Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 528
Cao Mansion, the front courtyard, Zheng Hu's residence.

The last time Cao Yong saw Zheng Woxue was in the 49th year of Kangxi, and it has been five or six years since Cao Yong.

24. A five-year-old girl, wearing a [-]% new satin gown, with her hair tied up in a bun, shedding the youthful innocence, with a peaceful smile on her face.

The moment she saw Cao Yong, she was already short and said, "I have seen you, Young Master."

Although as early as the 49th year of Kangxi, Cao Yong made people eliminate the slave status of Zheng's brothers and sisters, but she still kept her old title.

Cao Yong's mind flashed back to the scene when he met Zheng's brothers and sisters for the first time in the ruined temple outside Jiangning City. It has been ten years since then.

In addition to Zheng Woxue, Zheng Huxue's husband, Wang Quantai, was also at Zheng Hu's place.Seeing Cao Yong coming in, he also stood up and greeted him, saying: "Master Cao!"

Cao Yong stretched out his hand to support Wang Quantai, nodded to Zheng Woxue, and then said to Zheng Hu: "Since your sister and sister-in-law are here, why don't you tell me?"

Zheng Hu laughed twice, and said: "I didn't expect them to arrive here, I thought it would be in March."

While speaking, everyone sat down.

Since Zheng Woxue had met Cao Yong, she didn't stay in the hall for long, and went to talk to her sister-in-law Cao Shi in the back room.

Wang Quantai is not considered a stranger, he is a branch of the Rizhao Wang family and the nephew of the owner Wang Lusheng.He has a strong physique and has worked in the Anton Guard for many years. He went to Guangzhou a few years ago.

Cao Yong said: "You guys came back from Guangzhou, this time from Rizhao? Your uncle is okay. I haven't seen him for two or three years. I'm really panicking."

Wang Quantai replied with a smile: "When I arrived in Rizhao last winter, I originally wanted to go to Beijing directly. The old lady at home wanted to see my daughter-in-law, so I went back to Rizhao first. Uncle has a happy event, and my aunt is pregnant. She will be giving birth in two months. My uncle only has a boy and a girl under his knees. This time, he is looking forward to having another son. Every day he seems to be happy for something, and the angry girl Jingjing can't help but complain that her father favors boys over girls, which makes uncle see him again. God’s apology. Uncle knew that I was going to Beijing, and he also talked about Master Cao, so he prepared a lot of things for grandma, master and girls to play with."

Although he has not met Wang Lusheng several times, Cao Yong has a very good impression of that Shandong man.

Hearing that there is a happy event in his family, Cao Yong is also very happy, saying: "Whether it is making Zhang and making tiles, we all want to congratulate. I only hope that your uncle can get his wish."

Cao Yong said casually, but Wang Quantai was a little uncomfortable.

It was nothing to follow Zheng Woxue to greet Cao Yong just now.When he mentioned his cousin, he remembered that Cao Yong had a discussion with his uncle's peers.

If it comes from his uncle, could it be that he wants to call Cao Yong an uncle?
Thinking that he was in his thirties and Cao Yong was only in his early twenties, Wang Quantai couldn't help swallowing.After all, the identities are different, so it's better not to pursue this family friend, just call it like this.

Wang Quantai was a sixth-rank military officer in the early days. The reason why he said he was sick and abandoned his official position was because he helped Cao Yong come forward to rectify the burning pot in Yizhou.

Thinking of this, Cao Yong thought for a while, and said: "In the early years, because of my subordinates, I was so tired that I lost my future, which really made me feel ashamed and uneasy. I don't know if my brother wants to go out of the mountain, and I would like to do my best. "

Hearing this, Wang Quantai quickly waved his hands and said, "Oh, Mr. Cao, I can't afford to be called that. My uncle knows that he is going to be kicked, so he should just call me by my name. Being an official is just like that. It’s just a lot of top hats, I’ve given up on this thought a long time ago. Now that I’m in the capital, it’s all up to Mr. Cao to arrange, just give me something to eat.”

