A trip starting from the courtyard

Chapter 660 When a person reaches middle age, many things must be done in moderation
Jiying Lane, Shengfu
Sheng Hong bid farewell to the old lady, walked out of Shou'an hall with a dark face, and turned around with Sheng Changbai towards Lin Xi Pavilion.Rulan guessed that the scumbag father should deal with Sheng Changfeng, and was about to follow up to watch the excitement, and she was angry, but was stopped by Sheng Hualan, "Fifth sister, come with me to the front hall, mother must be too busy there alone " Leaning close to Rulan's ear and whispering, "Daddy must be angry now, you will be scolded in the past."

Thinking that her scumbag father has always looked down on her, Ru Lan obediently followed her elder sister to the front hall, "What is mother doing up front?"

Hua Lan said, "So many betrothal gifts have to be sorted and accounted for. There are so many gold and silver. If you don't look at it, it is not uncommon for hundreds or thousands of taels to be missing when it is put into the warehouse for inventory."

Ru Lan quickened her pace.

Hua Lan looked enviously at Ru Lan and said, "The dowry gift from the young master today is at least worth a million guan, and you are the only one in the capital!"

Ru Lan said casually, since Qi Heng told her last time that she could earn hundreds of millions of dollars in a single trip, to her, a million dollars is just like ordinary people hearing one or two hundred dollars, which is no longer exciting. There was a turmoil.

Seeing Fifth Sister's calm expression, Hua Lan thought she already knew the exact amount of the dowry, so she didn't continue the topic. She looked around and whispered, "Fifth Sister, I beg you to do something."

Ru Lan was a little surprised. My eldest sister had never begged her for anything since she was a child. She found her half-worn clothes. She heard that her life at her brother-in-law's house was very difficult. Even her mother-in-law cheated her of her dowry. She suddenly said, "Is my sister running out of money? How much do you want?"

Hua Lan waving his hands is not a matter of money, "Brother-in-law Ni will be transferred to the front of the palace next month to support the Japanese army."

Ru Lan asked in surprise, "Brother-in-law has been promoted?"

Hua Lan nodded with a smile, but still reminded her, "Now that the complaint is still pending, Fifth Younger Sister remembers to keep it a secret, so as not to be misled by some people after they find out."

Ru Lan nodded hurriedly.

Hua Lan said, "Now the commander of the Japanese army is called Gu Yanqi. I heard that he is Brother Heng's third uncle. Can you tell Brother Heng to say hello to his third uncle and take care of you later?" Brother-in-law"

It's not a big deal, Ru Lan nodded and said, "I'll write to Second Brother Heng later, but I don't know what kind of relationship you said between Uncle Heng and Second Brother Heng. If the relationship is not good, I may not be able to help you at that time Busy, big sister, don't blame Brother Heng."

Hua Lan smiled and said, "I know, regardless of whether this can be done or not, I am very grateful to Fifth Sister."

The two sisters talked and laughed and came to the front hall. Seeing the old lady flying up in a hurry, they hurried forward to help.When Wang saw the two sisters, she first asked about the situation of the old lady, and knowing that there was nothing serious, she assigned tasks to the two girls.

Ru Lan is responsible for the classification and registration of various miscellaneous items. When the boy reported the two geese, he hurriedly asked the boy to bring the geese up, and found that the two of today's two were different from the three at home, and there were two more on their foreheads. bar
Hua Lan was in charge of helping Wang Shi. While checking the quantity of the items, she whispered to Wang Shi, "Mother, Changfeng owes so much money, the family must not be able to pay it? You don't seem to be in a hurry?"

Wang said calmly, "Why should I be in a hurry? I didn't borrow it, and I didn't spend it. Whoever borrowed it, I can find someone to go to!" She recalled that 15 guan was borrowed by Changfeng , even if it is printing money, it cannot rob the Sheng family's house for no reason.

Hua Lan asked in surprise, "Mother doesn't plan to take care of it?"

Wang said with a sneer, "What the fuck! Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan have lived in Lin Xi Pavilion since childhood. Your father said that I am not allowed to meddle in Lin Xi Pavilion's affairs. Now that you have something to do, don't come to me!"

Hua Lan said, "Where did Chang Feng get so much money? Dad will definitely not ignore it. In the end, it was not paid by the family."

"Anyway, I have no money. If you really want to sell the house, the Sheng family will be ashamed. Your father is so shameless." Seeing that Ru Lan was only playing, Wang immediately reprimanded loudly, "If you play around, I will let the cook Stew these two beasts."

Into the night
Sheng Hong led Changbai into the Shou'an Hall with a straight face, saw Ming Lan supporting the old lady walking in the small courtyard, bowed his hands and said,

"Mother's complexion looks much better, can I have dinner?"

