With the help of people in the government, things will be much more stable and convenient. First, Cheng Congyuan proposed that the fields around Jinan be purchased by force, and then they would be rented out to the refugees after a little repair, and they would just sit back and reap the benefits. From this point of view, it is fully certain that the Ye family will stand out in Shandong and be unparalleled, and restore its former prestige. However, no matter how cunning Cheng Congyuan returned, he could not extend his eyes far into other people's homes.
Within a year or two, Zhou Yizhi's son was admitted to Jinshi. Ye Yongjia thought of the only conversation he had with Zhou Yizhi, and there was no way to verify whether he had used some other means. In short, it was the Zhou family that rose to the top, almost on par with the Ye family. Although the Zhou family had done some disgraceful deeds during this period, they were whitewashed and high-sounding; coupled with Zhou Yi's promotion, even the privileged Ye family was extremely red-eyed.
But now Ye Yongjia and others have no time to care. The house seemed like a mess. Even the good knife that used to be so handy has become much duller, so I have to find another sharp blade.
The top priority is Ye Long's changes in the court. If it was as Cheng Congyuan expected, Ye Long would be back in just two or three months, and he would hurry up to get married and get rid of his false reputation as soon as possible. However, after waiting for several months, there was still no news. Naturally, after many inquiries in the house, he learned that Ye Long and Liu Zhennian has been at odds with each other for many years, and he is a local wealthy family that Liu's party wants to get rid of, so a catastrophe seems inevitable. Cheng Congyuan became more and more worried and frightened. After all, he didn't know the chaos in the court, and sending people to clear things up without authorization would only cause trouble. So he was left in doubt, not knowing his safety.
Regarding this matter, a few people are often sent to inquire about it in order to adapt to changes. However, one cannot focus entirely on this. What is important is that Cheng Congyuan must clearly consider how to push the Ye family to its peak. He thought of Zhang Ping, and there should be many other stewards like him who had enriched their own pockets. He made a decision and ordered a wave of rigorous investigation into corruption. There are no rules after all. If there is the slightest act of corruption, they will all be tied to the hall and killed with a stick. Although he still talks about family law, this is only a legal explanation, and what is behind it is tacitly understood. However, despite this, even half a year could not uncover many, so the method of exposure was implemented. If someone was found to be greedy for ink, he would be punished immediately. Sure enough, within three days, the meeting hall was very lively again.
This makes everyone act cautiously, especially where it is easy to get money, such as buying a house. Everyone who buys a house is a confidant of the management, and they can make a small fortune on weekdays, but no one expects that there will be window stickers. However, the piece of paper was eventually scratched into pieces with a knife.
Clear the clouds and see the sun. Cheng Congyuan almost jumped up when he faced the visiting Kou Zhong. "This is the note that Manager Zhou gave me." Kou Zhong looked at the bundle of treasure notes and said.
When Kou Zhong first started buying a house, he was assigned to a manager named Zhou. After inquiring later, I found out that this person's name was Zhou Jingshi, he was about forty years old, and he had not been in office for a long time. He was a kind of person who was not very experienced. In comparison, although Kou Zhong is not that old, he has already taken care of several acres of farmland in his early days. He usually deals with farmers and is more than capable of dealing with such a person.
Kou Zhong often fawned over Zhou Jingshi, and of course he also had essential things. The remaining money from his purchases was all put in his pocket, and he himself was frugal, so Zhou Jingshi naturally became sincere to him. trust. In addition, Kou Zhong also saved a lot of money to prepare for emergencies and take care of things at any time.
Three or four months after this, the police heard that Zhou Jingshi had taken leave of absence. According to rumors, his mother was seriously ill. He would stay outside for a few days to see how the illness was, and then decide on a date for his return. The bandits were very happy. Without thinking or bringing any extra items, they immediately left the house to find Zhou Jingshi's family. He had heard Zhou Jingshi talk about it before, so it was extremely labor-saving to find it.
"Oh. Here we come." Zhou Jing opened the door on eleventh, and Kou Zhong saw that his face was livid, his eyebrows were knitted tightly, and he was extremely impatient.
"Come in and talk about anything."
