Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven
"Miss Jin'er, I'm going to let you go for nothing. I don't dare to bid." Xu Maima said: "Now it's not like before, the investigation in Beijing is strict; all the government officials pretend to be poor, who dares to take out a lot of money Buying jewellery? No one wants it after paying the price. Wouldn’t it be a waste of the proper use of the mansion? Moreover, the price is not high. Most of them are beads; twenty or thirty years ago, the pearls were white and shiny, but now It’s just as contemptuous as mine.”
Seeing her disdainful expression, Jin'er felt angry, so she made fun of her, stretched out her hand and squeezed her cheeks and said: "There! Snow white and tender skin; if I were a man, I would definitely sleep with you." After speaking, he smiled and walked away.
When I got home, I told the truth; Second Grandma Zhen said calmly: "This was a chance; what I didn't expect was that the Shi family took a fancy to something that was thought to be not very valuable, and the price they paid was not bad."
This is the good news that Cao Zhen brought back when Jin'er went to Mrs. Xu's house. It was originally said that the Shi family would come to see the goods, and that Second Mistress Zhen would deal with them face to face; , sent a catalog, and the Shi family picked out eight things.
"The Shi family wants all of the ten or so watches, and the total is five thousand taels of silver; there is also the gold silk tent, which only has a total of seven taels of gold, and the Shi family is willing to give three thousand taels."
"It's really a good seller!" Jin'er replied: "If I get rich, I will also pay three thousand taels of silver to buy this gold silk tent. Second Mistress thinks about it, who has ever slept in a gold silk tent? Not that rich."
"Then," Second Grandma Zhen said with a smile, "I'll let you be the 'emperor' once, and put up the golden silk tent, and let you sleep for a night."
"Won't that ruin my luck?" Jin'er waved her hand and said, "Forget it, forget it! If it's not good, if I break a hole, I can't afford to pay three thousand taels of silver."
"Let's talk nonsense." Second Grandma Zhen said seriously: "I'll discuss it with you; these watches need to be repaired, and they will only want them; after inquiring, only one person can repair—"
This man's surname is Wei, from Yangzhou; he is an orphan adopted by the Catholic Church. He learned the art of repairing clocks and watches from an Italian priest.
"This Wei Siwu is almost eighty years old. His hands don't listen to his commands, but his eyes are sharp. Let him see the faults on the clock and let his grandson do it."
Grandma Zhen said again, "I planned to invite him here, but he is eighty years old and cannot go out; there are not many salt merchants in Yangzhou, so I have to send the watch to be repaired. The diamond-encrusted watch is not durable. We have to find a careful and careful person; I want to ask Long Guan to go. Do you think it will work?"
"What did the second master say?"
"He said he wanted to go by himself. Think about it, don't you want to play with the stinky 'yellow croaker' in Yangzhou? I said, what should I do if I leave a box of things here? Listen to me, he said he didn't care, and then What should I do, anyway, if the watch can go, people want it. If this is the case, naturally let me decide."
"That's good! Let Longguan go. After all, he should be more careful."
Kan Jin'er also agreed, and Second Grandma Zhen immediately sent someone to find Cao Shilong;
"You go to Yangzhou. There are about a dozen watches. Find Wei Siwu in Yangzhou to repair them and bring them back."
"Yes!" Cao Shilong asked with a bow, "I have a dead date tomorrow; can I leave the day after tomorrow?"
"Row."
"Then, should I take the watch today, or pick it up tomorrow."
"Come and pick it up tomorrow." Second Grandma Zhen said, "I still have to ask you to buy something in Yangzhou, but the order hasn't been opened yet."
"yes!"
"These watches are inlaid with diamonds and treasures. You can tell them clearly; you have to take a closer look after they are repaired. The price offered by the Shi family is good, and we have to be worthy of them."
"Oh!" Cao Shilong's eyes lit up, "So the Shi family bought it."
Hearing this, Second Grandma Zhen asked, "You also know that the Shi family is looking for these things?"
"Yes. Shi's family has a tent and entrusted me with it. After looking at a few things, they are not outstanding, so I don't want them." Cao Shilong said again: "I don't know if there are any unused jewelry here that Auntie wants to sell. "
"No more. The Shi family have all seen it."
"Alas!" Cao Shilong frowned slightly, with a look of self-pity for his bad luck, "If I had known that Auntie was here—" He shook his head and did not continue.
There was nothing the Second Grandma Zhen could do to help him, so she could only give him more Sichuan funds; she immediately said: "Tomorrow, you will pay three hundred taels of silver at the accounting office; one hundred taels is your money; two hundred taels are going to repair the watch, and you will pay as much as you need."
When Cao Shilong resigned and Cao Zhen returned home, Second Mistress Zhen had to mention this matter to him.Speaking of which, this was an assignment that required careful supervision and was not lucrative; of course he didn't have to object, he just urged his wife to quickly take out the things that Shi's family had chosen in order to make a deal.
"What are you busy with?" Second Grandma Zhen said, "Wouldn't it be convenient to send the watch together after it's repaired?"
"It's the middleman who is urging; if the deal is done early, the price will be better."
This reminded Second Grandma Zhen, "Who is the middleman?" she asked.
"One surnamed Liang is a relative of the Shi family."
"Who will pay for him?"
"Of course it's the Shi family." Cao Zhen replied, "The price I'm offering you is pure."
"What do you call the price you offered me? Could it be that they have another price for you?"
"Look, I'm suspicious again!" Cao Zhen smiled wryly, "I'm afraid to talk to you because of this."
"That's not my fault. There are loopholes in your own words."
"I don't know how to stick to words. It's too hard for a couple to think about every single word when they talk about family affairs."
Seeing his calm demeanor, Second Grandma Zhen didn't doubt that she had it, she nodded and said, "Okay! I'll send the things the day after tomorrow. How will I collect the money?"
"Naturally, cash will be collected." Cao Zhen continued to ask: "You said to pay the gambling debt for me; how much can you give me this time?"
"Can't you take it easy? It's best to wait until everything is done. I'll see what the situation is." Second Grandma Zhen said again, "Besides, the money has already been collected. If I move out, I'm afraid that someone will gossip."
"That's fine!" Cao Zhen agreed without hesitation; this made Second Mistress Zhen quite surprised.She always thought that he would be entangled to some extent, and she also planned to give him one or two thousand silver first; since he agreed to wait for a while, there was no need to worry about it.
Cao Shilong didn't come until the afternoon of the next day; Second Grandma Zhen still received her in the same place.The watches have already been put in the box; they are handed in at one point, a total of seventeen, all of which are intact on the outside.A few watches can still go, but they are not accurate and must be corrected with oil.Cao Shilong seemed very careful, asked for a pen and inkstone, and wrote down the faults of each watch; it took half an hour before he stopped.
"This is entrusted to you separately." Second Grandma Zhen handed over a shopping list, "It will probably cost hundreds of silver; you go to the cashier to get it together."
Cao Shilong looked at the list carefully, raised his eyes and said, "No need! I guess it's only fifty or sixty taels of silver; it's still worthy of filial piety."
"Who wants you to be filial?"
"Then let me put it on first; when I come back and pay the bill, my aunt will give it back to me."
"That's right. Please come back after you have some snacks!" Second Grandma Zhen told the little girl, "Go to the small kitchen to remind her; see what kind of snacks are, and quickly open them."
"Snacks are unnecessary." Cao Shilong said, "Auntie, can you open my eyes?"
"What? What do you want to see?"
"I want to see that golden silk tent." Cao Shilong looked left and right, and the girls were all in the corridor, so he slightly lowered his voice and said, "What a good way, it can be worth 10,000 silver!"
Second Grandma Zhen was taken aback, "How much do you think it's worth?" she asked.
"Ten thousand silver."
"Who said this?"
"The Shi family's tent."
"Nonsense!" Second Grandma Zhen deliberately put on an expression of disbelief, "Is that so valuable?"
"So I want to open my eyes." Cao Shilong said slowly, "I didn't believe it at first; the accountant of the Shi family said: 'Why should I lie to you? It belongs to your Cao family, and you can't be fooled.' Now Listening to what my aunt said, it seems like the Shi family's tent, it's really talking nonsense to me."
"What do you think!" Second Grandma Zhen asked, "Is he talking nonsense, or is he telling the truth?"
"I don't know." Cao Shilong replied, "However, this person has never lied to me."
The second grandma Zhen smiled ambiguously, "The things are in the wife's place, and there is no way to open your eyes at the moment. However," the second grandma Zhen squinted at him and said, "As long as your words are reliable; there must be benefits from you. "
"My aunt has benefited me too much! How dare I talk nonsense if it's unreliable. Seriously, unless it's my aunt, I never dare to utter a single word in front of others."
This is a request, if you want to negotiate with Cao Zhen; don't reveal the source of this news.Second Grandma Zhen naturally understood, and she simply said clearly: "Don't worry! How could I betray the plaintiff?"
"Thank you, Auntie!" Cao Shilong got up and said, "I'm not hungry, so I'll have a snack."
Second Grandma Zhen had something on her mind, and she also hoped that Cao Shilong would leave early; so she replied, "In this case, I won't keep you. After the matter in Yangzhou, I will come back immediately."
"Yes, yes! Don't dare to delay."
