Brother Rong coughed a few times. After mid-September, the weather became colder and colder. In the past, when I was in Ningguofu in Shenjing, every room would be equipped with a heater. Now, standing in the drizzle and cold wind, I feel that September in Jiangnan is actually colder than September in Shenjing.
He has been living in the cement kiln factory for half a month.
I have also read letters from Heishan Village in northern Liaoning in half a month. There is a big hole over there in Wu Jinxiao. I replied to the letter and asked Jia Qiang, Jia Qin and Lai Sheng to proceed boldly. At the same time, they were asked to collect the rent of several villages in Heishan Village. Since it’s not easy to check, then we won’t check. First, we collected the rent from each village in Heishan Village, eliminating Wu Jinxiao and a group of village owners. With this year's rent comparison, we can roughly calculate how much Wu Jinxiao, the owner of the village, and the people below him are greedy for money.
As a master with absolute control, dealing with corruption is not that troublesome. From now on, there would be a different person every summer and autumn, leaving Wu Jinxiao and the others with no way to bribe him.
"Cleanliness must be a top priority in places where people gather. You must not only inspect the personnel, but also pay attention to whether every place is clean or not. This is not a face-saving project, but is actually related to the life and health of everyone in the kiln factory. You too Those who live there may not be able to save their lives if infectious diseases are caused in the dirty and messy environment."
Jia Rong tightened his cloak and led the Jinling brothers to explain the key points of each inspection one by one. He didn't need to talk about these things, but Brother Rong was always worried. The kiln in Jinling is much larger than the one in Shenjingzhuang and requires more workers and craftsmen. Hygiene and cleanliness cannot be underestimated in such circumstances.
Seeing the clan members nodding, they looked like they didn't understand. He added: "The reason is very complicated to explain. All you need to know is that this is the method taught to me by the gods in the sky. In the kiln, anyone who is not good at cleaning must be severely punished. One warning, two The wages were deducted three times and kicked out of the kiln three times. Everyone was the same."
Everyone took a deep breath after hearing this. Is this thing still deducting money? Want to drive out the kiln?
It was only after they came here that they learned that the workers in the kiln factory were treated very well, much better than the long-term, short-term workers and tenant farmers outside. Everyone had no choice but to write it down seriously, and thinking about the unknown threat of disease, they did not dare to ignore it.
It's the god's method, and it's never wrong.
Brother Rong sighed secretly.
People's cognition is different, and this cognition is usually affected by the environment. The workers in the kilns were all from the bottom, the bottom in the feudal era. It is very difficult to change their living habits. Not to mention workers, even these people in the Jia family don't understand what the purpose of cleaning is.
Just like at a certain period in later generations, a nationwide effort was mobilized to promote drinking boiled water, and even in certain eras and places, personal hygiene was strictly enforced. These things that sound magical have actually happened before.
One clan member asked: "What should the workers do if they are really anxious?"
Brother Rong glanced at it and hummed: "There are so many toilet places built in the factory, can't you hold it in for a while? Don't let them into the factory if you can't hold it in. If there are people who defecate in the public place, not only the workers will have to Catch me. Those of you who supervise and supervise me, I won’t take it lightly for the sake of my family members.”
In a place where hundreds of people live, if you defecate anywhere, within two or three days, the factory will be filled with the smell of feces.
Everyone shrank their necks and realized that the patriarch, who was extremely kind in the clan, was extremely serious now. These inexplicable regulations and standards also made them confused. Anyway, I just don’t understand it, but I think it’s very powerful.
Brother Rong led everyone around for a while, but there were still many things he didn't say. Brother Qiang suddenly ran over and said, "Someone is here from Shenjing. He is currently in the room guarding the door."
"Who?" Brother Rong was puzzled. Someone in Shenjing wanted to find the cement kiln factory at this time.
Brother Qiang said: "I heard from the person on duty that the other party claimed to be a brother from the two houses. Judging from the description, it should be Jia Chang and Jia Ling."
