Liu Daqiang suddenly looked behind Zheng Haizhu and called "Mama".
It was Captain Liu's wife. She came to the river to wash clothes, with a gloomy and sad look on her face.
Zheng Haizhu wanted to catch her and ask.
Liu's wife put down the wooden basin, hugged her little daughter, and Qi Ran told her the whole story.
Liu Captou has a little brother who won the Jinshi the year before last and worked as a "guanzheng" in Beijing for a year. He was appreciated by the court and was sent to Shaanxi as a promotion official last year.
There is a special gang in Beijing that targets poor low-level officials who have been sent abroad, and actively lends them travel expenses through the introduction of so-called colleagues.
After arriving at the place of employment, officials often find that the documents have been manipulated. For example, the word "month" in the monthly interest rate looks more like "day", and what they actually owe is loan sharking. At this time, people from the loan shark gang will make various illegal demands, allowing officials to use their power to repay the debts.
If you don't comply, you will be harassed, humiliated, and even framed and falsely accused. Liu Captou, the younger brother of a sesame officer, has recently been involved in false accusations.
Zheng Haizhu heard this and asked in surprise: "Your brother-in-law, like Mr. Huang of this mansion, is a serious eighth-grade civil servant. How can a local ruffian dare to be so arrogant?"
Liu's wife said: "Miss Zheng, Mr. Huang comes from a noble family. Mr. Huang's disciples are all over the south of the Yangtze River, and there are many officials in Beijing. Who dares to bully Mr. Huang? But we who come from poor families are like ants in the officialdom. Those who lend money are not ordinary ruffians. The families behind them are all very powerful. They can all establish friendship with various princes or princesses in the north, crushing ants and trampling grass. a piece of cake."
Zheng Haizhu was heartbroken when she heard this. She knelt down, took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears on Liu Xiaomei's face, and said to Liu's wife, "Are you trying to raise money to build a relationship, so you exchanged my little sister for some money?"
There was no question in her tone, but Liu's wife covered her mouth and sobbed: "Miss Zheng, who mother would be willing to hand over such a young child? But elder brothers are like fathers, and Old Liu was so anxious that it was so easy Mao estimated that he would have to prepare at least fifty taels to help him get to Shaanxi. His own monthly salary had not been paid in years, and his family really couldn't make up the amount. Anyone who came to see his little sister was willing to pay thirty taels. Yangzhou is also richer than Songjiang, so being a child bride may not necessarily mean hardship."
Liu's wife's last words sounded like she was comforting her angry eldest son and frightened younger daughter, but in fact they were meant to trick herself into believing that her own flesh and blood would have a bright future.
Thirty taels of silver, Yangzhou... Zheng Haizhu was stunned.
When she was traveling a long distance with her nephew, the most dangerous time was when she encountered the Renyazi gang and was almost robbed. Fortunately, she was vigilant and lucky, and asked several escorts for help and was rescued. Although the escorts were honest and upright, they spoke carelessly and told her that at her age, they could only be sold to people as concubines to fill houses or give birth to sons, and they would not be sold at a good price. They would be around ten taels of silver, but if they were Peugeot The number of girls sold to Yangzhou as emaciated horses can be doubled.
Nowadays, the betrothal gift for a well-off tenant farmer in the three counties of Songjiang will not exceed twenty taels of silver.
The family that asked my little sister to be a child bride was actually willing to pay thirty taels of silver?
I'm afraid he's going to be sold to a brothel to raise a thin horse, right?
Zheng Haizhu quickly calculated the remaining money on hand.
Although Yan Siqi had a full 20,000 taels of dividends plus new capital to help her handle goods in Jiangnan, this adventure disrupted the rhythm of everything and the money order had not yet arrived at Uncle Tang in Nanhui.
Mao Wenlong's son also sent 800 taels, but Zheng Haizhu gave them to Zheng Zhilong for emergency relief, exchanged them for supplies, sent them to Daishan, and handed them over to many of Yan Siqi's subordinates and salt workers' families.
The school's accounts contained capital injections from the Shaoxing Zhang brothers, but Zheng Haizhu was reluctant to borrow money from the public account for this matter.
Damn it, as expected, cash flow is king, and the saying that a penny cannot kill a hero is actually true.
I was bragging that I was a moderately accomplished time-travel heroine, but when things came to a head, I found my WeChat wallet, ah no, there was only a few taels of silver in the money box in the house, which was the monthly salary from the Han family.
Fortunately, there are a few pieces of gold jewelry in the money box. If you pawn them, you can get twenty taels. Then I asked my nephew Shou Kuanyun how many months or two he would have to pay, and he could get it together.
Zheng Haizhu's plan was decided, so he said to Liu's wife with a solemn face: "I am going to invite the Silkworm Queen now. To make a long story short, I will pay for thirty taels of silver. I will definitely deliver the money tomorrow. Don't send my little sister to be a pawn." Child bride, otherwise, I will ask Mr. Huang to drive away your old Liu."
When Liu's wife heard this, of course she recognized that Zheng Haizhu was not a threat but a great help, but she couldn't believe it for a moment and just opened her mouth, unable to speak.
His son Liu Daqiang clapped his hands with joy and pulled his sister over to kneel down and kowtow to Zheng Haizhu.
