After Zhang Yue left, Peng Cheng asked Peng Jingyi: "Zhang Sanlang is so shrewd, why haven't I heard of you before?"
Peng Jingyi said: "Second uncle, I don't know either. It seems as if Sanlang is a different person this time."
Peng Cheng nodded and said: "When people undergo sudden changes, it is natural for their temperament to change. In the past, they may have been too pampered and lacked a bit of hard work."
Peng Jingyi lowered his head when he saw Peng Chengjian looking at him.
Peng Cheng nodded and said: "Since you don't want to study, you should find a serious job. I have told Qian Zhizhai of Renshou Village about you several times. I will introduce you to him in a few days. Go to hell." Let’s do some business! Practice some things first and know the ups and downs.”
Peng Jingyi said to himself: "Qianzhi Village is Wuzhi Village, but it is not as good as Wenzhi Village. Aren't we going to be angry with the big turban in the future?"
Watching Peng Cheng's face sink.
Peng Jingyi smiled and said: "My nephew and the second son of the Li Jieji family in the prison camp..."
Peng Cheng scolded: "How can you care so much! There is so much dignity in the prison camp. You are reluctant to go to Renshou Village because it is remote, but this place is at the junction of Sanfu County. How many private goods pass by here on weekdays? These people make friends After it gets better..."
Peng Jingyi suddenly realized: "My nephew understands. I don't dare to say anything. My nephew will prepare his luggage immediately. I will leave Sanlang's affairs to my second uncle."
Peng Cheng laughed angrily and said: "In matters in the yamen, the rich are all easy to handle, and some are even more easy to handle. Zhao Yasi has stopped troubling their brothers. Are you afraid that the case will not be solved?"
The sun shines into the house through the cracks in the curtains.
When the bright and scattered sunshine happened to shine on Zhang Yue's face, when he finally woke up from his sleep, there was still a familiar noise outside the window.
At dawn, pilgrims going up the mountain to offer incense and merchants traveling to and from Fujian have all set off and passed by Shuinan New Street.
Unlike his second brother, Zhang Yue was very adaptable to such a noisy city. He felt like he was having fireworks when he heard the people's voices coming and going. He didn't feel noisy at all. Instead, he slept better and better.
In the past two days, Zhang Yue finally stopped staying at Baozheng's house and returned to his own home to rest.
He was not idle. He read through Mencius's book and then memorized it. Except for a few missing words, Mencius's book was memorized. The effect was ten times better than when he was awake.
At this point, Zhang Yue couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh. Ouyang Xiu once said that most of the articles I wrote in my life were written on three subjects, namely on the horse, on the pillow, and on the toilet. And for my future career, do I have to dream about it before answering the test?
After getting up early, Zhang Yue read Mencius once, and after reading a few words, he felt sleepy and exhausted. He just wanted to lie down on the bed and sleep again.
After reading this, Zhang Yue was furious, am I only worthy of reading in my dreams?
Putting down the book, Zhang Yue calculated on his fingers that his eldest brother had already left for Jianyang for a few days. When he left, he seemed to have few travel arrangements and still no news.
At this moment, the market has dispersed, and the house finally has a moment of silence. Summer has entered the mountains of Fujian early, and the sound of cicadas can be heard.
Zhang Yue immediately felt that the room upstairs was a little stuffy. So he took off his robe and only wore a cool shirt, which could relieve the sweltering heat.
I don’t know if it’s because of the midsummer, but my physical strength is extremely exhausted. As soon as I wake up, I feel so hungry that my chest touches my back. Fortunately, there is still half a basket of eggs sent by neighbors, ready-made firewood, and a borrowed pot.
Zhang Yue went to the kitchen to light a fire and cooked two boiled eggs.
Zhang Yue was also panicking, so he took the borrowed bowl, the soy sauce, shredded ginger and dripping vinegar to make a bowl of dipping sauce. Then Zhang Yue dipped the eggs in the sauce and ate them all without skipping the dipping sauce.
At this moment, he suddenly heard the courtyard door opening. Zhang Yue stood up and looked outside the door. It turned out that his brother Zhang Shi was back.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but be overjoyed. He took a closer look and saw a donkey cart on the roadside. When the curtain opened, he saw a slightly fat woman in her thirties carrying a five or six-year-old boy away. When he came down, Zhang Zhi supported him.
Zhang Yue patted his head and remembered from his memory that the woman was his sister-in-law Yu, and the boy was his nephew Zhangqiu, nicknamed Axi.
Zhang Yue hurriedly came up to him and saluted, "I've met my brother and my sister-in-law."
Zhang Shi was busy settling the fare, while Yu nodded and said, "I heard Shiro praising you, Third Uncle, on the way. Being able to deal with someone like Zhao Yasi really impressed him."
Zhang Yue was a little surprised when he heard this and said, "Big brother is praising me randomly."
