Subversion of the plot [Comprehensive]

Chapter 42 "Du Niang"

Originally, Ping An planned to wait for Li Jia to complete the household registration before giving the money, but Shi Niang shook her head.

"It's not that I still trust him, it's just that if we have no money, how can you and I buy a house? If there is no house, where will the household registration be?" It is because the two of them are fireworks girls who have no land and no place. Accepted, so the household registration will be hung under Li Jia's name.If Li Jia is ruthless, he can dispose of the two of them at will on the grounds of household registration, so there is the gentle policy of Shi Niang last night.After all, even good citizens with clean net worth, there are many examples of being betrayed by their fathers, brothers and elders.

It's not that there is no money to buy the house, but Li Jia can't let him know, so it's embarrassing.

After all, Ping An was worried about the two young women going to pawn, and there was really no one to protect him, so he could only come up with an idea: "Let Li Jia go with us, and just say that the pair of jade bracelets were given by Yue Lang. I Now go out and look for houses for sale, regardless of good or bad location, even if it is a thatched cottage, buy it for a few taels of silver, and get your household registration by the way."

Shi Niang immediately understood her intentions, and felt that it was better than her previous idea, so she agreed.

When Li Jia came back that night, Li Jia's eyes were filled with joy when he said this, and he hired a car to go to Baoxiang to pawn together the next day.As expected of a time-honored brand, Baoxiang offered 1000 taels after seeing such a fine bracelet at a fair price.Seeing that they wanted silver in cash, he immediately counted all the silver from the warehouse and asked them to check the quality and quantity by themselves before packing it into boxes.

Pingan couldn't trust Li Jia. Li Jia might not have a dark heart, but he had a soft ear and could be coaxed by others with a few words, so according to yesterday's plan, he immediately proposed to go to the Yamen to apply for household registration.

Li Jia's eyes were full of money, and the haze that had haunted his heart for a long time dissipated in an instant. He was overjoyed and didn't know what to do. After hearing what Ping An said, there was no objection.

A group of people arrived at the Yamen, found the master book, spent some money, and the matter was settled.

Seeing that Shi Niang bought a house, Li Jia was a little puzzled, and then thought that Yue Lang would lend a jade bracelet worth thousands of gold. A small courtyard is only 30 taels, which is really nothing. Maybe it was Yue Lang who gave it to Shi Niang settled.When his mind was over, his conscience was revived, and standing at the gate of the yamen, Li Jia hesitated to speak in front of Shiniang, as if he was the gentle and affectionate Mr. Li from before.

But Shi Niang had already come to her senses, saluted Li Jia slightly, and left resolutely.

The house I bought in a hurry yesterday is located in a remote location. It is a dilapidated old house with the same structure as a small courtyard house, but the house is dilapidated. It leaks wind in spring, rain in summer, and is not resistant to snow and wind and cold in autumn and winter. It is impossible to live at all.The price of this house is five taels, mainly because the homestead is worth some money. No matter who buys the house and wants to live in it, the old house has to be demolished and rebuilt. The location is not very good, so it is really not worth it.

Ten Niang followed Ping An to see her, and couldn't help frowning: "How do you live here?"

Ping An had already made up his mind: "The house in Lotus Lane has been rented for three months, and it hasn't expired yet. Let's live there. I have another question to ask Shi Niang, whether Shi Niang wants to stay in Beijing in the future, or find another man. where to settle?"

Shi Niang sighed and said, "If it's my opinion, I don't want to stay in the capital. This place full of riches and honors is really not a good place. But you and I are two weak girls who have no one to rely on, so we just want to go somewhere , the road is not safe. Besides, I have no parents, so what if I go back to my hometown? I’m afraid it’s not as good as staying in Beijing.”

After all, Shi Niang is a woman who has entered the land of fireworks. Even if she is a good person now, the past will not disappear like a brand.Most of the good women will not go back to their hometowns, because people in their hometowns know the details, and even the most simple villagers look at them differently.

