In the courtyard behind the inn, in He Lu's room, He Lu and others were also talking about Shen Rui.
"Shen Rui, you have also met, what do you think of the child?" He Lu asked after taking a sip of tea.
He Beisheng thought for a moment and said, "I'm quite sensible, but I don't know if Mrs. Sun protected her too well during her lifetime, and she was a little aloof and ignorant of the world."
"Huh?" Mr. He Lu was a little surprised: "How do you say this? Could it be that he is disrespectful to you?"
Could it be that the child was lying in front of him? He looked different in front of others? How could a child who was only ten years old have such a scheme?
He Beisheng said sarcastically: "When my son went to call Shen Rui, the teacher and student were talking, and I accidentally listened to a few words outside the door... Mr. Wang seemed to know about the second brother's incident, and asked Shen Rui if he was distracted in his studies today.
It was not because of meeting the He family. Shen Rui replied saying congratulations
His family has nothing to do with him. He is just wondering why Mr. Wang did not teach according to the order yesterday." At this point, he paused and said: "That Mr. Wang is quite good, but he just taught "The Analects" for the first time, and he can also speak it.
It is both easy to understand and thought-provoking.”
Hearing this, Mr. He Lu said with a stern face: "It's not that he is arrogant and ignorant of world affairs, and he doesn't know that the weaving factory is worth tens of thousands of gold, so he has no complaints against the He family. Instead, he has set his ambition to study and concentrates on his studies, so that he doesn't care about anything else."
Go up..." After saying this, his expression became more and more ugly and said: "Your good second brother, you think you have taken advantage of it, and you still don't know how to disgrace yourself and throw it into the capital. Even your elder brother
Brother is so embarrassed... He really thought that the Shen family was frightened by the He family, so he didn't stand up for the fourth room of the Shen family. In the final analysis, it was just to cover up the scandal for the Shen family. The Shen family would rather suffer a loss than ruin the family's reputation. You
The second brother has already fallen behind the Shen family. In the past few years since he has been running the family business, he has taken money more and more seriously, and he no longer understands the principles of life..."
Sister He Yun was sitting next to Mr. He Lu. When she heard this, she stretched out her handkerchief and felt like sitting on pins and needles. As for the elders, Ms. He Lu said it, but it was not easy for her as a niece.
He Lu glanced at her: "Mingchan has bought some snacks, so you can go back to your room and have some snacks."
Sister He Yun stood up, responded with a smile, and blessed He Bei again, then she went back to the room holding her adoptive mother's arm.
Apart from the He family's mother and son, there were only two maids aged seventeen or eighteen left in the room. One of them said to Mr. He Lu: "The tea is warm, old lady, would you like to change it to hot tea?"
Mr. He Lu nodded and said: "Go ahead, get some hot water, and then go around Sister Yun's house to see if it is properly arranged."
The maid agreed, took the tea tray, and left.
He Beisheng felt a little uncomfortable and said, "Are you too careful, mother? Good luck is what mother is most useful for. She is just talking about Sister Yun's marriage, why should she cover it up like this?"
He Lu sighed and said: "If the negotiation is successful, there is no need to hide anyone. Now that the matter has not been completed, the fewer people who know about it, the better. Although Ruyi and the two of them are honest, they must be let out. If someone
One day, I accidentally said something, and it was Sister Yun's reputation that was ruined."
He Beisheng was very surprised: "He is just the son of a small official. What has my mother done by promoting him like this?"
He Lu said Shen Rui's determination to study, and He Beisheng nodded and said: "There is a concubine who was born in junior high school at the age of fourteen. If Shen Rui doesn't give it a try, he may not be able to catch up.
.”
He is also a scholar, taking the imperial examination and becoming an official. He is very sure about Shen Rui's choice, but he doesn't care about his niece's rejection. After all, it is not a formal marriage, it is just a mention.
He thought of He Lu's words just now: "Why did Mom mention Beijing? Then Mr. Wang is not from Shaoxing Prefecture. How can he have anything to do with the capital?"
He Lu said: "He is the minister of the Ministry of Rites and the eldest son of Wang Hua, the champion of Xin Chou Ke."
Hearing this, He Beisheng couldn't help but open his mouth and said after a while: "Is this number one scholar worthless? Why do these number one scholars come out all of a sudden? Brother Xie Liu is the number one scholar, his father-in-law is the number one scholar, and this 'family friend' is also the number one scholar.
.”
He Lu said: "The number one scholar in Songjiang Prefecture is rare in a hundred years, and everyone finds it strange. In the capital, there is only one scholar every three years. Not counting those who become officials at old age or are demoted to local places, there are seven or eight in one breath.
None of them are unusual. These
Everyone is a leader among people, so they naturally look down on ordinary people and are willing to associate with people who are similar to themselves. Wang Shouren is only in his twenties, and Shen Rui cannot be said to be his first disciple. How can your second brother matter?
