Song Jinggong was a swindler. He always thought that he was the best and did not think about other things. He did not know how to communicate with others in the same field. It could be said that he was conservative.
Zhang Xiaobao grasped this mentality of his and continued to swindle money. Every time, it was just a little bit. He even used the doorkeeper.
After Song Jinggong went back in the morning, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. In order to get his revenge, he hurried back that night with the money. He met the same doorkeeper again. With the experience of this morning, he did not say anything and handed over a small piece of silver.
It was about half a tael. It was almost twice as much as what Young Master Zheng gave in the morning. The doorkeeper smiled and took the money and ran in. After a while, he turned around and showed a helpless expression.
He said, "Young Master Song, the housekeeper is checking the accounts. Perhaps you will not be able to see Young Master today. It would be better if you came early tomorrow morning."
"Then is your Madam here?" Song Jinggong was distressed to spend half a tael of silver. He gave so much money to the doorkeeper.
At this time, seeing that he could not talk to the housekeeper, he made a new request.
Who knew that when the doorkeeper heard this, his face suddenly became gloomy. He said coldly, "Young Master does not need to worry about my Madam. Young Master, please go back."
Song Jinggong stared blankly for a moment. He suddenly remembered that she still had two babies to feed. They must be babies at this moment. It was really rude of him to ask like this. He looked embarrassed and didn't dare to say anything more. He forced a smile and turned around to leave.
After walking a few steps, he found that he was going to the house where he stayed yesterday. Thinking about the food there, he changed direction and went to the Wang family's house in Zhuangzi. Who knew that when he found a house that looked clean and told him the purpose of his visit, they asked for ten copper coins for lodging and double the food expenses.
Thinking that the food in this house would be better, he gritted his teeth and accepted. After all, he came to Zhangjia Zhuangzi to cheat people. It was not good to go to Ge Jia Village. Who knew that when dinner was served, it was a plate of scrambled eggs with chives. It was not as good as scrambled eggs with chives.
Lying on the bed that was almost hollowed out, the thin mattress was covered with thatch, and it was very uncomfortable. Just this alone was fine, but there were mosquitoes flying around in the room.
Last night, when he slept, his family even lit a rope made of mugwort to drive away mosquitoes. Today, there was nothing, and this room was next to the courtyard at the back.
From time to time, Song Jinggong could see things flapping their wings as they wandered in through the half-broken window. Song Jinggong didn't even dare to take off his clothes. He covered his face with the blanket with an unknown smell and couldn't fall asleep at all.
The sound of crickets chirping outside the window did not stop. In the past, it was a different kind of feeling to hear it, but today, it was even more so.
It was late at night and the dew was heavy. The vegetables and fruit trees in the courtyard were constantly sending moisture into the house. Song Jinggong felt that his hands and feet were ice-cold. He tossed and turned and curled his body into a ball, but he still couldn't get rid of this cold.
"Old Sir, Old Sir, open the door. We need to discuss something."
Finally, Song Jinggong, who couldn't bear this kind of torture, got up and went to the next room. He gently knocked on the door and only spoke when he heard the voice inside.
"What's the matter? It's so late and you're still not sleeping?" The person who opened the door was around 50 years old. He yawned and asked with some dissatisfaction.
"Old Sir, my room is really too cold. Do you have a thin blanket that I can use to sleep on?" Song Jinggong didn't expect that a farmer would dare to speak to him like this. He sighed sadly in his heart and tried to negotiate.
"Where's the blanket? I've already put it away. Where can I find it in the middle of the night? Just wait for the night. What were you thinking about in the morning? "The old man refused.
"You really don't have one?"
"It's not that you don't have one. There is a new blanket for my grandson to use when he gets married. It's placed in a conspicuous place. I spent a whole tael to get it made." The old man sighed as he spoke. His master was so shrewd that he even calculated this.
"I'll buy it. A tael of silver, I'll buy it." Song Jinggong's eyes were red. What did he mean by a tael of silver? Could it be satin?
"I still have to spend a lot of effort to get it." The old man complained and didn't move.
"Add another 10 coins." Song Jinggong increased the price.
"Wait." The old man snorted and closed the door. He probably went in to look for the blanket.
After a full quarter of an hour, he came out and stuffed a rolled up thing into Song Jinggong's arms. He then turned around and closed the door.
Song Jinggong hugged the blanket and felt a little warmer. He went back to his room and covered himself with the blanket. He still couldn't sleep and could only look around under the moonlight.
He looked around and saw the blanket. The more he looked, the more he felt that something was wrong. He didn't know if it was because the moonlight was white or if there was a problem with the color of the blanket. When he looked closely, it was made of thick silk. This was the only set that cost 30 coins. The most expensive one was 50 coins. It actually cost 1 tael of silver.
That was fine. But looking at the dyed areas, it was obvious that the color had been washed out. It was white. How could this be called a new blanket?
Song Jinggong was so angry. He thought about it and decided not to sleep. He stood up and walked to the window. He opened the other window and looked at the night scenery.
*****
In this way, Song Jinggong spent a lot of money. Excluding the money he gave to Zhang Xiaobao, he spent a total of 10 taels of silver. This included accommodation, food, drinks, and gifts. But he only met Steward Zhang once. They talked about the matter and only said that they wanted to work together to do a profitable business.
