Midsummer afternoon.
The leaves curled up, as if they were about to be sucked dry by the sun.
The cicadas chirped one after another, and I felt hot when I heard them.
There seems to be a halo of light in the sky, which makes people unable to open their eyes.
In the small study room in the east courtyard, there is an ice basin, giving off a cool feeling. But not enough to suppress the heat in people's hearts.
The summer of Kaiyao's thirty-seventh year was extremely hot and came very early.
Before feeling the warmth of spring, the weather suddenly entered the barbecue mode.
Gu Jiu has a five-month-old belly and moves very flexibly.
She was pregnant with this child very easily.
No morning sickness, no sleepless nights, and normal appetite. The taste has not changed from before pregnancy.
I don't particularly want to eat spicy food, nor do I particularly want to eat sour food, it's just a normal taste.
There was no back pain, and I slept soundly at night.
Fetal movement is also normal.
Everything is normal, which is the greatest news.
The weather was hot, she ate two slices of frozen watermelon, and wanted to eat it, but Qingmei took the watermelon away.
It is also nicknamed, "Watermelon is cool in nature, Madam can't eat more."
Gu Jiu had something to eat, "Go and peel a cucumber, I'll eat the cucumber."
"Cucumbers are also cold. If you eat watermelon today, you can't eat cucumbers. Let's eat cucumbers tomorrow."
Gu Jiu was a little annoyed, "Then what can I eat?"
"Madam, let's drink soup. Drink soup to keep healthy."
"Don't drink!"
Gu Jiu refused very simply.
In fact, she doesn't really want to eat watermelon or cucumber. It means that there is anger in the heart, commonly known as getting angry, and you want to eat something cold to suppress the anger.
To say that the biggest impact of pregnancy on Gu Jiu is the ups and downs and unpredictable mood.
The first Miao was still happy, because Liu Zhao's words and eyes, the next Miao, she might turn her face.
In fact, Liu Zhao was speaking normally.
She got up and walked around the room.
From the small study to the bedroom, and back from the bedroom.
She asked Qingmei, "Where did Xiao Cui go?"
"Madam Qi, Xiao Cui is talking to the older sisters in Xi Le Tang."
Xiletang is the courtyard of the second bedroom.
In the first month, Ouyang Fu gave birth as scheduled, a girl weighing five catties and six taels.
When Ouyang Fu gave birth, Gu Jiu didn't go there. I didn't see how disappointed and scary the Second Young Master's face was when he learned that the baby was a girl.
She still heard what Xiao Cui said, that it was Mrs. Wen who carried the child to the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master glanced at him, ordered a few words, and then left with his sleeves.
From the beginning to the end, he didn't bother to see Ouyang Fu, nor did he ask the stable woman if Ouyang Fu was doing well. It seemed that Ouyang Fu didn't care whether she was dead or alive.
Xiao Cui also said that when Ouyang Fu found out that she was giving birth to a girl, she had already cried a lot before she came out of the delivery room.
All in all, the scene was embarrassing and embarrassing.
The members of Ouyang's family were there at the time, but because Ouyang Fu gave birth to a daughter, they were so guilty that they didn't even dare to say a word, let alone support Ouyang Fu.
When the child was in the third bath, Gu Jiu went to visit the child.
The child is growing up very well, and after only a few days of birth, it can be seen that she is a beautiful little girl.
Ouyang Fu walked through the ghost gate, feeling very haggard. It looked like he hadn't had a good rest since the baby was born.
Gu Jiu wanted to intervene, but Ouyang Fu didn't want to reveal her miserable side to others.
Gu Jiu could only give up.
Anyone with eyes can see how the second son dislikes his daughter.
I heard that during Ouyang Fu's confinement period, the second young master only stepped into the bedroom twice, and each time he stayed for no more than half an hour.
He didn't choose the child's name either, as if he had completely forgotten about it.
Or after Ouyang Fu was confinement, she asked Princess Pei to name the child Liu Nian according to her seniority.
In the lineage of King Ning, the girls of this generation are all heart-to-heart generations.
