Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty Eight

In the 11th year of Tongzhi, Xiao Taiping's authority over the coal kiln industry in Qiaotou Town had been roughly established, but the authority over the flower kiln industry under Sankongqiao was far from established.At the age of 24, Yu Gu'er robbed Shibajie's flower boat and girls by means of a well-planned murder, but failed to win the ruling authority over the flower kiln industry in Qiaotou Town.From the day the Eighteenth Sister disappeared, the flower boat was filled with a misty conspiracy.With the disintegration of winter and the coming of spring, the conspiracy grows like a sprouting seed, which makes the good times of Yu Guer haunted from the very beginning.

The death of the eighteenth sister shakes the foundation of the flower boat. The girls bought by the eighteenth sister lost their original masters, so they longed for freedom and tried to escape one by one.Three really escaped, one of them was captured later, and the other two were never seen again.The boat crew invited by Eighteenth Sister has also changed. Although they are still docile on the surface, ghosts can't figure out what is going on in their hearts.When something happened later, Yu Gu'er knew that the gang didn't take her seriously at that time, and they all wanted to blackmail her, but she was immersed in the joy of success and failed to smell the danger .

It should be said that Yugu'er is considered smart. In March, as soon as the eighteenth sister's naked body floated up from the frozen river, Yu Gu'er came forward to collect the body, and took the eighteenth sister thickly.After the funeral for the eighteenth sister, Yuguer invited Boss Zheng and his gang of Chuanding brothers to drink again.At the wine table, he also made a wish to the brothers, raising 20% ​​of the monthly allowances of all the brothers, asking Boss Zheng and the others to treat themselves like eighteen sisters. In order to win the sympathy of Zheng Boss and his brothers, Yuguer wiped her tears and recalled: "...it is not easy for the business on the flower boat to reach the current stage. It is all because of my sister and I working hard. I can't forget the situation back then. At that time, there were no brothers like you, and there were not so many girls and so many boats. There was only a small flower boat owned by my sister and me. How often did our sister and I pick up dozens of rough customers? I am not afraid of you What a joke, my sister and I were really afraid of being crushed to death by those rough people."

A brother surnamed Wang doubted the legitimacy of Yuguer's inheritance of the flower boat business, and he was not clear about the relationship between Yuguer and Shibajie back then, so he asked: "...the second aunt and the eldest aunt have been together since the beginning. Are you in a partnership?" Yuguer said: "Isn't it? Our sisters don't divide anything, what's hers is mine, and what's mine is hers. The money for the little flower boat was all mine at the beginning, and I let her take it too." call the shots." The brother asked again: "So, now this business is all yours, Second Aunt?"

Yu Gu'er was stunned, and turned into a pink face: "What's the matter? This deal is not mine, can it still be yours?" The brother smiled mockingly: "I... I was just asking casually..." Boss Zheng stood up at this moment, and scolded the brother: "Did you ask such a question? What do you mean? Are you trying to blackmail our second aunt?" The brother froze and didn't dare to speak. Boss Zheng was not relentless, and suggested to Yu Gu'er: "Since this kid has two minds, I think it's better to let him go." These words are exactly in Yu Gu'er's mind, Yu Gu'er knows that the gang of servants under his opponent must not only show favor, but also establish prestige, otherwise it will be difficult to establish a new order.So Yu Gu'er nodded and told the brother to go to the upstairs boat to pay the bill.

The brother dropped his wine glass and left. Before he left, he pointed at Boss Zheng and cursed, "Your surname is Zheng, you really are nothing. You forgot all the benefits that Eighteenth Sister did to you..." But Boss Zheng said: "It is precisely because I remember the benefits of my eighteenth sister that I have to listen to my second aunt today. I am convinced by our second aunt, who of you dare not accept it?" The brothers naturally did not dare to disobey.Under the leadership of Boss Zheng, the remaining seven brothers respectfully toasted Yu Gu'er, and each of them vowed that the second aunt was loyal, and the brothers would be loyal, and they would never spoil the second aunt's flowers. boat business.

