Chapter 29 Bleak foreign field (1-2)

When Mei Teng Geng opened Guangji Hospital, Hu Xueyan donated a large sum of money, so he and Mei Teng Geng were old friends, and immediately said: "Since you are staying at Mei Teng Geng's place, I will send someone to inform him and ask him Tell Hurd that we will see him tomorrow morning, and ask him to ask Hurd when it is convenient." "There is no need to ask anyone to go. Fortunately, it is not presumptuous to go to see a doctor at night. It is safer for me to go there by myself." "Alright! Hard work, hard work." Hu Xueyan asked, "Have you eaten yet?" "I was so busy that I forgot to be hungry. I'm really not hungry."

"I'm not hungry either, I'll wait for you to come and eat together." "it is good!" "Ruixiang, send Master Gu down." Hu Xueyan suddenly asked again: "When did you send this gift?" "The end of the year and the beginning of application." Rui Xiang replied, "Dean Mei sent someone to send it." "At that time!" Hu Xueyan frowned and said, "According to the reason, I will give you a meal." "I didn't give you a meal." Ruixiang said, "I gave you a first-class pot, four kinds of snacks, and a basket of honeydew flat peaches. My wife told me to pack them." I sent an eight-fold reward letter and asked him to tell Dean Mei that our master is in Lingyin, so we don't know the identity of this foreigner, but he is a good friend of our master after all. Dean Mei is like himself Just like a human being, please ask him to take the trouble to serve you, and when our master comes back tomorrow, we will thank him face to face."

Rui Xiang and Card Card quacked and explained the matter clearly; Hu Xueyan felt that Mrs. Luo Shi handled it quite decently, and said with satisfaction: "Fortunately, I didn't ask her to go to Lingyin, otherwise, no one can take care of it. " "It's also fortunate that there are no weak soldiers under the strong general." Rui Xiang heard that she was praising her, Gu Yingchun smiled sweetly, and then turned her head away.Gu Yingchun also laughed, so that two crow's feet appeared at the corners of his eyes.When Ruixiang sent Gu Yingchun back, she said to Hu Xueyan: "I don't want to come here. I have already taken care of the small kitchen and prepared some delicate and refreshing dishes; please tell me, where are the meals?"

"Just stay here." Hu Xueyan said again: "I didn't know you were so fierce! Women are strong, it's okay; fierce, you can't, you will suffer." "When a wife is in charge of the house, there must always be someone who will be the villain for her. Could it be that the wife will be the villain herself, and we will speak good things for others?" Hu Xueyan felt that her words were irrefutable, thought for a while and said, "You can't be stupid even if you are a villain; what kind of slut is not sloppy, does it sound bad or not?" Ruixiang blushed, and wanted to argue, but there was really no reason, so she froze there, looking at a loss.

Hu Xueyan dropped another sentence: "'People must regret themselves and others will insult them.'" He said: "If people say to you: I am 'small' and you are 'big'! You are a big young lady with a big face. Hold, hold on?" People in Hangzhou call the young girls "big young ladies", which is when they feel the most empathy; Ruixiang is ashamed and regretful, her eyes are red, and she is about to cry. "Hey, hey, hey!" Hu Xueyan was very surprised, "You tell people not to cry, but you are about to cry yourself. Why? Could it be that I have spoken too seriously."

Hearing this, Ruixiang immediately shed tears, took out a handkerchief with a white silk embroidered with a Daphne flower under her arm, blew her nose and said, "Who is crying?" Go to the front and have a look, what's the status of the seats?" Ruixiang agreed, took out a box of tooth cards, poured it on the mahogany square table, and then got out of the cabinet.Hu Xueyan took the tooth card "Pass Five Passes" alone to pass the time, and when he couldn't figure it out a few times, he changed a few times and asked about his future. So according to the verse of the tooth card magic number: "The whole set of tooth cards is opened one word, how many openings are there in the middle, and three times in a row are clearly recorded, and the upper and lower sides are cut." The first time I got sixteen openings, and the second time I got more. There are 21 openings, but for the third time, there is only one pair and one pair of split phases, a total of six openings.

