In the elegant and simple living room, Xu Le sat at the table, frowning slightly, and gently turning the blue and white tea cup with his right hand. Because he was thinking about things, the tea in the cup had already gone cold.
Although he had an idea in his mind, Xu Le also had other considerations. So far, the attitude of the Xiao family is a bit unpredictable. The attitude of the Xiao family was still very positive before, but recently, for some unknown reason, Xiao Zhenlin has died down a bit.
Does the Xiao family know any inside information? In the Jiangnan area, the Xiao family and the Xu family can be said to be quite close. The two families have a long history of marriage. For a long time, whenever major events happen, they almost always advance and retreat together. This time, too
We have to consider the attitude of the Xiao family.
After thinking carefully for a long time, Xu Le called his most trusted steward in and said seriously: "Xu Ming, go to the Xiao family and ask about the attitude of the Xiao family head."
Xu Minggong cupped his hands and was about to leave. Xu Le suddenly remembered something and called out to him again, "Not only Xiao Zhenlin, but also Xiao Ruxue. You must find out what Xiao Ruxue is doing recently!"
Xu Le also just remembered about Xiao Ruxue. Recently, things have been going on in South Zhili, and the bandits have been driven away. Every family is thinking of ways to make up for their previous losses. There is also the matter of the Zhejiang Saltworks. All parties are running around and anxious.
Solve the problem. But at this critical moment, Xiao Ruxue seems to have disappeared. Xu Leke is well aware of Xiao Ruxue's ability. Apart from Xiao Zhenlin and Xiao Zhenye, the only remaining members of the younger generation in the Xiao family are Xiao Ruxue and Xiao Ruxue.
Xiao Tengwen said. Normally, at this time, Xiao Zhenlin is busy with family affairs in Nanjing, and Xiao Ruxue should be helping out, but Xiao Ruxue has not been seen doing anything recently.
Xu Le still values Xiao Ruxue very much. It is also his biggest wish to bring Xiao Ruxue into the Xu family and become the daughter-in-law of the Xu family. After the steward Xu Ming left, Xu Le slowly walked out of the living room and walked through the front yard along the bluestone road.
, and soon arrived at the West Courtyard.
The Xu family's house covers a very large area. The courtyard is divided into the front yard, the back yard and the west yard. It is divided into three courtyards from south to north. There are countless tile-roofed houses. The west yard has a large pond, surrounded by many kinds of plants.
When he walked into the west courtyard, he saw some servants busy beside the wall. The beginning of spring was a good time to cultivate flower seedlings. Xu Le didn't pay much attention to it, but when he got closer, his brows immediately furrowed.
"These are the finest peonies. I spent a lot of effort to get them from Luoyang," a young man from Washington said with pride. Several young women around him giggled. One of them
She snuggled next to the man and said softly: "Young Master is really powerful. I heard that Luoyang has been surrounded by bandits recently. It's been a lot of trouble. You can get such top-quality peonies from Luoyang."
The young man blinked frivolously and reached out to touch the woman's cheek, "What's so difficult about this? As long as I want to do something, there are very few things that I can't do. If it's not just some peonies, what's the difficulty?"
The young man talked more and more happily, but he didn't know that there was a livid-faced man standing not far behind him. Xu Le's brows were beating wildly, and he clenched and unclenched his hands. He was trying his best to suppress the urge to hit someone. What was in front of him was
The young man was no one else, and he looked squarely at his third son, Xu Dehong. Although he had several sons, because Xu Dehong was born to the woman he loved most, he also doted on his third son. Xu Le had never thought of letting Xu Dehong inherit the family business. After all, he had grown up
He was young and orderly, and his eldest son Xu Dechao was very capable, so there was no reason for his third son to inherit the Xu family business.
But even so, Xu Le still had high hopes for Xu Dehong. Since his eldest son Xu Dechao and his second son Xu Dewen already had a family, he always hoped that his third son Xu Dehong could marry Xiao Ruxue home. But this younger son was not doing his job all day long.
, eating, drinking and having fun, for this virtue, Xu Le was too embarrassed to go to the Xiao family to propose marriage. He had already warned him several times, but he did not expect that this boy would not change his mind and even brought those unknown women home.
"Ahem!" In front of outsiders, Xu Le couldn't beat or scold Xu Dehong, so he could only cough twice. When Xu Dehong heard someone coughing, he didn't look back and said unhappily: "Who is it? Don't disturb me."
The young master’s elegance..."
"..." Xu Le couldn't bear it anymore, and shouted in a rough voice: "You son of a bitch, who are you talking to? And all of you, get out of here..."
..You blind people, pull out all these peonies for me and fill up the holes..."
