Yue Dingtang guessed that the second master was probably here for the pagoda, but he didn't expect that the other party wanted to buy the pagoda as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Why did Uncle Second Biao say this?"
"Oh, Dingtang, if we don't talk about our family, don't pretend to be confused! To tell the truth, I really didn't expect the old man to have this collection in his hand, and he specially named it for you. Speaking of which, If he had lit it up early, he would probably have been stolen by the eldest or the fourth. Now, although they have not dared to act rashly for the time being due to the old man's last words, can you guarantee that it is safe for you to step out of the gate? "
Seeing Yue Dingtang's thoughtful expression, the second master made persistent efforts.
"If you take the pagoda back all the way, you have to take the train from Fengtian to Tianjin or Beijing, and then you have to change trains there, and then you can go back to Shanghai with seven turns and eight detours. How many roads will you pass, how many people you meet, how many people there are There are so many people with ulterior motives and plots, and how many people kill without blinking an eye, can you guarantee that you will bring the box back safely? Some people are not only robbing money, but also killing people. They collude with local governments. Shanghai is amazing, but outside of Shanghai, everyone in China doesn't know everyone with the surname Yue, right?"
"Also, take 10,000 steps back and say, even if you have a safe journey, no one will dare to attack you. What about in Fengtian City, and in the three eastern provinces?"
The second master approached and lowered his voice.
"This is the territory of the Japanese. Can they still get what they want? There are so many tricks. I'm not afraid that you won't be fooled, but I'm afraid that you can't think of it, escape this pit, and that pit is waiting for you! When you go out one day, they lie directly in front of you, blackmail and touch porcelain, and ask you to pay for the exorbitant medical expenses. If you can't pay, you can use the pagoda to pay off the debt. Do you take it or not? At that time, it will not be human and wealth. Are you two empty?"
He speaks in a straightforward manner, explaining everything clearly, as expected of the Guan family's external steward.
"Second cousin is right." Yue Dingtang nodded, but changed the subject, "But how do you guarantee that after you get the pagoda, the Japanese will not reach out?"
The second master said: "Your cousin and uncle were able to establish a foothold in Fengtian back then. Naturally, it was managed by various parties. The mayor Wang of Fengtian also has some friendship with the old man. As long as we take care of it, there will be no problem. This thing is delicate. After a long journey, it is easy to fall and touch, even if you touch it, a corner is missing, and the rare treasure has become a regret for the ages. I have collected antiques for many years, and I really can't bear it to end like this... Hey!"
Yue Dingtang: "Since it is a rare treasure, can the second cousin have a suitable price to measure it?"
The second master smiled and said, "Ding Tang, I want to discuss it with you. If you offer a price, it's okay for the second cousin to go bankrupt, but you have to save me a room and food and clothing. After all, I also have a family. If you want to support, I will write you an IOU first, if it is not enough, I will repay it later, will it work?"
"Master, that's not what I said. I didn't want you to sell property for this inedible and unusable pagoda. If you don't listen to it, you have to do it your way. This thing is hot, and you will buy it with all your money. , where will the money come from?"
The second cousin's aunt's surname is He, and she was born as handsome as a fairy. Even her voice was clear and congruent, and it was like a pearl.
He squinted with a wink, and the style was perfect.
"Speaking of which, your nephew shouldn't be so ruthless, asking for a lot of money, making our family beg for food, right?"
The couple sang and reconciled, as if Yue Dingtang had agreed to sell the pagoda to them.
"Second cousin, can you allow me to say something?"
Ling Shu, who was full of food and drink, regained his fighting power, and spoke with full of energy.
The second master twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting him to cool down, but thinking that this surnamed Ling could brainwash Yue Dingtang and blow his mind, he would be unhappy and ruin his own good.
"Go ahead."
Ling Shu smiled and said: "The pagoda is precious, everyone knows that Lao Yueben has no greed to take it for himself, but this is left by the old man's name, and he is not allowed to give it back. You said that you want to buy it, but you really won't. Going against the will of the old man, but there are so many people in the Guan family, who will the pagoda be sold to
The second master frowned: "As soon as you came back, I came to the door. Where are the others? Don't fool me."
