Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 70 Antecedents
To the west of the city, Cao Mansion, Sunflower Courtyard.

After Cao Yong took a bath, Amethyst sent a little maid over to invite her, saying that Doctor Chen was serving tea in the front hall.Cao Yong changed into a plain jacket and went to the front hall.

*
Doctor Chen served tea here, and he had already prescribed a prescription. After Cao Yong inquired, he found out that the person in Juyuan was suffering from deficiency syndrome caused by the sudden cold weather, and there was nothing serious about it.According to Doctor Chen's prescription, it will be fine after a few days of conditioning.

Zijing finished dealing with the affairs of the Chrysanthemum Courtyard after Imperial Physician Chen left, and the medicine department sent appropriate people to watch over her, and several old nuns also comforted her.

The moment she first entered the front hall, Amethyst shook her head. Cao Yong has changed a lot in the past six months, and his stature has grown a lot.However, when she saw Cao Yong's attire, she still frowned slightly and complained: "Master, it's almost October, why are you wearing such thin clothes? If you catch a cold, it's not a joke!"

Cao Yong knew that she meant well, and said with a smile: "The weather has been fine for the past two days, and it's not too late to change it tomorrow! But that one, perhaps because of the southerner, can't stand the autumn cold in the north!"

Zijing was amused when she heard this: "This one, that one can be said by the uncle? Although the age is the same as the uncle, but the month is a few months older, it can be counted as the cousin of the uncle!"

Whether it's a cousin or a cousin, they all sound flirtatious.But thinking about the identity of that scary show girl, it's better to be less curious.Since Amethyst has been arranged to take care of, Cao Yong is completely at ease.

When the two sat down, Cao Yong asked: "Is the full moon gift ready for my sister? Although the family has not been well-off for the past two years, we can't shorten that end!"

"Master, don't worry, my wife started to make arrangements when she was in Beijing, and it was already prepared!" Zijing replied with a smile.

Cao Yong thought that he was in the house in Kui Yuan just now, and felt a little cold, and found that there was no charcoal basin in the house so far.After the bath water came up, the maids brought a basin of silver charcoal.Thinking of this, he asked, "Is there not much money on the books?"

Seeing Zijing nodding, Cao Yong was slightly surprised: "Didn't we bring 3000 taels to the account when we came to Beijing? How did we pay so quickly in just a few months?"

Zijing sighed: "Master, the capital is no different than Jiangning, the monthly favor fee is really too much. Today, this mansion is red, and tomorrow there is a funeral. You have to follow the etiquette everywhere. The slaves have seen the previous years. In the account book, Changping Zhuangzi’s income was previously 6000 taels a year, and the capital’s expenditure was about the same. This year, the income has been reduced, and the account has become tighter. In addition, there are 400 or [-] households inside and outside the mansion, and monthly bills and chewing expenses I need three or four hundred taels of silver."

When Cao Yong heard the population, he asked: "Didn't I let out a few people before I left Beijing? I remember that there were only about sixty people left in the mansion at that time. Why did you add so many people?"

Zijing replied: "My wife saw that there were not many people waiting around for the uncle, and among the children in the family, the children were big and big, and they couldn't pick out a few neat ones, so they called the matchmaker and bought eight little girls to come into the house. Mrs. Shang brought Zhao Qian’s two family members from Jiangning, as well as four long-term followers, all of which have been included in the Jingzhong register, and the population has grown even more!”

Cao Yong secretly lamented corruption, but he could also understand Li's love for his son.However, he was really not interested in adding little maids to his side at all, so he hurriedly said to Zijing: "The new little maids are ready, send two to my cousin and Mr. Zhuang, and don't arrange them in our yard." people!"

Zijing responded with a smile: "I know that my uncle always loves to be clean, so don't worry, my uncle!"

Cao Yong thought about the lack of money, so he asked someone to bring the box wrapped in blue cloth in his luggage.Inside are the land deeds given by the sixteenth elder brother, the gold ingots given by Tana, and some broken silver and gold leaves: "These should be put into the account first, if it is really urgent, use the silver I gave you at the beginning of the year , don’t embarrass Uncle Zhong too much, he’s been bothering him for the past few months!”

*
The two masters and servants were talking, when someone came from outside the door to report that there was a guest in front of the house handing in the post.

Cao Yong took it over and looked at it. The signature was "Nephew Gu Na". After thinking for a while, he asked someone to invite Gu Na to come in.

When he was in Jiangning, Gu Na lived in Cao's house for four or five years. Zijing had seen him and heard about his conspiracy with outsiders to plot against Cao's house.Therefore, I really don't understand why my little master is not angry or annoyed, but still wants to see this person.She asked a little maid to stay here to serve tea, and she went to Cao Zhong to reconcile the accounts.

*
Guna was nearly four years older than Cao Yong, with a slender body, wearing a blue robe, with the elegance of a southerner.