Hu Xueyan is familiar with it, and he can count it as "upper, upper, middle and lower".I can still remember the poems roughly, but I have to find a book to read "Xie" and "Buan".I found the "Yipai Shenshu" of "Langui Qingwan", and opened it to see that the poem is "Smooth sailing and rising in time, steady sailing for thousands of miles in Jingchuan, if the sail turns with Hunan, the downhill horse will rein early .” While reading it, I thought to myself: "It's interesting." Looking down, "The answer is: don't worry about doing what you want, the success is in front of you, there is no disadvantage in doing what you do, and you have to deal with it everywhere." When I saw the last sentence, I couldn't help but suddenly slapped table, and said loudly to himself: "Today, this number is amazing!"

At the end of the speech, someone interjected: "What are you doing?" When she looked up, Mrs. Snail in front of her was stepping in with her hand on the little girl's shoulder, followed by Ruixiang. "The customers dispersed?" "Not yet, but every table is accompanied by someone." Mrs. Snail said, "I heard that the seventh brother-in-law came and went out. I don't know if there is something important, so I came to see—" "He went to Mei Tenggeng's place, and he came back as soon as he said a word." Hu Xueyan then looked down at the "broken" after "resolved".

"Duan said: The evening fragrance of the yellow festival, the preciousness of the Qing festival, the echo of the passing water, the rapid retreat of the torrent." Hu Xueyan understood the last four words;At this moment, I unconsciously thought about it carefully. Mrs. Snail also often watched him count, but she was not as serious as she is now, and she seemed to be preoccupied, so of course she was deeply concerned. "Ruixiang, go and make a glass of rose mint dew. I'll hangover." As he spoke, he sat down opposite Hu Xueyan and asked, "Tell me the number you made up." "Today's number, The more I think about it, the more reasonable it becomes." Hu Xueyan said: "Let me say that my sailing is smooth, but when the time comes, I will close the awning. When will it be?" Your Excellency, when Sir Zuo is no longer the governor of Liangjiang, I will 'take the reins of the downhill horse early'."

"anything else?" "There are also these two sentences, which are also very accurate: 'There is no disadvantage in doing what you do, and you have to deal with it everywhere.' Paving the road with money will naturally lead to no disadvantages." "anything else?" "That's 'quick retreat.'" Mrs. Snail nodded, took a big sip of rose mint dew and said, "I think only the word 'quick retreat' is the best. It's 'downhill' and 'horse', you can't hold back the rein even if you want to. " Hu Xueyan was about to answer, when someone outside reported: "The old man is back." "Ruixiang," Mrs. Snail said as she stood up, "Bring someone over for dinner."

"Is it all right?" Hu Xueyan also stood up and went up to him to ask. "It's settled. Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock to see Hart. Then he will go to Lingyin to pay his respects at noon after finishing his official business." "What about eating?" Mrs. Snail asked hastily. "It's a matter of discussion." "Yes, yes, discuss it carefully." Hu Xueyan raised his hand, "Let's talk here." Gu Yingchun sat down beside the desk and said, "I not only met Mei Tenggen, but also Heard. He said that this time he came to pay his respects to his birthday, and he still had something to talk to my uncle about.” "What's the matter? It's still too early to pay the principal and interest of the HSBC money!" "It's the cocoon's business." "Well," Hu Xueyan asked, "why doesn't Jardine come here?" "That said, we came prepared. We have to think of a way to deal with it." "Of course." Gu Yingchun said again: "Uncle, when are you free?" "If you want to say nothing, It’s not free any day.” Hu Xueyan replied: “He came here from Beijing all the way, of course it’s up to you, we can only see what he wants.” “Since my uncle said so, wait for him to worship in Lingyin at noon tomorrow. It’s his birthday, invite him to the house for dinner, and take him around the garden by the way.” "I think so too." Hu Xueyan asked: "It's better to eat Western food, or Chinese food." What comes out will not collapse." "Come, come!" Mrs. Snail shouted: "Come and sit!" "Here we come!" Hu Xueyan came over and said, "Tomorrow at noon, the chief tax officer, Hede, will come to eat western food. The cook should be brought by Ying Chun. The table is convenient to place. What to prepare, it is best to explain it as soon as possible." How many people are there?" "There are four hosts and guests." Gu Yingchun replied. "Yingchun," Hu Xueyan asked, "You mean, the big class from Jardine is also invited?" Upon hearing this tone, Gu Yingchun asked back, "What do you mean by uncle?" Might as well!" "I think the preparations should be there," Mrs. Snail interrupted and said, "Maybe Hurd brought him