Ling Shu: "Within a moment, someone else will come to the door. If you don't believe it, you might as well wait a little longer."
The second child can think of the idea of buying a pagoda, but why can't others think of it
Sure enough, after a while, the second person who came to the door came.
It's the big man.
As soon as the eldest master saw the second master and his wife, his eyes widened.
"Okay, second child, I knew you were sane, but in fact you were full of bad water!"
The second master's face sank: "Brother, what are you talking about, since Tang and the others came to the door, his second aunt has never seen this nephew well, and now I bring her over to say hello, are you still not happy?"
The eldest man sneered: "I'm afraid that some people will have their eyes fixed on nephew's things in the name of greetings!"
Second Master: "Then what are you here for?"
The eldest man sat down on the chair and said carelessly, "I'm here to visit my nephew too!"
The two brothers stared at each other.
The second master can't do anything about him, the eldest master's ass is like sticky candy, he can't catch up, and it's not good to scold.
Seeing that the conversation could not go on, the second master had to get up and say goodbye.
"Dingtang, you all have a good rest first, and tomorrow you have to go up the mountain to kowtow to the old man. Don't miss the time. I'll be busy first, so there's no need to send them off."
As soon as the second master left, the eldest master got excited.
"Dingtang, I have a business, I wonder if you are interested?"
Yue Dingtang: "Big cousin, I'm not a businessman, I'm just a teacher, I'm afraid I can't do the business you said."
The eldest man waved his hand: "Hey, let's not talk politely, I have the deed of this house in my hand, I have gone to ask, such a house is worth at least five or six hundred taels of silver, if you want, I will How about taking this deed to the pagoda, plus the rice shop and Zhuangzi left by the old man? You don’t lose money on this deal, right? It's better than running around half of China with a pagoda, right?"
To be honest, Yue Ding Tang quite admired that the eldest master could come up with such an idea.
"There are so many people living in this house now, what if you sell them?"
The eldest man didn't care: "Don't you want to split up the family? Let them go out and live there. Anyway, the house deed is in my hands. I won't hand it over. What can they do?"
Yue Dingtang: "Big cousin, let me think about it."
The eldest man nodded, without fussing: "Then I'll go first, don't think about it for too long! You'd better not believe anything the second child tells you, he's used to talking vernacular and bragging about not paying taxes. Yes, 80% of them will say that they want to buy your pagoda, but you can ask him to take the money, but he can't come up with it, it's not as good as the conditions I offer, think about it for yourself, don't be confused!"
After sending off two groups of people, Yue Dingtang couldn't help but let out a long breath.
Ling Shu gloated and laughed: "This is just the opening remarks, the drama is still behind, don't sigh in a hurry."
Yue Dingtang: "I want to thank you behind closed doors."
Ling Shu: "If you can avoid the first day of the first year, but you can't avoid the fifteenth day, it is better to listen to them finish all the conditions in one breath, and then make plans."
The third group of guests arrived quickly.
It is the fourth master and the beautiful young Ivanov.
The Fourth Master was only a guide. It was Ivanov who really made a deal with Yue Dingtang. The conditions he proposed were more favorable than those of the previous two.
"Mongolian war horse business?"
Yue Dingtang repeated his words.
Ivanov nodded: "Yes."
Yue Dingtang said: "You are in Fengtian, how can you decide to buy and sell war horses in Mongolia? Judging from your appearance, it seems that you are not compatible with the Mongolians."
Ivanov smiled slightly: "I have some friendship with the King of Germany, not only war horses, but also cattle and sheep. I heard that the Yue family can speak well in the Nanjing government. If you add my way, you can both be in the court in the future. If you can make money for yourself, why not do it? Please consider Mr. Yue carefully."
He is extremely proficient in Chinese, and he can hardly hear any foreign accent in this Chinese language. Either he has lived in China for a long time, or he is taught by a special person.
Yue Dingtang: "I don't understand."
Ivanov: "What else does Mr. Yue don't understand?"
