The Little First Grand Secretary in My House

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Zhao'er came all the way to the south of the city. Before he entered the archway where the Shen family was located, he saw two large flags over five feet high erected in front of the Shen mansion.

This is the Jinshi and rank flag. Only someone in the family can set up this flag.

This merit flagpole is divided into two structures, the flagpole sandwiching the stone and the flagpole.

The flag poles on the flag poles are also very particular. Those who have a formal imperial examination background and pass the imperial examination can have two flag poles with flag poles. If he is the number one scholar, he will have three flag poles. If there is an important member of the third rank or above, he will have four flag poles.

There are two big flags in front of Shen's house, one with three buckets and the other with four buckets. In other words, the Shen family had a champion and an important minister in the court.

The reason why Zhaoer, a country girl, knows this is because her second sister told her when she came to visit her.

The main entrance, the side entrance and even the corner entrance were not accessible to Zhao'er's status. She went around in a long circle before arriving at the back entrance of Shen's mansion.

The back door was ajar, so Zhao'er didn't dare to barge in. He respectfully went over and knocked on the door.

The door creaked open, and a chubby woman walked out and asked her, Who are you looking for?

This woman was just a doorkeeper, but she also wore a satin gown and jewelry on her ears and hands, which was enough to show the wealth of the Shen family.

The Shen family is indeed wealthy. In this Xia County, it can be said that if you stomp your feet, the county will tremble. The Shen Mansion here is the ancestral home of the Shen family. Except for the eldest and second masters of the Shen family who are working as officials, everyone else in the Shen family lives here.

Hello, mother-in-law, I'm looking for Su Lan. I'm her brother and I came here to see her.

This mother-in-law's attitude cannot be called warm, but she doesn't look down on others. At least from this point of view, it can be seen that the rules of the Shen family must be very strict. She asked Zhao'er to wait, then closed the door and went inside.

Zhao'er waited for a full stick of incense before the back door opened again, and a very beautiful woman walked out. I saw that her skin was as bright as snow, with phoenix eyes and red lips. She was wearing a water-red jacket and a moon-white pleated skirt. Her long, thick black hair was simply pulled into a bun, with a gold hairpin inserted into it.

Obviously her clothes and hair accessories were ordinary, but all these on her gave her a sense of beauty that no one else had. Her chest is bulging, but her waist is extremely thin, and she has a good figure.

This person is Zhaoer's second sister Wang Zhaodi, but she changed her name to Sulan when she arrived at Shen Mansion.

Zhao'er couldn't help but frown. The second sister had changed a lot since the last time she saw her. Not only the material of his clothes, but also the jewelry on his body, his complexion and even his figure have changed a lot.

She felt a little panicked, grabbed Su Lan, and walked to the corner where there was no one around.

Sister, did you really do it?

Seeing her sister scratching her sleeves carelessly, Su Lan asked impatiently: What can't you do?

It's that, that... Zhao'er hesitated for a long time, then said with a blushing face: You are not really going to have sex with the Sixth Young Master, are you?

The corners of Su Lan's eyes raised, and the corners of her mouth also curled up: Why do you care about this?

Sister! Zhao'er couldn't help but stamp his feet.

Su Lan looked at her sister and remembered that she was sold by her family. Only her younger sister, Zhao'er, found out where she was from Ya Po, so she walked all day and night to see her. At that time, she was full of panic. The appearance of Zhao'er made her know that she was not alone and that no one would know that she would not die in this house, so she immediately softened her heart.

She sighed softly: Didn't I tell you before that I would never leave the house and live in such a miserable life. Although I am a first-in-law now, the sixth young master promised me that when grandma comes in, he will give me An aunt will do it.

Zhao'er's face was full of surprise and disbelief. She had already known this, but she was still shocked when she learned from her second sister that she had actually done such a thing.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say. She hesitated for a while and said, That's it? If you treat me like a kid, I will be bullied by my big wife.

Zhao'er's only knowledge told her that there were only a few days when she was young that she could live comfortably.

