Steward Zhang said a few more words, then left Zhang Liang behind to take care of him. He hurried back home and memorized the face of the woman who always wanted to take care of him.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were playing Chinese Checkers with the Jang Wong Clan. The three of them, each with a different color, were fighting fiercely on the wooden chessboard. Ever since the Jang Wong Clan saw Chinese Checkers, it only took a few days for her to be on par with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Now, she even had a slight advantage in this game.
Zhang Xiaobao sat cross-legged with one hand on his lap, ready to pick up the Chinese Checkers at any time. The other hand held his chin and frowned, calculating carefully. Wang Juan was also muttering to herself about how many moves she should take, while the Jang Wong Clan played slowly, looking at the cute faces of her son and daughter-in-law from time to time.
When Steward Zhang arrived, the Jang Wong Clan was only five moves away. If Zhang Xiaobao was Wang Juan and didn't move away the sixth move, he could also finish the game with her five moves. Then, Wang Juan would lose.
Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao's nervous face and smiled. She reached out to pick up the chess piece. Zhang Xiaobao quickly said, "You should know how to sacrifice yourself to protect your teammates."
"I know, but you're not my teammate. Right now, we're divided into three powers. I'll be in the middle. You take your time. Ah." Wang Juan still picked up the chess piece.
"Madam, you're here? And the young master and the young lady? When I was there today, I met another person. He looked to be in his fifties. There was a small scar under the corner of his left eye. When he spoke, his right eye would blink twice. His hair was coiled up and held in place with a wooden hairpin. It was the hairstyle of Feng Chao Tian. His right hand would unknowingly touch his left index finger and nose … "
"You don't have to say anything. I got it. You came so early? I thought I could only come here after Master passed the exam. Steward Zhang, go and have people serve him well. Don't let Master know about it. It will disturb Master's study. Do you remember? "
Before Steward Zhang could finish his sentence, Miss Jang Wong already knew who it was. She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths before regaining her composure. She told Steward Zhang not to tell Mr. Zhang.
Steward Zhang immediately replied, "I know, Madam. I won't let Master know, but paper can't wrap fire. Madam, there's one more thing. That lord said that he wants to spend the New Year here, so he wants the waiters and waiters of Between the Clouds and the Water Restaurant to continue working there. They can't go home until the 30th. I dare not agree."
"Oh, this matter. The Zhang Family and Wang Family are not the only ones working in Between the Clouds and the Water Restaurant. There are also people from the Ge Family. How many of them are there?" Miss Jang Wong thought for a while and felt that this matter was not easy to handle. She already knew who that lord was, so she didn't want to go there immediately. It would be better to delay it until the end of the exam.
"Mother, there are still a few days before the New Year. Don't worry. Think about it slowly. By then, even if there are no people from the Ge Family, the Zhang Family and Wang Family will be enough. But it's not good to not let them go home for the New Year. We need to think about it carefully."
Zhang Xiaobao spoke at this time. He didn't ask his mother who those people were and what they had to do with their family. He felt that his mother was a little conflicted about this matter, so he didn't want to bring it up.
Wang Juan nodded at the side. At the same time, she reached out and stopped Zhang Xiaobao's hand that was about to mess up the chessboard.
"Madam, why don't we do as the young master says and wait for a few more days? Oh, there are 55 people in total. I don't know if there are more people coming."
Steward Zhang originally wanted to talk to the young master, but now he didn't have to go there.
Miss Jang Wong Clan nodded. "Then let's do it. Steward Zhang, thank you for your hard work."
Steward Zhang said modestly and turned to make the arrangements. Miss Jang Wong Clan stared at the chessboard for a few seconds. When she was about to play, Zhang Xiaobao suddenly said, "Mother, Cuckoo and I are tired. We won't play. Mother, you should also go and rest."
Miss Jang Wong Clan looked at her son and patted his head. She said, "Okay, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo can go and rest. Mother will also take a nap. Mother has a good son and a good daughter-in-law. Mother doesn't need to worry so much."
"En, don't worry. Our family has money, land, and government officials. Once father passes the exam, let's see who dares to look down on our family. Mother, Cuckoo and I will go back."
Zhang Xiaobao said casually and pulled Wang Juan out of the door and went to his own courtyard.
"Xiao Bao is so smart." Looking at her son and future daughter-in-law, Miss Jang Wong Clan breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling of worry just now disappeared when her son said that last sentence.
*****
"Xiao Bao, are those people your relatives? Your mother doesn't want to see them. Did they bully your family? "Wang Juan asked while walking with Zhang Xiaobao.
"Who knows? It doesn't matter who they are. What's important is that this is Zhuangzi and Zhang Family's territory. No matter who they are, they have to follow our rules."
Zhang Xiaobao said disdainfully. It didn't matter who they were. Zhangjia Zhuangzi was Zhangjia Zhuangzi. Even if the emperor came, he couldn't take them by force.