Yue Dingtang: "Is this pagoda so attractive to you? What you promised has far exceeded the value of the pagoda itself. Even if I agree, I'm afraid I will be very uncomfortable."
Ivanov smiled.
Beautiful people look especially good when they smile, and Ivanov's appearance has already transcended gender, and even if he puts on women's clothes, no one will feel abrupt.
"You are very calm, and you have not lost your mind when you see such great interests. I am very relieved to do business with you. In fact, I am also entrusted by others. In the early years, King De entrusted me to help him find a seven-story exquisite pagoda, saying: It is his family heirloom. It was lost for some reason a few years ago. I have been in China for so many years, and it is not until today that I saw a pagoda similar to what he described. Although it may not be the one he was looking for, I am willing to give it a try. , it can also be regarded as the completion of my many years of friendship with King De."
Yue Dingtang: "Your deep friendship with your friends is really touching, but I need to think about it carefully."
Ivanov nodded: "Of course, this is a big deal, you can think about it slowly, just give me an exact answer before leaving Fengtian."
The Russians got up to leave, and the Fourth Master did not forget to understand and move with reason and emotion. He took Yue Dingtang's hand and rambled about it. By the way, he also gave him two auspicious words. Even if you are not rich and noble, you don’t have to worry about food and clothing. It is a typical noble life. If you give the pagoda to someone who is destined, you will definitely have a good heart and a good return.
Hearing that, Ling Shu couldn't help but join in the fun.
"Uncle Si Biao, can you show it to me too? What about my life?"
"You?" Fourth Master's mouth twitched, wanting to push his face away.
"Didn't I show it to you before, your teenager suffered a catastrophe, and it is already a life after the catastrophe."
Ling Shu smiled and said, "You only talked about the past, not the future!"
The fourth master was expressionless: "Bao Jiaxian is resting, I can't show it to you. I invite him to come down to earth another day, you can make an appointment."
Ling Shu wondered: "Then how can you show it to Lao Yue?"
The fourth master took a deep breath and said word by word: "I think that although you have disasters in your life, you will always meet noble people, and disasters will turn into good luck, and disasters will be auspicious. Anyone who appears by your side has the potential to become you. The noble person, remember to be respectful to him, ask for advice on everything, don’t offend the noble person, you will be safe and sound for the rest of your life.”
Ling Shu: "So, Chief Yue is my noble person?"
The fourth master looked unpredictable: "If you think it is, then if you think it is not, then it is not."
Ling Shu nodded after being taught, and suddenly realized.
"Then I think that the second master should also be my noble person. When we come here, thanks to the gift of his old man, we can eat donkey meat pot and sleep on the heated kang."
The fourth master was so angry that he thought that I was also a noble person who appeared by your side. Why didn't you tell me? Can a donkey meat pot buy you off
Ling Shu didn't know if he was really confused or if he just pretended not to see it.
Ivanov had already seen that Ling Shu was playing with the Fourth Master. In order to prevent the other party from really pissing people off, he made an excuse to take the Fourth Master away, and left a message of sincerity to Yue Dingtang before leaving. Enough words.
"Mr. Yue, I will visit again tomorrow. Everything is easy to discuss. Please consider it carefully. If you agree, I can immediately go to King Xinde and get his personal letter and advance payment as a sign of sincerity."
The two finally left.
To be precise, Ling Shu was taken away again.
Yue Ding Tang glanced at him sideways.
The latter completely regarded today as a pastime watching a monkey show, and was in a good mood, humming a ditty.
Yue Dingtang: "Everyone in the Guan family has offended you, are you still happy?"
Ling Shu: "It's a pleasure to watch the show even for Chief Yue. The King of Virtue he said was not the King of Virtue, right?"
Yue Dingtang: "It should be the King of Virtue."
The two were playing dumb puzzles, but they knew what the other was talking about.
The so-called King of De, whose full name is Prince Demchukdonglupu, is a Mongolian prince. In fact, he is one of the local separatist warlords. He is quite powerful and ambitious.