Steward Zhang said that he couldn't make the decision and needed to report to his wife.
Who knew that he would wait for a few more days. If he didn't spend so much money, he would have gone back long ago. Who would be chatting here? But he had spent the money. If he didn't do it well, he wouldn't be satisfied. Today, he finally decided to stay in Ge family's Zhuangzi. He didn't want to waste this money.
*****
"Xiao Bao, you've been here for 20 days, right?" Wang Juan, who was sitting on one end of a seesaw under the shade of a tree, used all her strength to press Zhang Xiaobao up.
Zhang Xiaobao shifted his weight back and lifted Wang Juan up. He replied, "No, it's been 19 days. In another 10 days, the chicks will be born. The earthworms haven't grown up yet. Put them in the village's toilet. Oh, it's called the latrine. It doesn't matter if they eat maggots. I'm just afraid that they will fall into the pit and drown. We need to feed them some food."
"How about the sauce? Will it be ready soon?"
"It's still early. It will take another 20 days." Zhang Xiaobao estimated the date that Erniu mentioned.
"Are you sure someone can buy it? It's just a little spicy. There's meat inside. " Wang Juan also used all her strength to move back and lift Zhang Xiaobao again. She used this to train the strength of her legs and waist. She could train while playing.
"Absolutely no problem. When the sauce is ready, we'll send the recipe of using the sauce to those restaurants and inns. If they sell well, they'll come to buy the sauce and rest. It's been two hours. My legs are sore.
In a while, I'll ask Xiao Hong to go to the kitchen and ask them to make some seaweed and bone soup. Didn't we buy seaweed two days ago? You need to replenish your nutrition. Just drinking milk won't do. "
Zhang Xiaobao got down from the seesaw and walked to a place with sunlight. He started to bask in the sun.
Wang Juan followed him. Xiao Hong hurriedly went to the kitchen to ask someone to prepare something. When she came back, she took out a small cushion and placed it in the middle of the courtyard. She held an umbrella and hid under the shade. While looking at the two little ancestors, she was thinking about her own worries.
Usually, when she had some free time, she would make clothes for herself and Xiao Qi. This time, she didn't dare to say anything. If anyone saw her holding a needle and thread while looking after the children, no one could help her.
"Xiao Bao, don't just lie down. Look at how much money we have." Wang Juan turned over and propped her chin on the cushion.
"We don't have much money, but we've accumulated some things. Let's wait for the autumn harvest."
"What are you going to do with the autumn harvest? I always feel that you're up to no good. "Wang Juan still didn't know what Zhang Xiaobao was planning.
"How should I say? You can say that I'm up to no good, or you can say that I'm doing something out of the kindness of my heart. It depends on how you interpret it."
"For example?" Wang Juan asked.
"For example, is it good or bad for traders to make money? If you want to make a profit, you have to buy low and sell high, "Zhang Xiaobao said thoughtfully.
When Wang Juan, who was lying down, heard this, she immediately sat up. She stared at Zhang Xiaobao and said, "You want to buy food? You want to hoard it? "
"Don't be silly. How much money can I have? Why would I hoard it? I want to buy food locally. Today's harvest is good, and the food is cheap. Next year, I'll sell it elsewhere and make a lot of money." Zhang Xiaobao finally revealed his purpose.
"Where?"
"I can't say it yet. If I tell anyone, the secret will no longer be a secret." Zhang Xiaobao refused again.
"I won't ask in the future. Think about that Swindler Song. How is he going to cheat us?"
"I'm not an immortal or a demon. Let's wait. Tomorrow, I'll get Steward Zhang to contact him. We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
*****
The next day, Song Jinggong came to the courtyard again. He had already become used to coming once a day. He originally thought that he wouldn't get anything today, but who knew that when the gatekeeper took the money he gave and reported it, Steward Zhang personally came out to welcome him.
"Haha, Young Master Song has been waiting here for a long time, right? Come in with me. "Steward Zhang warmly led Song Jinggong into the living room, which made Song Jinggong a little unaccustomed.
When the two sat down, the servants served them tea. After a few sips, Steward Zhang said, "Young Master Song has been here for a long time. You must have something important to say, right? Today, Madam went out to handle some matters and won't be back for a few days. Everything in the village is under my management. Young Master Song, if you have something to say, just say it. "
When Song Jinggong heard Steward Zhang's words, his heart skipped a beat. He asked tentatively, "You can make decisions about money?"
"Of course. My family has been in charge of the Zhang family for generations. It's just a matter of managing money. There's nothing I can do," Steward Zhang replied proudly.
"Oh, if that's the case, Steward Zhang is very respected in Zhangjia Zhuangzi. Congratulations, Steward Zhang." Song Jinggong flattered.
"Well said, well said. Young Master Song, just say what you want." Steward Zhang's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be very comfortable with the praise.
"Alright, I'll say it now. I have a shop in San Shui County that specializes in antiques, calligraphy, and paintings." Song Jinggong said softly.
"Oh? You want me to buy some calligraphy? "Steward Zhang asked.
"No, I have something else to discuss. It's about making money." Song Jinggong finally said what he thought was very tempting.
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