Lei Yue Longmen

Back in the courtyard, Cen Zhu didn't stop for a moment, and asked Lao Chen as he walked, "Everyone is gone?"

"all gone."

"Yes? Are you willing to bid?"

"Yes? Yes, but? But the bids are not very high, I dare not bargain. I have to wait for the adults to come back to make up their minds."

"What was the highest bid?"

"The highest one is the Erdang of Taiping Bank? Besides the family historian, he is willing to pay 5 taels."

"It's a dream, 5 taels!" Cen Zhu laughed angrily, "I bought this house for 10 taels, and in the past few years, the conservative value-added will cost 15 taels. !"

Old Chen was also helpless, "Now that the war has just ended, all parties are very tight. Shi Yuan said that he is not rich and can only take so much money. In addition, there are boss Lu of Lu's pawnshop, the general manager of Xue's bodyguard bureau. The security guards have all taken a fancy to this house and are interested in buying it, but the bids are not high."

"If you don't have a lot of money, buy land and buy a house? Don't you just want to take advantage of the fire to rob and sell this house to resell it to make a fortune? The idea is to hit my grandfather, let him go back and forth wherever he goes!"

Seeing that she was furious, Lao Chen couldn't say anything.After a while, he discussed again and said, "Why don't you wait a few days to make a move, the market is really bad now, this historian can still offer [-] yuan, and the others are not even willing to offer [-] yuan. "

Cen Zhu's face turned livid, and he flipped through the ledger again and again, "Tell him that there is a loss of 8 taels, don't even think about it."

Early the next morning, Lao Chen led the portly historian into the house to sign the contract.As soon as he met Cen Zhu, he was stimulated by his big shiny gold teeth, and he resisted listening to him brag about how he bought this second-hand house at a premium, pointing out to her carefully arranged courtyard scenery. He gesticulates and saliva flies, as if he has regarded it as his own home.When Cen Zhu thought that such a person would live in her backyard, or even live in Qingmei Villa, his anger was like a ignited gunpowder primer, which was about to explode.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and Lao Chen went to open the door.I saw a middle-aged couple dressed in civilian clothes standing outside the door. The man was wearing a square scarf, a blue dark coat, and a gray cloak.On the woman's head is a plain blue hair? Hairpin, wearing a light gray embroidered beige with white cloud pattern, half white silk, and a warm smile.There was a carriage parked behind the two of them, and there was no one else beside them except a coachman.

"The two are...?"

The man spoke first, "My surname is Cao, and this is my wife. We heard that this house is up for sale, so we came to have a look."

"Oh, it's Mr. Cao and Mrs. Cao. I'm really sorry, you two may be a step late. This house has already been sold."

"Sold? When did you sell it?"

Lao Chen looked inside subconsciously, not knowing how to explain it.Mr. Cao understood immediately, "Is there someone in there? Is it the buyer?"

"Exactly."

"Did you sign the contract?"

"Just about to sign."

"Oh, that means it hasn't been signed! It's okay, we still have a chance." Cao Xianggong seemed to have a plan in mind, straightened his coat, took his wife's arm and was about to walk in, and came to Lao Chen, "What's your name? "

"This is the housekeeper of the Cen residence, surnamed Chen."

"Oh, Steward Chen, please show me the way. My husband and I want to visit the inner house."

"Eh, this..."

Old Chen was hesitating, but the Caos had pushed open the door resolutely and walked in confidently.

Cen Zhu looked at the contract and pondered for a long time.The clerk drank tea calmly with a teacup in his hand, glanced around the room, and thought to himself that the house where this celebrity once lived was worth more than 20 or [-] yuan, and she got a good deal this time.

At this time, the appearance of a pair of "sanctified" men and women, like a stumbling block on an extremely smooth road, caught his eyes.

The historian was in a good mood, "These two are..."

Old Chen introduced: "This Mr. Cao and Mrs. Cao are here to see the house."

Cen Zhu turned to look at them curiously.The historian was not happy all of a sudden, "The house has already belonged to me, so how can I ask someone else out, Steward Chen! You are not very authentic!"

