Shengshichun

According to the records, the Xu family has lived in Yukou Village for generations, and the family background of their ancestors was not very good. It was not until his great-great-grandfather bought a small farm in his family that he gradually became prosperous. He started a medicinal material business near the dock and gradually became Well-off.

Therefore, Xu Yin's great-grandfather went to school, and later there were several scholars in the family.

After generations of accumulation, Xu Yin's father, Xu Zhan, passed the Juren Examination at the age of twenty, but failed the exam several times in Beijing. At the age of twenty-seven, he failed the exam again. At the age of twenty-seven, the war spread to his hometown. , his parents and clan members all moved away, so he set out directly from the capital to travel around the world.

During those years, the rebels were marching north, and fighting was raging everywhere. Many people have left their homes and become homeless. Situations like Xu Zhan's are not uncommon.

However, Xu Zhan never returned to his ancestral home for so many years. It was not until six years ago that the imperial court announced the list of Jinshi for the joint examination. The ancestral home column of Tanhualang, named Xu in the first three miles of the first class, said Xiangtan County, Tanzhou Prefecture. Then it spread like wildfire, people came to the capital, and the Tanzhou government office immediately led them to Yukou Village to verify the situation. Only then did everyone know that the Xu family, who had fled away from the chaos many years ago, actually came out. Such an outstanding young man!

Tanzhou Prefecture rebuilt the ancestral hall for the Xu family. Later, news continued to spread in the capital that Xu Yin had risen through the ranks, was promoted several times, and became a county horse of Prince Rong's Palace. The name of the Xu family became even more famous in the local area.

In recent years, the Tanzhou government has continued to write to Xu Yin, inviting him to return to his hometown to visit relatives, but they have always postponed the invitation due to busy official duties.

Later, however, he sent his cronies back to repair the ancestral house, take care of the ancestral hall, and erect the lintel, until now.

It's just that when the Xu family left their hometown, the local clan members no longer existed, so the Xu Mansion seemed a little deserted.

Moreover, Zhou Yi, the steward in charge, was low-key and rarely interacted with others. Everyone gradually became accustomed to it. Only when people mentioned Xu Yin, who was a high official in the capital, they couldn't help but praise him.

In July, the countryside of Tanzhou was full of lotus flowers, and the paths after the rain were filled with mud. When we arrived at the entrance of the village and looked up, we could see the Xu family house, which occupies a large area, at the foot of a low hill.

Jiang Lin dismounted, and under the leadership of the rice shop shopkeeper who came to guide the way, he asked as he walked: "Shilang Xu hasn't come back for so many years, hasn't his old father come back either?"

"He has never come back. I saw him when I was a child, but it has been almost thirty years since I last saw him.

"It is said that their family encountered an accident on the way to escape, and in the end only Mr. Xu and Xu Shilang, father and son, were left.

"It is said that because there were relatives in the northwest, Xu Shilang followed his father to seek refuge. Who knew that at that time, Da Zhou was at war with Da Yue, and then Mr. Xu was also killed.

"——Come, Boss Jiang, please come here!"

Jiang Lin spoke with a capital accent, spent a lot of money, and didn't behave like a small family, so the shopkeeper of Mipu was very attentive.

This paragraph about the Xu family is very consistent with the background of Xu Yin that Fu Zhen told him before coming.

As he spoke, he stepped into the broad earth flat in front of the Xu family's house. The foundation of the house was from the past, but the courtyard walls and rooms were newly built. The plaques and couplets on the lintel were all written by Xu Yin.

The shopkeeper of Mipu knocked on the door, and the concierge opened the door: "Who are you looking for?" His tone and demeanor were quite arrogant, befitting his status.

As soon as the shopkeeper of the rice shop told Jiang Lin and others that they wanted to buy rice, the concierge stepped aside and turned to call Butler Zhou.

Xu Yin now owns thousands of acres of fertile farmland locally and can harvest a large amount of rice every year. His family has a small population, so naturally the rice needs to be sold into silver coins before being sent to the capital.

The concierge politely let them into the vestibule, and there was a main room inside. As soon as the tea was served, a middle-aged man in his forties came in from the door. Personable.

Jiang Lin immediately searched in his mind for the appearance of Zhou Yi that Fu Zhen had painted for him, and concluded that this was the same person. Then he looked at his nose, nose, and heart, and listened to what the shopkeeper of Mipu said.

In previous years, regular rice merchants came to buy the Xu family's rice. The reason why Jiang Lin stepped in was because he could give a much higher price than his peers.