Regardless of whether the heirloom Ivanov said is true or false, as long as the King of Germany represented by him is true, then this transaction is not a loss for Yue Dingtang.
At the very least, it is more reliable and cost-effective than the eldest master and the second master.
This pure gold pagoda, so exquisite, is now delicate. It cannot be dropped or touched all the way from Fengtian to the city. It has to pass through all kinds of bulls, ghosts and snakes. Not to mention the Yue family, even the chairman of the committee surnamed Jiang is here. .
Yue Dingtang knew this very well, and so did others.
So these people come to the door, all of them are aimed at this point, and put forward conditions to exchange.
"Sir Yue, are you excited?"
Yue Dingtang pulled back his thoughts of walking away and saw Ling Shu's excited expression.
"If it were you, would you be moved?" he asked Ling Shu.
"Of course, among these people, Ivanov has the most favorable conditions. However, his relationship with King De came from his own mouth, and no one knows whether it is true or not. Is your banner deceiving you?" Ling Shu spread his hands, "Why don't you take a look, I think the five masters will come to the door soon."
Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrived.
The fifth master did not come.
It was his classmate Ying Zuo Zhaokang who came.
Ying Zuo was courteous and did not rush to express his intentions. He first greeted him and asked about the situation in Shanghai. He also said that he had been to Shanghai a few years ago, and it was as prosperous as Paris, which made him yearn very much. Almost settled there.
After three cups of tea, I still haven't gotten to the point.
Ying Zuo glanced at Ling Shu and said with a smile, "I have something to tell Mr. Yue alone."
Yue Dingtang: "Ling Shu, help me to ask the second master if the new guest room is ready."
Just now, even the second master and the fourth master came over, and Yue Dingtang never let him avoid it. At this moment, Ying Zuo said a word, but Yue Dingtang almost obeyed.
Although Ling Shu was a little surprised, he got up happily.
"You two talk slowly."
Watching Ling Shu's back walk away, Ying Zuo changed his words and didn't mention the pagoda, instead he mentioned a person.
"I don't know if Mr. Yue knew an old friend of mine. He also lived in Shanghai for a long time. He was an enthusiastic philanthropist and had deep feelings for Shanghai. It's a pity that he died young. It's a pity."
Yue Dingtang: "I don't seem to have any friends who died young."
Ying Zuo nodded and said, "I took the liberty, but you may know a gentleman surnamed Cheng."
Yue Dingtang: "Is that Mr. Cheng who was in a plane crash with movie star He Youan?"
Ying Zuo: "It's him."
Yue Dingtang: "I have had a relationship with each other for a long time, and I have been famous for a long time, but I don't know each other very well. Mr. Cheng died suddenly, and the Shanghai posters were also published at that time. It is indeed a pity that he and Miss He are talented and beautiful."
Ying Zuo: "To tell the truth from Mr. Yue, I was entrusted by others."
Yue Dingtang smiled and said, "Someone told me just now that there are quite a few people entrusted by others today. But what does what Mr. Yingzuo is about to talk about have anything to do with the late Mr. Cheng?"
Ying Zuo didn't smile: "I'm sorry, I don't want to bother you because of this, but since I'm entrusted by others, I have to be loyal to others. There are two people who entrust me, one is Mr. Liu from the Municipal Office, he It is my university senior, several years before me, and one is Mr. Yue, your relative, Mr. Yue Dingjin. Before you left Shanghai, Mr. Yue Dingjin must have contacted you. Once Mr. Cheng left, there was no business in his hands. After Mr. Liu and Mr. Yue Dingjin have discussed it, they all hope that the Yue family will come forward, and the specific matters will come to you after you personally go to see Mr. Liu for a detailed discussion."
He paused, then said: "In addition, if you need the pagoda in your hand, Mr. Liu can transport it to the Shanghai residence in the name of the Fengtian Municipal Office. Running around with boxes is easy to lose and cause trouble."
Yue Dingtang: "Thank you, I will consider the matter of the stupa. As for Mr. Liu, I'll ask Mr. Yingzuo to tell him that I will pay homage to Mr. Guan on the mountain tomorrow morning, and I will visit him after going down the mountain."