back?" Foreigners do not have the habit of taking unexpected guests with them.Mrs. Snail is not an expert in social etiquette in this area; but it's always good to be more prepared, and maybe think of someone else to invite at the moment, so that you won't be stretched.Therefore, Hu Xueyan nodded and said, "Yes, prepare a few more copies." After speaking, the prime minister sat down and drank red wine; Gu Yingchun looked at the purple wine poured into the crystal cup and said: "This wine needs to be iced, so that the taste will come out." Come on ice." It turns out that the Hu family, like Ouchi, has its own ice cellar.Count nine cold days, pour hot water into a square wooden box made of materials, wait until the outside and inside are crystal clear, and freeze solidly, and place it in a cellar that has been dug extremely deep and covered with straw. .At this time, Hu Xueyan explained that of course the cellar was opened in advance. This will inevitably waste a lot of hands and feet and waste time, Gu Yingchun is quite disturbed, but he knows that Hu Xueyan's temper is getting more and more willful, and it is useless to persuade Yin Yin, so he has to let nature take its course. Taking advantage of this time, Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun carefully studied all aspects that might be involved in the meeting with Hart the next day.At that time, Mrs. Luosi had already returned to the front, waiting for the banquet to see off the guests; in the Jingshen Pavilion, Ruixiang presided over the chiseling of iced wine and the ordering of dishes, and she was seen coming and going, as graceful as a butterfly, attracting Gu Yingchun's attention from time to time. Look away. Hu Xueyan saw it in his eyes, and felt more and more that the thought that moved in his chest just now should be realized as soon as possible.When he was seated, he looked at the dishes on the table first, and asked, "What else?" "There are also Jinxiang longevity noodles and Eight Immortals Shangshou soup." Ruixiang replied, "The old man and the old man still want to eat. What? I'll explain." "Enough, enough." Gu Yingchun said, "It's already too much for two people to eat eight kinds of dishes; no matter how much they eat, they will be too full to eat." "What is Eight Immortals Shangshou Soup?" "It's Bazhen Soup." Rui Xiang smiled and said, "Today is a good day for the old lady, so I will change the name of it." "Okay, I got it." Hu Xueyan replied: "I want to eat something sweet, you go to the small kitchen and have a look, and bring it back when you're done." This is Hu Xueyan deliberately sending Ruixiang away, because what he wants to say to Gu Yingchun is temporarily inconvenient for Ruixiang to know. "The old lady said that everything is going well on this birthday, the only fly in the ointment is that Seventh Sister didn't come." "It's better to have a fly in the ointment." Gu Yingchun replied: "Zeng Wenzheng's name is 'Qiu Que Zhai', especially to seek the fly in the ointment. That's the way to keep the surplus and keep the peace. After Prince Jin became the emperor, he set I bought an antique, called a 'dream vessel', it couldn't be filled with water, and it would fall over when it was full." Hu Xueyan didn't understand the deep meaning in his words, so he asked himself: "How is Seventh Sister?" "It's nothing more than being sick and prolonging life. Western medicine says: stroke treatment is more important than taking medicine; the first thing to take care of is the heart. She just can't calm down, and it's useless to persuade her." "Why?" Hu Xueyan asked: "Why can't you calm down?" "Uncle, you know her, she is so strong in everything. Since she fell ill, the family is no longer as organized as before. She can't get used to it." , I want to direct, but I can't speak clearly, the girl and the old lady are not as good as she wants. You think, a patient is worried all day long, and still gets angry, is it bad?" At this point, Gu Yingchun sighed, Put the wine glass down. Hu Xueyan couldn't help apologizing for bringing up unpleasant things, which caused him to lose his drinking, but because of this, he had to talk about it in depth. "anything else?" "Also, she is always worried about me; she often says she's sorry, because she's sick in bed and can't take care of my daily life. I said, don't think so, it's helpless; besides, there are Girl and old lady, I can command by myself. She said: "People who don't care about themselves are different after all." She also said: "It's a great misfortune for a middle-aged man to lose his wife. If you have a half-dead wife there, you have to worry about me instead. It's double." It’s a big misfortune.’ Often she would cry, and I would cry too.” As he spoke, Gu Yingchun burst into tears again. "Ying Chun, what you said made me want to cry too. You are truly a so-called husband and wife, and you must be a loving couple in the next life. However, since Seventh Sister is in such a situation, I have changed my mind." "Uncle, what do you think?" "I'm thinking, I want to find someone for you. Of course, you want this person to like you, and Seventh Sister also likes it. I already have someone. Although I'm sure, you will all like it. However, women's things are sometimes very difficult. It's hard to say, especially when you ask for a concubine, you have to be more cautious, so I think that after a while, I will ask Fourth Sister Luo to go to Shanghai and discuss it with Seventh Sister face to face. Looking at it now, I think this matter can be a foregone conclusion . " Gu Yingchun's heart was in a state of turmoil with those words, he didn't know whether it was joy or fear?To calm down and figure out a clue, first of all, in Hu Xueyan's mind, who is the person who "already has"? As soon as he asked, Hu Xueyan replied: "Which one is there, of course it is Ruixiang." Gu Yingchun was both surprised and delighted, the shadow of Ruixiang floated in front of his eyes, and Ruixiang's voice sounded in his ears, and infinite reverie suddenly arose. "Ying Chun," Hu Xueyan asked, "What do you think, will Seventh Sister like her?" "I think, probably." "And you?" Gu Yingchun smiled and didn't answer, he just took the wine bottle from the ice bucket to pour the wine. "I'm right! Both of you and your wife will like this person." "You can't say that." Gu Yingchun carefully searched the words that Qigu's grandmother had said since she got sick, and said sadly: "Mr. Uncle, there is something that I have to mention. Ah Qi never mentioned that he would find someone for me." This made Hu Xueyan startled, and thought to himself, since Grandma Qigu feels deeply sorry for not being able to take care of her husband's daily life; at the same time, she also feels that she does not have a capable helper to run the house for her, so since she has always seen broad and thought deeply Temperament, I will definitely turn it around and mention it for Gu Yingchun, and it will be fun in the middle. "Ying Chun," he asked, "Do you have any plans to please yourself?" Gu Yingchun recalled it carefully, and after re-realizing the feelings he once had, he replied very cautiously: "If I say no, I am lying. However, as long as this kind of thought comes together, I will immediately I will throw it away, and I tell myself: don't ask for trouble." "Have you talked about this state of mind with Seventh Sister?" "No." "Never talked about it?" "never." "Have you ever revealed such a tone?" Seeing him "break the casserole and ask the end", Gu Yingchun didn't dare to answer casually, and after thinking about it for a while, he said: "No." "Okay! I understand." Hu Xueyan said: "If you don't ask for a small favor, you are asking for it; if you ask for it well, it's another matter. I guess Seventh Sister's concern is not that she doesn't want to find someone for you, but this person It's not easy to find. You have to be capable, considerate, and willing to listen to her; It's always been that way, I know." Gu Yingchun felt that his words were not unreasonable, so he didn't want to test his wife's tone.Immediately changed my mind, this matter must not be taken lightly!If the wife doesn't want it at all, won't it hurt her feelings once she says this? "Competent, considerate, obedient, and decent-looking, these four conditions, the most important thing is to be obedient. Seventh sister is well-mannered and well-versed in the world, she is always obedient, honest and useless in the world; capable and mischievous, she is a decent person, lying on the bed , if you ask someone to go to the east and want to go to the west, what can you do with her? Then, don’t you just drive her to death? Seventh sister is worried, and worried, that’s what she’s worried about. Ying Chun, are you right!” "Yes." Gu Yingchun couldn't help but admit: "Young uncle has a clear understanding of the character of the seventh person." "Let's gossip, let's talk about Ruixiang. She has three of the four conditions. She may not be considerate, but that is also a matter of your relationship in the future. If you have a deep relationship, you will naturally be considerate." "Where can we talk about the future?" Gu Yingchun smiled and took a sip of wine and said, "This matter needs to be discussed slowly." "You said you couldn't talk about the future, but I said that the happy event is just around the corner." Hu Xueyan slightly lowered his voice: "Xianhui, Ruixiang, of course we can't talk about it; but, Fourth Sister Luo and I will write a guarantee ticket for you. Listen to Seventh Sister. Do you believe it or not." How could Gu Yingchun not believe it, and how could he not like it, but he was always worried that if his wife really got in the way, this matter would be self-defeating. Judging by the look of joy and worry on his face, Hu Xueyan could of course guess what was on his mind.But this kind of situation between husband and wife can only be judged by those who share the same bed.So he no