Jin Shiqi spread his wings and jumped on the big river boat. The sailors guarding the deck came to pay homage: "Jin Dusi!"

Dusi who rewards silver.

"Shh...!" Jin Shiqi waved his hands quickly, "I want to give her a surprise!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the cabin door opened, and a familiar figure came into view.

"Ha! Why is it you!" Jin Shiqi said anxiously. The small wild flower in his hand suddenly fell outside the side of the boat and was swept away by the surging river.

The so-called "old acquaintance" on this ship turned out to be Huang Kuan - the wretched-looking uncle who had followed Xiaoyao to Guangzhou and participated in the rescue operation of Ding Laoxi.

"Huang Kuan, a humble citizen, has met Jin Dusi." Unexpectedly, Huang Kuan actually bowed his knees and saluted.

"Get up quickly." Jin Dusi said numbly, "Oh!"

"Thank you Mr. Du Si." Huang Kuan got up, came closer with a smile, and whispered: "I pay my respects to my uncle."

"Aunt... uncle?" Jin Shiqi didn't expect this man to call him that. A hint of sweetness filled his originally sad heart, "Haha. Mr. Huang has worked hard all the way, and I'm actually quite happy to see you. Sigh.

"

"I don't dare to take it seriously. It's too small to be a bad thing." Huang Kuan lowered his eyebrows and said meekly. "My uncle, just call me A Kuan from now on."

Huang Kuan then invited Jin Shiqi into the inner cabin. There were large and small rattan boxes, wooden boxes, and wicker boxes piled up in the small cabin, all tied and fixed with strings and red cloth, occupying almost half of the cabin.

For a moment, a kind of expectation arose in Jin Shiqi's heart: he imagined that Xiaoyao was hiding in one of the boxes, and then appeared in front of him charmingly, just like the beautiful girl he saw for the first time.

But he knew that was impossible, and he felt even sadder in his heart.

Jin Shiqi walked to the largest rattan box, squatted down, and while stroking its lid, he whispered: "Little parrot, are you in there?"

After a while, there was still no response from the box. Huang Kuan behind him smiled quietly. "My uncle misses Yao Gu very much."

"Yes." Jin Shiqi stood up angrily.

Huang Kuan took out a small package from the suitcase on the shop and opened it layer by layer. Inside was a strip wrapped in silk and satin. "When I arrived, Yao Gu once ordered her subordinates - she said that if my uncle and I get along,

If she is not mentioned within five sentences, I will not give this to you and just throw it into the river." After Huang Kuan finished speaking, he presented the satin-wrapped thing with both hands.

Jin Shiqi snatched it up and held it tightly in his hand. He originally wanted to be more reserved and open it again when he returned home. But the next second, his ten fingers were trembling and he tore open the blue silk cloth outside, layer by layer.

The layer was torn apart with a "click", and there was a scroll inside.

He walked to the porthole and opened it to see that it was Xiaoyao who was painted in the painting.

I saw her in a long red dress, sitting pretty on a small boat, like a bride about to get married. There was no poem beside her, not a single word, just a lonely little girl and a small boat. The boat was ethereal.

Suspended in the painting, I don't know whether I am in a river, a lake, or the sea.

But it's enough to have her there. In the painting, she is tilting her little face, looking tiredly at the man outside the painting. She still has that delicate face that seems to have been carved, and still has that charming look.

se. Jin Shiqi suddenly felt that she in the painting seemed much younger. Perhaps her overly mature mind caused some illusions in her memory.

Huang Kuan said that Xiao Yao hired the best painter in Guangzhou to paint this painting, and it took half a month. The painting work was indeed exquisite, and Xiao Yao's eyebrows and eyes were drawn lifelike. It seemed that there was some Western brushwork, which was extremely realistic.

Jin Shiqi suddenly remembered that Xiaoyao had seen her carrying Mo'er's embroidered portrait with her. Now that she had sent the portrait all the way, she naturally wanted to grab a place in her husband's arms. This was the little girl's idea.

Jin Shiqi held the scroll and looked at it for a long time, then carefully rolled it up. Then he called Jin Cai and ordered him to send it back to the house, and no one was allowed to touch it.

