Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 128 Calling Xiangling for No Reason

Dong Lao Er continued to chatter, "Master Jia, some time ago, Japanese wanderers killed people and caused trouble in Longtan Port, and the court ordered a strict inspection of Japanese ships.

Restrictions have been imposed on Japanese merchant ships entering the port. Japanese goods are in short supply on the market now, and their prices are rising. For example, there is absolutely no other batch of Japanese jade bottles like the one I have in Jinling City."

Dong Laoer had bought this batch of Japanese water jade bottles from an acquaintance earlier, hoping to make a fortune, but he didn't expect that although these things were unique, they had no market at all and no one wanted them.

Now that he had met a buyer like Jia Cong, he saw that Jia Cong was dressed in luxurious clothes and had a good appearance, and wanted to buy all his stock right away, so he thought that he must have a great use for it.

Nowadays, the Maritime Customs has restricted Japanese merchant ships from entering the port. Japanese foreign goods are in short supply in the market, and the Japanese water jade bottle in his hand has become a rare item.

Jia Cong wanted to buy a Japanese water jade vase. In the whole of Jinling, there was no other shop that could buy it except him. Given his cunning and viciousness, if he didn't take the opportunity to stab the other party, he would not be Dong Lao Er.

Seeing that Dong Laoer was asking for an exorbitant price, Qian Bin was afraid that the deal would fall through and his half commission would be lost, so he was about to start persuading Dong Laoer.

Then Jia Cong said, "Boss Qian, I want to talk to Dong Lao Er alone. If this deal is successful, I will certainly not forget Boss Qian's help."

Qian Bin was stunned when he heard this, but without saying much, he went out of the house and waited in the yard. He thought that this Master Jia wanted to bargain with Dong Lao Er.

Seeing that the little girl was still standing there in a daze, Jia Cong smiled and said, "You go wait outside too."

The little girl looked at Jia Cong timidly, then went to the room quietly and closed the door.

Dong Lao Er looked confident and said, "Master Jia, there is nothing to discuss. One tael of silver per person, no lower."

Jia Cong's face gradually darkened, and he said, "Dong Laoer, I am discussing another business with you now."

Dong Laoer was stunned when he heard this. Why were they talking about another matter before the current one was settled?

But Jia Cong continued to speak slowly: "I have an old friend in Gusu, who lives in Renqing Lane, Shili Street. His surname is Zhen and his name is Shiyin."

Dong Laoer's face changed when he heard this.

"Ten years ago, although the Zhen family was not very wealthy in Gusu, they were still a prominent family in the area. Zhen Shiyin had only one daughter, named Yinglian. She was smart and beautiful since she was a child, and was very much loved by her parents."

"But during the Lantern Festival that year, Yinglian was taken to admire the lanterns by her family member Huo Qi, but she was abducted by a kidnapper and has been missing ever since.

Na Yinglian has a rouge mole between her eyebrows, just like Suyun. Such a mole is one in a million. Your Suyun is Na Yinglian! You must be the one who kidnapped Zhen Yinglian back then!"

Dong Lao Er was frightened by these words and his face turned pale. He looked at Jia Cong with horror. This man was a friendly businessman just now, but he became so scary in the blink of an eye. How did he know all this?

Apart from him, no one else knew about these things back then. Even his accomplices did not have time to find out that he had abducted Yinglian.

The other person who knew the truth traveled overseas after the incident and must not leak any information. How did this kid in front of him know the truth? Could he be some witchcraft?

He was panicking, but still said stubbornly, "Don't slander me. Suyun is my daughter. All the neighbors know about it. How could she be kidnapped? You are accusing a kind person. I will sue you in court."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You want to sue the officials, that's exactly what I want. As long as you see the officials, you will never be able to get away with trafficking women and children. Yinglian's mother is still alive, just invite her to see her.

Could it be that she still cannot recognize her own daughter? According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, those who kidnap and sell people shall be executed by lingchi!"

Dong Laoer was trembling all over and his face was ashen. When he abducted Yinglian, he was attracted by the girl's natural beauty. He wanted to raise her into a Yangzhou skinny horse so that he could sell her at a high price and make a fortune.

He also knew that if caught trafficking women and children, he would be sentenced to death. Later, after encountering some accidents, he decided to quit trafficking and took Yinglian to a secluded place in Jinling to raise her. He planned to sell her as long as she was in her teens.

Yinglian was less than three years old when she was abducted. She was ignorant of the world and was tricked by him into recognizing him as her father. He also made her wear a headband since she was a child to prevent her conspicuous rouge mole from being recognized by others. He was quite thoughtful.

But I never dreamed that there would be such a Mr. Jia who could predict the future and know such secret matters clearly.