I can’t hide it from the Wang family.”
He Beisheng said: "Now that the matter has come to this, mother should not be too upset. Although the second brother is wrong, it is always for the sake of the family. It's not that you don't know that there are fourth brothers in front of you, and the third brother just wants to make a living at home."
Better."
Every family has a hard time remembering. Thinking of the bad things that happened in his family's past, Mr. He Lu said helplessly: "Why bother arguing with that despicable person? You won't gain or lose respect."
The late old man of the He family originally had five sons, including the eldest son, the second son, and the third son. The fifth son was the direct descendant of the He Lu family, and the fourth son He Ping was the son of a foreign wife. Although it was included in the genealogy and the ranking of brothers was stated, he did not follow his brothers.
Name. Among the official families in the Jiangnan area, it is not unusual for the He family to value their direct descendants over their concubines. Like the Shen family, all children and grandchildren, regardless of their direct descendants, study together. They are considered a very kind family.
Although Mr. He had some pity for his concubine, he did not have the intention of "suppressing his legitimate sons and favoring his concubines", so he asked He Ping to learn business from the family steward early on, hoping to leave the general affairs of the family to him and help his legitimate sons.
In his view, "everything is of inferior quality, but studying is the only one that is high." The legitimate children only need to study well and shine on their family.
He Lu's view is different from her husband. She is the head wife, so she understands the importance of money. She cannot tolerate letting a bastard control all the money in the family. Even though He Ping is quite talented in business, Xiao Xiao
Age, years of effort,
He increased the property of He Ping's father-in-law by 50%, but this only made the old lady more and more fearful. He Lu knew that in the long run, even if He Ping's business was only about business, for the sake of money, his sons would have to watch it even if they didn't say anything.
He Ping's expression.
It happened that He Nansheng, the second son of the He family, failed in the imperial examination. He passed the examination as a boy, failed in the provincial examination, and failed twice in the provincial examination. He was deeply affected. The third son of the Shen family ruined his body by studying hard and passed away within two months of passing the imperial examination.
The third wife, Mrs. Zhang, was so sad that she followed her husband without waiting for the funeral.
Because of the pain of losing her son, Mr. He Lu refused to let her husband force her children and grandchildren to study.
After the death of Mr. He, the He Lu family found a way to seize the management power of He Ping, and let the second son take over the general affairs of the family. This has been the case to this day. And that He Ping, because he had read little, could only make a living by buying and selling, and nothing else.
The director, unable to gain a foothold in Songjiang, went south to do business.
In Sister He Yun's room, Sister He Yun was eating kidney bean cake in small bites while listening to the singing cicada and Ruyi, Jixiang talking.
The foster mother was standing by, bringing tea and saying: "Fourth sister, eat less. Just try the food from outside."
Sister He Yun smiled, finished the kidney bean cake in her hand, and then drank tea with her hands clean.
By the time Ruyi Jixiang returned, Mingchan could no longer hold back and whispered to her adoptive mother and Sister He Yun what she had learned from Wuxuan: "I heard that Brother Rui can use his skills to study, and it is especially fast and good to learn to write."
He is kind-hearted and treats others well. He is not the kind of squeamish person. Life in the monastery is hard, and Brother Rui never complains."
The foster mother clasped her hands together and said, "Amitabha, you are a sensible person. You will never wrong your fourth sister in the future."
Sister He Yun smiled bitterly and said: "It's just a child. Mom really takes it seriously. Don't mention it again. It would be terrible if others hear it."
The adoptive mother said: "Dragon is born, dragon is born, and phoenix is born. Just because he is a descendant of the Sun family, this virtue will not be skewed. It is related to the life of the fourth sister. I just want to ask a few words in private for peace of mind..."
Not to mention the thoughts of everyone in the He family, Shen Rui, who was tired from the journey, had already ordered hot water, washed and settled down, and had a good night's sleep.
The next day, Shen Rui woke up very early. Just as Wu Xuan told him last night, even if he burned his feet last night to relieve his fatigue, he still felt sore and swollen in his calves after waking up the next night. He couldn't exert any strength when walking and walked lightly
Shen Rui knew that this was because he was tired yesterday. He just knew that hiking would always have this process, and he was not a ten-year-old child, so he gritted his teeth and endured it silently.
After breakfast, the four of them left the inn. As for the Lu family, they had to rush to the dock. Before breakfast, He Beisheng came over to say goodbye to Zen Master Hong Shan, and Shen Rui came to meet them.
After leaving the county seat, the four of them continued northward along the official road.
Shen Rui walked a little reluctantly. Compared with yesterday's walking like the wind, he was now like a puppet. He only felt that his legs and feet were straight, and he shook his hips hard before he could take a step forward. Being dragged down by him, the other three
People's speed also slowed down. By the time we reached noon and stopped at a tea stall in the countryside, we had only walked eight or nine miles.
