The fifteenth day of the lunar month is the fixed day for Cao family to go to Xinglong Temple to offer incense, and it is also the only day for Gu Shiba Niang to enter this temple.
"Eighteen Mother, go to the guest room and rest for a while." Ms. Cao said after coming out of the main hall.
Cao's rule is that she must visit all the Buddhist temples in front and behind her every time. Because the mother and daughter have a certain reason that they don't say aloud, Gu Shiba Niang will not accompany them.
For Mrs. Cao, it is satisfying for her daughter to come with her every time.
"I went to Zhuxuan Tower to sit down and made an appointment with the Xin family. Mom can go on her own," Gu Shiba Niang replied.
Mrs. Cao nodded, Zhu told her not to catch cold, and then took the servant girl with her.
Gu Shiba Niang came to the front of Zhuxuan Tower, and Xin Chao Ling, who was only wearing a cotton robe, came to greet Ling.
"Why is the laboring bridegroom officer here?" Gu Shiba Niang smiled and gave a shallow salute.
Xin Chaoyang just got married a few months ago, to the third lady of the Yihe Xing Yaopeng family in Hengzhou.
"It's better to work more and work harder." Xin Chaoling said with a frown on his face.
Gu Shiba Niang smiled. She heard that the third lady from Hengzhou was quite masculine, but not only in temperament but also in appearance, so she had to wait until she was an old girl to get married.
Xin Chao Ling is not bad looking, and he has always claimed to be a master of flowers and a romantic person. He has never paid attention to ordinary flowers and grasses. In the end, the famous Master Ling married this wife. It is indeed a big joke. I feel so wronged.
Gu Shiba Niang listened to the people at the medicine shop laughing behind her back and said that it was because Da Yousheng was interested in a batch of high-quality wild ginseng from Yihexing. Unfortunately, Yihexing medicine shop was small but had a big temper and refused to sell it. Dayou Sheng somehow knew that Boss Yi Hexing was worried about the third lady who couldn't get married, so he had this marriage.
In this way, Xin Chaoling was only worth the price of a batch of wild ginseng, and Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help but sympathize with him.
"Anyway, that's all I need at home..." Xin Chao Ling grinned. He obviously knew that the joke about Ling, the young master, selling his body was spreading all over the city, and no matter how slow he was, he understood the look in Gu Shiba Niang's eyes.
Gu Shiba Niang was silent, it would be nice if people could see it openly.
"It's better to be useful than useless." She smiled.
Xin smiled at Ling, "It's cold outside. Madam Gu went in to talk. My brother and uncle made good tea."
As he said this, he stepped aside, but he had no intention of going in.
He was not qualified to go in. Others were sitting in the warm hut, but he was standing in the cold wind. Although he was a young master, in fact, he had no status at all. Gu Shiba Niang gave him a sympathetic look and said, "Then go ahead and get busy."
"Not busy, not busy." Xin Chaoling rubbed his hands and smiled, "I'm burning incense inside, and it's probably finished. I'll take her back."
Gu Shiba Niang nodded and then took the little girl up the stairs.
Seeing the little girl wearing a silver satin cloak disappear before his eyes, Xin Chaoling stood there in a daze.
The boy on the side couldn't help but tap his feet lightly and reminded in a low voice: "Master, let's go quickly."
"Where are you going?" Xin Chaoling came back to his senses and stared at the boy.
The boy couldn't help but sigh, "Didn't you say you were going to pick up the young lady? The incense should be burned out. If you don't go, the young lady will get on the carriage..."
Before he could finish his words, he was kicked by Xin Chaoling.
"Fuck you, I'm so stuffed that I feel sick," Xin Chao Ling glared and shouted, then spat, "Go, prepare the car, and pick up your aunt to go to Laojin Shop to make donut noodles."
The boy covered his butt and hurriedly ran away. He only complained, "Isn't this all what you said? Why did you blame me?" His face changed so quickly.
Xin Chao Ling snorted, swaying and singing a colorful ditty, and followed slowly away.
In the Zhuxuan Building, Gu Shiba Niang, Xin Chaoyang and three elders of the family sat down to greet each other. The Xin family congratulated Gu Hai High School for being a tribute, and Gu Ba Niang congratulated the Xin family for their double happiness.
In just a few months, Xinjia Dayousheng has almost occupied more than half of the market in the Jiankang pharmaceutical industry. This speed is unprecedented.
