in spring

Chapter 104 Second Uncle Lu's Intention
Mother Lu had to go home to take care of her youngest son and do housework, so after sitting for half a day, she had to go back first.Chunying reluctantly sent her out of the courtyard, and she repeatedly asked: "You have to memorize what I said before, and you should work harder and work harder when you live at the second uncle's house. Everything depends on your second uncle. Don't think about your family, and don't run home by yourself. If you meet acquaintances, try to stay as far away as possible. If you really can't hide, just say that you are still recuperating, and don't say a word that shouldn't be. Say……"

Every time she said something, Chunying responded, lowered her head and held her mother's arm, and whispered: "I will be careful, I will be obedient, mother, you should take care of yourself at home, and tell father and sister not to worry..."

Mother Lu's eyes turned red, she turned her head and left, just in time to meet Second Uncle Lu coming back, she bowed her head and said a few words before leaving, she only caught a glimpse of someone following Uncle Lu, but did not recognize that it was the Hu Fei she had seen before.

Compared with the luxuriously dressed, handsome and well-mannered rich man back then, the black and thin Hu Fei, who was only wearing old common clothes, was a different person. If Chunying hadn't recognized Mo Han first, she would have He might not be recognized.

Chunying watched her mother's back disappear into the alley, then sniffed, turned her head and forced a smile and said to Hu Fei: "Young Master Hu is here? I was just wondering when you will arrive."

Hu Fei smiled nervously: "In the morning, the neighbors in the neighborhood knew that I was going to move out, so they all came to see me off, and Uncle Jiang from the oil shop kept pulling me to talk. If Uncle Lu didn't come to pick me up, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get away Woolen cloth."

Second Uncle Lu smiled and said, "You know how to be a man, so they will miss you. If you have free time in the future, you should go back and visit them. Come on, I've already tidied up the house, come and have a look."

They went to a house at the end of the alley, about three to forty meters away from Uncle Lu's house.This place is larger than the few courtyards outside. The original owner is a wealthy businessman, and even the old gate still has some grandeur.

After entering the door, there are four houses in a row on the left, the first one is the concierge, and the last three houses live in an old couple in their fifties, known as Wei Gong and Wei Po.The husband and wife occupied two rooms, and the rest of the vacant room was used for sundries.Hu Fei originally thought that the second uncle Lu was going to lend him that room, but he didn't expect him to lead him to the small courtyard on the right.

This small courtyard is not big, only less than half of the courtyard at the end of Funing Street. There is only one room, but a row of shacks are built opposite the room.Hu Fei guessed that this might be a place for coachmen or grooms to live in, but the ground was extremely clean, and there were all kinds of beds, tables and chairs in the room, and there was even an altar in the middle of the room, offering a vase of white porcelain Guanyin statue, with a There are incense burners, candlesticks and other things.Hu Fei realized something, and glanced at Second Uncle Lu.

Second Uncle Lu just smiled and said nothing, Duke Wei stepped forward and said, "This is the house where the coachman and groom lived in that family. It used to be a Datong shop. It's very rough. Only this Guanyin statue is the most noble." The little old man thinks that before the owner's house moves in in the future, he will always tear down the house and rebuild it, and he doesn't clean it up. Please don't dislike it, brother. If you want anything, just tell the little old man. Eat and do laundry. Look for my old lady, although she is a bit clumsy in her hands and feet, she can still eat the simple food she cooks."

Hu Fei hurriedly bowed to Duke Wei: "How can this be done? Although I can't do much, I can still take care of daily chores." Wei Gong smiled and waved his hands: "It's okay, we have no children. I don't have a daughter, and I'm too busy on weekdays to find something to do so that the couple won't sit staring at each other. It's great that the little brother can come, and the little old man can be more lively when he has a companion during the night patrol."

Grandma Wei called her husband at the concierge: "Old man, come and help me light the fire! I'm going to make some delicious dishes to congratulate Brother Hu for moving in!" Duke Wei responded, and Hu Fei hurried forward to stop him, but was caught by Uncle Lu. Stopped: "The old people are happy in their hearts, you just spend more time talking with them when you are free. I often have to go back home for business, and they are also lonely here."