"10% is what he deserves, and 20% is still acceptable; even if it is 30%, I will admit it; who knows, 10,000 is 7,000!" Second Grandma Zhen said angrily, "Look, How dark is his heart?" "The gambling debt must be pressing." Jin'er spoke for Cao Zhen, "It's always like this anyway, let him pay off the gambling debt; I'm too embarrassed to speak again." "Hmph!" Second Grandma Zhen sneered, "That's such a good thing!" "It's better to clarify it. The gold silk curtain alone has lost seven thousand; the other few things, there must be backhands, and the total is about the same; there is no need to make any more decisions." "No!" Second Grandma Zhen asked, "If he says that there is no such thing; or ask who said it? What should we do?" "Then, what are you going to do, Second Mistress?" Second Grandma Zhen thought for a while and said, "Anyway, I want a price, and I can't afford less. What's wrong with him?" Jin'er kept silent, complaining that Cao Shilong was troublesome in his heart; in all fairness, the gold silk tent can be sold for three thousand silver, which is a very good price; it is worth ten thousand, which is a chance that can only be met but not sought after.Why did Cao Shilong come to show his hospitality and cause discord between his wife and his wife? Therefore, although it was inconvenient for her to object, she did not express any approval either.I was just thinking about how to pass a secret signal to Cao Zhen when he came back; to teach him how to be interesting. But she never had such an opportunity; because as soon as Cao Zhen came back, Second Grandma Zhen started negotiating with him, "You have to renegotiate the price of the golden silk tent." She said, "My wife told me, On the old lady’s birthday, someone paid eight thousand silver for this thing. Since we have paid for it, we have to be careful in handling things, there is no eight thousand; seven thousand can’t be less. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain to the wife.” Upon hearing this, Cao Zhen was stunned; after a while he said, "I've already talked to someone, how can I change my mind?" "If you don't want to change your mind, just tell them that the tent has a few holes and it's not worth three thousand silver. Wouldn't it be more beautiful?" "You mean, this kind of thing is not going to be sold?" "It's not that I don't plan to sell it; the price is wrong." The Second Grandma Zhen said firmly, "Seven thousand silver. I can't do without a jumper." Cao Zhen had no choice but to answer like this: "Okay! I'll discuss it with others. But it can't be as much as you say." "You go to discuss it." "Let me ask you, did my wife tell you, who paid eight thousand silver in the past?" "A Mongolian prince." Second Grandma Zhen replied casually; she spoke so quickly that it seemed to be true. Cao Zhen stopped making a sound, and lay on the bed sullenly, watching a newly engraved "Legend of Fengyue".He went out early the next morning, came back at noon, and told Second Mistress Zhen that the Shi family had agreed to add fifteen hundred silver; "You've worked hard, I know. However, seven thousand silver is absolutely necessary! You go to grind it, and tell me sooner or later it will be finished; the thing is ready-made." Cao Zhen changed color suddenly, "I don't have the face to speak again!" He said angrily. "That's up to you." Second Grandma Zhen said calmly, "This is a priceless treasure; even the emperor can't be so rich. Seven thousand silver is even less for me!" Cao Zhen was so angry that his face turned pale; just as he was about to explode, seeing Jin'er give him a wink, he said with restraint: "Okay, I'll talk about it again; this time no matter how much I add, the deal has to be done. Otherwise, not only will the business fail, but the friendship will also be ruined.” "If not, there is no benevolence and righteousness in buying and selling; besides, I am not asking for prices." Cao Zhen knew it would be useless to talk too much; he was thinking in his heart: I will give you a soft grind, and slowly add up; about five thousand silver will be enough. So from three thousand four thousand to four thousand; from four thousand to four thousand five thousand.Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and the middleman, surnamed Liang, came to Cao Zhen angrily, pulled him aside, and began to complain. "Second Master Cao, why are you unwilling to make a deal? Such a good price; I really don't understand, what are you waiting for?" As soon as he heard something bad, Cao Zhen panicked, "What?" He asked, "What happened?" "What's the matter? I don't want that golden silk curtain anymore!" Hearing this, Cao Zhen felt as if his head was pounding like a thunderbolt; he managed to regain his composure and said, "Well said, why did you regret it?" "Don't blame others, just blame yourself; as soon as the money and goods are settled, won't you be fine?" The surname Liang stomped his feet repeatedly: "What a pity! What a pity!" "Don't worry! See if there is a way to save it?" "It's hopeless! Don't say ten thousand now; I'm afraid that even one thousand silver won't be—" The person surnamed Liang explained the reason for the change of mind.It turned out that there was a clean-up guest in the Shi family who had just returned from Beijing the day before; talking about the golden tent, he knew its origin.It is said that it was originally Zhao Wenhua who specially sought out precision craftsmanship in the south of the Yangtze River to honor his "godfather" Yan Song.When entering the Prime Minister's Mansion, too few door bags were sent; the door officials played tricks, and when they listed the gift book, they did not say "a golden silk tent", but only wrote "seven taels of red gold".Yan Shifan saw that Zhao Wenhua returned from Jiangnan with a full load, but gave such a meager gift, and scolded Zhao Wenhua for having no conscience.This golden silk tent turned into "seven taels of red gold", so naturally it couldn't reach Yan Song and his son; Zhao Wenhua's "filial piety" was in vain. This Qingke thought that the golden silk tent, which came from Yan's residence and was not an official, was an ominous thing; if it was given as a gift, the recipient not only disliked it, but even thought it disgusting.What's more, the bedding used by the queen has never had a gold silk curtain; if someone blames it for blasphemy, it is very likely to call for the disaster of destroying the family. "Look, how scary these words are!" The Liang surname sighed again, "If the deal had been done earlier, the Shi family would have suffered nothing but silence. Now it's his luck that he didn't break the bank."
There was no movement for two days, Second Grandma Zhen lost her composure, "What?" She asked, "Is there any news from the Shi family?" "You won't lose a penny; he won't add a penny. Why should I suffer in the middle? I told the Shi family that I won't sell it and keep it for myself." "You," Second Grandma Zhen was very troubled, "are you talking gossip, or what?" "You say it's gossip, so it's gossip. Anyway, I've already told people what you want, unless it's seven thousand silver, and there's no need for a jumper. If you want, take seven thousand silver; if you don't want to pull it down, keep it for yourself." use." Second Grandma Zhen thought to herself that this was his deliberate trickery; she couldn't help but sneered slightly: "Okay, we'll just wait! Let's see, in the final analysis, it was he who brought the seven thousand silver; or should we keep the tent for ourselves? use?" "Yes! This is the best. However, one of the eight items has been removed; the remaining seven items are still the same as the original proposal?" "Of course." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "After the watch is repaired, we will make a deal together." Jin'er, who was on the sidelines, was also quite confused; she believed that Cao Shilong's words were true, and she only saw Cao Zhen's increase again and again, which proved it.That being the case, why did Cao Zhen suddenly become so indifferent?She dared not discuss these questions with Cao Zhen; but she might as well talk about them with Zhen's second grandma. "He is stilted; he thinks I have to ask him for advice. He doesn't know that his hole card has already been revealed! Don't worry; I will ask Long Guan to handle this matter." Second Grandma Zhen smiled triumphantly: "Seven One thousand or seven thousand; the remaining three thousand, the three of us: me, you, Longguan, three one and thirty one; make him mad!" When Cao Shilong came back, he was ordered; immediately he was ordered to go to Shi's tent to join.Of course, we can’t just mention the gold silk curtain; it’s just a notice that it’s been repaired, and by the way, the camera explained that the gold silk curtain might as well be sold separately. Jin'er smiled and agreed, but she felt sorry for Cao Zhen in her heart, and wanted to find him to persuade him: why bother?Watch the cooked duck fly away.After a second thought, she became vigilant: the couple had different dreams in the same bed, and what Second Mistress Zhen hated the most was that she favored Cao Zhen.The less trouble, the better! When Cao Zhen came back in the evening, he found the box containing the watch and asked, "Officer Long is back; how is the watch repaired?" "It's all been repaired." