In the main hall, the graceful Mrs. Shen was sitting on the main seat in a purple blouse with a solemn expression.
Below, Shen Yun, the third young master of the Shen family, said with a sullen look on his face: "Three-rate people like the Green Snake Gang now have the guts to open their mouths and swallow our blood and eat our flesh!"
Mrs. Shen took a sip of tea and asked, "How much do they want?"
"Four hundred taels per month, otherwise the shops in half of our street will not be able to do business, and several of my old acquaintances of the Shen family have canceled their leases because of this." The third young master of the Shen family said helplessly.
Next to her, a young girl opened her bright eyes and said, "Mom, four hundred taels per month is equivalent to our Shen family using half a street of shops to work for the Green Snake Gang."
The girl is wearing a goose-yellow dress, with a little baby fat on her oval face, picturesque eyebrows, and creamy skin. She is about fourteen or fifteen years old, and she is Shen Lu, the fourth daughter of the Shen family.
Mrs. Shen looked sad and said, "Is there anything I can do about the nephew who came last month and is called 'Chasing the Wind Knife'?"
When the third young master heard this, he felt his head grow bigger and said, "Mom, don't mention it. The Wind Chasing Knife is his father's name, and he has been gone for a long time. This son of his has been drinking with my money all day long. I was very drunk. I heard a few days ago that I was drunk and wanted to stand up for us, but I was scared by the Green Snake Gang and almost peed my pants.
After all the old friends like my father, there is no one who is reliable. "
"Your nephew Jing who came recently is the most outrageous. The pills he needs to take every month cost at least twenty taels of silver. Mom, if our relationship is normal, there is no need to keep a medicine jar, right?"
It was obvious that the third young master of the Shen family had a lot of opinions about Jing Yue's nephew.
He had been hiding it until today when he encountered a lot of bad things and finally couldn't bear it anymore.
Mrs. Shen's face became much more serious and she said, "Don't mention this matter again. Although the family has some difficulties, it is still easy to pay for some medicine."
"Your father warned you repeatedly when he left that the Shen family should not forget their roots. Jing Yue is different from those old friends. If Jing Yue's father and the old man hadn't sold their assets and allowed your father to make a living, your father would still be here today."
Then she remembered something again and said a little frustrated: "Although I don't know where he is now."
"Mom, why don't we use official relations?" Fourth Miss Shen Lu suggested.
Mrs. Shen shook her head and sighed: "Don't look at the current situation. Your father has been demoted three times in two years. At this time, the acquaintances of the official family can't even hide when they see us, so no one dares to help us."
"And this kind of favor will be lost every time it is touched. Don't use it easily until the critical moment."
The third young master of the Shen family said depressedly: "Mom, what should we do? We, the Shen family, have a good reputation, so we can't let others take advantage of us all the time, right?"
At this time, Fourth Miss Shen Lu couldn't help but think: "Third brother, why don't you take your servants to fight with the Green Snake Gang?"
The third young master of the Shen family looked shocked and said: "Fighting? Sister, do you think your brother and I have a long life, right?"
Shen Lu pouted and said, "It would be great if the second sister was here. When she is at home, whoever wants to bully us, the sword will be placed on that person's neck."
Mrs. Shen had a headache and said: "Far water cannot quench the near thirst. Your second sister is practicing in the North. Don't bother her with this trivial matter."
The third young master of the Shen family hesitated to speak.
Because he knew that this was not a trivial matter. Since his father Shen San was demoted one after another and took his eldest brother away to another country, although the large Shen family maintained its appearance, it had to rely on the rent of the shops on half the street. Turnaround.
It stands to reason that at this time, one must save money. After all, after having unreliable old friends like my father, it will be a big expense after all.
Before Mr. Shen made his fortune, he liked to make friends with people in the world and was loyal. He had many "close friends".
It's just that these people seem to be chivalrous people, but in fact most of them are unreliable. Originally, after Mr. Shen became an official, they knew that they had no real ability, so they gradually stayed away from him.
But as soon as Mr. Shen was demoted and left Bianzhou City, these people came to him to eat and drink, such as Zhui Feng Dao's nephew, who was the best example.
There are also "Monkey Mountain Fist" Li Dashan, "Three consecutive whip kicks" Zhao Buqian and so on. They are all this kind of stuff, which gives the Shen family a headache.
You say they are old friends, but they really are, so drive them away and give them a bad reputation.
It would be difficult to spread the word outside that the Shen family did not respect friendship, or simply that the Shen family was in ruins, had no financial resources, and even had improper arrangements for an old friend.
In fact, being an official and doing business require reputation. Once your reputation falls, it will be like a tree falling and the hozen will scatter, making it difficult to do anything.
Therefore, the Shen Mansion could only keep these people as diners, but the more they were raised, the more they looked like they were being taken advantage of, and they were simmering with anger.
After all, once Mr. Shen left, the Shen family lost its backbone and could no longer suppress anyone.
This is also the main reason why the third young master couldn't help but want to catch up with Jing Yue today.
It's hard to deal with those slippery charlatans, but it's always easier to deal with the sick people from the countryside. Who would have thought that my mother would take good care of her.
Mrs. Shen thought for a moment and asked, "Is there anything left to discuss about the Green Snake Gang?"
The third young master Shen Yun replied: "I asked about it a few days ago, and my attitude was very tough. I guess we can't talk about it. But they said that the gang leader will come back in half a month. If you want to talk, you have to go to the gang leader in person."
Mrs. Shen drank a cup of tea and said, "Let's wait until we talk about it. Even if we can't reach an agreement, your father still left some money to support himself for a while."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but sigh and said with emotion: "Now that I am a woman, I finally understand the truth of 'It is easy to build a family business, but it is difficult to maintain it.'"
"By the way, let Jing Yue have dinner with us tomorrow. He is different from those hangers-on. Although your father is not here, I still remember what he said. This nephew Jing wants to treat others as they are. He has been troubled recently. There are so many things going on that I forgot about this."
After that, Mrs. Shen left the hall with deep thoughts.
Fourth Miss Shen Lu and Third Young Master Shen Yun sat there in silence.
The third young master even doubts life a little.
You can't do anything with love, right?
My father's life has been ups and downs in recent years, and as a member of the Shen family, this is no different.
He always felt that since his father was demoted, all kinds of bad things happened all at once, making him breathless.
At this time, my sister Shen Lu thought deeply: "Third brother, do you think the person named Jing is older or younger than you?"
The third young master Shen Yun asked: "Why do you ask this?"
Shen Lurao said meaningfully: "Treat him as your own, which means that if he is older than you, you will have to call him 'brother' sooner or later."
Chen Yun was furious, slammed the table and said, "Have his spring and autumn dream!"
After discovering that his sister was gloating about her misfortune, he couldn't help but become even more angry and complained: "With so many things going on at home now, you still have time to make these silly jokes."
Shen Lu had an optimistic character and said: "No matter how big the deal is, the best we can do is start over again. It's not like we've never been poor before, brother. I remember when we two were fighting for a wowotou, it wasn't a big deal."
...
In the house, Jing Yue, who had been shaking all day, slept soundly, just as the third young master said, dreaming of spring and autumn dreams.
Dreaming about the great dream of spring and autumn, which is bound to practice and prolong life.
