Chapter 11 Meet Heling by chance

The sedan chair had already been sent away, so he walked leisurely, and as soon as he walked to the temple, he passed an inn, and a sedan chair stopped, and a person came out of the sedan chair, his back was very familiar, he calmed down and thought about it, and shouted happily: "Brother , big brother!" The man stood still, turned his head and let Hu Xueyan see clearly that it was indeed Ji Heling. "Unexpected!" Ji Heling was also very happy, "We actually met here. How did you come to Suzhou?" "I want to ask this too." Hu Xueyan said, "Brother, how did you get here?"

"I'm here to discuss this year's shipping. I've been here for a few days." "So, you don't know about the troubles in the Cao Gang in Hangzhou?" "I've heard. Although it's not my business, it has something to do with shipping. I'm very anxious, but I can't get away from the business." Ji Heling asked, "How do you know?" "This is not a place to talk, where is your house?" "Oh! Here." Ji Heling led Hu Xueyan to his residence, which was also a small courtyard. When someone opened the door and came out, Hu Xueyan was taken aback, but he didn't expect it to be a young woman.

"This is Mr. Hu! I'll change the post brother." "Master Hu!" That wonderful young woman, with a smile on her face, said, "Please sit inside." Hu Xueyan didn't know how to address her, so she just nodded vaguely, but her eyes never left her. She was not more than twenty years old, wearing a moon-white satin jacket, a long black satin vest, loose-leg pants, and natural feet. , with a long black braid hanging down her back, she looks like a servant in Tsing Yi, but her speech and behavior are dignified and stable, not like a girl, but she doesn't know her way.

Ji Heling should introduce him logically, but he never mentions it.Hu Xueyan became more and more puzzled, but in front of her, it was inconvenient to ask, so she had to talk about the troubles caused by the Cao Gang and how Wang Youling asked for help. "Okay! With You Wu going to mediate, nothing will happen." Ji Heling said with great satisfaction, "I can rest assured now." He then asked, "Then, how did you come to Suzhou?" "It's a long story." Hu Xueyan stood up, "Brother, come on, let's go out to eat, and talk while eating." Ji Heling readily agreed, "However, there is something to be arranged first." He asked Hu Xueyan, "How about you move in and live with me?"

"I'll stay here today, so I don't have to move my luggage." Hu Xueyan said, "I originally wanted to leave tomorrow, but since you're here, I'll stay an extra day and disembark outside Changmen the day after tomorrow. It's better to be quiet than to move." "Alright. I'll ask someone to find a room for you." So he called his new attendant, Chang Qing, and told him to take care of him on the cabinet and leave a clean room.Hu Xueyan was afraid that Zhou Ming would not be found when he came back, so he asked Chang Qing to make a special trip to Jinchangzhan to explain his whereabouts.

After such an arrangement, they went out together, and Yuan Dachang was close at hand, and they were within walking distance.The two found a secluded corner to sit down and chatted with each other. Hu Xueyan told Ji Heling all about the trip. "You really look like the old man under the moon you enshrine on the West Lake!" Ji Heling said with a smile, "Do all these good things." "This good thing has to be done. Sister Aqiao's heart has changed, why should I insist on staying? As for He Xueshi, I am completely 'business-like'. It can also be said to bet on a bet. If you win, everyone will benefit."

Ji Heling understood the word "everyone", which meant including him and Wang Youling, so the more he felt that Hu Xueyan was a good friend.However, he is a person who has read a few books, and he doesn't think it is a very decent thing to pull this kind of nepotism, so he refuses to express anything. "Now let's talk about the person in your room." Hu Xueyan asked, "What's going on?" Hearing this question, Ji Heling smiled, "What do you think is the matter?" He asked back. "How can I guess? Tell me yourself." "It's Ruiyun's cousin. She was originally married in Changshu. She was a widow last year and was not allowed by Wenggu. She wrote to Ruiyun and wanted to join her cousin. Ruiyun asked me what I meant. Do you think I am so stingy and want to raise someone to eat?" People who are not willing? So I took this opportunity to go to Suzhou for business and planned to take her to Hangzhou."