Old Chen couldn't explain clearly for a while.Cao Xianggong pushed him away, and said bluntly: "Who said the house belongs to you, do you have it? What proof?"

"Here is the deed!"

"Oh? Show me!" As he said, he snatched the deed from the table and glanced at it in his palm, "Isn't this signed and signed? Why is the house yours?"

"It's just one step away, and I'll sign it right away. I've made an agreement with Mr. Cen. Don't you know first come first served?" Da Jinya stood up and tried to snatch back the contract, but who knew that Mr. Cao acted faster than him It was almost too late, he held the deed high up in the air and rolled it into a ball, threw it on the ground and stepped on it twice, and said: "Who said first come first served, obviously the highest price gets first. A mere 8 taels of silver is enough If you want to buy this mansion, you are really greedy and cheap! Are you planning to keep it for your humble concubine in Chunfang Pavilion, or are you planning to sell it for a better price in the future?"

"You... what are you doing? Dare to mess around here and cause trouble. Do you know who I am?" Da Jinya showed a fierce look on his face.

"I know, isn't it the Shi head of Taiping Bank? It's written in the deed!" Cao Xianggong didn't care, still with his hips akimbo, "Master Cen, I think this house is worth 15 taels of silver, 8 taels It’s obviously cheating you! If you think it’s feasible for me to offer 15 yuan, let’s sign the contract right away, and I’ll exchange the money for you on the spot. No, let’s discuss it.”

"Lord Cen, that's not how business is done. You see, we've reached this point. It's not good to regret it!" The historian lost his price advantage, and his face suddenly became a little ugly.

Cen Zhu has tolerated him for a long time, even without this middle-aged couple, she would want to splash ink on his face the next moment.At this time, Mrs. Cao spoke with a gentle and elegant demeanor, "Master Cen, it is said that swords are given to martyrs and red powder is given to beauties. Even if you don't sell such an elegant house to us, don't sell it to those philistines." Otherwise, it will tarnish your painstaking efforts and the sincerity of others in treating you."

Cen Zhu felt as if someone had hit him on the head, and he suddenly realized, "Mrs. Cao is right, Lao Chen, see off the guests!"

Old Chen would agree, and immediately asked Da Jinya to leave.The master Shi was full of anger, gritted his teeth, and wanted to spit in the hall before leaving, but the result? He was kicked in the buttocks by Mr. Cao, grabbed his collar and threw him out of the gate.Cen Zhu couldn't help being surprised when he saw his clean and neat methods.

"Who are you two? Why do you want to buy this house?"

Mrs. Cao said: "To tell you the truth, my husband and I are the old owners of the house in the north, and what we really want to buy is the north house, but it's a pity that it already has a new owner. My husband and I are not used to living in other places. I have no choice but to settle for the next best thing and want to buy a house nearby for comfort.”

When Cen Zhu heard that she was the former owner of the North Residence, he instantly guessed the identity of the visitor.

"It turned out to be Marquis Cao and Mrs. Marquis Cao. The juniors have poor eyesight and didn't recognize them. I'm so disrespectful!"

It turned out that she and Cao Hou had met once at the Qionglin Banquet back then, but they were too far apart, and they didn't remember their faces.Later, she was transferred to Longmen, and returned to Beijing three years later. At the same time that Caohou's family was demoted from Beijing, she had no chance to see her.But when she first moved to this house, the north house was listed for sale, and the original owners were Cao Hou's family.Hearing that she said it was the former owner of the North House, he naturally guessed it was them.And the age is right.

Speaking of Marquis Cao, he once served as the commander of the Nine Gates Admiral Infantry in Gyeonggi, and his qualifications are older than Feng Huaji.When he was demoted from Beijing in [-], it was said that he was involved in a crime under his command, and it was Feng Huaji's turn to take over after he resigned.He is a Marquis awarded for his military exploits, and he can be regarded as a generation of heroes.

Cao Hou laughed and said, "Your Majesty Cen, you don't need to stick to etiquette. We're here to buy a house, and we're not in court, so we don't need these etiquettes."

"You two really plan to buy my house?"

"Could Master Cen change his mind and not plan to sell it?"

