Chapter 21 people go empty

Walking halfway, he found a sedan chair coming towards him, and there were two big and bright lanterns at the front and back. Hu Xueyan could tell at a glance that Mr. Rayi Lao was standing in the middle of the stone road. I took a closer look, and it was really good. On the big lantern, the Bian Song characters read "Qing Yu Tang" on one side and the character "Hu" on the other. After asking, I found out that Mrs. Luosi was worried, so she specially sent a sedan chair to pick her up, but there was only one sedan chair for the host and guest. Fortunately, home was near, so Hu Xueyan ordered the empty sedan chair to be carried back, but he still walked back with Mr. Wu.

Once you enter Yuanbao Street, you feel quite strange. Usually, if you return at night, there are lanterns to illuminate from the street entrance to the gate. This day, it is pitch black. Looking from a distance, there is only one star of light, except for a lantern on the corner gate. But the most desolate thing is in the garden, where there are twelve towers and dark shadows, only in the Baishi Tower, which is brightly lit, but it looks desolate.Because in contrast, it is particularly easy to make people feel the vicissitudes of life. At this moment, Ah Yun had already come up to greet him. Seeing a guest in front of him, he took a closer look and said in surprise, "It turned out to be Mr. Wu."

"Mr. Wu lives here today." Hu Xueyan said, "Go and tell Mrs. Snail." Ayun agreed, and turned back. When they went up to the Baishi Tower, Mrs. Luosi had already opened the curtain and was waiting. When she saw Mr. Wu, she felt sad for some reason, and couldn't help but burst into tears. She turned her back quickly , wiped away tears, and then turned around to say hello. "Tea, please!" Mrs. Snail came to entertain Mr. Wu in person. "I dare not, thank you!" Seeing her haggard look, Mr. Wu couldn't help being concerned, "Sister Luo, you have more responsibilities now. You must take care of yourself."

"Oh!" Mrs. Snail sighed slightly, "It's really like a dream." "Hush!" Mr. Wu pinched his lips with both fingers, signaling her not to say such despondent words. "I heard that you came back from walking? With such a strong northwest wind, your face turned red from the cold." Mrs. Snail shouted, "Ah Yun, hurry up and get some face washing water!" "It's not too cold on the face, but the feet are frozen." Mrs. Luosi looked back, saw Hu Xueyan and Ayun talking, and asked softly: "Do you know what happened today?"

"heard." "You see this, don't you?" "Yes! You can afford it, you can let it go, you should do it." "I can afford it, but I can't let it go. Today I can't lift it, so I have to let it go." Mrs. Wu said, "Mr. Wu, if it's you, are you convinced?" "So what if you don't accept it?" Hu Xueyan said on the other hand. Mr. Wu remained silent, and Mrs. Snail paused for a while before saying, "I'm not convinced. Wait a minute, let's have a good discussion." She asked again, "Is Mr. Wu hungry?"

"Not hungry, not hungry." "If you're not hungry, eat wine first, and then have snacks." Mrs. Luoshi turned around to discuss with Hu Xueyan, "Mr. Wu can live in the study downstairs?" "Okay!" Hu Xueyan said, "Simply invite Mr. Wu to drink and chat in the study." This means that Hu Xueyan and Mr. Wu will have a long talk.Mrs. Snail agreed, and took Ayun downstairs to make arrangements.When Mr. Wu saw it, he couldn't help being moved, and even more concerned. There was a lingering doubt in his heart, and he was eager to break through.

"Mr. Big," he said, "I'm going to say an old saying: no official is easy. What's your plan for the future?" "Your words are only half right. 'No official' is good, but 'lightweight' is not." "If you don't take it lightly, you have to find a way to make it light." He asked, "Could Master Zuo not help you?" "His strength is also limited now." Hu Xueyan said, "Ying Chun has gone to Nanjing. When he comes, let's see what he says." Mr. Wu pondered for a while, and finally spoke with great difficulty: "What else will the court do? Will it be searched?"