longer insisted on persuasion, let it be cold, let Gu Yingchun think about his attitude in the future, and then make sense. So he changed the topic and chatted for a while, Ruixiang personally brought a gold lacquered round cage with thin strips, opened it to see, on the blue and white porcelain plate, there was freshly made jujube paste and flower soufflé; it was taught by the cook of Prince Chun of. Then, the small kitchen brought out birthday noodles and "Eight Immortals Shangshou Soup"; a large plate of birthday noodles was fried very well, but Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun were both in response to the occasion, so just taste it. "Eat more!" Ruixiang persuaded: "It's a pity not to eat such good birthday noodles." "That's right." Gu Yingchun replied, "I'll have some more." So I put a small bowl for each of them, Gu Yingchun worked hard to add food, and it was considered finished.Hu Xue took a sip and said, "I'll have some more." "It's a pity to spoil it." Rui Xiang shouted out, "Xiaomei, take this plate of birthday noodles, share it and eat it: the blessing of the old lady. "As he said, he personally took out a plate of fried noodles. Hu Xueyan saw it and nodded secretly.When dinner was over and tea was over, Mrs. Snail had also left for a while, and came to Jingshen Pavilion to rest; of course, there were still many miscellaneous things to take care of, and they were all handed over to Ruixiang. "I just discussed a big matter with Ying Chun, and now I want to discuss it with you." What was discussed was the matter of marrying Ruixiang; before Hu Xueyan could finish speaking, Mrs. Luoshi said, "I have already thought about it. Seventh brother-in-law, if Shi wants Seventh sister to say something, I will do it right away." "That's the problem." Gu Yingchun replied, "Of course it's not convenient for me to mention it myself; it's not appropriate for others to mention it." "How did you see that?" "People say that she can't say anything she doesn't want on the surface, but she has a lump in her heart. It's not suitable for her illness." "I don't think Seventh Sister can do it." Hu Xueyan said to Mrs. Luoshi: "I'm going to Shanghai next month, you go with me and talk to Seventh Sister about it face to face." "Then why doesn't she want to?" I am very happy." Gu Yingchun shook his head greatly: "No, no! She will never tell the truth." "I have a way, I want Seventh Sister to speak by herself." As soon as this remark came out, Gu Yingchun and Hu Xueyan all leaned forward to pay attention, wanting to hear how she can make Grandma Qigu voluntarily take a concubine for her husband. "The solution is very easy." Mrs. Snail said: "I took Ruixiang. I just said that I was worried about her illness, so I asked Ruixiang to serve her and help her manage the house. As long as Ruixiang serves her well, everything will be listened to." If she said it, she would naturally think that there is only one way to keep Ruixiang, let her also be named Gu." "This plan is great!" Yan Huxue clapped her hands and said, "It must be done like this." Gu Yingchun also felt that this was a very appropriate way, but Mrs. Luoshi gave a warning: "Seventh brother-in-law, but I advise you not to be impatient, you'd better get away from Ruixiang first." "People are in good spirits on happy occasions." Gu Yingchun only slept for two hours that night, when he woke up, the sky was still not clear, and the chiming clock struck a straight line, and it happened to ring at six o'clock.He lives in a guest room in the garden of Hu's family, called Suochun Courtyard, where tea trees are flourishing, the heavy curtains are opened, the windows are pushed out, the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds refreshes one's spirits, and he thinks to himself, why are foreigners celebrating their birthdays this day? It is his "highlight", and he would rather go to inspect it early to see if there is anything wrong and correct it first. So he washed his breakfast, then took his attendant with him, sat in the sedan chair prepared for him by the Hu family, first inspected the six birthday halls in the city, checked them one by one, and then left Qiantang Gate to Lingyin. Pass. The Longevity Hall of Lingyin was originally designated as a place where British people come to pay their respects to their birthdays. It’s just that foreigners can’t figure out the details. Pointing, laughing and laughing, the chaos is very lively. Soon, Hu Xueyan arrived, pulled Gu Yingchun aside and said, "I see that the way of inviting me to eat Western food is not working." "how?" "I don't know how the news of Heard's arrival in Hangzhou got out. De Xiaofeng sent someone to inform me that he wanted to come to accompany him. He meant it well. How can I stop him?" Hu Xueyan said again: "This time, invite He It seems inconvenient for De to come home." Gu Yingchun thought for a while and said: "It doesn't matter, we will have a banquet here at noon, and invite him to