Speaking of this, this brave tall man showed a slight discomfort on his face, in order to cover up this, he laughed twice "hehe".

Wang Quantai is a child of the Wang family. Although the daughter-in-law he married has some relationship with the Cao family, it is not possible to follow his wife to the Cao family. There is another secret behind it.

Wang Quantai lost his father when he was young. There was an old lady at home, and there were several hectares of land at home.Although he is the eldest son, he entered the guard as an errand in his early years, and his mother was taken care of by his brothers.

The relationship between the two brothers is quite deep. Later, Wang Quantai delayed the marriage due to the death of his fiancée, but his brother got married earlier than him.

When he was in the guard, Wang Quantai could get a limited salary every year, no more than a few dozen taels, but apart from leaving some pocket money, most of them were left to his wife.

In the past few years in Guangzhou, because he is managing the business of the Wang family, he receives dividends every year, and the money he earns is quite considerable.

Three, 400 taels a year, and after three years, there are more than 1000 taels.

The Wang Clan has strict rules, Wang Quantai doesn't pay attention to wine and sex, and doesn't have any expenses, so all the money is sent back to Rizhao.

His brother used the money to buy land and buy a shop, but managed to build up a decent family business and live a better life than before.

When Zheng Hu went to Rizhao the year before last, he said that Wang Quantai's family background was average. That's because he met mostly big families like the Cao family and Wei Xin's family.

Small landlords like the Wang family with a few hectares of land and a few shops are really not in the eyes of Zheng Hu, even he himself is worth tens of thousands.

Wang Quantai is a real person, so he didn't think too much, after all, he was his own brother over there.

Staying in Guangzhou, although gaining knowledge and earning money, is not acclimatized to the environment and diet, so it is not so easy to stay.After thinking about it, Wang Quantai decided to take his unmarried wife back to Rizhao to get married.

He thought that he would settle down in his hometown and take care of his mother, which would be regarded as his filial piety.

After he sent a letter to his brother, the reply over there became weird. The "worshipful" and "over and over again" are nothing more than persuading him to work in Guangzhou, and it can be regarded as repaying his uncle for taking care of their brothers.

Wang Quantai didn't think about anything else at first, and talked about taking Zheng Woxue back to get married.

His mother was old, and as the eldest son, it was hard for him to continue wandering outside.That would be really disrespectful.Besides, there is no reason to take care of major matters such as marriage and engagement.

His brother's reply was no longer as "tactful" as before, but directly said that the children were getting older and there were not many houses at home.Wang Quantai's early house was lived by his son.Wouldn't it be too crowded if it was a marriage at home?
Perhaps his brother also knew that it was unreasonable, after all, the family had not been separated, half of the family property was left by his father and grandfather, and half was bought by his brother's money earned over the past ten years.

Therefore, his brother talked about the statutes of the marriage, saying that when he got married when he was tall, he used 20 taels of betrothal silver, comparing with his brother's example.Brother this time, is he also preparing for 20 taels of silver?

Wang Quantai just looked at him as a fool. He has been in the guard for many years and is the helm of the family business in Guangzhou. How could he be a fool?
He just felt chills in his heart, but he didn't know if it was his brother's idea or his old mother's idea.

In his letter to his cousin Wang Lusheng, he asked about his family's recent situation.

The news I got was that his brother had recently changed his mansion, but he also added a population, bought a few servants, little maids, and invited Mr. Xixi.

No matter what, after all, there is one's own lifelong event, and there is no reason for marrying a daughter-in-law and not worshiping the ancestral hall.Therefore, Wang Lusheng took Zheng Woxue back to Rizhao.

After seeing Zheng Woxue, the Queen Mother was quite satisfied with this daughter-in-law's appearance.When asked about her background, she knew that she was from a merchant's family, and the old lady's expression turned a little ugly.

In the house of Wang Quantai's house, both the grandfather and the father left the merchants to study books for business.Before his death, his father was still a scholar.His brother has also passed the examination as a scholar.

It is the daughter-in-law married by his brother, and also the daughter of a scholar.