"Why?" Hu Xueyan said regretfully, "I became a widow at a young age." Seeing that he cherishes flowers so much, Ji Heling's heart was moved, but then he became alert, he should not be too troublesome, but nodded and said: "Naturally, we will marry in the future. If you have a suitable person, such as Chen Shilong, please pay attention. " "Okay!" Hu Xueyan agreed earnestly, "I will definitely find it for her." This paragraph was revealed again, and Ji Heling asked about the current situation: "How is the situation in Shanghai?"

"Xiaodao will not be successful, but there are foreigners behind him to back him up. It seems that Shanghai County may be difficult to recover for a while." Hu Xueyan said, "If this situation continues, it will only make foreigners cheaper." "What's the matter?" Ji Heling was very concerned about "Westernization Affairs" recently, so he looked at Hu Xueyan closely and asked, "I'll listen to you if you tell me the truth." "First, the concession was originally a wasteland. There was land and no one, and it was useless. Now that there is chaos, everyone has fled to the barren land to take refuge. There are more people, and when the market is prosperous, the income of foreigners will increase; Two, now both sides want to win over foreigners, the snipe and the clam are fighting each other, the fisherman is profiting, and the foreigners are happy to manipulate it."

"What kind of manipulation?" "It's nothing more than 'talk to people, talk to the devil'. If you want him to help you, you have to do business with him first. Now the governor of Liangjiang, Lord Yi, has decided to cut off their supply. I don't think this method will last long. " Then Hu Xueyan told a lot of "strange stories" related to foreigners in the barbarian field, which was a good drink for Ji Heling.Of course, he also gained a lot of insight. He felt that Hu Xueyan also seemed to be a little prejudiced. Although foreigners are tricky, they are tricky in terms of reason. As long as they have the reason, it is not difficult to negotiate with foreigners.I am most afraid that I will be suspicious, or that I must keep the face of the "great country of heaven". If a foreigner wants to listen to a real truth, if I insist on perfunctory with him, then I will never be able to reach an agreement.

However, this point of view has not yet been verified, and the trend spreads, it is best to scold foreigners. If the two sentences are equal, they will definitely be denounced by defenders of the law as ignorant of the difference between Yi and Xia, and even "recognize the thief as the father". "Traitor" and so on.Therefore, Ji Heling didn't have the convenience to discuss it with a close friend like Hu Xueyan. The topic changed and we talked about the political situation in Zhejiang.Ji Heling also thinks that Huang Zonghan's transfer is only a matter of time. The most obvious sign is that Huang Zonghan himself is preparing to leave office. The benefits of bad rules that should be received by him are of course pressed very hard. He stretched out his hand to fish.This is the appearance of planning to pack up at any time. "Then, brother, do you think He Xueshi has any hope of being transferred to Zhejiang?" Hu Xueyan asked with concern. "How do you know that? Don't worry about him now!" Hu Xueyan said frankly why he was so concerned.After the end of the silk business in Shanghai this time, although he has decided on the fundamental purpose and still focuses on being a bank, the port in Shanghai has a bright future and he is not willing to give up.In his thinking, with the influence of the officialdom and the foreign market, the influence of the shopping malls will be great. If He Guiqing releases the governor of Zhejiang, based on Wang Youling's relationship with him in the past, and the current relationship with him in Suzhou, No one can match the power of this officialdom, no matter what kind of business you want to do, no matter how capital is allocated or the pass is passed, there will be no disadvantages. "So now I must find a way to spot the limelight and make preparations early. If He Xueshi is put in Zhejiang, there is no hope. My situation will shrink, and I will hold on to the purpose of steady and steady. If it is possible to put it in Zhejiang, it will be reliable. Yes, I still have a lot of tricks to come up with.” Hu Xueyan added, “It’s not for this reason, I left behind a lot of chores waiting to be done in Shanghai and Hangzhou, and went to Suzhou to deal with people like Xiaogouzi, so I won’t go crazy Yet?" With that said, Ji Heling naturally had to think seriously about him.He nodded, opened his mouth immediately, drank his wine and thought carefully. "I think there is hope." Ji Heling first mentioned a conclusion that made Hu Xueyan happy, "Now