Zhou Shaojin sat at the round table with his elbows resting on his chin, staring blankly at the bed full of glittering ornaments.
The red coral Buddhist beads and pearl flowers, and the glass hairpins were given by Uncle Chi, and the diamond was given by Old Madam Guo. Old Madam Guo also lit a perpetual lamp for her at the Fayu Temple in Putuo Mountain, and provided her with food, clothing, and other necessities for the journey... She owed Old Madam Guo and Uncle Chi so much!
How can she pay it back
Mrs. Guo told her not to forget her kindness, how could she forget
Without her, she would be just a little girl living under someone else's roof in Jiuru Lane.
Mrs. Guo once said that if anyone was grateful to her, they could make a headband or a piece of clothing for her when they had nothing to do. But even if she sewed for Mrs. Guo all her life, she would still not be able to repay her!
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but smile bitterly, called Chunwan in, and said, "You and Bitao pack up all your things. I'll take these red coral jewelry back to give to my grandmother and sister, and these glass hairpins to Chixiang and the others. You can see if it's enough and how much more is needed. When we get to Hangzhou, we'll buy some combs, brocade and other things to make up for it. In short, it's better to buy more than to leave anyone short, and don't give gifts that will cause conflicts."
Chunwan responded with a smile, and registered with Bitao one by one.
Zhou Shaojin went to Jiying.
Jiying was wearing a short brown jacket and a cloth belt, and was talking to a few big women. She was surprised to see Zhou Shaojin coming to see her, so she took her to the inner room for tea and asked, "It's so late, do you have any urgent business?"
Zhou Shaojin looked around while holding her tea, and saw the sword that was supposed to be hanging in the inner room of Jiying. She couldn't help but ask with great interest: "Do you know martial arts? Like what is written in those books, you can fly over eaves and walls, and cross the river with a reed."
Ji Ying hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "I do know martial arts, which are inherited from my family, but they are not as magical as what is written in the books."
Even so, Zhou Shaojin already felt it was magical.
She looked at Ji Ying with envy and admiration: "You are so awesome! No wonder you are not afraid of Uncle Chi. You even cut off Jiao Ziyang's arm with one sword. I should have thought of it earlier. You are really awesome! Is it hard for a girl to learn martial arts? How could your parents bear to let you learn martial arts? I heard that there are many grassroots people in the Cao Gang. Do they also have many people with great martial arts? You are a girl, it's okay to deal with one person, but if there are more people, you will definitely not be a match, right? I see that although you know martial arts, it is better not to face them directly, so as not to be besieged by them. Uncle Chi should also know that you know martial arts, right? Otherwise, he would not let you lead those women to patrol at night. A few days ago, I always dragged you to go shopping. Did I disturb your sleep? Uncle Chi said that we will set off for Hangzhou Prefecture early tomorrow morning. Didn't you say you wanted to watch the tide? Can you go with us then? Do you want to talk to Uncle Chi and let someone else take charge at night..."
Zhou Shaojin kept talking a lot, and his words were getting off topic.
Ji Ying couldn't help but hold her forehead and said, "Second cousin, your uncle Chi knows everything about me. The reason why I can come to Hangzhou with you is that your uncle Chi took me with him because I know martial arts and can lead a maid to patrol at night. But although the Qiantang tide is spectacular, it is also dangerous. A few years ago, someone was swept away by the waves. So when he takes you to Qiantang to watch the tide, he will definitely take me with you, so you can rest assured." She was afraid that Zhou Shaojin would continue to ask questions curiously, so she got back to the point and said, "What do you want to see me so late?"
Zhou Shaojin's face turned red, and she whispered shyly: "I, I don't have enough silver. Can you lend me some banknotes? I will return it to you as soon as I get back! Really, I will return it to you as soon as I get back!" In her two lives, this was the first time she had borrowed money from someone. At the end, she couldn't wait to make the promise.
Ji Ying was surprised and said, "Didn't your uncle Chi pay for your purchases? Fourth Master Cheng shouldn't be such a stingy person!"
"I paid." Zhou Shaojin felt even more embarrassed, and lowered his voice a few degrees, saying, "But I can't always let him pay for me. I originally wanted to return the money he gave me to buy things, and then borrow a few taels of silver from you for emergency use. But Uncle Chi bought things as if it was free. This is my first day. If Uncle Chi hadn't helped pay the bill, I'm afraid I would have spent all the money I brought from home and still not have enough..."
Ji Ying understood, and she said, "I brought out five hundred taels of silver. Is it enough to lend you four hundred taels?"
Zhou Shaojin was secretly surprised.
Jiying is so rich!
With such a large sum of money, you can buy land and property.
But Zhou Shaojin, who knew how Cheng Chengchi bought things, was a little unsure whether the money was enough.
The most important thing is that after she rewarded Fan Qi, she didn't have much money left. Jiying lent it to her so generously, so she must have the money to repay Jiying when she returns!
"Just lend me a hundred taels of silver." Zhou Shaojin decided to control his mind and buy less things in the days to come.
Ji Ying thought for a moment and said, "I'd better lend you two hundred taels of silver! My father once said that money is a person's courage. If you have money, you will be more courageous."
"That's fine." Zhou Shaojin didn't argue with her. He just didn't need so much.
Jiying went to get some silver notes for her, all worth ten taels each, a thick stack.
Zhou Shaojin remembered this favor.
