in spring

Chapter 124 Trouble
Chunying's heart skipped a beat, not sure where this person came from, so she pretended to be afraid of the pain and burst into tears: "Help me! Someone..." Before he finished speaking, the man covered his mouth.

The man looked around in a panic, and then said viciously: "Smelly girl, if you dare to scream again, see if I don't beat you to death!"

Chunying just kept struggling, and bit his hand hard, and when he flinched in pain, she quickly dodged, and opened her mouth to shout: "Come on! There are robbers! Come on, come on!"

The man raised his hand in panic to strike, but he heard footsteps and voices nearby: "What's the matter? Who is calling for robbers?" "It seems to be coming from the dog's tail alley. It sounds like Sister Chun's voice."

Chunying hurriedly hid and shouted: "Come here! The robber is here!" Seeing that the man was about to escape, he picked up a broken brick and threw it over, hitting the man's back. The man was in pain and hated Turning around in hatred: "Damn girl..." The fist was about to come up.

The neighbors had already heard the sound and arrived, and the leader of the big man shouted: "Stop!" Then he rushed over to restrain the man, but the man tried his best to break away from him and wanted to rush out, but he didn't expect the man behind him to catch up. The neighbors were already waiting at the entrance of the alley with brooms, hoes, and spatulas, and they forced him back aggressively.

Chunying took the opportunity to hide in the small courtyard of her second uncle's house, closed the door tightly, and shouted loudly: "Everyone, this man threatened me with his fist when he saw me, and he didn't allow me to scream, and I don't know why Lu. Maybe it's the thief that the government is arresting, let's send him to the government quickly!"

All the neighbors saw that the man was full of flesh, dark and thick, which fit the image of a "wicked person" and "criminal" in his imagination, and they all agreed.Just now the big man stood up and shouted: "Hey! What is your background and why are you here to do evil?! Why don't you come here quickly?!"

The "bad man" rolled his eyes a few times, then raised his head and said, "Which one is the thief? Don't talk nonsense! I'm here to ask for a debt! This girl's family owes me a lot of money and won't pay it back. If I come to ask for it, she will Calling people indiscriminately. Repaying debts is justified! If you want to stand up for her, are you also planning to pay her money?!"

He fully thought that if he said this, everyone would retreat. He had tried this trick twice, and it was very effective, but unexpectedly, all the neighbors present stared at him suspiciously, showing no signs of being fooled.

Chunying hurriedly said: "Which one owes you the money? Tell me, what is my last name? If my family owes you money, what kind of debt do you come here for?! I just came here to visit relatives, who are you cheating on?" ?!"

The big man also said: "Isn't it? Sister Chun is here to watch the house for Lu Er, we all know her name by heart. You thief, don't talk about it!" He called out a few men in the crowd to come up and help tie it up. People, the "bad guys" should be sent to officials.

The "bad man" panicked again, and hurriedly argued: "So I was wrong, it was that girl's brother who owed me the money, I know her brother's surname is Hu, don't tie me up!"

This time there was no need for Chunying to argue, the neighbors laughed by themselves, and a woman spat: "Brother Hu has always been the most reputable, how can he not pay back the money? He and Sister Chun are not siblings. You don't even know the situation of his family. You got it all wrong, and you still want to talk big?" Another woman held a spatula and looked at the "bad man" vigilantly: "He must be the thief that the government wants to arrest! Didn't the official say that that person even ordinary people? Don't let it go, stole all the money from other people, causing people to go bankrupt? This person must have inquired about the situation of each family in advance, knowing that Brother Hu is not at home, so he came to attack his family. He is a stranger, so naturally I don't know, but when I heard Sister Chun calling me Brother, I thought they were a family."

This guess won the support of everyone. Taking advantage of the "bad man"'s unpreparedness, the big man quickly twisted his arm and twisted it back. The others quickly rushed up and tied him tightly with hemp rope. The "bad man" shouted anxiously: "I'm really not a thief! I'm Guan Laoba from Dongshi, who runs a grocery store! You just go and ask! Don't send me to the government, I'm willing to pay the money!" He tried his best to break away from the pressure. The man who lived in him jumped up twice and pulled out a pocket: "There are more than five taels of silver here, please take it to drink, and don't send me to see the official!"