Zheng Haizhu slapped his head and taught him a lesson: "You are a young man now. When something happens in the future, don't just burn ants to vent your anger. Come and find your teacher! Take your sister to school quickly. I don't care if you kowtow." Those who recite the Buddha’s name only hope that you will study hard.”
After saying that, she turned around and trotted onto the sedan chair.
Seeing the sedan jolting away, Liu's wife seemed to wake up, looked at her son and said, "This Miss Zheng is really amazing. A long-time employee of a wealthy family has become so rich."
The son gave his mother a slightly cold look.
"Mom, Miss Zheng is not rich, she just has a heroic spirit."
After he finished speaking, he was about to pull his sister towards the school, but saw a young man in a long gown coming towards her.
It was Lu Xiangsheng.
After Lu Xiangsheng saw clearly that they were brothers and sisters of the Liu family, he bowed his hands to Liu's wife, introduced himself to his family, and said to his two students in a friendly manner: "Are you the only ones going to school? No need to go, the two gentlemen who teach essays and geometry , I'm feeling ill. Mr. Yao has taken leave today. I haven't finished my work yet, and I can't teach."
Liu's wife had long heard from her two children that there was a young scholar from Yixing in the school. His surname was Lu. He was not as boring as the old scholar. When she saw Mr. Lu in person, she immediately and enthusiastically suggested: "Mr. Lu, let me Qiang and my little sister will accompany you around the Moon River. There is still a float to welcome the Silkworm Lady today. The last time we locals saw it was five or six years ago."
Nine-year-old Liu Xiaomei, now that she knew that Miss Zheng had saved her from her bad luck, her panic, worry and fear had completely dissipated, and she had regained her childish nature. She also looked forward to seeing Miss Zheng dressed up differently from usual, so she also raised her face and looked towards Lu Xiangsheng. He said earnestly: "Sir, will you come with us? Miss Zheng is the host this year."
Lu Xiangsheng originally came out to visit the bookstore.
A man who loves firearms and blades has really no interest in folk temple fairs that are flashy and full of women.
Unexpectedly, he changed his mind when he heard that Zheng Haizhu would become the protagonist.
Come and have a look.
…
An hour later, on the north bank of the Moon River.
Amid the sound of firecrackers exploding from time to time, a team of dozens of people walked meanderingly.
After the first wave of gongs and drums, there were two people holding bamboo sticks to dance silkworm lanterns, five or six girls holding fresh mulberry leaves, dipping them into buckets of well water and swaying them, and some martial arts students who were obviously from the theatrical troupe were turning the tables. To warm up the somersaults, there were also many women from the silk industry handing out candies and rice cakes to onlookers along the way.
In the center of the team is an oxcart. Among the gorgeous and tacky artificial flowers, a white horse made of gauze and silk stands with its head held high. The body part behind the horse's neck is hollowed out, and there seems to be a raised wooden pillar inside. The woman stands on it.
"Miss Zheng! Brother, Mr. Lu, look, that is Miss Zheng."
Liu Xiaomei, who got into the front row, came back and excitedly reported to her teacher and brother.
Lu Xiangsheng was much taller than ordinary villagers. It was easy for him to look over the crowd of heads and see the horses and people on the float.
As the float approached, Lu Xiangsheng saw Zheng Haizhu's situation clearly and couldn't help but sympathize with her.
Miss Zheng was wearing a thick cloak that was either white or yellow, and she was holding a tray in her hand. She staggered from time to time due to the bumps of the bullock cart.
Now at noon in the summer weather, wearing such a cloak under the blazing sunshine, Zheng Haizhu's face was flushed with heat, and his temple hair was stuck to his cheeks with sweat.
The cloak enveloped Zheng Haizhu like a cocoon.
The white horse tied up with gauze is more like a weird silkworm, surrounding the cocoon.
No matter how much the surrounding villagers applauded, Lu Xiangsheng could only read the dumbfounding look on Zheng Haizhu's face that he tried his best to hide.
Miss Zheng, who is usually unpretentious and capable, is dressed up in such a funny look today. It's really hard to describe.
Lu Xiangsheng turned his head and was about to ask others how long the float would last when he suddenly heard an exclamation from the front row.
"Fire, fire! The white horse is on fire!"
In an instant, people changed from ducks stretching their necks to rats holding their heads and running away. Even the martial artist who was doing somersaults heroically a moment ago had a look of horror on his face and stumbled away.
Finally, there were a few fellow villagers who still had conscience and brains in the critical moment. They tore off the curtains, tarpaulins and other items from the roadside shops and tried to put out the fire while shouting, "Girl, jump down quickly."
Of course, Zheng Haizhu immediately prepared to jump out of the car, but the flames shot up in a few breaths, and just as she pulled her robe up over her head, the cow pulling the cart immediately ran away because its tail was burned. Get up and make her fall in the sea of fire.
"Daqiang, drive the cows into the river with me!"
I saw Lu Xiangsheng shouting, picking up the bamboo stick that fell on the ground, tapping the stick on the ground, and jumping in front of the bull a few times to block the beast's path.
Over there, the young man Liu Daqiang also reacted very quickly. He picked up a wooden barrel and waved it to block the Guniu's retreat.
Guniu was attacked from both sides, and its buttocks were on fire. Without any hesitation, it rushed straight down to the Moon River like a chariot of fire.