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "You can go to the middleman to connect, and the deal can be done." Cao Zhen nodded, and there was no sign of hesitation in his expression; it seemed that the golden silk curtain had really made him eliminate himself and ignored it.This made Jin'er very puzzled, wondering what kind of medicine he was selling in the gourd? There was always such a doubt in my heart, and it was not until Cao Shilong came the next afternoon that I could break it—she had never seen Cao Shilong, and it was the Second Grandma Zhen who told her. "The cooked duck flew away! It didn't make him angry; it made him angry at me." Second Grandma Zhen said with a desolate expression, "This time, I'm going to blame myself." The word "he" refers to Cao Zhen . Cao Shilong couldn't explain the whole story clearly; Second Grandma Zhen didn't bother to say much.But one thing is very clear, if it was not for my own delay, I would have taken care of the gold silk tent long ago, and the silver has already been obtained. "Until now, I still can't figure it out a bit." Second Grandma Zhen said, "He is so calm and still refuses to tell the truth; why is he deliberately playing tricks on me?" "Yes—." Jin'er originally thought that Cao Zhen was just taking revenge; but suddenly she had an idea, thought for a while, and sighed, "Second Mistress, you have lost this time! What happened one hundred and one times, The second master is better at chess." "how?" "He listened to Second Mistress, someone is doing things for you; we have to wait and see who this person is? If he finds this person, he will know who turned his hole card." Hearing this, Second Grandma Zhen showed a very rare nervousness on her face, even worried.Blinking his eyes and thinking for a while, he said, "You're not right! He planned it out at all, just to lure me to bring that person out. We can't let him know." Hearing the word "we", Jin'er felt very uncomfortable, secretly thinking: You have an affair with Cao Shilong, but I don't even bother to look him straight.What is "we"?At the same time, I was secretly alarmed, and let it go if nothing happened; if something happened, I would be implicated for no reason, and I would not be able to clean it up by jumping into the Yellow River. This matter is too unsatisfactory. "Anyway, it's a loss. We have to leave this matter behind." Second Grandma Zhen said again, "He pretended to be fine; we will pretend too. If we don't mention it, he won't know that it has something to do with Longguan." Jin'er was also very powerful, and deliberately said: "That's not necessarily true. Maybe someone surnamed Liang will tell him that someone else from your Cao family has come to join the gold silk tent; isn't it all clear now?" Second Grandma Zhen was silent, thought for a while, and suddenly said in a desperate tone: "Leave it alone! There's nothing to worry about." So, from this moment on, Jin'er waited wholeheartedly for the opportunity to be alone with Cao Zhen—as long as he is determined to find this opportunity, he will naturally not have to worry about it; Coming back early is a perfect time to talk. "There is something I want to tell you; I'm afraid you won't be able to hold your breath and cause trouble for me." "Okay, okay!" Cao Zhen said unconvinced, "Every time I have to start with such a few opening remarks! Just think about it, when did I get into trouble for you?" "The situation is different this time, and I need to take extra care of it. You'd better say something; if you want to agree to me, you must calm down and be extra careful." "Okay! I promise you." "Also, if I ask you, you have to tell the truth." "Row!" "That gold silk tent, someone paid ten thousand silver, didn't they?" "How do you know?" Cao Zhen asked attentively, "Who told you?" "Don't play tricks! I said who told me, didn't you find out the person you are thinking about all the time? It's not that cheap!" Hearing this, Cao Zhen was very excited; so he said docilely: "Yes, yes, I dare not play tricks. To be honest, there is one thing to say, yes, I paid 10,000 silver." "Is it because there is no deal, people don't want it?" "right!" "Now you want to know: Who turned your hole card in front of Second Mistress?" "That's right! This person," Cao Zhen said again, "I probably guessed it too." "Okay! Then I don't need to say more." Jin'er turned around and left. How could Cao Zhen let her go?As soon as she hugged her, she couldn't help but want to kiss; Jin'er turned her mouth with her backhand, and her voice was extremely clear. "You!" Cao Zhen covered his face and widened his eyes; but then smiled wryly: "Your temper is getting worse." "I just hate your temper that wants to pick up cheap everywhere." "Okay! Hit and hit, scold and scold. You have to tell me, who turned my hole card?" "No!" Jin'er spat, looked at the box of clocks, and said quickly, "I didn't tell you; you found out about this man from Shi's tent! Just this sentence, You go figure it out yourself!" After finishing speaking, he quickly left; and he went all the way to Mrs. Ma's. Cao Zhen was already suspecting that Cao Shilong was playing tricks, but now that Jin'er confirmed it, he couldn't help being furious; he thought to himself, he must be cured as soon as possible, so that he can't vent his anger. It's easy to treat him, so bring him in and question him severely, why bother to do such immoral things that harm others and benefit yourself?Or notify the door that he will not be allowed to enter the door from now on.But it is conceivable that he will definitely appeal to Second Grandma Zhen; and she will definitely defend him.At that time, unless you can fight your wife to the end, your prestige will be greatly damaged.We must be cautious about this point; and if we quarrel, we may get to the bottom of it, and it will implicate Jin'er, let alone. After much deliberation, there was only one way to vent his anger, which was to beat Cao Shilong up.Of course, you can’t do it yourself, and it’s inconvenient to instruct your servants; I remembered that there was a friend who often drank and gambled with Ketuo; the next morning, he took a business card and told the boy: “Go to Master Wu San, Invite him to drink at Aiqing's house in the afternoon; you say, invite him exclusively, I have something to ask, so he must come." The single name of this "Third Master Wu" is the word Duo; he is a county magistrate who donates classes, but he has great powers, and he has been sent by the big mansion to fill the tax gap. Good popularity.However, his friends are extremely diverse, with three teachings and nine streams, and they can do anything: once drunk, he told Cao Zhen that he knew that he had a bad hand recently, and wanted to do him a favor.Cao Zhen asked him: How can I help Fa with this favor? He said that as long as Cao Zhen can find a few people who have taken advantage of him, someone will play tricks on the dice and win eight thousand, which is easy.Only then did Cao Zhen realize that this person had another side of playing tricks. Sure enough, we met at the river room of Aiqing's house on the Qinhuai River in the evening; leaning on the fence, Wu Duo patted his chest and said, "Second Master, your nephew is so annoying, I must find someone to teach him a lesson and vent your anger on you." "Brother Angus," Cao Zhen said, "I leave this matter to you. But there is a word, I want to declare: the emperor does not send hungry soldiers—" "Hey! Stop talking!" Wu Duo waved his hand forcefully, cutting off his words: "I'll take care of it." "I'm sorry—" "What are you talking about! What do you want a friend for? Second master, if you continue to talk about it, you will be scolding." Wu Duo said again: "But there is something, I have to ask you for instructions first. After the lesson is over, do you want to let him know? Yes Who will give him color?" Cao Zhen thought for a while and replied: "It's okay to say this, knowing that he has done some things that I'm sorry for, I don't like it, and I want to fight against injustice." "Okay! I understand." Wu Duo added: "It will be done tomorrow." The next day Wu Duo found a few hooligans, and according to what Cao Zhen said, pointed out Cao Shilong's appearance and characteristics, as well as the places he frequented; he personally took them to find them.I found a teahouse and asked Dr. Tea; finally I found Cao Shilong. "Your name?" Wu Duo stepped forward and asked. Cao Shilong saw that he was well-dressed; he wore a green jade "finger" on the thumb of his right hand. I'm afraid it would cost three or five hundred silver?He replied very politely, "My surname is Cao." "That's not bad! Taifu is Shilong?" "Yes! Your surname." "Wu. Koutian Wu." Wu Duo asked next: "I heard that there is a batch of jewels in the house that I want to sell." Hearing this, Cao Shilong was overjoyed, "Yes." He looked at Wu Duo and asked, "Brother, is this business?" "No, no! I don't do jewelry business. I'm entrusted by someone to make a purchase. If the item is good, the price is good." Wu Duo asked, "Can I have a look at the product?" "It's not enough to look at the goods. You can look at the catalog first. If you like it, I will go to the joint and look at the goods regularly." "Alright! Where is the directory?" "In the dormitory. I'll bring it tomorrow." "Can you please go back to your house right now? I have a car." Cao Shilong was about to go home, so he readily agreed.So they went out together, and saw a very gorgeous double-set mule cart parked at the door; the handsome servant straddled the shaft with extraordinary style, which made Cao Shilong even more admirable. When he was about to board the car, Wu Duo suddenly said, "Brother Cao, how about going to the dormitory first?" "Okay, okay!" Cao Shilong desperately wanted to make friends with this person; he hurriedly agreed. So they got into the carriage together, and the coachman waved