When Zhao'er walked out of the street where the bookstore was located, she realized that she had nowhere to go.
She originally came to the bookstore with the little man today. She couldn't do the work in the embroidery workshop, and she hadn't picked up the vegetables for many days. Now it would be too much trouble to go back to the village and wait for the afternoon.
She calculated in her mind what day it was today, and decided to see the second sister.
Zhao'er's second sister, Wang Zhaodi, is not in Huyang Town, but a maid in Shen's House in Xia County. From Huyang Town to Xia County, it takes only half an hour to take a mule cart. It is a bit expensive to take a trip, and it costs fifteen cents.
When Zhao'er arrived at the county seat, it was already three o'clock. It's a good time to meet someone. If it's too early or too late, her second sister may not have time to see her, and it will take a long time.
Zhao'er came all the way to the south of the city, and before entering the archway where the Shen family was located, he saw the two flags more than 50 feet high erected in front of the gate of the Shen family.
This is the jinshi and the first flag. Only someone in the family who has won the jinshi can set up this flag.
This famous flagpole is divided into two structures, flagpole with stone and flagpole.
The flag-fights on the flagpoles are also very particular. They are from the imperial examinations, and they can stand two flagpoles in the imperial examinations. If it is the champion, it is the flagpole of Sandou. If there is a third-rank or higher member of the clan, it can stand for four battles.
There are two big flags in front of the Shen family gate, one is three buckets and the other is four buckets. In other words, the Shen family had a champion and had a high-ranking official in the court.
The reason why a country girl in Zhao'er knows this is because her second sister told her when she came to see her.
The front door, side door, and even the corner door were not accessible to Zhao'er's identity. She walked around a lot before arriving at the back door of Shen's residence.
The back door was half-closed, and Zhao'er didn't dare to barge in, so she respectfully went over and knocked on the door.
The door opened with a creak, and a round woman walked out from inside and asked her, "Who are you looking for?"
This old woman is just a janitor, but she is also wearing a satin robe, with jewelry on her ears and hands, which is enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.
The Shen family is indeed rich and noble. In this Xia County, it can be said that they are stomping their feet, and the county seat will tremble three times. The Shen residence here is the ancestral home of the Shen family. Except for the uncle and second master of the Shen family who are officials outside, the rest of the Shen family live here.
"Hello mother-in-law, I'm looking for Sulan. I'm her younger brother, and I came to see her specially."
This old woman's attitude can't be called warm, but she doesn't look down on others. At least from this trick, you can see that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao'er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.
After Zhao'er waited for a stick of incense, the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman walked out. I saw that her skin was brighter than snow, with phoenix eyes and red lips, wearing a water-red blouse and a moon-white pleated skirt. His long, thick black hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a gold hairpin inserted into it.
Obviously the clothes are ordinary, and the hair accessories are also ordinary, but wearing all this on her adds a sense of beauty that no one else has. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is very thin, and she has a good figure.
This person is Zhao'er's second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Sulan when she arrived at the Shen residence.
Zhao'er couldn't help frowning, the second sister had changed a lot since the last time she saw her. Not only the material of the clothes, but also the jewelry on the body, the complexion and even the figure have changed a lot.
She was a little flustered, grabbed Sulan, and went to the corner where no one was around.
"Sister, did you really do it?"
Seeing her sister wrinkling her sleeves, Su Lan asked impatiently, "What to do or not to do?"
"It's that, that..." Zhao'er hesitated for a while, then said with a blushing face: "You shouldn't really make a room for Sixth Young Master."
Sulan raised her eyes and tickled the corners of her mouth: "What do you care about?"
"Sister!" Zhao'er couldn't help stamping her feet.
Sulan looked at her sister and remembered that she was sold by her family back then. Only the third sister, Zhao'er, found out her whereabouts from Ya Po, and walked all day and night to see her. At that time, she was full of panic, and Zhao'er's appearance let her know that she was not alone, and that no one in this manor knew that she would die, and she immediately softened her heart.
She sighed lightly: "I didn't tell you before, I won't go out to live in that kind of hard life. Although I'm a passerby now, the sixth young master promised me that he would give it to me when grandma came in. A aunt does it."
Zhao'er's face was full of surprise and disbelief, she knew it already, but knowing from the second sister that she really did such a thing, she was still shocked.
For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say, and after a long while hesitantly said, "That's it? If you treat someone as a child, you will be bullied by your elder wife."
Zhao'er's only knowledge told her that when she was young, she could live comfortably in a few days.
The sister's words made Su Lan feel particularly uncomfortable, and she waved her hand carelessly. The snow-white and lustrous slender jade fingers, with a gold opal ring on it, exudes a faint light, dazzling in the sun.
"You don't understand, and you don't have to be afraid of being bullied. As long as Young Master Liu is on my side, even if Grandma Liu comes in later, she will not dare to bully me."
"Can… "
"Okay, let's not talk about me, but your little husband is sick? I didn't tell you, it's better for you to come into the house and be a girl to be my company than to stay in that house. .Which woman is looking for a man instead of someone who can protect her, but you are better off, but instead earn money outside to support her family."
"Isn't he still young? Besides, sister, it's not like you don't know. If it wasn't for my mother and father, I'm afraid I wouldn't know where I would have been sold. You were lucky to be sold into the Shen residence. But there are also unlucky ones who are sold into those pickled places."
Su Lan pursed her bright red lips tightly and did not speak.
She was sold into the Shen residence, not because she was lucky.
In the glittering phoenix eyes, all kinds of light returned to silence. She let out a sigh of relief and scolded: "That's why I hate seeing you the most. Every time I come here, I get angry and block me."