"No." Cen Zhu thought for a while and said, "Actually, when Mrs. Li from the North Residence first came to buy the house, she had inquired about the whereabouts of Marquis Cao and Mrs. It must be an old acquaintance of the two of you. Buy back the old house, maybe discuss it with her, maybe you can buy it back."

The Cao couple looked at each other with puzzled faces.They didn't seem to know Mrs. Li, Cen Zhu tried to describe Mrs. Li's appearance, and both of them shook their heads in puzzlement.Cen Zhu was greatly surprised, and thought to himself, could there be something else hidden in it?

"Master Cen, Lord Cen?" Mrs. Cao called several times, and Cen Zhuang just woke up like a dream, "Oh", and then talked about selling the house again.She tried to convince herself that the Caos and his wife were much better than Da Jinya, and it wouldn't hurt to sell the house to them? It would be humiliating.However, the past events in this house and the past with Li Jingxuan kept appearing in his mind. The more affectionate he was then, the more irritating he is now.

Mrs. Cao Hou said softly: "This house is like a person. After living for a long time, it is inevitable that you will have? Feelings. It is reasonable to be reluctant to give up. When we sold the old house? Years ago, we also made a lot of hard thinking. The house It has carried the memories of my husband and I for many years. I thought that once I abandoned it, I wouldn’t come back to the capital. I don’t know that the world is unpredictable, and I went back to the old place. I want to buy it back, but it’s already changed. Just now When I walked in, I immediately fell in love with the layout of the courtyard, the verandahs are deep, and the willows are piled up with smoke, it can be seen that Mr. Cen has put his heart into it, so why bother to sell it?"

Cen Zhu was silent.She felt that every word Mrs. Cao said was for herself.It is kindness for a buyer to persuade the owner not to sell the house.Cen Zhu is not someone who can't listen to persuasion, but the matter has come to this point, and there is only regret.

"To tell you the truth, if I hadn't been waiting for the money, I wouldn't have sold this house. The Buddhists say 'abandon everything without defilement'. It is a great fortune for this house to be in the hands of the new owner who has discerning eyes and pearls. I hope that Marquis Cao and Madam Cao will treat him well. Even if this junior lets go, he will have no regrets."

"I see. That's a pity."

Cao Hou quietly tugged on Mrs. La's cuff, reminding her that it's time to sign.The two parties quickly signed the contract, and Cao Hou actually took out fifteen silver notes from his cuffs on the spot, each of which was a large number of [-].Pay with one hand and pay with the other hand.

Cen Zhu reminded them, "This homestead belongs to the household department. After you get the house deed, you only need to go to the household department to complete a registration procedure, and this house will officially belong to you. You are old people, so there is no need to remind you. Know the rules."

The two nodded and confirmed that the contract was correct, "Then we will accept it with a smile."

Cen Zhu hesitated again, and Mrs. Cao Hou asked: "Master Cen, is there something else? What's on your mind? But? It's okay to say. As long as we can do it, we will definitely help."

"Your junior, I have an unfeeling request. There is a pagoda tree outside the gate of this mansion. It was there before the junior moved in. It is very old. I hope you two don't think it is an eyesore. Just... "She thought again and again, even the house is not hers, what's the point of thinking about a tree? What's the use, it's just deceiving herself, "Forget it, let the two handle it!"

Mrs. Cao said with a smile: "Lord Cen, don't worry, we have lived here for many years. Every flower, tree, grass, and tree nearby are old acquaintances. How can we bear to destroy everything in this house? We will do our best to keep it as it is." Save it for later..." Cao Hou quickly stepped on her foot, and Mrs. Cao realized that she had made a slip of the tongue, and quickly changed her words, "I will wait for the whole family to return to Beijing."

"Thank you very much." Cen Zhu concealed his embarrassment with an unnatural smile.She shouldn't point fingers at things that she has already let go. This is beyond the norm and abrupt.It's a good thing that these two are kind and kind people, otherwise, wouldn't they be hated, and they would cause trouble for the old things in this house?

At this time, there was a "da da" sound of horseshoes outside the door.After a while, a young man in a blue flying fish suit strode in from the outside, his high-spirited appearance overshadowed the scenery in the courtyard.

"Father! Mother! So you are here."

