With the help of people from the government, things are much more stable and convenient. Cheng Congyuan first proposed to buy the fields around Jinan, then repair them a little, then rent them to the refugees, and just sit back and reap the benefits. According to this , making the Ye family stand out in Shandong, unparalleled, and it is fully guaranteed to restore its old prestige. However, Cheng Congyuan is too cunning to extend his eyes far to other people's homes.
Within a year or two, Zhou Yizhi's son was admitted to Jinshi. Ye Yongjia recalled that he only had a conversation with Zhou Yizhi, and it was impossible to verify whether he had used some other means. In short, it was the Zhou family that made a great leap forward. As for the promotion, it was almost on par with the Ye family. Although the Zhou family did some disgraceful deeds during this period, they were white-sounding on the surface; coupled with Zhou Yi's promotion, even the privileged Ye family was extremely red-eyed.
But now Ye Yongjia and others have no time to take care of it. The house has become a mess. Even the good knife that was so handy in the past has become much duller, so we have to find another sharp blade.
The most important thing is Ye Long's misfortune in the court. If it is as expected by Cheng Congyuan, Ye Long will be back in two or three months, and he will hurry up to get married and get rid of his false reputation as soon as possible. But after waiting for several months, there is still no news. Naturally, after asking around a lot, they learned that Ye Long and Liu Zhennian were at odds with each other, and that he was a local wealthy family that the Liu Party wanted to get rid of quickly. A catastrophe seemed inevitable. Cheng Congyuan became even more worried and frightened. After all, Not knowing the chaos in the DPRK, sending people to clear things up without permission would only cause trouble, so I was left in a state of uncertainty, not knowing what was going to happen.
Regarding this matter, a few people were often sent to inquire in order to adapt to changes. However, he could not focus entirely on this. What was important was that Cheng Congyuan must clearly consider how to push the Ye family to its peak. He thought of Zhang Ping, There should be many stewards like him who have enriched their own pockets. He made a decision and ordered a wave of strict investigation of corruption. In the end, there were no regulations. If there was the slightest corruption, he would be tied to the hall and killed with a stick. Although he said that He was thinking about the family law, but this was just a legal explanation, and he knew what was going on behind the scenes. But even if he was like this, he couldn't find out much in half a year, so he implemented the method of exposing someone. If someone was found guilty of being greedy, he would be punished immediately. Sure enough, Within three days, the meeting hall was very lively again.
This makes everyone act cautiously, especially in places where it is very easy to get money, such as buying a house. Everyone who buys a house is a confidant of the management, and they can make a small fortune on weekdays, but no one expects that there will be The window paper was stamped. However, the paper was finally scratched into pieces with a knife.
The sun cleared from the clouds. Cheng Congyuan almost jumped up when he faced the visiting Kou Zhong. "This is the note that Manager Zhou gave me." Kou Zhong looked at the bundle of treasure notes and said.
When Kou Zhong first bought a house, he was assigned to a manager named Zhou. Later, after asking about it, he found out that this person's name was Zhou Jingshi, he was about forty years old, he had not been in the job for a long time, and he was a kind of person who was not very experienced. .In comparison, although Kou Zhong is not that old, he has already taken care of several acres of farmland in his early days. He usually deals with farmers and is more than capable of dealing with such a person.
Kou Zhong often fawned over Zhou Jingshi, and of course he also had essential things. The remaining money from shopping for things was always put in his pocket, and he himself lived frugally. Zhou Jingshi naturally became sincere to him. Trust. In addition, Kou Zhong also saved a lot of money to prepare for emergencies and take care of things at any time.
After three or four months, Kou Zhong heard that Zhou Jingshi had taken a leave of absence. According to rumors, his mother was seriously ill. He stayed outside for a few days to see how the illness was, and then decided to return. Kou Zhong was very happy and did not wait.
After thinking about it, he didn't need to bring more items with him and immediately left the house to find Zhou Jingshi's family. He had heard Zhou Jingshi talk about it before, so it was very easy to find it.
"Oh, here we come." Zhou Jing opened the door on the eleventh day, and Kou Zhong saw that his face was livid, his eyebrows were knitted tightly, and he was extremely impatient.
"Come in and talk about something."
Kou Zhong nodded hurriedly and followed in. He didn't dare to enter the house, so he picked a stool and sat on it outside. The two sat facing each other, and Kou Zhong was about to speak when he heard a painful ejaculation sound suddenly coming from inside the house. Zhou Jing panicked.
