Qin Shi was frightened by everyone's eyes and backed away again and again, but she was helplessly dressed too heavy, and before she took two steps away, everyone in the flower hall had already surrounded her.
"What are you doing?" Qin Shi was shocked.
However, the terrible situation she expected did not happen. After a group of women surrounded her, they didn't know who was in charge, so they all knelt down for her.
"Old lady, have pity on us!"
"Lu Guogong's mansion is rich and powerful, and ask the old lady to save us!"
In the past, why did the poor and wounded soldiers only seek help from the British government, and all their families served under Wu Qingyi or Wu Zhong? Of course not, it was just that Wu Qingyi's name was even louder in the past.
Being famous is a double-edged sword, and the people fear and respect him even more, but if something happens, he is the first person that comes to mind.
It was different now. The Duke of Lu was very popular in Beijing, and Feng Yuan became famous earlier than Wu Qingyi. Naturally, the wounded soldiers who retired also knew about him.
This is even better - these people are more afraid of the evil general Wu Qingyi, and now there is a family that is richer than his family and is also a leader in the army, and it is not so scary, isn't it cheaper to act
The women who came were naturally the families of the wounded soldiers. As for why they came together, it was also a "coincidence".
Most of them were not from the capital. They came from outside and found the cheapest hotel to stay in the capital. The young man gave them an idea, saying that it is rare for a high-profile family to see the common people once, and it is better to have a support if there are more people.
They were a little afraid, but someone helped them come up with an idea, and when the crowd became so embarrassed, they naturally gained confidence.
Qin Shi was irritated by the loud cries. She waved her hands and said, "Get up and kneel. What am I doing?"
The women naturally did not move, but each cried out about the hardships in their own homes.
Qin Shi is not a fool, what else is there to understand
They all come to seek relief, and to say something ugly is to beat the autumn wind!
"Why did you find our mansion?" Qin scolded, "Shouldn't you go to the British mansion?"
It is not a secret that the British government's relief to the wounded soldiers is known to many people in the capital.
In private, Mr. Qin didn't laugh at his stupidity, but he didn't expect these people to come to his own house!
"What the old lady said, now who doesn't know that your family is the first noble family in the capital?"
"Yeah, I heard that the old lady even considers a few thousand taels of silver as a small amount of money that is not worth mentioning."
"Minwomen didn't really believe the rumors from outside, but when I saw you today, I realized how rich your family is."
The more everyone talked, the more excited they became, their eyes were like the gold and silver jewels stuck to Qin's body.
"Our family...our family..." Qin's lips moved, wanting to say that she had no money.
But when he said this, not only others didn't believe it, but even Qin himself didn't believe it. And when you say this, doesn't it mean that you slap yourself in the face
Qin shi closed his eyes and simply prepared to pretend to be dizzy.
At this moment, a soft female voice sounded in the hall—
"Ladies, listen to me, let's all sit wide and speak slowly if you have something to say?"
Her voice was not loud, but she had an air of calmness.
The crowd quieted down, Qin shi looked at the sound and saw Chen shi standing at the door of the flower hall.
"What are you doing here?" Qin Shi, who consciously lost face, became more and more angry.
Chen shi smiled softly, and stepped forward to take Qin shi's arm, and explained, "I heard that there are many guests. My daughter-in-law was afraid that her mother-in-law would not be able to entertain them, so she came to help."
Qin Shi smirked, and was about to say that I can't handle things, can you still do them well
Concerned that there were many outsiders around, she finally swallowed the words back in her stomach, saving some face for the Chen family.
At the back, Mrs. Chen helped Mrs. Qin to sit down on the main seat, and then asked a group of women to come forward to speak.
After the organization of people, the flower hall finally restored some order, and there was no more noisy situation of dozens of people talking together before.
These women came here specially from other places, naturally they were in really difficult situation. When they talked about the difficulties at home, when they talked about the emotional part, even Chen shi's eyes were red.
What they wanted was not much, that is, some money for the winter.
Before Qin shi said anything, Chen shi's wife, the prince of the country, spoke first.
Although Qin Shi was reluctant, he couldn't lose the face of Mrs. Guo for such a small amount of money.
Of course, some of these individuals were bold enough to say fifty taels before saying, "It's not empty words, but I heard that the British government used to help people like us, and it's fifty taels and one household! The British government is so rich, and women only need the same amount of money, so they shouldn't be greedy, right?"
