This was the real question she wanted to ask. It seems that in more than half a month, someone will come to our Rongchang Hall, but her memory about the two aunts is a bit vague. She only knows a general idea, but she cannot remember the specific situation.
Hua Zhuo tugged on her sleeve and whispered: "Mommy, just tell me. Zhuo'er wants to know about her aunt. What does her aunt look like? Does she look like Zhuo'er? Zhuo'er likes sweets very much. Cake, do they also like to eat it?"
Qiqiao thought for a while and then said: "Then ask Nanny Liu. She is an old woman and knows a lot of things. She also always loves the young lady. As long as the young lady asks her to keep silent, the madam will not know. "
The old man was not good at business, but he also liked to sing poetry, play with rocks and raise birds. After more than ten years, some of his properties fell into decline. In the end, it was in the hands of the master, and the property was less than one-tenth of what it was when Mr. Zeng was alive.
It was lunch time when he woke up. After the meal, Hua Zhuo took a short break to regain some energy, and just then Grandma Liu came.
"When it comes to the properties under the name of Rong'an Hall, they have been declining from generation to generation since the death of Mr. Zeng, but there are really not many left. I think back then..."
Aunt Liu was a little hesitant, but when she saw Hua Zhuo's white and tender little face, her eyes full of hope, she immediately softened her heart, sighed, and said: "I can tell you, but not in front of the master." Speaking of your two aunts, that is the biggest pain in my heart."
"In terms of farmland, there are 1,000 acres in Huainan Prefecture, and more in Jiuli River in my hometown. Except for the 300 acres of clan farmland, which is regularly handed over to Rongchang Hall to repair the ancestral temple, the remaining 2,400 acres are of high quality. Hua Zhong is in charge of the fertile farmland and the 700 acres of mountainous land. Qingzhou Prefecture also has 800 acres of fertile farmland, which is the wife's dowry and has been managed by the wife's natal brother. The harvest is converted into silver taels and given away every year. Come, if the harvest is good, you can have about five hundred taels."
Hua Zhuo fell silent.
Hua Zhuo's face darkened slightly. She knew about the 800 acres of land in Qingzhou Prefecture. Before her mother passed away in her previous life, she left the land deed to her as a dowry, but she lost it on the way to escape. Later, she went to her uncle's house, but her aunt repeatedly ignored her. , wanted to take away the land deed. At that time, she didn't know that people are sinister, so she honestly told her that she had lost it. Her aunt seemed to believe it at that time, but not long after, she and her uncle sold her to the Qiao family. Before getting married, they even hinted to her that As long as she handed over the land deed, she didn't have to marry. But at that time, she didn't understand it at all.
"There are about a dozen farms. It's a pity. When Mr. Zeng was alive, he built ninety-nine farms. Now there are only a few of them left, and thousands of acres of land are gone. I don't know where they are... There are more shops. There are six in Jiulixi, 12 in Huainan Prefecture, and five in Qingzhou Prefecture. There is also a large restaurant in the capital, which is very famous. When I came to Beijing to take the exam, I lived there. I heard that the guest house behind the restaurant is adjacent to the Taiye Pond and is very beautiful with red flowers and green willows... "
Aunt Liu thought she didn't understand, so she breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Oh, these ladies don't need to know. Although Rong'an Hall is not as good as before, it still makes a lot of money every year. A lady like... Well, if I support ten more One is affordable."
Hua Zhuo nodded hurriedly and saw Qiqiao and Baxiu coming over curiously. He was afraid that they would interrupt and talk nonsense, which would make Nanny Liu afraid to speak again, so she hurriedly supported them to pour tea and get snacks.
It's a pity that Qiqiao and Baxiu were in the boudoir after all. How could they know so much? Qiqiao was a little surprised and said: "The servants only serve the young lady on weekdays. They don't listen to anyone about the things outside. If the young lady really wants to Learn from housekeepers, why not ask Aunt Shuangcheng, besides Madam, I am afraid she knows these things at home best."
Baxiu was a little reluctant and was dragged away by Qiqiao. Just as she was about to complain, she saw Qiqiao put her fingers to her lips and softly "shhh", took her and tiptoed behind the window, where she squatted and stole listen.