He pushed the stool away and stood up: "You sit down for a while." After saying that, he hurried into the house, and Kou Zhong could only wait in a daze.
After a while, Zhou Jingshi wiped the sweat away and continued to sit down. Beads of sweat could be clearly seen on his forehead. "I have a sore on my back," he said.
If not, I think it’s better to stop treating Ansheng.” Zhou Jingshi bit his lips and stared blankly at the room.
"Steward Zhou can't think like that! As long as it can be cured, we have to save it no matter what. There is no shortage of money..." Kou Zhong took out four taels of silver from his body neatly and stuffed it into Zhou Jingshi's hand. "Steward Zhou is worth a thousand dollars.
Wait a minute. I still have an old friend, so I will go to the shop today to grind it. It’s not too late to try this method." Zhou Jingshi looked at him, deeply moved by Kou Zhong’s enthusiasm, and his eyes sparkled.
Guang grasped Kou Zhong's hand tightly: "Brother Kou, you are so kind, I don't know how to thank you..."
"You don't need to thank me, this is a matter of duty! Without further ado, I'll take my leave." Zhou Jingshi agreed and let go of his hand; Kou Zhong walked quickly to the door, but suddenly stopped and twitched.
He turned around and bowed slightly to him before striding out of the room. When Zhou Jingshi looked over, his eyes were red and he sighed softly.
Kou Zhong walked with his head lowered. He didn't know how to cure the sores, so he decided not to go back home now and went straight to the medicine shop.
Since Ye Mansion moved to Qihe, many shops have found business opportunities and piled up around Ye Mansion, so the journey is very convenient. After only a few dozen steps, Kou Zhong saw the door of the drug store under the thick wooden beams and was stunned.
It was very shabby; once entering the shop, the stools, chairs and counters were clearly arranged inside. The floor and beams were spotless, which was very different from the outside. Kou Zhong walked directly to the counter without saying a word, and the shopkeeper glanced at him.
, as if he didn't want to see him much. After all, his hair was disheveled, not very tidy, and he was covered in sweat and smelled of sweat. In this case, he could only swallow his eyes and pretend that nothing happened.
"Sir?" Kou Zhong didn't dare to call him "the shopkeeper" and asked softly. The shopkeeper took a rag and wiped the table: "What are the guests doing here?" The shopkeeper stopped looking at him.
"I would like to ask, what is the medicine to treat acne?"
"Quite a few. There's only honeysuckle scattered here." He paused when he said it, and then moved the rag again.
"Sir, help me catch it."
The shopkeeper immediately folded the rag aside, walked to the medicine cabinet, grabbed a large handful of honeysuckle, and put it in a paper bag. He also took some licorice and put it in a paper bag. The two bags were sealed and handed to Kou Zhong.
After instructing how to use it, he recited: "Eight taels of honeysuckle, two taels of fried licorice, a total of... thirty liters."
Kou Zhong took the medicine and asked in a low voice: "I'm afraid this powder is less effective. Is there a secret recipe in the shop, and I can give you a copy? This disease is very serious."
"Of course. But it seems you can't afford it..."
Kou Zhong forced a smile and said, "Sir, just tell me the price."
"If you buy it from me for a year, it will cost you six taels of silver. You can eat it for a week and then come here to get it. What do you think?" The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and stared at him.
"Sir, won't you lie to me?" Kou Zhong thought for a while, and he didn't have a lot of money. "I lied to you? This shop is open and open next to Ye Mansion. If you dare to lie to others, it will be easy for the government to arrest me!"
The shopkeeper salivated and his face turned red with anxiety.
Kou Zhong did not respond, only stroking his hands. If he paid the prescription here, he would probably become more miserable in the future, and he didn't know what Zhou Jingshi would do to him. He was stunned for a while. Suddenly, he raised his head and bit
As soon as he gritted his teeth, he immediately took off his trousers and shook the opening downwards, and the broken silver inside fell onto the table like a waterfall.
"Okay! I'll buy this recipe, sir!"
The shopkeeper's whole body was shaken, and then he slowly stood up and pushed away the silver. "Six taels... not bad at all..." The shopkeeper put the money aside as if talking to himself.
