er away, Jia Lian said to Jia Rong, "I don't want my share of the dividends from the cigarette business this year. You can use it to expand production. Xue Pan will still get the dividends as usual, otherwise people will gossip about it. I wonder if your father hasn't asked you for money again?"

Jia Rong looked disgusted when he heard this and said, "He didn't take all of it. He just asked for fifty taels of silver a month for cigarettes. I won't argue with him."

"That's fine, but from now on, rent a place outside to keep your money and belongings, and don't bring them back for him to see. Otherwise, he'll get jealous and want to save trouble. How's the situation at the Xue family?"

Jia Lian changed the subject, and Jia Rong said, "Xue Pan has received a letter saying that he will come to the capital in the next few days."

Jia Lian reminded him, "The Xue family's channels are very important, so we must maintain good relations. This business is only in the capital, so naturally it can't be very big. The only way is to use his family's channels and make money together."

Speaking of getting rich, Jia Rong smiled. "I can earn one tael for 21 boxes of cigarettes, and five taels for 50 cigarettes. The more expensive they are, the better. Nowadays, most people in the capital still smoke pipes, but most scholars and young people have switched to cigarettes. If we can sell them all over the country and keep up with the production, it won't be difficult to make 70,000 or 80,000 taels a year. Xue Pan wants to open a factory in Jinling, but I have to wait for my second uncle to decide."

"Well, the key to managing things is to use the right people and give them enough money. You can't let people work without paying them enough money, otherwise you won't be able to win their hearts. Xue Pan's idea is very good, so let's do it according to the original ratio."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Jia Rong was a little worried and said, "Three plus three equals one. I'm afraid the Xue family will have some ideas."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "It would be a good thing if that were true."

After discussion, the two went back together, and Jia Lian continued to be his boss behind the scenes.

The news of Wang Xifeng's pregnancy became the top priority of the Jia family. Grandmother Jia had to give instructions every day, and Jia Min from the Lin family also came back to visit. Jia Lian naturally couldn't sleep with them, and he didn't choose to sleep at Ping'er's place, but slept in the study. Unlike in the original novel, Wang Xifeng had an affair and Jia Lian had to stay alone in the empty room.

It can be seen that the treatment a man receives from his wife varies greatly depending on whether he is useful or not.

Jia Lian, who had just started writing storytelling, was busy until midnight. When Ping'er came in, Xiangling was dozing off.

Ping Er woke her up and asked, "Why are you guarding alone?"

Xiangling vaguely saw who was coming and said, "Second Master doesn't allow other servants to enter the study."

Of course, this was done on purpose by Jia Lian. He wanted to create a sense of mystery in a place like the study. Xiangling could enter the restricted area, and other servants would naturally look up to her when they saw her, which could save a lot of trouble.

"It's getting late. You should go back to sleep. Leave this to me." Ping'er's face felt hot as she said this.

"I'll go tidy up the kang!" Xiangling seemed confused, but she was not stupid. Besides, Feng had told her many things in advance. Something like if the Second Master gets close to you, you can't resist. She simply treated Jia Lian like a beast.

Ping'er naturally refused. After asking Xiangling to leave, she turned around and saw Jia Lian had stopped writing and was looking at her and smiling.

This smile made Ping'er want to bite him to death, but she could only lower her head to tidy up the bedding.

The kang was already heated. Jia Lian stood behind her. His hand made Ping Er feel itchy all over. She twisted her waist and said in a muffled voice, "Don't be weird, it will be fine." Jia Lian smiled even more and slid from the top to the bottom, teasing, "Second Madam, are you willing to give up on you?"

Ping Erh stood up and looked back: "What do you mean by reluctant? Even if you stay out every night, what can Second Mistress do to you?"

Jia Lian was in a trance after hearing this. This must be the truth. Jia Lian, who was not financially free, was naturally controlled by Wang Xifeng. A man with money or without money was treated differently.

