Chapter 337 Surveillance
While Xia Zihan was discussing with Manager Lu, the concierge suddenly came in and reported, "County Master, someone from the Song family is here."
The Song family?
Xia Zihan frowned slightly in displeasure, "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to give you a gift," the concierge said.
Xia Zihan wanted to refuse the Song family's entry, but Manager Lu said, "County Master, I see, this matter needs to be decided by the old lady."
The main reason why the Chu family and the Song family communicate with each other is because the old lady and the little Zeng are sisters. Now that the little Zeng has passed away, Song Baiqing is still the old lady's nephew, and Song Huai is the grandson of the old lady's sister.
This relationship is so close, how could it be broken off just because of Song Baiqing's few words?
Manager Lu thought more deeply. Xia Zihan thought about it and felt that Manager Lu was right.
The grudge between her and the Song family was a grudge in the past life, and her grandmother did not know about it. In this life, except for the cancellation of her engagement with Song Huai and Song Baiqing blaming her grandmother for a few words, there is no deep hatred between the Chu family and the Song family.
After all, Song Baiqing is still her maternal grandmother's nephew. Although this blood relationship is not very close, it is not far away either. She cannot just break it off with just a word.
Even if she wanted to sever ties, her grandmother would have to say so.
As a junior, she was not qualified to make decisions for her grandmother.
And her grandmother has not said that she will cut off contact with the Song family this year, and she has been secretly inquiring about the Song family's information from time to time. She is probably worried about the only grandson left by her biological sister, right?
After Xia Zihan figured it out, he asked the maid to tell Mrs. Zeng, and then said to the concierge, "Wait until the old lady replies."
"My slave knows." Then he stood aside and became invisible.
Xia Zihan was no longer in the mood to discuss with Manager Lu. She pushed the list in her hand forward and said, "As for other things, you can make up your mind. Just tell me when the time comes."
Manager Lu knew that she was lazy and didn't want to use her brain.
He collected the orders on the table and said with a gentle smile, "Old slave, take this to discuss with Butler Cui. The county chief is tired, so go and rest."
"Yeah."
Thinking of that bastard Song Huai, Xia Zihan lost all energy. However, she had not forgotten about the Yuan family, so she asked Manager Lu, "Winter is coming soon. When you buy cotton for the house, buy five hundred more." Jin, I’m useful.”
"Does the county owner want to send it to the Yuan family?" Manager Lu guessed.
Xia Zihan hummed, "The Yuan family are all good." In the future, she might be of use to them.
She is also thinking that when next spring comes, she will buy a few more Zhuangzi and contract them for the Yuan family to plant.
There are many Yuan family members, but the two Zhuangzis will not allow the Yuan family to continue living the days of starvation, but now they can only make them full.
If they want to think better, the Yuan family needs to hire more Zhuangzi.
As for her, she would just help others to the end. Anyway, she didn't lack the money to buy Zhuangzi.
Manager Lu took out a pen and wrote down the matter.
Soon, a letter came from Zeng's side, saying that she wanted to send her family to see her.
After hearing this, the porter resigned.
Xia Zihan didn't want to see the Song family, so he went back to his yard first.
The visitors from the Song family were father and son Song Huai and Song Boqing. After Song Boqing met Zeng, he burst into tears and apologized, saying that his eyes were blinded by dog shit and that he didn't know what was good or bad.
He also explained that he would angrily blame Mrs. Zeng in the first place because little Zeng passed away suddenly and he couldn't bear the blow, so he would bite everyone on sight like a dog.
She lowered her posture, then knelt down and cried, begging Mrs. Zeng to forgive her. Song Huai, with red eyes, knelt beside her.
Seeing Song Boqing crying with tears and snot running down his nose like a child, Mrs. Zeng forgave him in her heart.
After all, he was the only son and grandson the sister had left, so how could Zeng really blame him.
He ordered the maid to help the father and son up.
The maid brought two more small embroidered piers for the father and son to sit on. Seeing that Song Baiqing was still very excited, Mrs. Zeng tried to persuade her again. Only then did Song Baiqing wipe his tears and stopped crying.
He handed the Mid-Autumn Festival gift list from the Song family to Zeng.
Mrs. Zeng glanced at it and recognized that the gift list was based on the list given to Chu Zhai as a holiday gift when Mrs. Zeng was still alive.
But Mrs. Zeng didn't know that Song Baiqing pawned a valuable antique from the Song family, so he scraped together two hundred taels of silver to buy everything on the gift list.
However, the two hundred taels of silver were well spent.
Not only had the rift between the Song family and the Chu family been repaired, Zeng also ordered Manager Lu to prepare a return gift that was twice as much.
And this return gift was secretly sold by Song Boqing to someone on the afternoon of the same day when it was received at the Song family.
After selling it for three hundred and fifty taels of silver, the father and son conspired to open a shop, hoping to earn some money for their own use.