This was in the past. If you could compare the British government, let alone fifty taels, it would be five hundred taels, and the Qin family would not say a word. But now everyone in the hall looked at her like a hungry wolf rushing towards food, and Qin Shi dared not respond to this sound.
"Don't say that," Chen shi smiled reassuringly, "Although fifty taels of silver is not much, look, there are so many people here today... It's the twelfth lunar month again, and there will be more and more people who need help before the end of the year. If there are too many, if the money is scattered at the front, what will happen to the people who come after?”
The others immediately said, "Yeah, I haven't had my turn yet. Why don't you think about the people who come after you?"
"That's right, let me say, the money of the British government is to be used up by people like you!"
The woman blushed at what everyone said, and didn't dare to mention fifty taels, so she just had to chew for the winter.
Mrs. Chen asked his servants to make a book by the side, and each household gave 10 taels of silver. If the situation was particularly difficult and the basic life was unsustainable, they would give 10 taels more.
After receiving the money, these people still need to sign and sign it.
After registering and distributing the money, the women dispersed before noon.
This morning, the Duke of Lu had spent a total of nearly a thousand taels of silver.
Without outsiders, Mr. Qin naturally stopped showing his face to Mrs. Chen, threw the tea cup at hand, pointed at her and cursed: "Well, you prodigal, you sent out so much money in the morning, you know today After that, there will be later people, even if our family is sitting on gold and silver mountains, we can't stop those people!"
The tea cup cracked at Mrs. Chen's feet, and the tea stained her skirt. Mrs. Chen respectfully said, "You are right. But if you don't do this, can you hide it once, can you hide it again and again? What is the family's reputation? Even if the mother-in-law doesn't think about our house, she should think about the imperial concubine of Yong'an Palace, and the prince and princess from the imperial concubine..."
Mentioning this, Qin's expression finally softened.
Yes, the future of the Duke of Lu's mansion is not just in front of you, but in the back.
If this incident can give Yonghe Palace a good reputation, then the money can be considered to be the best use.
Unexpectedly, Chen Shi, an orphan girl, has such a vision.
Although she was quite surprised, Qin Shi didn't praise her and let her go down with a wave of her hand.
Chen went back to her small yard to change clothes, and Feng Yu, who was born to her, came over not long after.
Feng Yu had just passed his tenth birthday. Although he was a half-year-old child, he was much smarter than ordinary children because he grew up in the army since he was a child.
Seeing the dress that the maid took out, Feng Yu smelled a hint of tea, and the smile on his face stagnated.
When Chen shi changed clothes and went out of the inner room, Feng Yu hurriedly greeted her and asked with concern, "Grandma embarrassed mother?"
Chen shi shook his head and said, "It's just a small matter."
Feng Yu knew everything in the house very well, and he said indignantly: "This was caused by my grandmother and father. My mother helped Zhou Quan, and my grandmother shouldn't blame you..." He took a deep breath. "Mother can bear it any longer. When her son is older, she will not teach her to suffer any more."
Chen shi looked at him lovingly.
This stupid boy is talking nonsense again.
Of course, when Feng Yu grows up, most of them will be able to get the position of the heir, but the past dynasties have always ruled the country with filial piety. Even if he really becomes the prince, he will not be able to disobey Qin's grandmother.
Not to mention that Concubine Feng Gui is the daughter of Qin's family. With her support for Qin's family, Qin's family will be able to hold power in the house for a day.
After ten years in the Feng family, Chen shi has already seen clearly that her good life is not after her son grows up, but after Qin shi's funeral.
This day ... and some boil it.
Since that day, as Chen said, more and more family members of wounded soldiers came to ask for help, and the money was spent like water.
In the end, the Duke of Lu Feng Yuan couldn't sit still, and went to the palace in person to ask to see Emperor Zhengyuan, and to tell him about this matter.
However, before he could open his mouth, Emperor Zhengyuan smiled when he saw him: "A Yuan is here just in time, and I am about to reward you!"
Feng Yuan was stunned for a moment, and when Emperor Zhengyuan waved his hand, the palace servants unfolded the scroll, and a picture of the dragon and phoenix danced in front of Feng Yuan's calligraphy was displayed in front of Feng Yuan, with four words written on it - "House of Goodness".