"Gentleman!" Caohou and Mrs. Caohou immediately beamed with joy, "You came back from the palace?"

"Yes! I have been given a flying fish suit, father, tomorrow my son will be serving in the infantry office!"

Cao Hou smiled and said, "Okay! Okay!" Then he introduced to Cen Zhuo: "Lord Cen is laughing, this is my eldest son, Cao Jiashen. He can only wield knives and sticks, and he is not younger than Lord Cen. Take the official position lightly."

"I don't dare to be. I have already resigned. The Marquis praised me. Mr. Ling is a good-looking talent, which is commendable." It's not her flattery. Tall and straight, what's rare is that he doesn't have the arrogance and dandyism of the children of the aristocratic family, and he is indeed an outstanding figure.

Inexplicably, Cen Zhu felt that staying here was a bit unnecessary, she said to the Caos, "My next meeting? Move out of the house as soon as possible, these belongings..."

"It's fine for me to look at these belongings. If Mr. Cen wants to sell them, why not sell them to us, and save the pain of going back and forth." Mrs. Cao said kindly.

"That's fine too."

Three days later, Cen Zhu only brought a few things and moved to a different courtyard next to Jiangfu.Jiang Yiting and Chuan Feiyan led a group of servants who had been waiting for a long time to help her settle down.Chuan Feiyan said with a smile that she moved here, and it has lost the old school atmosphere. The three of them went to get out of class together, played and played, as if it was yesterday.As he spoke, his eye circles turned red.But Cen Zhu said: "Senior sister, can you give me a cheaper rent? I will invite you and senior brother to the restaurant for dinner tomorrow, so as to repay your kindness of taking me in." Chuan Feiyan was so angry that he almost beat her to death skull. "Okay, Cen Zhu, I only charged you a tael for the rent, which is too much for you. You want me to pay you a tael, right?" Jiang Yiting shook his head helplessly while laughing.

In the evening, Jiang and his wife took care of her in the Jiang Mansion. They wanted to invite more people to join the fun, but Cen Zhu said with a wry smile, "It's better to say goodbye, again? It's not a glorious thing." So they only invited Fu Minzheng and Zheng Lang. The official waits for two or three friends.At the banquet, everyone talked about Cao Hou's entry to Beijing in unison, and mentioned a person's name many times, that is Cao Hou's eldest son Cao Jiashen.It wasn't until this time that Cen Zhu knew that before Tu Yunkai, Li Jingchen had been discussed as a relative. This Cao Jiashen had a first-class character and family background, and he was only one step away from the son-in-law of the Eastern Palace at that time.The clinker was taken first by the Tu family.Since then, he has never been married, and now he is coming to Beijing alone with his parents. It is hard not to let people's imagination run wild.Cen Zhu ate so much at the banquet that he was so full of wine that he shirked his drink and stumbled back to the other courtyard.

In the dead of night, Chuan Feiyan led a man in a cloak to the backyard, "Don't worry, I've checked everything here, won't? No one will see it. Even if I stay until tomorrow morning, won't? Have? found."

"Thank you, Sister."

Cen Zhu felt in a daze? A pair of cool hands caressed her cheeks, which were soft and comfortable.Subconsciously, she leaned towards the coolness, and leaned on the side of her face greedily.

"She was drunk at the banquet, and she heard something she shouldn't have heard, and she was fighting with herself! I've never seen such a worry-free thing. I'll go out first, later? I'll bring you sober tea .”

"No need, it's fine to be drunk like this."

Chuan Feiyan blinked, not understanding what she meant?According to her thinking, it's not easy to have a reunion, shouldn't she be awake?Otherwise, what's the point of getting together?Don't understand, but? She closed the door half-understanding.

"'Abandon everything without defilement', does that include me too? Cen Zhu."

Li Jingyu looked at the people sleeping on the bed with disappointment and frustration, and for the first time had doubts about their future in his heart.

For a long time, the kind of loneliness that no one can tell her has overwhelmed her. Although she knew that being close would tear her heart into pieces, she still buried her face in her neck like a tired bird returning to its nest. I just want to feel this moment, maybe I will never belong to my own temperature in the future.