After a while, Uncle Quan came in with a back injury. Gu Quan winked at Zhao Zilei when he saw this.
Zhao Zilei stepped forward and caressed Quan Bo's waist, and Quan Bo felt the pain subside a lot.
"Old man, are you feeling better?"
Uncle Quan didn't know how to address him, so he thanked her profusely.
Gu Quan ordered: "Old man, please open the door."
Xie Li secretly winked at Uncle Quan. Uncle Quan understood. There was no secret in it. It was just that such a deserted and dilapidated place in the mansion was not suitable for distinguished guests to see.
After some groping, he pretended that the lock was rusty and could not open the door.
Gu Quan looked towards Zhao Zilei.
"Old man, get out of the way."
Zhao Zilei said, drawing his sword and cutting off the lock, and the courtyard door slowly opened a crack with a creaking sound.
Zhao Zilei stepped forward and pushed open the courtyard door, and what he saw was weeds as tall as half a man. At this late autumn, the weeds were already withered and yellow.
He thanked him and said, "Mr. Gu, I told you that this is a deserted courtyard."
Gu Quan smiled: "The doors are open, let's go in and take a look."
Without any instructions, Zhao Zilei cut the grass in front to clear a path, and passed through a yard full of weeds. A house came into view. The locked doors and windows were covered with old dust, and it was obviously uninhabited.
Standing in front of the porch, the entire courtyard is clearly visible.
Zhao Zilei asked gently: "Master?" Do you mean to go into the house again?
"Quiet, alone."
After Gu Quan said these two words, he opened the door of the house himself, and a puff of dust came to his face. Gu Quan raised his sleeves to brush away the dust, and took the lead to walk into the house.
The sun shines into the house, which is completely gray, but it is an unusually simple room, with a wooden bed and a wardrobe, and other than that...
Gu Quan suddenly noticed a small desk and asked, "Where does the child live?"
Could it be that he died in infancy, so he was buried in dust.
Uncle Quan shook his head and said, "No." But he cherished his words like gold and didn't say much.
Gu Quan approached the desk. Judging from the size of the desk, it was a desk for children, but the height was...
I looked down and saw that, as expected, the four legs of the desk were raised with bricks.
Moreover, the pens, inks, papers and inkstones under the desk also came into view at the same time.
Gu Quan looked at Xie Li and Uncle Quan in confusion, but they showed no intention of explaining.
Curiosity made Gu Quan become like a detective investigating a case, wanting to solve the mystery of this room himself.
Looking towards the wooden bed, from this angle I could just see the mountains of books piled under the bed.
Gu Quan approached and squatted down. Seeing Gu Quan condescending in such a dirty place, several guards couldn't help but yelled: "Master."
At this moment, Gu Quan was deaf and immersed in the book. He reached out and took out the book, but it was a shabby book.
The book's threads were originally broken, but it was re-sewed with needle and thread. The cover was also lost. It was made of a piece of white paper with the title "Ben Ji" handwritten on it.
When Gu Quan saw these two words, he blurted out: "Good words!"
To be able to write such words requires at least ten years of hard work, and it is definitely not something that a child can write.
By this time, Gu Quan had become more curious about the owner of the house.
Take the books out from under the bed one by one. It looks like a chaotic pile, but it is actually divided into categories.
None of these old books are complete, or have been burned by fire, missing words or pages, or have been spilled by wine and then dried and flattened again.
No matter what it looks like, every copy is restored to the greatest extent possible.
Looking at these, Gu Quan only had four words in his mind - he loves books as much as his life.
Finally I couldn't help but blurt out and asked: "Who lived in this house before?"
Uncle Quan's eyes have been following Gu Quan. He also saw what Gu Quan saw. At this moment, he deeply felt how harsh and mean he was to the second young master in the past and how sorry he was for the second young master.
The dignified second young master of the Xie family actually lives in such a place, and is not even as good as a servant.
heart
Full of guilt, he replied: "It's the second young master."
Gu Quan asked in surprise: "There is also a second young master in the Xie family?"
In Xie Guangde's opinion, Mr. Xie was uneducated and incompetent. He was afraid that outsiders would know that there was such a prodigal in the family, so he always publicized the thank you gift as a form of ostracism.
Xie Li answered: "It's my cousin Xie Fu."
Gu Quan exclaimed: "That is the son of the Xie family, can you let me meet him?"
Listening to Gu Quan's words, Uncle Quan couldn't help but remember that Xie Fu chased him with a stick, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red.
Seeing Uncle Quan's appearance, Gu Quan said softly: "Could it be..."
Thinking about it, it should be like this, otherwise this courtyard would not be deserted and dusty. Gu Quan would not be able to continue to ask about other people's sad things, but he felt inexplicably regretful that he did not have the opportunity to meet the second son of the Xie family who loved books like his life.
Xie Li wanted to say something, but it was difficult to say anything. After all, this was a scandal in the family, and he didn't want to explain the reason and smear his cousin.
Gu Quan walked to the closet, opened it, and saw a few shabby clothes. He blurted out: "It is often said that the way to study lies in tranquility and indifference. Only when you are poor and poor can you concentrate on your mind and body. Today is an eye-opener."
Seeing several manuscripts in the wardrobe, Gu Quan took a look at them and was immediately attracted by the opening chapter. The more he read, the more he was amazed and amazed. What a talented person...