the house in the evening." "It has to be like this." As soon as he finished speaking, there was a faint sound of gongs and shouts, and it was expected that Dexin had arrived.Hu Xueyan went out to meet him and took a look, only to know that it was Hurd who had come. It turned out that this person was extremely fascinated by the style of Chinese officialdom, so he borrowed the governor's green wool sedan chair, dressed in "guides", and hugged each other, taking advantage of the opportunity. Had a lot of official addiction. He was naturally wearing a second-grade make-up suit.There is also a big black braid on the back of the big hat with red top and flower feathers; Hu Xueyan has seen it before, so it is not surprising, other tourists and idlers, have you ever seen foreigners dressed like this?Immediately they all gathered around, but fortunately there were many servants in Hu's family, they pushed and lined up on both sides, leaving a way, accompanied by Hu Xueyan, they went straight to the Shouting Hall. So "Qingyin hall name" began to beat loudly; Hurd flicked his horseshoe sleeves, knelt down on the red felt strip in a dignified manner, got up after kowtowing, and bowed to Hu Xueyan, who was accompanying the ceremony , the conversation began. "Congratulations, congratulations." Heard said with a mouthful of Beijing film, "Where is the old lady, she should pay her birthday greetings in person." Hu Xueyan was a little hesitant. It was really a great thing to have this first foreign adult wearing a red hat go to see his mother; It's not good to be rude and make a joke, so I replied: "I don't dare to take it, I will do what I say." Hurd nodded, turned around to see Gu Yingchun and said, "I must have already said what I asked Xue Weng to say yesterday." "Yes." Gu Yingchun replied straight to the point: "Xue Weng means that I would like to invite you to his house tonight for a light meal, and we can talk in detail after the meal." "Then don't bother me." Heard said to Hu Xueyan, "Thank you." So let's go aside for tea.While we were talking, Dexin arrived; he intended to marry Nakhed, and stayed with him for a while.At noon, we had a face-to-face banquet together before returning to the city.This day was originally a relatively leisurely day, because after all, there were only a limited number of foreigners who came to pay homage to birthdays.At three o'clock in the afternoon, Gu Yingchun had already entered the city; after a short rest, he went to pick up Heder in person, and invited Mei Teng to accompany him, this was Hu Xueyan's decision. It was not yet dark by then, but the kerosene lamps on the Cuijin Hall were already lit up with a bright white light.The Cuijintang is a Western-style building with five bays. There is a big entrance in front of the building, and a fountain on the east; Come in, slowly open the screen, can't help but attract him. "This peacock is wearing a 'Three-Eyed Flower Feather'." Heard pointed at the bird's screen and said with a smile: "Li Zhongtang is not as rich as it." So after being seated, we talked about Li Hongzhang.Hurd brought the latest news that the Zhili General Administration had transferred Zhang Shusheng, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, to act as the acting governor, and the governor of Huguang was indeed promoted by Tu Zongying, the governor of Hunan. "Then, what about Guangdong and Guangxi?" "I don't know yet." Hurd replied, "I heard that Zeng Jiushuai is very interested in seeking this vacancy." "Hunan," Hu Xueyan asked again, "Who did the governor of Hunan release?" "I haven't heard of it." At this time, Ruixiang appeared lightly, gave her a blessing when she entered the door, Mr. Yuan greeted her, and then said to Hu Xueyan: "My wife asked me to tell you, the young lady has a fever, and I am afraid she has a fever. I would like to invite Mr. Mei to see her." one look." "Oh," Hu Xueyan said with a frown, "Mr. Mei is here as a guest, so I don't know if you brought the receiver with you?" "Bring it, bring it." Mei Teng even spoke Hangzhou dialect, "The handset is my eating guy, a magic weapon with me, why don't I take it with me." As he spoke, he took out a pair of handsets from his pocket and waved them to Ruixiang Said, "Let's go." "Little Miss" is Mrs. Luoshi's youngest daughter, she is seven years old, and Hu Xueyan loves her like a pearl; hearing that she is ill, she can't help but look out of her mind. Fortunately, Gu Yingchun accompanied Hede to chat, and she never slowed down the guests. "How is it?" Seeing Mei Tenggen coming back, Hu Xueyan went up to meet him and asked, "Is it all right?" "It's okay, it's okay." When Mei Teng was prescribing the medicine and instructing the housekeeper of the Hu family to go to Guangji Hospital to pick up the medicine, Hurd had already started talking about serious matters with Gu Yingchun, and the conversation was interrupted just as people were entering the table. Dining is of course according to Western rules.The long mahogany dining table is commonly known as the "big dining table". Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun equinox sit at the two ends of the table. Hu Xueyan is on the right hand of Hurd, and on the left is Mei Tenggeng.Of course, the food is very particular, but the wine is even more particular; Gu Yingchunchun intends to show off to the host, and the waiter brought the champagne and red wine bottle by bottle, and introduced to the guests which bottle was used by which French king. ; Which bottle has been old for many years, and of course the whiskey that the British love is also a very precious brand in the UK. After eating this meal for an hour, they chatted casually at first, and then they split into two pairs. Mei Teng even talked to Hu Xueyan about his hospital, saying that the number of medical services is increasing, and the hospital wants to expand, but suffers from insufficient foundation. Hu Xueyan agreed. He also said that the road in front of the door was too narrow and uneven, there were many sedan chairs and horses, there were many vendors, and the traffic was inconvenient, so he complained to Hu Xueyan a lot. Hu Xueyan promised to build the road for him, but Mei Teng even asked He asked Hangzhou Prefecture and Qiantang County for a notice to expel the vendors, but Hu Xueyan politely declined. The other pair was Hurd and Gu Yingchun, who were chatting intermittently in English, and they were talking about Chen Qiyuan, a tycoon in the silk industry in Guangdong. This Chen Qiyuan is from Nanhai County, Guangzhou. He has been doing business in the Nanyang area. In the last years of Tongzhi, he returned to his hometown and opened a silk reeling factory. The sign is called Jichanglong. It employs six to seven hundred female workers. It is sold in Europe and America and is very popular. "His silk is good because it is better to use machines than by hand." Hurd said: "It is a trend in the world that machines replace labor. I have been in China for 20 years, and my feelings for China are the same as those for Britain, or even more. Concern, because China needs help more; therefore, I want to talk to Mr. Hu about the opening of the Jardine Silk Factory this time, because I really want to make China prosperous and strong." "Yes. We all know your love for China. However, the United Kingdom emphasizes democracy, and China also emphasizes adapting to people's conditions. Just like Xi Changlong's situation, we must learn from it." It turned out that Chen Qiyuan switched to machines two years ago, which caused a great upsurge; Chen Qiyuan had to try to improve, manufacture a type of silk reeling machine, and promote it to the countryside to share the benefits of the machine with others.Hurd was preaching the benefits of machines; Gu Yingchun admitted this, but implicitly pointed out that if you want to use machines to replace human hands, monopolizing huge profits will not work. When it came to Xi San, Mei Teng even left and went ahead, and Hurd stayed; when discussing formally with Hu Xueyan, Hurd said the same thing again. "Xue Weng!" He used a Chinese official title, "Can you partner with Jardine?" Hu Xueyan was quite surprised. Jardine Matheson is a British capital, which is equivalent to an official British business. Why did it invite Chinese people to partner?Before the matter was clarified, he didn't want to express his attitude, but just smiled implicitly. "I'm talking about the silk factory owned by Jardine Matheson." Hurd continued: "They are willing to sign a contract with you, and you will supply all the silk; besides the market price, there will be a commission." Still for raw materials!It turned out that the Yihe Silk Factory had been established as early as the first year of Guangxu. He thought he was rich and powerful, and sent people to the countryside to buy cocoons. Although the price was not bad, he was also very picky. Although the thread was not bad, it was persistent, and even caused a lot of disputes. I was annoyed that several idle machines from Zhejiang Jia and Suzhou, which are prosperous silk production areas, were damaged and rusted due to poor maintenance, so they had to be shut down. But in the past two or three years, Japan's machine-made silk reeling industry has greatly developed. Last year, the Jardine Silk Factory reorganized its drums, built a new factory building, bought new machines from Illy, and prepared to resume business.In addition, there is a Chengzhou man named Huang Zuoqing who runs a Gonghe Yongsi factory. The machines he bought from France have also been shipped to France;Once these three silk factories start operation, a large amount of raw materials will be needed, and the price of silk will inevitably rise. Hu Xueyan has already spotted it. However, he is on the side of opposing the silk factory, because there is an example of Chen Qiyuan, the machine motor has always been, and I don’t know how many silkworms are raised to make silk.