The yard of the Xu family cannot be said to be big in Nanjing, where there are many mansions, but it cannot be said to be small. The three courtyards inside and outside were purchased by Xu Bian twenty years ago.
Not ambiguous. Even now, after many years, no major damage has been seen. It is just a small repair of tiles. Due to limited manpower, the east and west wing rooms that entered the yard at the end were simply locked and empty. Xu Xun
I live alone in the main house, and now I only have Rui Sheng as my companion.
As for the room in the front yard, a couple surnamed Jin lives. The couple are both hired servants. Jin Liu is responsible for the door purchase and taking care of the carriage in the stable. If Xu Xun goes out for something, he will make a guest appearance.
The driver returns the carriage; while Jin Liusao is responsible for cooking, boiling water, washing, cleaning and other chores. She will not enter the second door unless called upon. Most of the time, the couple only tend to a few vegetable plots outside the Xipingmen in the front yard. In the past, Xu Xun
I rarely pay any attention to them.
Therefore, when Xu Xun took Ruisheng out quietly that morning, he didn't see the couple who were probably working in the vegetable field at all. Walking on the street outside, he glanced at the bustling cars and horses.
Pedestrians, noticing that bright cars and sedans pass by from time to time, can’t help but say thoughtfully: “So there are so many grown-ups passing by our door every day.”
"There were more before!" Ruisheng only felt that the young master these days has not lost his temper and is much easier to serve than before, so he gradually started to speak more freely, "I heard from Aunt Su next door that when Master Hong Wu was here, we
This Taiping is amazing. It is full of nobles who want to go to court in the morning. Every day before 9 o'clock, the front door is very lively. There are waves of cars and horses passing by. It is said that some nobles have picked up nobles on the road.
The fan and sachet were left behind, and there was even money!"
"Idiot, just believe what others say. Those bosses are not short-sighted. How can they be willing to drop things every day?"
Xu Xun shook his head angrily, and Rui Sheng felt helpless, but carefully supported him and refused to let go. It was not until the intersection ahead that he pointed to a low courtyard and said: "Master, here we are, that is
Grandpa Liang’s home!”
The two doors of the small courtyard are only ajar. The paint color of the year can no longer be seen on them. The bricks on the walls are also uneven. Standing outside and just tiptoing, you can see what's going on inside. Obviously, the owner's family is very wealthy.
It was embarrassment. Xu Xun stood outside and poked his head, then went to the door and knocked twice. After a while, he heard no movement inside, he hesitated for a moment, then simply opened the door and walked in. Ruisheng followed closely behind him.
He even raised his throat and started shouting.
"Grandpa Liang, are you here, Grandpa Liang? My young master is here to thank you!"
After shouting twice, there was no movement in the room, but a loud voice came from the next door: "Who is looking for me?"
Following these words, Xu Xun looked up in surprise and saw a head protruding from the east wall. It was the old man who had saved him under the Dazhong Bridge before. The old man recognized him.
Then he immediately smiled, turned around and yelled something behind him, then he held the low wall with one hand and turned over, landing firmly on the ground without any signs of old-fashionedness.
"I thought it was who it was. Isn't this the Seventh Young Master?" The old man clapped his hands, glanced at the closed door, hesitated for a moment and then said awkwardly, "The house has not been cleaned up. If the Seventh Young Master doesn't mind,
, why don’t you just sit outside?”
"That's fine." Xu Xun was not a shy person. There was a stone table and bench in the corner of the yard, so he followed the old man and sat down. Seeing Ruisheng following him, he casually ordered, "Ruisheng, go get some wine and
Here’s the food and drinks!”
"Master, your injury is just fine, so don't drink..." Ruisheng tried to persuade him. When Xu Xun glared at him, he had to quietly glance at the old man with his eyes, but the other party just smiled and didn't answer.
He had no choice but to turn around and leave, muttering in a low voice, "If you don't care about your body, you have to care about your wallet. Now this wine costs forty cents..."
Although Ruisheng's muttering was quite loud, after spending the past few days together with Xu Xun, he already knew that he had this temper, so he just pretended not to hear it. As soon as the courtyard door closed, he stood up, straightened his clothes and looked deeply at the old man.
He bowed his arms deeply to the ground and said a word of thanks. He felt a pair of iron-like hands tightening around his arms. Then, his body was being lifted up, and then he couldn't help but say something.
The ground was pressed onto the stone bench.
"Didn't the Seventh Young Master offend the old man? It's just a simple matter, so it's not worthy of your special thanks!" The old man sat Xu Xun down, and then he sat down on the stone bench next to him, "Besides, a stroke of
I can't write two characters for Xu. Although we are not from the same clan, we still have the same surname. Now that the old man has seen it, he can't just watch from the side."
Xu Xun also asked Ruisheng about the old man just now, but Ruisheng knew almost nothing except that most of the young people in the neighborhood called the old man "good grandfather". So when he heard that the old man and himself were both named Xu, he
Naturally, interest arose.
"So your surname is also Xu?"
"Old man, my surname is Xu, which is a good name. However, there are many people with the surname Xu in Nanjing!"