Yu Gu'er really thought that the boatmen had taken her under their wing, so they were careless. They only focused on the business on the boat, and they only wanted to expand the business left by the Eighteenth Sister, so they ignored the insidiousness of Boss Zheng, causing trouble. There was a big joke that made her feel heartbroken for the rest of her life.At that time, there were vacancies on the big and small flower boats, and Meizhi and Wang Xiaoyue were let go a year ago, and then two more ran away, and there were fewer girls.There was a small flower boat that couldn't do business for two months, and was vacant in the spring water every day.Yu Gu'er looked anxious, so she wanted to buy some girls back to fill the vacancy.

Boss Zheng, who lives in Qingzhou, was delighted when he heard it, and encouraged Yuguer to go to Qingzhou to buy it, and left immediately, saying that it was a good time to go to Qingzhou to buy a girl, if it was too late, he would take it. Miss Xia Liang is not easy to buy.Gu'er knew that Qingzhou was a poor place, there were bandits and girls, Wang Xiaoyue and Meizhi were both bought by Shibajie from Qingzhou.Therefore, I didn't have any doubts about Qingzhou recommended by Boss Zheng, so I accepted it immediately, and told the truth to Boss Zheng: In the past, Shibajie was there, and I never bought a girl, let alone went to Qingzhou, and I felt a little timid. .Because of her timidity, Yuguer asked Boss Zheng to go with her, and also went back to her hometown to have a look.

When I said this, it was the end of April in the eleventh year of Tongzhi. At the beginning of May, Yugu'er took Boss Zheng and one hundred and twenty taels of silver, boarded a boat in Mohe County, and went northward along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal for more than 800 miles to Qingzhou.Along the way, Boss Zheng was very flattering to Yu Gu'er, calling her "Second Aunt Grandma" every mouthful, and arranged her food and daily life very thoughtfully, which made Yu Gu'er's life quite pleasant.Because she was happy, Yu Gu'er rewarded herself to Boss Zheng, and slept with Boss Zheng the next night after boarding the boat.

They all slept together, Boss Zheng still looked cautious and respectful, and didn't dare to speak loudly. Boss Zheng put his arms around Yu Gu'er, and said slowly: "...Second aunt, you don't know, it's always difficult to buy girls in our kiln. People in Qingzhou are poor, but they don't want to send their daughters to They are sold in flower kilns. Even if they are sold, they will charge a high price. So last year I took Eighteenth Sister to buy a girl, and I pretended to be a good girl, saying that I bought it to be a servant girl in the mansion." Yu Gu'er didn't think there was anything famous in it, so he said: "Okay, what happened in the past, let's do it this time."