Shen Rui was a little embarrassed and drank tea and snacks in silence. He had already made up his mind that he must speed up in the afternoon and not drag everyone down anymore. Otherwise, he would not be able to reach the next county seat and would have to sleep in the countryside if he had no choice. The weather in February is now
, being suddenly warm but then cold is not a joke.
Unexpectedly, before finishing resting, Wu Xuan murmured a few words to the tea stall owner and handed him a handful of copper coins. The owner happily trotted towards a small village not far away.
Why did the boss run away?
Shen Rui looked at Wuxuan, who was eating vegetarian chicken, swallowed it, and said, "I asked him to go to the village to find a mule cart."
When Shen Rui heard this, his eyes lit up: "Want to hire a car?"
Wu Xuan raised his head and looked at the sky: "It's already noon. If you don't hire a car to drive, you will have to stay outside tonight."
Shen Rui looked at Zen Master Hong Shan next to him with some embarrassment, and asked Wu Xuandao in a low voice: "I am the one who delayed everyone by dragging them down. Will it delay the master's practice?"
Wu Xuan stared at Shen Rui for several times, then chuckled and said: "Brother, you don't think that the master really walked all the way to Kaifeng Mansion on his feet, do you? The master is a Zen student, not an ascetic, why do you want to torment yourself like that?
"
Shen Rui opened his eyes wide. Could it be that he had misunderstood?
What’s the point of traveling thousands of miles away without preparing a boat or a carriage in advance? Is it just to walk dozens of miles and then go to the next county town to hire a carriage?
Wu Xuan was already laughing loudly: "Brother, I really dare to think that it is two thousand miles from Songjiang to Kaifeng Mansion, and a round trip is more than three thousand miles. Walking there and back will not tire you to death."
Shen Rui twitched his lips and said, "Brother Wu Xuan said that Master walks overland to Kaifeng Mansion every year... He also said that Mr. Wu and Brother Wu Xuan walk to Yingtian Mansion and Songjiang."
Wang Shouren and Zen Master Hong Shan were nearby. After hearing this, they both looked at Shen Rui with smiles on their faces.
Wu Xuanren smiled and said: "We are walking, but when we are tired, we can hire a car or hitchhike. The eldest brother didn't ask anyone to drive him, but he just likes to be quiet and walks casually. When he encounters a place with beautiful scenery, he will
Rest for two days."
Shen Rui was speechless after hearing this. After getting along with him for nearly three months, he knew Wang Shouren's nature to some extent. Sometimes he was very strict about etiquette and rules, and sometimes he seemed to be extraordinarily free-wheeling. This way of traveling far away was indeed what he could do. He couldn't help but look at it again.
I took a look at Zen Master Hong Shan. People of the same kind flock together, and things are divided into groups. Zen Master Hong Shan took a common road to Kaifeng Mansion. He chose the land route not just to see the scenery. Isn’t this old monk seasick?
Then I heard Wang Shouren say: "Don't think about things. Walking when you are not tired, and riding in the car when you are tired are not the right thing to do, and they have nothing to do with your practice. If you hadn't brought us three burdens, Master would have hitchhiked a long time ago."
Miles."
Shen Rui realized that he had indeed overthought things. Wang Shouren said that one cannot understand the taste of life by sailing in a hurry, but he did not say that everyone should walk to the end.
Shen Rui didn't know whether he should be disappointed or relieved. His originally tense mood relaxed.
At this time, the tea stall owner had trotted back and bowed to Wu Xuan: "Brother, our village is the only one with a mule cart, but the handlebar type means that at this time in the county, the round trip is more than seventy miles.
The livestock will be affected, and the crop work will be delayed for most of the day. This cost will be at least 80 yuan.
." At this point, he pointed to the half-year-old boy who was following behind him and said: "This is a handlebar-type bicycle. If the boy thinks the price is reasonable, he will go back and hand over the handlebar-type bicycle set.
Your Majesty, just wait and see at the tea stall, there won't be any passing carriages."
Wu Xuan said: "Eighty coins is eighty coins. I think you farmers don't expect this to make a living, so you won't fool people." As he said this, he took out a bunch of money from his bag, counted out forty coins, and handed it to them.
The tea stall owner said: "Here are forty coins, which will be considered as a deposit. The rest will be paid when we get to the place."
The tea stall owner took the copper coins, gave them to the young man, and sent him to call a taxi.
Wu Xuan paid for tea again, and the tea stall owner hurriedly waved his hand: "I just collected twenty-eight cents from my little brother. It's already more than the tea price, so I don't dare to charge more."
Wu Xuan laughed and said, "That's why I bothered you so much that I came to treat you to snacks. It's just a penny." As he spoke, he actually left twenty yuan for tea and water.