Wang Quantai was in his 30s, and he just met the daughter-in-law he wanted to marry, and he was full of joy.I thought that my old lady would only be happy for herself, how could I have thought that there are still picks here?
His old mother became indifferent to Zheng Woxue, dragged her son elsewhere, and persuaded him to stop thinking about it.

Although Wang Quantai went to Guangzhou to help his uncle manage the business for several years, he was an official after all.It wouldn't be difficult if he wanted to become an official again. Why would he marry a merchant girl if he didn't want a girl from a serious family?

Wang Quantai was dumbfounded when he heard this, and felt both funny and annoyed?

This Wang family was born as a sea merchant and a pearl merchant. Where is it now that they are picky about their identity as merchants?

The old lady is still nagging, but the family rules do not require concubines, otherwise, the daughter of the Zheng family is allowed to be a concubine.

When Wang Quantai heard this, his expression changed.

The old lady saw that the eldest son was like this, Fang stopped nagging, but said with a bit of discomfort: "If you really want to marry, mother will not stop you. You are so old, and you don't have a daughter-in-law. It's not good. It's just that you want to Think about your brother, he still needs to take the test of fame... You are too old, or you can separate the family..."

Wang Quantai was so angry that he laughed back. The key point of going around such a big circle is only the last sentence.

He smiled and said: "Then according to what mother said, how should this family be divided?"

The old lady said: "You work for your cousin and you don't live at home. This house was newly bought by your second brother, so there is no need to divide it. Your father left six hectares of land back then, and you brothers share it equally. This is appropriate. ?”

The old lady asked seriously, but Wang Quantai couldn't open his mouth.

He has been working as an errand for more than ten years, and he has earned at least a thousand taels of silver.His brother used the money to buy three or four hectares of land, two shops, and this new house.

The money Wang Quantai left with him was only a few dozen taels, not even the money to marry a wife.

His old mother said to help him save his wife's capital and let him hand over all the money to the family. Is this how to save money?

Seeing that Wang Quantai was silent, the old lady murmured, "You are only two people, and you earn a lot of money, so please be considerate of your brothers. Your nephews are all educated, and it costs money to buy pens and ink. "

Wang Quantai's mood was waning, and he didn't know what it was like.

Not only the old lady is like this, even his brothers are not as respectful as they used to be when speaking.In the past, he was a sixth-rank official, and his younger brother was a scholar.Now his younger brother is still a scholar, but he is in charge of his uncle's business.

Wang Quantai originally wanted to have a good time with his mother, but considering that the old man is getting old and he has not been around for many years to fulfill his filial piety, he really can't care about it.

He found an excuse, took Zheng Woxue out of the house, and went to Wang Lusheng's place.

Wang Lusheng knew about this marriage in his early years.Speaking of the Zheng family, the two families also have a long history, and they were married in the previous dynasty.

Later, due to the change of dynasty, the imperial court issued an order to ban the sea, and the pearl fishing industry declined, so the two families broke off contact.

Seeing Zheng Woxue, Wang Lusheng naturally treated him like a nephew.

He also knew a little about Wang Quantai's family affairs. Knowing Wang Quantai's difficulties, he organized the wedding on his side.

Although Wang Quantai was disappointed, it was not too much of a surprise.Otherwise, the letter to Zheng Hu would not have mentioned the matter of going to Beijing.

After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the old lady made people mention separation.

Wang Quantai originally didn't want it, and left all of it for his mother to provide for the elderly, but he was scolded by Wang Lusheng.

He is already a married man, how can he have no real property?Besides, it was left by his father, and it was only natural for the son to inherit his father's business.

After Wang Quantai heard this, he took over the three hectares of Susukida, but he didn't think about entrusting someone to take care of it, but sold them all.

After selling 800 taels of silver, Wang Quantai took out 300 taels of it and gave it to Wang Lusheng.The other 500 taels were handed over to his wife for collection.

Wang Lu was so angry that he wanted to beat him with a stick.

Since ancient times, only prodigal sons sell their ancestral property.