Kou Zhong nodded quickly and followed in. He didn't dare to enter the house and sat on a random stool outside. The two sat facing each other, and Kou Zhong was about to speak when he heard a painful sound of ejaculation suddenly coming from inside the room. Zhou Jing hurriedly pushed away the stool and stood up: "You sit down for a while." After saying that, he hurried into the room, and Kou Zhong hurriedly ran into the room. Zhong could only wait blankly.
After a while, Zhou Jingshi wiped away the sweat and continued to sit down. Beads of sweat could be clearly seen on his forehead. "I have a sore on my back," he said. "The condition is not good. The doctor said that he may not survive. I think it is better not to treat Ansheng." Zhou Jingshi bit his lips and stared blankly at the room.
"Guard Zhou can't think like that! As long as it can be cured, we have to save it no matter what. There is no shortage of money..." Kou Zhong took out four taels of silver from his body and stuffed it into Zhou Jingshi's hand. "Manager Zhou, be sure to wait. I still have an old friend, and I will go to the shop to grind it today. It's not too late to try this method." Zhou Jingshi looked at him, deeply moved by Kou Zhong's enthusiasm. , his eyes flashed, and he held Kou Zhong's hand tightly: "Brother Kou, you are so kind, I don't know how to thank you..."
"You don't need to thank me, this is a matter of duty! Without further ado, I'll take my leave." Zhou Jingshi agreed and let go of his hand; Kou Zhong walked quickly to the door, but suddenly stopped and twitched. She turned around and bowed slightly to him before striding out of the room. When Zhou Jingshi looked over, his eyes were red and he sighed softly.
Kou Zhong walked with his head down. He didn't know how to cure the sores, so he simply stopped going back to his house now and went straight to the medicine shop.
Since Ye Mansion moved to Qihe, many shops have found business opportunities and have piled up around Ye Mansion, so the journey is very convenient. After only a few dozen steps, Kou Zhong saw the door of the drug store under the thick wooden beams. It was very shabby. Once he entered the store, the stools, chairs and counters were clearly arranged inside. The floor and beams were spotless, which looked very different from the outside. Very different. Kou Zhong walked directly to the counter without saying a word. The shopkeeper glanced at him, as if he didn't want to see him. After all, his hair was disheveled, not very tidy, and he smelled of sweat all over his body. In this case, he could only swallow his eyes and pretend that nothing happened.
"Sir?" Kou Zhong didn't dare to address him as 'the shopkeeper', so he asked softly. The shopkeeper brought a rag and wiped the table: "What are the guests doing here?" The shopkeeper stopped looking at him.
"I would like to ask, what medicine is there to treat acne?"
"Quite a bit. There's just honeysuckle here." He paused as he spoke, then moved the rag away.
"Sir, help me catch it."
The shopkeeper immediately folded the rag aside, walked to the medicine cabinet, grabbed a large handful of honeysuckle, and put it in a paper bag. He also took some licorice and put it in the paper bag. The two bags were sealed and handed over to Kou Zhong, who told him how to use them and recited: "Eight taels of honeysuckle, two taels of fried licorice, a total of... thirty taels."
Kou Zhong took the medicine and asked in a low voice: "I'm afraid this powder is less effective. Is there a secret recipe in the shop, and I can give you a copy? This disease is very serious."
"Of course. But it seems you can't afford it..."
Kou Zhong forced a smile and said, "Sir, just tell me the price."
"If you buy it from me for a year, it will cost you six taels of silver. You can eat it for a week and then come here to get it. What do you think?" The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and stared at him.
"Sir, won't you lie to me?" Kou Zhong thought for a while, but he didn't have a lot of money. "Did I lie to you? This shop is open and open right next to Ye Mansion. If you dare to lie to others, it would be easy for the government to arrest me!" The shopkeeper spat, his face turned red with anxiety.
Kou Zhong didn't respond, just rubbed his hands. If you pay the prescription here, you may become more and more miserable in the future, and you don't know what Zhou Jingshi will do to you. He was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he raised his head, gritted his teeth, and immediately took off his trousers. He shook the opening slightly downwards, and the broken silver inside fell on the table like a waterfall.
"Okay! I'll buy sir's recipe!"
The shopkeeper's whole body was shaken, and then he slowly stood up and pushed away the money. "Six taels... not bad at all..." The shopkeeper said to himself as he put the money aside.