Xu Dehong was immediately shocked and couldn't help but tremble, "Dad? You...when did you come?" As he spoke, he quickly gestured to the women next to him, telling them to leave quickly. If
If he makes the old man unhappy again, Xu Dehong will suffer the consequences.
Several women saluted Xu Le and hurriedly left the west courtyard. Without the outsiders, Xu Le rushed to the wall, pushed away a few servants, stepped on it, and a peony that had not yet bloomed was instantly destroyed.
After stepping into the soil, the flower seedlings became several sections, "I asked you to plant peonies and let you not do your job... You made me angry to death... You made me angry to death...
"
Seeing his father destroying peonies like a thug, Xu Dehong's heart was bleeding, but he didn't dare to let go. He stretched out his hand to touch the cold sweat on his forehead and muttered to himself, his father was a bit angry today, even if he was angry in the past
, would not behave in such an unruly manner. How did Xu Dehong know Xu Le's mood? He was thinking of urging his son to get close to Xiao Ruxue, when he turned around and saw his son with a few women.
, I was still getting some peonies in the west courtyard, and my mood suddenly became terrible.
After trampling all the peonies on the wall, Xu Le felt better. He glared at Xu Dehong, walked to the bluestone road angrily, raised his foot and shook the dirt on his shoes, "You, come here with me.
!”
Xu Dehong did not dare to resist, and obediently followed Xu Le to the pavilion on the pond. In early spring, sitting in the pavilion, the wind blew, and it was still a little cool. Xu Le looked at Xu Dehong, and said angrily: "You bastard thing.
Son, have you completely forgotten what I told you before?"
Xu Dehong was stunned, scratched his forehead, and said helplessly: "Dad, you have said many things to my child. What words are you referring to? Can you remind me?"
Xu Leliang stared, stood up suddenly, pointed at Xu Dehong, and swallowed back the words when they reached his lips, "You...you are really...didn't I tell you to restrain yourself?"
Are you thinking about your marriage to Xiao Ruxue? How did you agree to this?"
"Ah? What's this about?" Xu Dehong twitched the corner of his mouth and quickly took a step back, "Dad, why did you marry Xiao Ruxue like a child? That woman is arbitrary and has a bad temper, so why would you marry me like a child?
Wouldn’t it be better to have a few gentle and virtuous daughters-in-law?”
"What? Xiao Ruxue has a bad temper?" Xu Le resisted the urge to hit, and sighed seriously: "Son, can those women compare with Xiao Ruxue? My father asked you to marry Xiao Ruxue, not only for your own good, but also for your own good.
It’s also for the good of my Xu family. Over the years, the Xiao family’s property has grown more and more, and it has surpassed that of my Xu family. That Xiao Ruxue has outstanding abilities, but she is an extraordinary woman. Marry her, and the Xiao family will lose one.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a female helmsman of our Xu family? You, you, you are not young now, shouldn’t you also think about my Xu family, instead of just thinking about your trivial things?
Don't you feel ashamed seeing your eldest brother and second brother busy outside all day?"
Xu Dehong lowered his head, but he didn't think so in his heart. To say he was ashamed was nothing. Seeing this situation, Xu Le became even more helpless, "It doesn't matter if you say you can't hold up the wall with mud, I asked you to marry
You are a good wife, and you can help my Xu family, but you are still not happy? Why, do you think Xiao Ruxue is not good enough for you?"
"Dad, don't say that. It's not that I don't want to fulfill your wishes. I also want to work hard, but Xiao Ruxue doesn't give me a chance. Xiao Ruxue has never looked at me seriously. In this situation, what can I do?
Can you marry him?" Xu Dehong raised his face, looking a little aggrieved.
Xu Le was immediately angry. He suddenly felt that his third son was no match for the young grandfather in Mr. Xu’s family. They were both the kind of people who couldn’t hold up the wall. “Hey, you are really good.
Have you worked hard? Is this how you work hard? Having fun all day long, and even bringing a few women into the house to plant peonies? Do you have any misunderstanding about the word hard work? "
As he spoke, Xu Le turned around and bent over to look around. When Xu Dehong saw this, he turned around and ran away, running ten feet away. Xu Le finally picked up the broomstick next to him and turned back.
I saw Xu Dehong already watching from a distance, "Guizi, don't run away, I have to wake you up."
"Dad, don't chase me. It's not good if you flash your waist. Hey, aren't you not allowed to chase me?" Xu Dehong didn't expect that Xu Le would throw the broomstick over, so he quickly jumped to avoid it. Seeing Xu Le's anger
Running over, he didn't stop, picked up the broomstick on the ground and ran, and soon he was out of the west courtyard. Xu Le screamed angrily, but Xu Dehong took away the murder weapon, so he could only wave two
He yelled with one hand, "You son of a bitch, please return the broom to me..."