his long whip, yelled commands that only well-raised mules could understand, and headed west along the street. After exiting the west gate of Shui, there is Mochou Lake, and the car drives very fast. Soon, Cao Shilong stopped at the gate of a mansion, and Cao Shilong followed Wu Duo into the gate. "Brother Wu," Cao Shilong stopped and asked, "Do you live here?" "No." Wu Duo replied calmly, "I just bought the garden of the former Ming Zhang's family, and I stopped by to take a look. How should I repair it?" Cao Shilong felt that this was a very strange thing, but because of his face, it was inconvenient to make a sound, and he would take a look with him before talking. "Please!" Wu Duo pointed to the Chaoshou verandah on the west, "go this way." As soon as he entered the hanging flower gate along the veranda, he was suddenly startled; there were four people waiting there, all in short clothes, with a vigorous look on their faces.Knowing something was wrong, he hurriedly turned his head; but Wu Duo had disappeared without a trace. "What's going on here?" Cao Shilong asked loudly, while backing away, intending to slip away. "Uncle Cao," said the elder among the four, "don't be afraid! You're fine; I've invited you here to ask you something. You've told the truth, and I'll send you back right away. Please sit in the room!" After he finished speaking, someone pushed the door open; knowing that he could not escape, Cao Shilong obediently entered the door. Inside was a wet brick floor covered with moss, and there was a white wooden square table in the middle, and there was actually a pot of tea. "If you come, you will be at ease", Cao Shilong was thinking so, so he sat down pretending to be calm, and asked the man, "What's your surname?" "My surname is Zhou." As he spoke, the man poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Cao Shilong. "Thank you." Cao Shilong asked, "Where is Master Wu?" "He'll be here soon." The surname Zhou said loudly to the three men, "Uncle Cao is not a 'foreign plate'; you don't need to stay here." The three nodded and retreated; Cao Shilong and Zhou watched them walk out of the Chuihua Gate and disappear. "Uncle Cao," said Zhou, "it's just you and me here, so don't be afraid of what you say." "Yes!" Cao Shilong said, "I have never met Mr. Wu, and I have never met your brother. I don't know if you have anything to ask me." "It was entrusted by someone to ask you. Uncle Cao, you and your aunt shocked the second grandma, what's going on?" Cao Shilong turned pale with shock, embarrassed and annoyed at the same time, and replied in a low voice: "What did you say? I Can't understand!" "You don't understand?" the surname Zhou laughed, "Forget it, what are you pretending to be?" Cao Shilong realized that the situation was serious, and he knew that it was useless to just deny it; the most important thing was to find out their intentions, so he said calmly: "If you have something to say, you can say it clearly, why bother to make such a fuss? What do you mean?" "Don't ask if it's okay?" "How can I not ask?" Cao Shilong seemed to be confident, "What is it that can wrong me? Don't say wrong, such rumors will pollute the reputation of the boudoir; if I don't argue, how can I be worthy of my elders?" "Who is the elder you are talking about? Second Grandma Zhen?" "That's right. And my second uncle Zhen, how can he bear this kind of legend?" "That's right!" said the surnamed Zhou, "Second Master Zhen can't stand this kind of rumor, so he asked us buddies to ask you to understand." When Cao Shilong heard this, his eyes turned black; it turned out that it was Cao Zhen's instigation, who would have thought it.However, at this point, there is no second sentence to say; only a firm answer: "There is absolutely no such thing! I can swear to God's punishment." "Punishment oath is unnecessary." The surname Zhou said, "I'm going to ask you a few words. If you answer satisfactorily, we will answer Zhen Erye truthfully, and we will have an explanation." "Okay! You ask!" "Your aunt Zhen and Second Grandma sent you on a mission, didn't they?" "No!" Cao Shilong replied, "My Second Uncle Zhen sent it; but sometimes Second Grandma Zhen will tell me." "How about going to Yangzhou this time?" "It's the same." Cao Shilong replied, "I'm going to repair some watches. What's wrong, only Second Grandma Zhen knows; that's why I was asked to go and explain clearly in person." "Then, there is another errand that Second Master Zhen and Second Grandma Zhen agreed to send you there?" "That one?" "It's the golden silk tent." Cao Shilong's expression changed, knowing that this time he was in serious trouble; he managed to gather his composure and replied, "I went to Yangzhou, and I don't know what's going on. Go there and tell the accountant that the deal is ready. Then let me ask if you still want the gold silk curtain, that’s all.” "Didn't you tell Second Grandma Zhen that the price of this golden silk tent is 10,000 silver?" Hearing this question, Cao Shilong thought to himself: No wonder!Probably they were with Cao Zhen, and set up a trap to trick the Shi family into paying 10,000 silver to buy the gold silk tent, and everyone would share the benefits.Just saying a word for myself blocked their way of making money, no wonder they gnashed their teeth for it.If I had known this before, it would be better to tell the truth to accompany the crime, and it would be easier to discuss.Now things have reached a stalemate, irreversible, and we can only rely on it to the end. "No! Why should I meddle in this nosy business? Maybe the second grandma Zhen listened to someone and delayed a very good deal, let the second master question her, and she had nothing to say, so she just used me as a shield? Isn't that not wrong? " This kind of eloquent talk made people confused for a while, so the surname Zhou nodded and said, "Please sit down for a while, and I will come." After finishing speaking, he got up and left. Cao Shilong didn't know what he was going to do?But with a move in my heart, as long as I can slip away.It doesn't matter!So I stood up and looked around; but immediately I had another thought: Someone must be watching in the dark; it is better to be calm. So, he still sat still; but his heart was troubled, and he was restless for a moment.After an unknown amount of time, the person surnamed Zhou reappeared; with an angry look on his face, he knew that he had come with bad intentions. "Are you going to tell me?" "What?" Cao Shilong felt flustered. "It's about your aunt!" "What's up--?" Before he could finish his sentence, the man surnamed Zhou punched him right on the eye; suddenly he felt the world was spinning, Cao Shilong hurriedly supported the table so as not to fall down. "Say!" The surname Zhou shouted again. Cao Shilong didn't know where the courage came from, and he replied loudly: "There is nothing to say! There is no such thing at all." "You're still talking hard to me." The one surnamed Zhou wanted to attack again; Cao Shilong also gritted his teeth, preparing to be beaten. Unexpectedly, Wu Duo suddenly appeared, "Don't hit, don't hit!" He said as he rushed over, and seeing Cao Shilong's eyes turned blue, he blamed that surnamed Zhou, "Why don't you know the severity and throw punches indiscriminately; What if you are blinded?" Hearing this, Cao Shilong unconsciously felt grateful.But immediately thought that he was tricked by Wu Duo; he just wanted to hate him but couldn't. "Get out!" Wu Duo scolded loudly; when the surnamed Zhou retreated, he apologized to Cao Shilong and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please sit down." Cao Shilong sat down aggrieved, and said defiantly: "You and I have no grievances in the past, and we have no grievances in recent days. You tricked me and asked people to deal with me like this. It's so unreasonable!" "Don't complain." Wu Duo replied calmly, "It's cheap for you to meet me. Your uncle hates you so much that he asked me to give you a good beating. I will also trust others; others may not have the same heart as me, maybe this beating will take off your arm, life is alive, how can it not be good? So I agreed. Just now I asked Lao Zhou to put on a show , anyway, it’s fine if you’ve been beaten. Who knew he’d swollen your eyes? But then again, even if you’re sorry for your uncle, it’s not an exaggeration to take this punch. You got your aunt in hand, it’s a hatchback情愿的事，倒也不能全怪你一个人；可你怎么又把他宠的一个妾，也勒逼成奸了呢？” “你是说锦儿？”曹世隆急忙分辩，“那是绝没有的事。” “这一说，你跟震二奶奶有一腿；可是不假啰！”吴铎看着他点点头。 曹世隆恍然憬悟，悔恨不迭；自己上了吴铎的当，让他套了一句真话去。 “既然说了，就都说吧！”吴铎用抚慰的语气说：“我好替你掩饰。” 曹世隆此时六神无主，只有一片希冀之心；急忙问道：“你怎么替我掩饰？” “你叔叔说你如何勾引你婶儿；又怎么逼奸他的妾，情节不大相符。你跟我说了实话，我就可以跟他说，我问过，没有这回事；是别人造谣。可是，何以见得是谣言？你不说实话，我怎么找理由来替你辩护？光凭我一句话，说没有这回事，他那里会相信？” 曹世隆这时的想法是，除了向吴铎输诚，争取他的好感以外，更无善策。于是吞吞吐吐，扭扭捏捏，将他与震二奶奶如何在曲径通幽，花木深深的禅房中结下欢喜缘的经过都“招供”了。 “除此之外呢？”吴铎问说，“你们还在那里亲热过。” 提到这一层，曹世隆可就要保持最后一点秘密了，“没有了！”他说，“就是那里。” “那么，你们大概多少时候叙一叙？” “不一定，要看机会。” “最近一次呢？在什么时候？” “两个月以前。”曹世隆这回说的是老实话，“我刚从北京回来的时候。” “你婶儿对你怎么样？” 曹世隆在鼻子里哼着笑了一下，“这，你总可以想像得到。”他说。 吴铎点点头，“当然是少你不得，”他又问：“你婶儿倒不怕你叔叔知道。” “他不会知道的。” “不然，如果他不知道，怎么会跟我说？” “他也是瞎猜，或者听人胡言乱语。”曹世隆说，“你刚才不是说，他所说的情节前后不符吗？” “不错！他是真的不知道。”吴铎又说，“这样，我替你辩护就容易了。” “你老成全！”曹世隆站起身来，恭恭敬敬地作了个揖。 “好说，好说！”吴铎想了一会叮嘱：“你跟你婶儿的事，当然不必再提；不过有件事，你要留神，你最好避着你叔叔。” "yes!" “如果你婶儿看你眼眶发青，问起来你怎么说？” “这，倒要请教你老，该当如何说法？” “你不妨诉诉委屈表表功，说你因为掀了你叔叔的底牌；让你叔叔找了个姓吴的，揍了你一顿。” “是，是！”曹世隆把他的话，一下子就听了进去；而且很机伶地说，“我用不着提吴爷你的姓。” “那都随你了！你是怨我，还是感激我，我都不在乎。”