Mrs. Yu put away her smile and said calmly: "Because your second brother is acting recklessly, our family is different from the past. You should take more responsibility for your brother."
"What are you talking about?" Zhang Shi paid the fare and interrupted quickly.
Mrs. Yu glanced at Zhang Shi and hesitated to speak.
Seeing this, Zhang Yue said: "Sister-in-law is right. We are tired from traveling. My brother and sister-in-law should go in and rest first."
Zhang Shiyu walked into the house. Zhang Yue glanced at Zhang Qiu who was hiding behind Yu Shi and said with a smile: "Ah Xi, why did you recognize me after not seeing him for a few days?"
Zhangqiu smiled shyly and followed his mother into the house.
Zhang Yue brought the chair, Mrs. Yu sat down next to the dining table and said with a smile: "I remember that the house was emptied out by Zhao Yasi when I left home. You can borrow this house from your neighbor Zhou, right?"
Zhang Yue said: "I haven't spoken yet, but Bao is standing by, including these pots and pans."
Zhang Shi nodded and said, "I have relied on them a lot these days. We must keep this kindness in our hearts."
Zhang Yue looked like he was taught something and said, "Yes, brother."
Yu also changed his mind and said, "Where has uncle been eating these days?"
Zhang Yue still said respectfully: "They are all at Baozheng's house."
Yu said: "There is a box of shortbread from Jianyang in the luggage. My uncle will deliver it to Baozheng's home later."
Zhang Shi smiled and said, "My wife is still generous."
Yu went to the kitchen to prepare soup and rice, and sent Zhang Shi to the street to buy some vegetables.
In the past, the Zhang family had servants cooking soup and rice, but Mrs. Yu's hands had never been touched by Yang Chun Shui. But it's not like she has never done it before. When getting married, the bride must cook for three days herself. This is also an ancient ritual.
There is a poem that goes, "I go into the kitchen for three days, wash my hands and make soup." I don't know my aunt's eating habits, so I sent my sister-in-law to taste it first. That's what I said. The bride didn't know what kind of food her mother-in-law liked to eat, so she deliberately asked her sister-in-law to try it first.
Although Mr. Yu grew up in a wealthy family, he was quite virtuous and was a good cook.
Soon Zhang Shi went home shopping, bought vegetables, a piece of bad fish and marinated meat as big as a palm.
When Mrs. Yu saw it, she was very unhappy and said: "That's all for the fish. The meat can be omitted."
"The leftovers sold by Butcher Zhou are not worth much. Besides, it's a hard journey. If you offer sacrifices to the Temple of the Five Internal Organs, you will live a more relaxed life in the future." Zhang Shipai said with a smile.
Mrs. Yu cooked the rice and put it on the table, steamed the fish and cut the meat. Zhang Yue consciously set out bowls and chopsticks to serve the rice.
Zhang Shi took a few mouthfuls of food and said, "Third brother, I see there is a door sticker hanging in front of the door. Has anyone come to ask about the room in the past few days?"
Zhang Yue said: "I looked at several houses, but the bids were all less than 120 guan. Previously, Baozheng asked the deputy monastery of Huanghua Temple to take a look. The monks of Huanghua Temple were willing to sell the house for 150 guan. We can also sell it for fifty guan, and rent it to us for two hundred yuan a month. I don't dare to make the decision without permission, so please go home and make a decision."
The sister-in-law said: "A month is not a long time or a short time. It is a good price when you are in a hurry. We still owe Zhao Yasi a hundred yuan, and we can just settle it after selling the house."
Zhang Shi said: "After all, it is the ancestral home. If I really want to sell it, the neighbors will say that I am unfilial. This time, Lao Taishan lent me fifty guan, and I will see if I can ask my neighbors to borrow more. If it is a pawn sale, it will not be used for sale.”
Yu said: "Shilang, our shop has just been burned down. We have no way to make a living. If we use up all the money we have, how will we be able to support our family?"
Hearing this, Zhang Shi said: "I have hands and feet, so why worry about not being able to support my family? I won't have to sell my ancestral home. When you came here, you also promised that you would live on in the future."
Yu's eyes were slightly red and she said: "Yes, there is a saying that 'if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken, if you marry a dog, follow the dog'. I am not a woman who is used to living a good life and doesn't want to suffer hardships with you."
"But what did dad tell you before you came here? If you use up these fifty coins to make a comeback, where can you borrow them? Otherwise, you will have to sell your ancestral home again?"
After hearing this, Zhang Yue understood the situation and found it difficult to speak.
Zhang Shi blushed and said, "I'll ask my friends and neighbors to borrow some more, but I won't embarrass you mother and son."