Su Lan felt particularly uncomfortable at her sister's words, and she waved her hands indifferently. The snow-white and slender jade finger, with a gold cat's eye ring on it, exudes a faint light and is dazzling in the sun.

You don't understand. You don't have to worry about me being bullied. As long as Master Six is ​​on my side, even if Grandma Six comes in in the future, she won't dare to bully me.

Can……

Okay, let's not talk about my business. Has your little husband recovered from his illness? I'm not talking about you. It's better for you to come into the house and be a girl to keep me company than to stay in that house and work exhaustingly. .Which woman is looking for a man who can’t protect her? It’s better for you to earn money outside to support your family.”

Isn't he still young? Besides, sister, it's not like you don't know. If it hadn't been for my mother and father, I might have been sold somewhere long ago. You were lucky enough to be sold into the Shen Mansion. But there are also those who are unlucky enough to be sold into such a dirty place.

Sulan pressed her bright red lips tightly and said nothing.

The reason why she was sold into the Shen Mansion was not explained by good luck.

In the shimmering phoenix eyes, all kinds of rays of light fell silent. She let out a breath and cursed: That's why I don't like to see you the most. Every time you come, you make me angry and cause trouble for me.

Zhao'er kicked the pebbles under his feet: I just thought I hadn't seen you for a long time, so I came over to take a look at you.

How are you living? Then the Xue family didn't make things difficult for you, right? Just wait until I become Master Sixth's aunt. If anyone bullies you again in the future, I will help you deal with him.

Zhao'er felt warm in his heart. He couldn't help but lean over and hugged Sulan's slim waist coquettishly: Sister, don't worry. I'm such a naughty person. Who dares to bully me? You don't know how cowardly the Xue family can be. too much……

She recounted what happened to the Xue family recently.

Sulan's lips curled up when she heard this, and she said sarcastically: So this is the human heart. Don't test people's hearts. You will usually be disappointed. Don't rely on others. The truth is what you hold in your own hands.

Sulan was a little extreme, but Zhaoer knew why the second sister was like this. In fact, occasionally she would be extreme, but she rarely said it out loud.

Then what are you going to do now? If your little man really loses, then you won't be able to study anymore? Have you ever thought about this matter, if you win, if you lose, it will be difficult for you two The Xue family is established.

Of course Zhao'er understood this. She stood up straight and smiled: Sister, I know. Don't worry, I plan to find another way to do business. At worst, we will just be alone. If a dog likes to learn, let him learn. , Provide until I can no longer provide.”

Sulan hated the irony and poked her forehead with her jade finger: How old are you if you still can't pay for it? After a good day, you think you can't pay for it. Come on, don't say that Second sister, I don’t feel sorry for you. I know someone who is the third shopkeeper in He Rong Sheng. If you go to him, he can find some way for you to make money.

‘He Rong Sheng’ is the name of the pawnshop. There are many branches in Ping Duong Province, and there is also one in Huyang Town. Zhao'er usually came and went in the town, so he had naturally heard of this name.

This and Rongsheng are the Shen family's business? Sister, how do you know the three shopkeepers here?

A hint of vague complexity flashed in Sulan's eyes, and she said impatiently: Don't worry about it, you can just go find a person named Shen Ping. Okay, I won't tell you anymore, the Sixth Young Master will have lunch later. Now, I have to go and wait on you, lest those little hooves rush to show their courtesy again.

After a pause, she took out something from her sleeve and put it into Zhao'er's hand: Take it, it doesn't matter even if you really lose, we'll do it ourselves first. The Shen family's clan knowledge is famous throughout Pingyang Mansion, wait. I will become an aunt in the future. Let’s see if I can ask Master Six to let your little man come in as a companion or something like that. I really owed you a debt in my previous life, and I have to worry about every little thing.

Sulan's figure quickly disappeared through the door.

Zhao'er stood there, looking down at the silver ingot in his hand. After a long time, Fang held it tight and left.

*

Zhao'er didn't know where He Rongsheng was in the county, so she asked about it along the way.