…
Here Xie Guangde was able to be alone with Huo Duan and asked softly: "Master Huo, to be honest, what do you want from our Xie family?"
Xie Guangde is an elegant man. If he can't get into trouble with Huo Duan, he might as well get straight to the point and make it clear.
Huo Duan smiled and didn't answer, but Xie Guangde simply said bluntly: "Mr. Huo, just tell me. If I can give you anything, I will never be stingy."
Huo Duan paid a large amount of debt for the Xie family, which relieved the Xie family from losing their ancestral home. He also proposed to build a cemetery for his ancestor Yao Qinggong, which was considered a great kindness to the Xie family.
Since there is kindness in front of you, satisfying others' intentions can also be considered as repayment.
Huo Duan smiled and said, "Old Master, could it be that my reputation as Huo Duan makes the old man suspect that I have some evil intentions?"
"Oh, Mr. Huo, please stop being secretive and take a closer look. If you want money but no money, if you want power but no power, the only thing you can take advantage of is this mansion. But for you, Mr. Huo, this mansion is the only one you can take advantage of. Say, it doesn’t matter.”
When Huo Duan heard this, he thought to himself, you have a grandson who is about to become a governor, and the backers behind him are getting bigger and bigger. I even doubt that he has the capital to rebel.
Huo Duan smiled and said, "Old man, to be honest, I only got to know the Xie family when I met Lingsun Lang."
Know the family tradition and know the people, and you can also know the people and know the family tradition.
Huo Duan was stunned when he heard this: "Thank you?" There was no conversation between Xie Li and Huo Duan just now, and it didn't look like they knew each other well at all.
Huo Duan was also stunned for a moment, then he chuckled and said, "No, your other grandson."
Xie Guangde was startled and asked softly in an unbelievable tone: "You mean..."
Huo Duan nodded: "That's right! Thank you, Mr. Fu!"
Xie Guangde often heard these two words from others. Every time he got into trouble or got into trouble, the first time he heard these two words spoken by others, he was so radiant.
Xie Guangde was completely confused. It was hard to imagine how the prodigal son of his family could get into a relationship with a big boss like Huo Duan. How could he not get along with each other? It would be like him, Xie Guangde, making friends with a beggar. Do you think it's weird or not? .
I heard Huo Duan sigh with emotion: "Master Xie and I met so late!"
Xie Guangde heard this and blurted out: "Mr. Huo, are you lustful?"
This libertine's ability in visiting brothels was first-rate, and after much deliberation, this was the only way he could face Huo Duan.
Huo Duan was stunned. He didn't know why Xie Guangde said this. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I am indeed very beautiful. It's a pity that Mr. Xie is a dignified man and is not a member of the same profession."
Xie Guangde blurted out: "If he were dignified, there would be no deceitful disciples in the world."
Hearing this, Huo Duan couldn't help but secretly pay attention, and then asked
Said: "Master Xie, is he so pretty?"
Xie Guangde's face darkened: "Of course!" This libertine has made the brothel his home.
Huo Duan thought, "My dear grandson Moruo Lord," Xie Guangde said, that must be it. Mr. Xie, you hid it very deeply. Even I, Huo Duan, was deceived by you. You are so cunning.
That's fine, knowing that you have this hobby, I can follow suit in the future.
Xie Guangde saw Huo Duan laughing and reminded him gently: "Master Huo."
Huo Duan smiled and said: "I see, I will have a good exchange with Mr. Xie in the future."
If a junior said this, Xie Guangde would definitely sweep him out, but Huo Duan said that Xie Guangde would only be embarrassed.
"Old Master, it's like this. Mr. Xie and I are business partners."
Xie Guangde was surprised that what Huo Duan was doing was not just a small business, and asked: "What kind of business do we cooperate with?"
"In the grain business, Mr. Xie has obtained the Jiangnan East Road Grain Merchant's License."
Xie Guangde was not a businessman and did not understand the importance of this license plate, so Huo Duan explained it carefully.
After hearing this, Xie Guangde was surprised and said, "You mean that all the food in Jiangnan East Road must pass through his hands."
Huo Duan smiled and said, "Yes! Old Master, this business is big enough."
After a wave of turmoil in Xie Guangde's heart, he slowly calmed down. This prodigal man was actually... quite outstanding, at least he didn't have to look at the woman's face to live his life.
While Xie Guangde was happy, he was actually proud of Xie Fu. At least he was a respectable person and had no shame.
Xie Fu is living a good life, and his unqualified grandfather is also happy and relieved!
After Huo Duan gave Xie Guangde time to digest, he said: "Old Master, Mr. Xie asked me to visit your house more often. I returned to Yangzhou a few days ago and I was going to visit you, but I have a lot of business to deal with. I heard that Mr. Something happened at home, so I hurried over here, but luckily I came in time."
Xie Guangde said gratefully: "Master Huo is thoughtful."
Huo Duan said modestly: "Whatever the old man said, the Xie family's affairs from now on are my Huo Duan's affairs."
As he was talking, there was a burst of footsteps outside, followed by a loud voice: "The Governor is here!"
Xie Guangde was surprised. Today was really lively. Even the governor was here. In his impression, the Xie family had no connection with the Yangzhou governor.
Huo Duan smiled slightly, he was such a rare visitor.