After hearing their purpose, Zhou Yi looked at Jiang Lin with a smile: "Shopkeeper Jiang is also from the capital, so he should recognize our master."

"Shilang Xu is amazingly talented and famous. How could I not know this? It's just that I am a businessman. Although I admire him, I am not lucky enough to know him."

"This time I came to Guibao for the first time, but I didn't expect that I would end up in Xu Shilang's hometown by accident. If I don't complete this transaction with all my heart, I will really let down the opportunity that God has given me."

Jiang Lin said, taking out Lu Yin from his arms and placing it on the table. Fu Zhen got this from the Yamen for him before leaving, and the official seal on it was guaranteed to be genuine.

Zhou Yi took it in his hand and looked at it carefully, then pushed it back with his hand and said with a smile: "It turns out that Boss Jiang has the same surname as Mr. Jiang Hui, the doctor of the Ministry of Etiquette. Mr. Jiang and our master work very harmoniously. In this way, it can be regarded as... Half one of our own."

"Honored by Steward Zhou."

Zhou Yi waved his hand: "I won't talk about the scene. Boss Jiang is a big businessman. He should know that for a family like Xu Mansion, there will be no less businessmen like Boss Jiang coming to seek business every year. Boss Jiang gave The price shows your sincerity, and I have no reason to push the God of Wealth out for our master. I just don’t know how long Boss Jiang plans to do business with us."

"As long as Butler Zhou is willing to do it at home, I guarantee that I can do it with Butler Zhou as long as I want!"

Jiang Lin gave a knowing look.

In order to build a reputation of high integrity and integrity over the years, Xu Yin has no means of making money. But looking at his food and clothing expenses, they are not much worse. The most important thing is that he has to support so many guards around him, so he must use money.

Where does his money come from?
There may be other channels, but with so much land in his ancestral home, there is no reason for him to waste it.

His status as a powerful official in the court can attract many unsuspecting interests to him. Yukou Village is next to the dock, which is a ready-made channel.

Jiang Lin threw out the bait, and Zhou Yi's expression became much more serious.

"If only Boss Jiang had come a few months earlier, I could have left this year's grain to you. Unfortunately, except for the grain that has been reserved for the original rice merchants, there is not much left. I'm afraid Boss Jiang will see Not on."

"What are you talking about? As long as Butler Zhou is willing to take care of me, even if I only sell one stone of rice, I, Jiang Lin, will have this friendship with Butler Zhou's family!"

Before coming, Jiang Lin was already prepared that the business would not be concluded. After all, it was not the right time of year.

Zhou Yi's words were obviously a bait. If he wanted to lure him away, how could Jiang Lin refuse to follow the bait?
"That's good!" Zhou Yi said with a smile, "Boss Jiang is really a happy person!"

Jiang Lin took advantage of the situation and said: "I wonder if it would be convenient for the housekeeper to take me to the warehouse to check the rice next week? If it is suitable, I would like to take him away in the next two days! To be honest, I am also afraid that the night will be long and the dream will be too much, and someone will take this away. Buy and sell.”

The shopkeeper of Mipu made the introduction this time, and there was a commission. Hearing this, he immediately said: "That's a good thing! We actually reached an agreement, so let's get started without further delay."

Zhou Yi stood up: "Then Boss Jiang, just follow me."

The granary is in the north backyard, and there is a small door leading outside. But since people have already entered the house, they naturally go through the house and go in directly. On the way into the hospital, Jiang Lin looked around and listened. Liu Quan found out that there were not many servants in the Xu residence. This news was indeed true. He only saw four or five people along the way.

After entering the granary, they carried out a few handfuls of rice as a routine and inspected it. The two parties agreed to pull rice one day before the reward was given.

"It's still early today, so I saw that we can finalize the contract first." While Jiang Lin was estimating how many cars were coming, the shopkeeper of Mipu pulled Zhou Yi aside and said.

Jiang Lin looked around and saw that this was a typical house in Tanzhou, with several entrances and several exits. However, the courtyards were more elaborate than those in the capital. Many courtyards had patios in the middle, and the courtyards were winding and winding. , some firewood, bricks and tiles were piled under the eaves.

From this point of view, there is nothing unusual about the house that Xu Yin arranged for people to guard.

He withdrew his gaze and was about to talk to Zhou Yi about signing the contract when a stooped middle-aged servant walked in through the door carrying two earthen pots.

Seventy-eight percent of the skin on his face is scarred after being burned. The shape of one eye has been changed. Due to the pulling of the scarred skin, the left eye is obviously much smaller than the intact right eye, with almost only one eye exposed. Here comes Tongren.