When we arrived at the place, it just so happened that the third shopkeeper named Shen Ping was there.

Shen Ping is a very young man, with a good appearance and very mature and stable. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and looked about twenty years old, but he didn't expect that he was the manager of a pawn shop.

When he heard about Zhao'er's purpose, his eyes flashed: You must be Zhao'er. I heard your sister told you about you.

Zhao'er didn't expect that the second sister would tell this person named 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 would allow you to do it for a long time. I thought about it again and again, and I felt that selling used clothes would be quite suitable for a girl like you.

The second sister's surprise when she even told the other party her gender did not last long. Zhao'er's attention was attracted by Shen Ping's words.

“What is selling used clothes?”

You should know what a pawn shop does. This pawn shop accepts everything and can pawn anything. The current period is divided into dead pawns and live pawns. If it is a live pawn, it means that the other party will come to redeem it. If it is a dead pawn, it means that the thing is not wanted. Of course, there are also those whose living pawns are overdue and are not redeemed, and naturally become dead pawns.

These things were collected by the pawn shop and given to the owner in exchange for money. Naturally, they have to be resold. Like some of the used clothes that were pawned, we directly resell them to embroidery workshops or ready-to-wear shops. If you are willing to do this business, you can go to Get some old clothes here to sell.

As Shen Ping spoke, Zhao'er's eyes flickered again and again, and he asked, How much does it cost? Is it calculated per piece or what? Since it is used clothes, they certainly won't be as expensive as new clothes, right?

Shen Ping glanced at her: You are very smart. He turned around and went to the outside: Come with me, I will take you to see.

Zhao'er followed him all the way back. The yard behind the pawn shop was very large, and it looked like they were all warehouses.

I met many people in pawn shops on the road, and they were all respectful to Shen Ping. Zhao'er followed him to a warehouse. Neither of them went in. A man who looked like a clerk dragged a large bag of things out and opened it in front of the door.

This big bag is full of clothes, some are worn out, some are 80/90% new, and there are even brand new ones that have never been worn twice. The clothes are also made of various textures, some are made of cotton, some are satin, and some are made of silk, but they are all of good quality, anyway, better than the coarse clothes Zhao'er wears.

These are usually mixed together, because they are all collected at low prices, so the asking price is not high. Give me two taels for such a package of clothes, and it will be yours.

Zhao'er couldn't even see it, so in order to make sure it was a viable business, she stepped forward and looked through it.

There are at least a hundred pieces of clothes in such a package.

Even if a piece of clothing is sold for twenty cents, it is enough for her to recoup her capital. Moreover, some of the clothes were sold for more than 20 cash based on her visual inspection. What can you do with twenty cents? It takes at least six or seven feet of cloth to make a suit of clothes, and one foot of the lowest quality cotton costs seven or eight cents.

Not to mention that there are some good fabrics and even some cotton clothes. Even if they are not sold, you will not lose money if you wear them yourself.

Especially all the books he has learned since elementary school. He had reviewed the memory of that dream before, and he had memories of some books from elementary school and even college, but his memory was extremely vague, and many of the more detailed things were forgotten.

He thought about the reason and felt that 'he' seemed to be very disgusted with the memory of studying hard in the cold window, so he had been avoiding it. In addition, the Xue Tingyan in the dream has lived for more than seventy years. Ever since he passed the Jinshi examination, he has been addicted to officialdom battles and has not cared about his own knowledge.

Years later, his memory was more about the ups and downs of officialdom, the various forces involved in the party struggle, and the speculations of the people, rather than the original essence of a scholar.

Seriously speaking, 'Xue Tingyan' is not a real scholar, he is just a politician.

But it's obvious that he doesn't need these things now. It's like a young child possessing a sword. He knows the significance of these things to his future. But today, all a young child needs is a piece of clothing, or just food and clothing.

But these memories have begun to affect his own memory. He doesn't want to forget what he has learned. What he needs to do now is to consolidate his memory and combine it with 'Xue Tingyan's' advanced understanding of many things. This is the right path.