Wang Juan saw that Zhang Xiaobao wasn't worried about her matters. She also wasn't worried. She put aside a small stone on the road and asked, "Then have you thought about who will stay in Between the Clouds and the Water to serve people? Last time, didn't two sixth-ranked officials come to ask for your father's things? It should be that old man who did it. "
"I haven't thought about it yet, but there's no rush. There are still so many days. Sometimes, when an idea comes, I'll have an idea. Don't always let me think about it alone. Help me think about it too." As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he was also thinking about how to handle this matter.
That old man had some ability. He was already so old, and he came here to celebrate the New Year. If he didn't serve him well, who would he arrange to serve? Who didn't celebrate the New Year?
"Got it. Xiao Bao, let's let the people from Between the Clouds and the Water take turns. For example, on the eve of the 30th, just like last year, they will come to my house to eat first and then come back. The staff can do it too. On the eve of the 30th, they will come back after paying their New Year's greetings."
Wang Juan suggested. She felt that it was a good idea. If it was in the past, no one would care about celebrating the New Year. There would always be people in the unit who were willing to stay.
Zhang Xiaobao thought about it and was about to nod, but then he stopped. "No, there should be a better way. Let's go back and think about it. I like to think about things while eating. I will think about it while eating."
*****
While Zhang Xiaobao was thinking about how to celebrate the New Year, Jia County Magistrates was thinking about how to make Zhangjia Zhuangzi's New Year unhappy. When he heard about the firecrackers yesterday and calculated the possible profit, he finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
When he woke up this morning, he asked some of the bailiffs he bribed to join the other bailiffs and bring the things he bought from Zhangjia Zhuangzi to Tuqiao Village.
In the afternoon, when they were still some distance away from Tuqiao Village, a burst of firecrackers sounded. Jia County Magistrates lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked in that direction. He saw that it was a small Zhuangzi in front of an adult and a child playing with firecrackers. The firecrackers were so long that they were hanging from the tree. They rotated a few times before they landed on the ground.
The crackling sounds made his ears ring. The carriage had already traveled more than a hundred feet, but the firecrackers still didn't stop.
"Yama-yamen Runner, tell me, how many firecrackers were there just now?" Jia County Magistrates waited for the firecrackers to stop. He pressed his hands to his ears, retched, and shouted outside.
He didn't call for Song Yang. He felt that he should hide and use the person he bribed at the most crucial moment. If he acted too close, it would easily arouse suspicion.
Yama-yamen Runner came to the side of the carriage and said respectfully, "Magistrate, I think that firecrackers with 20,000 firecrackers are cheap. The more you buy, the cheaper it will be. The yamen has 300,000 firecrackers this year. There are also some things that can explode in the sky. If Magistrate is willing to set them off, you can set them off yourself."
"Ah, cheap? Then setting them off like this is also money. A string of firecrackers can be exchanged for a few buckets of rice, right?" Jia County Magistrates' ears felt better this time. He estimated how much the firecrackers could be exchanged for.
"Magistrate, you are right. It can be exchanged for a lot of rice. But that Zhuangzi has some spare money and is willing to set them off. We can't refuse them, right? Even if we don't set them off, we will still need to set them off. A thousand firecrackers will cost 22 copper coins. Ten thousand firecrackers will only cost 190 copper coins. Twenty thousand firecrackers will cost about 350 copper coins. "
Yama-yamen Runner continued to speak and estimated the price of the firecrackers.
Jia County Magistrates felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this. He calculated silently. Ordinary people would buy at least one string of firecrackers with a hundred firecrackers during the New Year, right? That would be three copper coins. How many families were there in the county? There were more than 9,000 families registered at the yamen. How much could the Zhangjia Zhuangzi earn? They could earn half a copper coin with a hundred firecrackers, which was equivalent to four strings of cash.
What about those who bought more? There were also those restaurants that were used to setting off firecrackers. After the New Year, they would set off a lot of firecrackers when they opened for business. According to this estimation, they could earn thousands of strings of cash just by setting off firecrackers. And this was under the assumption that the Zhang family's firecrackers would earn less. People outside would also come to buy them.
Zhangjia Zhuangzi's firecrackers were constantly shipped out. How were the firecrackers made? Taking them apart, they should be made with sulfur and charcoal. There should also be saltpeter. But the problem was that he had asked someone to make them, but they didn't make a single sound. This recipe seemed to be the most important one. There must be something else in it.
No, he couldn't let Zhangjia Zhuangzi continue to earn money. He had to think of a way quickly. When people from other places know about this next year, they would all come to buy the firecrackers. Wouldn't they earn even more money?
"Yama-yamen Runner, ask them to speed up. If we are so slow, how will we have time to deliver the firecrackers when we arrive?" Jia County Magistrates was anxious and urged them.
The team immediately sped up. Yama-yamen Runner followed beside them and advised Jia County Magistrates in the carriage, "Sir, don't worry. Didn't we say that we would stay here for the night? We can deliver the firecrackers tomorrow morning. "
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