After taking a big name and going to the Shaofu to register the genealogy, the little girl finally has an identity.
Although Mrs. Pei regretted that Ouyang Fu failed to give birth to a son, she did not criticize her harshly. I also gave a generous gift to congratulate the child on his full moon.
As for the second son, Mrs. Pei didn't bother to ask.
Because Ouyang Fu gave birth to a daughter, Concubine Shen has always had no good looks towards her.
Several times, Gu Jiu heard Concubine Shen scold Ouyang Fu with her own ears, both inside and outside the meaning was that she disliked Ouyang Fu's belly.
It turned out that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were very harmonious. Concubine Shen has been nice to Ouyang Fu for many years.
Once a daughter is born, everything changes.
After seeing it, Gu Jiu was really dissatisfied. Is giving birth to a girl so disliked? If you don't give birth to a girl, can your son take a wife and have offspring
It was hard to hold back her violent temper.
Because Ouyang Fu gave birth to a daughter, the second son had even more reason to dote on the two concubines. It seems that the hope of having a son is pinned on the concubine.
Gu Jiu had nothing to do, so he took his own pulse and did a prenatal checkup.
The pulse is strong and everything is normal. Just feeling very irritable.
Liu Zhao went to the Yamen to work as an errand, but Gu Jiu couldn't find anyone to beat up.
Because of her pregnancy, she was not even interested in doing business to make money.
All things are handed over to the people below. Only when the people below cannot make a decision, Gu Jiu will come forward.
For the project outside the South City Gate, the first phase of construction started last month.
Those tens of thousands of refugees gathered outside the city gate were not so easy to dismiss.
If you want to start the first, second and third phases of the project at the same time, you have to move people out first.
There is no way, Gu Jiu can only set aside a special area on the outskirts and build the cheapest resettlement housing first.
So that the refugees can see hope, which is conducive to the development of follow-up work.
After walking around for a cup of tea, Xiaocui came back under the scorching sun.
The ice basin placed in the house made Xiaocui feel comfortable. She simply picked up a piece of ice and put it in her hand, which made her heart feel cold and ice-cold.
Qingmei asked her: "Where did you go wild again, you're covered in sweat."
As he got close to Xiao Cui, it seemed as if he could smell the sunshine.
Xiao Cui chuckled, "I went to the Xi Le Hall, and then to the West Courtyard. I chatted with my sisters while eating melon seeds."
Gu Jiu smiled and asked her, "Have you heard any gossip?"
"Yes, yes." Xiaocui's eyes were round and she was very excited.
Gu Jiu said casually: "Let's hear it, whose gossip is it?"
Xiao Cui said with a smile: "Second Madam sets rules for the two concubines today."
Huh
This is strange.
Since the second son took a concubine, Ouyang Fu's attitude has always been to ignore it, why did she suddenly think of setting rules for the concubine's room
"Is there any reason?"
"The slaves heard from the sisters in Xi Le Tang that they spoke ill of sister Nian behind their backs, and it spread to the ears of the second lady. So the second lady asked them to set the rules."
"Second Young Master doesn't know about this, does he?"
"I probably don't know yet."
Gu Jiu nodded clearly.
Qing Mei was a little worried, "Second Young Master won't quarrel with Second Madam."
Gu Jiu thought for a while, then finally shook her head, "Probably not."
The second son hides a knife in Mianli, so he won't directly tear himself apart with Ouyang Fu for the sake of the two concubines.
And he also counted on Ouyang Fu to give birth to a legitimate son for him.
Yes, my son.
My son is precious, but if he is not a son-in-law, he is not beautiful after all.
Qing Mei said: "It's good not to quarrel. In the past few months, the Second Madam has suffered a lot. As servants, we see it and feel worthless for the Second Madam."
Gu Jiu smiled, but remained silent.
Xiao Cui was very straightforward, "If Madam is also a daughter in this child, what should I do? Will the young master treat his wife coldly like the second young master?"
"If you can't talk, don't talk." Qingmei was furious. Xiao Cui just kept her mouth shut.