"How does A Yuan look?" Emperor Zhengyuan asked him with a smile, "This is what I asked Mrs. Wen to write for you personally."
Mrs. Wen is the head of the civil service. Does this mean that the literati also acknowledges his credit
"This..." Feng Yuan was emotional, "This minister deserves it!"
Emperor Zhengyuan waved his hand indifferently, "Ayuan is too modest. You are the founding official of the country, and this time, you are saving money and helping the wounded soldiers. This is what you deserve!"
As soon as these words came out, Feng Yuan was embarrassed to complain and asked Emperor Zhengyuan for help.
Emperor Zhengyuan said again: "However, the matter of helping the wounded soldiers is still the responsibility of the imperial court. After the new year, I will let people take care of them. But it's not good to let Ayuan dissipate his family wealth."
Feng Yuan exhaled a long breath and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compassion!"
The two brothers of the monarch and minister talked for a while. Emperor Zhengyuan had other government affairs to deal with, so Feng Yuan naturally retire.
Although there are still nearly two months before the Chinese New Year, Feng Yuan's heart is hot.
What her mother said was right. This is spending money to build momentum for the noble concubine and prince in the palace. Your Majesty sees it.
The money is so worth it!
And the front of the British government has also done this kind of thing. I have never heard that Emperor Zhengyuan gave his family any praise or reward. It can be seen that Emperor Zhengyuan still prefers his own family!
When Feng Yuan left, Emperor Zheng Yuan, who was pretending to handle government affairs, put the memorial away, and the smile on his face faded.
When he became the founding emperor, he had no money in his hands. His mother, the old lady, made two new clothes, and he had to worry about the money at home. The hero below comes up and brags about how rich he is, who can endure this
However, the Feng family was not smart at all. He already knew it, otherwise he would not have chosen the daughter of the Feng family to enter the palace.
But someone took the hot potato away, and the burden on Emperor Zhengyuan was still much lighter.
He stretched his back, turned his head and said to Qian Sansi again: "When all the debts are recovered, remember to remind me to plug the holes in the British government's government, so that they don't have to empty their money for this matter."
Qian Sansi couldn't help laughing, answering "yes" and thinking to himself, which one is the real Jane in the Emperor's heart, it's not just a compliment on the surface, but something that is actually implemented!
…
In mid-October, the capital knew that Emperor Zhengyuan had rewarded the Duke of Lu with the inscription "House of Goodness", which was equivalent to appointing his family as a family for the relief of wounded soldiers. An endless stream of people came to the door, and I heard that the threshold of the Duke of Lu's mansion was a bit lower.
After making sure that no one came to ask for help, Gu Yin was finally able to buy her favorite restaurant.
It's a bit funny to say, 15,000 or 2,000 miles, the big end is the money in the house, and the small end is Gu Ye won back from the casino.
But because the issue of the wounded soldiers in the front has not been resolved, the money has to be hidden, and only dare to move it until now - otherwise, if you had bought a restaurant before, let the interested people find out, and come up with a "you have money to buy that kind of thing" The big restaurant, it can be seen that the British government has a solid family.” According to the rumors, the current situation of the Lu country’s government will have to be replaced by its own. At that time, the British government naturally couldn't provide the money to help the wounded soldiers, and he was afraid that in the end, this incident would become a typical example of Shengmi's fighting against rice.
Don't worry about that now, Gu Yin and Shopkeeper Zhou went to pay and settle the contract early in the morning.
There are two copies of the land deed and the building deed. Gu Yin originally wanted one to write her own name and the other to write Wang's name.
But she hasn't mentioned it yet, her mother-in-law is like a roundworm in her stomach now, and she said directly: "Write your own name, don't write mine. Although Wanliang is from the family, you deserve it. The five thousand taels were won by Ono, if you want to write it, don't write my name, write Ono's."
Of course Gu Ye didn't want it. "What did the mother say? This is the son's filial piety to the mother, and the mother deserves it."
Everyone in the family has a unified voice, and even Wu Zhong, who has the least relationship with Gu Yin, has nothing to say, thinking that Gu Yin deserves it.
Gu Yin didn't feel awkward with them either. They were a family both vertically and horizontally. No matter whose name was written on the deed, the restaurant was owned by the whole family.