Hu Fei pondered for a while, then he didn't say anything else, but suppressed the doubts in his heart, thinking that Wei Gong and Wei Po were so enthusiastic, and he usually did more heavy work for them.

After tidying up in a hurry, Hu Fei was surprised to find that the straw mats and quilts on the bed were both new. Although the materials were ordinary, they exuded a dry and fragrant smell, which was more musty than the one he had slept in for half a month before. The old quilt was much stronger.At the end of the bed was a new cattail fan and some plain clothes. Uncle Lu claimed that they were all his old clothes, which were useless and better than the two clothes he wore repeatedly.Hu Fei looked at the delicate needlework on it, touched the soft and refreshing texture, and looked back silently at the wooden table under the window sill. A set of tea sets was placed on the wooden table. Clean, well-shaped, and flawless, with incense flakes in the tin.

On the surface, the utensils here are no different from those used by ordinary people, but when you really hold them in your hands, you can find their intentions.He suddenly felt a little uneasy. From the beginning to the end, he didn't tell Second Uncle Lu his identity. The other party should know about this arrangement, right?Now that you know it, why should you be so polite?He is no longer the high and mighty Young Master of the Royal Merchant in the past.After his elder brother's crime of unfilial piety was suppressed, he instantly fell into the mud from the high gate of the imperial merchant's house.

Second Uncle Lu walked around outside, pulled Chunying over who was helping in the kitchen, and said with a smile: "It's okay to come and play when you have time, it's all in the alley anyway, just don't just play around, remember to help Wei Grandmother Wei works, you know?"

Chunying readily agreed, looked around, and said with a smile: "This is good, Mr. Hu, this is much better than the house you lived in before. Although the sparrow is small, it has all internal organs!"

Hu Fei smiled, placed his mother's spirit tablet, offered a stick of incense, and said, "I'm really grateful...Little girl, don't call me a son anymore, everyone on Funing Street calls me Brother Hu, you also Call me that, otherwise...you can call me Brother A Fei or Brother Xiao Fei."

Ah Fei?Chun Ying's expression was a little distorted, and she squeezed out a smile and said, "Then I'll call you Brother Xiao Fei." She didn't care much about the other party's original identity.

Hu Fei turned to Second Uncle Lu again, and bowed solemnly to him: "Thank you, Uncle Lu, for your kind help. Yesterday, I was rude and only said that my name was Hu Wangshan. In fact, my real name is Hu Fei, and Wangshan is the word for me. It turned out to be... the bastard son of the Hu family of the imperial merchant." He repeated the fact that he was kicked out of the house for being unfilial, and said: "It is really wrong for Hu Fei to hide his name from Uncle Lu. Yes, please forgive me."

Second Uncle Lu waved his hand nonchalantly: "What's the matter? I've heard about your family's affairs. The big guy knows who's right and who's right, and there are people talking about it outside. It was late yesterday and it was dark , I didn’t recognize it at first glance, but Chun’er mentioned it to me after I got home. Since I dared to take you in, I didn’t take that Young Master Hu to heart, you just need to stay at ease.”

Chunying glanced at her second uncle in surprise. She clearly remembered that she hadn't mentioned about Hu Fei last night, but she still kept her mouth shut cautiously.

Hu Fei seemed a little surprised and was very moved: "Uncle Lu, you..."

"You don't have to be so polite. I can't get used to people like Mr. Hu the most. There have always been rich and noble families in Beijing, and there are often disputes between the sons and daughters. But I am not clean, so I just pour dirty water on my younger brother. It's too low. During this year, your father was seriously ill, and he helped manage the family business. He made a lot of jokes and thought that everyone praised him! Let's just look at the future! Don't worry, he dare not Put your hand over here."

Second Uncle Lu took out a few pieces of paper from his arms: "There are a few people here, who live nearby, and they all want to buy or sell houses or goods recently. They wanted me and Chun'er's father to be middlemen, but I My brother is away, and I have to be busy with errands in the house, so I don't have time. I heard from Chun'er that you would do this kind of thing, so I'll just leave it to you. They are all acquaintances. It doesn't matter if you talk about a few taels of silver, as long as you have a good sense of proportion."