She was very worried that Gu Jiu would think too much after hearing this.
Gu Jiu laughed, "Don't worry, the second son is the second son, the son is different from him. As long as it is born by me, the son will like it."
Gu Jiu is so confident.
Qingmei laughed, "Young master has nothing to say to his wife, he loves the house as much as he loves, so naturally he cares about the little baby in his stomach."
Gu Jiu leaned on the soft couch, intending to squint for a while.
The servants reported that Deng Cunli asked to see him.
Gu Jiu opened his eyes, "Tell him to come in."
Deng Cunli came here at this time, something must have happened.
Deng Cunli washed off the stinky sweat on his body, changed into a light long gown, and walked into the cold little study.
So comfortable!
He bowed and saluted, "This old slave greets Madam."
"Excuse me! Sit and talk."
"Thank you ma'am."
Deng Cunli sat down on the stool, and without waiting for Gu Jiu to ask, he took the lead and said: "The old slave is here today, because there is something that Madam needs to decide."
"you say!"
"Today, the Shaofu sent someone to ask, do you want the rest of the loan? I don't know what Madam plans?"
When the matter of money was mentioned, Gu Jiu had a toothache.
Not because of less money, but because of more money.
At the beginning of spring, the royal family order first sent her one hundred thousand taels of silver, saying that it was something that King Ning told her when he left the capital.
Of the 100,000 taels, 50,000 went to the public account, and the remaining 50,000 was King Ning's private money. Pei didn't even know that King Ning still had so much private money on hand.
The order of the royal family also specially instructed Gu Jiu not to make a public announcement, and not to let Mrs. Pei know about the existence of fifty thousand taels of private money. When making accounts, you have to make another book.
Gu Jiu reluctantly accepted the money.
In addition, the money from the sisters has been sent in one after another, and the construction has not yet started, Gu Jiu already has nearly 200,000 taels of start-up capital on hand.
When she was about to ask the Shaofu to loan out the remaining 800,000 taels, Chen Dachang sent someone to send the money.
The name is that the emperor is optimistic about her project, so he has to invest some money and earn some pocket money to spend.
A shot is one million taels.
Almost scared Gu Jiu to death.
Not scared to death by money, but scared to death by the emperor.
Originally a plate of one million taels, the emperor made one million taels, what do you mean
Is this trying to snatch the project away halfway
Another one, the project outside the South City Gate is really not as profitable as expected.
Her positioning from the very beginning was a low-profit project.
So Gu Jiu simply rejected the one million from the Son of Heaven, nicknamed it, "I can't bear it."
Because of this, the emperor ordered her to enter the palace.
When we arrived at Xingqing Palace, there was another back and forth, all kinds of bargaining.
In the end, Gu Jiu reluctantly accepted the emperor's investment of 300,000 taels.
The emperor was very depressed.
Pointing at Gu Jiu, he said, "It's a hundred times more treacherous than Liu Zhao."
The corners of Gu Jiu's mouth twitched, she really wanted to go back, the most treacherous person in the world is you, Your Majesty.
Gu Jiu didn't borrow money from the Shaofu, and she already had 600,000 to 700,000 start-up funds, so she simply postponed the loan time.
The first phase of the project will not cost much money, and the start-up funds on hand are sufficient for turnover.
She said to Deng Cunli: "You tell the Shaofu that I will definitely need a loan. But because the relocation of the refugees outside the Nancheng Gate is slower than the original plan, the money needed for the time being is not much, so tell them to wait."
Deng Cunli bowed slightly, "The Shaofu has also considered this issue, they asked when will we wait?"
Gu Jiu turned to him and asked him, "When do you think it will take?"
Deng Cunli said: "According to the plan, someone will take the initiative to relocate in half a month."
"Will it go well?" Although Gu Jiu didn't worry much about the project outside the South City Gate because of her pregnancy, she knew it well.
Relocation is a big project, any accident may happen.