Yu sneered and said: "Forget it, when Zhao Yasi came to collect debts, who saw you guys helping out? Didn't the horse shopkeeper of the horse racing shop say that he is a close friend of you? I know you are evil. Zhao Yasi pretended to be ill and deliberately avoided seeing you."
"And Mr. Chen Er, how did you help him when he lost his capital? How much benefit did you get from our family in the past few years? If something happened to our family, we still couldn't find anyone. And Xu Dutou in the Yamen , I don’t often say that I have a wide network of people, and that there are many people in the yamen. I ask you to give this to others, and you will do it to the east today."
"It's a good thing that you came as a guest, made many good friends, and spent your money like water. If something happened to our family, would any of these people be useful? The year before last, your father-in-law wanted to go to Pucheng to make a living, and he asked you to help clear the Yamen. , you asked Xu Dutou to ask for 30 guan, which was a great favor to our family. Later, my father asked someone to ask for 5 guan, and they were very grateful. You didn't sell the house this time, so that's right. Aren’t you asking your father and brother to help you again?”
Zhang Shi slapped the table and stood up, his chest heaving and breathing heavily: "This time, I, Zhang Shi, will starve to death, but I won't bother Old Taishan. I keep chattering, and I'm really bored."
So delicious. Zhang Yue added this sentence to his eldest brother unscrupulously in his heart.
Yu cried silently.
At the same time, Zhangqiu took Yu's hand and shook it, and said in a sweet voice: "Mom, don't cry, I still have a few candies to buy. You can take the remaining copper coins first, and don't scold daddy."
Zhang Shi said: "Madam, don't we need the yamen to take care of our business? Zhao Yasi can't do anything if he hates him. Besides, it's a matter of friendship that friends can help, and it doesn't matter if they can't. It's as if I'm just the one showing favor. People who hope for retribution generally have a plan for everything.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but help and said: "Sister-in-law, the neighbors in Baozheng are also very helpful this time. Big brother is always kind to others."
When Mr. Yu saw it, he said, "Uncle, you don't have to say good things for your eldest brother. Your eldest brother often indulges you and your second brother. He invited respected and famous Confucian teachers to learn classics and calligraphy for his second brother, and he used Zhi with three or five passes. It’s a gift. My family has some foundation, but they can still afford such expenses. My uncle knows how much money your eldest brother has borrowed from my natal family over the years. But he is never allowed to tell you this. "
Um, using the money from his father-in-law's family to repair the hole, this operation is a bit... Zhang Yue glanced at his brother. At this moment, he didn't care about hurting his face. He was still angry and blushed without saying a word.
"It's good for your second brother. I expected him to have a bright future in his studies, but he ended up digging such a huge hole in our family. You also didn't worry about changing your name over the years, using your family's money to put up a front among your classmates, and collaborating with Peng Jingyi These kind of friends spend more money in a year than the second brother studying in the county. If you hadn't spent money carelessly, our family wouldn't be in the same situation..."
Zhang Yue was choked and speechless.
At this moment, Zhang Shi slapped the table and scolded: "You think I'm the only one, so why bother scolding my third brother? If you say that the third brother is bad, it's also my fault as the older brother. The worst is that you take Axi with you." Just go back to your parents’ house.”
"Yes, you brothers are a family, and I am the only outsider." Yu said with tears.
Zhang Shi lowered his head for a moment and finally said: "Madam, don't talk about third brother anymore, it's all my fault."
Seeing Zhang Shi's behavior, Mrs. Yu hugged Zhang Qiu and wiped her tears and said apologetically: "Uncle, what I said was wrong. Don't take it to your heart."
Zhang Shi said: "Sister-in-law, everything is because I have failed to live up to expectations in the past. I know it is useless to say anything at this moment, but brother and sister-in-law must not quarrel over trivial matters. Brother, please advise sister-in-law."
Zhang Shi also knew that he had spoken harshly just now, but he still refused to compromise on the matter of purchasing a house.
While talking, there was a knock on the door.
Yu turned his head and ignored him. Zhang Shi went to open the door in anger.
After he opened the door, he said, "Oh? Who am I talking about? It turns out to be Xu Dutou. What can I tell you?"
Dutou is a military position, but it is used as a respectful title among the people to address government officials and squad leaders.
But Zhang Shi's voice was calm, and Zhang Yue remembered that Xu Dutou had mentioned that his sister-in-law had always been brothers with his brother, and had received a lot of benefits. When he heard that his family had offended Zhao Asi, he disappeared immediately.
Faced with his brother's indifference, Xu Du turned his head and smiled and said, "Da Lang, why can't I come to your house to sit for a while if you have nothing to do?"
"I don't dare to take it seriously. I just got home and I'm a little tired. I'm afraid I didn't greet you well."
Xu Dutou smiled and said: "Then I won't come in, to make a long story short. It's not a private matter, but a business matter to inform you, which is also a good thing. The case of your shop being burned was overturned by the Yamen."