they are on the list of Yiwei, they are very united, and the few outsiders have caught people who are not willing to let go easily. Jiangxi The governor, Zhang Fu, is the biography of Yiwei, one of the "Ten Sons of the Mumen" under Mu Zhang's family. He was dismissed in the first month of this year. Last month, Zheng Dunjin, who was on the same list as them, was immediately promoted to Henan. Now the two governors of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are both Yiwei. I heard that the governor of Jiangsu, Xu, has declined, and there has been news of his transfer. It's a plan. According to this, it is very possible for He Xueshi to pick up Zhejiang. There is another layer, and this gentleman is willing to pick up his own people." Ji Heling said, dipping his chopsticks in wine and writing "Huang "The word naturally refers to Huang Zonghan. "How do you know?" Hu Xueyan, who was listening attentively, asked. "This is the same as the Shipping Bureau where I picked up Xuegong." "Ah! 'One word awakens the dreamer'!" Hu Xueyan suddenly realized, thought for a while, and said, "Not only is there hope, it is almost certain." He went on to put forward a set of deeper opinions. Huang Zonghan is a sinister and scheming man. Although he is popular now, he has many enemies. Since he has many "sicknesses" during his tenure as governor of Zhejiang, he naturally has to worry about who will be his successor? "Officials and officials protect each other" was originally a common practice in the eighteen provinces of the world. If the predecessor made any mistakes, the successor would always try to make up for it.It is not uncommon for some well-known officials to make a deficit, and even the superior instructs the successor to try to clean it up for him.There are only two exceptions, one is that there is a conflict with the interests of the predecessor, and one has to plan for oneself, and the other is that the predecessor has enmity and happens to take revenge. What Huang Zonghan has to worry about is the latter situation.Although the governor of Zhejiang is said to be under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, the governor is stationed in Fuzhou. The governor of Zhejiang is truly the highest governor of a province. There is no room for a buffer.So according to this situation, Huang Zonghan must try to find someone with friendship to take over his job, and there is nothing to say about He Guiqing's friendship with him. "Yes! I think about the same." "However," Hu Xueyan questioned again, "If the higher-ups want to reuse He Xueshi, and Governor Xu of Jiangsu wants to transfer, then why not put He Xueshi in Jiangsu? Wouldn't it be logical for people and places?" "No! There are two reasons for this. First, He Xueshi often talks about military affairs at memorials in Jiangsu, which hurt Governor Xu. They are the same year, so they have to avoid suspicion, so even if the superior wants to send him to Jiangsu He is afraid that people will say that he wants to talk about military affairs because he has the intention to replace him, so he will definitely not do it." Ji Heling took a sip of wine and said, "Secondly, the governor of Jiangsu wants to lead troops to fight, and he is currently the number one in military merit. The chief envoy, Jillhanga, worked very hard in the small knife meeting in Shanghai. According to my opinion, if Governor Xu might be transferred, Jillhanga would probably take over from him." After this analysis, Hu Xueyan felt more at ease. He Guiqing would definitely be the governor of Zhejiang, but it was only a matter of time.If you come late, it will be bad for you, but it will be helpful to Ji Heling, because it must be transferred to a warehouse assistant in the middle, and Ji Heling can get a lot of convenience when he checks and accepts the rice shipped by sea in Tongzhou in the future. After all this, he had the joy of being able to come from both sides, so his drinking and talking became better. After getting drunk, Fang and Ji Heling went back to the inn to rest. When I got up the next morning, I asked the clerk. I heard that Ji Heling had gone to pay a visit early in the morning, and left a message that he must come back at noon, and asked Hu Xueyan to wait for him.Sitting was boring, and I had to wait for Zhou Yiming's news and meet Aqiao sister, so I decided to go back to Jinchang Inn.He also left a message, saying that he would come to see Ji Heling in the afternoon. Before going out of Changmen, I went to see Sister Aqiao first, told her about the situation, and said that I had to stay one more day, which was good news for Sister Aqiao, she decided to go back to Mudu immediately and bring her brother to see Hu Xueyan. "That's good! We can do it all. But you can't do it alone. When Zhou Ming comes