Because it was sold directly by the imperial court, the procedure was simpler than usual. For the money delivered in the morning, Gu Yin became the owner of the restaurant at noon.
Although it is a new location, it is already the second store, so Gu Yin is well-prepared for the opening of the store this time.
The first is the store's signboard. This time I asked Mrs. Wen to write it.
Mrs. Wen was just taking a rest that day, and Taibai Street was not far from his home, so he personally visited the restaurant that day, looked inside and out of the restaurant, and said, "This place is really good, better than the one in Hanshan Town. Less. Compared with this scale, I have to write you a more ambitious one. As for the material, you don't have to worry about it, I will find it for you. "
After entering Beijing, Mrs. Wen regained his former glory and his former busyness.
The two haven't seen each other for a long time. After talking about this, they still have to talk about family life.
It was mainly because Mrs. Wen asked Gu Yin, but he still worried about her.
Although Gu Yin's family members are all in the British government, but people's hearts are fickle, and there are a lot of things in the big family. Who can ensure that after reaching the top, they will still treat their family with the same attitude as before
Gu Yin said: "It's all good, really good. Who dares to treat me badly, my mother is the first to let him go."
Although it was almost the same as what he had guessed, Mrs. Wen was still relieved, stroked his beard and said, "Not bad, not bad."
Then there is the interior decoration and recruitment.
This time, the first two floors below the restaurant are brand new, just hire someone to clean it and add some basic things.
It is more troublesome to recruit people, unlike the previous small store, just recruit a few acquaintances, and then it is enough to introduce acquaintances by acquaintances.
Fortunately, Beijing is the hometown of Shopkeeper Zhou. He has been in Beijing for a month, and he has also contacted some old friends and has already booked a pair of red and white chefs.
With Gu Yin, there are four cooks, more than enough to deal with the two-story restaurant temporarily open. In this way, occasionally there is something wrong with Gu Yin's house, and when it is inconvenient to come here, it will not affect the operation of the entire restaurant.
Local chefs naturally have connections in the local area, and a series of people such as second chefs and small workers no longer need to bother to contact them, and they can all work together at once.
Gu Yin's owner is responsible for the solicitation of the court servant.
On the afternoon that the job notice was posted, someone came to see the job.
Gu Yin wore her homely clothes for an interview.
The embarrassing thing happened again, just like the time when Hanshan Town recruited workers, when he came to see the workers, he didn't know what to do, and when he came up, he went to shopkeeper Zhou to greet him.
After listening to the shopkeeper Zhou explaining that Gu Yin was the owner, although the man did not show any contempt on his face, he bowed his hands to greet Gu Yin, but still whispered to shopkeeper Zhou: "The daily operation of this restaurant should still be said by the shopkeeper. Forget it?"
Obviously, she still doesn't like the female owner.
Shopkeeper Zhou said: "If our boss is not available, then I will naturally act for the general affairs. If the boss is free, then naturally the boss will be the master."
There was a look of thinking and struggling on the other side.
Gu Yin naturally wouldn't hire people who looked down on women and thought women couldn't do anything, so she invited them out.
Later, Gu Yin simply went out and added a new sentence to the notice, stating that it was required to be male or female.
In other words, if you work in her house, you can't avoid being colleagues and dealing with women. If you don't like it, don't come as soon as possible!
Coincidentally, as soon as she posted the notice, a young woman with a cloth towel and a vegetable basket passed by.
"Recruitment... Twenty taels per month, regardless of gender." The young woman labored to read it again, and then asked Gu Yin, "Is your family's recruitment really regardless of gender?"
Gu Yin turned her head and didn't answer, but looked at the other party with a look of surprise: "Is it you?"
As she spoke, the young woman was about to squat down and salute. Gu Yin immediately helped her up, and after identifying it carefully, she realized that the young woman in front of her was the one who came to ask for help in September, and the man in the family had both broken legs. that.
"It's you. Don't be so polite outside." Gu Yin invited people into the restaurant to talk, and then asked her, "Is everything okay at home now?"
The young woman nodded and said, "It's all right, the general gave my family medicine and money, and my man used to lie on the kang... Well, I don't hide it from you, he doesn't want to live, he doesn't want to drag me down. Since I met the general once, he is completely different. For example, when I go out to sell eggs and vegetables, and do some small business, he takes care of the housework at home... Thanks to your family!"