Deng Cunli said: "The old slave estimates that, at the very least, the land for the second phase of the project can be given up. If it goes well, at least 10,000 to 20,000 people can be relocated."
"It looks like the first houses are going to be built soon."
"Exactly."
Gu Jiu became interested, "I'm going to take a look at the scene some other day."
When Qingmei heard this, she became anxious.
"Ma'am is pregnant, so you can't go to that kind of place. What if there is an accident if someone bumps into you."
Deng Cunli nodded frequently, "Madam still wants to get involved easily. Although there are no treacherous people found among the refugees, the place is still not safe. Where Madam appears, I am afraid that there will be a large number of people watching and there will be accidents."
"Forget it, I won't go."
Gu Jiu is as good as others. In fact, she is also cowardly, not thinking about herself but also thinking about her children.
There are over 10,000 mu of land outside the South City Gate, and this year alone will definitely not be able to complete the repairs.
It's not too late to go after she gives birth to a child and takes care of her body.
After Deng Cunli received the letter of approval, he got up and said goodbye.
There are still many things waiting for him to decide on the construction site, and he cannot leave for a long time.
…
early morning.
The east side had just spit white, and the refugee shanty area outside the south city gate was already full of people's voices. It was as lively as a market.
Looking around, one by one thatched shacks are low and narrow. Except for children, adults must bend down when entering and exiting.
The inside of the shack was pitch black, and no light could penetrate.
Not only that, but it also exudes a weird smell, which can overwhelm people.
Human and animal manure is piled up in the alley outside the shack. The flies had already started working early in the morning, buzzing and lingering.
It's dark, dirty, and poor.
In the past, everyone's face was numb, and they lived day by day.
No one cares about how dirty the environment is.
People can't live anymore, and who cares if others are pulling shit on the street.
But in recent months, the faces of these refugees, especially the young laborers, have gradually turned red.
There was light in their numb eyes again.
People who didn't even have a hut in the past had enough energy to build a hut for themselves.
From a low shack not far from the garbage and feces, a teenager of seventeen or eighteen came out of it.
He was very thin, his upper body was bare, and his ribs were clearly visible.
"Root..."
Immediately afterwards, a short, black and thin woman came out from the shack, holding a steamed bun in her hand.
Wowotou is hey, hard.
The woman gave him the cornbread, "You take it and eat it.
Wang Jiangen waved his hand, "I don't need it, the construction site provides food."
"The construction site only includes lunch and dinner. You don't eat in the morning, so much work, can you bear it? Take it!"
Wang Jiangen grinned, "I can bear it. There is tartary buckwheat tea on the construction site, and drinking tea can fill you up. Mom, you can give the buns to your younger brothers and sisters."
At the door of the shack, a few pairs of black and bright eyes were revealed. All stared at the bun in the woman's hand.
The woman looked back at the children, and suddenly wiped away tears, "If your father is still alive, we don't need to rely on you alone to support our family. You don't have to..."
"Mother, don't talk about it. Now I can eat steamed buns every day and get paid for it. How nice it is."
The woman Wang Lianshi nodded again and again, "You are right. It's a pity that your younger brothers are too young, and they are not needed on the construction site."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three gongs and drums sounded.
The entire shack area fell silent upon hearing these three sounds.
Immediately afterwards, the entire shack area boiled.
Because it's a sign of employment.
As if a drop of oil had been added to the already bustling shack area, people all ran towards the big locust tree. I'm afraid that if I go late, my job will be snatched away.
The woman Wang Lianshi looked in the direction of the big locust tree, "I don't know what kind of people to recruit this time, I will go and see."
"Mother, you are not in good health, so don't go." Wang Jiangen stopped.
Wang Lianshi waved his hand, "I'm fine. The medicinal soup you brought back is very good. I didn't cough anymore after drinking it. Eat the corn bread quickly and don't be late. I'll go over there first, in case it's an easy job , can also relieve you a little."
Wang Lianshi rushed to the big locust tree with a few half-grown children.
There are already three floors inside, and the outside three floors are surrounded.
Everyone looked at the people on the platform eagerly.