back, I'll ask him to work hard again and go back to Mudu with you." Hu Xueyan said, "I'll see you later. See my big brother who is in charge." So Sister Aqiao followed Hu Xueyan back to Jinchang Inn, bringing a large bag of clothes with her, some of which were given to her by her little sister, and some were made fresh in the past two days.The Pan family set up a chopping board all year round and hired two seamstresses, who were paid by the day.Except for the three festivals, new clothes are made every day.It's very convenient because it's close to the water. Of course, Sister Aqiao knew Hu Xueyan's temper, so she would not wear the old clothes that were given to her in front of him.The newly made dresses are not as novel as the ones on the market, but they also have the same advantage, that is, they are solemn.She simply changed her hair and face, and washed all the lead, and only combed a very shiny hair, with a jade hairpin in her bun, and a pair of bead rings on her ears. Strangers would not be able to detect it when they saw it. A breath of wind and dust. Just when she had just dressed up in Jinchang Inn and followed Hu Xueyan to meet Ji Heling after preparing dinner, the person who wanted to see arrived first.After being introduced by Hu Xueyan, Aqiao's sister was very respectful, which made Ji Heling like her very much, and he was full of praise in front of her. "Xueyan!" When Sister Aqiao retreated to the inner room, Ji Heling couldn't help but said, "I know a little about Liu Zhuang's physiognomy, this beautiful lady who is aging, really has a good fortune." "That said, I did the right thing." Hu Xueyan smiled, "Looking at her walking a few steps, her skirt doesn't move, she is very stable, she looks like Mrs. Zhang Yin." "Otherwise—" Ji Heling stopped suddenly. "Why don't you continue?" Hu Xueyan couldn't help asking, "This 'otherwise' has a lot to say." Ji Heling thought for a long time, then shook his hand and said, "Don't talk about it! It's just confusing people. Anyway, it doesn't matter if you 'lost the east corner and harvested the mulberry elm'." Hu Xueyan understood the idiom he quoted, which means that it is a pity to give up Sister Aqiao, but there is also compensation, and this compensation naturally comes from He Guiqing. A compensation is taken very seriously. The autumn harvest depends entirely on spring plowing, and he feels that from now on, he has to work hard on He Guiqing again. After thinking about it, he changed the topic, but it is still about He Guiqing and Sister Aqiao. "Brother!" he said, "I have something to ask you. I want to ask you to write a letter." "To whom?" "He Xueshi! This letter must be beautifully written. It's better to say 'Four Six'—" "Why do you want to come here?" Ji Heling interrupted him with a smile, "You are really testing me. I need to find books for parallel prose. To put it bluntly, it is nothing more than a sacrifice. Why do you come to "Pei Wen Yun Fu" or something like that?" Book?" Hu Xueyan didn't understand what he said, but he could roughly guess that it was embarrassing.Hu Xueyan also knew that not everyone would be able to do the neat "four six", so he felt a little remorseful, and rashly brought it up, embarrassing Ji Heling. "Leave it alone!" Seeing his thoughts, Ji Heling changed his words hastily, "I have no choice but to give it a try. Tell me, what do you mean?" Hu Xueyan was overjoyed, "That's it," he said, "First, thanking him is naturally a polite gesture of admiration; second, just say that Sister Aqiao lives with Pan's family, and I owe him a favor, so I ask him to do it for me." Thanks!" "Third," Ji Heling said with a smile, "Trust him to take care of the beauty!" "I have such an idea, but I don't know how to say it?" "I will tell." Ji Heling said with great confidence, "I'll think about two allusions, and vaguely reveal something to him." "Yes! That's it." Hu Xueyan said with half envy and half emotion, "This pen of yours is really powerful. When I was a child, I read two poems in Mongolian Museum: 'Others carry swords, but I have a pen like a knife. .' At that time, I was thinking, how can a brush be as powerful as a sword? Now I know that the sentence engraved on some pens: 'Sweeping thousands of troops' is really good." "It's not necessarily that powerful!" Ji Heling thought of Hu Xueyan's shortcomings from this, "There is something I wanted to tell you a long time ago. According to your current situation, you really need to make good use of a few people. Although the peony is good, the green leaves support it. , relying on you alone, even if you have three heads and six arms, there will be times when you won't be able to do it yourself." These words scratched Hu Xueyan's itch, "Here!" He patted his thigh and said, "I have wanted to ask my elder brother