Jia Chang and Jia Ling came here at this time, probably because of the matter of building the Provincial Family Courtyard. Brother Rong secretly guessed that he had heard Jia Lian mention that the Zhen family in Jinling still received 50,000 taels of silver from the Jia family. Now that Rongguo Mansion was building a separate courtyard and was short of money, he probably sent these two brothers here to support the Zhen family. silver.
Brother Rong said, "You lead them to continue patrolling. I'll go back and change my clothes and go take a look."
In the duty room of the cement kiln factory, Jia Ling complained.
"Why aren't you here yet? You won't let us in. We're just hanging here. When do you want to go?"
Jia Chang is a little older than Jia Ling and about the same age as Jia Qiang. He said: "What are we arguing with these blind servants? How do they know that we are the decent great-great-grandsons of Ning and Rong Houses? Even compared with Jia Qiang, our status is not far behind."
"No, it was because Jia Qiang was brought into the Ningguo Mansion since she was a child that she took advantage of it. When Master Zhen was there, Jia Qiang was favored more than Brother Rong; after Master Zhen left, Brother Rong still favored Jia Qiang. . No wonder there was always gossip in the clan at that time between Master Zhen, Brother Rong and Jia Qiang."
"Okay, don't say this again, it won't be good if Brother Rong hears it." Jia Chang said quickly.
Just in time, Jia Rong walked in. With a playful expression on his face, he smiled and said, "What is it that I heard that is not good?"
Jia Chang and Jia Ling looked embarrassed and had no time to explain. But I heard a middle-aged man from behind slowly come forward, cupped his hands and said: "Uncle Xiao Rong will only feel dirty when he hears some things that are not popular or even unpleasant. That's why Mr. Chang San said this."
Brother Rong squinted his eyes and looked up and down at the old scholar-looking person in front of him. Asked: "Who is sir?"
"I don't dare take the word "sir" seriously. Bu is an old student who was with Mr. Zheng, named Gu Xiu. The ancestor of the Han tribe was Bu Yan, the chief doctor of Duke Wen of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period."
I asked you your name, who cares who your ancestors are? Brother Rong nodded gently towards the man named Bu Guxiu and said against his will: "I have admired you for a long time, I have admired you for a long time."
He knew that Jia Zheng had kept many Qing guests in the Rongguo Mansion over the years. These people did not have to do anything in the mansion, and they gathered around Jia Zheng every day to help out and have fun. To put it in layman’s terms, it means someone who accompanies the host’s family to play and travel with, Mr. Erpai.
Of course, if the host has some special hobbies and the husband is unique in appearance, the second companion may evolve into the first companion.
In the duty room, besides Jia Chang, Jia Ling, and Bu Guxiu, there were many people.
Jia Chang pointed to another middle-aged man who looked like a scholar and said: "This is Mr. Shan, who is also the minister of the mansion. Today I have brought them together to show Brother Rong the plans for the courtyard painted by Shanzi Hu. "Secondly, I'll send you a letter and ask Brother Rong to come to Zhen's house to pay 30,000 taels of silver for purchasing."
Jia Rong took the drawing from Shan Pinren's hand, unfolded it, and took a rough look at it. Shan Ziye planned the layout of the courtyard and there were no less than ten palace attics. Just as Brother Rong calculated, only the west side of Huifang Garden of Ningguo Mansion and the middle buildings such as Dengxian Pavilion, Tianxiang Pavilion, Yixia Pavilion, and Ningxi Pavilion were demolished. Keep it in Ningguo Mansion.
Barely agreeable.
He nodded secretly and said: "Since the gentlemen have written the letter and given the meeting tickets, you can just go to the Zhen family yourself. I have many affairs in Jinling and I am still on official business, so it is really not appropriate to leave."
Shan Pinren smiled and said: "Young Master Chang is young after all. Now that there is Uncle Xiao Rong in Jinling, these matters naturally need to be handled by the head of the family like Uncle Xiao Rong. Master Zheng and Second Master Lian also considered this, so they specially I told you that when we arrive in Jiangnan Province, we should first pay our respects to Uncle Xiao Rong."
Jia Rong looked up and down at the two Qingke husbands. From their appearance, they were not good people. The names are also interesting, one is shameless and the other is good at lying.