"Wait a moment." The shopkeeper waved his hand and walked into the back room. Kou Zhong waited in front of the cabinet. In a blink of an eye, the shopkeeper came out with a bag of medicine and handed it to him: "This medicine is good for reconciliation. Just go back and boil it and take it." He nodded, put a few packages of medicine into the pocket where the money was originally placed, and reluctantly gave it up. He looked at the six taels of silver on the counter and seemed to feel a little regretful. But he couldn't back down, so he had to leave the drug store immediately. From the outside, the drug store is still very shabby. At least it's clean inside, Kou Zhong thought.
soon. He saw Zhou Jingshi again. Lieutenant General Kou explained all the usage, Zhou Jingshi just nodded in a coping manner, hurriedly took the medicine, and then said: "Brother Kou Zhong... thank you for your hard work." Kou Zhongzheng was about to go back to his house, and saw Zhou If you speak with sincerity, you can stand still. "I don't think it's troublesome. Just don't forget me, Manager Zhou..." Kou Zhong choked.
Zhou Jingshi raised his head and looked at Kou Zhong, but he couldn't figure out what he was really thinking at the moment. "Don't worry! With what you say, I will definitely cure my mother."
Then the two of them talked for a few more words, until feeble shouts came from the house one after another. Zhou Jingshi had no place to sit down. After entering the house, he ordered his wife to cook medicine, and Kou Zhong also helped take care of it for a while. When he was almost quiet, he took the opportunity to make a speech. Zhou Jingshi did not stay because he had many things to do, but said, "Brother Kou, don't blame me for not being able to say goodbye." Then he saw Kou Zhongyuan go away.
The sunlight was gradually suppressed by the clouds, and Kou Zhong finally realized that it was almost dusk. As if he had just come to his senses, his body and mind suddenly felt weak and sleepy. He hurried back home and walked around the purchased house first. Fortunately, there was no official business, so he returned home and lay down on the bed first.
For a while, I couldn't fall asleep, and my mood became more and more restless. Kou Zhong sat up, thinking that he hadn't eaten all day, so he opened the pot and found that the bottom of the pot was clearly drying. He used a spoon to scrape some porridge stuck to the surface of the pot, picked up the spoon and licked it. When I turned around and saw the leftover steamed buns from yesterday on the table, I was very happy. I grabbed it and took a bite. I chewed it several times before I swallowed it. After taking two or three more bites, it was really hard to swallow, so I gave up.
This month is naturally difficult. After all, the wages have not been allocated yet, and they still have to travel to ten houses in Zhou Jing. They can only grab a handful of the arranged work, but they dare not spend it and save it for the future. It must be difficult to eat well and drink enough after suffering such hardship, and his face becomes increasingly thin and yellow.
At the end of the month, the salary was allocated, but it was all spent by going to the drug store to get medicine. Kou Zhong sat at the table, slowly chewing the hard steamed buns. His heart was shaken, and he decided not to worry about the future and just eat and drink. Wouldn't it be wonderful? He immediately set out to find the key and prepare to open the box where the money was kept.
Let's wait and see. Kou Zhong was suddenly suppressed by this thought, hesitated for a while, and then sat down peacefully, still chewing on his steamed buns.
As expected, the poverty that Kou Zhong suffered was not useless. However, within one month, Zhou Jingshi's old mother died of illness, and funeral expenses had to be raised immediately. Kou Zhong was very excited, but he pretended to be sad outside, as if he was in a good mood. Not good, he entered the house with a dull head. When he saw the other stewards, he raised his head and said half-deadly: "I'm going to see Steward Zhou... I'll leave the errands for the day to others."
One of the stewards nodded, as if he acquiesced; Kou Zhong thanked him with confidence and left.
"well……"
A steward suddenly stopped him, and Kou Zhong turned around, "Are you showing off your courtesy again this time?" The steward's face was gloomy. Several people nearby sneered.
"I just……"
"It's just your mother! We can all see clearly, who doesn't give us face all day long, earns money and sends it directly to Zhou Jingshi without asking! Are we not in charge? Zhou Jingshi has great power. , we dare not say anything when he is here...but you are so disgusting that it makes you want to vomit!" A slightly more tempered person pointed at him and yelled.
"I don't know what to offend the stewards..."
"Of course you don't know! Cheng Congyuan didn't beat you to death that time. This time I'm going to stab the master. Let's see what the master says!"