for advice for a long time. And I have also planned, I want to use two people, one can replace me The person who came out to socialize, this person is Liu Bucai, and the other one is able to write for me. In Huzhou, there is a person surnamed Huang. He originally said that he would go to Hangzhou with me, but because of other reasons, he dismissed the proposal. .I think his ability is limited. Now I have to discuss with my eldest brother," he said with difficulty, "I really don't know how to use these people." Ji Heling thought about Hu Xueyan's situation carefully, and he could clearly see his "problems", so he said from a distance: "Let me be honest, you don't study much, and you don't know how to break the scene. It’s useless to have money, you need people, it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand, as long as you respect those who understand, it doesn’t matter if the people you use are incompetent, as long as you are willing to spread the reputation of employing people, there will be people with good skills, and you will vote for your sect.” Then, Ji Heling started from the story of "Thousands of Gold and Bone" and talked about the gangsters under Meng Changjun's sect.As Hu Xueyan listened, his heart was ups and downs, and he had a lot of enlightenment.When Ji Heling finished talking, he couldn't help admiring, feeling quite enlightened. "I understand!" Hu Xueyan nodded again and again, "It's not the same thing for me to run around like this! We need to build a large and comfortable place, and it doesn't matter if you don't do anything for three years to support people who live in work. One thing is worth raising." Three years for him." "You really understand!" Ji Heling said with great satisfaction, "That's what the so-called 'menke' is. The salt merchants in Yangzhou have a lot of legacy from Meng Chang, you might as well pay attention." Hu Xueyan didn't answer, thinking carefully in his heart. After a long time, he stood up abruptly: "That's it! This time I go back, I want to change my approach." "How?" "Employee!" Hu Xueyan clapped his hands together and said, "I'm in the old camp, and I only go out when I have to." "That's right! Only in this way can your scene be set in motion." Ji Heling said again, "I'll help you!" "Naturally." Hu Xueyan said, "Brother is my Zhuge Liang." "I don't dare to take it." Ji Heling smiled, and then seemed a little uneasy, "You are originally an open-minded person. If I advise you, you have to be counted on yourself, and you will make the scene too big all of a sudden. It’s unsustainable, that’s not my intention!” "Brother, don't worry!" Hu Xueyan felt better than Ji Heling at this time, "As long as the transfer is within a few hundred thousand silver, there will be no trouble." "As long as you are sure." Ji Heling stood up, "I'm going back. Get that letter out for you early." "Isn't there a date, or a visit?" "nothing." "Then why not do it here?" Just as they were talking, Sister Aqiao heard it, and she also came out to stay with the guests and invite them to have a light meal. This is nothing to do, and Ji Heling agreed. "There's no need to prepare too many dishes." He said, "I just want to eat one thing. Is there any Lu Jianjian nearby?" "Lu Gaojian is everywhere." Aqiao said, "I asked them to buy sauced pork." "It's not the sauced pork, it's the thing that boils the sauced pork and seals it." When the sauce pork was boiled in a large pot, when it was time to simmer, in order to prevent the smell from leaking out, the mouth of the pot was sealed with noodles. Although the thing was edible, it was not elegant, so Sister Aqiao laughed and said: "This is Sell ​​it to beggars!" "You don't care!" Hu Xueyan knew Ji Heling's temper, so he rushed to say, "Just ask people to buy it." So the topic turned to Lu Gongjian. Hu Xueyan and Ji Heling had the same confusion. They didn't know why the deli shops in Suzhou that sold soy sauce, meat and lo-mei all used Lu Gaojian for their market recruiting. Are they many branches of the same owner, or are they like Zhang Xiaoquan in Hangzhou? Like the scissors shop in China, there is really only one, and the rest are fakes? "Of course there are many counterfeit ones!" Sister Aqiao said. "Why is it called Lu Gongjian? It's a strange name." Ji Heling asked, "There must be a saying in it." "yes--" Sister Aqiao seriously told the story of Lu Gongjian, which is a myth.It is said that the ancestors of the Lu family first set up a small shop selling sauced meat. There was a beggar who would come to beg every day.The beggar later slept in the open under the eaves of his house, and one day he suddenly disappeared, leaving only a broken straw bed, abandoned in the corner of the house, and no one took care of it. Once, when the meat was about to be cooked, the