The old lady didn't seem to notice Sheng Hong's ugly face, she nodded slightly, "I just finished using it, so I'm not here to digest food. Why are you and Changbai, Da Niangzi and Ru'er?"

Sheng Hong said, "Behind, we'll be there soon."

"Then you and Changbai sit in the room first, and I'll walk for a while."

Seeing her father and second elder brother entering the house, Ming Lan whispered, "Grandmother, could it be that Daddy is arguing with the eldest lady?"

The old lady said, "Maybe, when the eldest lady comes, I will know."

While the two were talking, Mrs. Wang stepped into the yard, her face darkened, but Ru Lan behind her looked innocent.
Seeing the old lady, Wang squeezed out a smiling face to say hello, and then asked about the recovery of her body. For the first time, she also supported the old lady's arm and walked with her. I asked again, the enthusiastic appearance is like licking a dog to see a goddess
After the four of them walked around the small courtyard twice, they entered the house together.Seeing that everyone was present, the old lady went straight to the point, and said to Sheng Hong, "Did you say you were fussy at noon?"

Sheng Hong bowed and cupped his hands and said, "Mother, Changfeng made such a big mistake, he should be kicked out of the house and let him fend for himself. But this time he owed a huge debt not for personal gain, but for the reputation of the Sheng family. "

Old Madam Sheng said, "Are you planning to bear this huge debt for him?"

Sheng Hong knelt down with a 'plop', "The main reason for such a big event is that I am not strict in discipline, but no matter what, Chang Feng is also a child of the Sheng family, and he can't just sit and watch him being dragged outside and sold as a slave by money lenders. At that time, what face will my son and Changbai stand on the court hall?"

Sheng Changbai also 'thumped' and knelt down, but he didn't say a single line.

Seeing his own son pleading for mercy for Sheng Changfeng, Wang's viscera were in pain, and he kept muttering, white-eyed wolf, four-eyed snake, so big for nothing...
The old lady Sheng had already guessed that this would be the result. Unless the Sheng family didn't want to continue to roll in the officialdom, the whole family would bear the debt in the end. "45 yuan, the family doesn't have that much money, unless the yard is sold."

Sheng Hong hurriedly said, "This yard is the ancestral property of the family, how can we sell it to pay off the debt."

Old Madam Sheng said, "Who are you going to ask for such a large sum of money?"

Sheng Hong glanced at Mrs. Wang and said, "My son thinks so. The betrothal gifts sent by Duke Qi's mansion today are 40 yuan in gold and silver alone. Let's borrow it for now, and the family will give me another [-] yuan." If so, this debt will be settled.”

After Sheng Hong finished speaking, he looked at the old lady, as long as she supports her, even if Mrs. Wang refuses, it will not help.

Old Madam Sheng didn't reply immediately, but looked at the fifth girl and said, "Ru Lan, the dowry that I sent today will be put into your dowry in the future, your father wants to use this money to pay off the debt, do you agree? "

Ru Lan turned a blind eye to the pleading gaze cast by her scumbag father and said, "I'll listen to my mother."

Mrs. Sheng looked at Mrs. Wang, "What's your opinion, Ma'am?"

Wang said with a cold face, "Mother, you also know that although I have been the eldest daughter of the Sheng family for so many years, Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan have been raised in Lin Xi Pavilion since they were young, and I have never cared about them for a day.

Now that something happened to Sheng Changfeng, I just want Rulan to post a dowry for that bastard, don't even think about it!
After the accident happened in the morning, if I hadn't kept my head down and made a fool of myself, the Princess Princess barely took back the marriage certificate!If the betrothal gift is embezzled again, then Ru'er can hold his head up for the rest of his life after entering Duke Qi's mansion? "The more Wang talked, the more angry she was, pointing at Sheng Hong and yelling, "I haven't troubled that bastard yet, and now I still want me to wipe him pg."

Sheng Hong was furious, pointing at Mrs. Wang and spraying, "That's enough, your bitch is my son, Sheng Hong!"

Mrs. Wang snorted coldly, "It's your son, not mine. If you want to help him pay off the debt, then pay your own money and don't try to trick me!"

Sheng Hong was in a hurry, and said, "You idiot! If Chang Feng is really sold into slavery, Li Shilang's marriage will definitely be ruined, and Chang Bai's official career will be over! In this life, I will be a seventh-rank official .Is this what you want to see?"

Wang's heart twitched, and she looked at her only son.
Ru Lan suddenly said, "I remember that Second Brother and Uncle Gu have a close relationship. Uncle Gu has several million guan, so it's not difficult to temporarily borrow 40 guan?"

Wang's eyes brightened, she clapped her hands, and said to Chang Bai, "Bai'er, with you and Gu Jia Erlang."

Changbai hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Tingye has been away from the capital for several months, and I don't know where he is now, even if I do, Yuanshui can't save him from the fire."

