Sihai Tea House is a new property of Capital Master Du Liuye. The front door facing Xiyanhe Street is a two-story brick and wood building with a bluestone foundation. It stands out among the surrounding low-rise shops.
On the fourteenth day of the winter lunar month, when the rooster crows three times, the teahouse clerk removes the door panel as usual. Mr. Du Liuye got up early and practiced boxing in the courtyard to activate his muscles, bones and blood vessels. He put on his big cloak and walked to the street.
At this time, the morning sun has already risen, and Du Liuye's teahouse looks gleaming in the winter because of the glass windows. He looked at his property with satisfaction and casually dealt with the neighbors who gathered in front of him to chat.
"Dad, breakfast is ready. Mom asked you to come in for dinner -" Because the court reiterated the slaveholding order, the slaves of Du Liu's family had long since changed their words and called Du Liu "daddy".
Although there are "adopted sons and adopted daughters" as a way to circumvent the slaveholding order, there are fewer and fewer slaves today. Those in the north are heading to the northeast, while those in the south are heading to Burma. There are more ways to survive and fewer people selling themselves.
Moreover, the court laws are becoming more and more stringent - if an "adopted son or daughter" reports "adopted father or mother" for being treated harshly and it is true, the master will pay a large sum of money to compensate the "adopted son or daughter". If you "return to the clan" immediately, you will inevitably lose both your life and money.
Therefore, "employment" has gradually become popular in recent years. The work of serving people is also like working in a factory. The employer signs a contract with the person who sells the labor force, and there is no longer the personal dependence relationship that existed in the past. Apart from the fact that these employees are not as respectful as before in terms of words, there are no other changes for the time being.
But five years ago, if this young man dared to call Du Liu "you", he would get slapped in the mouth. Du Liu glanced at him first, then twisted the scar on his face and glared at him fiercely.
The boy didn't know why at first, but then he bowed in realization, "Dad, mom invites you in for dinner——"
Du Liu said "hum" again, raised his eyes to admire his new tea house again, and then raised his legs to cross the threshold.
"Du Liu'er, it's time to start shaking, it's time to do big business..." Du Liuye heard this voice, his open shoulders suddenly pulled inward, his straight waist immediately leaned forward, and his knees were slightly bent. , suddenly changed from being arrogant to being groveling, which made his godson look straight in the eyes.
I recognize both the characters "Er" and "Du Liu", but I don't quite understand what they mean when they are put together. He looked at Chen Dianli doubtfully, meaning he was waiting for Mr. Chen to explain.
Because he saw something extraordinary, Mr. Du Liu also looked around furtively and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Chen, do you want me to find out who did it?"
The amount of the ticket was not exciting, but it was the first time that he made money from Chen Dianli, which still made Du Liuye feel happy and want to have fun. At this time, he knew that this case was really serious, and at the same time, he pretended to be flattered and agreed.
"Shut up, you bitch!" Chen Dianli's voice was so thin and high-pitched that Du Liu was frightened, "You don't want your head anymore?"
Seeing the ghostly expression on Chen Dianli's face, Du Liu was deeply encouraged and continued: "Think about it, this oar is thick and hard, and the little widow is still uncomfortable -"
"You know a lot of damn idioms! Then tell me what they mean."
"Then why did I come to you to tease you? How many people do you have at your disposal now? Come and find out -"
….
After thinking for a while, he put back another one and handed the remaining one to Du Liudao: "I'll give you ten yuan, which is considered hard-earned money. If there are any important clues, I will give you a big reward~!"
"Sir, you are so scary today. What happened?" Du Liu heard that Chen Dianli said that he was not going to clean himself up, so he raised his sleeves and wiped the sweat on his head.
Seeing that Mr. Chen didn't understand, Du Liu had to lower his head and read the note. After smacking his lips for a long time, he said: "The word Juzheng refers to the old Prince Zhongxing, so it must be right." After hearing this, Chen Dianli said: "Aren't you talking nonsense?"
"Damn it, something big has happened." Chen Dianli shook out a piece of paper. "Yesterday, there were 20 pieces of this stuff stuck in every corner of Wanping County. I heard there are some in Daxing as well." He handed the note to him. Du Liu looked.
Since the county magistrate didn't explain it, Mr. Chen didn't understand either, so he just said vaguely: "This is anti-poetry!"
Du Liu didn't have the guts to do it, so he hurriedly agreed, saying that all his "old friends" would be notified. Chen Dianli saw that he was not stingy.
Sighed. After hesitating for a long time, he took out a wallet from his pocket and painfully took out two dragon tickets.
He saw Du Liu stop talking, glanced at the crowded street, grabbed Du Liu's shoulders and dragged him to a deserted place on the roadside. Du Liu was tall. In order to facilitate Chen Dianli, he hurriedly bent his waist downwards.
Chen Dianli's eyes widened and he interrupted in a cold voice: "What? You don't want to do it?"
"Caifeng? Caifeng? Are you talking about the one in Cining Palace?" Du Liu took a breath and said, "Mr. Chen, tell me, 'Zhouji, what is it? Could it be a paddle?"
"Du Liu, can you still use those shrimps, soldiers and crabs of yours?" As soon as he said this, Chen Dianli saw that Du Liu's body was as soft as noodles. "Hey, hey, why are you shaking? I'm not trying to deal with you, stand up straight! Calm down!"
He stood up and looked Du Liu up and down. When Du Liu saw Chen Dianli's pair of triangular eyes with a fierce look, his heart was pounding and he stopped talking.
Du Liu heard the words and said with a smile: "This post is about palace affairs, 'Jinyi, those guys are not allowed to go to the city to investigate? Why should Mr. Chen bother -"
I saw my "daddy" trotting all the way to the east to meet him. He bowed his head with both hands and said repeatedly: "Mr. Chen, why do you have time to come here today? Have you had breakfast? Are you in the house?" Please—er, go to Lao Sun’s house in Xitou to get some fruit preserves and ask your mother to make some good tea—Hey, I said I saw magpies chirping when I went out today—" A series of flattery made Wanping County's Chen Dianli couldn't get in the conversation.
After saying that, he looked around and whispered: "It turns out that this is what 'Caifeng means'. I thought about it for a long time, and it turned out that it has the same pronunciation. You can understand it just by pronouncing it aloud."
After walking for a while, Chen Dianli had a few drops of sweat on his fat face. The flesh on his cheekbones rolled, indicating that he was in a very bad mood.
"Hey? The sky is clear and the sun is bright, the universe is bright, what kind of thing is this peaceful and prosperous age like-"
Seeing Chen Dianli's eyes staring at the crisp big ticket in his hand from time to time, Du Liu called the waiter to bring over two bunches of cake tea, which cost about ten yuan - Chen Dianli felt better now.
Then he said goodbye to Du Liu and muttered: "Yuan County Magistrate is young but he is really cruel. He said that if a woman is in trouble, it is the fault of the official. I will make it easier for you."
Du Liu bent down and watched Chen Dianli go west, then turned back and went into the house to eat. When entering, he handed the ticket to the boy at the door and said, "Go to Ertiao Alley and find a calligrapher and painter, and frame this ticket. I'll hang it up and look at it."
The little guy opened his mouth wide, wondering what the convulsion was about. Du Liu ignored him and muttered as he walked to the back room, "What kind of bullshit is this? The villain is talking about the widow's right and wrong, and we are making a big fuss here."
(End of chapter)
mojie