“三爷，这可是肥猪拱门了！曹家的震二奶奶，谁不知道，手里的私房，不上百万，总也有七八十；只要逮住了，怕她不乖乖儿拿个十万八万出来消消灾？” “肥猪倒是肥猪，怎么逮得住？你别把事情看得太容易了。”吴铎想了一下说，“老周，你把孙胡子去找来。” 孙胡子自命为“孙吴子”，足智多谋，算无遗策；但也有人笑他，这么自吹自擂，就是个“狗头军师”。不过话虽如此，仍颇为一班邪魔外道的人所看重；有时出个把歪主意，确是很高明。 “胡子，现在有这么一档子事，弄对了路，十万八万，伸手就有；搞砸了让人家倒打一耙，也许吃不了兜着走。那是个有名厉害脚色；虽说是妇道人家，胡子，只怕你不是她的对手！” “三爷，你不用激我。能中你的激将之计，还能叫个孙吴子吗？”说得一口扬州话的孙胡子，预先声明：“话说在前，男不跟女斗；要看是怎么一件事，能斗则斗，不能斗不要怪我。” “不必斗，肥猪拱门，只要逮得住就行。是这么回事——。” 听吴铎将震二奶奶与曹世隆，在甘露庵如何结下孽缘的经过说完，孙胡子一言不发，只“叭哒、叭哒”地使劲抽旱烟。连鬓盖嘴的一部络腮胡子中，直冒浓烟，真担心它会烧起来。 “有了办法，还得有人。”孙胡子说，“我只管想办法，不管找人。” “行！你说吧！” “姑子庵，官客进不去；要找堂客。这个堂客，第一，要认识震二奶奶。” “这容易。”吴铎催问着：“第二是什么？” “第二，要顶得住。”孙胡子自问自答地，“怎么叫顶得住。就是耗在那里不走；不管你花说柳说，撵骂也好、劝也好，我就是堵在那里不动身。要这么个堂客，恐怕不容易。” “确是不容易；不过总找得到。” “好吧！”孙胡子卖关子，“你先去找，找到了来告诉我。” “何妨先说说！” “不行！天机不可泄漏。”孙胡子大掉书袋：“孙子曰：'事莫密于问'梅尧臣曰：'机事不密则害成。'不要人没有找到；我的办法已闹得好些人都知道。那怎么行？” “言之有理。咱们先找人。” 这一找找了好几天，终于有了着落；是老周在赌场里遇见张五福才想起他的妻子赛观音，恰恰符合孙胡子所开的两个条件。 “这张五福，原来管着织造衙门的织布房。他老婆让震二爷勾搭上了；不想有人到震二奶奶面前去搬嘴。这一下——。” 这一下醋海生波，震二奶奶趁曹震公差在外，翻出五福的老帐来，拿一张曹震的名片，将他送到上元县拷打追问；后来是赛观音求见震二奶奶磕头赔罪，罚誓再不理会曹震，还让震二奶奶狠狠羞辱了一顿，方得无事。当然，布机房的差事是革掉了。 “这赛观音倒还有点良心，自己觉得对不起丈夫，想法子挣了钱来，供张五福吃喝以外，还要供应赌本。这日子自然不好过；也就可以想得到，把震二奶奶恨得牙痒痒地。”老周问道：“胡子，你看这个人好不好？” “好倒是好；就不知道他跟曹震怎么样？” “不来往了。”老周答说，“张五福有张亏空布匹认赔的笔据在震二奶奶的手里；倘或赛观音仍旧跟震二爷来往，拿这张笔据，往上元县一送，张五福可又吃不了兜着走了。” “这好！”孙胡子说，“你把她找来，等我问她几句话。” 于是，老周安排赛观音跟孙胡子见面；事先跟张五福说明白，请他的妻子办一件事，当然是有好处的，也许能发个小财亦未可知。不过，是件什么事，请他不必过问。 张五福乾纲久已不振，只要有钱，无所不可；当时很高兴地答应了下来，回家告诉妻子。赛观音亦知道有老周这么一个人，心想不会是什么好事，只是看在钱的分上，且不妨走一遭。 第二天上午，照预先的约定，张五福带着妻子到了周家；孙胡子先就在了。老周替他们夫妇引见过后，随即说道：“张五嫂，托你的事，无论成不成，都请你搁在肚子里。现在请孙大爷跟你谈，我陪张五哥在外面凉棚下面坐。” 赛观音点点头，眼风扫过孙胡子脸上，往下一落；却又很快地抬头瞟了一下，复又垂眼。孙胡子见多识广，加以又听老周说过她的过去；心想，看样子是找对人了。 于是，他笑嘻嘻地说：“张五嫂，你的生日快到了！” “我的生日？”赛观音不解所谓地抬眼望着孙胡子。 “六月十九不是张五嫂的生日。” 赛观音一楞，旋即会意，笑一笑又赶紧双手合十，喃喃地说：“罪过，罪过！孙大爷，你这种笑话不能说的；菩萨会生气。” “会生气就不叫菩萨了。闲话少说，张五嫂，我想请教你一件事；你会不会做讨厌人？” 赛观音又发楞了，“怎么叫做讨厌人？”她眼风又是一瞟，“孙大爷倒滑稽，专会说怪话。” “一讲明白，你就不会觉得奇怪了。譬如说，你去作客，明知道主人家不欢迎，偏偏赖在那里不走；不管主人家说什么难听的话，你只装做不曾听见。这一点，你办得到办不到？” 赛观音摇摇头，一双银耳环不断在晃动，“只怕办不到，”她说，“人家在说你，骂你；怎么能装做听不见？” “你只要在心里想一件事，就能听而不闻了。” "What's up?" “白花花的一千两银子。” 这下打动了她的心；想了一会儿答说：“孙大爷，我试试看。” “不能试。”孙胡子说，“要有把握，做得到才行。” 赛观音考虑了好一会，毅然决然地说：“好！我做得到，看一千两银子分上，做不到也要做到。” “这就是了！”孙胡子紧接着说，“你今天回去，就备好一只'朝山进香'的香篮；明天一早起来，穿戴整齐，随时等老周来接你去烧香。” “喔，到那里烧香。” “总不外乎尼姑庵。”孙胡子又说，“烧完香就要做讨厌人了。这里有张图，你来看！” “你一直守在这里。”孙胡子指着图说，“看准这道门；到有一个你认识的人出来，记住是什么时刻，你就可以走了。这个人是什么人，你现在不必问，将来会告诉你。” 找妥了赛观音，孙胡子自觉已智珠在握了。照他的判断，观世音诞辰将届，甘露庵当然会邀请施主去烧香；这在震二奶奶是个与曹世隆叙旧的很好的机会，必不肯错过。但日子不会是六月十九正日，人多不便，或前或后，总在那三、五天。至于曹世隆赴约，自然是由甘露庵的后门进出；这一点早就访查过了，甘露庵有一道后门，一道侧门；侧门在冷僻小巷中，尤为隐秘。前面有赛观音监视；再看住这一道后门，一道侧门，震二奶奶与曹世隆的行迹，便都在掌握中了。 于是调兵遣将秘密进行。六月十八接到消息，说曹家有女眷已坐轿到甘露庵去烧香；孙胡子随即派老周去接赛观音。 “要走了！”老周说道：“我给你一个表，你会看时刻不会？” “你也是！看得我这么不中用，连个表都不会用。”赛观音问：“孙大爷说我认识的那个人是谁？” “震二奶奶。” 听这一说，赛观音顿觉气馁；而且也有些懊恼，觉得老周来找她办这件事，不知是何居心？当时沉下脸来说：“原来是她。你知道我跟她有过节，是存心要我去受气？” “不是，不是！有个道理在里头。”老周答说，“我们吃饱了饭，来跟你开什么玩笑？” 想想也不错，赛观音气是平了；但想到见了震二奶奶抬不起头来，徒受羞辱，还是没有勇气承当此事，便即问说：“什么道理？你不说明白，我不去！” 这一下，使得老周大感为难，他不敢擅作主张，泄漏机密；想来想去，只有一个办法，带她去见孙胡子。赛观音同意了。 听明来意，孙胡子问道：“你是见了震二奶奶怕？” “是的。”赛观音老实答道，“见了她不能不理；弄得不巧，让她说我几句，我又不能还口。” “不会，不会！”孙胡子说，“你见了她不理亦可以；她也绝不敢说你。就算说了你，你冷笑一声，不必睬她；以后自会有让你痛快让她怕你的日子。” “这——，”赛观音听出话中有因；她也是厉害脚色，当时便说：“孙大爷，你跟我痛痛快快说明白，我马上就去；不说明白，诸事免谈。” “好吧！我跟你说一半；震二奶奶约了姘头在甘露庵睡觉。你懂了吧？” 赛观音大为兴奋，急急追问：“真的？” “我骗你干嘛？去吧！” "Walk!" 赛观音腰板一硬，前胸自然突出；时值盛夏，衣衫单薄，益显得双峰隆然。孙胡子心中一动，便又问道：“张五嫂，我挑你发一笔财，你怎么谢我？” “那，只有好好做两个菜，请孙大爷喝一盅。” “好，好！一定来叨扰；菜不必多，点心不可少。” “孙大爷爱吃什么点心？” “肉包子。”孙胡子伸出两指：“两个就够了。”说罢哈哈大笑。 “啐！”赛观音扭头就走。
"10% is what he deserves, and 20% is still acceptable; even if it is 30%, I will admit it; who knows, 10,000 is 7,000!" Second Grandma Zhen said angrily, "Look, How dark is his heart?" "The gambling debt must be pressing." Jin'er spoke for Cao Zhen, "It's always like this anyway, let him pay off the gambling debt; I'm too embarrassed to speak again." "Hmph!" Second Grandma Zhen sneered, "That's such a good thing!" "It's better to clarify it. The gold silk curtain alone has lost seven thousand; the other few things, there must be backhands, and the total is about the same; there is no need to make any more decisions." "No!" Second Grandma Zhen asked, "If he says that there is no such thing; or ask who said it? What should we do?" "Then, what are you going to do, Second Mistress?" Second Grandma Zhen thought for a while and said, "Anyway, I want a price, and I can't afford less. What's wrong with him?" Jin'er kept silent, complaining that Cao Shilong was troublesome in his heart; in all fairness, the gold silk tent can be sold for three thousand silver, which is a very good price; it is worth ten thousand, which is a chance that can only be met but not sought after.Why did Cao Shilong come to show his hospitality and cause discord between his wife and his wife? Therefore, although it was inconvenient for her to object, she did not express any approval either.I was just thinking about how to pass a secret signal to Cao Zhen when he came back; to teach him how to be interesting. But she never had such an opportunity; because as soon as Cao Zhen came back, Second Grandma Zhen started negotiating with him, "You have to renegotiate the price of the golden silk tent." She said, "My wife told me, On the old lady’s birthday, someone paid eight thousand silver for this thing. Since we have paid for it, we have to be careful in handling things, there is no eight thousand; seven thousand can’t be less. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain to the wife.” Upon hearing this, Cao Zhen was stunned; after a while he said, "I've already talked to someone, how can I change my mind?" "If you don't want to change your mind, just tell them that the tent has a few holes and it's not worth three thousand silver. Wouldn't it be more beautiful?" "You mean, this kind of thing is not going to be sold?" "It's not that I don't plan to sell it; the price is wrong." The Second Grandma Zhen said firmly, "Seven thousand silver. I can't do without a jumper." Cao Zhen had no choice but to answer like this: "Okay! I'll discuss it with others. But it can't be as much as you say." "You go to discuss it." "Let me ask you, did my wife tell you, who paid eight thousand silver in the past?" "A Mongolian prince." Second Grandma Zhen replied casually; she spoke so quickly that it seemed to be true. Cao Zhen stopped making a sound, and lay on the bed sullenly, watching a newly engraved "Legend of Fengyue".He went out early the next morning, came back at noon, and told Second Mistress Zhen that the Shi family had agreed to add fifteen hundred silver; "You've worked hard, I know. However, seven thousand silver is absolutely necessary! You go to grind it, and tell me sooner or later it will be finished; the thing is ready-made." Cao Zhen changed color suddenly, "I don't have the face to speak again!" He said angrily. "That's up to you." Second Grandma Zhen said calmly, "This is a priceless treasure; even the emperor can't be so rich. Seven thousand silver is even less for me!" Cao Zhen was so angry that his face turned pale; just as he was about to explode, seeing Jin'er give him a wink, he said with restraint: "Okay, I'll talk about it again; this time no matter how much I add, the deal has to be done. Otherwise, not only will the business fail, but the friendship will also be ruined.” "If not, there is no benevolence and righteousness in buying and selling; besides, I am not asking for prices." Cao Zhen knew it would be useless to talk too much; he was thinking in his heart: I will give you a soft grind, and slowly add up; about five thousand silver will be enough. So from three thousand four thousand to four thousand; from four thousand to four thousand five thousand.Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and the middleman, surnamed Liang, came to Cao Zhen angrily, pulled him aside, and began to complain. "Second Master Cao, why are you unwilling to make a deal? Such a good price; I really don't understand, what are you waiting for?" As soon as he heard something bad, Cao Zhen panicked, "What?" He asked, "What happened?" "What's the matter? I don't want that golden silk curtain anymore!" Hearing this, Cao Zhen felt as if his head was pounding like a thunderbolt; he managed to regain his composure and said, "Well said, why did you regret it?" "Don't blame others, just blame yourself; as soon as the money and goods are settled, won't you be fine?" The surname Liang stomped his feet repeatedly: "What a pity! What a pity!" "Don't worry! See if there is a way to save it?" "It's hopeless! Don't say ten thousand now; I'm afraid that even one thousand silver won't be—" The person surnamed Liang explained the reason for the change of mind.It turned out that there was a clean-up guest in the Shi family who had just returned from Beijing the day before; talking about the golden tent, he knew its origin.It is said that it was originally Zhao Wenhua who specially sought out precision craftsmanship in the south of the Yangtze River to honor his "godfather" Yan Song.When entering the Prime Minister's Mansion, too few door bags were sent; the door officials played tricks, and when they listed the gift book, they did not say "a golden silk tent", but only wrote "seven taels of red gold".Yan Shifan saw that Zhao Wenhua returned from Jiangnan with a full load, but gave such a meager gift, and scolded Zhao Wenhua for having no conscience.This golden silk tent turned into "seven taels of red gold", so naturally it couldn't reach Yan Song and his son; Zhao Wenhua's "filial piety" was in vain. This Qingke thought that the golden silk tent, which came from Yan's residence and was not an official, was an ominous thing; if it was given as a gift, the recipient not only disliked it, but even thought it disgusting.What's more, the bedding used by the queen has never had a gold silk curtain; if someone blames it for blasphemy, it is very likely to call for the disaster of destroying the family. "Look, how scary these words are!" The Liang surname sighed again, "If the deal had been done earlier, the Shi family would have suffered nothing but silence. Now it's his luck that he didn't break the bank."