Everyone hesitated for a while, and the big man glared again, and punched him: "You little thief! How dare you come to buy grandpa with the stolen goods? If the government knows that we have taken your money and let you go, Who knows if we will be punished?! Be more honest!” In a blink of an eye, he added another punch, which made the "bad man" dizzy, with a bruised nose and a swollen face, and they dragged him away with half pressure and half pull.

A neighbor comforted Chunying, and Chunying agreed, carefully opened the door and stuck her head out, thanking the others with a smile, and when they were far away, she quickly locked the door and ran into the courtyard of Wei's house.Wei Gong and Wei Po had been listening behind the door for a long time. Seeing her, he hurriedly asked: "Is that man really a thief? It doesn't sound like it, but what is his background?"

Chunying shook her head: "I don't know either, he is looking for brother Xiaofei, it is very likely that his brother sent him." She frowned, very troubled.If that person was really sent by the young master of the Hu family, something might happen again. Hu Fei managed to gain a firm foothold, his business became better and better, and his life was back on track. If it was because of that villain Young master, it would be too bad if your career was ruined!
She couldn't help feeling resentful towards the youngest of the Hu family: Was it easy for Hu Fei to get to where he is today?After all, he's a real brother, and he doesn't fight against you, so why did you do it so badly? !

When Hu Fei came back in the evening, he was in a good mood. He seemed to have sold the fabric for a good price and the car was empty. He returned the car first, then came back and smiled at Chun Ying: "Sister, I have a good thing today. You discuss..." After a pause, she realized that there was something wrong with Wei Gong and Wei Po's expressions, and asked hesitantly, "What's the matter? What happened?"

Chunying told him what happened today in a low voice, and said: "I asked Wu Dan to inquire about what happened later. It is said that the yamen found out the identity of the man and let him go. The neighbors said that although they made a mistake People, but that person will not be a good thing! Brother Xiao Fei, Wei Gong and Wei Po have discussed with me, and I think it is very likely that he was the one who followed you yesterday!" After a moment of hesitation, he added: "He knows What's your last name, could it be...your family..."

Hu Fei's complexion changed slightly, he walked to the stone bench and sat down silently, and said in a deep voice, "Where do I have a home now?! Even if he sent someone, I don't care! He is not that capable, can take I get out of here!"

Wei Gong laughed when he heard this: "Isn't it? The landlord here is not a commoner who allows him to bully him! He is an imperial merchant, so there is a way to persecute him..." He didn't continue, but smiled again.

Living in this courtyard for more than half a year, Hu Fei has met two people who were sent by Jing Shi, the young lady of the Hou Mansion, to question him. Although no one told him clearly, he knew it well, so he laughed along with him: , I used to think that the Hu family was great, but now that I have broadened my horizons, I realize that the Hu family is nothing more than that. My elder brother wanted to climb up to the servant's mansion, but the censor took a copy of it and blamed him for his filial piety. Divorcing a wife and discussing a marriage can only end up being disheartened and postponing the marriage? I heard that the Minister's Mansion is impatient and wants to withdraw the marriage. If the Hu family is really capable, how can they be so angry?!"

Chunying's heart moved, she raised her eyes to look at him, and saw that apart from disdain, there was also a trace of resentment in his eyes.In fact, Hu Fei still cares about that heartless brother, right?Although he usually does not show his face, he still pays close attention to the news of the Hu family.

Grandma Wei saw that their faces were all worried, so she smiled and said: "It's time for dinner! Sister Chun comes in to help. Old man, you are not allowed to drink today, and you will go to watch the night later! Brother Xiao Fei, look after me for me." Watch him!" Everyone responded in unison, and then they got busy.Chunying occasionally glanced at Hu Fei, seeing that he seemed to be thinking.

After dinner, Hu Fei winked at Chunying, Chunying understood, washed the dishes and boiled hot water to wash Wei Gong's feet, then went to Hu Fei's courtyard.

Not long after, Hu Fei, who went to patrol the yard with Duke Wei, came back, happily sat her down, took out an account book from the room, and said: "Today's materials are sold very quickly, and the remaining fine materials , I also agreed with the shopkeeper Shi, and found the next buyer, and the two of us will deliver the goods together tomorrow. The price this time is very good, and I calculated it carefully when I came back. , the money we earned as a partnership is a full 400 taels! I figured that I would be a little tired from traveling around the city every day, and the money I earn is limited, so why not open a small store in earnest?"