Looking at the white cloth on the kang, and then at the two red candles, Ping'er's pretty face was even more attractive, and her heart was beating: "Would you like some wine?"

Ping Er nodded slightly, and Jia Lian took out a jar from the drawer, opened it, took out the teacups and poured two cups: "Heqin wine!"

This damn sense of ritual!
Ping'er's tolerance far exceeded Wang Xifeng's. She bit the towel throughout the whole process and only hummed the tune through her nose.

Jia Lian had been coveting her for a long time, so he naturally refused to give up easily. In addition, Ping'er tried her best to cooperate, fearing that Jia Lian would not like it. He could do whatever he wanted, which was naturally a different experience. Jia Lian was very happy, but Ping'er could not get up. Before leaving, Jia Lian specifically said: "No matter what medicine I ask you to drink, you are not allowed to touch those old people at home. Wait until I come back and tell the second wife."

Ping'er trembled slightly when she heard this, and nodded gently: "I understand!"

When Jia Lian came back from work, Wang Xifeng saw him and complained: "You don't know how to pity people at all. Ping'er lay down until noon. I told her to rest and not to work today." Jia Lian looked at Wang Xifeng and thought: If I put you two together one day, it would be so exciting, but it's too difficult. Yu Shi was more cooperative. It was indeed more exciting to steal it.

Faced with the accusation, Jia Lian did not make any excuses. He smiled and comforted Wang Xifeng. They had dinner together before going to the study.

Before leaving, he did not forget to say: "Don't let Ping'er and Guixiang drink those harmful medicines. I have my own way."

Wang Xifeng paused after hearing this and nodded to show that she understood. The maid at home had a prescription. Some cold medicines would indeed make it difficult to conceive. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, they were too harmful to the body and could easily cause uterine cold.

Ping'er was sitting on the kang, and Xiangling was waiting on her side. When she saw Jia Lian, Ping'er said, "Sir, please go to Guixiang's courtyard tonight."

Seeing her hair tied up in a bun, Jia Lian couldn't help but come up and touch it: "This is still the best!"

After talking for a while, Jia Lian did not insist and turned around to continue writing his storytelling.

The disaster star in officialdom is getting better and better, and the protagonist is still Jia Sheng, which is a completely shameless way of writing that personally brings him into the story.

Let's look at this passage, [Jia Sheng lost his mother at a young age, and he became sensible very early... ]

You always have to play the sympathy card.

In the middle of the night, Guixiang learned that Jia Lian had arrived, and she came out to greet him wearing a coat: "Why are you here tonight?"

Jia Lian walked in, Guixiang served him diligently to change clothes and lie down. When he was just pasting one place, the car was in a very high degree of automation, and the running-in period had long passed. He accelerated as soon as he stepped on the accelerator. The car was 90% new, running tightly and firmly, and was very lubricated.

Ni Er was very efficient. In just three days, the troupe was negotiated and paid thirty taels of silver per month. After Jia Lian found out that the troupe had thirty people, he gave them an extra twenty taels of silver and said that Ni Er was very capable. He rewarded him with five taels of silver and hoped that he would continue to work hard and manage the situation well.

Ni Er was naturally very excited, thinking: He is worthy of being Master Lian, he really gives money and never plays with demands.

Compared to hiring a theatre troupe, the Jia family's real expense was a luxurious lifestyle. The dishes on Grandmother Jia's table were extremely complicated to make and the ingredients were very particular. It was normal to serve dozens of dishes at a meal.

Jia Lian certainly would not let Wang Xifeng control Jia Mu and Wang Fu Ren. People can always control themselves. At the same time, he would keep an eye on the buyers. Even if you offered three cents for an egg, Jia Lian would accept it. But if you dared to offer five cents, even if the hen that laid the egg was in front of the Buddha, Jia Lian would arrest the buyer, break his legs and drive him out of the house.

Jia Lian was already a very frugal person, and every meal still consisted of eight dishes and a soup.