"Wait a moment." The shopkeeper waved his hand and walked into the back room. Kou Zhong waited in front of the counter. In a blink of an eye, the shopkeeper came out with the medicine bag and handed it to him: "This medicine is good. Go back and boil it."
But..." He nodded, put a few pairs of medicines in the pocket where the money was originally placed, and looked at the six taels of silver on the counter with reluctance, as if he had some regrets. But he couldn't back down, so he had to leave the drug store immediately.
From the outside, the drug store is still very shabby. At least it's clean inside, Kou Zhong thought.
Soon, he saw Zhou Jingshi again. Lieutenant General Kou explained all the usage. Zhou Jingshi just nodded in a coping manner, hurriedly took the medicine, and then said: "Brother Kou Zhong... it's a hard work for you."
Already." Kou Zhong was about to return home. Seeing that Zhou Jing was very interested in talking, he stopped calmly. "I don't think it's troublesome. Just don't forget about me, manager Zhou..." Kou Zhong swallowed even more.
Zhou Jingshi raised his head and looked at Kou Zhong, but he couldn't figure out what he was really thinking at the moment. "Don't worry! With your words like that, I will definitely cure my mother."
Then the two of them talked for a few more words, until feeble shouts were heard one after another in the house. Zhou Jingshi had no place to sit down. After entering the house, he ordered his wife to cook medicine, and Kou Zhong also helped take care of it for a while. He was so busy.
When it was almost quiet, he took the opportunity to make a speech. Zhou Jingshi did not stay because he had many things to do, but he said, "Brother Kou, don't blame me for not being able to say goodbye." Then he saw Kou Zhongyuan go away.
The daylight was gradually suppressed by the clouds, and Kou Zhong realized that it was almost dusk. His body and mind felt as if he had just come to his senses, and he suddenly felt exhausted and sleepy. He hurried back home and walked around the house he purchased.
Fortunately, there was no official business, so I returned home and lay down on the bed first.
For a while, he couldn't fall asleep, and his mood became more and more restless. Kou Zhong sat up, thinking that he hadn't eaten for a day, so he opened the pot and saw that the bottom of the pot was clearly drying. He used a spoon to scrape some porridge stuck to the surface of the pot.
I picked up the spoon and licked it. When I turned around and saw the leftover steamed buns from yesterday on the table, I was very happy. I grabbed it and took a bite. After chewing hard several times, I managed to swallow it. After taking two or three more bites, it was really difficult to swallow.
, let it go.
This month is naturally difficult. After all, the salary has not been allocated, and I still have to travel to ten houses. I can only grab some arranged work and make a profit, but I dare not spend it and save it for the future. It is so hard, It must be difficult to eat well and drink enough, and your face will become thinner and yellower.
At the end of the month, the salary was allocated, but it was all spent by going to the drug store to get medicine. Kou Zhong sat at the table, slowly chewing the dry and hard steamed buns, his heart was shaken, and he simply took it out to eat and drink without thinking about the future. Isn't that wonderful? He immediately set out to get the key and prepare to open the box where the money was kept.
Quan just waited and watched. Kou Zhong was suddenly held back by this thought, hesitated for a while, then sat down peacefully, still nibbling on his steamed buns.
As expected, the poverty that Kou Zhong endured was not useless. However, within one month, Zhou Jingshi's old mother died of illness, and funeral expenses had to be raised immediately. Kou Zhong was very excited, but he pretended to be sad outside, as if he was in a happy mood. Not good, he entered the house with a dull head. When he saw several other stewards, he raised his head and said half-deadly: "I'm going to see Steward Zhou... I'll leave the errands for the day to others."
One of the stewards nodded, as if he acquiesced; Kou Zhong thanked him with confidence and left.
"well……"
A steward suddenly stopped him, and Kou Zhong turned around, "Are you showing off your courtesy again this time?" The steward had a gloomy face. Several people nearby sneered.
"I just..."
"It's just your mother! We can all see clearly, who is not giving us face all day long, earning money and sending it directly to Zhou Jingshi without asking! Are we not in charge? Zhou Jingshi has great power. , we dare not say anything while he is here...but you are so disgusting that it makes you want to vomit!" A slightly more tempered person pointed at him and yelled.
"I don't know what to offend the stewards..."
"Of course you don't know! Cheng Congyuan didn't beat you to death that time. This time I'm going to stab the master. Let's see what the master says!"