There was no movement for two days, Second Grandma Zhen lost her composure, "What?" She asked, "Is there any news from the Shi family?" "You won't lose a penny; he won't add a penny. Why should I suffer in the middle? I told the Shi family that I won't sell it and keep it for myself." "You," Second Grandma Zhen was very troubled, "are you talking gossip, or what?" "You say it's gossip, so it's gossip. Anyway, I've already told people what you want, unless it's seven thousand silver, and there's no need for a jumper. If you want, take seven thousand silver; if you don't want to pull it down, keep it for yourself." use." Second Grandma Zhen thought to herself that this was his deliberate trickery; she couldn't help but sneered slightly: "Okay, we'll just wait! Let's see, in the final analysis, it was he who brought the seven thousand silver; or should we keep the tent for ourselves? use?" "Yes! This is the best. However, one of the eight items has been removed; the remaining seven items are still the same as the original proposal?" "Of course." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "After the watch is repaired, we will make a deal together." Jin'er, who was on the sidelines, was also quite confused; she believed that Cao Shilong's words were true, and she only saw Cao Zhen's increase again and again, which proved it.That being the case, why did Cao Zhen suddenly become so indifferent?She dared not discuss these questions with Cao Zhen; but she might as well talk about them with Zhen's second grandma. "He is stilted; he thinks I have to ask him for advice. He doesn't know that his hole card has already been revealed! Don't worry; I will ask Long Guan to handle this matter." Second Grandma Zhen smiled triumphantly: "Seven One thousand or seven thousand; the remaining three thousand, the three of us: me, you, Longguan, three one and thirty one; make him mad!" When Cao Shilong came back, he was ordered; immediately he was ordered to go to Shi's tent to join.Of course, we can’t just mention the gold silk curtain; it’s just a notice that it’s been repaired, and by the way, the camera explained that the gold silk curtain might as well be sold separately. Jin'er smiled and agreed, but she felt sorry for Cao Zhen in her heart, and wanted to find him to persuade him: why bother?Watch the cooked duck fly away.After a second thought, she became vigilant: the couple had different dreams in the same bed, and what Second Mistress Zhen hated the most was that she favored Cao Zhen.The less trouble, the better! When Cao Zhen came back in the evening, he found the box containing the watch and asked, "Officer Long is back; how is the watch repaired?" "It's all been repaired." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "You can go to the middleman to connect, and the deal can be done." Cao Zhen nodded, and there was no sign of hesitation in his expression; it seemed that the golden silk curtain had really made him eliminate himself and ignored it.This made Jin'er very puzzled, wondering what kind of medicine he was selling in the gourd? There was always such a doubt in my heart, and it was not until Cao Shilong came the next afternoon that I could break it—she had never seen Cao Shilong, and it was the Second Grandma Zhen who told her. "The cooked duck flew away! It didn't make him angry; it made him angry at me." Second Grandma Zhen said with a desolate expression, "This time, I'm going to blame myself." The word "he" refers to Cao Zhen . Cao Shilong couldn't explain the whole story clearly; Second Grandma Zhen didn't bother to say much.But one thing is very clear, if it was not for my own delay, I would have taken care of the gold silk tent long ago, and the silver has already been obtained. "Until now, I still can't figure it out a bit." Second Grandma Zhen said, "He is so calm and still refuses to tell the truth; why is he deliberately playing tricks on me?" "Yes—." Jin'er originally thought that Cao Zhen was just taking revenge; but suddenly she had an idea, thought for a while, and sighed, "Second Mistress, you have lost this time! What happened one hundred and one times, The second master is better at chess." "how?" "He listened to Second Mistress, someone is doing things for you; we have to wait and see who this person is? If he finds this person, he will know who turned his hole card." Hearing this, Second Grandma Zhen showed a very rare nervousness on her face, even worried.Blinking his eyes and thinking for a while, he said, "You're not right! He planned it out at all, just to lure me to bring that person out. We can't let him know." Hearing the word "we", Jin'er felt very uncomfortable, secretly thinking: You have an affair with Cao Shilong, but I don't even bother to look him straight.What is "we"?At the same time, I was secretly alarmed, and let it go if nothing happened; if something happened, I would be implicated for no reason, and I would not be able to clean it up by jumping into the Yellow River. This matter is too unsatisfactory. "Anyway, it's a loss. We have to leave this matter behind." Second Grandma Zhen said again, "He pretended to be fine; we will pretend too. If we don't mention it, he won't know that it has something to do with Longguan." Jin'er was also very powerful, and deliberately said: "That's not necessarily true. Maybe someone surnamed Liang will tell him that someone else from your Cao family has come to join the gold silk tent; isn't it all clear now?" Second Grandma Zhen was silent, thought for a while, and suddenly said in a desperate tone: "Leave it alone! There's nothing to worry about." So, from this moment on, Jin'er waited wholeheartedly for the opportunity to be alone with Cao Zhen—as long as he is determined to find this opportunity, he will naturally not have to worry about it; Coming back early is a perfect time to talk. "There is something I want to tell you; I'm afraid you won't be able to hold your breath and cause trouble for me." "Okay, okay!" Cao Zhen said unconvinced, "Every time I have to start with such a few opening remarks! Just think about it, when did I get into trouble for you?" "The situation is different this time, and I need to take extra care of it. You'd better say something; if you want to agree to me, you must calm down and be extra careful." "Okay! I promise you." "Also, if I ask you, you have to tell the truth." "Row!" "That gold silk tent, someone paid ten thousand silver, didn't they?" "How do you know?" Cao Zhen asked attentively, "Who told you?" "Don't play tricks! I said who told me, didn't you find out the person you are thinking about all the time? It's not that cheap!" Hearing this, Cao Zhen was very excited; so he said docilely: "Yes, yes, I dare not play tricks. To be honest, there is one thing to say, yes, I paid 10,000 silver." "Is it because there is no deal, people don't want it?" "right!" "Now you want to know: Who turned your hole card in front of Second Mistress?" "That's right! This person," Cao Zhen said again, "I probably guessed it too." "Okay! Then I don't need to say more." Jin'er turned around and left. How could Cao Zhen let her go?As soon as she hugged her, she couldn't help but want to kiss; Jin'er turned her mouth with her backhand, and her voice was extremely clear. "You!" Cao Zhen covered his face and widened his eyes; but then smiled wryly: "Your temper is getting worse." "I just hate your temper that wants to pick up cheap everywhere." "Okay! Hit and hit, scold and scold. You have to tell me, who turned my hole card?" "No!" Jin'er spat, looked at the box of clocks, and said quickly, "I didn't tell you; you found out about this man from Shi's tent! Just this sentence, You go figure it out yourself!" After finishing speaking, he quickly left; and he went all the way to Mrs. Ma's. Cao Zhen was already suspecting that Cao Shilong was playing tricks, but now that Jin'er confirmed it, he couldn't help being furious; he thought to himself, he must be cured as soon as possible, so that he can't vent his anger. It's easy to treat him, so bring him in and question him severely, why bother to do such immoral things that harm others and benefit yourself?Or notify the door that he will not be allowed to enter the door from now on.But it is conceivable that he will definitely appeal to Second Grandma Zhen; and she will definitely defend him.At that time, unless you can fight your wife to the end, your prestige