Ying Zuo stood up happily.
"So good, then I'll take my leave."
After Ying Zuo left for a while, Ling Shu came back with Shi Shiran with his hands behind his back.
"The second master is so annoying, he just picked up the broom and drove me away, but the guest room is already being cleaned up, and it should be possible to live in today."
Yueding Tang Chao waved to him: "Come here, have some tea."
Ling Shu was suspicious: "The sun came out from the west?"
Yue Dingtang: "Why, don't you want to know what he said to me?"
Ling Shu: "If you don't tell me, I won't ask. I'm not a person who likes to inquire."
Yue Dingtang: "I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep well in the middle of the night by scratching your ears and cheeks."
Ling Shu clasped his hands together, looked at his nose and his heart, and said, "The poor monks are all empty."
Yue Dingtang smiled but not smiled: "The night the second master invited you to eat the donkey meat pot, you left halfway, not just to relieve yourself, right?"
Ling Shu: "Didn't I tell you, I'll buy a silver needle and test the poison for you."
Yue Dingtang: "The silver needle you used to test the poison is actually the silver hairpin in the silver building, so why did you go to the silver building as soon as you arrived at the Guan's house and felt that someone was going to hurt us?"
Ling Shu touched his nose: "To be honest, I saw a beautiful girl and chased her all the way. Who would have known that she would be gone after entering the silver building, and I don't want to look like Meng Lang, so I can only buy something casually. , Chief Yue found out in his conscience and wanted to reimburse me?"
Yue Dingtang listened to the other party's serious nonsense, the corners of his mouth became more and more flat, and finally he pursed into a straight line.
He knew that Ling Shu had a lot of involuntary little movements when he was lying.
These little actions were already there when I was in school. After many years, many of them were forcibly changed by Ling Shu, but there are still many details left.
For example, a finger keeps tapping on the table, the movement is very slight, if you don't look carefully, you won't see the fingertips moving and touching.
After realizing Yue Dingtang's sight, Ling Shu immediately stopped.
But in this way, there is no silver here.
Yue Dingtang looked at him and smiled, which was meaningful.
Ling Shu also laughed, humans and animals are harmless.
"Ling Shu, I don't think it's a good choice for you to stay by my side. If I were your enemy, I would choose to kill a thousand by mistake rather than spare one, and never miss the old love of an old classmate. ." Yue Ding Tang said half true and half false.
Ling Shu smiled and said: "But you are not my enemy, Chief Yue, I am just a little secretary who relies on you to eat and wait to die, you must not throw fire on me. I confess, I really met a Only beautiful girls will go to the silver building, I still remember the appearance of that girl, why don't I draw it for you to see?"
Yue Dingtang: "I'm afraid you will draw He Youan and tell me you're hell."
Ling Shu: "You are really joking."
Yue Dingtang: "Ying Zuo knows Mr. Cheng."
Ling Shu was surprised: "Then is he suspicious of He You'an's death?"
Regardless of whether he was really surprised or falsely surprised, Yue Dingtang directly dismissed the previous temptations and went straight to the point.
"You know Lao Yuan."
Not a question, no rhetorical question, but a statement.
Ling Shu denied it quickly, and the innocence on his face was very real.
"I don't know, how could I know him?"
"You said that after you returned to China, you went to Sichuan, Yunnan and other places to explore, but your accent has not been affected by the local environment and has changed slightly, but even the local accent has been eliminated a lot, which shows that you have indeed gone out to explore, but Not to Sichuan, nor to Yunnan."
"You keep saying that you are addicted to money, but you leave the remuneration He Youan gave you to He Lixin's child. I also know that you are still secretly investigating Chen Youhua's death. What are you suspecting? Isn't He Youan's matter over?"
"Today, when everyone was present, Lao Yuan's reaction was different when he saw you. He was stunned for a moment. I don't know if others noticed, but I did."
Yue Dingtang looked at him and gradually became stern.
"Ling Shu, I will ask you one last time, do you and Lao Yuan know each other?"