Boss Zheng tentatively said: "In the past, I... I played the role of the eighteenth sister's brother..." Yu Gu'er casually said: "Then you also pretend to be my elder brother..." This time I was fooled.Yugu'er never thought that she, the madam who went to buy a girl, would be sold to Huayao in Qingzhou by Boss Zheng as a girl, and she only sold it for a mere six taels of silver.This is really a big joke, I'm afraid no one will believe it if I tell it to anyone. The flower kiln in Qingzhou is called "Yihechun", which is quite impressive, and it is on the canal pier.Standing on the boat, before going ashore, Yu Gu'er saw the antique piano room, painting room, and the big lantern in front of the gatehouse in "Yihechun". Boss Zheng pointed to the gate tower of "Yihechun" and said to Yu Gu'er: "...It's finally over, we will rest here at "Yihechun" tonight." Yugu'er didn't know where "Yihechun" was, so she asked, "Is this an inn? Why are there still red lanterns hanging?" Boss Zheng didn't hide anything, and said with a smile: "This 'Yihechun' is not an inn, but our most famous flower kiln in Qingzhou. Madam Liu, the bustard, is an old acquaintance of Shibajie and me. Every time I come back to Qingzhou to buy girls , we always end up here." Yu Gu'er felt strange and asked: "He also has a flower kiln, so we can't buy a girl from him?" Boss Zheng said: "That's right, even if Mama Liu is willing to sell it to us, we can't afford it. Mama Liu's girls are all trained since childhood. They are proficient in everything from piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Don't open your mouth if you don't have hundreds of taels of silver." Yu Gu'er asked: "Then what are we going to do there?" Boss Zheng smiled and patiently explained: "You have to ask about the market price. Second aunt, think about it, the girl's temporary price is a temporary price. If we don't ask, don't you suffer?! Besides, buy back one by one. Girl, we have to find a good place to lock her up, if we let her escape, won't we be wasting money?" Yugu'er was right after thinking about it, and then thought that since "Yihechun" is near the pier, it would be convenient to bring back the girl he bought, so he didn't say anything more, and let Boss Zheng carry a hundred bags on his back. With a blue package of twenty taels of silver, I got off the boat and went to "Yihechun" with Boss Zheng. At the entrance hall of "Yihechun", Boss Zheng asked Yuguer to sit down first, and went to the piano room alone to meet the mother-in-law Liu Mama. Not long after, Boss Zheng brought Mama Liu over with a smile on her face, pointed at Yuguer and said to Mama Liu, "This is my sister." Mother Liu looked at Yuguer, then at Boss Zheng, and said, "Your brothers and sisters don't look alike." Yugu'er smiled, but didn't make a sound. Boss Zheng pointed to Mama Liu and said to Yuguer: "Sister, this is Mama Liu, but she is a very good person!" Yu Gu'er leaned back, called "Mother Liu", and said very politely: "Our brothers and sisters will trouble you when we come here." Mother Liu said with a smile: "As long as there is business, I am not afraid of trouble." Boss Zheng wanted to get away and run away, so he said to Yu Gu'er: "Sister, you and Mama Liu have a word first, and I'll go and tidy up your room." Until the last moment of escaping, Boss Zheng still kept a respectful smile on his face, which made Yu Gu'er no doubt.Yu Gu'er saw Boss Zheng lift the blue bag wrapped in silver, and saw Boss Zheng walk out of the vermilion lacquered door of the living room. At the door, Boss Zheng confessed to Yu Gu'er in a very serious manner: "Sister, it's your first time traveling far away, you have to listen to our mother Liu's greetings for what you do!" Yu Gu'er didn't care, and waved his hand and said: "Okay, you go and come quickly, tidy up the place, and then go to order a table wine, let's invite Madam Liu." Mother Liu was stunned for a moment by these words.Ms. Liu looked at Boss Zheng's back in confusion, and said to Yu Gu'er, "That's all, that's all, there's no reason for you to invite me!" Yu Gu'er said: "It's always a little kindness from our brothers and sisters! In the future, I will ask Mother Liu to take care of me more!" Mother Liu smiled and said, "It's easy to say, easy to say." Yu Gu'er then asked: "What is the price of a girl in Qingzhou now?" Mother Liu was taken aback again: "Why are you asking this?" Yu Gu'er said: "I have to know the number in my heart, otherwise, I will be deceived in the future." Mother Liu hesitated and said: "It's hard to say the price of a girl. Some are valuable, and some are not. It depends on her appearance. It also depends on her age. My thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl is the most expensive." It's worth money, someone as old as you can't be