Song Jinggong originally didn't want to drink too much, just a few cups. But after a few cups, he was still in a daze. He lay there crookedly, his mouth continuously flattering Manager Zhang.
Manager Zhang was also a little shaken. He knew that his alcohol tolerance wasn't that high. It was all because of the Little Lord. He didn't put drugs in the wine, but had someone roast it in a brazier in this small dining room.
He didn't know what it meant to have insufficient oxygen, nor did he know what it meant to increase the temperature to promote blood circulation, which would cause alcohol to affect the brain faster.
He only knew that since the Little Lord said so, then it was definitely not wrong. After arranging for Song Jinggong to rest, he went out to do other things.
When Song Jinggong woke up, it was already afternoon. He was fed some hangover soup by the servant girl serving him. In a daze, he vaguely heard someone talking.
"Manager Zhang, who allowed you to make the decision alone? Do you not see me as a person in your eyes? "
The voice seemed to belong to a woman. Song Jinggong rubbed his aching head and tilted his ear to listen carefully.
"No, this little one doesn't dare. This little one only thinks that Young Master Song's business is good, so this little one wants to get some money. If Madam doesn't allow, this little one will send him away."
Song Jinggong finally heard clearly that the person speaking was Manager Zhang. Thinking about the matter with Zhang Zhuang, it was obvious that the person who could make Manager Zhang so afraid was the Jang Wong Clan.
Seeing that the Madam wanted to drive him away, Song Jinggong immediately became anxious. Just as he was about to go out and explain, he heard the Jang Wong Clan say, "Manager Zhang, since I've taught Zhuangzi to you, you must be 120% alert. Don't be fooled by others."
"Madam, don't worry, I definitely won't be fooled. Young Master Song is not that kind of person." Just as Song Jinggong was worried that he would be exposed, Manager Zhang's voice sounded.
"Hmph, not that kind of person? Could it be that you've received benefits from him and are speaking for him? I heard that Song Jinggong actually moved to Ge Jia Village yesterday. He wants to cheat us of our money and run away. "Jang Wong Clan's voice sounded again.
When Song Jinggong heard this, he felt a little wronged. If he could explain, he would definitely rush out and say that the two Zhuangzi people in front of him were too deceitful.
But he couldn't say that the Jang Wong Clan knew who he was. If he really rushed out, that would be unwise.
With a trace of worry, Song Jinggong listened attentively, hoping that Steward Zhang would put in a few good words for him. Sure enough, Steward Zhang spoke.
"Replying to Madam, I've already tested Young Master Song today, especially when we were drinking. Young Master Song is really a good person. As for resting on other Zhuangzi, according to this little one's guess, there must be someone on that Zhuangzi that Young Master Song is familiar with."
"Alright, there's no need to say more. How can I not recognize people? If you don't believe me, send someone to follow that Young Master Song. If I'm not wrong, he doesn't have any goods. In these few days, as long as he gets money, he will go into hiding.
His shop isn't even worth 300 taels of silver. You didn't even see what the goods were, yet you dare to make such a plan. How can I let you manage Zhuangzi in the future? Hmph! "
The dissatisfied voice of the Jang Wong Clan sounded again, scaring Song Jinggong. He wasn't afraid that someone would investigate, but he was afraid that the Jang Wong Clan would directly reject his suggestion. If that was the case, then wouldn't all the money he spent in the past few days be taken advantage of?
After listening for a while, until the footsteps of a person gradually faded away, Song Jinggong sat down on a small stool next to the window, thinking about what to do next.
When he couldn't hear anything else, he heard Steward Zhang, who hadn't left yet, call out to someone.
"Call Xiao Qi over. When Young Master Song leaves the courtyard, follow behind him. If you see that he wants to leave, report back to me immediately."
After waiting for someone to answer and leave, Song Jinggong let out a sigh of relief. He secretly made up his mind that no matter what, he couldn't let anyone find out. He quietly walked back to the bed and lay down in his clothes. He resisted the headache and looked at the ceiling, thinking about how to cheat Zhangjia Zhuangzi of his money.
He didn't expect that the Jang Wong Clan that Steward Zhang mentioned would come back so early. What a coincidence. Did she hear that he was coming? Or was it because she was worried about Steward Zhang and deliberately did this?
After lying down, Song Jinggong fell asleep again. He didn't wake up until evening. He got up and was about to leave when he heard Steward Zhang's voice outside the window.
"Has Young Master Song woken up?"
"This servant doesn't know. Young Master Song hasn't left the house this entire time."
"Hmm, I'll go in and take a look. Tell the servants to prepare wine and food."
Song Jinggong heard the voice and pretended that he had just woken up. He opened his sleepy eyes and waited for Steward Zhang to come in. He yawned and said, "Steward Zhang has a good tolerance for alcohol. I remembered what I said to Steward Zhang when we were eating, but I forgot everything afterward. I don't even remember how I got to this room."
"Young Master Song doesn't have any worries about Zhuangzi, so you can drink without worry. I can't do the same. There are many things to take care of in Zhuangzi. You need to be careful when you drink. Otherwise, who knows what will happen."