Pingan said: "If we stay in the capital, then we will demolish this house and rebuild it. When the house in Hehua Lane expires, we can move in here. I also thought of a small business a few days ago to earn some daily expenses , Shi Niang is good at needlework, keep learning, and embroidering a purse and handkerchief at home in the future will also benefit."

Encouraging Shi Niang to make money, I just hope Shi Niang has something to do, otherwise staying at home alone would be a wild idea.Furthermore, exchanging money for old age through labor is also a manifestation of self-worth, which is very important for a woman with the status of Shi Niang.

Shi Niang was very brave when she heard this, but worried about safety: "You want to go out to do business? How do you make it?"

Doing a small business is exposed to the wind and the sun, not only is it very hard to get up early and stay late, but also because Ping An is a young girl and single, let alone encountering local hooligans, even if she has an argument with a customer, no one will help her.

Ping An smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ten Niang, I've thought about it carefully. The place where I want to do business is on Changfu Street, not far from the house we bought. There is a shop owner on Changfu Street that I know. , with him taking care of you, there won't be any trouble."

When Ping An inspected the street, he saw a few hooligans, who would eat the food sold by the street stalls, and spoil the ones they didn't eat as they wished.Ping An saw worry, she was a girl, if she really started a business, no matter how low-key and forbearing she was, her appearance would be a disaster.In the end, she thought of Changfu Street where the paper goods store was located, and thought about where to set up a stall, so she could have the cheek to ask for help if there was an emergency.

Shi Niang knew that she had always had an idea, and it didn't last for a day or two, so she had to put it aside for the time being when she couldn't be persuaded.

Ping An is not a shy little girl in ancient times. After discussing with Shi Niang, she found a neighbor in the new house to talk to.The neighbors are a family of ten, an old couple with two sons, two sons who are already married, two grandchildren and a granddaughter, and a 15-year-old nephew who lives there.Yesterday I was in a hurry to buy a house. Ping An was afraid that the house would be badly involved, so I went to the neighbors to gossip. Among them, the old lady in this house was very enthusiastic and sincere. This is one of the reasons why Ping An was willing to buy this dilapidated house in the end.

Having a good neighbor is better than having a good family.

While chatting with Grandma Zeng, Ping An took out the prepared preserved fruit and distributed it to the three children of Zeng's family, and introduced Du Shiniang by the way.Of course, when referring to Shi Niang's name, she used Shi Niang's real name "Du Wei", called Shi Niang "Gu Niang", and called the two cousins ​​to the outside world.

Granny Zeng also asked about their parents' whereabouts in their hometown, Ping An only gave a wry smile, but Granny Zeng thought it would be another sad thing, so she thoughtfully didn't ask further questions, she is not a villain after all.The Ming Dynasty implemented the Baojia system, with one head for one household, one Jia for ten households, and one Bao for every ten Jia.Regarding this matter, Ping An had expected it a long time ago. When buying a house earlier, it took a lot of money to manage it. I implore Bao Changfang to keep the identity of Shi Niang a secret, just to live a clean life.

Now what Ping An inquires about is the labor, materials, construction period, etc. of building the house.Granny Zeng's family has a large population and heavy burdens. The men and sons in the family have a lot of strength. On weekdays, everyone in the neighborhood repairs and builds a house, and they will do part-time jobs to earn a few big money to subsidize the family. the meaning of.

After thinking about it for a while, Ping An simply entrusted the matter to Master Zeng.

Zeng Erye is Granny Zeng's husband, he is the second brother in the family, and his neighbors are all relatives. Now that he is older and has a higher seniority, he is often called "Second Grandpa".

Granny Zeng was very happy when she got an errand to bring in money by accident, she repeatedly promised that she would do her best, and the two discussed some trivial matters, and agreed to come back tomorrow to deliver the money.

