Qin Yining had experienced a lot since she came to the capital. Although no one neglected her when she was in Pang Xiao's residence, and she had Xian Yun and Lian Xiaozhou by her side, her financial lifeline was out of her control. She did not doubt Master Zhong at all. But after all, the mountain was high and the road was long, and she was powerless.
Now that Master Zhong was by her side, she had the confidence to do whatever she wanted. Moreover, they had not seen each other for a long time. Now that she saw this old man who was loyal to her again, how could Qin Yining not be happy in her heart?
"It's a long story along the way. I'll tell you slowly in the future." Qin Yining looked at the two people behind Master Zhong and could not help but smile. "Miss Jiu, Brother Lu, you're here too."
Liu Jiu 'er and Lu Dehan were the refugees that Qin Yining took in in Ning Garden.
"Benefactor."
When Lu Dehan and Liu Jiu 'er saw that Qin Yining remembered their names, they could not help but be excited and bowed their heads.
Qin Yining hurriedly helped them up and said with a smile, "What are you doing? Get up quickly. "
When they were taking refuge in Ning Garden, they had suffered together. Those refugees were grateful to Qin Yining for saving their lives. Lu Dehan and Liu Jiu 'er were more influential among them, so they had more contact with Qin Yining. Naturally, they were closer to him.
Liu Jiu 'er stood up and said with a smile, "Benefactor, Master Zhong and his family said that they want to come to you for shelter. The two of us discussed it and came together. We are not very capable, but we are definitely loyal to you. If you have any orders, just tell us. Don't stand on ceremony with us. "
Lu Dehan also nodded with a simple and honest smile.
Qin Yining said with a smile, "That's good. I'm in need of manpower here. I can rest assured with your help. By the way, why didn't Mr. Ni come with you? "
When they saw that Qin Yining still remembered Scholar Ni, they couldn't help but laugh.
Lu Dehan said, "Scholar Ni is getting on in years. He said that his old bones couldn't withstand the torment, so he didn't come with us to pledge his loyalty to the Benefactor. Master Zhong followed the Benefactor's instructions and arranged work for all of us in Ning Garden. Now we all have land to farm, houses to live in, and food to eat. The head shopkeeper cherished the old and pitied the poor, so he found a place in the manor to settle Scholar Ni and the other lonely old people down. Scholar Ni then began to take care of the orphans in his own little courtyard. He taught the children how to read. With the help of our benefactor, they are all doing well. "
"That's good, that's good." Qin Yining laughed heartily. "One who survives a great disaster is bound to have good fortune in the future. We still have a long way to go."
Liu Jiu 'er smiled and said, "It's our fortune to be able to follow our benefactor."
Qin Yining looked at Master Zhong with a smile and said, "This isn't the place to talk. I'll tidy up a bit. Let's go out and find a restaurant to eat. We can talk in detail while we're at it."
"Yes." Master Zhong, Lu Dehan, and Liu Jiu 'er all respectfully said yes.
Qin Yining then went back to change his clothes.
How big could the guest house be? The commotion here immediately alarmed the Dowager Duchess.
When she heard that Qin Yining's capable head shopkeeper from Dayan had come, the Dowager Duchess's eyes lit up.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry up and call Fourth Girl over!"
When Mammy Qin heard this, she had no choice but to go personally.
Qin Yining had just finished changing his clothes when he saw Mammy Qin arrive. He immediately understood and went forward to greet her with a smile. "Mammy Qin is here. Does the Dowager Duchess have any instructions for me? "
Mammy Qin looked a little embarrassed and sighed. "The Dowager Duchess heard that Fourth Young Lady's former head shopkeeper had come, so she instructed this old servant to invite Fourth Young Lady over for a chat."
As for what the Dowager Duchess wanted to say to Qin Yining, it was already obvious.
The Family Qin's belongings had been lost in the plunder, and Second Master was waiting for the Emperor to arrange an official position for him. Third Master's businesses were all in Dayan, so they couldn't get in touch with him for the time being. The womenfolk all had to do needlework to supplement the family's income.
At this time, Third Master's head shopkeeper hadn't come, but Qin Yining's head shopkeeper had come first. Wasn't he here to deliver living expenses to the family?
Qin Yining smiled slightly. "Since that's the case, I'll go and see the Dowager Duchess first."
Mammy Qin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Qin Yining would act stubbornly because he couldn't stand the Dowager Duchess's way of doing things. Now that the family was already in chaos, they couldn't afford to cause more trouble. Not to mention that her own life wasn't going well, if she caused more trouble, wouldn't the Li Family and Gu Family, who were next door, be watching the show?
These days, whenever the Dowager Duchess saw Qin Yining, she would feel suffocated. Today, however, she craned her neck in anticipation.
Qin Yining had just lifted the curtain and entered when the Dowager Duchess impatiently asked, "Sister Yi, is the head shopkeeper of your business here?"
Qin Yining came forward and curtsied. He then smiled bitterly and said, "Dowager Duchess must be joking. How could I have any business now? "
The Dowager Duchess was immediately stunned.
Qin Yining said in a low voice, "Dayan has already perished, so there's no Zhao Yun Agency anymore. The Zhao Yun Agency's original income has already been confiscated by the officials sent by Da Zhou. The inns, restaurants, and real estate have also been taken over. "
"What!" The Dowager Duchess angrily roared in shock, "Are you trying to coax me, this old woman! If they didn't come with their business, why would they come to see you! In any case, you're also the daughter of a Family. Don't you want to care about the life and death of your family! We're now living under someone else's roof and almost don't have enough food to eat. You actually became stingy! Truly, girls favor outsiders. We've raised you for fifteen years in vain! "
Under the Dowager Duchess's rage, she really didn't choose her words carefully.
