"It turns out he is a wise nephew," Zhang Shizhong nodded in approval, "What a talented person he is! He is truly a hero born from a boy."
The third uncle spoke with a loud voice that shook the dust off the beams and pillars. Feeling his ears buzzing, Li Ziyu was instantly overwhelmed by the momentum of his third uncle, and said with a smile: "No, my third uncle is the real hero. A warrior who has been in battle!"
"Don't talk about this," Zhang Shizhong sighed, with a lonely look on his face, "Your uncle and I joined the army at the age of seventeen. I went into battle dozens of times, with more defeats than wins. This will be even more of a narrow escape from death, and crawling out of the dead. I had to hide in Tibet to escape with my life from the Tatars. I will fight in this life with no success!" He shook his head and said, "I have no choice but to come to Guangzhou, the paradise of heaven, to seek refuge with my sister!" After saying that, he stood up and bowed, " Please ask your wise nephew to take care of you in the future."
Li Ziyu was so frightened that he quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "No, no, uncle is my elder. He is also a relative, so it should be right, it should be right."
"Come on, let me introduce you." After saying that, Zhang Shizhong turned around and introduced his family:
Zhang Shizhong really moved his whole family this time. Not only did he bring his wife, concubines, and children with him, but he also brought his servants and even relatives, including more than 20 boys and girls. Li Ziyu screamed when he saw the courtesy one by one. They were introduced until the end, but they were a middle-aged man and a young woman.
"this……"
"This is my uncle's friend, his name is Huang He," Zhang Shizhong introduced. "He is a merchant from Tianjin Wei. If it hadn't been for him, this trip might not have gone so smoothly..."
It turns out that Huang He is a small businessman in Tianjin Wei, selling Australian goods on weekdays. Zhang Shizhong's success in boarding Laigao's merchant ship all depended on him.
"Nowadays, none of Tianjin Wei's ships dare to go to Guangdong. Thanks to Mr. Huang's astuteness, our family was able to board the ship smoothly." Zhang Shizhong said with emotion, "He is also the benefactor of our family."
Huang He quickly bowed and said: "No, no, Mr. Zhang is serious. Originally, I also wanted to come to Guangdong, just to keep company."
When Li Ziyu asked, he learned that after the Northern Expedition and the fall of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Ming Dynasty strictly prohibited trade with Australians and even raided some businesses selling Australian goods. But no real Australians were caught, only some unlucky ones were caught and some money and goods were obtained. Merchant ships no longer dare to say that they are traveling to Guangdong.
"Nowadays, merchant ships only go to Shandong, where they change ships and then go south. Some also go to Shanghai to transfer."
It was under the leadership of Huang He that Zhang Shizhong's family transferred to Longkou, Shandong Province, and then arrived in Guangzhou.
"Master Huang is here in Guangzhou..." Li Ziyu's professional sensitivity broke out.
"I'm not afraid that Mr. Li will make you laugh. I got into trouble in Tianjin Wei, and I had to take... and... my family with me and flee to Guangzhou to join my relatives."
He was quite embarrassed as he spoke, and the young woman next to him also blushed, lowering her head and remaining silent.
Since Li Ziyu became a police officer, her ability to recognize people has improved a lot. With just one look, it was clear that this man and woman were not in a normal relationship, nor were they even a master and a concubine or a maid. In all likelihood, they were having an affair.
However, the police station has no control over the elopement of men and women. Even if the owner comes to find the victim, he will still have to go to court to litigate. He didn't have to interfere.
"Since we are going to live in Guangzhou for a long time, we should register for household registration as soon as possible." Li Ziyu said, then turned to Agui and said, "Tomorrow, talk to the people in the household registration department and ask them to send two people to my house to register for household registration. .”
"Okay, Brother Yu!"
After the ceremony, Zhang Shizhong discussed important matters with Li Ziyu. When they came to Guangzhou as a family, they naturally couldn't stay with relatives for a long time, so the first thing they did was to find a house; the second thing was to find a business project. After all, so many people can't just sit back and have nothing.
"I have lived in the north for a long time, and I have a dark eye on Guangzhou under the rule of the Song Dynasty. This family can only be entrusted to my nephew." Zhang Shizhong was very sincere.
"My uncle is an elder. He has traveled thousands of miles to join my nephew. How can I not help him?" Li Ziyu had a good impression of this distant uncle who was beyond his reach. "These things are all taken care of by my nephew. There are only a few. My nephew needs to talk about it first..."
"Please teach me my wise nephew."
"I don't dare to teach you." Li Ziyu immediately explained all the daily matters that need to be paid attention to such as reporting the household registration truthfully, not having a sense of privilege, and exchanging silver and copper coins into Australian currency. Finally, he said: "There is one more thing. My nephew has to say something ugly about it..."
"But it doesn't matter."
"My uncle brought a lot of family members with him when he came here, and among them there may be..." Li Ziyu thought about how to put this, "hidden dangers."
"What hidden danger?" Zhang Shizhong was puzzled.
"Is there a quarrel between wives and concubines, or something among the slaves..."