Then he looked at Jia Chang and Jia Ling, who was in charge of Jiangnan. Jia Chang was quite agile, but he was also a person with many clever ideas. He had heard from Jia Qin that brothers Jia Chang and Jia Ling had often defrauded Jia Qin of her money in the past. Although Jia Qin lost the bet, he always won first and then lost. How could such a coincidence happen?
Jia Zheng and Jia Lian are really good at choosing people. Being able to be blind to this extent is also a special ability.
Jia Rong calculated in her mind that if the thirty thousand taels withdrawn from the Zhen family were placed in the hands of these people, there was no telling how much they would be deducted. Do you want to wade into this muddy water? Leave it alone, these people must be corrupt, and it makes me unhappy just thinking about it; leave it alone, they don’t have that much energy.
He asked: "Do you have a list for this purchase?"
Shan Pinren said: "The gentlemen have made a list. The thirty thousand taels are mainly used for hiring teachers, purchasing girls, buying musical instruments and other things. The remaining twenty thousand taels will be used to buy lanterns and candles next year. Various colors of curtains are used.”
Teachers, girls, and musical instruments are the rhythm of building a theater troupe in Rongguo Mansion. In later generations, it is to create a girl group that only serves private individuals.
Brother Rong said: "If you are not in a hurry, you can stay in the kiln factory now. After I finish my work, I will go to Zhen's house."
"This" Jia Chang and Jia Ling looked embarrassed. Instead, the two principals looked at Shan Pinren.
Shan Pinren said: "Urgent, of course it is urgent. If the other courtyard is built earlier, the empress can return to the mansion to visit her relatives earlier. The ladies in the mansion all miss the empress in the palace. Mr. Zheng said that the second lady misses the empress. My eyes were red from crying for several days."
I believe you the devil.
Can Mrs. Wang still think about Yuanchun and cry? She will only cry for Baoyu.
Brother Rong said helplessly: "Since we can't wait, I have to go to Zhen's house to pay the money first and complete the purchase as soon as possible. I don't want to delay your schedule, so I won't stay here to have dinner."
""
Seeing this, Jia Ling said anxiously: "It's not feasible. If Brother Rong doesn't go to Zhen's house, how can we spend money?"
As soon as this statement came out, Shan Pinren, Jia Chang and others also changed their expressions. Brother Rong frowned and figured out the key. Thirty thousand taels is not a small amount, and if there is no one trustworthy enough, the Zhen family will give it to me.
Although Jia Chang and Jia Ling are also the descendants of Ning Rong, they are also separated from the current Ning Rong mansion. Shan Pinren and Bu Guxiu were just hangers-on, let alone trusted.
Jia Rong asked: "Why didn't even a housekeeper from the two houses come with you?"
Jia Chang smiled bitterly and said: "General Manager Lai and his family were sent to the village, and General Manager Lai Sheng went to Heishan Village. Now all the affairs of Rongguo Mansion are handled by the two housekeepers Lin Zhixiao and Wu Xindeng, and Butler Shi from Ningguo Mansion has also left. Not getting away. But the two brothers from Aunt Zhao’s family came over, but they didn’t make the decision."
yes. Originally, the Lai family was in charge of everything in both houses. Now that the Lai family is gone, Lin Zhixiao and Wu Xindeng are worse off. Jia Rong looked at the two honest-looking people behind them. They were a pair of sons from Aunt Zhao's family. They just followed Jia Lian to the south of the Yangtze River to get involved in the business.
Brother Rong smiled and said: "In that case, you can live in the kiln factory now. It just so happens that a lot of rooms have been built now. Although the environment is worse, people can still live there."
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a moment. Finally, Bu Guxiu spoke up and said: "Since Mr. Zheng and Mr. Lian have told us to follow Uncle Xiao Rong's arrangements, we will stay here first and hope not to cause any trouble to Mr. Xiao Rong."
"No, no." Brother Rong chuckled. He invited everyone into the kiln and arranged a place to stay.
Little did they know that this stay would last seven days.