Kou Zhong simply ignored it and left to buy a house. Unexpectedly, several stewards stood up, and one of them jumped out and yelled: "Stop!" Kou Zhong had to stop and confront them helplessly. Just as he was about to say something, the man suddenly pulled him away, and another One hand grabbed the collar of his shirt unreasonably, and Kou Zhong's face turned pale for a moment.
"Mr. Cheng's stick is not light..." The steward's eyes were wide open, showing a few bloodshot streaks, and it looked like they were about to burst.
"Please let me go, steward..." Kou Zhong grabbed his hand and said softly.
"Okay, I let go." The steward loosened his hand, but it seemed that there was more than that, and Kou Zhong did not move. Immediately, the steward kicked him hard on the knee, causing him to lean over and fall to the ground. Kou Zhong gritted his teeth, hugged his left knee, looked up at the condescending steward, and smiled slightly: "Steward, there is no need to scare people... You are not very clean. If you want to sue my master..." Kou Zhong was in pain He frowned, hissed, and then stroked his knees, "Who dares?" He raised his head and looked at the stewards.
The steward sneered a few times and took a step further, "You really understand! We can't do anything to you, it depends on how long you can survive! Get out!" Kou Zhong didn't respond, silently got up and walked towards the door of the purchased house; A steward behind him kicked him hard on the waist, followed by Kou Zhong's screams.
Kou Zhong just screamed, staggered a few times but still stood firm; without looking back, he went straight out of the house.
His waist still hurt slightly, and Kou Zhong could only move slowly to get some relief from the pain. Fortunately, it was not very far from Zhou Jingshi's house, so with a little effort, he moved his feet to the door. Kou Zhongchu knocked on the door, but no one responded for a long time. At this time, Fang was busy with family matters, and there was no way there would be anyone there, Kou Zhong thought.
After waiting for a while, before there was any sound, Kou Zhong shouted: "Kou Zhong, the villain."
Only then did I hear footsteps. The door suddenly creaked. Zhou Jingshi looked gloomy, dressed in mourning clothes, and bowed casually.
"Brother Kou, your medicine is indeed effective, but it really can't save me... Thank you for your hard work." Zhou Jingshi trembled as he spoke, and patted his shoulder slowly.
"I'm sorry. Since I've helped the steward, I'll stick to it, and you don't need to persuade me." After saying that, Kou Zhong took out another four taels of silver and without saying a word, put it directly into Zhou Jingshi's hand, revealing With a resolute and sincere expression: "You can use this money to buy a burial place for peace of mind... If you have some leftovers, go to the funeral... Just wait to buy the coffin and I will pay for it." Zhou Jing said firmly. Looking at Yinzi, he wiped his eyes and grabbed Kou Zhong's hand fiercely, "Brother..." After saying that, he laid his face on those hands and sobbed for a long time, unable to utter a word.
Kou Zhong couldn't help the tears rolling down his face from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't figure out whether it was true or false, and then he felt an involuntary secret of joy in his heart.
Kou Zhong just woke up that day and immediately set out to buy a coffin. I don't dare to buy a good coffin, but I settle for the next best thing because it is affordable and doesn't seem stingy. After Zhou Jingshi took the coffin, the funeral was held. Kou Zhong naturally returned from the coffin shop to be a mourner.
Many people came to pay their respects, including those in charge of affairs. Kou Zhong followed him all the way to the cemetery and saw people crowded around him and silence, so he guessed that he had not yet been buried. Kou Zhong also blocked his mouth and could only look at the scenery around him, even though there was nothing to see.
"Kou Zhong!" Kou Zhong hurriedly turned his head, and a man flew over with a very clear voice.
"Manager Zhou asked you to come to the front."
Kou Zhong said "Oh" and jogged past. People all moved out of the way without any obstruction. Pulling back the white curtain, Zhou Jingshi sat there with several house-buying stewards. The stewards took the initiative to bow to him. Although Kou Zhong remembered being bullied by these people, he could only return the greeting reluctantly, and then chatted with Zhou Jingshi. . "You have done a lot of work for me, so I asked you to come to the front. Let's bury my mother with the rest of us." Kou Zhong looked heavy and nodded deeply in agreement.
