Wu Baozhang is having a hard time these days.
Although there were several big tea merchants introduced by Cheng Chi, they could only give face once or twice, but they couldn't give face every time and not do business. After the Chinese New Year, the purchase price was no longer advantageous. They were a newly opened shop, and they didn't try to retain customers when there were many customers. When the price was no longer favorable, the business gradually became sluggish.
Cheng Wen was so anxious that blisters appeared on the corners of his mouth. But Mrs. Wen sent someone from Jinling, firstly to urge Cheng Nuo and Wu Baozhang to go back, and secondly to say that there were a lot of people in the family who needed food and clothing. Last year, all the income from the farm was brought to the capital by Cheng Wen during the Spring Festival. Now there was no extra money in the family, so she asked him to take the money back for expenses.
Wu Baozhang wanted to go back.
No matter how bad her family was, she still knew them. She was just a daughter-in-law of a merchant family in the capital, and she had to use the name of the Cheng family of Xinglin Hutong wherever she went. It was not like in Jinling, where as soon as her sedan chair went down the street, people would know who she was, and the respect and envious eyes that she deserved would come to her. She didn't need to bother to say anything, and when she had to bother to say everything, she was no longer worthy of respect.
This is the only good thing about her marrying into the Cheng family.
If this is not even a good thing, then she might as well marry an ordinary scholar. After all, it is better than Cheng Nuo, who is a useless person with no knowledge or character.
Thinking of this, she felt even worse.
Cheng Lu didn't know how he found her here.
She had not intended to pay any attention to him at first, but when he pitifully mentioned their past relationship, and how she had given him a purse when she ran out with him without telling her family that year, and how he had taken the opportunity to hide a handkerchief from her, although she felt that Cheng Lu had abandoned his mother in times of crisis, and that these things were most likely not in Cheng Lu's hands, she thought of the gleam in Cheng Lu's eyes when he said this, and still did not dare to turn against him. She pretended to be crying and sympathetic to him, and gave him twenty taels of silver, saying that this was the money she had saved from managing the household affairs since she came to the capital, and asked him to find a place to stay first, and that he could come to her if he had any difficulties in the future.
Cheng Lu left.
Wu Baozhang almost vomited.
Why did she fall in love with such a thing in the first place!
He actually used a woman's money to live off her.
She had to find a way to return to Jinling.
My father was still an official in Jinling. Although my stepmother gave birth to a son, my father also found a way to place her eldest brother in the inspection office. Even if Cheng Lu had the courage to return to Jinling, she had a way to tell the Cheng family about his whereabouts and also a way to deal with him.
Wu Baozhang was thinking about it in his mind, and then he scolded Mrs. Wen Da to the point of spitting blood.
No wonder she had been fighting with the man outside for most of her life. She was the legally married wife, and the situation was so favorable for her, but she still couldn't win. Her father-in-law had no money now, but she didn't care about anything and insisted that her father-in-law take the money back. However, the man outside was so obedient and considerate that she sent her personal steward to deliver two thousand taels of silver notes.
The father-in-law's eyes turned red when he received the banknote. He had originally discussed with Cheng Nuo to let them return to Jinling first, but now he immediately changed his mind. Not only did he want Cheng Nuo to continue to help in the shop, he also decided to take over a teahouse next to the shop and sell tea in the teahouse, trying to find a way to develop both sides.
Wu Baozhang sat on the big kang by the window in a daze.
It was impossible for Mrs. Wen to invite her back. Otherwise, could she use the excuse that Mrs. Wen was ill and go back to take care of her
As for the father-in-law... it would be better to hint to the father-in-law that when she goes back, the father-in-law can bring the woman outside to the capital... The father-in-law will definitely be very happy.
But when the family property is divided after my father-in-law dies, they will definitely suffer. However, given my father-in-law's personality, he might have squandered most of the family property by the time he dies, leaving only debts and no property. But what if my father-in-law succeeds in business
Wu Baozhang hesitated again.
Just as she was undecided, Cheng Nuo walked in.
The maid hurried forward to help him change his clothes.
Compared to when he was in Jiuru Lane in Jinling, he was taller and stronger, and his every move was more steady and less frivolous.
Seeing Wu Baozhang in a daze, he said, "I heard that Fourth Auntie has given birth to a child. Auntie Chi will send someone to Luoyang in a few days. Have you prepared the hundred-day gift for Fourth Auntie's child? Ask Auntie Chi to send it over when the time comes!"
This will also save them from having to send someone else.
Now our family is not like when we were in Jiuru Lane, where we can spend money freely.
Only after doing business did he realize the difficulty of making money.
Only after doing business did he realize how powerful Li Jing was.
As for Cheng Ji, we naturally need to move around and persuade him more.
There are also Xinglin Hutong and Chaoyangmen… However, Cheng Jing and his five families in Xinglin Hutong did not have much contact with each other. Cheng Xu grew up together, but every time he went to visit Cheng Xu, he was studying. He heard that the next exam was about to end, and Aunt Jing was still counting on Cheng Xu to win the top prize. How could he have the nerve to go there all the time? Chaoyangmen was different. Old Madam Guo lived there and recognized her father as her nephew. There was nothing to do in the inner house. Whether it was the meritorious families or the official families in the capital, they could all go in and have a say. If they asked Old Madam Guo for help with family matters, she would be happy to listen and help when she was free.
