When Shen Xiu came back from Fan's house, Wei Yan was practicing calligraphy in the study.
During the first month of the year, she couldn't sew or thread, and had nothing to do. Shen Xiu also took out pen and paper and planned to practice calligraphy with Wei Yan.
Wei Yan said: "Today the sun rises from the west, and you actually take the initiative to practice calligraphy."
Shen Xiudao: "I want to write a letter, but I am afraid that the handwriting will be ugly and I will lose face as my husband if I take it out, so I will practice my calligraphy first."
Wei Yan dipped his pen in the ink and said, "Who do you want to write to?"
Shen Xiudao: "I want to write a letter to Qu Huan and ask him to do me a small favor."
Wei Yan said: "When you mention Qu Huan, it reminds me of that steward. It would be great if he could grow upland rice this year."
Shen Xiudao: "I remember that you were very convinced of him that day. Your vision of people is always right. This upland rice should be able to be grown. But why do you care about farming?"
"I read a few more books at Mr. Meng's place and heard some things from people." Wei Yan said, "We are fine here. I heard that in some remote places, there is a lack of water and land, and the villagers can't even eat.
is the problem."
"If I can pass the Jinshi exam in the future, instead of studying for qualifications in the capital, I might as well go to the local area to get some experience. I value Ma Guanshi because he knows how to farm. If I can go to other places, I would like to ask him to help me.
Very busy."
Shen Xiu understood what Wei Yan meant, "This matter is too far away. Let's wait until you pass the Jinshi exam!"
The couple practiced calligraphy for a while, and then a servant woman came to tell them that Mr. Tao was visiting.
Tao Siqian stood in the flower hall, looking at a painting hanging on the wall and thinking deeply.
Someone opened the door and walked in. Tao Siqian turned around and said with a smile, "Brother Wei, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?"
Wei Yan politely asked him to sit down and served tea.
Tao Siqian said: "I have been at home with guests every day these days, and my stomach hurts from drinking, so I came to your place to hide." After that, he pointed to the painting on the wall and said, "Is this painting painted by Brother Wei?
, what a wonderful painting.”
Wei Yan said: "It's just a random work, not a good one."
Tao Siqian said: "Brother Wei, you are just too humble."
The two were talking in the flower hall, and Shen Xiu sent people to the kitchen twice, one to deliver snacks and the other to refill tea.
The cook smiled and said, "It's not the first time Mr. Tao has come here. Madam Shen, why are you in such a hurry?"
She thought Shen Xiu regarded Tao Siqian as an honored guest, but she didn't know what Shen Xiu was thinking.
Shen Xiu smiled and said nothing. She also knew that she was too nervous. This was her own home. What could Tao Siqian do?
Tao Siqian stayed for half an hour and then left.
When Wei Yan came back, Shen Xiu looked him carefully up and down and asked, "What is he doing here?"
Wei Yan smiled, and Shen Xiu's eyes seemed to be checking what she had lost.
"What do you think of me like that? Tao Siqian is a scholar and he won't do anything to me."
Wei Yan then smiled and said, "He just came here to have some leisure time."
Shen Xiu didn't believe it: "Is there really nothing else?"
Wei Yan said: "By the way, he asked me to go to the provincial capital to take the provincial examination together, but I have declined."
Shen Xiusong said in a tone: "That's good, we'd better have less contact with him. But what excuse did you use to refuse?"
Wei Yan said: "I said that I have made an appointment with Shen Shiqi, so I can't accompany him to the provincial capital."
"Isn't Shen Shiqi from the provincial capital?" Shen Xiudao: "Why did you make an appointment with him?"
Wei Yan said: "Shen Shiqi will come to Fucheng after the first lunar month. After he has lived in Fucheng for more than a month, we will set off together."
"What is he doing in Fucheng? And is he here to see his sister?"
Last time, Mrs. Shen did a small favor for Shen Xiu. Because of Mrs. Gu, the two parties had some friendship in private, but they did not communicate much in public.
Shen Xiu can't say she likes Shen, but she can't say she hates her either. She just thinks their brother-sister relationship is really good.
Wei Yan said: "Not entirely. The Shen family's business is very big, and there are also some businesses here in Fucheng. Shen Shiqi wrote to me a few days ago that many cotton fields in the provincial capital were flooded last year. It is estimated that this year's
Cotton will definitely rise sharply. He came to Fucheng this time, firstly, to see his sister, and secondly, he came to Fucheng to buy cotton on his father's orders."