Zhao'er kicked the small stone under his feet: "I just thought I hadn't seen you for a long time, and I came to see you."
"How's your life going? The Xue family didn't embarrass you, right? You wait. When my sister becomes the sixth master's aunt, whoever bullies you in the future, my sister will help you clean him up."
Zhao'er heard it warmly in her heart, she couldn't help leaning over, hugging Sulan's slender waist coquettishly: "Sister, don't worry, I'm so sloppy, who dares to bully me. You don't know that the Xue family is a moth. too much… "
She recounted what happened recently in the Xue family.
Sulan's mouth twitched when she heard it, and she said sarcastically: "So this is the human heart. Don't try to test the human heart. You will usually be disappointed. Don't rely on others, what you hold in your hands is the truth."
Sulan was a little extreme, but Zhao'er knew why the second sister did this. In fact, occasionally she will be extreme, but she rarely says it.
"Then what are you going to do now? If your little man really loses, then you won't go to school? Have you ever thought that if you win, if you lose, you two will be in trouble? The Xue family has a foothold."
Of course Zhao'er understood this, she stood up straight and smiled: "Sister, I know. Don't worry, I'm going to find another way to do business, the big deal is that we have just come out alone. The dog likes to learn, so let him learn. , until I can't."
Su Lan poked her jade finger on her forehead with a jade finger: "How old are you, if you can't give it up, you can't give it up after a good day, so you can't give it up yourself. Stop it, don't say it. Second sister doesn't feel bad for you, there is someone I know who is the third shopkeeper in 'He Rongsheng', if you go to him, he can find some way for you to make money."
'He Rongsheng' is the name of the pawnshop. There are many branches in Pingyang Prefecture, and there is also one in Huyang Town. Zhao'er usually came and went in town, so naturally she had heard of this name.
"This is the business of the Shen family with Rongsheng? Sister, how do you know the third shopkeeper?"
A veiled complexity flashed in Sulan's eyes, and she said impatiently: "Don't worry about it, you can just find someone named Shen Ping. Well, I won't tell you, the Sixth Young Master will have lunch later. Now, I have to go and wait, lest those little hooves rush to the front to show their hospitality again."
After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and stuffed it into Zhao'er's hand: "Take it, it doesn't matter if you really lose, let's go first. The family of the Shen family is famous in the whole Pingyang mansion, etc. Sister will become a concubine in the future, and see if I can ask Sixth Young Master to let your little man come in and be a companion. I really owe you in my last life, and I will worry about everything. "
Su Lan's figure soon disappeared from the door.
Zhao'er stood there, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang clenched it tightly and walked away.
Zhao'er didn't know where He Rongsheng was in the county, she inquired all the way.
When we got there, it was a coincidence that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.
Shen Ping is a very young guy, with a decent appearance, very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue straight jacket and looked about twenty years old, but he didn't expect to be the shopkeeper of a pawn shop.
As soon as he heard the intention of Zhao'er, his eyes flashed: "You are Zhao'er, I heard your sister say about you."
Zhao'er didn't expect the second sister to tell this Shen Ping her name, she smelled an unusual smell. As he spoke, Shen Ping had already led her in.
"When your sister told me about you before, I was thinking about what kind of business you can do for a long time. I thought about it and thought that selling old clothes is quite suitable for your girl's family."
The second sister even told the other's surprise about her gender, and it didn't last long, Zhao'er's attention was all drawn away by Shen Ping's words.
"What is selling old clothes?"
"You should know what the pawnshop does. This pawnshop accepts everything and can be pawned. Among them, the current period is divided into dead and alive. If it is alive, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is dead, it means that the thing is not needed. Of course, there are also those who are overdue for redemption, and naturally it becomes a promise of death.
"These things were taken by the pawnshop and exchanged for the money to the owner, and naturally they had to be resold. Like some old clothes, we all directly transfer them to the embroidery workshop or clothing store. If you are willing to do this business, you can get Get some old clothes here to sell."
As Shen Ping spoke, Zhao'er's eyes flickered and he asked, "I don't know what the price is? Is it a piece by piece, or what? Since it's an old garment, it certainly won't be as expensive as a new one, right?"
Shen Ping glanced at her: "You are very smart." He turned around and went to the layman: "Come with me, I will show you."
Zhao'er followed him all the way back. The yard behind the pawnshop was huge, and it looked like it was a barn.
On the road, I met many people in the pawnshop, and they were all respectful when they saw Shen Ping. Zhao'er followed him to a barn, but neither of them went in. A man who looked like a man dragged a large bag out of it and opened it in front of the door.
This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80% or 90% new, and some are even brand new. I haven't worn them twice at first glance. The texture of the clothes is also varied, some are cotton, some satin, some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, better than the coarse cloth clothes that Zhao'er is wearing.
"These are usually mixed together, because they are all collected at low prices, so the asking price is not high. Give me two taels of such a pack of clothes, and it will be yours."
Zhao'er couldn't see through her eyes. In order to make sure that the business could be done, she even went up to look over it.
Such a pack of clothes, at least a hundred pieces.
Even if a piece of clothing is sold for twenty cents, it is enough for her to pay back. And some clothes were sold for more than 20 cents just based on her visual observation. What can you do with twenty pennies, you need at least six or seven feet of cloth to make a piece of clothing, and the most inferior cotton cloth costs seven or eight pennies.
Not to mention that there are still some good fabrics, and even some cotton-padded clothes, even if they don't sell, they won't lose money by wearing them.