That's why their father asked them to deliver things to Cheng Ji via Uncle Chi's house.
Cheng Nuo thought about this and instructed Wu Baozhang, "You are about the same age as Aunt Chi. When you go over, spend some time with Aunt Chi. There are only these relatives in the family, and only these few families can be visited. You should visit them often when you have nothing to do. Even if they are relatives, you should visit them often to get close to them."
Wu Baozhang was furious when he heard this.
Let her curry favor with Zhou Shaojin? !
Dream on!
She sneered in her heart and said, "Is it not okay for me to associate with Grandma Xu? Uncle Jing is still a minister!"
The implication is that if you want to curry favor with someone, you might as well curry favor with Cheng Jing, who is the cabinet minister.
"Whatever you want!" Cheng Nuo and Wu Baozhang never got along well, and he was impatient to talk to Wu Baozhang, so he said, "As long as you think Uncle Jing can help us speak for us when the time comes."
Wu Baozhang was so angry that his face turned red.
She knew that Cheng Nuo was a man without any sense of responsibility.
When asking for help, shouldn’t you consider the status of each other
Now they have lost their identity as scholars and are doing business as merchants, still hoping that Cheng Jing can help them. Moreover, this kind of help is mostly business matters. Is Cheng Nuo crazy
Wu Baozhang despised Cheng Nuo in his heart and felt a little confused.
That woman, Min Jia, has too many thoughts and is not easy to get along with.
She had no intention of associating with Min Jia at all, let alone going to Xinglin Hutong for help.
On the contrary, Zhou Shaojin is easier to get along with...
As Wu Baozhang was pondering, her personal maid tiptoed in, and when she saw Cheng Nuo nearby, she stood in the corner.
Wu Baozhang knew what was going on, so he ignored Cheng Nuo who was changing his clothes and left the room.
The maid followed her out and whispered to her, "Grandma, that Dong Lichun is here again."
Wu Baozhang almost tore the handkerchief.
I just gave him the silver five days ago, why is he looking for it again so soon
Wu Baozhang's voice changed, and he whispered, "Tell him to come tomorrow morning. My master is back now, and my master will come home soon. It would be bad if he runs into him."
The maid responded and left.
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At Chaoyang Gate, Zhou Shaojin was happily preparing a gift for Cheng Ji's son's hundred-day birthday.
Just like in her previous life, Cheng Ji gave birth to a son.
Is it true that just like in his previous life, if Cheng Ji lives well, he will be happy!
Mrs. Guo teased her: "You are happier than if you had given birth to a child yourself!"
Zhou Shaojin laughed and said, "Others say that luck is mutual. If they are all doing well, even if I am a little depressed, I will get better too. How can I not be happy?"
"That's good!" Mrs. Guo said with a smile, "You can pack the pair of longevity locks and take them with you, saying they are from me for your child."
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly.
Nanny Shang's figure flashed past the door.
Zhou Shaojin talked to Mrs. Guo calmly and then left Tingxiang Courtyard.
Nanny Shang was waiting for her on the path outside Tingxiangyuan.
"Huaishan said that Cheng Lu went to see Grandma Nuo again." She whispered, "He asked me to ask you, do you want to continue chasing Cheng Lu?"
Zhou Shaojin meant to have Huaishan send people to follow Cheng Lu, steal Cheng Lu's things from time to time, or chase Cheng Lu to make him nervous and have nowhere to hide, and to "disturb" Wu Baozhang every now and then to find something for both of them to do so that they wouldn't always be thinking about other people's affairs.
However, it seemed that Cheng Lu had just found Wu Baozhang two days ago, so why was he looking for her again
Nanny Shang smiled and said, "We didn't force him to do this. He came to us on his own initiative. Maybe he thought that the money in the hands of the eldest lady came easily? I heard that he rented a nice house near Zhuque Street these days and bought a servant. The people he interacted with were all scholars. This must have cost a lot of money, right?"
The great ones hide in the court, the small ones hide in the city.
Does Cheng Lu think that he can avoid the Cheng family's search by living in a better place
Zhou Shaojin felt that this was exactly what Cheng Lu would do.
"Then leave him alone." She smiled and said to Nanny Shang, "Just make sure he doesn't run away or cause trouble for us when he has nothing better to do."
Nanny Shang smiled knowingly and stepped back.
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As for Wu Baozhang, after seeing Cheng Lu off, she kept her clenched fists tight.
Who does Cheng Lu think she is
He asked her to borrow two hundred taels of silver.
She had money, but it was saved up through hard work, not like Zhou Shaojin, who got it directly from his father.
Although Wu Baozhang despised Cheng Lu in his heart for being a gigolo, he never expected that Cheng Lu would actually be a gigolo.
She felt that he came to her for money because a penny stumped the hero.
But she never expected that Cheng Lu would come to her again so soon, and the first thing he asked for was two hundred taels of silver!
How did he become like this
Wouldn't that really make him a scoundrel
What about the sage books he read
Where are his bones
Where is the vigor and vitality in his conversation
Wu Baozhang sat on the armchair, unable to hide his disappointment.
Today he asked me for two hundred taels of silver because he was short of food. What about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow
Wu Baozhang felt like he had fallen into a quagmire. Even if he could climb out, his feet would be dirty...
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Sisters, today's extra update.
Updates are still around 10pm! O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Please give me pink votes...
※(To be continued)