"As long as the public funds are paid off, they will not be confiscated." Hu Xueyan added, "The public funds are offset by the seized pawn. I can pay it back slowly. It is a private deposit. I don't know how much discount I can pay back in the future. One Thinking of this level, it feels like there is a heavy burden on my shoulders, which makes me unable to straighten up." "Actually, it's because you're not serious in your mind, not just in your body. Can you take it easy?" "How do you see it?" "Don't think about it." Hu Xueyan smiled and said nothing, and then he said, "Mr. Wu, don't forget about Shaotang, and have a good talk with Fourth Sister Luo later."

"Oh!" Mr. Wu shook his head, "At this point, you only think about other people's business." "Only in this way, I will not think about my own affairs. I can't manage my own affairs, so I have to take care of other people's business, take care of other people's business, I feel a little comforted, in fact, I am minding my own business." "That's the happiest thing about doing good. Unfortunately, this year—" "I understand, I understand!" Hu Xueyan interjected, "I was about to discuss this matter with you. I went to see Shaotang today, and I went on foot. The northwest wind blew on my face, and I was thinking about it. , wearing a fox fur robe, a mink hat on his head, and old cotton shoes, but the soles are black and white, and they are as good as new ones. People who still feel cold in such clothes and don’t even have a cotton jacket, How do I spend the winter? Before I went to Shanghai, the old lady brought a message from the mountain, saying that this year’s padded clothes and porridge should be given out as usual. But, Mr. Wu, tell me, how can I do good things in my current situation?”

"I said it's a pity, and that's why. You still have the power to do such a good thing, but then, someone must gossip in a bad way." Mr. Wu sighed, "Now I understand that doing good things is impossible." It depends on the chance." "That's right." Hu Xueyan said, "Walking back with you just now, I felt cold, and I thought about this matter again. This good thing still has to be done, what do you think can be done?" "You can't come forward, you will definitely be scolded if you come forward, and it will affect the cleanup."