Because it was so ugly, Jiang Lin couldn't help but take a second look.

But when the man caught his gaze, he quickly turned his back.

"Boss Jiang, I have a ready-made contract here. Why don't you take a look at it first? If there is anything inappropriate, we can discuss it later."

"That's great. It saves trouble! Just listen to Manager Zhou."

Jiang Lin bowed his hand.

At this time, the ugly servant who was bending down to put the pot heard him speaking and turned to look at him again.

Jiang Lin's eyes met his again, and the other person immediately turned away, poured the water from the earthen pot into the water tank in the corner of the courtyard, and then walked out with the empty pot.

"Boss Jiang, are you leaving?"

The shopkeeper of Mipu walked up to him and urged him.

Jiang Lin nodded and followed him to the front hall.

After returning to the inn with the signed documents, Jiang Lin didn't hear a word as Liu Quan and the others discussed whether to fulfill the contract.

It wasn't until Liu Quan noticed that he was distracted by Jiang that he said, "Put the contract aside, and go and find out about Zhou Yi first. Also, what is the background of the burned servant who just appeared. "

After the brothers dispersed, Jiang Lin walked down the stairs again and walked into a clothing store.

When both parties returned to the inn upstairs, Liu Quan and the others brought the news they had learned: "Zhou Yi doesn't have much contact with his neighbors, and everyone doesn't know much about him."

Jiang Lindao: "Do you remember that the young lady said that he is from Luokou Town?"

"Luokou Town is definitely not!" Liu Quan shook his head, "Luokou Town is right next door. According to this, it is only ten miles away. People around said that Zhou Yi has never left this place since he came to Yukou Village, and there is no one of his Relatives and friends have visited, but here he is alone!
"Furthermore, although he speaks Tanzhou dialect, the pronunciation is different in this area. You can tell he is from somewhere even if he doesn't tell you his family name. Neighbors who know him say that his pronunciation is not Luokou at all. The accent of the town!
"The most important thing is that we went to Luokou Town and inquired. All the people with the surname Zhou also met people with the same name in their families, or people with names with the same pronunciation, but none of them were named Zhou Yi, but they were outside all year round. people!"

Jiang Lin frowned: "In other words, this Zhou Yi at least lied in front of the young lady."

After speaking, he asked again: "Where is the disfigured servant? Have you heard about it?"

Having said this, Liu Quan poured himself a cup of tea and drank it: "That man's name is Zhang Fu, one of the twelve people. He came here with Zhou Yi.

"Everyone says that he is an honest and friendly person. Specifically, he doesn't talk much or interact with others. He just does odd jobs in the house and is just an ordinary servant.

"On weekdays, only a few naughty children around him would stay with him, because he would sometimes make origami dragonflies for them, and would also use silk threads as strings, tie them to bamboo baskets, and play some music. The monkeys Of course I like these!”

"Music?" Jiang Lin walked back from the window, "How can a servant understand music?"

Liu Quan thought for a moment: "It's called rhythm, but it's just some timbre. I guess it's just for fun."

If the silk thread is tied to the bamboo frame, it is indeed impossible to produce any nice tunes.

Jiang Lin pondered for a moment, and then distributed some black clothes to them: "Did you remember the general terrain of the previous trip to Xu's house? Let's go explore again tonight."

The brothers took it one after another. At this time, the aroma of spicy fried tofu came from the kitchen of the inn downstairs, and everyone started shouting where to eat.

Summer nights get dark late.

By the time dusk fell, the dinner table had already been eaten.

In order to act as if they were new businessmen, a few people gathered together two tables of mahjong. It was not until midnight that the sound of bang came, and everyone pushed the mahjong tiles, turned off the lights, put on black clothes, and quickly sneaked into the fish mouth under the cover of night. village.

In Xu's house at night, only two corners of the house were dimly lit, presumably where the concierge went.

When they arrived outside the house, protected by lotus leaves that were taller than a person, Liu Quan and the others first checked the perimeter.

He came back after a while and said: "Something is wrong. There are only twelve people in the house, but the swill they brought out just now was five or six buckets. I looked at the vegetable garden in their backyard, and it was at least an acre of land. The vegetable garden stores manure. There are four or five cesspits, each one as big as two large round tables put together."

The brothers said: "There are only twelve people, how can there be so much eating, drinking and eating?"

Jiang Lin covered his face with a towel: "Old rules! Choose a place with lights to sneak in, and then meet at the granary."

After saying that, a few people jumped like hawks flying at night and arrived outside the lighted concierge. With a gesture from each other, they jumped into the wall one after another.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)