will be greatly damaged.We must be cautious about this point; and if we quarrel, we may get to the bottom of it, and it will implicate Jin'er, let alone. After much deliberation, there was only one way to vent his anger, which was to beat Cao Shilong up.Of course, you can’t do it yourself, and it’s inconvenient to instruct your servants; I remembered that there was a friend who often drank and gambled with Ketuo; the next morning, he took a business card and told the boy: “Go to Master Wu San, Invite him to drink at Aiqing's house in the afternoon; you say, invite him exclusively, I have something to ask, so he must come." The single name of this "Third Master Wu" is the word Duo; he is a county magistrate who donates classes, but he has great powers, and he has been sent by the big mansion to fill the tax gap. Good popularity.However, his friends are extremely diverse, with three teachings and nine streams, and they can do anything: once drunk, he told Cao Zhen that he knew that he had a bad hand recently, and wanted to do him a favor.Cao Zhen asked him: How can I help Fa with this favor? He said that as long as Cao Zhen can find a few people who have taken advantage of him, someone will play tricks on the dice and win eight thousand, which is easy.Only then did Cao Zhen realize that this person had another side of playing tricks. Sure enough, we met at the river room of Aiqing's house on the Qinhuai River in the evening; leaning on the fence, Wu Duo patted his chest and said, "Second Master, your nephew is so annoying, I must find someone to teach him a lesson and vent your anger on you." "Brother Angus," Cao Zhen said, "I leave this matter to you. But there is a word, I want to declare: the emperor does not send hungry soldiers—" "Hey! Stop talking!" Wu Duo waved his hand forcefully, cutting off his words: "I'll take care of it." "I'm sorry—" "What are you talking about! What do you want a friend for? Second master, if you continue to talk about it, you will be scolding." Wu Duo said again: "But there is something, I have to ask you for instructions first. After the lesson is over, do you want to let him know? Yes Who will give him color?" Cao Zhen thought for a while and replied: "It's okay to say this, knowing that he has done some things that I'm sorry for, I don't like it, and I want to fight against injustice." "Okay! I understand." Wu Duo added: "It will be done tomorrow." The next day Wu Duo found a few hooligans, and according to what Cao Zhen said, pointed out Cao Shilong's appearance and characteristics, as well as the places he frequented; he personally took them to find them.I found a teahouse and asked Dr. Tea; finally I found Cao Shilong. "Your name?" Wu Duo stepped forward and asked. Cao Shilong saw that he was well-dressed; he wore a green jade "finger" on the thumb of his right hand. I'm afraid it would cost three or five hundred silver?He replied very politely, "My surname is Cao." "That's not bad! Taifu is Shilong?" "Yes! Your surname." "Wu. Koutian Wu." Wu Duo asked next: "I heard that there is a batch of jewels in the house that I want to sell." Hearing this, Cao Shilong was overjoyed, "Yes." He looked at Wu Duo and asked, "Brother, is this business?" "No, no! I don't do jewelry business. I'm entrusted by someone to make a purchase. If the item is good, the price is good." Wu Duo asked, "Can I have a look at the product?" "It's not enough to look at the goods. You can look at the catalog first. If you like it, I will go to the joint and look at the goods regularly." "Alright! Where is the directory?" "In the dormitory. I'll bring it tomorrow." "Can you please go back to your house right now? I have a car." Cao Shilong was about to go home, so he readily agreed.So they went out together, and saw a very gorgeous double-set mule cart parked at the door; the handsome servant straddled the shaft with extraordinary style, which made Cao Shilong even more admirable. When he was about to board the car, Wu Duo suddenly said, "Brother Cao, how about going to the dormitory first?" "Okay, okay!" Cao Shilong desperately wanted to make friends with this person; he hurriedly agreed. So they got into the carriage together, and the coachman waved his long whip, yelled commands that only well-raised mules could understand, and headed west along the street. After exiting the west gate of Shui, there is Mochou Lake, and the car drives very fast. Soon, Cao Shilong stopped at the gate of a mansion, and Cao Shilong followed Wu Duo into the gate. "Brother Wu," Cao Shilong stopped and asked, "Do you live here?" "No." Wu Duo replied calmly, "I just bought the garden of the former Ming Zhang's family, and I stopped by to take a look. How should I repair it?" Cao Shilong felt that this was a very strange thing, but because of his face, it was inconvenient to make a sound, and he would take a look with him before talking. "Please!" Wu Duo pointed to the Chaoshou verandah on the west, "go this way." As soon as he entered the hanging flower gate along the veranda, he was suddenly startled; there were four people waiting there, all in short clothes, with a vigorous look on their faces.Knowing something was wrong, he hurriedly turned his head; but Wu Duo had disappeared without a trace. "What's going on here?" Cao Shilong asked loudly, while backing away, intending to slip away. "Uncle Cao," said the elder among the four, "don't be afraid! You're fine; I've invited you here to ask you something. You've told the truth, and I'll send you back right away. Please sit in the room!" After he finished speaking, someone pushed the door open; knowing that he could not escape, Cao Shilong obediently entered the door. Inside was a wet brick floor covered with moss, and there was a white wooden square table in the middle, and there was actually a pot of tea. "If you come, you will be at ease", Cao Shilong was thinking so, so he sat down pretending to be calm, and asked the man, "What's your surname?" "My surname is Zhou." As he spoke, the man poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Cao Shilong. "Thank you." Cao Shilong asked, "Where is Master Wu?" "He'll be here soon." The surname Zhou said loudly to the three men, "Uncle Cao is not a 'foreign plate'; you don't need to stay here." The three nodded and retreated; Cao Shilong and Zhou watched them walk out of the Chuihua Gate and disappear. "Uncle Cao," said Zhou, "it's just you and me here, so don't be afraid of what you say." "Yes!" Cao Shilong said, "I have never met Mr. Wu, and I have never met your brother. I don't know if you have anything to ask me." "It was entrusted by someone to ask you. Uncle Cao, you and your aunt shocked the second grandma, what's going on?" Cao Shilong turned pale with shock, embarrassed and annoyed at the same time, and replied in a low voice: "What did you say? I Can't understand!" "You don't understand?" the surname Zhou laughed, "Forget it, what are you pretending to be?" Cao Shilong realized that the situation was serious, and he knew that it was useless to just deny it; the most important thing was to find out their intentions, so he said calmly: "If you have something to say, you can say it clearly, why bother to make such a fuss? What do you mean?" "Don't ask if it's okay?" "How can I not ask?" Cao Shilong seemed to be confident, "What is it that can wrong me? Don't say wrong, such rumors will pollute the reputation of the boudoir; if I don't argue, how can I be worthy of my elders?" "Who is the elder you are talking about? Second Grandma Zhen?" "That's right. And my second uncle Zhen, how can he bear this kind of legend?" "That's right!" said the surnamed Zhou, "Second Master Zhen can't stand this kind of rumor, so he asked us buddies to ask you to understand." When Cao Shilong heard this, his eyes turned black; it turned out that it was Cao Zhen's instigation, who would have thought it.However, at this point, there is no second sentence to say; only a firm answer: "There is absolutely no such thing! I can swear to God's punishment." "Punishment oath is unnecessary." The surname Zhou said, "I'm going to ask you a few words. If you answer satisfactorily, we will answer Zhen Erye truthfully, and we will have an explanation." "Okay! You ask!" "Your aunt Zhen and Second Grandma sent you on a mission, didn't they?" "No!" Cao Shilong replied, "My Second Uncle Zhen sent it; but sometimes Second Grandma Zhen will tell me." "How