Steward Zhang came in with a smile on his face. He looked at Song Jinggong and said this with a laugh.
Song Jinggong didn't have time to care whether these words were true or false. He pressed his hand on his forehead and said, "Looking at the sky outside, it should be evening. I won't disturb you any longer. When that fellow arrives in a few days, I'll tell Steward Zhang the details."
"No rush, no rush. Leave after dinner. The people in the village aren't smart. It's hard to find someone to talk to. Young Master Song, it's not easy for you to come here. No matter what, you can't just leave like this." Steward Zhang tried to stop him.
"Thank you for your kindness, Steward Zhang. Unfortunately, I can't drink. Even now, I still have a splitting headache. I can't drink. I really can't drink. In a few days, I'll come again."
Song Jinggong wouldn't eat here no matter what. What he needed to do now was to pretend and make people believe him. It didn't matter whether he ate or not.
Steward Zhang tried to persuade him again, but Song Jinggong insisted. He had no choice but to send Song Jinggong to the door. He stood there for a long time and didn't turn back.
If it were anyone else, they would have been moved. Song Jinggong knew that there was someone called Little Seven who should be following him in a place where he couldn't see. After thinking about it, he decided to stay in the village of Zhangjia Zhuangzi. It didn't matter if he had to spend some money. At least it could make the Jang Wong Clan feel at ease.
*****
Night fell. The people who left Zhangjia Zhuangzi and Wang Family Zhuangzi were still in a hurry to get to their destination.
The Wei River was the closest to Zhuangzi. If they wanted to use boats to transport goods, they had to travel less. However, the Luoshui River was the closest to Sanshui County. According to Song Jinggong's judgment, they should be dropping off the goods there.
In order to not make any mistakes, both sides sent people to check. In addition, two people went to Sanshui County to arrange things there. These people were told that no matter where they went, they were not allowed to reveal their identities.
In the morning, two travel-worn people came to Xinping City, which was dozens of li away from Tuqiao Village. These two people didn't enter the city directly. Instead, they found a place not far from the city and stayed in Zhuangzi. According to the instructions, they had a good sleep. They only woke up in the afternoon. After freshening up, they casually threw a few copper coins to the people who stayed with them. Then, they went out and asked around for houses to sell.
When other people asked, they would say that they came from afar and wanted to find a place to stay. After an hour, they finally found someone who was willing to sell the house. Not caring that it was getting late, they pulled the person and bought the house on the same day.
One of them stayed behind to clean the house and hired someone to make the bed. The other person hurried back. It was really like running through the night and the stars. At a quarter to three in the morning, he returned to the Zhang family manor. Ignoring his fatigue, he went straight to the courtyard where Zhang Xiaobao was sleeping. When he arrived at the door, he reported while panting heavily.
"Zhang Si was ordered to return. He bought a house in Xiaoniu Village, two li outside of Xinping City. Fortunately, he didn't disappoint."
After saying this, he was so tired that he couldn't stand. He squatted there with one hand on the ground, panting incessantly.
When Xiao Hong heard the noise, she woke Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan up. The two looked at each other and hurriedly got up. They let Xiao Hong carry the bed, lit the lantern, and walked out of the door. Zhang Xiaobao even lifted the bowl of water beside the bed.
When they went outside and saw Zhang Si's appearance under the moonlight, Zhang Xiaobao nodded. He brought the water forward and said, "Good job. The Zhang family is honored because of you."
Zhang Si took the bowl, raised his head, and gulped down the water. He wiped his mouth with his hand and respectfully replied, "Thank you, Little Young Master. I bought the house. Please give me your orders."
"Well, that's good. Go find Cherries. Let her arrange the rest. I'll have to trouble you. Remember to be careful on the road." Zhang Xiaobao saw that one thing was done, so he nodded and said with a smile.
After Zhang Si left, he turned back to Wang Juan and said, "This is the person that I, Zhang Xiaobao, want. How is his efficiency compared to your Special Second Department?"
"It's so-so. Don't think that everyone in my place is idle. The other three people you sent out haven't come back yet." Wang Juan curled her lips and said disdainfully.
"I don't mean to belittle your side. I'm just asking. Go back to sleep. It seems that you don't need to sleep immediately. Drink milk first. I'm a little hungry."
Zhang Xiaobao laughed. When he saw his mother standing at the door, he quickly ran into his mother's arms and pretended to be a child. Wang Juan touched her stomach and found that there was indeed nothing inside. She also followed him.
On the banks of the Luoshui River, there were also two people who didn't sleep. They looked at the boats docked at the docks and secretly sized them up. With the occasional flash of light, they carefully memorized the red and green things that were exposed on the boats.
"Little Mazi, you keep a close watch here. I'll go back and report. The Zhang family's Little Young Master is still waiting." One person looked for a moment and felt that he remembered the appearance of the things. He said to the other person. When the other person nodded, he turned around and disappeared into the night.
The people left behind resisted their tiredness and lay on the grass. They allowed the dew to gradually wet their clothes. They motionlessly observed the situation and listened to what the two people guarding the night said.
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