The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 164

In terms of the size of the city, Yangzhou City is much smaller than Jinling, but in terms of wealth, it is even worse, because all the richest salt merchants in the world live here.In addition to the pillar industry of salt, Yangzhou also has developed other handicraft industries, such as silk, cloth, embroidery, porcelain, etc.In addition, the service industry in Yangzhou is also quite developed, especially the brothel industry. It is the famous place of fireworks and willow alleys, and the gentle gold-selling cave, which rivals Jinling's Shili Qinhuai.

The city of Yangzhou is divided into the old city and the new city. The old city is relatively small, but the streets are square and straight. Most local government offices are located in the old city, and most of the mansions of officials and gentry are also located in the old city. The old city has a quiet and livable environment. The new city has developed commerce, is bustling and bustling, and is naturally noisy.

Officials like quietness and elegance, but businessmen like popularity, because popularity means wealth. The more popular a place is, the more opportunities there are to make money. Therefore, most of the wealthy merchants in Yangzhou live in new cities, such as Dashan. The residences of Shang Kang Wanwan and Li Wanwan were both located in the new city, and both salt envoy offices were also located in the new city. However, Lin Ruhai's salt inspection censor's office was located in the old city.

This morning, the weather was sunny and the temperature of 25 to [-] degrees Celsius was very comfortable and pleasant.Jia Huan took his pretty maid Ping'er out of the Yanxunyan Censor's Yamen through the corner gate, while Tiehu and Shitou were already waiting outside the door in a carriage.

Jia Huan and Heping'er got on the carriage, and Shitou waved his whip and drove towards the Dadongmen. After passing the Dadongmen, it was the new city. The streets here were indeed much more spacious and lively, but there were many shops on both sides. Mobile vendors and hawking sounds can be heard one after another. It is really lively.

Ping'er lifted the curtain of the carriage window and peeked out secretly, his face full of novelty, joy, and happiness.

Of course she is happy. I wonder which maid has such treatment, being accompanied by her master when shopping?Of course, strictly speaking, Ping'er is now Mr. Huan's de facto member of the house.

At this time, the carriage passed by a literary and antiques shop called Zhiyanzhai. It looked very impressive and he should be able to find some good things. So Jia Huan stopped the carriage and took Ping'er's hand to go inside. Go.

Jia Lian was about to return to Beijing, and Jia Huan was going to buy some souvenirs for him to take back. Xue Baochai and Sanchun were both noble ladies from noble families, and they naturally had a higher level of vision. They couldn't choose gifts casually, so Jia Huan specially sent Ping'er to them. He was brought as a military advisor. After all, women are the ones who understand women best. At the same time, he also picked out some jewelry and clothes for Ping'er.

This woman had served him tirelessly for several years in a simple thatched cottage. No matter it was severe winter or scorching heat, windy or snowy, she had always worked hard and never left her. Naturally, no matter how much she loved her, she could not be overly favored.

"Third...Master, let me go by myself." Ping'er has a tender face after all. On the street, in full view of everyone, Jia Huan kissed and held hands, and her sweet and pretty face had already turned as red as coals. It's hot.

Jia Huan smiled and let go of Ping'er's hand. Although he didn't mind the strange looks from around him at all, Ping'er did. At this moment, he was so embarrassed that his chin was buried in Feng Lian, so he might as well do as the Romans do. .

"Young Master... Miss, what do you need?" A well-dressed waiter came up to him with a smile. He saw that although Ping'er was dressed as a maid, she looked pretty and sweet. In addition, Jia Huan just held her hand. When she came in, she was probably pampering her maid, so she called her "girl."

Jia Huan nodded and said with a smile: "Let's take a look for ourselves first."

After hearing this, the waiter politely stepped away and stopped disturbing the two of them. The service quality was quite high.

Jia Huan and Heping'er shopped around, and finally bought a set of pen and ink tools for Jia Xichun, and an Hui inkstone and calligraphy stickers for Jia Tanchun. The second sister Jia Yingchun was dull and nicknamed Ermu, which didn't seem to matter. She had no special skills and no hobbies, so Jia Huan didn't know what to give her as a gift. Finally, she bought a good Go set on Ping'er's suggestion.

Jia Yingchun's personal maid is called Siqi, and the original book also describes Jia Yingchun and Jia Xichun playing chess. I guess chess is one of her few hobbies and specialties, so it would be appropriate to give her a set of Go. .

At this time, Jia Huan suddenly stopped in front of a musical instrument, with a look of surprise in his eyes. This is...a violin?

That's right, Jia Huan actually saw a violin. He couldn't help but look in disbelief. Dajin also had a violin?

Since Jia Huan had already bought a lot of things and was a big customer, he caught the shopkeeper's attention. At this time, he came over enthusiastically and introduced: "This is a dulcimer. I'm afraid you've never seen it before, right? It's a merchant from the south." The one brought back from Panyu, the province, is relatively rare. There is only one in the entire Yangzhou city, and there will never be another one."