owner of the house realized that a strong fire was needed to finish the cooking.It is best to use firewood, which is called "rice firewood" by Suzhou people.There was nowhere to look for rice firewood for a while, so I happened to use the bed of broken straw to recommend it. Who knew that the bed of straw recommended it to burn, and the sauced meat in the pot smelled fragrant for miles.That's how the business started.In order not to forget the original, it is titled Lu Gaojian. "The stalks are the manuscript. This name is inscribed by ordinary people." Ji Heling said, "But I don't understand. Why can this bed of straw be called the smell of sauced meat for several miles?" "Naturally, it's because of the immortal spirit." Aqiao said, "This beggar is not a real beggar, but Lu Dongbin descended to earth." "It turns out that Lu Xian played in the world." "Nonsense!" Hu Xueyan said with a smile, "When a person develops, there will always be some bizarre stories. The same is true for a prosperous business." "It's enough to be proud of being able to ask people to make up such an absurd story. I hope that future generations will also have many bizarre legends when they mention Hu Xueyan." "I don't want the fame behind me!" Hu Xueyan replied casually, "I just want to be famous in my lifetime, and one day my Fukang signboard will be seen everywhere, just like Suzhou Lu Gongjian, then my life will not be in vain." "It's not impossible. It depends on whether you can make up your mind!" Ji Heling encouraged Brother Changping. Hu Xueyan blurted out: "It's up to me to decide, and it's up to people to make things happen!" "These two sentences are well said!" Ji Heling admired greatly, "Xueyan, your speech is really extraordinary." "Brother, don't flatter me." Hu Xueyan said happily and modestly. "I'm not flattering you. These two sentences of yours are indeed words of insight. As the idiom says: 'People plan things, but heaven makes things happen'. If you can't be your own master, what kind of a hero is it? Just like you ! If you don't make up your mind to suffer first, you will never suffer again!" These few words made Hu Xueyan's face burn, and he felt that his praise was really deserved, and the original meaning was that "it's up to God", and whether things can be done or not depends on others.However, Ji Heling interpreted "in people" as "getting people", which was not his original intention.However, this explanation is indeed cleverer than the original intention. "There is only ambition, but you can't know and employ people. This is called 'aspiration with great talent and few talents'. People like that are born with distress!" Ji Heling paused and said, "When you have no ambition, you consciously bury your talents and are full of complaints. If there is a chance Coincidentally, it's as big as it gets, but it's even worse!" "This—" Hu Xueyan, who was listening attentively, asked in a voice, "What's the point?" "This principle is called 'climbing high, falling hard'! He climbed up by chance, or someone else deliberately promoted him to the stage. It is not a matter of being able to hold on to the stage. It's easy. If you fall down, you won't die, and your nose will be blue and your eyes will be swollen. So this kind of person with great ambition and talent is troubled no matter what!" Ji Heling said again, "Based on historical facts, there are many reckless heroes. Yes, Cheng Wang proclaims himself emperor, and in the end he has a dream, and his life is in danger, and most of it is the loss of these four words." Hu Xueyan comprehended these discussions and had a great understanding. Every time he talked with Ji Heling for a long time, he always felt that he gained a lot. Of course, he also deeply enjoyed the joy of being friends. Wang Youling's feeling of being together is quite different. "To tell you the truth, my knowledge is really lower than that of my elder brother." He said convincingly, "It is really necessary to study for a human being." "'All insight into the world is knowledge'. Just reading dead books and doing stereotyped writing, and thus making a fortune, is not as good as someone who doesn't know a word but understands the world." "Brother's words are another complaint!" Hu Xueyan knew that officials from Kejia looked down on the donated class, but those who were capable in the donated class also looked down on the nerds in Kejia. "You say he's complaining, but it's okay for him to say he's being honest." "Let me be honest," Hu Xueyan suddenly remembered, "It's also very serious, big brother, are you planning to 'end'?" Ji Heling is a student who is commonly known as a scholar. "Xiaochang" refers to the rural examination, and he naturally planned to pass it. "'Jiuchang' is not easy," he said. Even if you are lucky enough to go to