After hearing this, Shen Xiu was moved in her heart, "Will the price of cotton really increase?"
Wei Yan said: "Shen Shiqi said so in his letter. Although he can only read, his father is smart and capable. This news should not be false."
Shen Xiu didn't speak for a long time, silently thinking about how to use this news.
She just told Mr. Huang yesterday that she wanted Mr. Gu and the others to make a loss-making deal, so she wrote to Qu Huan to ask him to provide some ideas.
Unexpectedly, I learned such news from Wei Yan.
No matter whether the Shen family's guess was true or not, she would always use this matter to make Master Gu and the others suffer.
Shen Xiu quickly made up his mind.
Before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, not a single shop was open in Fucheng. People were focused on leisure and happiness, and no one discussed business matters at this time.
Shen Xiu suppressed her temper and simply took advantage of this period of time to take stock of how much she was worth.
She added up the dividends at the end of the year and the profits from the rice shop that Qu Huan brought from the county town, and she found that there were more than two thousand taels of silver.
Although the money is not much, if it is all bought as cotton, it will be enough.
She was still planning to write a letter to ask Qu Huan to come to Fucheng, firstly to bring Sophora japonica and Liuhai, and secondly to discuss the cotton matter with him.
But before the letter was finished, Mrs. Huang came to the door, bringing her brother Huang Ziyan with her.
Wei Yan was not there, so Shen Xiu came forward to entertain their siblings.
Knowing that her younger brother was thin-skinned, Huang asked directly: "Where has Mr. Wei gone?"
Shen Xiu smiled and said: "Where else can we go? Mr. Meng has been feeling a little unwell recently. He went to visit a doctor."
"Mr. Meng, are you feeling unwell?" Huang asked hurriedly, "Are you sick?"
Seeing that Mrs. Huang was so concerned about Mr. Meng, Shen Xiu guessed the reason for her visit and said with a smile: "It's not that I'm sick, it's just that Mr. Meng is greedy and uses too many fishy things, so he's been a little drunk these days."
Vomiting and diarrhea.”
Why is it so unfortunate? Huang's face looked a little disappointed, "So that's how it is."
Shen Xiudao: "It's a pity that Wei Yan is not here. Otherwise, if he had accompanied Mr. Huang, he wouldn't have to sit here with us."
Huang Ziyan did not show any disappointment, he only said: "Brother Wei is a busy man, and Mr. Meng values him, so I don't expect him to be at home."
Mrs. Huang looked back at her brother, and then said to Shen Xiu: "My brother is a bit too down-to-earth. To be honest, sister, we are here today to ask for your help."
"I understand what my sister-in-law means. Mr. Huang is going to take the college entrance examination in a few days. Do you want to meet Mr. Meng and ask for his advice?"
Huang smiled sheepishly and said, "That's what we mean. I just don't know if Mr. Wei will agree?"
Shen Xiudao: "I will just go back and tell my husband. In fact, Mr. Meng is very approachable and will not easily refuse visits from younger generations. However, he has been feeling unwell recently and will have to wait for a few days."
"It doesn't matter if you wait a few days." Huang said, "It's still early to leave the hospital for the examination anyway, so I won't miss these few days."
After receiving a satisfactory reply, Huang took Huang Ziyan to thank Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu hurriedly gave her a hand, "Sister-in-law, you don't have to be so polite. It's just a matter of words."
"For you, it's just a matter of words. But my brother has been taking the exam for so many years and has never passed the exam. As a sister, I can't help but worry about him."
Huang still asked Huang Ziyan to salute Shen Xiu, "Your husband has passed the scholar examination early, and I'm afraid it will be a piece of cake in the future. I just hope that for my sake, you can give Mr. Wei a chance to recruit him more." A handful. When he can become a scholar and marry a sister-in-law, I will be worthy of my deceased parents."
When Mrs. Huang mentioned her sister-in-law, Huang Ziyan couldn't help but blush.
Huang said: "Why are you blushing? When you pass the scholar examination, I will ask Mrs. Shen to help you find a good girl!"
When Shen Xiu mentioned the words "good girl", she suddenly thought of someone. She looked at Huang Ziyan carefully and felt that they were a good match. She just didn't know if she would like it.