"Gu Na greets Uncle Yong!" After Gu Na came in, he saluted politely.

Cao Yong sat on the chair, did not get up, nodded his head, and said in return: "Since you are here, let's sit down and talk for a while!" When Dian Dian grew up, he couldn't help but treat him like a child.

"Yes!" Gu Na replied respectfully, but the circles of his eyes were already red.

Although Cao Yong didn't get up to greet each other, nor did he have warm greetings, but it made people feel a lot of irony.Because at this moment, his attitude towards Gu Na is very familiar, just like when he was in Jiangning a few years ago.

Seeing that Gu Na lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, Cao Yong took the initiative to ask, "Is it going to be out soon? Do you want to stay in Beijing or go down there? Do you have any rules in mind?"

"After four years in the capital, my nephew wants to go down to see the world!" Gu Na replied.

Cao Yong looked at Gu Na, feeling a little uneasy in his heart, and couldn't help telling him: "The officialdom has its own rules, don't be too straightforward, you have been smart since you were a child, I don't need to say more about these things, but look out. And think twice."

"Uncle Yong's teachings, my nephew must remember!" Gu Na lowered his head to respond, and after a while, he raised his head, looked at Cao Yong, and asked, "Did Uncle Yong ever blame my nephew for the matter of Lin Xiazhai? "

Cao Yong nodded: "It's strange, how can you not blame it? After several years of hard work, it was taken away by others!"

Gu Na's face was pale, eyes filled with guilt, and he murmured: "Uncle Yong!"

Cao Yong glared at Gu Na: "I blame that idiot even more. After several years in Beijing, he has gained a lot of knowledge. What is not good to learn, but to repay favors like others! Even if you don't mention the mother of the Gu family, it's the grandmother of the Gu family who counts. They are also blood relatives of the Cao family. Between relatives, it doesn't matter if you let you eat for a few years, it is a kindness from the sky, let you sell your future to repay!"

The first mother of the Gu family mentioned by Cao Yong refers to the wife of Cao Yin who died young, the Gu family, and the great-aunt of Gu Na; the grandmother of the Gu family refers to Cao Yin’s biological mother, Mrs. Great aunt.

Gu Na turned his head to prevent Cao Yong from seeing the tears in his eyes, and said in a muffled voice: "My nephew is not a fool, my nephew is just for my own conscience! As long as my nephew can remember, he has been eating rice from Cao's family; I am a little older, and I am studying in Cao's house again, my nephew can't just watch the Cao's house collapse!"

"That's nonsense, those princes and elder brothers are easy to get along with? Even if you don't think about your own safety, you should also think about your mother. These years, she has been watching eagerly, hoping that you will be safe!" Cao Yong thought Seeing that Gu Na got involved in the muddy waters of the capital at a young age, he felt like he hated iron but not steel.

When Cao Yong mentioned his mother, Gu Na didn't respond.Gu Na's mother, Mrs. Zhou, was remarried by her son to Chen Liu, a neighbor eight years ago. She worked as an errand for Sun Wenqi a few years ago, and later, with the help of Cao's family, she returned to Jiangning to settle down.

"When you returned to Jiangning that year, your mother kicked you out. It was your own fault. You made these moths pour sewage on your body! After I came out of Qingliang Temple, I saw her in private and said that you would definitely There are difficulties. She misses you very much, but she can't hold her face for a while, and you should be more diligent in your family letter!" Cao Yong said, a little admired himself, this rambling, like an old lady.There is really no way, for Gu Na, Cao Song, and Cao Yi, the children who watched them grow up, he really feels like a big brother like a father.

"En!" Gu Na obediently responded.

For this cousin who is several years younger than himself, Gu Na is grateful and respectful from the bottom of his heart.As for his father who gambled, all he could remember was the endless beatings and scolding, and he couldn't even remember his face clearly.But Gu Na could never forget the harm that man did to the Cao family.Cao Yin's haggardness, Li's serious illness, and Cao Yong's smile on the day he returned to the mansion.

No matter how many people in the weaving mansion know the inside story of Cao Yongli's mansion, on that day, everyone in the whole mansion just thought it was the mistress and the young master who came back from beating their relatives.

After Gu Na heard the news, he lay down at the corner door and watched secretly, but his heart was filled with endless fear.This little cousin has a high status, he is the grandson of Cao's parents, compared with him, the son of a sinner, it is a world of difference.His father made him suffer a lot, how could he not think of revenge?Although Gu Na was afraid, he still thought about his mother, and thought that as long as his mother was not implicated, he would still be willing to wait for the final judgment.

Seven-year-old Cao Yong, holding his mother's hand, came back to Zhizao Mansion with a smile on his face.

Seeing Gu Na who was hiding not far away, Cao Yong didn't accuse or abuse, but casually stepped forward and glanced at Gu Na: "We haven't seen each other for two months, how come you have lost so much?"

All the grievances seem to have never happened.

(End of this chapter)