"Brother Zhu, what's the plan?"
When Hu Wei and Xia Qiang heard what their uncle Zhu Shouren said, they were overjoyed and quickly surrounded him and asked.
"They just look down on us. They think we are beggars because we are dressed in rags. Why don't we just change our clothes and clean up?!"
Uncle Zhu Shouren stroked his beard, smiled with extraordinary wisdom, and said to the two of them.
Damn you! I thought you had some eye-catching plan, but this is it!
Listening to your words is just like listening to your words, it's of no use.
Hu Wei and Xia Qiang turned their heads away in disappointment, complaining helplessly, "Brother Zhu, we are penniless now, not even a copper coin. How are we going to change our clothes and pack up?!"
“Hehe, there are ways to deal with no money…” Uncle Zhu Shouren rolled his eyes and said cryptically.
"You mean stealing?!" Xia Xiu opened her mouth in surprise, then shook her head vigorously and denied it, "No, no, this is too risky. We are too conspicuous now. Theft will be discovered in nine out of ten cases. Once discovered, with this stigma, our path to the imperial examination and official career will be ruined. No, no, absolutely not!"
"Yes, Brother Xia is right. Stealing is absolutely unacceptable." Hu Wei also shook his head and said, "The risk is too great. If we get caught, we're done. It's not worth it."
"Ahem, I'm not talking about stealing." Uncle Zhu Shouren rolled his eyes again and changed his suggestion, "How about we go to work and earn some money? Well, Suzhou is an important place for transportation, and goods from all over the country gather here. We can go to the dock to carry goods for a few days, and it won't be difficult to change into cheaper clothes. As for packing up, we will wait until the water temperature rises a little at noon and it's not so cold. We can find a secluded riverside and endure the cold to take a shower."
"What? You want us to carry the cargo at the dock? That's something only peasants can do. It's too ungentlemanly! Besides, we scholars can't carry anything on our shoulders or with our hands. We are so weak that how can we carry such heavy cargo? No, no, absolutely not."
After listening to his uncle Zhu Shouren's suggestion, Xia Cha's head almost shook like a propeller, and he used all his strength to express his opposition.
"It is indeed inappropriate. If someone finds out that we are carrying goods at the dock, not only will our reputation be ruined, we will also become a complete laughing stock. People live by their reputation, just as trees live by their skin. We can't do this! Besides, it is the coldest time of the year. Even if the sun is shining at noon, how much can the temperature of the river rise?! How can our bodies withstand taking a bath in the river in this weather? We absolutely cannot do this!" Hu Wei also clearly expressed his opposition.
The two looked at their uncle Zhu Shouren again.
“Then…” Uncle Zhu Shouren scratched his head. This doesn’t work, and that doesn’t work. What can I do
His IQ is only enough to come up with such bad ideas. It would be difficult for him to go any further.
However, thinking about the mess he had made in Yingtian, Zhu Shouren could only scratch his head and ponder.
It is said that human potential is infinite.
As he scratched his head, an idea really flashed in his mind and he grabbed it.
"I've got an idea!" Uncle Zhu Shouren clapped his hands excitedly, his face looking excited.
"Brother Zhu, have you come up with any new ideas?"
There was not much emotion on Hu Wei and Xia Qiang's faces. After the two bad ideas just now, they no longer had much hope in Zhu Shouren. They just held on to the idea of trying everything possible, thinking it was better than nothing.
"Haha, don't worry, there will be no problem this time." Uncle Zhu Shouren smiled confidently before he even said a solution.
Who gave you the confidence?!
When Hu Wei and Xia Qiang saw the confident smile on their uncle Zhu Shouren's face, they couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
Zhu is mysteriously confident whenever he encounters something, but he always gets slapped in the face, and each time he gets slapped in a different way. For example, he was mocked for reciting doggerel in a poetry club, and was scolded for being sick for teaching prostitutes the Three Obediences and Four Virtues in a brothel. He never learns from his mistakes and thinks that he is a talented person whose talent is not appreciated...
This time it must be the same as before, another bad idea, the more confident he is, the worse the idea is...
"Listen to me, my nephew just got married this year, and his wife is his childhood sweetheart. I didn't know before that his wife's family background was so prominent. I only knew that her family was wealthy from the next village. It was not until they got married that I found out that her family was more than just wealthy, but a wealthy marquisate. His father-in-law is the illegitimate son of the old Marquis of Linhuai. Although he did not inherit the title, he is in charge of most of the business of the marquisate..." Uncle Zhu Shouren said to the two with great joy.
Hu Wei and Xia Qiang looked at Zhu Shouren in confusion, not knowing what Zhu Shouren's intention was in bringing this up.
"My niece's wife has been spoiled since she was a child. After marrying into our Zhu family, she still did not change her habits as a young lady. She lives a very particular life, eating delicacies from land and sea every day, and having everything she wants. There are dozens of maids who come with her as a dowry, servants who serve her, and servants in the outer courtyard..."
Uncle Zhu Shouren continued.
"Brother Zhu, does this matter?" Hu Wei couldn't help but interrupt Zhu Shouren and said impatiently.
"Although we missed out on meeting your nephew in Yingtian, we did not gain nothing. Didn't we hear that when your nephew left Yingtian, he was accompanied by several ships of servants in addition to the Zhejiang army?"
Uncle Zhu Shouren touched his chin, smiled slightly, and spoke to Hu Wei with confidence.
"Isn't this normal? Every official has many servants to take care of him, not to mention that your nephew is a fourth-rank official."
Xia Qiang said disapprovingly.
"No, no, you don't know my nephew. He grew up in the village and is used to a simple life. Unlike my niece-in-law, he always does things by himself and doesn't like to be served. If it were my nephew himself, even if he was a fourth-rank official, he would only bring one or two servants when he took office. Now there are several ships of servants. There is only one possibility, that is, my niece-in-law also took office with my nephew."
At this moment, Zhu Shouren seemed to be possessed by Sherlock Holmes, and analyzed the situation to the two of them with a proud look on his face.
"Brother Zhu, what you mean is..." Hu Wei and Xia Qiang did not expect that Zhu Shouren would give them a surprise.
"We can't get close to the military camp, but we can go and pay a visit to my niece's wife first. She will tell my nephew. It won't be difficult to find out that such a large fleet has entered Suzhou."
Uncle Zhu Shouren said with a proud look on his face.
"Brother Zhu, wise."
Hu Wei and Xia Qiang couldn't help but pat Zhu Shouren's horse. They didn't expect that he actually thought of a feasible solution.