The elders of the Xin family looked at each other and smiled, then handed over to Gu Shiba Niang, "This is all because of Mrs. Gu's care."
Gu Shiba Niang almost laughed out loud and quickly stood up to return the favor.
This group of people took her as a three-year-old child and believed her after a few compliments. Could a huge medicine shop be invincible with just one pharmacist
But it is undeniable that he and his master Liu Gong have indeed added a lot of glory to them. The exclusive supply of medicines to Liu Gong's disciples is enough for Dayou Sheng to quickly expand his reputation.
Everyone likes to hear compliments, and these uncles from the Xin family do so, which is in line with common sense and makes people feel happy.
"The second happiness is that my Chao Ling, this worthless thing, finally got married. Thank you Madam Gu for the gift. You are so polite." An old man said, twirling his beard, with sighs and joy on his face.
"I wonder when Mrs. Gu's family will have a double happiness?" Another old man answered with a smile.
Someone coughed, it was too abrupt to discuss someone's marriage in front of a girl's family.
Gu Shiba Niang didn't care and said with a smile: "My mother has the final say in everything."
After saying this, we drank tea three times and chatted a lot. We are all businessmen, and time is money. So they looked at each other and started to go straight to the topic.
"This is Mrs. Gu's hard-earned money." The old man pushed a thin envelope over.
Drug money is drug money, and hard-earned money is hard-earned money. They are not related.
Gu Shiba Niang did not refuse, nor did she take it without looking at it. She believed that the Xin family would not be short-sighted when it came to money.
"That will cost you money." She smiled.
Everyone smiled and were polite to each other.
"Ms. Gu, I have something to do..." After laughing, an old man said with a bit of hesitation.
As soon as he started talking, he heard footsteps coming from outside, and a young man in cloth and blue scarf came over excitedly holding a stack of writing tapes.
He stood outside the pavilion and glanced inside, obviously stunned.
"Chunfang, what's the matter?" The old man stopped talking, coughed, and said with a bit of dignity.
The young man looked a little excited. His eyes only briefly glanced at Gu Shiba Niang, then he lowered his head and didn't look at her again.
"..Uncle...I...I thought Mr. Jie Yuang was here...so...so I took the liberty to ask for advice..." He whispered, and he hurriedly saluted and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, he bent down and the book fell down. Picking it up, he apologized with a bit of embarrassment.
Xin Chaoyang had already stood up and helped him pick up two books while looking at Gu Shiba Niang and smiling.
"Gong Xie Yuang is not here, but Duke Xie Yuang's sister is here..." he laughed.
Since coming in, Xin Chaoyang has been sitting at the table, calmly being a tea-making boy, without saying a word.
This is the gentlemanly demeanor of everyone. Although Gu Shiba Niang and the elders present know in their hearts that this young man has already mastered the decision-making power in the family, he still has to observe the etiquette of a junior when these elders are present.
Gu Shiba Niang smiled at him when she heard this, and turned her eyes to the young man. She saw that he was only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome appearance and a strong bookish air.
Although the Great Zhou Dynasty prohibited merchants from taking scientific examinations and becoming officials, the restrictions on their children's scientific examinations and becoming officials were not very strict. Therefore, the merchants who earned gold and silver and lived an extremely prosperous life, after being fed up with the grievances caused by their status, began to punish members of the family. The training of children will be divided into two categories, one will inherit the mantle and do business to make money, and the other will study and become an official to earn fame. With both fame and wealth, they will be a truly wealthy family.
There is no doubt that the young man in front of him is a son of the Xin family who has embarked on the path of studying.
"I've seen Mrs. Gu..." The young man bowed and saluted, and the book in his hand was shaking again.
Gu Shiba Niang quickly stood up and returned the gift.
"Eighteen Mother, I wonder if I can ask for a convenience..." Xin Chaoyang smiled and pointed at the young man, "This is my cousin, Chunfang. I have always admired Duke Xie Yuangong, but Duke Xie Yuang came to Beijing. I went to study, but after I came back, I closed the door and thanked guests. Can I use your connections to let Chunfang meet me?"
Gu Shiba Niang seemed to be relieved and looked at Xin Chaoyang with a smile in her eyes.
"If you want to concoct such-and-such medicine again, I will never agree..." She smiled, "If you want to meet my brother, that's no problem."
Xin Chaoyang and several old men all laughed.
