Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 23 1.23 You Are My Family
Volume One

1.23 You are my fellow clansmen
"I've met Mr. Zhou!" In the living room, the security guard from Shilipu knelt on the ground with a flattering look on his face, not forgetting to greet him behind him, "What are you two doing, not kowtow to Mr. Zhou? Remember, he will do it in the future. Even if your masters are dead, you can’t let them get hurt!"

"Wang Baozhang, there's no need for this. Let's all get up and speak!" Even though he had accepted the change in his identity these days, Zhou Yang was still not used to the way of speaking in front of him, especially the two tall men 1.9 meters away who knelt down after listening to Wang Baozhang's greeting. Han, even when he was kneeling, was not low, "These two are brothers Li Xiong and Li Hu, right? They are really strong!"

At this time, some days had passed since Zhou Yang passed the examination as a martial arts scholar. It was also February 48, 25 years of Longwu. Under the leadership of Wang Baochang, hundreds of strong men were mobilized in Shilipu to work hard. The original The tavern has been completely razed and rebuilt.

A series of tasks such as the main house with five facades, three living rooms, three thatched sheds, wooden fences, green brick paving, whitewashing walls, etc. have all been completed. Because it was just built not long ago, there are still many other things in the entire store. There is a light smell of white ash, mud and other strange smells, but it does not prevent Zhou Yang from "receiving" here.

"Yes, Mr. Zhou!" The two of them were probably twins. One of them didn't speak at all, and the other was probably the elder brother who answered in a muffled voice, but he seemed a bit naive.

"Xiangong Zhou, these two brothers have lost their parents since they were young. They grew up eating food from hundreds of families. I don't know why. They don't have the brains to keep up, but they have the strength. If anyone in the village has something to do, just take care of them. If they are full, one of them can be used as three." Wang Baochang explained with a nod and bow.

"Yes, I accepted it!" Zhou Yang nodded with satisfaction. Such people were the most suitable personal bodyguards in feudal society. They only needed to be equipped with iron armor and heavy weapons, and they were also the most suitable living shields on the battlefield. , "And this is Mr. Yang, right?"

"I don't dare to call you Xianggong, little old man Yang Xin pays homage to Xianggong Zhou!" The old man quickly bowed and said, "When the old man was young, he went out to make a living. He did some work and ran the waiter, and at most he only served as the second shopkeeper. Understand I did some accounting business and returned to my hometown when I got older."

"In that case, this shop will be a problem for Shopkeeper Yang from now on." Zhou Yang smiled and nodded. He didn't have so much time to devote to business. Now that the pub has expanded, if Qingwen alone only has braised rice, she will definitely It won't last long and it won't make any money. "I won't interfere too much with things here from now on. You just need to pay me the general ledger every month."

"Thank you, proprietor!" Yang Xin's eyes lit up. If he really wanted to go home and retire, he wouldn't have come here as soon as Baozhang Wang told him. "Don't worry, proprietor, I will definitely do a good job in this business!"

"Okay, just look at the arrangements. I remember that the waiters, chefs, etc. needed here are all available in the village, right?" Zhou Yang smiled and nodded, but the last two sentences were asked to Wang Baozhang, "Is there anyone willing?" Coming here? First let’s talk, I don’t have any property, I’m afraid I’ll just be in charge of food at first, the specific salary will be arranged by shopkeeper Yang after the store earns money.”

"Don't worry, proprietor, the villain has been arranged." Before Wang Baozhang could speak, Yang Xin bowed and answered, "A chef will lead two apprentices, two waiters, and the villain's puppy will follow suit. It will miss the proprietor's business. As for the wages, the proprietor doesn't need to say much. In the first month, he will just take care of the food. If there is any income from the second month, the villain will make arrangements and report it to the proprietor."

"That's fine!" Zhou Yang nodded with satisfaction. For the first time in the feudal society, he felt the harsh suppression of identity. Of course, there were also conveniences. He waved to everyone to go out, walked to the front of the store, and looked at Li Wan's handwriting on the door. "Wuying Tavern" plaque, since there is no benefit for the time being, so I can only paint a bigger picture, "Since I won the prize of Wu Xiucai, naturally I am not willing to stop here.

I don't have much property now, so naturally I can't give you much benefit. I can even only keep the Li brothers by my side temporarily. But as long as I can go up step by step, your work will naturally not be in vain. Don't say anything else, just If I can win the military examination, I can recruit ten more servants from the village, who will be exempted from labor and have monthly money.

If I am lucky enough to get an official position, you must have seen how comfortable the servants of those official masters are. Although I may not be able to do it for a while, I am still young, very young, and there are many opportunities. , I also hope to give you a chance, it depends on whether you can seize it, eh? "

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou!" Naturally, it was not just these few people who came this time. In fact, Wang Baozhang also brought many villagers here. Their eyes lit up after being fooled by Zhou Yang, and in the end they knelt down in shock.

"Okay, let's stop here. I, Zhou Yang, came back from overseas. Naturally, I don't have a clan. Let me put it down today. You are my same clan and clan!" In the end, it was natural to set off another big firework. Zhou Yang's words made this group The villagers who had just stood up knelt down once and said, "As long as I can eat meat, I can make you drink soup no matter what!"