the township examination, there is still an examination. Where does this money come from?" "What are you afraid of? It's all my business." "As far as our friendship is concerned, I really have the ambition to fight the autumn wind, and I must tire you. However, it is really meaningless to think about it." "Why?" Hu Xueyan urged him, "Jiayin this year, and Yimao next year will be the year of the competition. There will be more than a year of work, so I just need to work hard." Ji Heling thought about it for a long time, shook his head and said: "In troubled times, you can make a name for yourself anywhere. Why do you have to go to the test field to get your background? The more troubled the world, the more opportunities there are. The reason, I think, you must be better than I still know." This is another revelation. Hu Xueyan thinks about it. Sure enough, doing business by oneself is related to the current situation. In a peaceful and prosperous age, it may not be so smooth. There is no way to show talent, maybe you just live a mediocre life and rot with the grass and trees. With emotion, he couldn't help blurting out: "Talents come out in troubled times!" "Someone has said that." Ji Heling expressed his approval, "In the five thousand years, the most talented people were at the end of Qin Dynasty and the beginning of Han Dynasty when Wei, Shu, and Wu were divided into three parts. At that time, it was a troubled time." "What about now?" Hu Xueyan said, "It can also be said that it is a troubled time. I don't know how many talents have been produced from the perspective of future generations?" "No less! Just talk about the present, Xueyan, don't underestimate yourself, like you are a rare talent." Hu Xueyan smiled and said nothing, at this moment, sister Aqiao came to treat her to dinner, the dishes ordered in the restaurant were very rich, and another large plate of sauced meat recommended by Lu Gong naturally included that unrefined food. "Come and eat together!" Hu Xueyan said to Sister Aqiao. "How can there be such a rule?" She thanked with a smile. "There are no outsiders." Ji Heling interjected, "It's the first time for Xueyan and I to go to Suzhou, and I want to hear you talk about the local customs." Hearing this, it would be too much to ask for politeness.Sister Aqiao thought to herself, since she has to take care of the table anyway, it would be awkward to stand, so it's better to sit down. So she played sideways as a companion, pouring wine and serving dishes, performing the duties of the master, and talking about family affairs with Ji Heling at the same time.Women in Suzhou are good at eloquence, and sister Aqiao has experience, so Ji Heling thinks that she has a good choice of words and a pleasant voice, which is good for her. As a result, a meal of wine took a long time, and it didn't end until after four o'clock.As soon as Ji Heling left, Zhou Yiming followed. The matter of Aqiao's sister had been negotiated smoothly, and the "deal" could be "dealed" only after "payment". "Congratulations, congratulations!" Hu Xueyan asked Sister Aqiao with a smile, "You have taken off the shackles." "Thanks for Mr. Zhou's trouble!" Sister Aqiao thanked Zhou Yiming, and then said apologetically, "I'm afraid I will have to excuse you tomorrow." So Hu Xueyan explained on his behalf, asking him to accompany Sister Aqiao back to Mudu and bring her brother out.Zhou Yiming naturally agreed without hesitation. After this detailed discussion, it was time for dinner again, Hu Xueyan left Zhou Zhouming to eat, and he only drank tea to accompany him, chatting and thinking about things in his heart.After making up his mind, he asked leisurely: "Old Zhou, let me ask you a question, have you ever thought about what it would be like to be developed?" Zhou Yiming couldn't answer, "I haven't thought about it." He said frankly, "One day is one day!" "I've always thought about it like this, for example, what kind of official should I be, and what kind of wife should I be looking for?" "I have one in my hometown." Zhou Ming said, "My woman came to my house when I was a child. She is two years older than me. She is very virtuous. I have always wanted to pick her up, but it has always been unsuccessful." "There's always a reason for this. Tell me, why didn't it work?" "Isn't that easy to understand? After all, it's money." Zhou Ming said emotionally, "In the past two years, I've been alone, running errands for others, and I can't settle down anywhere. Think about it, don't dare Do something reckless like that." "So, what do you want to be able to pick up your woman?" "There is hope now." Zhou Yiming changed into a gratified expression, "Thanks to Mr. Hu for taking care of me. This trip to Yangzhou, I will find a good job. If it is reliable, I will have an