In the past, she didn't dare to leave home for too long, for fear that as soon as she left, the man she was determined to die would find short-sighted.
Her eyes turned red as she spoke, if it wasn't for Gu Yin not wanting to be greeted by her, she would have kowtowed to Gu Yin firmly.
Gu Yin was also very pleased, and asked her again, "Where are you selling these now?"
The restaurant naturally had to buy ingredients. The eggs and vegetables in the woman's basket looked pretty good at this hour, and they were obviously extremely fresh.
The woman said bluntly: "The eggs are laid by the hen at home, and the vegetables are freshly pulled from the ground. The daily quantity is not much, only enough to eat and sell at home, not enough to sell to a place like yours. And I can’t afford the booth fees in the city, so there are no fixed booths, I just walk the streets and alleys to sell it.”
Having said this, her eyes became firm again, "Don't worry, as long as I live a day, I will do a day's work, and I will definitely pay the money back."
There are also many people in the British government, but I haven't heard of any one that regards the silver as a loan and plans to return it.
Gu Yin couldn't help but glance at her and said with a smile, "I see that you are very smart in speaking and doing things, and you can read and write. Are you interested in finding an errand in our store?"
The young woman's face was flushed and she spoke quickly and authentically: "I haven't done any running jobs, but if you give me this opportunity, I will definitely take a good look and study hard!"
Running halls is not a job with a particularly high technical content, as long as you are not particularly timid and talkative, you can do it well.
Gu Yin ordered her to come, and asked the shopkeeper Zhou to hand over the deed that had been prepared a long time ago.
Gu Yin also knew about her related situation - her maiden name was Wei, she had no big name, and her family called her Sanniang. Her family was gone in the war, only she and her family man were left, and now they all live in Shuiyun Village on the outskirts.
The arrival of Wei Sanniang also reminded Gu Yin.
She can provide jobs for the families of wounded soldiers, and it is better to teach a man how to fish than to teach him how to fish. Just a sum of money to settle down can't protect the family's life for the rest of their lives.
As for why they didn't directly provide positions to wounded soldiers, the people who came down on the battlefield usually had their hands and feet broken. Especially when guests come to eat out, most of them bring their family members, and it is not good to scare timid children. If it's modern, you don't have to worry about it.
Of course, if it was before, Gu Yin would not do it even if she thought about it - there are too many people who need help, and it is absolutely impossible to take care of it. Hiring this one, not inviting that one, it is easy to fall into the trap, and even forge a relationship. hatred.
Now you can start doing it. Because everyone knows that if you go to the Duke of Lu's mansion to cry and beg, you will be able to receive cash for the winter, and the imperial court will also issue money for pensions after the year. The more difficult it is, the more money you will get.
In this stall, those who are willing to come out to seek a living are like Wei Sanniang, who are unwilling to be scolded and have a backbone.
Invisibly, it is equivalent to helping her screen out a group of people who are too active and restless.
When Wei Sanniang heard her say that she had this idea, she couldn't help herself, and she trembled: "We have two families like this in the same village, and the men in their family were also injured, not as serious as the one in my family, but it is very difficult to go to the ground every day. It's hardship. It's just that those two eldest brothers, like my men, are not allowed to enter the city to ask for relief..."
After saying what she thought suddenly, she lowered her voice and explained a little embarrassedly: "It wasn't that time... The aunt who went with me that time, I didn't know the aunt in the same village was that kind of person, and she was no longer in harmony. Her family has been in contact with each other. The two families I just mentioned are really good."
"It's okay, I understand what you mean." Gu Yin patted the back of her hand, "Then please go back and send a letter to see if they are willing. Of course, it is not necessarily the family members of the soldiers who want to be injured. Others want to enter the city. People who do work, as long as they are honest and responsible, we are all welcome here."
Wei Sanniang immediately stood up, thanked first, and then went back to inform the people in the same village.
In the afternoon, the storekeeper Zhou was in charge of delivering the shopping. The two had just tried two dishes in the back kitchen when Wei Sanniang brought them over.
The two women looked Zhou Zheng, and they were a pair of sisters, both surnamed Sun. They were also twenty-five or sixteen years old, married to a pair of brothers.