Wang Lusheng smiled wryly. If he didn't sell the land, the old lady and his brothers would be in trouble.

He didn't take the more than 1000 taels of silver to heart, he just regarded it as a filial piety to his old mother.But the old lady and his brother had a guilty conscience and tried to test him every now and then to see if he had the intention to get back the money.

Since you don't plan to stay here in the future, what are you doing here?
It was the first day of February, the old lady's birthday, and Wang Lusheng took his wife to celebrate his mother's birthday, and then set off for the capital.

In Cao Yong's heart, he was a little surprised.

Wang Lusheng is a child of the Wang family, even if he married Zheng Woxue, there was no reason for him to join the Cao family.

Looking at the couple's attire, and thinking about what the housekeeper said, they only brought a maid, a servant and two servants to Beijing, and their luggage was very light, Cao Yong became more and more confused.

Wang Lusheng is not a stingy person. This nephew has helped him manage business in Guangzhou for three years, so he will not treat him badly.

Besides, Zheng Woxue has tens of thousands of taels of dowry silver.At the beginning, Cao Yong gave Zheng Hu the 16 silver that Yang Mingchang used to buy the pearl.

Zheng Hu originally wanted to keep [-] yuan, and the remaining [-] yuan would be used as a dowry for his sister.Zheng Woxue didn't do it, and in the end the two brothers and sisters split up equally.

During the past few years in Guangzhou, Zheng Woxue also handled several transactions of silver.Although it cannot be said that the profit has doubled, there is an extra 1 to [-].

Wherever you put it, this price is considered decent, why are the husband and wife so poor?

Not only Cao Yong was confused, but also Zheng Woxue's sister-in-law, Cao Shi.

Mrs. Cao went to Guangzhou with her husband in the early years. The two aunts and sisters-in-law are about the same age, and they have a very good relationship, and there is less taboo in speaking.

Mrs. Cao took her sister-in-law's hand, looked her up and down, shook her head, and said, "Marrying a man, marrying a man, dressing and eating, how come the girl is not as good as before? Isn't the Wang family a middle-class family, just poor?"

Zheng Woxue smiled and said, "It's not easy to show off when you're away from home."

Mrs. Cao curled her lips, but she didn't believe it, and said, "Girl, don't fool me. Even if it's because of going out, the carriage, the waiters, and the business. It's more decent for a country landlord's wife to go out."

Zheng Woxue didn't pick up the conversation, but instead asked, "By the way, sister-in-law, did you find the house that I asked you to find earlier?"

Mrs. Cao said with a smile, "I made inquiries early on. There are two places, both of which are outside the front gate. Although they are not in the inner city, they are in a good location, and it will be cheaper to travel in the future. They are all three-entry, and one is where the Beijing officials once lived. The house; one is a Jin merchant's house. The price is not expensive, one thousand three thousand and the other one thousand eight. Although the merchant's house is more expensive, it has a small garden, and it is said that it is even tidied up neatly. Wait After seeing the girl and the uncle, you can go to the Yamen to go through the formalities."

After hearing this, Zheng Woxue was a little bit troubled, and said in a low voice: "Sister-in-law, since my brother searched for it with all his heart, this house is naturally good. It's just...the money is not enough right now, so I'd better buy a small yard to live in first." Well, the one with no more than 300 taels of silver is the best."

When Cao heard this, she couldn't help frowning, and said: "What are you talking about? Even if money is tight, don't you still have your brother? Your brother wanted to buy it directly, because he was afraid that his brother-in-law's face would not look good, so he didn't pay the money first. Since you are short on money, let your brother go out. You left the cabinet, and your brother didn't buy a decent dowry, that's his fault. I've told him several times that what this brother did is too wrong. "

In the early years, although Zheng Hu shared 16 yuan with his sister, he did not tell his wife the truth, for fear of sudden windfall and unexpected changes.Only took out 1 taels of it, and gave it to his wife as a lost and recovered ancestral property.

Mrs. Cao didn't know that Zheng Woxue had dowry money, so she said this...

*
Tears, late, hurry up tonight. . .

(End of this chapter)