The best way to understand everything is to copy books.

It is obvious that this yellow bamboo paper is of very poor quality, and the writing force must be light or heavy. If it is light, the ink will be uneven, and if it is heavy, it will smear. However, Xue Tingyan writes on it as if there is nothing, like flowing clouds and flowing water. The handwriting on it is full and round, and particularly majestic.

Zhao'er held his breath, not even daring to say a word. His eyes fell on Xue Tingyan, who was writing furiously, and suddenly he had the illusion that the little man had grown up.

Xue Tingyan quickly wrote a piece of paper, and when he was about to take it away to dry, Zhao'er quickly took it and carefully spread it out on the kang. Her eyes were attracted by those words. She couldn't tell how beautiful they were, they just felt like paintings.

During this period, Xue Tingyan wrote another one.

Just like that, Xue Tingyan wrote and hung the children to dry, and soon the kang was covered with paper.

There are only a thousand words in a three-character classic, so Xue Tingyan finished it quickly.

He put down the pen, took a deep breath, and moved his wrist a few times. He hadn't written at such a high density for a long time, which was a challenge to his wrist strength.

Actually, I can copy books to support my family. He suddenly said.

He had been thinking about this for a long time. In his dream, he only read books. He really did not listen to what was going on outside the window and only read the books of sages. However, it was Zhao'er who had been working hard to support the family.

In the past, 'he' was helpless and lamented about this situation, but he was unable to do anything about it. In addition, Zhao'er was really capable and had a talent that no one else had in doing business. He was meticulous about everything and never let anything go. He was worried about money, so he stopped thinking about it.

Looking back over and over again, he realized that 'he' cared about this matter more than he thought. Now that he could earn one or two silver coins to support his family, why not give it a try.

How can a man be raised by a woman? He should be the one who provides her with shelter from wind and rain. He didn't understand at this time in the dream, but fortunately he understands now.

Copying books to make money? Zhao'er shook his head repeatedly: How can that be possible? It's hard work and hurts your eyes.

You are not exaggerating. Look, I copied a book in just a moment. He sorted all the pages into a pile and gave it to Zhao'er for binding.

Copying books can make money and read books at the same time, so why not do it. I remember that there is a bookstore in the town that will find some poor scholars to help copy books and sell them. You go to the town tomorrow and give this book to the bookstore. The shop owner thinks that if it is feasible, he can help me pick up a job and come back to try it out first.

At this point, he paused: Well, I'll go with you. We'll go to the town together tomorrow.

Is this really possible? Zhao'er always hesitates when it comes to little men.

What's wrong?

*

Now that the matter was settled, the two of them got up early the next day and went out without even having breakfast at home.

Yuqing Village is a small village located under Huyang Town. In fact, Huyang Town is also Huyang Township, but it is named after the town. There are dozens of villages like this in Huyang Town, and Yuqing Village is considered one of the larger villages.

It takes nearly an hour to walk from Yuqing Village to the town. It would be faster if you take an ox cart or mule cart. There are cars from the village below to the town every day. The ox-cart is slow and cheap, and you can ride it for just two cents. Mule carts were expensive, costing four cents per person, but their speed was not comparable to that of ox carts.

After leaving Yuqing Village and walking forward, they reached a fork in the road and walked west for a while. Zhao'er and Xue Tingyan stopped and stood under a big tree on the side of the road waiting for the bus.

Although their clothes were simple, they were both neat and tidy, especially Zhao'er, who actually wore men's clothes.

So every time you go out, you have to walk through the vegetable field in the back just to change into these clothes?

Zhao'er nodded, feeling a little guilty. But now that she had made her decision, she was already prepared for the worst. Fortunately, Xue Tingyan only showed a hint of surprise when he saw it, but didn't show much disgust.

It's easier to wear it like this when going out. If you look at it this way, you won't recognize me as a girl.

Xue Tingyan pursed her lips and glanced at her.