"Yes!" Hu Xueyan said, "I want you to come forward." "People don't believe it." Mr. Wu kept shaking his head, "I'm the oldest, so I don't have the qualifications to give cotton-padded clothes and porridge." When there was no good plan to come up with, Mrs. Snail sent Ayun to inform that the arrangement in the study was ready, and the host and guest were invited to go downstairs for a midnight snack. The midnight snack is also very rich.The lights are bright and the lights are bright. Mr. Wu knows that there are not many days to visit like this, so he cherishes it very much, so he puts away his worries for a while, and enjoys the sight, sipping lightly, and savoring the famous wine and food on the table. It wasn't until the second pot of Huadiao was hot that he said, "Mr. Da, I thought of a way. Why don't you use the name of Anonymous to donate a sum of money, and the purpose is the same." As soon as the words came out, Mrs. Snail interrupted and asked, "What are you talking about?" "Talk about the matter that the old lady explained." Hu Xueyan briefly explained the story. "So, how much are you going to donate?" "What do you think?" Hu Xueyan asked back. "In the past, 30,000 silver was used to distribute cotton clothes and porridge in winter. Now that I don't have enough strength, I think I can donate 10,000 at most." "Okay!" Hu Xueyan nodded and said, "This number is optional, it is ten thousand." "This ten thousand silver, please donate it to Mr. Wu. However, even though you are anonymous, there are still people who know the real name. In my opinion, if it is said that the old lady donated private money, you don't know at all. If you want to say this, yours You have to stand on your feet.” Both Hu Xueyan and Mr. Wu agreed deeply.It was mid-winter, and this good thing couldn't be delayed for a moment. For this reason, Mrs. Luozhi went upstairs to make plans for leaving the banquet. Jewelry, as well as gold and silver, let's see if we can make up 10,000 silver coins. "Mr. Big," Mr. Wu said, "you can't just do good deeds, you have to plan for yourself and save a little." Hu Xueyan remained silent, and after a while, he suddenly asked: "Mr. Wu, you like calligraphy and painting, before handing them over, would you like to pick a few?" I thought that Mr. Wu would always be polite, and he would only accept it after persuasion, but he answered one word straightforwardly: "Okay!" So Hu Xueyan pulled a red silk rope, and there was a Qingyue bell ringing. This is a calling bell set up in imitation of the Western method. It leads to the corridor and upstairs. In an instant, two girls came, Ah Yun Yi was ordered by Mrs. Snail to come downstairs to find out what was the matter. "Open up the painting box! The lights aren't bright enough." You can't light candles while looking at the paintings, so Ayun asked two more people to light more Mobil oil lamps, and then fetched the keys to open the painting box.Hu Xueyan buys antique calligraphy and paintings, regardless of whether they are genuine or fake, fine or rough, and the price is high. There is a well-known story about an "antique ghost". The deal was ready, but this person said: "Mr. Hu Da, I didn't earn your money for this painting, the price is cheap." "I don't make money here, where are you going to make money? Take it, take it, I don't want to take advantage of you." The deal fell through. Therefore, when "antique ghosts" come to the door, they will always ask for high prices, and they will be grateful after the transaction.Mr. Wu is an expert in this way, and he also bought many high-quality goods for Hu Xueyan, and he has a general understanding of Qingyutang's collection.Before the Mobil oil lamp was lit, he said, "Let me read the post first." The common name of the inscription is "Black Tiger". Hu Xueyan said excitedly: "I have a 'black tiger', which is really 'tiger meat', and I bought it for 3,000 taels of silver. To be honest, I liked the gold lettering written by Emperor Qianlong himself. " "Oh, I heard that you have a stele of Huadu Temple, which is Tang Tuo." Mr. Wu said, "Song Tuo is already extremely valuable, but I want to see Tang Tuo." "Ayun," Hu Xueyan asked, "where is my post?" "I'm afraid it's at Aunt Zhu's place." "Oh," Hu Xueyan asked again, "Aunt Zhu still lives in her own place?" "Move to live in the guest room." Ayun replied, "Her original place is locked." "So, that post won't be available for a while?" "I'll go ask Aunt Zhu first." As soon as Ah Yun left, he saw four maids, each holding a Mobil oil lamp with a cupronickel base and a glass shade, coming in a file.It was suddenly bright as day in the study.Hu Xueyan handed a bunch of painting box keys to Mr. Wu and said, "Please do it yourself." Mr. Wu also looked at the painting box as if handling his own treasures. It was about three feet high, four feet wide, and seven feet long. The heaven and the earth are mysterious and yellow, the universe is prehistoric" number.There