As the shopkeeper said this, he picked up the violin, played it lightly with the bow, and showed Jia Huan how to use it. However, his posture was like playing the erhu, and the sound he made was like sawing the foot of the bed, which shows that this nonsense .

Ping'er couldn't help but chuckle and said: "Third Master, these Western musical instruments are really ugly."

The shopkeeper coughed slightly in embarrassment and said, "The girl is laughing at you, but I don't understand either."

Jia Huan smiled, took the violin from the former, and expertly placed the bottom of the violin on his left shoulder, with his chin on the chinrest, and then tried pulling it with the bow a few times. He found that the tone was wrong, and adjusted it again. Keys on the headstock.

The shopkeeper couldn't help but look surprised when he saw this, and Ping'er also looked curious.At this time, Jia Huan had already tuned the strings, and with a slight pull of the bow, a classic "Butterfly Lovers" played loudly, instantly attracting countless gazes from around him.

The shopkeeper couldn't help but be stunned, his beard trembled with excitement, while Ping'er's beautiful eyes were filled with admiration. It turned out that this Western instrument sounded so good, and the most amazing thing was that the third master could actually play it!
Jia Huan tried playing for a while and then stopped. The shopkeeper said excitedly: "Young master is so talented. It turns out that this piano is played like this. I finally opened my eyes today. I'm sorry!"

In his previous life, Jia Huan was the king of volume kings. His family enrolled him in countless cram schools since he was a child. He also learned the violin, but he was not very good at it. He could barely know ten or eight famous songs. He made The best instruments are piano and flute.

Jia Huan put down the violin and said with a smile: "I didn't play it well, which made the shopkeeper laugh."

The shopkeeper said with admiration: "Young master, you are so humble. If this is not praiseworthy, I don't know what is. As the saying goes, a sword is given to a hero, and a friend is rewarded with good wine. This dulcimer has been placed in our shop for several years. No one knows how to do it, so since you know how to do it, why not buy it?"

Jia Huan couldn't help but burst into laughter and said: "The shopkeeper made such an impassioned speech, I thought you were giving it away for free. If you dare to be kind, you have to spend money."

The shopkeeper is also a wonderful person. He stroked his beard and smiled and said: "It is impossible to give away for free. In business, only fools can do loss-making business. I also need to eat, but my feelings cannot be eaten. What can I do? "

Jia Huan also smiled and said: "To put it bluntly, what price does the shopkeeper plan to charge?"

The shopkeeper glanced at Jia Huan and said with a smile: "I spent 20 taels of silver to buy it. If you sincerely buy it, I can give you 30 taels. I only earn ten taels of silver, which can be used for the maintenance expenses for three years. How about it?"

Jia Huan thought about it for a while and found that this violin was exquisitely made and had excellent sound. It was probably purely handmade in this era. 30 taels of silver was not expensive at all. The key was that it was an orphan, so he readily paid the silver to buy it and handed over Give the stone a hold.

It is said that when Jia Huan went south, he brought nearly a thousand taels of silver, buying horses and houses, so he has spent almost all of it in the past few years. Fortunately, the seventh prince Xu Wenhou is kind, and the ice cream shop pays dividends every year, otherwise Jia Huan How could Huan be so generous?Next, Jia Huan took a fancy to a pocket watch and decisively spent ten taels of silver to buy it. This thing was very practical.

It is said that the Jin Dynasty banned the sea just like the Ming Dynasty, but it was not as strict as that of Lao Zhu. In fact, the Jin Dynasty had municipal bureaus in Ningbo, Zhejiang, Jinjiang, Fujian, Guangzhou, Lingnan and other places, which were responsible for dealing with foreigners. trade, so there are many Western goods for sale on the market, such as pocket watches, chime clocks, glass mirrors, and even foreign cloth.

However, the Jin Dynasty has a vast territory, abundant resources and natural treasures, is powerful and rich, and can be self-sufficient in everything. From the monarch to the people, they all have the mentality of a heavenly dynasty. They look down on foreigners and foreign goods, so foreign goods are not popular in the Jin Dynasty. , except for a few novelty items, few people care about other goods. However, tea, raw silk, porcelain, silk pieces, etc. produced in Dajin are very popular in Europe, and the huge trade deficit makes it a bit overwhelming for foreigners.

After hearing the words, talk less and get down to business.Let's say that Jia Huan finished buying gifts for the girls, and then bought Ping'er a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of silver hairpins, a pair of earrings, a set of high-quality rouge and gouache, and he also pulled two pieces of new colors of cloth to make clothes. .

For a moment, Ping'er felt sorry for the money and was as sweet as honey. He reminded her, "Did the Third Master forget to prepare a gift for Miss Bao?"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Of course I can't forget it. I already have an idea."