Taking out the script and storytelling for Ni Er, Jia Lian said, "If anyone asks you about it, just say that you bought the script and storytelling, and don't mention my name."

Ni Er naturally nodded repeatedly, guaranteeing that there would be no mistakes.

In fact, as soon as you look at the content, you know who wrote it, but you still have to do what you should do to cover up your mistakes.

Even if Dengta wanted to beat Shadamu, he would have to produce a tube of laundry detergent as evidence.

Of course, you have to have the strength. If you don’t have the strength but still pretend to be strong, then you are like Colonel Ka.

After arranging the work, Jia Lian had to continue to work hard on his writing, otherwise he would not be able to update, there would always be no new stories, and the audience would leave. Alas, what a miserable life it is. For a little fame, he has to write after traveling through time. It is really miserable.

It was another peaceful day in the Wucheng Military Command. The peace and tranquility here refers to Jia Lian.

The five imperial inspectors were actually worried all the time. Anyone who believed the polite words of the new boss would be a fool.

Everyone has a clear account of how much money the public security department in Beijing, with a population of one million, can make.

At the end of the month, the five imperial censors got together to discuss how much to give to the leader this month.

"This month there are 1,503 taels in the public pool. Send 200 taels to Lord Jia, and keep the rest as usual."

Jian Renda directly advocated that Jia Lian take the lion's share, and the rest of the money should not be simply divided among the five people. There are many people in the Wucheng Bingma Division, from the errand boys to the officers at all levels, and they all have to share a part of the profit. After this division, each censor would normally get at most 100 taels of silver. As for the soldiers and clerks below, it would be good if they could get one tael of silver.

Of course, each censor has some other income, which is his or her own benefit, and this cannot be disclosed to the public.

For example, the East City Censor, his monthly income is no less than 300 taels, and that's not counting the money in the public pool. Also, this guy never pays when he goes to a brothel, just like the South City Censor never pays when he goes to a play.

The position of the imperial inspector was a rare lucrative one, and usually the person who took the position would be replaced after one term. Over time, certain rules were formed. Later people just followed the previous rules, and they could not miss out on the salary anyway. If they did not get paid, they could not blame the new imperial inspector for causing trouble.

After the agreement was reached, Jian Renda personally delivered four rolls of silver dollars to Jia Lian, wrapped them in a piece of cloth, and placed them gently on the table.

Jia Lian looked at him, and Jian Renda looked back at him. Jia Lian picked it up, weighed it a few times, and put it directly in the drawer.

Jian Renda breathed a sigh of relief. He was just afraid that Jia Lian would not want the money, which would be a real problem.

Just when Jia Lian thought that he had nothing to do today and was going to spend another day there, Xiao Guizi appeared at the door and bowed with a smile: "Young Master, I greet you."

Seeing this, Jia Lian stood up and said, "We are one family, don't play those tricks." As he spoke, he took out a roll of silver dollars from the drawer and handed it over, "Take it and have tea. If you are short of money in the future, just come and talk to me. There is a little money for tea."

Xiao Guizi put his face into his sleeves very calmly, and his face visibly sank.

"Everyone asked me to tell you that His Majesty has a few complaints about the young master doing nothing every day."

This is the benefit of having someone in the palace. Jia Lian's expression froze when he heard this and he said, "Alas, it's difficult. Doing things cannot be separated from the rules. If you want to do things, you can only do it in a snail shell."

Xiao Guizi smiled and said, "I don't understand these things, please don't embarrass me."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "I just said it casually. Thank you for your hard work, eunuch."

Xiao Guizi stood up and said goodbye and left. Jia Lian sat where he was, looking at the air with a serious expression.

I have to think of a way, even if it's just for show, otherwise Emperor Chenghui, who treats people like animals, will definitely cause trouble for me. This position is very good now, there is no need to change it.

Well, I got it, let’s start from here!
(End of this chapter)