are also eight keys with numbers engraved on them. Of course, the word "one" is used to open the Tianzihao painting box. When you open it, there is a booklet on it, which is marked with the words "Catalogue of Hu's Painting and Calligraphy inscriptions in Qingyutang". "This will save trouble." Mr. Wu said happily, "I'll look at the catalog first." The catalog is divided into three categories: calligraphy, famous paintings, and ink extensions, and each category is divided by dynasty. The first item under the calligraphy category is: "Western Jin Lu Ji Ping Fu Tie Scroll".Mr. Wu was startled when he saw it, and he stood there speechless. "How?" Hu Xueyan asked in surprise. "It has been at least 1,500 years since the Western Jin Dynasty! There are still paper copies left, which are more precious than Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Preface". The original "Orchid Pavilion Preface" by Wang Xizhi was brought into the coffin I can't think of an authentic work that is earlier than him, and I really have a lot of eyes." Hu Xueyan smiled and said, "You read it before you talk about it." So Mr. Wu conscientiously took out the "Lu Jiping Futie Scroll" from the painting box.This hand scroll is very exquisitely decorated. The outside is lined with blue silk, flowers and birds, a suet white jade scroll, and a coral stick. The stick is pulled out and spread out. The yellow silk in front of the scroll is separated from the water. Song Huizong's imperial inscription: "Jin Lu Ji Ping Fu Tie" six characters, under the double dragon seal, and another very old silk signature: "Jin Plain Internal History Wu Jun Lu Shiheng Book". The paper is ivory-coloured, and the characters are about five cents larger. They are written in zhangcao, with a total of nine lines. If you look closely, you can only understand one-tenth of them. Before the army and after Yuanchang, only these few lines survived, and they are Xidai treasures." Mr. Wu has seen several pieces of Dong Qichang's handwriting. After careful observation, he judged that it was not true.Hu Xueyan asked, "How is it?" "It seems a little doubtful." "You have a good eye, it's a Xibei product." Hu Xueyan pointed to the catalog and said, "Look at some real things." It turns out that Hu Xueyan asked experts to identify these calligraphy and paintings, and marked them in the catalogue.There are three kinds of marks, single circle is fake, double circle is between true and false, or it is very valuable even though it is fake, such as Tang paintings imitated by people in Song Dynasty. As a record of the plum blossom, in the catalog, it is only about one-fifth. So, Mr. Wu picked out "Su's Family of Twelve Letters" to read, which included twelve letters from Su Laoquan, Dongpo, Ziyou and Dongpo's youngest son, Shudang, and you could tell it was true when you saw it. "You don't need to look at the originals, I picked them out from the catalogue. Mr. Big, how many do you plan to give me?" "Say it yourself." "You want me to tell you that I want all the plum blossom marks." Mr. Wu continued, "I will keep them for you. Mr. Da, do you believe me or not?" Mr. Wu's original intention was so unexpected by Hu Xueyan.But this is hiding money in private, not being aboveboard, he thought about it for a while, and replied decisively: "Mr. Wu, there is no need. I still give you a few pieces, and you can choose carefully." Mr. Wu had good intentions, and since Hu Xueyan didn't accept it, it was inconvenient for him to say anything more.However, he still has the idea that he can save every penny for him, so in addition to "Su Shiyi's Twelve Posts", he chose another "Song Huizong Thin Gold Script Thousand-Character Essay", a Dong Yuan "The Picture of the Stinging Dragon Out of the Wind and Wind", a scroll of Zhao Mengfu's "Seven Sages in the Bamboo Grove".The total of these four paintings and calligraphy is worth tens of thousands of silver. So under Hu Xueyan's command, the maids opened three painting boxes and packed up the calligraphy and paintings sent to Mr. Wu.Mrs. Luosi and Ayun also came back one after another. The "Tang Tuohuadu Temple Monument" couldn't be found for a while, so that's all.The 10,000 silver donated to Shantang has already been collected, all of which are bank notes, and they will be handed over to Mr. Wu immediately for receipt, and then the table will be set up for a supper. "Put three pairs of cups and chopsticks!" Hu Xueyan told Ayun, "Sit together." This refers to Mrs. Snail.She regards Mr. Wu as a relative and elder, and there is no need to have a difference in etiquette between men and women.After being seated, use a small glass of green mint wine to accompany Mr. Wu to drink old Huadiao, while Hu Xueyan still drinks the medicinal wine before going to bed as usual. "Lao Qi moved to the guest room?" Hu Xueyan asked. Hu Xueyan sometimes called Aunt Zhu Lao Qi, "She proposed it herself." Mrs. Snail said, "She said that usually