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou!" The shout was louder this time.

Zhou Yang’s words are not all deception. No matter who wants to make progress, they cannot do without the people around them. For most ancient people, the clan is the most clear “one’s own people”, and a big family can provide more help than others. It is beyond the imagination of modern people. On the other hand, once abandoned by the entire family, it is basically equivalent to extirpating oneself from the world.

The basic reason why a waste like Jia Baoyu is famous is because of the status bonus of the "heir" of Ning Rong Erfu and Jinling Jia family, although he is not; a fool like Xue Pan can live well and cannot live without it. Founded the "Four Great Masters of Jinling"; Jia Yucun was born as a Jinshi, but was pushed out of office within a few years of his official career. He joined the Jia Mansion and was quickly promoted to the prefect of Jinling, and even finally became the Grand Sima (Shang Shu of the Ministry of War). This is the great The power of family.As long as Zhou Yang wants to go up, he must have "one of his own", but as a lonely time traveler, where can he find reliable people?The Shilipu in front of him is a good start. As long as he can continue to improve, even if he stops at martial arts, the entire Shilipu will be his most reliable "people around him" in the future. Since he will use it sooner or later, he will give him some benefits at this time. It’s natural to draw a big pie.

"Young Master, I have never seen Wang Baozhang so respectful." After sending away a group of melon-eating people in Shilipu, Qingwen finally came out of the room, but her tone was a little silly, and her face was full of confusion, "When the Young Master becomes a martial arts If people are promoted or even become officials, are they just "

"Hmm, this is the power of power." Zhou Yang smiled and gave her a slap on the head as a sign of comfort. At the same time, he called the Li brothers who were still working as pillars in the yard and arranged accommodation for them.

The five facade rooms are actually divided into three parts. The westernmost one is naturally a separated kitchen, the middle three are the lobby, and the last one is separated because it is close to the courtyard gate and opens the door to the courtyard, arranging the Li family When my brother moves in, he becomes a servant as well as a concierge.

It stands to reason that these five facades are all the main rooms facing north and south, which should be where Zhou Yang lives; on the contrary, there are three east wing rooms, which should normally be servant rooms or functional rooms, but this one is mainly a store, he I don’t like to pay so much attention to it, so I just make do with it. Anyway, if I have money in the future, I will definitely want to live in the city, so that’s it for now.

"These two big bears are so edible, why are they placed here?" Qingwen looked at the Li brothers who were 1.9 meters away helping to move things, and asked a little stupidly, "They are also so edible, but the young master is There's nothing for them to do, is there?"

"What a waste?" Zhou Yang couldn't help but laugh, "They are useless now because they are prepared for the future. I am going to get two six-foot (Han Chi, 1.4 meters) steel maces to go with them. I will use them on weekdays. Look after the family and the hospital. If I can really become an official in the future, they will be my own soldiers or long-term followers, do you understand?"

"Well!" With this explanation, Qingwen, who was born in a "servant family", understood, "In this case, should the young master prepare for the provincial examination in August? I heard from Sister Suyun that the young master doesn't know how to ride a horse yet. Shooting requires practice."

"Are you finally willing to call me sister and grandma?" Zhou Yang interrupted her with a smile, "No more second thoughts?"

"Originally, I still have some thoughts." Qingwen raised her head and gave her a resentful expression that was completely inappropriate for her age. "Since we are the young master's people, we just say that we are in the same place. In the future, we will be with the young master. I don't want to In just half a year, the young master has already achieved fame. In the future, he will definitely be matched by that young lady. He will never let a girl like me become the principal wife."

"Pfft - wait a minute!" This time it was Zhou Yang's turn to be scared, "Are you thinking too much? I thought you didn't like them, it was just like a child being robbed. Just like a toy, I didn’t expect you to be like this”

"How old are you slaves? Where did all those little things come from?" Qingwen said angrily, "Anyway, Grandma Li and Sister Suyun are the same pitiful people as slaves. Sooner or later, they will have to face young ladies they don't know. Why bother trying to be smart anymore and fight with your own family behind closed doors?"

"How old are you?" Looking at the carrot head in front of him, who was barely fifteen years old and placed in the second and third grade of junior high school, Zhou Yang had the illusion of having a super friendship with the husky, "Okay, you are awesome, I will still be honest. Let’s take a test of merit.”

"Grandma said that if the young master wants to practice riding and shooting well, he must first find a good place. She told the slave that the most suitable location is Tienwang Mountain." Qingwen whispered, "But that is not the emperor's hunting ground. If we go, will we be caught and beheaded by the emperor? That’s not it.”

"What are you worrying about? That place is just a hunting ground. When it's used, people take care of it. On weekdays, there are people hunting and chopping firewood." Zhou Yang comforted with a smile, "It happens to be in a valley on the other side of the West Mountain, not far from here. It’s indeed a good choice.”

"Then - young master, when are we going?" Qingwen asked happily.

"As soon as possible." Zhou Yang breathed a sigh of relief, "The earlier you start, the earlier you will make progress."

(End of this chapter)