Ru Lan said, "Yesterday Second Brother Heng mentioned Uncle Gu in his letter, saying that he is now in a military camp in the eastern suburbs outside the city. He is mixed with a clan named Zhao or something. How about I let Magpie now Go ask Brother Heng, if you want to come, he knows exactly where it is. If you want to come to the east of the city, you can come and go for a day at most, and the loan shark said it will come after three days, so it will definitely come in time.”

The room suddenly became very quiet.

Seeing the second brother and scumbag father who are pretending to be stupid, Ru Lan looks down upon her, and the father and son will bully the poor old lady
After a while, the old lady Sheng broke the deadlock with a loud voice, and said to Sheng Hong, "Since the eldest lady does not agree to use Ru'er's dowry, then don't do it. Just like what the eldest lady said, if the dowry is really going to be changed, Ru'er's life will definitely be difficult when she enters the Duke's Mansion, even the servants in the mansion will point out her back and even make up her mind about the girl's dowry, who will dare to marry our Sheng family girl in the future."

Sheng Hong said anxiously, "Mother, Chang Feng"

Mrs. Sheng waved her hand and interrupted, "Let me finish. As for the debt of 45 Guan, you take out the deed of this yard and pay it to Brother Heng, and borrow 45 Guan to pay back the debt first. As for the debt owed Brother Heng's money, you can pay it back slowly in the future."

2VS1!

Sheng Hong hesitated for a moment, and could only nod helplessly.

Old Madam Sheng took the teacup, took two sips of tea, moistened her throat, and said, "Chang Feng, what are you going to do?"

Hearing the name of this rebellious son, Sheng Hong's face turned livid, "Send him back to his hometown and lock him up in the family temple. Except for every imperial examination, he will stay there all the time."

Mrs. Wang interjected, "Chang Feng caused a catastrophe, how many years are the officials going to imprison him?"

Sheng Hong said, "If you fail the Jinshi exam, you will be imprisoned for the rest of your life!"

Although Wang is a bit upright, he is not stupid, so he doesn't know the subtext. On the contrary, if he passes the Jinshi exam, he will be able to come out and laugh.
Seeing that the old woman wanted to have sex again, Ru Lan hurriedly stretched out her hand to give her a hand, saying that no matter how many scumbags her father would listen to, she should save some effort.

Wang groaned unwillingly, wishing that little bastard would never pass the Jinshi exam in his life.
After talking about the matter, when the family was about to say goodbye and leave, the old lady threw a grenade, which made Sheng Hong and Wang dizzy.
Sheng Hong didn't dare to believe it, "Mother said Qi Xuan, is it Brother Heng's cousin Qi Xuan?"

Seeing the old lady nodding, Sheng Hong couldn't believe it, "This Mrs. Cao is the current empress's cousin, she has a higher vision than Princess Pingning, will she take a fancy to our Minger?"

Hearing this, Old Madam Sheng frowned, pointing at Sheng Hong's nose and snorting, "Mo Lan can marry into the Duke's mansion. I know that the girl is proficient in books, calligraphy, painting, and female red embroidery. How can you not be worthy of Brother Xuan?"

Sheng Hong knew that he had said something wrong, so he hurriedly apologized, but he didn't mean it that way.
Rulan jumped to Minglan's side and said happily, "Congratulations Xiaoliu, oops."

Ming Lan asked strangely, "What happened to Fifth Sister?"

Ru Lan held her chin with her left hand, thinking, "When you marry Brother Xuan, shall I call you sister-in-law, or sixth younger sister?"

Minglan's small face instantly turned red, and she stretched out her hand to scratch Rulan's itchy spot
Wang asked strangely, "Mother, since the other party is interested, why is the date of engagement two months later?"

Sheng Hong also felt strange and looked at the old lady.

The old lady Sheng looked at Sheng Hong unhappily and said, "It's not because of your good son Chang Feng. Originally, Mrs. Cao would ask a matchmaker to come to propose marriage three days later, but today it is such a big joke. Now come to propose marriage, isn't it Being laughed at to death, who is Mrs. Cao?"

The next day, after lunch, Mrs. Wang left the house by car with her deed in her hands, Rulan dragging her tail.

"This four-wheeled carriage is really spacious." Mrs. Wang looked at the layout of the carriage and stretched her legs. No wonder it is so expensive, you really get what you pay for.

Yesterday, when Duke Qi's mansion delivered the betrothal gift, they also sent four big white horses and two carriages to Sheng's mansion. One was specified to be given to Ru Lan, and the other was unexpectedly given to Sheng Hong instead of Sheng Hong. Mrs. Sheng.

Such an obvious distinction made Sheng Hong, the father-in-law, very upset, and Qi Heng's perception dropped a lot.