trained anymore, I usually don't want it..." Seeing Liu's mother using herself as an example, Yugu'er felt a little unhappy, but she didn't show it on her face, and said with a happy look: "It's strange, our Mohe is a big girl who is worth a lot, but you here in Qingzhou are worth a lot." The little girl is valuable, your mother Liu didn't lie to me, did she?" Mother Liu was upset, and said, "What did I lie to you? Do you think I cheated your brother and sister? I only wanted you for six taels of silver because I saw your filial piety by selling yourself to save your father..." Yu Gu'er was stunned for a moment, and asked in shock: "Mother Liu, you... what are you talking about? Who sold himself to save his father? Who sold six taels of silver? Huh?" Ms. Liu stared wide-eyed, pointed at Yuguer and said, "Hey, isn't it you, girl? Isn't your father waiting for the money to grab the medicine? Your brother has already taken the six taels of silver..." Yu Gu'er almost died of anger, stood up quickly and said: "Hey, Mama Liu, you...you made a mistake, that person...that person is not my brother, but...he is my boatman! I... I took him to Qingzhou to buy girls, I... I have... more than a dozen flower boats in Qiaotou Town of Mohe, and more than 20 girls..." At this time, Mother Liu had already figured it out in her heart, but she didn't care about it, she just said to Yugu'er: "I don't care if you are the emperor's daughter, since your brother sold you six taels of silver to me, I am your master." .” Yugu'er was really anxious, and accidentally saw the golden pottery in his hand, so he showed the golden pottery to Liu's mother: "Liu's mother, you...look, look, this in my hand... How much is this gold coin worth? Am I... Do I look like a girl who sold herself for six taels of silver?" Mother Liu didn't look at Yu Gu'er's hand, and said with a sneer, "Girl, I advise you to be smart, since your brother has betrayed you, you have to accept your fate." Yu Gu'er stomped her feet and said, "He...he's really not my brother, he...he lied to you..." Mother Liu said: "Wrong, he didn't lie to me, he just lied to you. It has nothing to do with me." Yugu'er was really dizzy, at this point, she still didn't expect to do a business of redemption with Liu's mother, and she actually regarded Qingzhou as Qiaotou Town, yelling and walking out the door, saying that she was looking for Boss Zheng went to settle accounts - at that time, Boss Zheng had not left for a long time, if Yu Gu'er said that he would pay Mama Liu the one hundred and twenty taels of silver kidnapped by Boss Zheng as a redemption price, Mama Liu might be happy to help , but Yu Gu'er forgot all about it... At the door, two big men went up and twisted Yu Gu'er, regardless of how Yu Gu'er wailed. Yu Gu'er later found out that Mama Liu was really bad.He clearly knew that this transaction was fraudulent, but he made the mistake. In order to defraud a lot of money from her in the future, he deliberately tried every means to torture and humiliate her.That night, Mother Liu asked Yu Gu'er to wash a lot of dirty clothes, and Yu Gu'er was so tired that her back ached.The next day, Yugu'er was asked to pour chamber pots for the girls and guests room by room, and to clean the rooms.On the third day, he asked Yu Gu'er to guard a pile of charcoal powder to make charcoal cakes. On the fourth day, Yu Gu'er couldn't stand it any longer. Before Liu's mother asked for a job, she begged Liu's mother and said, "... Liu's mother, let... let me sell myself to earn money for you, I... I After hitting fifteen, you can break your body and earn money..." Mother Liu said disdainfully: "What money can you earn? Can you sing or play the piano? Can you play chess? Or can you recite poems? Do you think a woman can eat this if she grows X?" Food?! Let me tell you the truth, my mother paid six taels of silver to buy you because she wanted you to do chores, and never expected you to do business to make money." Yuguer cried sadly. Then Mother Liu said: "Okay, okay, you can do the chores, and when you have nothing to do, you can do business with the brothers in our kiln, earn a little money and spend it yourself." This is even more painful. There are more than 20 men who serve the girl in the nursing home of "Yihechun". These men, at the instigation of Liu's mother, went to Yu Gu'er to do it that night, and they only paid ten cents for one time , I simply don't regard Yu Gu'er as a human being.Naturally, "Yihechun" does not have the rule of lighting incense sticks, and some brothers make a fuss in the middle of the night... At this point, Yugu'er thought of the retribution for her evil deeds. She always saw the scary face of the eighteenth sister in her dreams in a foreign land, and heard the singing-like cries of the eighteenth sister