Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

14 Chapter 1.14
Volume One

1.14 It's really a downturn in the world
With a clean room, a warm fire, acceptable bedding, and a busy day, it's natural to go to bed after dark, not to mention being a guest at someone else's house. Even if you have ideas at night, you can't "act". As a result, It was just a night without words, and it passed quickly.

In the early morning, accompanied by the crisp chirping of birds, since Zhou Yang went to bed early, he naturally got up early. This time he would not miss the morning exercise, and because he did not have any physical equipment, the energy and energy he had developed after a night's rest Naturally, all the swordsmanship was used, and the effect can be seen from Sun Xing and his wife who came to greet them but did not even dare to raise their heads.

"Clean up the yard. Although my cousin is not here, it's just that you don't know how to prune the garden. I just helped with the renovation. At least it's better than growing randomly." Pointing to the messy branches on the ground, Zhou Yang said in a cold tone. said.

Whether it is the main courtyard or the backyard, when Li Shouzhong was still there, good greening was carried out, but now it has been neglected for more than two years, and it has long grown into a haystack. In fact, Zhou Yang doesn't know anything about flower art, but he suddenly became very happy. After the sword, cutting all the flowers that are in the state of falling leaves in winter like modern holly bushes into tofu cubes is also considered renovation, right?

"Don't worry, young master, don't worry, young master!" I don't know whether it's the pain in his left upper arm, or the fright from the sword whistling just one strike after another. Sun Xing's face was very pale at this time, and he couldn't even answer a few words. The child nodded and bowed, "Breakfast is ready, I don't know."

"I'll clean up and go over." Zhou Yang glanced at him coldly and turned back to the room to wash up, leaving Sun Xing and his wife sweating in the cold winter.

"Young Master, everything is ready." Su Yun put down the hot water basin that had been cooled to a suitable temperature, and handed over the green salt for mouthwash. She said with a look of admiration, "I have never seen Steward Sun be so honest. Even if grandma comes back in person on the rare occasions, she can’t catch up with this time, the young master is still awesome!”

"It's not me they're afraid of, but my sword." Zhou Yang smiled faintly, "As a manager, it's not a long-term solution to just give out favors. You have to use carrots and sticks. For a good maid like you, naturally... It hurts when it needs to hurt, and if you encounter unruly slaves, you should let them know the superiority and inferiority of others."

"Master, where is the slave?" Qingwen, who had been ignored for the past two days, complained with dissatisfaction, "My slave has served the master for so long."

"The donkey at home can be used for 20 years, working diligently to pull carts and grind mills, but even if it dies, it will still be a donkey." Zhou Yang said impatiently, and saw Qingwen start to pout again. When the donkey was tied, he continued to joke, "It's useless even if you can tie the animal to your mouth. We only have one horse anyway, so we don't need a place to tie it--ouch!"

"Master, I hate you!" Qingwen, who was completely angry, threw the towel she was holding on Zhou Yang, turned around angrily and was about to go out, but was grabbed and followed closely. I heard a male and a female laughing.

"Sister Qingwen, serving the master is not that simple. The young master can indulge you so much. If it were in the Rongguo Mansion, he would have done it countless times." Su Yun held back a smile and snatched it from someone's arms. "Go" Qingwen, "let alone..."

"Hmph, I won't be as shameless as you!" Qingwen interrupted her before she could finish her words, but her pretty face that had been angry just now was now blushing, "I was so kind the day before yesterday. I asked you to get up, but I didn’t expect you to be able to even speak to the young master!"

"You damn hooves, I'll beat you to death!" Suyun, who was teaching the "Maidmaid Sutra" just now, exploded instantly, but he remembered the "full" days in the past few days, and his face flushed and he held Qingqing in his arms. Wen was lying on the bed, being tickled and bullied, but she heard an unreliable master behind her who continued to laugh. She was so embarrassed that she could no longer prepare herself. She jumped on someone and punched him repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, it's my fault!" No matter how proud he was, Zhou Yang knew that he should comfort his maid at this time, "As an apology, can I take you to the market? It's nearing the end of the year now. There’s definitely a lot of buzz there.”

The eyes of the two servant girls lit up instantly.

The capital is actually divided into three levels. The core is naturally the imperial palace, or the imperial city; followed by the inner city, which is basically divided according to the "rich in the east and noble in the west". The west of the inner city is mainly occupied by court officials, and the closer to the imperial city. The higher the status; the outer city is a civilian area, which is basically "poor in the south and lowly in the north." The "poor and lowly" here actually refers to the comparison with the inner city. In fact, there is no real "poor and lowly" in the capital. No matter how poor it is, it can be Have enough food and clothing.