Shen Rui saw that he still had half a bunch of copper coins left in his hand, so he took it and looked at it. A bunch of coins was one hundred coins, and sixty of them had just been used, and there were still forty coins left. It was also heavy in the palm of his hand.
The size is actually larger than the Yongle money he saw in later generations.
Seeing his thoughtful look, Wang Shouren couldn't help but laugh and said: "It's just money, why are you staring at it like this? It can be seen that this is the first time I have seen this. How many people have touched it. It smells like copper, but I don't think it's dirty."
Shen Rui raised his head and said: "Sir, I heard that Hongzhi money is heavier than Yongle money? Why is this? Is it because too many copper mines have been opened?"
Wang Shouren didn't expect that he would ask this question. He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "It's not that there is too much copper, it's that there is not enough copper. There is too much iron and tin in it, which makes it a lot bigger, so it is heavier."
Wu Xuan said from the side: "Brother, if there is less copper, put less copper in it. Why is the money still heavier? If you put less copper in each copper coin, it will be easier to carry money when you go out. The money you save will have to be exchanged for money.
Miles."
Wang Shouren looked at Shen Rui and said, "Why is it getting bigger? Brother Rui, tell me."
Shen Rui took out a copper coin, looked at it twice, and said, "Are you afraid that if you make it too small, the coin will be brittle and easily damaged?"
The density of iron is smaller than that of copper, and tin is lighter. If it were made into its original size, the weight of the copper coin would be much lighter. However, if the proportion of copper is too small, the copper coin will lack flexibility and be easily damaged.
Wang Shouren praised: "It's hard for you to think of this, but it's true. The Taizu of this dynasty was born in Buddhism, and the people worshiped the Buddha a lot, and the folk bronze Buddhist utensils were the best in all dynasties. Coupled with the national legal system, the gold and silver utensils from the homes of officials and common people were
There are many restrictions and copperware is used
There are more and more places. Before Jinshang succeeded to the throne, there were many copper merchants among the people. They collected copper coins and made bronze wares, which was banned repeatedly. Until Jinshang issued Hongzhi Tongbao, the proportion of copper was reduced, and other things that were difficult to refine were added.
Fang broke the calculations of those copper merchants."
While he was talking, the mule cart had already driven over, and the half-grown boy was also there.
There were a father and a son with carriage handles on their faces. There were six people in total on the mule carriage, three of them were teenagers. Shen Rui and others' luggage was light. The mule-mouthed mule easily pulled the carriage north along the official road.
go.
Because there were old and young people on the cart, the handlebars drove the mule cart as smoothly as possible. Even so, the official road at this time was a dirt road after all, and there were not a few bumps in it. Shen Rui came to Daming and made a carriage for the first time.
I felt like my stomach was churning and my face turned white.
He somewhat understood why Wang Shouren made the choice he did when he was driving a long distance. Stopping and moving could always relieve his breath. If he kept working as a carriage, it was not something ordinary people could bear.
Wu Xuan saw that he looked wrong, so he took out a dried plum from his purse and stuffed it into his mouth: "The road outside the city is so bumpy, please bear with it."
The handlebar type was meant to protect the animals, and the riding whip was only for decoration and did not urge the mules. Seeing that Shen Rui was not feeling well, he slowed down even more.
Shen Rui held a few dried plums in his mouth. He felt that his mouth was full of saliva and his stomach was at peace. He asked Wu Xuan: "It's so uncomfortable to ride in a carriage, why don't you go out on horseback?"
Wu Xuan said: "Horses are big animals and need to be taken care of by dedicated people. It's just a matter of transportation in the city. What if the animals don't adapt to the local environment after traveling far away?"
Shen Rui asked: "What should I do if I go back and forth between Beijing and Yuyao?"
Wu Xuan glanced at him and said, "There's no need to ask. The canal waterway is so convenient, so you can just take a boat."
Although the mule cart was already excruciatingly slow, not much faster than walking, it was a short distance after all. The journey of more than thirty miles could be reached in just over an hour. The cart did not enter the city and settled the remaining fare with Wu Xuan.
, he took his son and turned back.
Shen Rui followed Wang Shouren and others into the city. Not far away, he saw a seven or eight-year-old girl kneeling not far away. There was a straw mat next to her, with two feet exposed under the straw mat.
Selling yourself to bury your father?
Shen Rui looked at Wang Shouren, and then at Wu Xuan. Wu Xuan was not a child of the Wang family, but was met by Wang Shouren's grandfather, Mr. Wang Lun, when he was living on the streets when he was young...
*
The click-to-vote ratio is 100 to 1, the results of the famous family are really embarrassing...please give me some recommendation votes.
Yesterday, I used a whole bottle of radar insecticide to seal all the houses. When I came back, I almost got Xiaojiu and coughed for half the night. But fortunately, there were no mosquitoes last night. I was happy.