Just as everyone was returning to the carriage carrying large and small bags, they suddenly heard someone shouting in surprise: "But is Jia Huanjia the head of the case?"

Jia Huan was stunned for a moment, then turned around and saw a tall, thin, fair-skinned scholar standing not far away. He turned out to be Lu Xiangsheng, and beside him was a young man who was traveling with him.

"Classmate Lu!" Jia Huan blurted out.

Lu Xiangsheng was beaming with joy at this moment and said excitedly: "It turns out that it is really Mr. Jia who has changed his mind after so many years. I was a little afraid to recognize him at first."

It's no wonder that after three years, Jia Huan has grown much taller and appears more mature.

Three years later, when he saw the candidates who competed with him again in Yangzhou, Jia Huan felt inexplicably friendly and said with a smile: "Why is Mr. Lu here? This is the year of the competition. Shouldn't Mr. Lu attend the meeting in Beijing?" Try it?"

Lu Xiangsheng's face turned red and he said with embarrassment: "I failed in last year's Qiu Wei (provincial examination). How can I be qualified to participate in this year's Chun Wei competition (regular examination)?"

Jia Huan couldn't help but secretly sweat. Lu Xiangsheng was among the top ten in the college examination, but he failed to pass the provincial examination. This shows that the provincial examination is indeed hellish. He hurriedly comforted him: "There will be strong winds and waves, and there will be times when we can hang sails to help the sea. I believe that in the future With Lu’s talent, he will definitely be in high school next time.”

Lu Xiangsheng was also free and easy, and said with a smile: "Please bear with me the good news from Mr. Jia. After the first court examination, when I heard about Mr. Jia, all the subordinates sighed. Now Mr. Jia must have abided by the rules, and the next provincial examination will be the same." Soaring into the sky, I hope you and I can become Jinshi in the same year."

Jia Huan smiled: "Thanks to classmate Lu's auspicious words, who is this?"

Jia Huan's eyes turned to the young man who was traveling with Lu Xiangsheng. He was about 20 years old, with slightly dark skin but well-defined features, bright eyes, and thin lips pursed into a line. According to physiognomy, This kind of person usually has a tough personality but loves to get into trouble.

Lu Xiangsheng slapped his forehead and said with a smile: "I was here to get together, but I forgot to introduce you. This brother Li Hongji is from Mizhi, Shaanxi Province. His martial arts skills are not inferior to mine, and he is also proficient in riding and archery."

Lu Xiangsheng was a master of both civil and martial arts. He could talk to both literati and martial artists. This Li Hongji was obviously a martial artist.

Jia Huan cupped his hands and said, "Brother Li!"

Lu Xiangsheng then introduced to the person named Li: "Brother Li, this is classmate Jia Huanjia. He is from Wanping County, North Zhili. He ranked first in the county, government and college examinations. He won the title of scholar at the age of eight. , is the number one child prodigy in our Jin Dynasty, and he comes from the Jia family of Rongguo Gong, and is the younger brother of the current virtuous concubine."

Li Hongji looked amazed at the beginning, but when he heard about Rongguo Gong Jia's family, his color changed slightly. He cupped his fists and said coldly: "It turns out that the founder of the country was disrespectful and disrespectful. We and the common people, How dare you associate with Mr. Jia?"

Jia Huan clearly heard a hint of sarcasm in his tone, and couldn't help but frown secretly. Could this person be related to the Jia family, so he said calmly: "Brother Li said something serious."

Lu Xiangsheng was a little embarrassed and hurriedly changed the topic: "By the way, why is classmate Jia here?"

Jia Huan said bluntly: "Yangzhou Salt Patrol Censor is my uncle. He has been ill recently and came here to visit."

As soon as these words came out, Li Hongji's expression darkened even more, and he said coldly: "Brother Lu, I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now and meet you another day." After that, he walked away.

Jia Huan looked at Lu Xiangsheng in confusion, and the latter smiled bitterly and said: "Li Hongji is a heroic knight, but he can't stand the powerful people, and he is quite extreme. It's not directed at Jia, so don't worry about Jia."

Jia Huan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that he dared to fall in love with this ancient version of an angry young man who hated the rich and officials.

Lu Xiangsheng glanced at the pretty maid behind Jia Huan and said hesitantly: "After seeing each other for so many years, I wanted to treat Mr. Jia to a drink to reminisce about the past, but it must be inconvenient for Mr. Jia at this time..."

Jia Huan smiled and interrupted: "Classmate Lu, wait a moment."

Jia Huan turned around, gave Ping'er a few words, and then ordered Shitou to send her back to the Xunyan Censor's Mansion first.

"Let's go, classmate Lu, let's go drink!" Jia Huan said with a smile.

Seeing Jia Huan's enthusiasm, Lu Xiangsheng was "flattered" and very happy. He and Jia Huan found a nearby restaurant to sit down and have a leisurely meal.

(End of this chapter)