everyone is lively and lively, but suddenly, it is deserted, and she will not be able to sleep." Hu Xueyan nodded, looked at Mr. Wu, and motioned for him to speak.So Mr. Wu talked about the situation at Zhou Shaotang's house for Mrs. Luoshi in detail, and finally put forward Zheng Junsheng's opinion. "No." Mrs. Snail said, "Where Mr. Da lives is written down in the almanac. I checked, and the last time I lived with Mrs. Zhu was more than two months ago. As for—— "She originally wanted to make a little joke, saying whether Hu Xueyan and Aunt Zhu had a good time in private, but she didn't know.But at this time, I was not in the mood to tell a joke, so I swallowed my words. "It's better to be careful. Wait for another month, and it won't be too late to send it to Zhou's house if there is no sign of embarrassment." "Alright." Mrs. Snail asked, "Where have you lived for more than a month?" "Stay with me." "This is more reassuring." Hu Xueyan made a cutting gesture, "This matter is settled like this." "I see." Mrs. Snail said, "I will arrange it." So it's time to talk about the heartfelt words and the fundamental plan. First, Mr. Wu asked: "Mr. Big, do you think this tussle is doomed?" "So what if you don't admit it?" "I don't admit it!" Mrs. Snail said, "The road is made by people." "Age is not forgiving!" Hu Xueyan said calmly, "It is not easy to stand up after falling into this somersault. How can there be any talk of going out on a new path." "Otherwise, if you can stand upright, you can walk." Mr. Wu said, "Mr. Da, don't be discouraged. Make a comeback, it depends on human effort." "Mr. Wu, I am very grateful for your encouragement. But, to be honest, everything is easier said than done. If you say to make a comeback, I don't know where it is." "You talk about discouragement!" Mrs. Luozhi hated Hu Xueyan's lack of confidence, "You were not like this before!" "The past was the past, and the present is the present." Hu Xueyan was also a little excited, "I am now a rank-1 ordinary citizen who has been dismissed, and I don't know if I will confiscate my house if I go on, so there is no need to say anything else." When it came to ransacking the house, Mr. Wu had another thing in his heart to say: "Mr. Da, you must save some money." Hu Xueyan remained silent, but Mrs. Luoshi was touched. After thinking for a while, she was about to speak, but Hu Xueyan spoke first. "You are not convinced, but I came up with an idea for you." Hu Xueyan said to Mrs. Luoshi, "You might as well give it a try if you have a business." "Do you want me to go back to my old job?" Mrs. Luoshi thought that Hu Xueyan was trying to persuade her to continue to do embroidery business. "No." Hu Xueyan replied, "If you are interested, you might as well cooperate with Yingchun to speculate land and build alley houses in Shanghai, or partner with foreigners to open a foreign company specializing in foreign jewelry, clothing materials and furniture." "That's right. Both of these two professions can make use of Fourth Sister Luo's strengths." Mr. Wu expressed his deep approval, "Mr. Da stumbled, and Fourth Sister Luo came to start a career. It can be regarded as a loss and a harvest." "I will rely on you in the future." Hu Xueyan joked to himself, "I never thought I would 'eat slippers' when I grow old." "Is it ugly or not?" Mrs. Snail gave him a blank look. Both Mr. Wu and Hu Xueyan laughed, "However, these two businesses are not small businesses. Mr. Da, you should plan early while you are still in charge." This is still to persuade him to evacuate his belongings and leave him somewhere else. Hu Xueyan is unwilling to do this, but he thinks it is necessary to remind Mrs. Snail. "She owns her own house and takes care of it herself." Hu Xueyan said, "I think, if you want to do those two jobs, you should already have capital, right?" "I don't have cash. The cash is in Fukang. I don't know how much I can get back in the future. I have a little jewelry, but it's hard to get rid of it." "Take it out as soon as possible. Mr. Tou will take it to Shanghai and leave it to Ying Chun to figure out a way." "Things are out of hand." "Where is it?" Hu Xueyan said, "Who did you send it to?" "Jindongqiao Zhu's house." Upon hearing this, Hu Xueyan remained silent and his face looked very dark.Seeing this scene, Mrs. Snail's heart sank, knowing that it was not right. "What's the matter?" she said, "Isn't the Zhu family old? Mrs. Zhu is an excellent person." "Miss Zhu is a nice person. His old lady is a character who can eat people without spit out bones." "Ah!" Mrs. Luoshi was taken aback, "Ms. Zhu is a vegetarian and recites scriptures, and her family is also well-known and wealthy, could it be—" "Could it be something that will swallow you?" "Yeah! I don't believe she would have a black heart." "Her family has always made money from black hearts." "This," Mr. Wu interrupted, "probably has a story in it. Mr. Big, isn't it?" "Yes, let me tell you."