The young man in front of him has a handsome appearance. From a man's point of view, he is a little thin, but there is really no sign that he has a daughter. After careful observation, he discovered that Zhao'er had thickened his eyebrows and that his chest had become flat.

It seemed that he also noticed that the little man's eyes stayed on his chest for too long. Zhao'er explained: This was too inconvenient, so I tied it with a cloth.

She said it very disapprovingly, as if she was talking about what we should eat for lunch, but Xue Tingyan felt like a waste of natural resources.

He recalled that dream, Zhao'er's breasts were very plump, and he suddenly felt afraid that she would be squashed, so he couldn't help but said: Won't she be squashed?

Zhao'er was a little surprised when she heard this. She didn't think much about it, so she said, If you flatten it, just flatten it. It's of no use anyway.

Just as she was talking, she saw a mule cart approaching not far away, so she waved over there, but naturally she didn't notice that Xue Tingyan's expression was very strange.

Seeing that he was riding a mule cart instead of an ox cart, Xue Tingyan couldn't help but be a little surprised. He only knew that the mule cart was much more valuable than the ox cart. Zhao'er gave him the money for the carriage and took him into the carriage: This carriage is faster. It will be there in a moment. In fact, Zhao'er was afraid that he would not be able to bear the bumps of the ox-cart when he was recovering from a serious illness, so he took the mule carriage if there was one.

The middle-aged man driving the cart smiled and chatted: Brother, you are wise. This cart is not only fast, but also stable. It cannot be compared to an ox cart. By the way, is this your brother?

Xue Tingyan, who was called his younger brother, turned dark.

It's no surprise that people say he is Zhao'er's younger brother. He is also dressed in a man's attire. He is obviously thinner than Zhao'er and is half a head shorter.

Zhao'er was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile: Yes, he is my brother.

While he was talking, the middle-aged man had already driven the mule cart forward.

This car is indeed much faster than an ox cart, and it runs less bumpy. The car will stop after a while and pick up one or two people. This special extended carriage can seat twelve people. The roof of the carriage is specially customized and some not too heavy things can be placed on it.

By the way, the biggest advantage of riding in this mule cart is that the carriage can block the dust, so you don't have to find a place to pack yourself when you get to town.

When I have money in the future, I will also buy this car. Zhao'er couldn't help but said to Xue Tingyan, finally showing a hint of childishness.

Will you rush?

She was stunned for a moment and then said: I don't know how to rush, but I can learn.

The problem is that you have done everything, even driving the car yourself, so what do you want a man to do? Xue Tingyan thought silently in her heart, and then realized that in the dream, he seemed to be of no use as a man.

It seems that he will learn to drive a car in the future. Xue Tingyan secretly made a decision.

*

After the mule cart was filled with people, it finally stopped stopping to take people along.

After almost a quarter of an hour, the city wall of Huyang Town was visible in the distance.

The mule cart stopped not far from the city gate. Everyone on the cart got out of the cart, and Zhao'er took Xue Tingyan to the town.

This Huyang town is neither big nor small. In the past, Zhao'er mostly went to the East Market, which sold the most groceries. But this time, he mainly went to bookstores and was going to Nan Market.

The previous dynasty valued culture over military affairs. This kind of folk custom did not die out after the wars at the end of the previous dynasty. On the contrary, the reason why Emperor Tai/Ancestor of Dachang came to power in the first place was because he was a supporter of a group of civil servants in the previous dynasty. It's popular.

Even the common people who are illiterate can say that everything is inferior, only reading is good, it can be seen.

Even in a small place like Huyang Town, any family with some spare money would send their children to a private school for two years. It's best if you can get the title by taking the exam, but if you can't get the few words you can by the title, the workmanship will be cheaper.

This kind of folk custom has led to several bookstores and bookshops in the town. For example, there is a street in Nanshi selling pens, inks, paper and inkstones, as well as other supporting supplies, all of which are business for scholars.