When she returned to the room, Chun Wan and the others were still counting the colored glaze hairpins and said, "Second Miss, it would be a waste to give all these away. You will need them to reward others in the future, so there is no need to give them all away at once. You can also give some to the eldest Miss. When she gets married, let her give some to the housekeepers in her husband's family. After all, the eldest Miss will have to deal with the Liao family for the rest of her life."
The implication is that it would be better to save these things for rewarding her in-laws after she gets married.
Zhou Shaojin sighed slightly in his heart.
If those things had not happened in the previous life, if Chunwan had stayed with her, she would probably have been a capable maid or even a managing mother!
She asked Chunwan: "You are only three years older than me. Are you going to stay by my side and be a mother who takes care of things, or do you want to be like Shi Xiang and be released when you reach the age?"
Chun Wan blushed and whispered, "If I could follow the Second Miss, it would be the blessing of my life!"
The words had been made very clear. Zhou Shaojin smiled slightly and let Bitao help him to wash and dress.
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The next day the weather was sunny.
Wang Xiao accompanied them to the boat, and then watched reluctantly as their boat sailed out of Ningbo Port.
Cheng Chi stood at the bow, facing the wind and looking into the distance.
Huaishan whispered, "We have checked it out. The money that Manager Wang gave us was his own money over the years. Moreover, because of his high expenses over the years, his family has been living a tight life. His wife tried to kill herself with him several times, but he did not change his mind. I heard that he was competing with the manager of the Quanzhou branch for the position of the chief manager of the Zhejiang branch."
"He seems to be an ambitious fellow." Cheng Chi said, "If someone can control him, he might be a good horse. I'm just afraid that he will disobey discipline and become more and more daring, and then cause trouble."
Huaishan didn't care about these and didn't dare to comment.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "Do you know why the second young lady of the Zhou family went to find Jiying yesterday?"
Huaishan couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth and said, "I heard that he went to borrow money... Jiying kept her mouth shut, but Mrs. Shang's eyes were sharper. She said she saw Jiying give the banknote to the second cousin."
Cheng Chi said "Oh" lightly, but a deep smile appeared in his eyes.
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Zhou Shaojin and others arrived in Hangzhou Prefecture in the evening.
The person who came to pick them up was the head manager of the Hangzhou branch.
The chief shopkeeper was about forty years old, fair-skinned, plump, kind-looking, and gentle, as if he was born with a smile, like a Maitreya Buddha. He said slowly, "Fourth Master, the city gate will be closed in half an hour. However, because the prefect of Hangzhou is the same age as the second master, he has always been very caring towards our bank. He knows that you and the old lady will stay in Hangzhou for a few days. Not only did he ask the master to send a name card, but he also asked me to inform him after confirming your itinerary, saying that he would come to pay his respects to the old lady in person. Without your instructions, I can't make the decision. I just asked the soldiers guarding the city to take care of it and let our sedan chair go as soon as it arrives. As for the place to stay, it is arranged in the backyard of the bank as you ordered, and the servants and boys who serve are also arranged. Do you want to have a cup of tea before getting off the boat, or get off now?"
Look at what he said. It was clearly urging them to get off the boat quickly to avoid any complications once the city gates were closed. However, he said it so softly without a trace of impatience.
Zhou Shaojin, who was standing behind the curtain, sighed in his heart that this person really looked like Maitreya Buddha. Li Laoan from the third room was just like him in appearance but not in bones. He was at best a fake Maitreya Buddha.
Cheng Chi chose to enter the city at dusk for a reason.
Xiao Zhenhai and Jiang Qin were both in Hangzhou Prefecture. Although he would not avoid them, it would be more convenient for him to act if they could know about it a few days later.
He decided immediately to get off the boat.
Zhou Shaojin and others had packed their boxes and crates in the afternoon. After hearing Cheng Chi's decision and knowing that time was running out, they tidied themselves up a bit and got on the sedan chair that had been prepared by the Hangzhou Bank.
When the sedan chair landed in the backyard of the Hangzhou Bank, Zhou Shaojin was shocked.
The Ningbo branch is certainly not as good as the Hangzhou branch. The courtyard of the Hangzhou branch is not only much larger than the Ningbo branch, but also uses yellow pear wood furniture, jade bonsai, gold bricks, and precious orchids. It is magnificently decorated, like a private residence of a wealthy family rather than the backyard of a bank. But this is not enough to surprise Zhou Shaojin. After all, a bank is a place for business. The bigger the business, the bigger the show. What surprised Zhou Shaojin was the two sweet-scented osmanthus trees planted in the middle of the courtyard. The branches and leaves are lush, as thick as a man's embrace, and as high as the eaves. The green leaves are dotted with yellow stamens like stars, but the newly built bluestone fence and the newly cultivated soil tell Zhou Shaojin that these are two newly transplanted sweet-scented osmanthus trees.
The fat shopkeeper told Mrs. Guo: "… How can the Mid-Autumn Festival be without osmanthus trees? So I specially chose this courtyard with osmanthus trees for you. When the Mid-Autumn Festival comes, you and the fourth master can smell the flowers, appreciate the moon and eat moon cakes, which can more or less comfort your homesickness."
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Sisters, there are only two updates today, this is today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
Speaking of holidays, I wish you all a happy weekend!
PS: Keep asking for pink votes...
※(To be continued)