"It turns out that Mrs. Gu looked solemn when she came in. It turns out she was on guard against us..." the old man smiled, his smile a little unnatural, "How can we embarrass Mrs. Gu again? It would be too much of a breach of trust..."
Gu Shiba Niang said with a smile but not a smile: "My master said, when dealing with people like you, you must be vigilant, otherwise you may betray yourself if you say something wrong... I am young, to be honest , every time I come to meet the elders, I get very nervous..."
"No wonder Mrs. Gu never refuses to attend banquets. It turns out she is afraid that she won't be able to eat at the Hongmen Banquet..." Xin Chaoyang said with a smile.
"That's right." Gu Shiba Niang nodded and smiled.
Everyone laughed.
"Ms. Gu is too worried." The old men shook their heads and laughed.
The young man Xin Chunfang who had been standing outside the door couldn't help but laugh. He couldn't help but look at Mrs. Gu twice and saw that she was smiling, showing a kind of open-mindedness that is rare in women.
"Then thank you Madam Gu." He lowered his head and thanked her again.
"You're welcome, there must be my teacher among the three of us. It would be good for my brother to discuss knowledge with you." Gu Shiba Niang said with a smile.
The young man said a few words, "Don't dare, don't dare, don't dare, don't dare." Then he left without staying any longer.
But Xin Chaoyang and others apologized for his unexpected appearance, and after drinking another cup of tea, Gu Shiba Niang asked the old man what he wanted to say just now.
"Just to talk about this matter, Chunfang studied hard, but always fell just a little short. This is the second time I took the exam, and it's still..." The old man said with a smile, shaking his head and sighing.
"Don't be anxious, as long as you work hard, you will pass the exam." Gu Shiba Niang comforted her hurriedly.
The old man thanked her again and again, and when the matter was finished, Gu Shiba Niang stood up and left.
Watching the girl walking down the stairs, Xin Chaoyang's sight was blocked by the withered bamboo bushes.
"Chaoyang, actually speaking of suitability, you are the most suitable..." an old man whispered from behind.
Xin Chaoyang turned around, sat down on the warm cushion, poured tea slowly, and shook his head slowly, "No, I am the most inappropriate."
"Why?" the three old men asked in unison.
They are very proficient in business. To say that marriage here is no different from doing business, but this time Xin Chaoyang's decision is really difficult for them to understand.
"There is no way Chunfang can compare to you. In terms of appearance and family status, apart from being able to read a few books, he can't even compare to you in reading. If you could refer to it, our family would already have a Hanlin bachelor..." The old man said, "Chaoyang, don't be afraid that the Gu family will dislike your status as a businessman. Even if their family can tell you how to solve the problem, so what if they get the number one scholar? With their family background, they can spend their whole life drinking tea in the Hanlin Academy or living abroad. Let's stop being a magistrate. Although we are businessmen, our connections are in all directions. With you as our son-in-law, we will be like a fish in water for the sons of the Gu family. If they think about this carefully, they will understand how they can like Chunfang. ."
Xin Chaoyang shook his head and raised his hand to signal them not to say anything further.
"It's not because of this." He said with a smile, "It's because she doesn't believe me."
The three old men looked at each other, a little surprised, "Mrs. Gu, don't you believe me? Why don't you believe me? She is a matchmaker and six hires. Can we still play tricks on her when it comes to marriage?"
"It's not this, but..." Xin Chaoyang smiled, "She is wary of me."
Helplessness flashed through his smile, "This little lady is very strange. Ever since I first saw her, the feeling she gave me was..."
He pinched his forehead, as if saying the following words was really against his will.
"... She knows me very well..." Xin Chaoyang said, "This is the first time I have met such a person. No matter what I say or don't say, she just sits there with that kind of attitude that I The look in your heart.”
These words made the three old men look at each other.
"No way, Chaoyang, you are worrying too much." They said, let alone outsiders, even they who had watched Xin Chaoyang grow up did not dare to say that they could see through what he was thinking.
"Uncle, uncle, when have I ever thought too much about it?" Xin Chaoyang said in a deep voice with a more solemn expression.
The three old men straightened their expressions and nodded.
"So, I am the most unsuitable..." Xin Chaoyang lowered his head to pour tea, and the steam came up to block his expression, "... If he really proposed marriage to their family, he would definitely get a slap in the face. If you refuse, our family will have no chance."
