The Red Mansions Across the Four Seas

Chapter 18 Starting a Business

Feng, Lian, and Rong were still very efficient in handling affairs. That night, they sent Ping'er to deliver 600 taels of silver to Jia Min.

Naturally, all the written documents were prepared. Although Jia Min was not expected to return them, having the written documents was a restraint and balance for Jia Min when necessary.

Facing an opponent like Jia Min, they were unwilling to let go of a chance to recover from the passive situation.

Early the next morning, the first thing Wang Xifeng did was to report to Mrs. Wang that Jia Min was leaving the mansion.Mrs. Wang thought for a while, and then went to see Jia Mu with Wang Xifeng.

At this time, Jia's mother was anxious about Jia Zhen's injury, so she didn't go into details, and said, "Let him go." This matter is considered a foregone conclusion.

Then Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian went to see Jia Zheng and talked about it.Jia Lian pointed out that it was Ji Mingluan's house.

Ji Mingluan and Jia Zheng naturally knew about it, although they felt a little strange, but when they heard that they were going there to learn how to read with Jiao Li, they thought it was a good thing, so they didn't object.

Wang Xifeng sent Jia Min a new servant named Ning'er.Jia Min didn't pay attention either.Knowing that they have learned this lesson, they dare not think about themselves easily.

Originally, he didn't care much about whether there was a servant.But when I think about it, there is still a good one.There will be a lot of work in the future, and if the servant is free for a day, it will be more convenient than going out to look for it as a labor force.

After observing these days, he was quite satisfied with Joli.

In the mansion, Jiao Li has no master over him, and his relationship with Lai Da and other housekeepers is not close, so he can be regarded as a person without party affiliation.

Such a person is in line with Jia Min's wishes.In the future, they can be trained as core members of their own team.

The two little maids, Fenghua and Xueyue, are indispensable.If you go out, you will feel lonely, but following this master, you don't have any pretensions, and there are few rules, so you are more free and relaxed.Besides, he didn't have the final say, so he followed suit.

Ping'er was naturally unwilling to go, and Sister Feng delivered it to the door in person, shedding two tears, quite reluctant to part.It is estimated that it is the general truth, half false.

When he arrived at Ji's residence, Ji Mingluan was very happy to see that Jia Min's maid, attendants, servants, clothes, tableware and other necessities were all available, and felt that he was a reliable young man.

After the things were unloaded, Jiao Li and Ning'er caught up with the carriage and went to the city to buy grain, oil, vegetables and other items.

He ate a little indiscriminately at noon, and in the evening, he cooked a fairly sumptuous meal, which was in charge of Xueyue.

Ji Mingluan and Nan'er lived here by himself, and Nan'er usually cooks, so the two families stayed together, not only to welcome Jia Min to stay, but also to see Ji Mingluan as a farewell party.

Taking advantage of the wine, Jia Min asked Ji Mingluan to name and inscribe his house, so that he could make a plaque and hang it up in the future.

In this way, the house has a name, and it can be regarded as using the title of a university scholar, pulling up a banner as a tiger skin, and frightening those young people.

Ji Mingluan's name is Yedu, and there happens to be a small river in front of the house, so he named it "Yeduju" and wrote it down, which means "Yedu without a boat crossing itself".

Ping'er, Fenghua, Xueyue, and Nan'er will naturally live here.Jiao Li and Ning Er usually live here, and they can go home once every ten days.

Jia Min was still as careless as ever, and didn't give any orders to Fenghua and Xueyue. She washed her face, feet, fetched water, etc. Those things that should be served by the maids were all done by herself.

When Ping'er saw it, he felt a little uncomfortable.Although Jia Min still doesn't like it, he also feels that Fenghua and Xueyue are a little too unruly.

She is a person who keeps her duty, so she directs Fenghua, Xueyue, and Ning'er to do this and that.Several people knew that Ping'er was a respectable person in the mansion, so they didn't dare not listen, so they had to do what they asked.

In the end, even Nan'er was called out. Nan'er was also a casual person, and he was happy to listen to Ping'er's instructions.

After eating early the next morning, Maester Ji set off.Jia Min happened to be going to the city to handle goods, so he did it all the way.After saying goodbye at the intersection of the official road in the suburbs, they went their separate ways.

Jia Min took Jiao Li and Ning'er to the outside of Jia's mansion, returned the carriage brought from the mansion yesterday, and then went to the carriage shop, bought a carriage by himself, and bought a mule at the mule and horse market. It's all set up.

At the first stop, I went to the ceramic shop and bought some bottles, large and small, more than 100 in total.Scratched out all the cans in the store.Jia Min paid another deposit and ordered some, saying that he would pick them up in 10 days.

The second stop is to go to the pharmacy.I bought some things called unicorn dishes, and also emptied the inventory.

The third stop, went to the umbrella shop.Instead of buying an umbrella, I bought a bolt of cloth for an umbrella.Then I went to the cloth store, picked the thinnest white cloth and black cloth, and bought 5 pieces of the same.

Then I went to the lacquer store. Although I didn't buy lacquer, I bought two large barrels of tung oil.

Finally, he went to the blacksmith's shop. Jia Min gesticulated with the blacksmith, scribbling and drawing for a long time, asking him how to do it, how to do it, and finally threw down 2 taels of silver, saying that he would come to pick it up tomorrow.Then he went out of the city and returned to Yeduju.

When they came back, it was not time to set meals, so Jia Min led Jiao Li, Ning'er, and Nan'er to spread out the bought cloth in the yard and began to brush tung oil on the cloth.

Others don't know what he's going to do, and if they ask him, he won't say anything, and he won't ask.

Although Ping'er felt strange, he didn't bother to ask, and was busy with his own business.