from time to time.A few times I woke up in the middle of the night with fright, with my eyes wide open and I didn't dare to sleep anymore, holding my head in a daze. The troubled days of "Yihechun" in Qingzhou became Yu Gu'er's most unforgettable memory afterwards, and Boss Zheng became the person Yu Gu'er hated the most in his life.Yu Gu'er, who started her career by conspiracy, not only hated Boss Zheng's superb conspiracy, but also hated Boss Zheng's humiliation to her: a slave sold her master, and was a representative of Qiaotou Zhenhua Kiln Industry in the next twenty-five years. Master, and it was sold to a flower kiln in Qingzhou, this viciousness is really incomparable... In order to get out of "Yihechun" as soon as possible, Yu Gu'er was quite shrewd. The next day, after pouring out the chamber pots from room to room, she went to Mama Liu and said that she would redeem herself with the half-weight gold pot in her hand. Mother Liu ignored it. Yu Gu'er knew that Mother Liu thought it was too little, so on the third day after she finished making the charcoal cakes, she went to find Mother Liu again, and added another sixty taels of silver in addition to the gold pan. Mother Liu still ignored her. This made Yugu'er afraid. Yu Gu'er thought, this Mama Liu's appetite is too big, if she adds up the price all the way, she might not only be unable to get rid of it, but also end up ruining her entire family.Instead of this, it would be better to talk about it coldly. The ancients said a truth called playing hard to get. For five or six days, Mother Liu just didn't speak. Yu Gu'er was in a hurry again, thinking that he had been away from Qiaotou Town for almost half a month, and he didn't know what would happen on the big and small flower boats.He also thought that if Boss Zheng returned to Qiaotou Town and continued to blackmail her, her lost money would be lost.So he threw away the trick of playing hard to get, and found Liu's mother again. He was so cruel that he promised Liu's mother two hundred taels of silver. Mother Liu spoke this time, and said with a smile: "I really don't believe that you are a bustard at such a young age." Yugu'er said: "I really am." Mother Liu said: "If you are really a bustard, why would you underestimate your worth so much? Why are you only allowed two hundred taels? If I was tricked into selling me, at least I would have to be allowed five hundred taels." Yugu'er hated this mother Liu to death, but her own fate was in his hands, so she had no choice but to admit the fraudulent account, and said, "Okay, five hundred taels is five hundred taels, I accept it." .” Mother Liu waved her hand: "I mean, at my age, it's five hundred taels. You're so young, so you have to add another hundred taels, right?" This mother Liu is simply a rascal. Having no reason to talk to the rascal, Yu Gu'er had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the six hundred taels of silver first.After admitting it, she thought, this money cannot be given, as soon as she arrives in Qiaotou Town, she will ask Wang Dadupi or Xiao Taiping's kiln men to drive away Mama Liu who came to get the money.Unexpectedly, Mama Liu also thought of the question she was thinking of. When she heard that she was going to Qiaotou Town with Yuguer to get the six hundred taels of silver, Mama Liu immediately raised her hands and said no. Yu Gu'er asked: "Then what should we do?" Mother Liu said, "It's easy to handle. I'll send someone to get the money first, and then let you go. Tell me who to go to Qiaotou Town." Yugu'er said: "Go and find Brother Wang who runs a gambling house at the head of Sankong Bridge." Mother Liu said, "Okay, write a post and bring it to me." Yugu'er said: "I can't read, I can't write." Mother Liu frowned: "Then why would they believe us?" Yugu'er said: "Let's go together. If your mother Liu is worried, send a few more brothers." Mother Liu said nothing at the moment, saying that she had to think it over.After thinking for two days, Ms. Liu still couldn't come up with a better idea, and finally had to follow Yu Gu'er's idea and let four tall and thick men accompany Yu Gu'er on the boat going south. When boarding the boat at the pier, Yu Gu'er's heart was beating wildly, but she pretended to be calm and thanked Liu's mother kindly.Mother Liu asked Yuguer not to play tricks.Yu Gu'er responded, but thought in his heart, old man, just wait, my aunt won't give you the six hundred taels of silver!My aunt wants to use the six hundred taels of silver to buy Boss Zheng's dog head... After redeeming herself and returning to Qiaotou Town, Yu Gu'er really offered a reward of two hundred taels of silver to buy Boss Zheng's dog head.Unfortunately, the two hundred taels of silver were not spent until Yu Gu'er passed away twenty-five years later.