in spring

Chapter 128 New way out

Second Uncle Lu got a lot suntanned, and walked into the door cheerfully: "Are you scared? I came back to report first. In a few days, the eldest young master will arrive in the capital with his aunt and cousin's family. Please ask the eldest young master Fu, let me get this fat job, the old lady in the mansion, Lord Hou got the letter, and they gave me a lot of rewards!" He raised his thumb behind him: "Look, only half of this car is luggage. The remaining half of the car was given by the old lady and Lord Hou. Chun'er, pack it up for me."

Chunying wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and smiled through her tears: "Okay, I'll go right away!" After saying that, she ran to the carriage outside the door.The man driving the car was a servant, and he was an acquaintance. It was Xiao Wu who used to live in the neighboring courtyard.He grinned at Chunying: "Sister Chun'er, long time no see, I heard you were injured?"

Chunying laughed dryly: "Yes, but it's all good now." She groaned twice, and wanted to unload the things on the car, Xiao Wu smiled at her again: "This car will be handed over to you, I'm still going home, see you!" After saying that, he tied the reins to the horse post in front of the gate of the house next door, dragged out two large bundles from the car, and hung a rucksack around his neck. Xiaobao went out of the alley.Chunying hurriedly opened the courtyard door of her second uncle's house, then turned around and climbed into the carriage to get things.

After exchanging greetings with Duke Wei, Second Uncle Lu turned around and saw Shen Xiaosi leaning against the gate with a smile, and said with a smile, "Why is little brother Si free to come today? Oh, I haven't packed my luggage yet. You brothers all brought some local products."

Shen Xiaosi smiled even more happily: "The old way is polite, what kind of friendship do we have? You have worked so hard all the way, what local products did you bring us?" He walked to the gate and glanced at it, and saw that Chunying really packed a lot of bags. To move things home, Wei Gong went to help, and the burden was quite heavy. It seems that there is still a wine jar?He rubbed his palms happily, and said with a grin: "You guys are busy, I should go back too, I haven't been on business yet, uh..." He pulled the second uncle Lu and whispered: "Old Lu, brother Hu is going to be okay today. I am so wronged, your master was almost involved, you have to come up with some means! If there is anything I can help, just ask!" After saying that, he patted Second Uncle Lu on the shoulder and walked out. The corners of his eyes were still fixed on the carriage.

After hearing what he said, Second Uncle Lu was thoughtful, and when he saw this, he called out: "Little Fourth Brother, remember to come and bring the local products back tomorrow, I haven't packed them up today, so I'm being rude. "

Shen Xiaosi's hand was reaching for the carriage, but he shrank back embarrassedly when he heard the words, laughed dryly, and went.

Second Uncle Lu smiled, turned around and turned to the small side courtyard, and saw Hu Fei standing in the courtyard with his hands down, his head bowed in silence, as if he looked ashamed, so he asked, "Brother Hu, what happened to Shen Xiaosi just now? What did you suffer?" Wronged? Why did it involve my master?"

Hu Fei turned his head aside: "This was originally a matter I provoked, but now it's over. I don't have the face to tell you, please stop asking, Uncle Lu."

Second Uncle Lu was startled, then heard Granny Wei calling him in a low voice, and hurried over, Granny Wei told the whole story, and said: "The young master of the Hu family is really hateful! Lu Er Master has to teach him a lesson! lest he think our family is easy to mess with!"

"Go, what do you know?!" Wei Gong put a big wine jar in the corner of the courtyard, shooed his wife away, and then said to Uncle Lu, "Second Lord, don't listen to the old woman's crazy words, this matter is over. Now, what happened afterwards, you should ask the young master what he means. If you turn against that young master Hu, if he tells the matter, our young master will be in a bad situation. "

Second Uncle Lu narrowed his eyes and nodded: "I see." He walked back to Hu Fei's yard, saw him feeding the mule silently, and said, "Brother Hu, I know that you are willing to give in today because it is for our sake. , I will remember this love myself."

Hu Fei hurriedly said: "Uncle Lu, don't say that. If I hadn't been helped by sister Chunying and Uncle Lu when I was down and out, I'm afraid I would have starved to death now. How could I live a life without worrying about food and clothing? How could I still earn money?" This small family business? If those people just force me, I will not give in even if I die, but if it makes you suffer because of it, I would rather die!"