After the coffin was buried, Kou Zhongfang said goodbye to Zhou Jingshi, said a few words, and then went straight back to Ye Mansion. Kou Zhong was exhausted both physically and mentally. Fortunately, a lot of things had come to an end. Although he didn't know what kind of attitude Zhou Jingshi would have toward him, he was doing well in buying a house and the situation would not change suddenly. So he went to sleep with peace of mind.
This time he slept for a long time, from dusk to daylight, and his muscles and bones felt very weak. Hearing that Zhou Jingshi had returned to work at this time and had regained the power to purchase a house, he was ready to go to greet him.
Kou Zhong strode into the house he bought and opened the curtains. The stewards saw that his face was much more energetic than before, and his clothes were slightly neater. However, they still looked down upon Kou Zhong and laughed in a low voice. .
Zhou Jingshi was lying on the table with his eyes closed to rest. Hearing the footsteps approaching gently, Tiao Ran opened his eyes and saw Kou Zhong standing upright and waiting. "I don't know if Manager Zhou is taking a break. How offensive...I'll leave right now." Kou Zhong said hurriedly, as if he was about to turn around.
"It's okay!" Zhou Jingshi stretched out his arms and waved his hand: "I still want to tell you something."
"Sit down." Zhou Jingshi pulled out a chair and motioned for Kou Zhong to sit down. Kou Zhong made no excuses, bowed slightly, and slowly sat down.
"Kou Zhong, you have helped me a lot, but you are not greedy when it comes to spending money. I trust you very much. If you agree, I will let you stay by my side and participate in some matters on weekdays. How about it?" With that said, Zhou Jingshi He raised his eyes and stared at him.
Kou Zhong's eyes gradually turned into a slit, and his mouth cracked into a crescent moon; then he calmed down and said humbly: "If the steward thinks so, I would be honored. How could I not agree?" Zhou Jingshi was also extremely satisfied and patted him. Kou Zhong leaned down and let Zhou Jingshi pat his shoulder.
"I'm afraid you haven't married yet?" Zhou Jingshi suddenly thought and saw Kou Zhong nodded. "It stands to reason that you are not young anymore. You need to find a wife now!"
"How can a villain think of this..." Kou Zhong said with a smile.
"I think for you," Zhou Jingshi replied simply, "This matter is easy to handle. Although there are not many maids in the house, you can still find them. When the time comes, choose a suitable one and talk to the master about it. It can be done." After hearing this, Kou Zhong hurriedly got down from his chair and said, "Steward Zhou has taken care of me to this extent. I don't know how to thank Steward!" After saying this, he knelt down and paid respect to Zhou. Everyone kowtows before their feet. After only kowtowing once, Zhou Jingshi grabbed him: "Why are you kowtowing! Get up!" Kou Zhong stood up with support, tears flashing in his pupils. Zhou Jingshi seemed to be moved and sighed for a long time.
"Brother, you know your kindness. My friendship with you is not in vain."
The corruption and bribery in the upper echelon of house purchasers was something he had never seen before. Several managers (including Zhou Jingshi) were in sync with each other and often used the name of Ye Mansion to frighten the powerless small businessmen. After buying houses at low prices, With the money coming in, the remaining large amounts of public funds were naturally eroded crazily. The purchase of a house was also extremely generous. Kou Zhong witnessed Manager Zhou trying to curry favor with the servants in the council hall in order to maintain the relationship with his master Ye Yongjia. He often spent more than ten taels or more than twenty taels, leaving it all to Kou Zhong. The bandits handled such matters very skillfully, and if there were any irregularities occasionally, Manager Zhou would not take them into consideration and reward them without taking any blame. Kou Zhong would not think that this move was anything like friendship at this time. From the bottom of his heart, this was just Zhou Jingshi's way of winning people's hearts, and he thought it was not very clever.
After three or five days of busy work, Zhou Jingshi successfully obtained a wife from his master. Because he was a slave, the wedding was not public. He just invited Zhou Jingshi to come over, bought some snacks, and added a few glasses of wine as a courtesy. He doesn't have to worry about future expenses. After all, his position is extremely high, and he can just spend money lavishly. He first bought a mansion outside his house, and secretly bought many rare objects, which he also decorated on weekdays. Living like this among the bandits is naturally comfortable, but even so, there is always a trace of fear when he acts, and when he worries, it feels as if a foot has stepped hard on him, which prevents dark clouds from arising in his heart. It can be described as lingering.