"Although this place is not as good as home, it is not bad either. But" Shan Pinren sighed with emotion and looked at Bu Guxiu and others, his eyes filled with helplessness. They haven't even met Uncle Xiao Rong a few times in the past few days, let alone urged Uncle Xiao Rong to go to Zhen's house.
Bu Guxiu said with a smile: "Although this place is full of rough guys, it is also well organized under the management of Uncle Xiao Rong. Especially the method of daily inspections, he actually treats the kiln factory as a residence. This uncle Xiao Rong is really not simple. .”
Jia Ling said aggrievedly: "Everything that is not simple is a method learned from heaven. Not only did I spit a few times, but I was also caught and fined a few cents. Although the money was not much, it made me lose face. lost."
Bu Guxiu laughed even more when he heard this. "Uncle Xiao Rong has a deep meaning. On the surface, he is punishing you, but in fact, he is intimidating other people in the kiln factory. Let everyone in the factory know that relatives and brothers of the Jia family will also be punished for spitting, and others who make mistakes will be punished even more. No mercy. I have seen that in the past few days, all the people working in the kiln have become more and more attentive."
Jia Chang said gloomily: "No wonder he wants us to live here. It turns out that he treats us as targets for others to see."
Bu Guxiu praised: "This is the brilliance of Uncle Xiao Rong. No wonder Mr. Zheng and Mr. Lian admire him so much. He is indeed an extraordinary person. I heard from people who work in the factory that recently the factory also entrusted The Xue family cloth shop is rushing to make clothes and make uniforms. He also sacrifices his own talents for the workers, and I guess he is also very kind. It is a blessing for the Jia family to have a person like Uncle Xiao Rong. "
Shan Pinren had a strange smile on his face after listening to Bu Guxiu's words. He said calmly: "He's not here, so Mr. Bu should stop praising him. No matter how much he praises him, he won't hear it. Even if he hears it, he won't reward him with silver like Master Zheng."
Bu Guxiu shook his head and said, "What Bu Mou said is true to his heart."
They are all free-loading foxes, and no one can deceive anyone.
Shan Pinren laughed twice strangely and said nothing.
Bu Guxiu also boasted: "I, the Bu family, have passed down the family to Jin Wengong, and have never made any mistakes in divination from generation to generation. I think Uncle Xiao Rong will be extremely valuable in the future, and so will Brother Chang and Brother Ling." The Jia family must be in great prosperity. The appearance of Brother Chang and Brother Ling is no worse than that of Uncle Xiao Rong, and they are even slightly better. These two brothers will surely soar into the sky in the future."
In the room, they chatted, making Jia Chang and Jia Ling's blood boil and their faces flush.
In the kiln factory, Jia Rong smiled leisurely to himself. Question: "Have they violated any regulations recently? Don't be afraid, it's the old rule. If you are caught, teach them a lesson on the spot, so that all the workers and craftsmen in the kiln can see. Others kill chickens to scare monkeys, but I will kill one policeman."
Jia Qiang said: "How dare they come out? They hide in the room day and night, for fear of being caught if they come out."
"Pity!"
"Yes. People in the inspection team are saying recently that the atmosphere of craftsmen in the kiln has improved a lot. Brother Chang and the others have put in a lot of effort."
Brother Rong couldn't help laughing when he heard this. Then he asked: "Have Brother Chang and the others made any other moves recently?"
"There is nothing else, but every time we meet, we have to ask when we are going to Zhen's house." Jia Qiang asked softly, "Brother Rong, how long do you plan to delay going? What if they go back to the house to sue you later? If you don't cooperate, the masters and ladies of Rongguo Mansion will think you have bad intentions."
Jia Rong said: "Let's wait for two days before going. The total waiting time is only about ten days, which is not too long."
When the news reached Jia Chang and others, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Bu Guxiu and Shan Pinren were even more happy, as they had waited until the clouds cleared to see the moonlight, and they could go to Suzhou to buy oil and water in a few days.
Two days later, Jia Rong led a group of people to Jinling City. But before going to Zhen's house, Jia Rong took them to Wang's house.
Jia Chang said coquettishly, "Brother Rong won't stay at Wang's house for another ten days."