Second Uncle Lu sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "Good boy, Uncle Lu won't let you suffer!"

Hu Fei lowered his head in embarrassment: "Don't worry, Uncle Lu. In fact, what those people said has some truth. I have hands and feet, and I have suffered. I can earn a bowl of food when I leave the capital. Why bother to stay and suffer?" Is he angry? I was discussing with Shen Xiaosi just now, if I simply move to Tongzhou, he can't drive me away anymore, right?"

Uncle Lu's expression changed, but he quickly suppressed it, and asked with a smile about his experience after parting.

Chunying hurriedly packed her second uncle's luggage, and because she hadn't been at home for a few days, the furniture was covered with dust, so she had to clean it quickly before starting to prepare dinner.When I went to Mrs. Wei's place to borrow fresh vegetables, I caught a glimpse of my second uncle and Hu Fei sitting on the front steps of the small side yard talking quietly. Hu Fei's mood seemed to have improved a lot, and he felt relieved.

The dinner was eaten by the two of them, uncle and nephew, alone in their own house.Chunying curiously asked about the second uncle, what did he talk about with Hu Fei, and the second uncle Lu smiled and said: "It's just some daily things, I only read a few words in your letter before, but I didn't know you The two of you have already achieved this level of business. If it weren’t for the young master of the Hu family intervening, you would have already opened a shop, right?”

Talking about this, Chunying got angry: "Isn't it? Brother Xiaofei even bought the shop and looked at a few shops, and suddenly came out like this, his brother is really disgusting! Second uncle, uncle Is the young master really afraid that he will leak the news? Do you want me to... tell the third young master?"

Second Uncle Lu glared at her: "What did you say to the third young master? Do you still think that there are not enough people for the young master to buy houses? Eat!"

Chunying shrank her head, and while counting the rice in the bowl, she pouted and said, "But I really can't swallow this breath! Brother Xiao Fei agreed to them because he was afraid of hurting us. I felt aggrieved, When will they fall?!"

Second Uncle Lu raised the corners of his mouth: "What's the hurry? What should fall will fall naturally. As for your little brother Fei... how can you know that it is a blessing if you lose your horse?"

The next day, Hu Fei went out to deal with the shop in Yanle Hutong.He just let out the news that he was going to change hands of the shop, and immediately someone came over to discuss it.He remembered seeing the buyer kneeling beside his elder brother from a distance, and he sneered and dismissed the low price proposed by the other party: "To tell you the truth, I bought this shop to open a shop for myself, but I have no choice but to buy it at home. Suddenly, something happened and I had to go far away, so I had to change hands to earn some money. I bought it here for 88 taels of silver, and cleaned it up and down. Naturally, it is more expensive than before. In addition, I still have some stocks in the warehouse. I have to raise a price, 120 taels! Look..."

The buyer was almost choked, and the price was almost half the price, how could he agree?He hurriedly said: "How can there be such a reason? I didn't say that your shop is old and small. It's fair for me to pay 40 taels. If you think it's too little, you can ask others to see who will buy it?"

"Then wait and see!" Hu Fei sat down on the chair, pretending to put away the paperwork on the table, "If I don't sell a day, I won't leave for a day, you always want to go slowly! Think about it, promise Hui 120 taels, pay the money with one hand and the shop with the other hand, I will leave immediately!"

The whole face of the buyer turned red, and he flung his sleeves away. Hu Fei didn't care. After more than half an hour, as he expected, the buyer ran back again and slammed a 120 tael banknote : "Take it! I bought it!"

"Wait a minute, I'll go to the bank and change it for a small one. It's convenient to take along on the way." Hu Fei went to the opposite bank and exchanged the large bank note issued by Hu's usual bank for another one. A small bank note from a time-honored bank, just came back and handed over the deed to the buyer, and then walked out of the gate without even smiling.

He randomly found a tavern outside, drank three or four jugs of wine, and then felt dizzy. He remembered that he still had bank notes on him. It was not only his own property, but also Chunying's members inside. , just shook his head violently, managed to wake up a little bit, and walked home after paying the bills. It was still thirty or forty feet away from the Gouwei Alley, when he saw Chunying looking out at the intersection, and saw himself He breathed a sigh of relief, and hurried up to greet him: "Brother Xiaofei, why have you been away for so long? You didn't come back for lunch. Did you drink? Sigh, you're in a bad mood, what can't you do? Why don't you drink? Did you know alcohol can hurt you?"