Kou Zhong simply ignored him and left the house. Unexpectedly, several stewards stood up and one of them jumped out and yelled: "Stop!" Kou Zhong had to stop and confront them helplessly; he was about to say something. , but the man suddenly pulled him away with one hand, and grabbed the collar of his shirt unreasonably with the other hand. Kou Zhong's face turned pale for a moment.
"Mr. Cheng's stick is not light..." The steward's eyes were wide open, showing a few bloodshot streaks, as if his eyeballs were about to burst.
"Please let me go, steward..." Kou Zhong grabbed his hand and said softly.
"Okay, I'll let go." The steward loosened his hand, but it seemed that it didn't stop there, and Kou Zhong didn't move. Then, the steward kicked him hard on his knees, causing him to lean over and fall over. On the ground, Kou Zhong gritted his teeth, hugged his left knee, looked up at the condescending steward, and smiled slightly: "Steward, there is no need to scare people... You are not very clean. If you want to sue me, the master..." Kou Zhong frowned because of the pain, hissed, then stroked his knee, "Who dares?" He raised his head and looked at the stewards.
The steward sneered a few times and took a step closer, "You really understand! We can't do anything to you, let's see how long you can live! Get out!" Kou Zhong didn't respond, silently got up and walked towards the door of the purchased house; A steward at the back kicked him hard on the waist, followed by Kou Zhong's screams.
Kou Zhong just screamed, staggered a few times and still stood firm; without looking back, he went straight out of the house.
His waist still hurt slightly, and Kou Zhong could only walk slowly to get some relief from the pain. Fortunately, it was not very far from Zhou Jingshi's house, so with a little effort, he moved his feet to the door. Kou Zhongchu knocked on the door.
I came to the door, but no one responded for a long time. At this time, Fang was busy with housework, so there was no way there would be anyone, Kou Zhong thought.
After waiting for a while, but before there was any sound, Kou Zhong shouted: "Little man Kou Zhong."
Only then did he hear the sound of footsteps. The door suddenly clicked. Zhou Jingshi looked gloomy, dressed in mourning clothes, and bowed casually.
"Brother Kou, your medicine is indeed effective, but it really can't save me... Thank you for your hard work." Zhou Jingshi trembled as he spoke, and patted his shoulder slowly.
"I'm sorry. Since I've helped the manager, I'll stick to it, so you don't need to persuade me." After saying that, Kou Zhong took out another four taels of silver and without saying a word, put it directly into Zhou Jingshi's hand, revealing
With a resolute and sincere expression: "You can use this money to buy a burial place for peace of mind... If you have some leftovers, go to the funeral... You just have to wait to buy the coffin and I will pay for it." Zhou Jing said firmly.
Looking at Yinzi, he wiped his eyes and grabbed Kou Zhong's hand fiercely, "Brother..." After saying that, he laid his face on his hands and sobbed for a long time, unable to utter a word.
Kou Zhong couldn't help but tears rolling down his face from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't figure out whether it was true or false, and then he felt an involuntary secret of joy in his heart.
That day, Kou Zhong just woke up and immediately set out to buy a coffin. He didn't dare to buy a good coffin, but settled for the next best thing because it was affordable and not stingy. After Zhou Jingshi took the coffin,
Then the funeral was held, and Kou Zhong naturally returned from the coffin shop to be a mourner.
There were many people who came to pay homage to the funeral, including those in charge of various affairs. Kou Zhong followed him all the way to the cemetery and saw people crowded in a mess and silence, so he guessed that they had not yet been buried. Kou Zhong also blocked his mouth and could only look at the scenery around him.
Although there is nothing to see.
"Kou Zhong!" Kou Zhong hurriedly turned his head, and a man rushed over with a very clear voice.
"Manager Zhou asked you to come to the front."
Kou Zhong said "Oh" and jogged all the way. People all moved out of the way without any obstruction. He opened the white curtain and Zhou Jingshi sat there with several housekeepers who purchased the house. The stewards took the initiative to bow to him. Kou Zhong
Although he remembered being bullied by these people, he could only reluctantly return the favor and talk to Zhou Jingshi. "You helped me a lot, so I asked you to come to the front. Let's bury my mother with the rest of us.
"Kou Zhong looked grave and nodded deeply in agreement.
After the coffin was buried, Kou Zhongfang said goodbye to Zhou Jingshi, said a few words, and then went straight back to Ye Mansion. Kou Zhong was exhausted physically and mentally. Fortunately, a lot of things were over, although he didn't know what Zhou Jingshi would think of him.