"Then let's put it this way, she is guarding against you, and naturally she is also guarding against our family. Wouldn't it be the same if Chunfang is gone?" an old man said with a bad expression.
"It's different." Xin Chaoyang raised his head and smiled, "Chunfang is just right. It's very similar to Mrs. Gu's family. For people who have been in the same situation as themselves, everyone will unconsciously feel a little better. That's what the saying goes. .
The three old men nodded.
"Then why did you ask Chao Ling to say those words below? Doesn't it make her think that our family is very powerful and impersonal? That would make the impression even worse..." An old man thought of something and said, frowning slightly, "This is such a concern. After all, my wife is a poet, and I hate businessmen like us."
"Let her sympathize." Xin Chaoyang said, "Sympathize with Chao Ling. Even Chao Ling can be arranged by the family at will. Then Chunfang, a side branch, will not be able to be independent in the future..."
"Just because of sympathy, she would agree to marry Chunfang?" The three old men looked at disapproval and shook their heads, "This Lady Gu has a ruthless mouth and a ruthless heart. No one in Jiankang knows..."
"No, no," Xin Chaoyang waved his hand, "She's not..." At this point, he suddenly didn't want to go on. He refilled the teapot with water, lowered his head and said, "Putting aside this, I didn't cheat. She, Chunfang, is really suitable for me.”
His voice is lowered, and if you listen carefully, you can detect a faint different flavor in it.
At this point, the three old men breathed a sigh of relief. They thought about what they had just said together, and couldn't hide the joy on their faces.
"I have considered everything. After Chunfang becomes familiar with Mrs. Gu's family, and then asks someone to come to propose marriage, for a woman, it is not a blind marriage, and it is a scholar who will not disgraced the family in the future. This marriage will definitely not matter. "What's more, she only wants us to ask for medicine, and she will never think that we are just trying to get to know Chunfang." The three of them said with a smile.
They have considered everything. The only thing they have not considered is whether this girl wants to get married. However, even if they think about it, they will never think of it. There is no young and beautiful girl in the world who does not want to get married. All girls, no matter how high or low they are, don’t want to get married. Both the beautiful and the ugly will take the same road and run towards the same goal, which is to get married. Unfortunately, Gu Shiba Niang has already walked this road, so she is ready to take a different road.
Not to mention the secret joy of several people in Zhuxuan Tower, but since Gu Shiba Niang walked out, she always felt that something was wrong.
"They must have asked for some customized medicine, so with the scholar's appearance, I blocked the request in advance, so they didn't mention it again..." She frowned and thought as she walked. , repeating all the scenes just now in their minds, they asked themselves to come, this should be the purpose.
She shook her head and stopped thinking about it. No matter what they did, it was all for profit. If the profit exceeded her tolerance, she would just refuse.
For her, Gu Shiba Niang, there was no friendship to be had. Besides, for a family like Xin Chaoyang, there was no friendship to be had.
"Poor Master Ling, he's only worth the price of a batch of wild ginseng..." She sighed, and unconsciously thought of that scholar again. He seemed to have a lower status than Master Ling, and he couldn't study well and failed the exam. He was pitiful. I don’t know what benefits it will bring in exchange for it in the future. . . . . .
"Amitabha, female benefactor, long time no see." A Buddha's call interrupted Gu Shiba's thoughts. She couldn't help but stop, frowned, and looked at the old monk in front of her who she didn't want to see.
"Master Qingran." In view of the awe of being seen through her origins, Gu Shiba Niang still bowed her head and saluted although she was reluctant.
This old monk is famous and has many followers. If he accuses himself of being a monster, he will be in trouble. But for now, it seems that this old monk's attitude is okay.
"The female donor's brows are peaceful, so very good, very good." Master Mingran said with a smile.
Gu Shiba Niang laughed dryly, saying she couldn't keep her mother waiting for a long time to say goodbye.
"Female donor, everything in the world has its destiny, let it take its course..." Master Mingran said afterward.
The word "let nature take its course" was Gu Shiba's taboo. To her, it meant that their family must die. She stopped and turned around, waving her hand. The little girl understood and hurriedly walked away a few steps.
"Master, since everything in the world is predestined, why do you need to reveal the secret of heaven? Why don't you just let nature take its course?" She whispered, looking at the old monk with a bit of resentment, "Also, did you say something to Gu Yu? ?”
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I can't move smoothly to the next plot. Oops. Stop for a moment. Don't follow. Let's wait until this part is over.