The Plow

When Yue Dingtang's pocket watch reached six o'clock in the afternoon, Manager He came on time and invited them to dinner.

Ling Shu, who had been hungry for a long time, said in his heart that he could finally have a good meal. Even if the place to sleep at night is not satisfactory, at least the Guan family will never be able to treat the distinguished guests harshly. of.

What Yue Dingtang said before about a small kitchen in each room has become his dream along the way. Even though he has seen the unreliability of everyone in the Guan family, Ling Shu still has his last attachment and dream.

But this glimmer of dream was quickly and completely shattered.

A plate of dumplings, a bowl of stewed pork and cabbage vermicelli, and a very polite smiling Mr. Guan Er.

This is the Guan family who claims to have a rich family background and is so rich?

Ling Shu suspected that something was wrong with his eyes.

Not only did he suspect that there was something wrong with his own eyes, but he also suspected that there was something wrong with the Guan family's brains.

Those who didn't know, thought that Yue Dingtang was a poor relative from somewhere, and the Guan family wanted to drive him away as soon as possible, so they issued a cryptic expulsion order.

"You guys are here, come on, sit down!"

The second master got up and raised his hand to greet him with all the courtesy.

Yue Dingtang did not attend the table.

"Second cousin, I'm not a poor relative who came to beg for food. I came here to put incense sticks in front of the old man's grave, and to make up for my mother's regret that she couldn't see her family before she was alive. If my mother is still alive, I can't think of it. The Guan family has fallen so badly. Lingshu is my friend, I can bear such cold reception, but I can't let my friend accompany me to suffer like this. I will take him out to eat tonight, and tomorrow I will go up the mountain to kowtow to the old man. We will immediately Let’s go back to Shanghai, and I won’t bother you any more.”

The second master opened his mouth, and responded in astonishment, until he saw Yue Dingtang turned around to leave, he became anxious, and hurriedly got up to pull him.

"Dingtang Dingtang, what are you doing! It's hard to come here, why do you say you want to leave in a blink of an eye, don't worry, don't worry, hey, listen to your cousin to tell you slowly! It's a long story here, you Don't worry, Mr. Ling, help me persuade Ding Tang!"

Ling Shu smiled and said: "Second Master Guan, I'm an outsider, so it's not easy to meddle in the family affairs of the Guan family. Besides, you made a mistake. Lao Yue said that I was his friend, which was to take care of his old classmates. In fact, I am his friend." Secretary and assistant, that is, subordinates, how dare I persuade the boss, I am afraid you have found the wrong person!"

The second master had no choice but to hold Yue Dingtang's arm tightly, for fear that he would run away if he let go.

"Dingtang, to be honest, you have seen the situation of the Guan family. The eldest brother doesn't look like an older brother. He messes around with the fourth child all day long. The third child doesn't care about anything. The fifth child just came back, young and impulsive and ignorant. , tonight's meal should be grand for you, but others refused to come. Your second cousin is a clever woman who can't cook without rice, so I can only make do with it. Don't be offended. Turn around and wait for the old man to open the warehouse. I have plenty of money, so I invite you to have a good meal at the biggest restaurant in this city, do you think so?"

Yue Dingtang said lightly: "The wing room where we stayed, not to mention the furnishings, even the chairs are gone. Is this how the Guan family treats guests?"

The second master sighed: "It was all done by the boss. He said that he is the elder brother, and most of the Guan family's things should have belonged to him. If the boss starts at the same time, and the fourth child follows, the family is in chaos. I can't help it, I can only let them go! No, they just had a quarrel today, and those who were supposed to cleanse you up, all of them made excuses and refused to come. Take out the money and divide it up, and even though the family has not been officially separated yet, each house is in charge of each house, and no one is willing to give an extra dime!"

The Second Master and Yue Dingtang talked intently, but Ling Shu's eyes fell on the dumplings on the plate.

Yue Dingtang did not express his position on the second master's words, but reminded him: "Second cousin, we are a little hungry, so we might as well talk about it after we finish eating."

The second master hurriedly said: "Yes, eat first, eat first, come on, move your chopsticks!"

According to the second master, the dumplings were stuffed with chicken feathers and vegetables and pork. Ling Shu chewed for a long time, and his mouth was full of chicken feathers. The pork might have disappeared into the vast vegetable fillings.

Looking at the stewed cabbage and pork vermicelli, when Wang Yang moved the cabbage vermicelli over with his chopsticks, he could occasionally see a few bits of fat, which was a bit finer than the gossip of the three aunts and six wives.

"Second Master, just now we heard some gossip from the servants of the Guan family."

Ling Shu chewed and chewed the vermicelli, but he couldn't chew the slightest bit of pork flavor, so he just said it.

"What nonsense did that snarky servant tell you!"

The second master raised his eyebrows, curled his mouth, and raised his tone——

Unfortunately, there is no deterrence.

Ling Shu: "They said that among the people who moved things from the Guan family to their own private house, besides the Eldest Master and the Fourth Master, there was also the Second Master."

The second master blushed: "Nonsense!"

Ling Shu smiled and said: "No, I also think they are talking nonsense. Anyway, Lao Yue and I will leave in two days. The mouths of these servants need to be troubled by the second master. We two, one outsider, one Half-outsiders have no right to comment. However, we encountered a strange incident on the train when we came here, and we have some connections with you, the second master."

After he finished speaking, he stopped talking and began to concentrate on picking out the minced meat in the stewed vermicelli.

The second master was a little displeased.

He didn't take Ling Shu seriously.