One of the brothers lost an arm, and the other lost half of the sole of their foot, but because of their steadfastness and hard work, ordinary men can do the work in an hour, and they spent an hour and a half, or even two hours, and they still lived their lives. , but still worse than the average person.
The Big Sun and the Little Sun are also cheerful people, especially the Big Sun, whose lips and teeth are more agile than Wei Sanniang.
Gu Yin settled both of them.
The restaurant is still in the preparatory stage, and the deed will only take effect in November, so after signing the deed, Gu Yin is going to let them leave first to do her own business.
But the three of them heard that the shopkeeper Zhou was going to hire someone to clean up, but they refused to leave, rushing to take over the work, saying that these were what they were used to doing at home, and there was nothing to do at home.
The three of them were really quick and quick, and they cleaned the entire floor in half an afternoon. Although they were all sweating profusely, they all had smiles in their eyes, full of hope for a new life!
Of course, things didn't go smoothly. Just like when Shiweitian just opened, the people who saw the job saw that the guys in Gu Yin's house were all women, so they shrank. This afternoon, it was a similar situation.
Gu Yin didn't take it seriously, the way is different, and it's not a matter of conspiracy. Moreover, Hanshan Town's food for the day was prepared for half a month, and now it is not in a hurry.
After staying in her own restaurant for a whole day, Gu Yin wanted to pay Wei Sanniang and others for the hard work of cleaning, but they refused to accept anything.
Gu Yin didn't force it. In the evening, she bought some ingredients nearby and cooked a sumptuous evening meal with Shopkeeper Zhou.
The braised lion's head with thick oily red sauce is fragrant, and the gravy is overflowing with a bite, and the teeth and cheeks are fragrant.
Another plate of fried rape and Gu Yin boiled vegetable porridge.
When she was cooking porridge, Wei Sanniang and others still wanted to help, saying that they dared not bother her to cook for them.
Shopkeeper Zhou helped Gu Yin and said, "This is our boss's hobby. If the ladies don't let us, our boss won't be happy."
Gu Yin also smiled and said, "The shopkeeper is right. It will open next month. If I don't cook a few more times, I will have to give birth by hand."
Wei Sanniang and the others didn't stop her, but they were still busy with their work, burning the stove and adding firewood.
It really feels like a dream to be able to eat meals made by the general's wife in this life!
After the dishes and porridge were all on the table, Wei Sanniang and the others couldn't stop drinking from the porridge bowls, saying that there were wild vegetables and beans in it, how could it be so delicious
This is naturally the heat. When the heat is up, the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves are integrated into one place, and even the most common ingredients can make the best taste.
Gu Yin saw that they only ate porridge and no vegetables, let alone meat, so she asked the shopkeeper Zhou to take a few bowls and put the rest of the untouched lion heads and let them take them back.
After the evening meal was over, it was getting dark outside, so shopkeeper Zhou found an ox cart to take them back to the village.
Gu Yin carried the food box containing the porridge, and locked the front and rear doors briskly and left.
The horse-drawn carriage of the British government was parked at the corner of the street.
There was no driver on the carriage, only a burly young man sat there.
He had one leg bent, the other long leg hanging in the air. One hand held the lantern, the other rested on his lap against his chin.
Under the soft candlelight, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, and the half of his face without a mask was covered with a warm halo, as quiet as the person in the painting.
Gu Yin couldn't help slowing down, and when she came to the front, she reached out to touch the half of his silver mask.
Before touching the mask, he grabbed her hand against his chin.
"Why are you still wearing a mask at night?" Gu Yin asked him softly.
He opened his eyes, and his voice was a little tired and hoarse, "I'm used to wearing it, and I didn't go home to change clothes after the next value."
As he spoke, his palm rubbed the back of hers, "Why are your hands so cold?"
Gu Yin lowered her eyes and said softly, "Your hands aren't hot. How long have you been waiting? Why didn't you go in?"
Wu Qingyi is usually in the evening, and it is already dark now, so he has waited for at least half an hour.
He let go of her hand, moved his neck, and said indifferently: "It's okay, it didn't take long. If I go, the people in your store will be afraid."
After he finished speaking, he reached out to her again, "I'm done, go home?"
Gu Yin pursed her lips and chuckled, handed him his hand and let him pull herself onto the cab.
"Well, go home."