There were still some items that could not be sold, such as snacks and so on, so Song Baiqing sent his confidants to secretly deliver them to Mudan.
Of course, he did this without telling Song Huai. Song Huai said, "Dad, we don't know how to open a shop, and we don't have time to manage it. Why don't we pawn a few more things and directly collect a thousand taels of silver to buy a shop and rent it out."
In this way, a rent of several hundred taels a year would be enough for their daily needs, and they could still stay without having to worry about anything.
If he loses money when opening a shop, then... this is the only money he has.
"You don't know what our family's background is like. Apart from the antiques on display, there is not much left in the warehouse."
"Your grandfather still has three heirlooms passed down from his ancestors, but they cannot be touched. Your grandfather is still here. If he knew that we had pawned the heirlooms left by our ancestors, would he be angry to death?"
"Besides, I can no longer serve as an official in the court, and this will be the case for the rest of my life, but I can't leave you with nothing, right?"
"The Song family was defeated in my hands. I hope it can rise in your hands. You must study hard and study hard. In the future, you will be admitted as a Jinshi, enter the court as an official, and carry forward the Song family."
Finally, Song Baiqing's conscience has not been completely wiped out, and he is still thinking about the future of his only son.
He paused and then said, "I saved a person before, and that person owed me a favor. He said at that time that as long as I came to ask for help, he would definitely help me once."
"This time, I'm at the end of my rope and have no other way out. It seems like it's time to ask for this favor."
"Who is it?" Song Huai asked curiously, "Why have I never heard my father mention it?"
"I won't mention it because it's a secret and you'd better not know it." Song Baiqing said mysteriously.
Then he took out a stack of banknotes, counted fifty taels, and handed it to Song Huai, "Take it to buy the edict and pen and ink. You are the hope of our Song family now. I can't let you even have the money to buy paper." No. ”
Song Huai stared at the stack of small-denomination banknotes for a while before taking it and said, "Thank you, Dad."
Later, I don’t know who Song Boqing went to find to repay his favor. In short, half a month later, a pen and ink shop opened on the most lively and prosperous street in the capital.
The shopkeeper's surname is Ma. He is as white and fat as a pig. He always has a smile on his face. He treats everyone he meets as a gentleman and treats him warmly.
However, this is just his appearance. In fact, shopkeeper Ma's business methods are very cunning. In less than a month, the business in his shop is booming. No one knows it, and he quietly squeezes out the business of the opposite shop. The business of pen and ink shop.
Xia Zihan sent Fox to investigate, but the news she got surprised her.
She said in disbelief, "You said that shopkeeper Ma is actually a martial artist, and his kung fu is not inferior to yours?"
"Well, when I went to investigate, I was discovered by him and I fought with him a few times." If he hadn't run so fast, his mask might have been ripped off by Shopkeeper Ma.
"How is it possible? How could Song Baiqing know such a powerful person?" Xia Zihan looked unwilling.
She tried hard to think about the past life, but she couldn't think of the existence of the Song family shopkeeper Ma.
Could it be that in the previous life, the Song family took advantage of the Chu family and rose from a third-rate noble family to a first-rate noble family without falling into despair, so Shopkeeper Ma did not appear?
So this Shopkeeper Ma is Song Baiqing’s secret chess piece left in the dark?
Thinking of this, Xia Zihan felt unhappy.
She finally expected Song Huai to live a miserable life that was worse than death, so how could she just watch him live a good life again.
No, Song Huai's punishment is not enough.
Not nearly enough.
"Fox, didn't you say that the pen and ink shop opposite his shop was forced to close? If we buy it, how about a price war with the Song family's shop face to face?"
Xia Zihan suddenly smiled and said.
The fox's face is covered with black lines.
"The way you kill a thousand enemies and injure yourself eight hundred is really not that good."
Xia Zihan frowned, "What should I do?" Should she just stare at the Song family and his son earning so much money every month and live a happy life without caring about it? ”
"My subordinates guess that there must be a big backer behind Song Baiqing," said the fox.
"Obviously I have nothing to lose, but I open such a big shop?"
"That shop costs at least 10,000 taels of silver to buy the space and purchase goods. But with the Song family's current financial situation, where did they get this money?"
Shi Wenting had it, but she had broken up with Song Huai, so it was impossible for her to use so much money to open a shop for Song Huai and Song Boqing.
Mrs. Pei doesn't have much left, so getting one or two thousand taels is not a problem, but if she has to come up with ten thousand taels of silver, even if she sells all her property, she will probably have to make do with it.
But a while ago, Mrs. Pei suffered such a big loss after offering her dowry, and her life was worse than death.
Now, I'm afraid she will hold on to her dowry until she dies, let alone use it to open a shop for Song Baiqing.
Therefore, the key is to get the money to open a shop for Song Boqing.
So who is it?
Fox took five secret guards and sneaked into the Song family, monitoring Song Boqing in all directions.
(End of chapter)