Huang Kuan pointed to the boxes in the cabin and said: "Now Master Ding's main subordinates and leaders are aware of the good deeds between Mr. Du and our Yaogu. You all prepared these small gifts to show your concern. We are all

Those who are ignorant are asking me to accept these crude things."

"Come when you're here, don't bring anything else with you." Jin Shiqi said politely, "Uncle Kuan, it's not easy for you to come here once. You must stay for a few more days."

Huang Kuan smiled slightly and said, "Uncle, I won't leave once I'm here, okay?"

"What?" Jin Shiqi was stunned. Will he live in his own home from now on? Will he have to take care of his food?

"It's a little reckless, this is what really matters." Huang Kuan hurriedly took out a letter from his arms.

It was a letter from Ding Laoxi. Unexpectedly, the handwriting in the whole page was like a phoenix dancing and a dragon flying, and there was a certain amount of heroism hidden in the elegance. Although Jin Shiqi did not know calligraphy, he could feel the energy coming from the paper.

But he suddenly had some doubts - he still remembered a note he received from Ding Laoxi when he was in Guangzhou, the one that said "I will castrate you even from the end of the world".

What's in front of me is completely different.

Jin Shiqi said tentatively: "Mr. Ding's calligraphy is really beautiful!"

Huang Kuan hurriedly explained: "The old gentleman cannot read a few words. This letter was written by Aunt Yao." After saying this, Huang Kuan immediately noticed Jin Shiqi's doubts. He added: "That note last time."

, was also written by Yao Gu... At that time, she held the pen with her right hand to imitate the old man's handwriting, but this time it was her usual left hand handwriting."

Jin Shiqi nodded, I see. But this little girl is really strange. I wonder what else she is hiding from him.

This letter should not be fake. The main idea was: From now on, Jin Shiqi, you and Ding Laoxi are one family, and your business is also my business. Although this Huang Kuan is dull, he is a reliable person. He followed

Grandpa, I have been here for decades, and I have learned a few things about business. From now on, this person will stay with you, firstly to help you with your business affairs, and secondly, as a liaison between you and me.

Jin Shiqi thought that Huang Kuan escorted Xiaoyao to Guangzhou and helped her desperately rescue Ding Laoxi. He had made a great contribution by going through fire and knife. Now Ding Laoxi sent him to Qianjiang to assist in the future.

His grandson-in-law, this should be considered a good job for Huang Kuan. And does his arrival also prove from the side that Jin Shiqi is valued by Ding Laoxi and regarded as the heir of the family - haha, at least a candidate -

How to treat it?

In any case, Huang Kuan's arrival made Jin Shiqi feel more at ease, and since then his cooperation with Ding Laoxi Group has entered a substantial stage.

Then he asked about Mr. Ding's current situation. He knew that the plot there was very dangerous, so he just asked a few tentative questions. Unexpectedly, Huang Kuan was very cheerful and talked a lot.

After Mr. Ding narrowly escaped death, he became even more ruthless and launched a major purge.

In just half a month, more than 20 of his subordinates who were rebellious or suspected of rebellion were dealt with. The top management of the Ding Maritime Group was reorganized, and the original eight kings were condensed into four leaders;

The management system has become a parallel system of administration and prosecution; he has also cut down many projects and transferred most of the resources to the combat system. Now he has basically controlled the situation, but the culprit Lu Baidao has escaped.

"Is Lu Baidao resurrected?" Jin Shiqi asked in shock. This was inconsistent with the news he had received before.

"He was not dead in the first place, it was the old man's smoke bomb." Huang Kuan whispered, "Lu Bai's sword is very sharp. He heard the news on the day the old man was rescued. At first he tried to strangle us, but we saw through it.

After his failure, he ran away. He gathered some remnants of the rebellious party and fled to Fujian on a few ships. Now the old man is negotiating with Zheng Zhilong and others to eliminate this trouble together."

Jin Shiqi nodded, suddenly thinking that if Ding Laoxi wanted to cooperate with others, it might not be as simple as "the rebellion of a few ships". But he was also very pleased that Huang Kuan could tell him such secrets. It seemed that they did

Treat yourself as one of your own.

…

On that day, Jin Shiqi hosted a banquet for Huang Kuan in the old town of Qianjiang and introduced him to his family. Huang Kuan met Jin Shiqi's two younger brothers and respectfully called him "Second Master" and "Third Master".