Shi Niang was surprised and envious when she saw that Ping'an handled things so neatly and prudently, and forgot any sadness that was still left.Ping An is so busy for the two of them, how can she sit back and enjoy the success?Ten Niang is not as good as Ping An in other things, but she is more meticulous in accounting than Ping An, and she has devoted herself to learning embroidery techniques. Without cooking talent, she learns to make soup, trying to reduce the burden for Ping An.

Shi Niang always kept the matter of buying a person in her heart, and after searching for several days, she finally bought a family from the toothmaid.It is said that the family came here as refugees, and they were all honest farmers. Because they couldn't survive the disaster in their hometown, they sold themselves to find a living.A couple in their forties with a 15-year-old daughter.It is rare that the couple did not sell their daughter to a rich family or a brothel in Chuguan. During the famine years, Dian'er sold a lot of daughters. The couple had no children for many years, so they finally got a daughter. Naturally, they love each other very much. If you don't enter a rich family, you are afraid that your handsome daughter will cause trouble.

Shi Niang thinks that they are honest and honest, and they are satisfied with each other.

After all the chores at home were settled, Ping An took the drawing of the cart and planned to find a carpenter to make it.Ping An does not expect to be a small business for a lifetime, but everything is difficult at the beginning, and the accumulation of small things will lead to great things, and it will not be too late to turn around when there are good business opportunities in the future.

As soon as she came out of Lotus Lane, she met a wealthy carriage, she didn't pay attention at first, but when she saw the carriage went straight to the gate of her own courtyard, an attendant knocked on the door, and another young man in rich clothes got off the carriage.Ping An felt bad all of a sudden, so he hurriedly took a detour to the back door, which was opened by Xiu Gu.Xiu Gu is a bought girl, she works diligently and has neat hands and feet.

"Why is An Niang back?" Xiu Gu was very surprised.

Ping An, however, didn't care to talk to her, and ran to the front courtyard door like a gust of wind. Liu Dazheng opened the door, but heard a bang, Ping An directly closed the courtyard door again, and slammed down the latch, ignoring the people who were knocked outside the door. The disfigured follower yelled.

Liu Da was taken aback, and since he had just arrived, he thought he had done something wrong, so he became more cautious: "Ms. An, this is..."

Seeing that Liu Da was nervous, and seeing Shi Niang coming out, he called several people together, and first made a solemn confession to Liu Da and the three: "No matter who comes here these days, you have to ask for details. The door is not allowed to be opened, and if any young man or the like comes, let no one come in! There are only two young masters in the house, Aimiang and me, if there are any bad rumors, it will force people to death."

Liu Da and Liu's wife were solemn and promised.

When Liu's family went down, faced with Ten Niang's question, Ping An sighed: "Li Jia's wish was fulfilled and he returned home with money, but that grandson didn't get his wish earlier, how could he be reconciled?"

"Then Sun Fu is here?" Shi Niang frowned, knowing that if this was the case, she might not be safe in the future.

"I didn't dare to take a closer look, but with such a rich carriage and knowing where we live, there is a high probability that it is him." Ping An couldn't help but scolded Li Jia again, causing them a disaster, she and Shi Niang had nothing to do Wealthy and weak women, and also came from the land of fireworks, a little gossip can ruin everything they have painstakingly planned.

"Then what should I do? How about moving?" Shi Niang also knew the trouble.

Pingan shook his head: "Sun Fu is rich in money. Even if we hide temporarily, if he wants to, he can always find us." Find someone and pay to find them.

"Then..." Ten Niang lost her mind, and her resentment towards Li Jia turned into hatred.

Although Li Jia had betrayed her heart before, she finally came forward to redeem her. She only thought of this kindness, and also thought that the love for each other was broken, and she didn't want to entangle her too much, so she was willing to repay the other party's thousand gold envoy fee. The matter between the two of them was settled because they didn't want to rush Li Jia and cause disaster.Unexpectedly, when Li Jia left, another Sun Fu came, who was more difficult to deal with than Li Jia.