In fact, Hua Zhuo also wanted to inquire about some things about Rong'an Tang's property. In the previous life, when his family Rongchang Tang and other direct descendants came to seize Rong'an Tang's property, it was said that there was almost trouble due to uneven distribution, but at that time Hua Zhuo Zhuo no longer has the ability to inquire about the details, but she is not stupid after all. She must have known that the property of Rongantang must be very huge, which caused the main family and the direct descendants to compete with each other. If it was just some unworthy properties, then How could it be put in their eyes
Hua Zhuo was speechless. In the previous life, her uncle's family sold her for five thousand taels of silver. What's the concept of hundreds of thousands of taels? It turns out that Rong'an Hall is so rich. No wonder the Rongchang Hall of our family and other direct branches later fought so fiercely. .
Hua Zhuo knew that she had always been smart and knew that she had seen through what he was saying, so he smiled and said, "You can't ask. Once you ask, my mother will know. I just want to learn quietly, but I don't want my mother to worry about it. She is still in confinement." Where is the son?"
"This... Actually, I don't know much. I just know that in order to make the transaction go smoothly, all parties must take care of it, whether it's on the official road, on the waterway, on the land, no matter it's white or black, anyway It is the King of Hell who wants to take care of it, and the kid is even more difficult to deal with. There are also countless people who are jealous of this business, deliberately making things difficult and blackmailing, etc. After peeling off several layers of skin, the profit of 10% will only be 20 to 30% in the end. Our Rongan Hall is in trouble. I wonder who would dare to do this when Mr. Zeng was alive... Oh, I won’t say it anymore, I won’t say it anymore.”
Qiqiao responded and then helped her sleep with Baxiu.
Unfortunately, good times did not last forever. Within two years, Mr. Zeng passed away suddenly. He was working as an official in another place. Unprepared, he had to go to Dingyou to help Mr. Zeng return to his hometown. At that time, he had some hidden properties, but Mr. Zeng did not have time to explain them. , just disappeared, and there was no place to look for it.
So he yawned and said, "I'm tired. I'm going to take a nap. After noon, you call Nanny Liu over and I'll talk to her again."
Aunt Liu sighed. When she followed Mrs. Liu to marry to Rongan Hall, Mrs. Zeng was still alive. It was the most prosperous time of Rongan Hall. The hall was filled with golden horses, jade saddles and treasures, and they were all waiting inside and outside. There are hundreds of people, but Rongan Hall still has only a few heirs. If there were more heirs, the number of servants to serve would have to be doubled.
"But if you make a lot of money, you will also spend a lot of money..." Grandma Liu hesitated, because there were some unpleasant things involved, but it was difficult to tell the lady.
Hua Zhuo laughed in agreement, then changed the topic and asked: "Mother Liu, you heard that I have two aunts, right?"
Hua Zhuo listened obediently and said coquettishly: "Auntie, tell me, why are the expenses so high? Our family lives a frugal life, and the annual expenses are only one thousand taels of silver, and this does not include the gifts. How can I use so many things that I go to worship at the ancestral temple and have some favors with me?"
"There is also a freight company in the north, which specializes in fur goods. The white fox fur waistcoat that the lady wears was obtained from the freight company... There is also a shipyard in Quanzhou Prefecture, which has ten large-scale ships. It specializes in maritime business and makes annual profits. With a total of more than 100,000 yuan, it is the most profitable property of Rongantang..."
In fact, her mother left her a lot of dowry, but most of it was lost on the way to escape. Only the land deeds of a few shops and farms were left. She had already given them to her aunt and later brought them to Qiao's family, but they were just hidden. In the jewelry box, I was lucky enough to save more than a thousand taels of silver notes and a few pieces of jewelry that were exquisitely made and made of relatively high-quality materials.
Grandma Liu's face stiffened and she said, "Who's the talkative person to tell you this?"
Hua Zhuo thought about it. No one knew better than her how well Nanny Liu treated her. In her last life, in the end, only Nanny Liu and her son Ah Fu were left by her side.