Hu Fei took the list in surprise, and glanced at it roughly. It not only stated the name and address, the type of goods, but also the taboos and preferences of buyers and sellers. A sample document, and a list of familiar Yamen book offices, as long as you follow it, you can earn dozens of taels of silver without any effort.

He felt even more uneasy, Second Uncle Lu seemed to have thought of everything for him, such as a clean place, objects enshrining his mother's spiritual tablet, people who took care of his food and daily life, and how to make a living in the future... He was so thoughtful, so thoughtful. He was worried, how could he be able to get such considerate care?Uncle Lu...does he have another purpose?

And Chun Ying peeked at the list from the side, and couldn't help muttering in her heart.With such good money, why doesn't Second Uncle go there by himself?Even if it is to help Hu Fei, isn't that too much?

She found a free moment, pulled Second Uncle Lu aside, and asked in a low voice, "Second Uncle, what are you planning? Why did you give all these businesses to Brother Xiaofei?"

Second Uncle Lu lowered his voice and laughed: "Silly girl, now that your father is not in Beijing, and I have no power, why bother to make people jealous and provoke your master secretly for a little money, so that your second uncle can't eat me?" Going around?! But these businesses are all from acquaintances. If they are rejected for nothing, they will offend them. It is better to leave it to this young master Hu. I have already asked people, and he is still safe. Just mention a few words, and you will be safe. He has nothing to do with me, and no matter how much he earns, it has nothing to do with me. It is a great thing that the two get along!"

Chunying always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't refute her second uncle's face, so she had to swallow her doubts.

But Hu Fei couldn't let this question hang in his heart.After a few days, following Uncle Lu's instructions, he actually completed several businesses, took the opportunity to find out the situation in the surrounding area, and got acquainted with several government officials and book offices in Shuntian Prefecture.When Bai Huahua got the 30 taels of silver, he finally couldn't help but went to Second Uncle Lu's house and asked him, "Why did Uncle Lu want to help me?"

Second Uncle Lu smiled, pondered for a while, and then said: "Forget it, it's not a problem to keep it a secret, and it won't hurt you anyway." He decided to test a small matter first, so he pulled Hu Fei to sit down, Poured a cup of tea: "You may have heard that there is an eldest young master in the residence of the Marquis of the Qing Dynasty. The Marquis loves him very much, but he doesn't get much power?" Seeing Hu Fei nodding, he continued, "I'll follow here I have been with the young master for several years, he doesn't value it, and I don't have a good life. I thought it would be fine to separate and go out earlier, but Master Hou refused to nod for a long time, and the young master recently added another Brother, the old lady has always been indifferent, as a parent, you must always think about your children."

Hu Fei frowned: "Please tell Uncle Lu directly, I am greatly favored by you, I am a lifelong friend, and I come from the same family of Qinghou Mansion, I will never stand by and watch."

Second Uncle Lu smiled: "It's not a big deal. A few days ago, Master Hou saw that the young master was becoming more and more prudent, so he wanted him to experience it. The wife arranged an errand, but it was for the eldest aunt in our house— — Concubine Jing is doing business." He moved closer: "The noble concubine in the palace is about to celebrate her birthday, Prince Jing and his wife are determined to honor her, because the concubine loves embroidery the most in her life, especially one called Wuling The painting and calligraphy embroidered by the woman who is the governor of the history. It is said that the woman once embroidered a "Chunhui Picture". The picture appeared at the birthday banquet of the old lady of the Hu family more than ten years ago, but later it disappeared..."

Hu Fei pondered: "I have seen this embroidery before, but last year my eldest brother gave it away." He said a name, but it was the name of a third-rank official. Unfortunately, Second Uncle Lu remembered that he was The people of Ke Wangfu's faction immediately sank down.

Seeing this, Hu Fei pursed his lips: "It's not difficult, I have a solution."

(End of this chapter)