Zhang Shizhong suddenly understood and said quickly: "Well, my nephew can rest assured. Although my uncle has a concubine, they are in harmony and have no disputes. As for the slaves who came with him, they were also carefully selected and unreliable. If they don't want to come, they will all be sent back. .”
"Well, that's good. My uncle doesn't know something. Under the rule of the Song Dynasty, the most important thing is the law, and there are rules in everything you say and do. My uncle is a newbie here, so he may not know some of the rules, and some of them are the opposite of those in the Ming Dynasty, so, Don’t act hastily when things happen.”
"Thank you for the reminder, nephew." Zhang Shizhong said solemnly, "Don't worry, since my whole family has come to join the Song Dynasty, we will naturally act in accordance with the rules of the Song Dynasty, and we will not violate the royal laws of the Song Dynasty."
With his words, Li Ziyu was somewhat reassured. He had just taken a brief look at these relatives, and none of them looked cunning, sinister or mischievous. The uncle also has the appearance of being in charge of the whole family.
Li Ziyu's parents and their servants arranged for the relatives to be accommodated separately. With so many people there was a shortage of not only beds, but also bedding. Fortunately, the weather in Guangdong was not very cold, so sleeping on the ground with a straw mat was enough. By the time the settlement was completed, it was almost the second update. Li Ziyu was so tired that he could only share a room with Agui tonight.
"We have to find a house for this uncle quickly tomorrow." He thought, "It's hard to live at home."
Before he could finish this thought, he fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Li Ziyu went to the bureau to ask for leave for Agui and asked him to go home and help look after him to avoid any mistakes when registering for household registration. He quickly made a report to Section 9 of the Municipal Bureau. The relative who immigrated from the north is still an official. Due to his status, he must go through the formalities.
After finishing these things, he hurriedly went to Gao Chongjiu and asked him where he could mortgage or buy a house.
"The place needs to be big, there are more than 20 people."
"Well..." Gao Chongjiu scratched his head, "Looking for a house is not a matter of time. Besides, how much money can your uncle's family bring? I also have something to worry about."
"One hundred yuan." This was what his uncle told him yesterday. This time when he went south, he sold all his family property and brought a total of more than 500 taels of silver.
Of course, this amount of money is not small, but considering the daily expenses of more than 20 people, there is also the capital required for future operations. So after discussion, the budget was one hundred yuan.
"It's a lot of money. But it's a bit difficult to live with more than 20 people." Gao Chongjiu said, "Your relative belongs to a large family, and the house cannot be calculated as a small family. There are many ready-made large mansions. not cheap."
"My uncle was a martial artist in the Ming Dynasty. His family has a larger population, and it's not a big family. It's not that demanding, as long as it can accommodate people!"
"Then just listen to me!" To Gao Chongjiu, this was nothing.
"One more thing." Li Ziyu hesitated and said, "Do you know any good business in Guangzhou?"
"Ayu, you are too broad. There are too many good businesses: frying fried dough sticks on the street is also a business, and opening a bank is also a business." Gao Chongjiu joked.
"Alas, I'm not joking with you, I really don't know how to ask." Li Ziyu sighed and told the story of his relatives' defection.
"My uncle's family is either up or down. It could be that a wealthy family has plundered a lot of people's wealth and money to come here; or it could be that they are so depressed that they can't even finish a meal. It's easy to arrange. But we don't have much money, so we have to work hard. Support middle-class families who value respectability!"
Gao Chongjiu smiled and said: "This is easy. There are many business opportunities in Guangzhou now, and your uncle's family has some money. You can start a small business..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Ziyu shook his head: "Jiuye, my uncle has a hereditary military position in the Ming Dynasty. From generation to generation, he has been serving as a soldier to earn food and serve as superiors. How can he have such ability! Although my family is not rich, he is still pretending to be a good person. A servant girl and young master. How can such people do business? No matter how good the business is in their hands, they will lose everything!"
Gao Chongjiu secretly laughed: When you talk about your uncle, it’s like the crow falls on the pig! But when I think about it, I think: What else can someone like Li Ziyu do besides working as an errand for others?
He thought for a while and said: "There is another way to make a living, but it is somewhat risky."
"What kind of business?"
“Southeast Development Stocks.”
"Stocks?" Li Ziyu opened his mouth. He knew that Southeast Development was established last year. It is said to be a subsidiary of Nanyang Company, specializing in the development of Southeast Asia. When it first opened, bonds were issued. The bonds were not sold to the public and were purchased by large local investors with business ties to the Australians. However, I heard from people that the interest rate on bonds is not high, and the main purpose of buying bonds is to cheer up Australians and build relationships.
"It is said that Australians are going to start selling Southeast Development's stocks - this time it is a public sale. This stock is different from bonds. Dividends are paid according to the market, and unlike bonds, the interest is fixed. In my opinion, this dividend is definitely better than bonds. Much higher. Why not ask your uncle to buy some."
"This is just a rumor right now. Besides, how much can he buy? It's just a drop in the bucket."
(End of chapter)