"Second Brother Heng said that several Zai Zhishangshu still go to court in a two-wheeled carriage. For a fifth-rank official like Dad, it would be too ostentatious to ride a four-wheeled carriage. Maybe they will be watched by Yu Shitai to participate in the next book. , he did it for the good of Dad."

Rulan and her mother were talking about the lies they heard from Qi Heng. As for the truth, it was that Qi Heng didn't like the scumbag father and second brother Changbai, and didn't want to give them a carriage for nothing. her carriage.

After the carriage entered the street, Wang found that it was a bit different from the four-wheeled carriage she had been in before, "The carriage at your Aunt Kang's house seems to be bumpier than this one."

"How much did Aunt Kang's carriage cost?"

"1888 rounds."

Ru Lan said, "I heard from Second Brother Heng that the more expensive the more secure it is."

Wang asked curiously, "How much is this car?"

How could she ask such a trivial matter.

Rulan shook her head.

After a cup of tea, the carriage drove into Duke Qi's mansion.

When Wang Lidong heard the news from the young man, he immediately went out of the front hall, greeted the mother and daughter, and bowed, "Qi Heng has met my aunt."

"Good, good, good, good, Brother Heng," Wang Shi pulled Wang Lidong back, and the more he watched, the more he liked him, and he asked for warmth. Ru Lan, who was on the side, waited for a while, and seeing his old lady's endless posture, she secretly tugged at Wang's clothes At the same time, Wang Lidong took advantage of the opportunity to invite the two into the front hall, and let the servant girl serve tea and snacks. After the three of them chatted for a while, Mrs. Wang took out the house deed of the Sheng Mansion in Jiying Lane. The big magpie came to report.

Wang Lidong took it and looked it over roughly. The total area of ​​Sheng Mansion is more than 2600 square meters. According to the current price, the value of this yard is about 25.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Wang's face, he took a sip from the teacup and said, "Your uncle is not feeling well, so I came here."

Early this morning, Sheng Hong was lying on the bed groaning and yelling that his back hurts. After the doctor came to ask for a doctor, he said that he had sprained his waist and he had to lie down for a few days.
Seeing the flickering words of the mother-in-law, Wang Lidong didn't ask any more questions, and handed the deed to Xia Zhu who was beside him. Xia Zhu took the deed and handed over a mahogany box and a loan document.

Opening the mahogany box, there were dozens of stacks of banknotes neatly placed inside. Ru Lan glanced at it and said, "Mother, so many banknotes will be kept at home for several days, just in case something goes wrong"

Wang thought for a while, then glared at Rulan, "Then if you don't tell me earlier, we will come the day after tomorrow."

Ru Lan said, "Mother, just ask Second Brother Heng to bring over Sheng Changfeng's IOU. If that's the case, the loan sharks won't come to our house the day after tomorrow. So that there will be no troubles."

Wang thought for a while, and felt that what her daughter said was quite reasonable.

Her sister's family also used loan sharks, and she would often tell her the inside story of this business. Daxiangguo Temple is a royal temple. I heard that it will give hundreds of thousands of royal dividends to the royal family every year. At that time, if there is another incident, do something. When it came out, Sheng Hong was only a fifth-rank official, so he might not be able to withstand it. Wang looked at her son-in-law, "Brother Heng, is it convenient for you? If it's too much trouble, forget it."

Wang Lidong waved his hands and said, "No trouble, it's a trivial matter, I'll let Fu Gui go now."

Wang said happily, "Brother Heng is really troublesome."

An hour later, Sheng Hong was lying on the couch and reading idle books, when he saw Mrs. Wang enter the room with a cold face, his heart skipped a beat, "Ma'am, Brother Heng won't borrow money?"

Wang took out a piece of A4 yellow paper and patted it on Sheng Hong, "Look for yourself."

Sheng Hong hurriedly picked up the yellow paper and took a closer look. It turned out that Chang Feng had borrowed 15 guan.

Wang briefly explained the cause and effect, and Sheng Hong took Wang's hand and said gratefully, "My lady is thoughtful, this loan shark is like a tarsal maggot, anyone who is targeted, Most of them are family ruined, and now Brother Heng has come forward, no matter how bold Daxiangguo Temple is, he dare not pester my family. It’s really a hard work, big lady, and after so many years, the family is thankful for having a big lady.”

For Sheng Hong's flattery, Mrs. Wang was very useful, suddenly remembered something, and said, "Before I left, Brother Heng also told me one thing, and told me to tell you when I came back."

Sheng Hong said, "What's the matter?"

Wang frowned and said, "Brother Heng said that there will be troubles in the capital recently, so let's not go out if we have nothing to do, and strengthen the guards at home! Unless it is absolutely necessary, don't go out of Tokyo City."

(End of this chapter)