Chunying was stunned, lowered her head and thought for a while, and then said: "Of course it is good to open a store, but didn't you have concerns at the beginning? Are you not afraid now? Also, we have earned a lot of money now, do we have to open a store? Rent, taxes, carpentry lamps, oil and wax...the cost is not low."

Hu Fei smiled: "I was afraid at the beginning, but now I want to open it. No matter how powerful the Hu family is, there are countless people who can overwhelm him in the capital! Who is he? Since I want to open a store, I naturally have to choose a good one." The address of the shop, what can I do to him!" After a pause, he said: "I am a salesman now, and what I sell is cheap except for cosmetics and hair oils. Naturally, the profit is low, and the goods that mules can transport are limited. How much can I sell? If I open a store, not only can I buy more cosmetics, but jewelry can also be sold at a higher price. The most important thing is that I have selected a few shops. No matter where, the business is better than now It's only going to be better."

Excitedly, he took out a small booklet and showed it to Chunying: "Look, this place is in Xizhimen Street. Many of them are family members of sergeants. There is no makeup and jewelry shop there, but there is a small cloth shop and a tailor shop that sell some good clothing materials, and there are some temples and Taoist temples. The market is still lively. But women If I want to buy anything on weekdays, I have to go far away, which is very inconvenient. I know an old guard in Shuntian Prefecture. His son is a soldier guarding the city. It is worth the amount of three days on weekdays! I heard that the rent there is extremely cheap, if you rent a yard and turn it into a storefront, in addition to cosmetics and jewelry, you can also sell fabrics concurrently, and the business must be very good."

It sounded good, Chunying looked at the brochure again: "If it's an exclusive sale, it's easy to make money, but why doesn't anyone else open a store there? It's best to check it out before taking action. But this place...isn't it Is it too far?"

Hu Fei nodded: "That's true. But there is another place..." He turned to the next page: "This is a little closer, just outside Xuanwumen, and there are several places around the general's training ground in Xuanbeifang There is a barracks, and there is also a guild hall for students from other places to stay for exams. This place is more lively than the previous one, but the rouge shop is still profitable."

Chunying looked at it again, but she didn't have any comments. Then she saw that there seemed to be some words on the next page, so she turned it over, and saw that the address written on it was in Yanle Hutong.

Hu Fei laughed and said: "Needless to say this place, there is Jiaofangsi nearby, and there are also many brothels and Chu houses. The girl is the daughter of a good family, so naturally she can't understand these things, but in business, there is no distinction between high and low."

Chunying smiled and said, "I think it's dangerous to have a unique business. We don't know what's going on near the barracks. But there must already be a lot of makeup and jewelry shops in the Yanle Hutong area. It's okay to open one more. You need to think carefully about what you sell, and you can’t compare it with others.”

Hu Fei nodded hurriedly: "I think so too, I'm just wondering which one to choose."

"Then let's take a look again. In fact, our principal is only a few hundred taels. After renting the house, there is not much left. We still have to be careful." Chunying felt that it seemed a little early to open a store now, But it was Hu Fei who worked hard, and she couldn't say too much.And opening a shop can indeed do more business, she is only worried that once she has to sit in the shop, the business of this person will be difficult to manage.

The two of them were meeting each other to study which of these locations was better, but they could not hear a hasty knock on the door in the silent night.Chunying stood up suspiciously and went to open the door. As soon as she pulled the latch, the man outside rushed in, almost knocking her down.

She looked up and saw that the man was covered with a dark scarf, and frowned and cursed: "Who are you? Why did you barge in here without thinking?!" Hu Fei hurried over and asked: "Who are you? ?”

The man pulled off his hood, revealing a somewhat familiar face, but it was Ah Fan who had seen him once.Chunying was secretly taken aback, and hurriedly turned to look at Hu Fei.

Hu Fei was obviously also very surprised: "A Fan?! How did you come here? How did you know that I live here?!"

But Ah Fan didn't care about answering, so she rushed to him and cried, "Second Young Master, run away! Eldest Young Master is coming soon!"

(There are so many people who guessed right, please ask for a pink ticket...)
(End of this chapter)