Jia Cong was able to discover that Dong Laoer's daughter Suyun was Zhen Yinglian who was abducted and sold all that time by sheer coincidence. He was not mentally prepared before Qian Bin brought him here.

Dong Laoer has lived here for a long time and all the neighbors here know him. If he accuses Dong Laoer of human trafficking now, no one will believe him for a while.

If the entanglement becomes unclear, Dong Laoer might escape, or even Yinglian might suffer the consequences.

Now we can only calm him down first and rescue Yinglian from the fire pit before making any plans.

Dong Laoer kidnapped and sold a young girl, causing Zhen Shiyin's family to be destroyed. His death does not deserve to be a pity. Anyone with a conscience will not let such a person go unpunished and stay in the world to harm others.

When Dong Laoer saw that Jia Cong said those words but did not take any other actions, he felt relieved and judged others by himself, thinking that others were the same as him.

I don't know where this Jia got the information from. It's not for any old friend of his. He just wants to use it as a threat during business negotiations. Besides, what benefit will he get from suing me?

Dong Lao Er calmed down and said, "Master Jia is a wise man, and I, Dong Lao Er, am not stupid either. Please tell me what you want."

After hearing this, Jia Cong felt a little relieved, knowing that he should be able to calm this bastard down.

"I have just arrived in Jinling and want to do business in Japanese goods. I see that you, Dong Laoer, have been able to get this batch of Japanese jade bottles. I believe you must have some connections. I will need your help in the future.

If the matter is successful, of course you will benefit from it, but if you have other dirty thoughts, I naturally have ways to deal with them!"

When Dong Laoer saw that he was threatening, he felt relieved, thinking that this guy really just wanted benefits and didn't want to take him to see the officials.

"I can buy all these jade bottles at a price of one tael of silver each, but I have to give that girl away with me."

Dong Lao Er was so angry that his hair stood on end. He stood up and said, "I have raised that girl for ten years, and the rice and grain she eats cost more than this money. Jia, don't go too far."

If he wasn't thin and weak, and Jia Cong looked young and capable, and had something on him, he would have attacked him in a rage.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I spent money to buy your trouble, you should thank me. Whether you are willing or not, you should think carefully, don't lose the big picture for the small one!"

Dong Lao Er said angrily: "Someone bought this girl before, how can I give it to you? You may not be able to afford to offend these people."

Jia Cong drank a sip of tea brewed by the little maid and said sarcastically: "The one who bought her was Feng Yuan, or that big fool from the Xue family in Jinling. I'm right, right? You want to swallow the money of both families, and you want to use this to bluff me!"

Dong Lao Er looked horrified, pointed at him and asked, "Who... are you, and how come you even know about this..."

Jia Cong put the teacup heavily on the table and said coldly: "I advise you not to think about these useless things. Just write the deed and you can get 700 taels of silver.

Otherwise, it would be fine if you lose both your money and your life, but it is not worth it. I am doing this for your own good!"

When Qian Bin came in and heard the deal the two had agreed on, he was completely stunned. He opened his mouth in shock and didn't close it for a long time.

He looked at Dong Laoer's cute and pretty daughter, who looked at a loss. Under Dong Laoer's scolding and Jia Gongzi's gentle words, he trembled and pressed his fingerprints on the deed. Qian Bin couldn't believe his eyes. What the hell was going on?

Mr. Jia spent seven hundred taels to buy seven hundred water jade bottles. Although it was a bit expensive, he got Dong Laoer's overly pretty daughter as a bonus.

This isn't buy one get one free, this is fucking buy one get one free.

There is such a great bargain in this world. Dong Laoer has always been smart. Could it be that he was kicked in the head by a donkey?

If he had known there was such a great bargain to be had, Qian Bin would have sold everything he had to scrape together seven hundred taels of silver to get the deal first. A pretty girl like this is worth seven thousand taels, not to mention seven hundred taels.

When Qian Bin looked at Jia Cong again, there was already admiration in his eyes. This guy is such a master. How on earth did he manage to negotiate such a deal?

When Dong Lao Er looked at Jia Cong and saw him gently telling Su Yun to pack her luggage, he couldn't help but feel filled with grief and indignation. How could such a wicked villain exist in the world!

Dong Laoer has done a lot of immoral things in his life, but compared to this kid, his actions are much better.

He violated other people's privacy, used threats and bribes, and forcibly took other people's maids, not afraid of being struck by lightning. There are such shameless people in the world, whose cruelty and cunningness are outrageous.

……

Jia Cong first gave Qian Bin a commission of forty taels and asked Qian Bin to help him call a carriage.

According to the agreement, Qian Bin could only get 35 taels of commission. He felt that this young master was very capable, so he actively helped him find a car.