When he was in the cloth shop, Jia Min bought him a lot of fancy thread for her to tie up when she had nothing to do, and said that he would teach her some tricks in the future.

What else does a man know how to fight?Up and down in this mansion, how many players are better than me, do you still need to teach them?If I let others know that a man taught me how to make hair, what face would I have?
Ping'er snorted coldly in his heart and didn't say much.

It is very hot at noon in summer, and the tung oil will dry up after eating.

Jia Min greeted everyone, except for Ping'er, even Fenghua and Xueyue went.According to his request, he cut and sewed the oilcloths together and rolled them into bundles.Then I took it to the garden in the backyard.

Seeing that those people were busy, Ping'er quietly went to see them.I saw that these prodigal sons even spread all the good-looking cloth in the watermelon field, and buried the two sides with soil, leaving only the melon seedlings outside.

When Jiao Li came out to pick up things, Ping'er asked quietly, how much did the cloth and oil cost?
Jiao Li pondered for a while, and said, about fifteen or six taels of silver, right?

Pinger asked again, those watermelons will be sold in the future, how much can they sell for?

Jiao Li said, only five or six taels of silver, right?

God, isn't this a loss?
Sigh, forget it, the master has money, so he can spend it however he likes.

Jiao Li left, Ping'er was so angry.

After all, it was the money from the Second Master, Second Mistress and Brother Rong who asked him to extort and harm him for no reason.He also hypocritically said that he would pay back the money, what would he pay for it?Let me see how you will pay back the money after one year?

Second Master Bao is absurd enough, but he just eats rouge and doesn't like reading. This one is simply a hundred times more ridiculous than Second Master Bao. ,

Moreover.Those rough jobs, even if they are done, should be done by the servants.Why are you considered a master, and you are in the mud and water with the servants, what kind of dignity is it, if it gets out, you will lose all the face in the mansion.

After a group of people spread out, they came back from the garden yelling, and a few men started digging a hole a foot in front of the door.

When Jia Min returned to his study, he began to write and draw.

This is a plain area, the soil layer is very thick, and there are basically no stones.Therefore, the pit was dug very quickly.

Ping'er went out and asked what the digging was for, and Jiao Li said it was to dig a well.

The original Yeduju's draft water had to be picked from the small river in front of it, about 100 feet away, whether it was close or not, it was not too far.

Drilling a well here is quite a business.It's just that there isn't even a brick or stone now, and I'm afraid I'll have to buy it now, and then find a bricklayer or something, and I'm afraid it won't be tidy in a few days.

When it was dark, there was water, about one foot two three.After digging more than three feet deep, Jia Min told him that it was all right and that there was no need to dig any more.Just wait for tomorrow to drink water, and I will never have to go so far to fetch water in the future.

It turned out that Ping'er had assigned Ning'er the job of carrying water. Now that he heard that he would no longer need to carry water, he was naturally happy.

It's just that they will be able to drink water tomorrow, but Ning'er doesn't really believe it.I have never drilled a well myself, but I have seen others dig a well. It takes three or four days, and I am afraid it will never be finished.

Ping'er is very calculating in his work, thinking that tomorrow he will find a bricklayer, and when the time comes, will he provide food for others?Want to ask for work, how many?How many meals do you have here?You have to be prepared in advance. When the time comes, I have no preparations on my side. Not only is I neglecting them, but it also seems that we have no clue about how to do things at home.

I was waiting for Jia Min to come and give her an explanation, but he seemed to be okay.While resentful, he went into the study and asked Jia Min.

But Jia Min acted like nothing happened, and said that there is no need to prepare, and he will do it by himself when the time comes, and it will be done in a while.

Who will do it?Tomorrow, I will have to see whether your "for a while" is a few days or a few months.

Ping'er came out angrily.Throughout the night, Jia Min was ignored.Even Jia Min didn't make a sound when he talked to her.

This made Jia Min baffled, not knowing where he had offended her.

Early the next morning, Jia Min arranged for Jiao Li to stay at home and go to the river to fetch three carts of pebbles and put them by the well for preparation, then he led Ning'er into the city.

After more than an hour, the hired car pulled back two [-]-meter-long iron pipes. The thinner end was [-] feet long and [-] inch thick, and there were some small holes in the head that were as thick as chopsticks.

The long end is seven or eight inches long and two inches thick.There is also a pressure handle attached to it, which can move back and forth.

Jia Min instructed Jiao Li, Ning'er and Nan'er to plant an iron pipe in the pit and put a big stone under it.He supported him at the mouth of the well, and Jiao Li, Ning'er and Nan'er filled the pit with river pebbles.After the river pebbles have been filled, start to fill with soil.

Seeing that the dug hole was buried again, Ping'er knew that the well was not being drilled again.After taking a good cloth and burying it in the ground yesterday, she is no longer surprised by this prodigal fourth master.I only hope that I will arrive six months earlier and return to the mansion.It's best to never see this prodigal son again, so as not to get angry.

"Ping'er, Fenghua, Xueyue, you all come out, the water is about to come out, please invite a few ladies to witness this historic moment. Nan'er, go back to the house and get half a bucket of water!"

Looking from the window, Ping'er saw that the hole dug with great effort yesterday had been buried again, leaving only the iron pipe standing there alone.

She just can't be bothered to go out.

However, Jia Min came in and forced Ping'er out.

"Come on, look at the moment when the water comes out, you will definitely jump up happily."

For Jia Min's words, Ping'er is used to it, and there are some new words every now and then, what kind of lady, historical, which makes people half-understand.

Ping'er looked at the other people, they all looked confused.

Just such a thing, can it still come out of water?
　Thanks for the recommendation and support of Longtian Depu, the young man against the sky, and the book friend 2016122.

　　


(End of this chapter)