Hearing Chunying gossip while helping herself to go home, Hu Fei suddenly felt warm in his heart, but his nose was a little sour. He whispered, "I know I was wrong... I won't drink indiscriminately again..."

"That's right! There is no other way to go. Who said we have no other way to go? We were also poor and white back then, and we got what we are today after hard work? Let's think about it again. Can Tongzhou have other ways to make money..."

"it is good……"

Hu Fei stumbled back to his hut with Chunying's support, and when he lay down on the bed, he felt drunk and became confused.Chunying hurriedly applied a wet handkerchief to his face, then asked worriedly: "I see that you are very drunk, shall I make some hangover soup for you?"

Hu Fei's expression was a little dazed, he turned his head to look at Chunying, but his eyes were not focused, and after a while, he said: "Sister, you are so virtuous, I don't know which kid will be lucky to marry you back home ..."

Chunying was angry and funny, and slapped him: "I told you to drink so much wine, look, you're talking nonsense!" Then she turned and went out to make soup.

Hu Fei raised his arms to cover his eyes, and murmured: "I'm not talking nonsense..." After a while, the corner of his sleeve became wet.

Hu Fei was drunk for most of the day, and when he woke up, it was dark.He got up and saw that Chunying had prepared washing water for him, and there were clean clothes beside him, exuding a faint fragrance of soap, his face blushed, he hurriedly washed up, changed his clothes and went out , Mrs. Wei was already setting the bowls and chopsticks. When Wei Gong saw him, he smiled and said: "Are you awake? Come and eat! You didn't catch up with the good wine brought back by Lu Erye when Shen Xiaosi came! The old man is generous." I took a sip of it, it was really delicious!"

Granny Wei patted her husband's forehead and said, "How dare you say that! It's wine for the little brother of the Shen family. If you stole one sip, it doesn't count, and you want to steal a second sip. It's really embarrassing!" After finishing speaking, she turned to Hu Fei: "Hurry up and eat. After eating, go to Lu Erye's house. He said he has something to discuss with you."

Hu Fei hurriedly agreed, took a few mouthfuls of food in a hurry, and then went to the small courtyard of the Lu family.Second Uncle Lu had already eaten and taken a bath, and was sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air.Chunying cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and said with a smile, "Brother Xiao Fei is here? Sit down quickly, I'll make tea right away, there are some good incense sticks here today! It's very fragrant!"

Hu Fei smiled, and watched her lively go to the kitchen, then lowered his head and touched his head, changing his serious expression: "Uncle Lu specially asked me to come over, but what's your order?"

Second Uncle Lu stretched his waist, patted his stomach again, and then approached Hu Fei and said, "Brother Hu, have you already made up your mind to leave the capital?"

Hu Fei's heart moved: "Of course, do I have another way out?"

Uncle Lu smiled: "Of course, it depends on whether you are brave enough to fight! If you succeed, you will be rich in the future, at least. If you are more ambitious, you may be able to surpass you." That brother is going!"

"Uncle Lu was joking, how can there be such a cheap thing in the world? Besides, where do I have any brother?" Hu Fei clenched his fists, but still couldn't resist the temptation of the other party, "What is the way? Uncle Lu gave me Tell me?"

Second Uncle Lu smiled slightly, and lowered his voice: "You must have heard that our Hou Mansion has a big income, earning no less than ten thousand gold a year."

"You mean the business in Nanyang?" Hu Fei almost jumped up, of course he knew about it. I don't know how many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital are jealous of this, "Uncle Lu wants me to participate in it." ?”

"Your little silver doesn't make a sound when you throw it into the water, and it's also worthy of a share?" Second Uncle Lu immediately refuted it, and waited for Hu Fei to blushed and lowered his head before saying, "This business is not exclusive to the Hou family. It is a member of the ancestors of several Spyker Houses, including the Huo family in Nanjing, which is our aunt's house. The young master can't get involved in the business of our Hou's mansion, but the Huo family ...The person who was originally in charge has changed, and it is necessary to send a new person who knows the basics..."

Hu Fei's eyes widened suddenly.

(End of this chapter)