Although Zhao'er is not a scholar, she has bought bamboo paper for Xue Tingyan several times, so she is familiar with the place. However, she did not lead Xue Tingyan to go immediately. Instead, she went around and around to a place with many food stalls, found a noodle stall, and planned to have breakfast before going there.

This meal in the morning is the most important. In order to rush for time, we even delayed breakfast. Sharpening the knife will not miss the time of chopping wood. Let's go when we are full.

The owner of the Zhaoer Guan Noodle stall ordered two bowls of noodles.

This piece of noodles is a unique delicacy of Binh Duong Province. It is made of buckwheat noodles and sorghum noodles, with a dark red complexion. It is topped with tofu, fungus, and mushrooms. It is so fragrant that it makes your mouth water.

The slices here are particularly delicious, please try them.

Xue Tingyan tasted it and it was indeed delicious.

Not to mention the craftsmanship, at least the portions are large and the ingredients are sufficient. Unlike the food cooked by the Xue family, the oil is reluctant to put in the salt, and it tastes bland and tasteless.

However, the price is also expensive. Xue Tingyan finished a large bowl of pork belly and paid eight cents to pay the bills. This means that this bowl of pork belly is four cents. Eight cents is almost enough to buy half a catty of meat. .

Is it delicious? Zhao'er was still asking him as he walked towards Nanshi.

It's just a bit expensive.

It is indeed a bit expensive for Xue Tingyan. He has not had much pocket money since he was a child. The only chance to make some money is the few cents of new year's money given by Mr. Xue every year.

In his dream, these few pennies were really nothing, but it was these two strange thoughts mixed together that made Xue Tingyan feel very strange.

It's expensive, it's not expensive. You don't come to town often, so if you finally come here, I'll take you to a nice meal.

It was really a good meal, and despite Zhao'er's calm expression when she was doing the accounting, in fact, when she came to town alone before, she would only buy a steamed bun to eat when she was hungry.

She was never willing to part with herself and always wanted to save more, but she was very willing to give up to Xue Tingyan, trying her best. So every time she thought of everything in her dream, Xue Tingyan couldn't believe that she would be the one who killed her wife and children.

When I make money from copying books, I will bring you here to eat every day. He couldn't help but say.

The sun has come out, and the pale golden sunlight shines on the young man's still slightly immature face. His fair face is like the finest white jade, with fine hairs on it. The slightly white lips were pursed nervously, and it was obvious that the young man was a little uncomfortable. He didn't dare to look directly at her, but looked to the side.

Zhao'er's smile got bigger and bigger, and he couldn't help but stretched out his hand to rub his head: Silly dog, you can only make a few money by copying books, how can you come here and eat there every day. There was a doting look on his expression.

The words were silenced in his dark pupils, and only then did Zhao'er realize what he had said and done.

She felt a little guilty, which was strange. She had never been afraid of little men before, but since he recovered from his illness, she was occasionally afraid of him.

It must be her imagination!

She retracted her hand and looked around. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she said, Look, we're here. With that, she took the lead in walking into the book shop.

In the second room, Zhao'er poured some hot water. After the two washed their feet, they got on the kang to rest.

A big kang, two quilts, one for each person.

But Zhao'er couldn't sleep today. As soon as she came back from the main room, she was a little excited.

She turned over, then another.

You do not sleep?

Normally, they wouldn't rest so early, but both of them had been busy all day, so they turned off the lights after getting on the kang. However, there was a moon outside, and it was still vaguely visible inside the house.

Zhao'er half sat up and moved next to Xue Tingyan.

Gou'er, tell me what you meant when you scolded that old killer just now?

Zhao'er knew how to scold and had scolded others before, but he had never seen such a method of scolding. Yang Zhong was so angry that he was so embarrassed that the Xue family didn't even know how to persuade him. From Zhao'er's point of view, isn't this a collection of curse words that can be used to curse people without uttering curse words?

She wanted to learn this method, and it would always come in handy.

Xue Tingyan turned over and gave her a backbone.

Zhao'er poked his shoulder with his finger: What's wrong? Why are you angry again?