He kowtowed carefully. When he met Butler Sun, he also bowed down.

Later, Butler Sun accompanied Huang Kuan to Jin Shiqi's temporary residence, and led several soldiers to deliver dozens of gifts brought by Guangzhou to the inner hall.

Su Mo'er heard the noise outside and came out with a kitten in her arms. She saw some men checking the goods in the hall. Just as she was about to retreat quietly, the soldiers rushed over to pay homage and respectfully greeted her.

Greetings little lady.

Butler Sun then introduced Huang Kuan: "This is Mother Su in our house." He then gave Huang Kuan to Su Mo'er, "This is Mr. Huang Kuan, the errand sent by Mr. Ding from Guangzhou...

...He is from the Ding family, as you know, Mother Su. This gentleman will stay in Qianjiang and work with our master from now on."

As soon as Butler Sun finished the introduction, Huang Kuan took a step forward, knelt down respectfully, and kowtowed carefully, "My subordinate, Huang Kuan, has met Mrs. Su."

When Mo'er heard that he was sent by the future wife's family, she felt a little confused. When she saw him giving such a great gift and calling him such a name, his face turned red.

In fact, according to the rules, only Jin Shiqi's wife can be called "Madam". Su Mo'er is a concubine, so calling her "Mrs. Su" is already an honorific title. If she is called "Mrs. Side" or "Mrs. Su"

", that's even more of a compliment.

Su Mo'er knew in his heart that Huang Kuan's title was not casual. He must have been prompted by his former master.

Although she was a concubine, the status of concubines in wealthy families at that time was also divided into high and low. The first was based on family background, and the second was based on proximity to the master. Those with low status were only slightly better than slaves, and paid a few dollars more per month.

It's just money. Those with high status can enter the house, and the only difference between him and the eldest wife is one status. Now that Huang Kuan was called "Mrs. Su", coupled with his status as a member of the Ding family, Su Mo'er immediately felt a little happy.

There was some fear again.

"Don't dare to call me false, just call me Su Niang." Mo'er said hurriedly, "Ah, sir, get up quickly."

Huang Kuan stood up and bowed again, "When I came here, my young lady told me in every possible way that my uncle now has a concubine by his side. She is someone whom I cherish very much, and my subordinates will respect her greatly when they see her."

Mo'er smiled slightly, "Sure enough...Miss Ding's thoughts are delicate, and she is thinking about this all."

Huang Kuan nodded, "When my uncle was in Guangzhou, he mentioned Mrs. Su to the young lady many times. You and your uncle shared the same hardships when you were in Liaodong. After many life and death experiences, we came all the way to Guangxi together. Now Su is also in this house.

Madam, you are holding on to it with all your strength. My young lady is naturally full of praise, so I and other subordinates also know a little bit about this."

Mo'er was naturally happy when she heard Jin Shiqi mentioning herself in front of the woman. But hearing Huang Kuan call him "aunt" one after another, he felt as if someone else's name was written on his things, and he felt a little unhappy.

"My master is very kind, and this is my blessing." Mo'er said softly, and a hint of fighting began to appear in the air.

She slowly sat down in the hall, placed her hands on the table casually, and said softly: "Actually, I just followed the master all the way. I dare not take any credit. Nowadays, I am busy with building a house and doing everything, and I rely on the housekeeper for everything."

I'm so busy working, my wife is only responsible for some chores in the inner courtyard, just to make the master worry-free. But the master's wealth is getting bigger and bigger, and the house cannot be without a housewife. I also hope that the young lady will get married soon.

.”

Huang Kuan hurriedly said that his subordinates were all looking forward to the early marriage between the two families, and in the future, Miss and Mrs. Su would become sisters, and this would be a blessing for the subordinate servants. Then he took another one from the "gift pile"

The exquisite small box was carefully placed on the side table. "Mrs. Su, those next to it are all small gifts from your subordinates. Only this one is extraordinary. It was prepared by my lady personally and given to Mrs. Su."

.”

"Oh, even me?" Su Moer smiled sweetly. But she didn't look at what was in the box and immediately asked Xiao Tao to take it to the room. She took the gift list from Jin Cai's hand,
To be continued...