The little girl had tears on her face, looking pitiful. I don't know if she felt helpless about leaving Dong Laoer, or was crying because she was sold, or was she afraid of the unknown future.

It may also be that all these complicated emotions and sorrows came together, making her extremely confused and helpless. After all, she was just a teenager.

But she still went back to her room to pack her things, and soon returned to Jia Cong. She seemed to accept the fact that she was leaving here very quickly.

Jia Cong didn't know that it was because of his kindness towards her that she was willing to follow him.

Or maybe Dong Lao Er had always been mean to her and was always planning to sell her for money, which is why she had no regrets about leaving the man she once called "father".

No matter what the reason was, Jia Cong felt sad. Although he had been treated harshly in the East Courtyard since he was a child, he was much better than her.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong felt an unprecedented pity in his heart and took out his handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Jia Cong's gentle smile was reflected in her watery and soft eyes. She seemed to be infected by the kind smile. The corners of her lips unconsciously curled up slightly, and she showed him a shy smile.

"I'll be here from now on. No one will bully you or let you suffer anymore. It's better for you to change your name to Xiangling."

"Xiangling..." This name is so nice. How could the young master think of this name for no reason? But Xiangling sounds better than Suyun.

At this time, Qian Bin had hired a carriage and helped Jia Cong load several boxes of water jade bottles onto the carriage. After all, he earned the forty taels easily, so he was happy to help out.

The carriage hired by Qian Bin was not very spacious. It was packed full with several boxes of things, and only room for one more person to sit on the shaft.

So Jia Cong asked Qian Bin to transport it to the Jia family's old house in Xinglongfang.

Only then did Qian Bin realize that this gentleman was actually the son of Duke Jia of Jinling, because everyone in Jinling knew that the old Jia family residence in Xinglongfang specifically referred to the Duke Jia's mansion, and not the residence of any other concubines.

This made Qian Bin respect Jia Cong a little. The Jia family, Duke of Jinling, was a famous wealthy and noble family in the world.

No wonder this Master Jia is so handsome, only a wealthy family can raise such a person. Of course, the method this Master Jia used to buy the maid is also very clever.

Since Jia Cong and Xiangling had no carriage to ride in, they left on foot. As long as they left the Dazaimen Gate, they could hire a carriage.

When leaving the yard, Xiangling just glanced timidly at the dejected Dong Laoer and didn't look at him again.

She just stared at the flowers and plants she planted in the corner of the yard and the vibrant vines on the fence for several times, then followed Jia Cong away without looking back.

Xiangling was kidnapped when she was young, and must have suffered a lot of harsh treatment. She seems to have become accustomed to keeping a distance from others.

She always walked two steps behind Jia Cong, neither far nor close, looking a little dazed and not walking fast.

After a while, she was left behind by Jia Cong, and when Jia Cong noticed it, he stopped and waited for her.

This happened several times, and each time Jia Cong stopped patiently, smiled gently, and waited for her to catch up before continuing walking.

This strange state lasted for a long time, like a strange kind of adjustment and familiarity that made the two people gradually understand each other.

Xiangling's steps gradually became lighter and she was able to keep up with Jia Cong, and he no longer had to stop and wait for her.

As we were about to walk out of Dazaimen, there was a steaming soup and noodle shop on the side of the road, with two or three diners sitting there, and the aroma of the meat soup filled the street.

Jia Cong heard a barely audible sound coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Xiangling's face flushed and embarrassed.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's still early. It's only been a short while since breakfast. How come you're hungry?"

"Master, we never eat breakfast in our family."

Jia Cong was stunned when he heard this. Although the dietary customs nowadays are not like those in later generations, middle-class and above families can have three meals a day. Only poor families have two meals a day according to the old system of the pre-Song Dynasty.

It’s not that people don’t want to eat an extra meal, it’s mainly because they are poor.

Dong Lao Er had the money to import a batch of water jade bottles, so he should have some wealth. It is unknown whether he treated Xiangling harshly or he really could not afford three meals a day.

In short, it is impossible for this child who was abducted since childhood to live a comfortable life. I can't help but feel a little more pity for him.

"I'm hungry too, let's go have a bowl of soup too." As he said this, he took Xiangling into the soup and noodle restaurant.

It is impossible for a proper noble son to eat at a roadside stall like peddlers.

However, Jia Cong, the son of a noble family, was an outlier. Back then, he could not fill his stomach in Dongluyuan, so he made money by selling calligraphy and often went to these roadside restaurants to have a bite to eat.

The shop owner saw a young man in luxurious clothes entering the shop, followed by a maid in shabby clothes, which was a very strange contrast.

(End of this chapter)