Seeing the curiosity on Xu Xun's face, Xu Liang said with a smile: "There are at least one hundred and eighty Xu families in Nanjing. The ones passed down by the King of Zhongshan alone include Wei Guogong and Ding Guogong.
The most prominent one, Duke Dingguo, has always been in the capital, but there are also collaterals staying in Nanjing. Duke Guo of Wei has stayed in Nanjing for almost every generation, and there are countless collaterals.
In addition, there are many other distinguished civil servants with the surname Xu, and there are many people from the same hometown and clan. Therefore, with so many Xu family members, it is most popular to get close to each other to take care of each other, just like the person in your family who works as the director of Yingtian Mansion.
It is said that my uncle also got married to a noble family, and he worked hard for a long time to get where he is today. However, for an unknown person like me, no one cares about getting married!"
Having said that, Xu Xun felt that this cheerful old man was very interesting, and immediately laughed and said: "Uncle, you are belittling yourself by saying this. Although you are in trouble today, who knows that you will not be successful in the future? Besides, those people who live all day long
How can people think highly of someone who is like a dragon and a phoenix? To put it nicely, you are a relative, but to put it badly, people will just treat you as a cat or a dog who comes to catch the autumn wind."
"Seventh Young Master's words are a bit harsh, but they are true. The more powerful a family is, the more they look down on their poor relatives. With your auspicious words, in twenty years to the east of Hedong and twenty years to west of Hexi, this old man also hopes to be really prosperous in the future!" Xu Liang laughed!
His eyes narrowed, and those wrinkles seemed to have relaxed, "However, Master Qi, your youngest son calls me Grandpa Liang. That is polite. How can I bear it if you call me uncle? Although your family does not employ
I fetch water, but I have also worked as a helper, so the seventh young master just calls me Xu Liang. Although I call myself an old man, after all, I am still several years short of fifty."
The gray hair, the wrinkles like knives, the calloused hands, and the broken gong-like voice all clearly show that Xu Liang has experienced hardships for a long time. Xu Xun just thought that in the future, the old people in the city would like others to treat themselves
He looked younger, so he called him "uncle", but who knew he was actually less than fifty!
"You are so much older than me and you have saved my life. Isn't it right for me to call you uncle?" Xu Xun reacted very quickly and quickly suppressed the surprise. He smiled again before Xu Liang could speak.
Said, "Uncle, didn't you just say that no one paid attention to your marriage proposal? Then just think of it as me and you getting married today. If I call you uncle, you won't be as long as the seventh young master!"
"Hahahaha, then I won't be polite. But, brother Xun, don't bite me one by one, it sounds awkward!"
Xu Liang laughed out loud at Xu Xun's words, but he readily accepted the title of uncle. The old man and the young man just sat and chatted. Xu Xun was new here, and his memory was still messy.
So I took the opportunity to inquire about the situation inside and outside the city of Nanjing. Xu Liang was also an extremely talkative person. He could chat about everything from anecdotes in the streets to the big and small yamen in Nanjing.
By the time Rui Sheng came back from buying wine and food, the two of them had become friends. The wine and food were served, and Rui Sheng was waiting for the cups. After a while, after a few glasses of wine, Xu Xun gradually only took a sip intermittently, while Xu Liang seemed to have been there for a long time.
He had never drank before, but he was a bit greedy for a while. Gradually, his tongue became a little bigger, and his face turned bright red. Seeing this situation, even though Xu Xun wanted to make a cliché, he did not dare to let him drink more. He had to stretch out a hand.
Covered on the small wine jar.
"Uncle, you are getting older. Drinking too much alcohol will harm your health. It is better to exercise moderation. It is not too late to save the rest and drink slowly later."
"What's it like to drink alone? It's rare to have someone to accompany me. How can I not have a good drink!"
But Xu Liang couldn't help but snatch the small wine jar, filled the bowl in front of him, and drank half the bowl in one go. Then he said drunkenly: "When I was young, I was not restrained. Now that I am old,
There are a lot of them, what's the use of moderation? But Brother Xun, don't break the pot when you are in your prime. I have heard all the things you did outside, those gangsters like Zhang San, Li, Si Wang and Er Mazi.
, you, a son of a good family, hang out with such people and give them money, isn't it crazy? It is easier to rebuild a reputation than it is to be ruined. If you have read a book, you should understand it better than me."
Hearing this, Xu Xun couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Uncle is right, I am now a man of two generations, and I already know that I was too bastard in the past. I was young, frivolous and ignorant..."
"It's good to understand, those people are not good people, otherwise you have been lying at home for so many days, but someone has come to see you? Fair-weather friends are unreliable, it is not surprising that they sold you for a little profit! Especially you
Without parents to rely on, many members of the Xu family in Taiping are even talking behind their backs, saying that you are not your father’s biological child. In fact, they are not looking at your family’s little wealth? That clan leader of your Xu family
Master, I have always had the temper to pluck out my feathers. He is jealous of the marriage your father has arranged for you, not to mention the things in your home. Of course, he wishes you were dead. That is, he is an official in Yingtian Mansion.
That sixth master is said to be a good person. But without a good reputation or talent, it will be difficult for you to get into his eyes..."