His attitude was good, but he was doing well in buying a house, and the situation would never change suddenly. So, he went to sleep with peace of mind.
This time he slept for a long time, sleeping from dusk to daylight, and his muscles and bones felt very weak. Hearing that Zhou Jingshi had returned to work at this time and had regained the power to purchase a house, he was ready to go to greet him.
Kou Zhong strode into the house he bought and opened the curtains. The stewards saw that his face was much more energetic than before, and his clothes were slightly neater. However, they still dismissed Kou Zhong and laughed in a low voice.
.
Zhou Jingshi was lying on the table with his eyes closed to rest. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching gently, he suddenly opened his eyes and saw Kou Zhong standing upright waiting. "I don't know that Manager Zhou is resting. How offensive...I'm going to
Let's go." Kou Zhong said hurriedly, seeming to turn around.
"It's okay!" Zhou Jingshi stretched out his arms and waved his hand: "I still want to tell you something."
"Sit down." Zhou Jingshi pulled out a chair and motioned for Kou Zhong to sit down. Kou Zhong did not hesitate, bowed slightly, and sat down slowly.
"Kou Zhong, you have helped me a lot, but you are not greedy when it comes to spending money. I trust you very much. If you agree, I will let you stay by my side and participate in some matters on weekdays. How about that?" said Zhou Jingshi.
He raised his eyes and stared at him.
Kou Zhong's eyes gradually turned into a slit, and his mouth cracked into a crescent moon; then he calmed down and said humbly: "If the steward thinks so, I would be honored. How could I not agree?" Zhou Jingshi was also extremely satisfied and patted him.
On his shoulder, Kou Zhong leaned down and let Zhou Jingshi pat him once.
"I'm afraid you haven't married yet, right?" Zhou Jingshi suddenly thought and saw Kou Zhong nodded. "It stands to reason that you are not young anymore, so you need to find a wife at this time!"
"How can a villain think of this..." Kou Zhong said with a smile.
"I think for you," Zhou Jingshi replied simply, "This matter is easy to handle. Although there are not many maids in the house, you can still find them. When the time comes, choose a suitable one and talk to the master about it.
It can be done." After hearing this, Kou Zhong hurriedly got down from his chair and said, "Steward Zhou has taken care of me to such an extent, I don't know how to thank Steward!" After saying this, he knelt down and paid respect to Zhou.
Kou Zhong kowtowed in front of Shi. After only kowtowing once, Zhou Jingshi grabbed him and said, "Why are you kowtowing? Get up!" Kou Zhong stood up with support, tears flashing in his pupils. Zhou Jingshi seemed to be moved.
I sighed for a long time.
"Brother, you know your kindness. My friendship with you is not in vain."
The corruption and bribery in the upper echelon of house purchasers was something he had never seen before. Several managers (including Zhou Jingshi) were in sync with each other and often used the name of Ye Mansion to frighten the powerless small businessmen. After buying houses at low prices,
With his income, the large amount of remaining public funds were naturally eroded crazily. The purchase of a house was also extremely generous. Kou Zhong witnessed Manager Zhou trying to please the servants of the council in order to maintain the relationship with his master Ye Yongjia, and he was very angry at every turn.
The extra taels, more than 20 taels, are all left to Kou Zhong to handle. Kou Zhong handles this kind of affairs very well. Occasionally, if there is something inappropriate, Supervisor Zhou will not take it into account, and everyone will be rewarded. Kou Zhong will not take the blame at this time.
He didn't think this move was anything like friendship. From the bottom of his heart, it was just Zhou Jingshi's way of winning people's hearts, and he thought it was not very clever.
After three or five days of busy work, Zhou Jingshi successfully asked for a wife from his master. Because he was a slave, the marriage was not made public. He just invited Zhou Jingshi over, bought some snacks, and added a few glasses of wine as a courtesy.
He didn't have to worry about future expenses. After all, he was in a high position and could spend gold and silver lavishly. He first bought a mansion outside the mansion, and secretly bought a lot of rare objects, which he also decorated on a daily basis. He lived like this in
Kou Zhong is naturally comfortable, but even so, there is always a trace of fear when he acts. When he is worried, it is as if a foot has stepped on him severely, causing dark clouds to appear in his heart, which can be said to be lingering.