At first, he thought that the other party was Yue Dingtang's friend, who also came from a good background, so he still had a bit of face, but later found out that this kid surnamed Ling was just an old classmate of Yue Dingtang, and he had to rely on Yue Dingtang to make a living. , it can be seen that the family background is also limited, so to put it bluntly, what kind of secretary assistant is just a long follower in front and back, but the dynasty has changed, another way of saying it.

But Ling Shu then took out a small white ivory card from his pocket.

It was the gold leaf and ivory carving scriptures they seized from bamboo hats on the train.

The second master's face changed.

"Where did you get this thing?"

Ling Shu sighed, and did not answer the question.

"Old Yue, I think you are really difficult."

Yue Dingtang: "How do you say that?"

Ling Shu: "As soon as you received a letter from the Guan family, you immediately packed your bags, and traveled day and night without stopping for a moment, and rushed here. As a result, no one except the second master said that you have worked hard. No one understands that you can't even eat enough for a meal along the way, either you are busy arguing and fighting, or you don't even show your face, I really feel sorry for you!"

Yue Ding Tang Xin said that although they backed up many times along the way, they all sat in first-class carriages, and there were steaks, red wine, and fried rice with dumplings. Why couldn't they even eat enough for a meal, but he couldn't get used to it for a long time. If you are a family, you will follow along quietly.

"That can't be helped, relatives."

Ling Shu: "I thought I would have a good meal when I came to Guan's house, but it turned out that the dumplings were half-warm, and it was hard to find even some meat stuffing."

Yue Dingtang: "The Guan family has become like this, and they have no money."

Ling Shu: "No way, I see that the tea set on my second cousin's table is worth tens of dollars at least in Shanghai antique shops. Could it be a fake?"

Yue Dingtang: "What kind of family is the Guan family? Their ancestors have produced big names, and the second cousin is even more shameless. They will not use fakes."

Second Master: ...

Ling Shu: "That's not right. If it wasn't a fake, Second Cousin just threw it there so casually, and there was still unfinished tea in the cup. It can be seen that it is a common thing, and even dozens of oceans treat it like nothing. How could you give us pork dumplings that didn't even see the minced meat? Could it be that the servants have made their own decisions, or the Elder Master or the Fourth Master's conspiracy to drive us away in advance?"

Yue Dingtang thought for a moment, then nodded: "It is possible."

Second Master: ...

Ling Shu: "Let's not embarrass the second master. I heard that the donkey meat hot pot on the street outside Guan's house is very delicious. Why don't you try it at night?"

Yue Dingtang: "What about the second cousin?"

Ling Shu: "Second Master must eat it every day, and he's tired of eating it. It's different from the bumpkins from the countryside like us. You have to go up to the mountain to worship tomorrow. You can't eat too much vegetarian food, otherwise what will happen."

I let you finish all the good and bad words, what else should I say? !

The second master roared and shouted in his heart, his face twisted slightly.

Ling Shu also showed him a bright smile.

"How about this, Second Cousin, you eat first. Let's go out and find something to fill our stomachs. What's the matter, let's talk about it when we come back. When we come back, do you want to bring you something to eat?"

Before Master Guan could answer, Ling Shu asked and answered again.

"Forget it, the Guan family is very rich, and I think there is no shortage of you. You are getting old, and you should eat more vegetarian food. It's better to stay and eat dumplings and vermicelli. Lao Yue, let's go."

"Wait!"

The second master stood up abruptly.

He blushed, gasped for breath, and stared at Ling Shu with a frightening expression.

Ling Shu thought he was going to scold someone.

If the second master cursed people just right, they could get out of Guan's house openly, and they wouldn't have to sleep in that empty guest room at night.

"Old Li!!!"

Master Guan Er held back for a long time, but what he called was the long follower beside him.

"Go to the small kitchen and prepare a pot of donkey meat. It's crazy, Dingtang and the others are hungry!"

The long follower scrambled in and crawled in. After hearing the order, he looked embarrassed.

"Master, where is the donkey meat now?"

"Isn't there a ready-made one in the street outside! Go ask them to buy it, I don't care how much you spend, I will immediately bring back the donkey meat pot, and side dishes, don't miss anything, Dingtang and the others will come all the way, Let them have a good meal!"

The last four words, the second master bit down hard, it was like blood was bleeding between the teeth.

He took out a money bag from his sleeve and handed it tremblingly to his long follower. The eyes glued to his money bag were like Tang Minghuang who was helpless to watch his concubine go to die, desolate and bleak.

As for Ling Shu, he smiled like a heartless treacherous official who misled the king, and he was acting good when he got the advantage.

"Then how dare you let the second master spend money?"

"It doesn't matter, we are all from our own family. If you eat well, the second cousin will be happy."

The second master showed a smile uglier than crying.

The three sat down again.

Master Guan Er adjusted his mood and tried his best not to focus on the purse that was just taken away by the captain.

"Xiao Ling, can you show the second cousin what you just took out?"

Ling Shu: "You mean, Zhang Chaofeng's ivory scriptures?"

As soon as Zhang Chaofeng came out, the second master became more certain that Ling Shu was not fooling him.

"How to say?"

Ling Shu: "You sold this thing to him, right?"

Master Guan Er laughed and refused to admit it: "How can it be, I just look pretty, and I want to borrow it for fun."

Ling Shu pretended not to notice his abnormality, and heaved a long sigh of relief: "If it has nothing to do with you, that's fine, to tell you the truth, Zhang Chaofeng died and was murdered, and the cause of his death was these ivory and gold leaf carvings. "

Master Guan's liver trembled.