Finally, there is actually another layer, which is also the real "slum area", which is the large "shanty town" surrounding the capital. All kinds of houses and structures are in a mess, but no one will pay attention to it. It has always been a gray area, not only a mixed bag of good and bad, but also crime. Very serious.

"Master, is this a big gathering in the inner city? There are too many people, right?" It was Uncle Sun who drove the car, and naturally he used Li Wan's car, but this time there were three people sitting in it, and the space seemed a little crowded, so someone simply He held the eldest maid in his arms the whole time, so that the blush on Suyun's face could not go away. It was Qingwen who spoke now.

"Master, please spare this slave." Su Yun's tone was pleading, "At least I can buy something for sister Qingwen. It's not convenient for us to go down, so we can only ask for the master's grace." "Okay, you guys wait." Zhou Yang was just addicted to handicrafts, but had no interest in doing any "street activities". He opened the door and got out of the car with a smile, and went straight to a gesture stall, "Boss, this jade hairpin is worth a lot of money, and it looks quite beautiful."

"Guest officer has good eyesight, this is the finest Hetian jade." The boss immediately began to praise it, obviously thinking that he had encountered a stick.

"Your high-quality jade is so full of impurities that it can still be sold on street stalls!" Zhou Yang interrupted him angrily, "I'll take away one or two taels of silver, or you can wait and see. , can you meet a fool."

"Your Majesty, you're joking, this is - OK, OK, you have the final say!" Seeing Zhou Yang was really about to turn around and leave, the boss immediately changed his tune, "Oh, Sir, I'll lose money on this price. You can’t be picky anymore.”

Zhou Yang ignored him, picked two with no visible impurities, threw a silver leaf into the boss's arms, turned around and left with his flattering expression.

"Thank you, Master!" The sweet thanks from the two maids made him quite emotional. Girls in ancient times were still easy to coax. Look at the young girls in modern times who want a car, a house, and their names on the real estate certificate and a high betrothal gift. Fairies, it is true that the world is changing and people's hearts are not as good as before.

The next process is basically Uncle Sun driving a car and pulling two maids. Zhou Yang is walking in the market. When he encounters something he is interested in, he is assigned by the maid to buy it. Fortunately, the two maids are sensible and want everything. He bought some cute or interesting gadgets that were not worth much money. He also broke a pickpocket's right hand on the way, drew his sword and scared away three accomplices who tried to show off their strength, and won a round of applause.

This stroll lasted until the afternoon, and he just grabbed some snack mats to cushion his stomach. It was not until after Shenshi that he took the two maids who were still reluctant to leave home, and went directly to the west corner gate of Ningguo Mansion. , the Sun Xing family was already waiting there with fawning faces.

"Master, don't forget what I said." Even after entering the door, Suyun still waved her hand reluctantly. Her life in the past few days had completely overturned her life.

"Don't worry, I'll never forget it!" Zhou Yang knew that she was talking about Li Wan's visit to Tiekan Temple to worship Buddha and fulfill his vows in the middle of next month. "I will handle the matter according to your arrangement then, don't worry. Remember to say hello to your cousin when you go back."

Here, Zhou Yang took Qingwen to the Li family's old house to change cars, and then returned to Chengxi Tavern. Not to mention, as soon as Suyun entered Rongguo Mansion, she went straight to Li Wanyuan without hesitation. She knew that her grandma was waiting for a reply.

"You are also a big-hearted person. I asked you to look at the arrangements, but you dare not come back until eight days later. Don't you have to deal with it again?" As soon as he saw Li Wan kneeling down, Su Yun heard an angry voice. Reprimanded, "Or do you want me to give you my body contract now?"

"Grandma also said that I never dared to think that it would happen this time." Su Yun still looked aggrieved, but what she said not only made her blush with embarrassment, but also made Li Wan speechless with embarrassment. " Mr. Zhou refuses to let him go no matter what, so this servant has no choice but to let go."

"Okay, I got it." Knowing that he couldn't continue this topic, Li Wan waved his hand to let it go, "According to the report from Sun Xing's family, did you rest in the old house last night?"

"Speaking of this, Mr. Zhou has some things for the servants to convey." Suyun hurriedly told Zhou Yang's guess about Uncle Sun's family, which also made Li Wan's expression more and more serious, and finally added, "Mr. Zhou's What I mean is to ask grandma to keep the Sun family’s body deed, as Manager Sun may not be an honest person in these years.”

"I understand." Li Wan nodded, and then asked softly, "How do you feel following him these days?"

"This" Suyun's cheeks blushed again, "What do you want me to say?"

"Damn it, who asked you this!" Li Wan blushed angrily and hit the maid, "I mean, how is he in martial arts?"

"Grandma, I feel that one day he will be able to take us out of this prison, and that day will not be too far away." Su Yun's muttering almost floating in the clouds made Li Wan's face change suddenly!
(End of this chapter)