Soon, Xu Dehong's arrogant voice came from the distance, "Hahaha... Dad, are you really stupid like a child? Give me the broom back to you, and you beat me with the broom?"
"You, I'm so angry." Xu Le's eyebrows stood up in anger. Such a big movement in the west courtyard had already alerted the people in the house. As soon as Xu Le chased him out of the west courtyard, several men and women blocked the way. A good-looking man
The middle-aged woman grabbed Xu Le's arm and said very dissatisfied: "Old man, why did you start a fight with the third child again?"
The person who spoke was not Xu Dehong's biological mother, Mrs. Liu, but Mrs. Dong. As she spoke, Mrs. Dong winked and signaled Mrs. Liu to grab her other arm. It was not good for Xu Le to be grabbed by two women.
He forced himself to break free and could only say angrily: "What do you know? Is it wrong for me to let him marry Xiao Ruxue? Then Xiao Ruxue is more than enough for him. If a woman like Xiao Ruxue can become our daughter-in-law,
Not to mention that the third child will have a worry-free life, our Xu family has also received a lot of help."
"This matter..." At this time, neither Dong nor Liu could talk easily, but Xu Dechao, who came after hearing the news, persuaded: "Dad, I think we should just forget about it. Third brother
If we don’t have this intention, it’s useless for us to worry about it.”
It's okay if Xu Dechao didn't say anything. As soon as he said this, Xu Le's anger went straight to his forehead, "What the hell are you talking about? Why, the third brother doesn't want to marry, so you do..."
Xu Dechao was confused on the spot. He pointed at his nose and said with a bitter smile: "Dad, what are you talking about? My child has been married for many years, how can he still get married? Don't blame the child for the anger you received from the third child."
With the example of Xu Dechao, Xu Dewen stopped talking and just hid aside and snickered. Dong frowned, patted Xu Le's shoulder gently, and said with a smile: "What nonsense are you talking about, old man?
Fortunately, the boss is not here. If she hears it, she will definitely find her parents to make trouble with us. I know you want Xiao Ruxue to become our daughter-in-law, but you can't talk nonsense."
"Hey, madams, aren't I confused by the third child? You said that our Xu family doesn't want a woman like Xiao Ruxue. If the Xiao family marries another family, wouldn't we suffer a big loss?"
"We all understand what you are thinking, but the third child is like that. If you count on him, there will definitely be no chance." Mrs. Liu sighed and said softly: "Master, I think this is the case, otherwise we don't count on the third child. Let's go directly
If you go to the Xiao family to propose marriage, you can decide whether it is successful or not. Although the third child is useless, the status of our Xu family is not an insult to Xiao Ruxue by marrying her."
Xu Le shook his head helplessly, "It seems that this is the only way. Boss, don't be idle. Go prepare some betrothal gifts and follow me to Nanjing in two days."
Although Xu Le was worried about Xu Laosan's affairs, he did not forget the business. After giving Xu Dechao instructions, he turned to Xu Dewen and said: "Don't laugh, you can talk to other companies and ask them if they still want to
To make up for some previous losses?”
When it came to talking about business, Xu Dechao and Xu Dewen were more serious. They looked at each other and seemed to have guessed something. Surrounded by family members, Xu Le did not hide anything and told them about the official document.
Xu Dechao frowned and stated in a low voice: "Dad, I think you did the right thing this time. This matter is entirely something done by Nanjing that went too far. If we do anything to make them unhappy, they will also
Say something. Moreover, I think there should be no hesitation about this matter, and there is no need to discuss it with other families. Just ask the second brother to see the Iron Governor directly. Other families will follow suit when they see us doing this."
"Huh? Tell me your reasons!"
"Dad, you and your second brother have been in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time, so maybe you don't know much about this Iron Governor. My son has stayed in Beizhili for a long time and knows a lot about things in the north. This Iron Governor is a strange person.
, At the moment, Shanxi merchants are following his lead, and the energy he controls is definitely not what we have seen. It can be said that he has the final say in the entire Yun Mansion, and the imperial court has no influence at all over there. "
"Looking at how Iron Superintendent behaves, the sooner we get in touch with him, the more benefits it will bring to our Xu family. At least, from the current point of view, Shanxi merchants have reached out to South Zhili, and there is no way to stop them.
Yes, in that case, why not cooperate earlier? To be honest, if Shanxi merchants extend their hands to Jiangnan, we will suffer losses, but cooperation will bring more benefits."
Hearing Xu Dechao's words, Xu Le suddenly woke up.