income of two hundred taels of silver a year. Take my woman out and let her live a few days in peace." "It's nothing." Hu Xueyan said, "According to my opinion, a person like you must have an income of fifty taels of silver a month, so as not to wrong you." "How can there be such a good thing?" Zhou Ming said, "If anyone gives me this number, I will be with him forever." "Is this true?" Zhou Yiming answered casually, but now that Hu Xueyan looked serious, he dared not answer casually. "Let's talk casually." Hu Xueyan slowed down his tone, "It doesn't matter." Having said that, Zhou Yiming had to seriously consider it. Seeing Hu Xueyan's expression, he couldn't figure out his intentions, so he could only answer like this: "If Master Hu wants me, I will naturally be happy." "It's not like that, it's not like that!" Hu Xueyan shook his hands and said, "I don't like to force people." "I'm telling the truth. It's really a pleasure to work with Mr. Hu. Not to mention fifty taels a month, half of it is what I wish for." Seeing his sincerity, Hu Xueyan revealed his original intention. He said that he wanted to use Zhou Yiming, which was his decision after talking with Ji Heling that day.He plans to calculate the annual salary and send Zhou Ming 600 taels of silver every year, depending on the surplus at the end of the year, he will also give bonuses at his discretion.He asked Zhou Yiming to think carefully before answering him. If he didn't want to, he still thought of Yangzhou, and he would forgive him, because the errands at the Lijin Pass were "official people". "Who wants to be that kind of 'official person'? I don't need to think about it carefully. I can tell Mr. Hu right now that everything is as ordered." "Okay!" Hu Xueyan said happily, "This way, we are our own people." However, Zhou Yiming felt restrained when he came, and it was inconvenient for him to drink by himself. After eating in a hurry, he cleaned up the table by himself, and then asked sister Aqiao about her itinerary for tomorrow. "I entrusted sister Aqiao to you." Hu Xueyan said, "When the documents are established tomorrow, you accompany her to Mudu. After the matter is over, you bring his brother to Shanghai. I will copy Shanghai and Hangzhou later. I'll give you the address." "Then," Sister Aqiao heard, came over and asked, "What about you?" "I see what Brother Ji means." Hu Xueyan replied, "I will stay with him for a day tomorrow, probably in the morning of the day after tomorrow, and we must leave. Now that Lao Zhou is taking care of you, you can take it easy and stay in Mudu for a few more days. What will you do next?" I asked Lao Zhou to talk to you. All in all, 'Send the Buddha to the West', I must settle you down, and I will forget about a major event." One is that in front of Zhou Yiming, Sister Aqiao did not want the "secret agreement" between her and Hu Xueyan to let outsiders see the clues; made a statement. "What's 'Send Buddha to the West Paradise'? I don't understand!" Regardless of whether she really didn't understand or pretended not to understand, anyway, she didn't appreciate the kindness of "sending the Buddha to the west", but it was clearly visible.Hu Xueyan also noticed that he was a little sloppy in his words, so he didn't mention this matter very wisely, and only said to Zhou Yiming: "Please come back early! If you have any unfinished business, you'd better take care of it early. I will There is a saying that I want you to be counted first. I have to "rob" when I do things. I can be fine for ten days and a half months. If something happens, I will do it. Let me say something unreasonable, sometimes I will let you go home I don’t even have the time to say anything. Of course, I will take care of your family, and I will take care of all the big difficulties. Anyone I send out to work, say a word of politeness: no worries. Old Zhou, you follow Me, you must keep this in mind." "Master Hu—" "Slow down!" Hu Xueyan quickly interrupted him, "The address needs to be changed. My 'Grand Master' was bought with money, not a real 'Grand Master' who sits and asks questions. If someone who is irrelevant calls me like this, although I feel ashamed, since I have a "ministry certificate", I am still an official, and the imperial court system is there. There are only big bosses and second bosses. But I don’t like to separate out bosses and buddies. I have two other ‘friends’, one is Liu Qingsheng and the other is Chen Shilong. They are both my best friends. Helper, they all call me Mr. Hu, so you can call me that too. In other places, I want to learn from you. In business, I say something crazy, you have to learn from me. This 'Mr.' means you learn from me Mr. Business." “喔唷唷！”阿巧姐在旁边作出蹙眉不胜，用那种苏州女人最令人心醉的发嗲的神情说，“闲话多是多得来！” “话虽多，句句实用。”周一鸣正色说道，“胡先生，我就听你吩咐了。” “就这样了。你明天一早来。”