about going to Yangzhou this time?" "It's the same." Cao Shilong replied, "I'm going to repair some watches. What's wrong, only Second Grandma Zhen knows; that's why I was asked to go and explain clearly in person." "Then, there is another errand that Second Master Zhen and Second Grandma Zhen agreed to send you there?" "That one?" "It's the golden silk tent." Cao Shilong's expression changed, knowing that this time he was in serious trouble; he managed to gather his composure and replied, "I went to Yangzhou, and I don't know what's going on. Go there and tell the accountant that the deal is ready. Then let me ask if you still want the gold silk curtain, that’s all.” "Didn't you tell Second Grandma Zhen that the price of this golden silk tent is 10,000 silver?" Hearing this question, Cao Shilong thought to himself: No wonder!Probably they were with Cao Zhen, and set up a trap to trick the Shi family into paying 10,000 silver to buy the gold silk tent, and everyone would share the benefits.Just saying a word for myself blocked their way of making money, no wonder they gnashed their teeth for it.If I had known this before, it would be better to tell the truth to accompany the crime, and it would be easier to discuss.Now things have reached a stalemate, irreversible, and we can only rely on it to the end. "No! Why should I meddle in this nosy business? Maybe the second grandma Zhen listened to someone and delayed a very good deal, let the second master question her, and she had nothing to say, so she just used me as a shield? Isn't that not wrong? " This kind of eloquent talk made people confused for a while, so the surname Zhou nodded and said, "Please sit down for a while, and I will come." After finishing speaking, he got up and left. Cao Shilong didn't know what he was going to do?But with a move in my heart, as long as I can slip away.It doesn't matter!So I stood up and looked around; but immediately I had another thought: Someone must be watching in the dark; it is better to be calm. So, he still sat still; but his heart was troubled, and he was restless for a moment.After an unknown amount of time, the person surnamed Zhou reappeared; with an angry look on his face, he knew that he had come with bad intentions. "Are you going to tell me?" "What?" Cao Shilong felt flustered. "It's about your aunt!" "What's up--?" Before he could finish his sentence, the man surnamed Zhou punched him right on the eye; suddenly he felt the world was spinning, Cao Shilong hurriedly supported the table so as not to fall down. "Say!" The surname Zhou shouted again. Cao Shilong didn't know where the courage came from, and he replied loudly: "There is nothing to say! There is no such thing at all." "You're still talking hard to me." The one surnamed Zhou wanted to attack again; Cao Shilong also gritted his teeth, preparing to be beaten. Unexpectedly, Wu Duo suddenly appeared, "Don't hit, don't hit!" He said as he rushed over, and seeing Cao Shilong's eyes turned blue, he blamed that surnamed Zhou, "Why don't you know the severity and throw punches indiscriminately; What if you are blinded?" Hearing this, Cao Shilong unconsciously felt grateful.But immediately thought that he was tricked by Wu Duo; he just wanted to hate him but couldn't. "Get out!" Wu Duo scolded loudly; when the surnamed Zhou retreated, he apologized to Cao Shilong and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please sit down." Cao Shilong sat down aggrieved, and said defiantly: "You and I have no grievances in the past, and we have no grievances in recent days. You tricked me and asked people to deal with me like this. It's so unreasonable!" "Don't complain." Wu Duo replied calmly, "It's cheap for you to meet me. Your uncle hates you so much that he asked me to give you a good beating. I will also trust others; others may not have the same heart as me, maybe this beating will take off your arm, life is alive, how can it not be good? So I agreed. Just now I asked Lao Zhou to put on a show , anyway, it’s fine if you’ve been beaten. Who knew he’d swollen your eyes? But then again, even if you’re sorry for your uncle, it’s not an exaggeration to take this punch. You got your aunt in hand, it’s a hatchback情愿的事，倒也不能全怪你一个人；可你怎么又把他宠的一个妾，也勒逼成奸了呢？” “你是说锦儿？”曹世隆急忙分辩，“那是绝没有的事。” “这一说，你跟震二奶奶有一腿；可是不假啰！”吴铎看着他点点头。 曹世隆恍然憬悟，悔恨不迭；自己上了吴铎的当，让他套了一句真话去。 “既然说了，就都说吧！”吴铎用抚慰的语气说：“我好替你掩饰。” 曹世隆此时六神无主，只有一片希冀之心；急忙问道：“你怎么替我掩饰？” “你叔叔说你如何勾引你婶儿；又怎么逼奸他的妾，情节不大相符。你跟我说了实话，我就可以跟他说，我问过，没有这回事；是别人造谣。可是，何以见得是谣言？你不说实话，我怎么找理由来替你辩护？光凭我一句话，说没有这回事，他那里会相信？” 曹世隆这时的想法是，除了向吴铎输诚，争取他的好感以外，更无善策。于是吞吞吐吐，扭扭捏捏，将他与震二奶奶如何在曲径通幽，花木深深的禅房中结下欢喜缘的经过都“招供”了。 “除此之外呢？”吴铎问说，“你们还在那里亲热过。” 提到这一层，曹世隆可就要保持最后一点秘密了，“没有了！”他说，“就是那里。” “那么，你们大概多少时候叙一叙？” “不一定，要看机会。” “最近一次呢？在什么时候？” “两个月以前。”曹世隆这回说的是老实话，“我刚从北京回来的时候。” “你婶儿对你怎么样？” 曹世隆在鼻子里哼着笑了一下，“这，你总可以想像得到。”他说。 吴铎点点头，“当然是少你不得，”他又问：“你婶儿倒不怕你叔叔知道。” “他不会知道的。” “不然，如果他不知道，怎么会跟我说？” “他也是瞎猜，或者听人胡言乱语。”曹世隆说，“你刚才不是说，他所说的情节前后不符吗？” “不错！他是真的不知道。”吴铎又说，“这样，我替你辩护就容易了。” “你老成全！”曹世隆站起身来，恭恭敬敬地作了个揖。 “好说，好说！”吴铎想了一会叮嘱：“你跟你婶儿的事，当然不必再提；不过有件事，你要留神，你最好避着你叔叔。” "yes!" “如果你婶儿看你眼眶发青，问起来你怎么说？” “这，倒要请教你老，该当如何说法？” “你不妨诉诉委屈表表功，说你因为掀了你叔叔的底牌；让你叔叔找了个姓吴的，揍了你一顿。” “是，是！”曹世隆把他的话，一下子就听了进去；而且很机伶地说，“我用不着提吴爷你的姓。” “那都随你了！你是怨我，还是感激我，我都不在乎。”
“三爷，这可是肥猪拱门了！曹家的震二奶奶，谁不知道，手里的私房，不上百万，总也有七八十；只要逮住了，怕她不乖乖儿拿个十万八万出来消消灾？” “肥猪倒是肥猪，怎么逮得住？你别把事情看得太容易了。”吴铎想了一下说，“老周，你把孙胡子去找来。” 孙胡子自命为“孙吴子”，足智多谋，算无遗策；但也有人笑他，这么自吹自擂，就是个“狗头军师”。不过话虽如此，仍颇为一班邪魔外道的人所看重；有时出个把歪主意，确是很高明。 “胡子，现在有这么一档子事，弄对了路，十万八万，伸手就有；搞砸了让人家倒打一耙，也许吃不了兜着走。那是个有名厉害脚色；虽说是妇道人家，胡子，只怕你不是她的对手！” “三爷，你不用激我。能中你的激将之计，还能叫个孙吴子吗？”说得一口扬州话的孙胡子，预先声明：“话说在前，男不跟女斗；要看是怎么一件事，能斗则斗，不能斗不要怪我。” “不必斗，肥猪拱门，只要逮得住就行。是这么回事——。” 听吴铎将震二奶奶与曹世隆，在甘露庵如何结下孽缘的经过说完，孙胡子一言不发，只“叭哒、叭哒”地使劲抽旱烟。连鬓盖嘴的一部络腮胡子中，直冒浓烟，真担心它会烧起来。 “有了办法，还得有人。”孙胡子说，“我只管想办法，不管找人。” “行！你说吧！” “姑子庵，官客进不去；要找堂客。这个堂客，第一，要认识震二奶奶。” “这容易。”吴铎催问着：“第二是什么？” “第二，要顶得住。”孙胡子自问自答地，“怎么叫顶得住。就是耗在那里不走；不管你花说柳说，撵骂也好、劝也好，我就是堵在那里不动身。要这么个堂客，恐怕不容易。” “确是不容易；不过总找得到。” “好吧！”孙胡子卖关子，“你先去找，找到了来告诉我。” “何妨先说说！” “不行！天机不可泄漏。”孙胡子大掉书袋：“孙子曰：'事莫密于问'梅尧臣曰：'机事不密则害成。'不要人没有找到；我的办法已闹得好些人都知道。那怎么行？” “言之有理。咱们先找人。” 这一找找了好几天，终于有了着落；是老周在赌场里遇见张五福才想起他的妻子赛观音，恰恰符合孙胡子所开的两个条件。 “这张五福，原来管着织造衙门的织布房。他老婆让震二爷勾搭上了；不想有人到震二奶奶面前去搬嘴。这一下——。” 这一下醋海生波，震二奶奶趁曹震公差在外，翻出五福的老帐来，拿一张曹震的名片，将他送到上元县拷打追问；后来是赛观音求见震二奶奶磕头赔罪，罚誓再不理会曹震，还让震二奶奶狠狠羞辱了一顿，方得无事。当然，布机房的差事是革掉了。 “这赛观音倒还有点良心，自己觉得对不起丈夫，想法子挣了钱来，供张五福吃喝以外，还要供应赌本。这日子自然不好过；也就可以想得到，把震二奶奶恨得牙痒痒地。”老周问道：“胡子，你看这个人好不好？” “好倒是好；就不知道他跟曹震怎么样？” “不来往了。”老周答说，“张五福有张亏空布匹认赔的笔据在震二奶奶的手里；倘或赛观音仍旧跟震二爷来往，拿这张笔据，往上元县一送，张五福可又吃不了兜着走了。” “这好！”孙胡子说，“你把她找来，等我问她几句话。” 于是，老周安排赛观音跟孙胡子见面；事先跟张五福说明白，请他的妻子办一件事，当然是有好处的，也许能发个小财亦未可知。不过，是件什么事，请他不必过问。 张五福乾纲久已不振，只要有钱，无所不可；当时很高兴地答应了下来，回家告诉妻子。赛观音亦知道有老周这么一个人，心想不会是什么好事，只是看在钱的分上，且不妨走一遭。 第二天上午，照预先的约定，张五福带着妻子到了周家；孙胡子先就在了。老周替他们夫妇引见过后，随即说道：“张五嫂，托你的事，无论成不成，都请你搁在肚子里。现在请孙大爷跟你谈，我陪张五哥在外面凉棚下面坐。” 赛观音点点头，眼风扫过孙胡子脸上，往下一落；却又很快地抬头瞟了一下，复又垂眼。孙胡子见多识广，加以又听老周说过她的过去；心想，看样子是找对人了。 于是，他笑嘻嘻地说：“张五嫂，你的生日快到了！” “我的生日？”赛观音不解所谓地抬眼望着孙胡子。 “六月十九不是张五嫂的生日。” 赛观音一楞，旋即会意，笑一笑又赶紧双手合十，喃喃地说：“罪过，罪过！孙大爷，你这种笑话不能说的；菩萨会生气。” “会生气就不叫菩萨了。闲话少说，张五嫂，我想请教你一件事；你会不会做讨厌人？” 赛观音又发楞了，“怎么叫做讨厌人？”她眼风又是一瞟，“孙大爷倒滑稽，专会说怪话。” “一讲明白，你就不会觉得奇怪了。譬如说，你去作客，明知道主人家不欢迎，偏偏赖在那里不走；不管主人家说什么难听的话，你只装做不曾听见。这一点，你办得到办不到？” 赛观音摇摇头，一双银耳环不断在晃动，“只怕办不到，”她说，“人家在说你，骂你；怎么能装做听不见？” “你只要在心里想一件事，就能听而不闻了。” "What's up?" “白花花的一千两银子。” 这下打动了她的心；想了一会儿答说：“孙大爷，我试试看。” “不能试。”孙胡子说，“要有把握，做得到才行。” 赛观音考虑了好一会，毅然决然地说：“好！我做得到，看一千两银子分上，做不到也要做到。” “这就是了！”孙胡子紧接着说，“你今天回去，就备好一只'朝山进香'的香篮；明天一早起来，穿戴整齐，随时等老周来接你去烧香。” “喔，到那里烧香。” “总不外乎尼姑庵。”孙胡子又说，“烧完香就要做讨厌人了。这里有张图，你来看！” “你一直守在这里。”孙胡子指着图说，“看准这道门；到有一个你认识的人出来，记住是什么时刻，你就可以走了。这个人是什么人，你现在不必问，将来会告诉你。” 找妥了赛观音，孙胡子自觉已智珠在握了。照他的判断，观世音诞辰将届，甘露庵当然会邀请施主去烧香；这在震二奶奶是个与曹世隆叙旧的很好的机会，必不肯错过。但日子不会是六月十九正日，人多不便，或前或后，总在那三、五天。至于曹世隆赴约，自然是由甘露庵的后门进出；这一点早就访查过了，甘露庵有一道后门，一道侧门；侧门在冷僻小巷中，尤为隐秘。前面有赛观音监视；再看住这一道后门，一道侧门，震二奶奶与曹世隆的行迹，便都在掌握中了。 于是调兵遣将秘密进行。六月十八接到消息，说曹家有女眷已坐轿到甘露庵去烧香；孙胡子随即派老周去接赛观音。 “要走了！”老周说道：“我给你一个表，你会看时刻不会？” “你也是！看得我这么不中用，连个表都不会用。”赛观音问：“孙大爷说我认识的那个人是谁？” “震二奶奶。” 听这一说，赛观音顿觉气馁；而且也有些懊恼，觉得老周来找她办这件事，不知是何居心？当时沉下脸来说：“原来是她。你知道我跟她有过节，是存心要我去受气？” “不是，不是！有个道理在里头。”老周答说，“我们吃饱了饭，来跟你开什么玩笑？” 想想也不错，赛观音气是平了；但想到见了震二奶奶抬不起头来，徒受羞辱，还是没有勇气承当此事，便即问说：“什么道理？你不说明白，我不去！” 这一下，使得老周大感为难，他不敢擅作主张，泄漏机密；想来想去，只有一个办法，带她去见孙胡子。赛观音同意了。 听明来意，孙胡子问道：“你是见了震二奶奶怕？” “是的。”赛观音老实答道，“见了她不能不理；弄得不巧，让她说我几句，我又不能还口。” “不会，不会！”孙胡子说，“你见了她不理亦可以；她也绝不敢说你。就算说了你，你冷笑一声，不必睬她；以后自会有让你痛快让她怕你的日子。” “这——，”赛观音听出话中有因；她也是厉害脚色，当时便说：“孙大爷，你跟我痛痛快快说明白，我马上就去；不说明白，诸事免谈。” “好吧！我跟你说一半；震二奶奶约了姘头在甘露庵睡觉。你懂了吧？” 赛观音大为兴奋，急急追问：“真的？” “我骗你干嘛？去吧！” "Walk!" 赛观音腰板一硬，前胸自然突出；时值盛夏，衣衫单薄，益显得双峰隆然。孙胡子心中一动，便又问道：“张五嫂，我挑你发一笔财，你怎么谢我？” “那，只有好好做两个菜，请孙大爷喝一盅。” “好，好！一定来叨扰；菜不必多，点心不可少。” “孙大爷爱吃什么点心？” “肉包子。”孙胡子伸出两指：“两个就够了。”说罢哈哈大笑。 “啐！”赛观音扭头就走。