Second Furen, Han Second Young Mistress, and Ba Xiaojie on the side all looked very embarrassed. They all wanted to say how long had it been since Qin Yining returned to the fu. In the first fourteen years, he didn't have a Family to support him. After coming back for a year, he also suffered a lot. He was the most unlucky one!
Qin Yining didn't get angry. He only sighed and said, "Dowager Duchess, please calm down. Why should I coax you? How much have I sacrificed for this family? Has Dowager Duchess forgotten? "
The Dowager Duchess thought about the past. She thought about how Qin Yining was sent to the peace talks and then sent to the palace. Later, he was forced to cultivate in seclusion. He even almost entered the palace when he arrived in Da Zhou. After all these things, he had contributed a lot to the family.
The Dowager Duchess couldn't be so righteous.
Qin Yining continued, "The Dayan dynasty has fallen. Even the national treasury and the internal funds of the County King of Yan have now gone to Da Zhou. Zhaoyun Agency is the business that the former imperial family gave to my maternal grandfather's family. It's recorded in the internal accounts of the Yan dynasty's imperial family. How could Master Zhong refute this? The officials of Da Zhou reached out to take over. Master Zhong could only hand over his power and account. Otherwise, it would be considered treason. "
"This … Although that's the case, you've been in business for so long. Didn't you save some personal funds?"
"Personal funds? Your granddaughter does have some personal funds. But when she came, she was robbed. When she hurriedly escaped, she lost her belongings. Didn't Dowager Duchess pick up her belongings from your granddaughter's carriage at that time? "
The Dowager Duchess frowned, "Do you think I would covet your belongings? The 'personal funds' I'm talking about are the money in your accounts! "
Qin Yining raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "Your granddaughter understands Dowager Duchess's meaning. Your granddaughter also knows that the family's current situation is tense. However, the officials of Da Zhou who were sent out aren't fools. When they handed over the accounts, they took away all the money. Master Zhong isn't your granddaughter's servant. He's just a shopkeeper that your granddaughter hired. Now that Zhaoyun Agency is gone, Master Zhong and your granddaughter no longer have a master-servant relationship. How much money your family has has has nothing to do with your granddaughter. "
Qin Yining's words were all reasonable. The Dowager Duchess really couldn't find any words to refute them.
The Dowager Duchess didn't believe that Qin Yining didn't have any personal funds. However, she was still the Dowager Duchess. With her status, she couldn't search her granddaughter's body, right? Moreover, if she really searched Qin Yining, did other people have to search her as well?
The Dowager Duchess waved her hand in irritation, "Since you don't have anything to do with Master Zhong, why do you still want to see him?"
Qin Yining felt that the Dowager Duchess might have fainted from anger. Otherwise, how could she say such words that were full of loopholes and could be used against her?
"Is Dowager Duchess joking? Even if we don't have a master-servant relationship, we still know each other. Now that we're in Da Zhou, we're considered fellow countrymen. It's right to go and see each other. Father often taught me how to conduct myself. Your granddaughter has never dared to forget this point. "She curtsied and said," Your granddaughter still has to entertain the guests. I won't disturb your rest. "
Qin Yining courteously bowed to second furen, Han second young mistress, and the others before leaving the Dowager Duchess's room.
The Dowager Duchess's face alternated between green and red. Thinking that such a large sum of money no longer belonged to the Family Qin because of the destruction of the Dayan dynasty, she felt a burst of anger in her heart. When the money was needed, one would regret not having enough. Now, the Family Qin was struggling to make ends meet. Her eldest son's whereabouts were unknown. They were living in the guesthouse and were being controlled everywhere. In the capital, they didn't even have their own home. How could the Dowager Duchess's heart not be anxious?
Second furen and Han second young mistress looked at each other and slipped out of the room while sticking close to the wall.
Only Mammy Qin, Qin Huining, and eighth young miss were left in the room to serve. For a moment, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed to solidify.
Qin Yining handed over Lian Xiaozhou to Xian Yun and Qiu Lu to take care of. Then, he took Bing Tang and Ji Yun and left the guesthouse with Master Zhong and the others.
Because he wasn't familiar with any place in the capital, Master Zhong simply said, "If Boss doesn't mind, why don't you come to the small courtyard that I rented? My wife, son, and daughter-in-law are all there. It'll be convenient for us to eat and talk at home. "
"That's naturally good. I'm just afraid that I'll trouble Madam, my brothers, and my sisters-in-law."
"What are you talking about? Since Boss is willing to come, that's their dignity." Master Zhong was very pleased with how Qin Yining addressed his family members.
Qin Yining followed him to the courtyard that was allocated to him at the west side of the city.
"We just arrived in the capital and haven't established ourselves yet. So, we arranged for someone to come to the capital and rent this place. We thought that once our family members arrived, we would be able to settle down."
Standing in front of the mottled black courtyard door, Master Zhong smiled and explained to Qin Yining.
Qin Yining smiled and nodded, "The head shopkeeper has always been meticulous in his work."
The group of people chatted and laughed as they entered the door. Qin Yining first went to greet the womenfolk of the Zhong Family. He gave Madam Zhong and the grandmother a thorough etiquette before going to the study to speak with Master Zhong.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