Hearing the loud knocking of the door outside, Ping An couldn't calm down to think, and couldn't help saying angrily: "This Sun Fu! Although most of the people living in this alley are students, and they all go to study now, there are servants at home. Doesn’t everyone in Sun Fu’s disturbance know about it? If those students are annoyed..."

If there were a few people who felt that the peace was disturbed, and thought that the two women were restless and attracting others, they might jointly report to Fangzheng and ask them to leave.Just thinking about the possibility of being driven out by those who are in a mess and carrying dirty water makes Ping An tremble with anger.

After all, she has been here for two or three years, and she is very aware of the hardships of women in ancient times, and the importance of reputation is very important.

Ping An ordered Liu to set up the ladder, and ran to the kitchen by himself, brought out a pot of half-boiling water, climbed up the ladder and poured it on the people below.Hearing a scream of "Ouch", the young master's followers ran away in a hurry, the whole body was in a mess like a drowned rat, the water was not boiling, but it was very hot, his face was red, and he was stamping his feet in pain.

"It deserves it!" Ping An cursed secretly, feeling relieved, but before the other party looked up to check, he immediately got off the ladder.

"Ping An..." Shi Niang also felt depressed, but she was worried that Sun Fu would make a big fuss if he didn't want to suffer.

Pingan winked at her slyly, waved his hand, and signaled her to keep quiet.

Sun Fu outside the door was even more angry and anxious. While wiping the water all over his face reluctantly, he shouted: "We are not bad people! I am a salt merchant in Anhui. My family name is Sun, and my name is Sun Fu. Here, I have always admired and longed to see you, and dare not be rude."

Seeing Sun Fu yelling these words, Ping'an was furious, and poured a basin of well water on his face, but refused to talk to him.

"Oh hello! I don't know what's good and what's wrong! Wait for me!" Sun Fu was really annoyed by being splashed all over again, and immediately ignored his pity and pity, and hurriedly left with his harsh words.

The back of Sun Fu leaving in embarrassment happened to be caught by Liu Yuchun who was returning home, and he knew what was going on as soon as he heard the other party cursing.

Liu Yuchun and Li Jia are good friends from the same hometown, they came to Beijing together to sit in prison, their friendship is not shallow.Originally thought that Li Jia was going home with his lovely wife, but in the end he learned that Li Jia had abandoned Shiniang and returned home alone with the money raised by Shiniang.Liu Yuchun quite disagreed with this, and couldn't help but sympathize with Shi Niang, but because of her relationship with Li Jia, she was ashamed of seeing Shi Niang, and only secretly helped her on weekdays.

Seeing that this rich man is not an ordinary person, he worried that Shi Niang and others would not be able to deal with it, so he sent the book boy to ask about it.

Shiniang and Pingan didn't feel bad towards Liu Yuchun, but there was nothing Liu Yuchun could do about it, he could only thank the other party for his kindness, and then try another trick.

Shiniang suddenly asked: "Then what is Sun Fu's background?"

Pingan casually said: "I heard that it is a salt merchant from Anwei, so didn't Li Jia say that he is going to Yangzhou? Probably their salt farm is Yangzhou. I am afraid that Sun Fu came to the capital for an impure purpose, and the salt merchants are all rich and powerful. , we really can't afford it."

Shi Niang looked at Ping An with deep meaning: "How many salt merchants named Sun are there in the world?"

"What does Ten Niang mean?" Ping'an was at a loss, but could not understand what Ten Niang said.

Ten Niang couldn't help sighing, she stretched out her finger and nodded her forehead fiercely: "Even since I was a child in Chunguang Yuan, I have heard a little about the outside world. There are several salt merchants, including the big salt merchants in Anhui. Wu, Huang, and Wang are the leaders, and there are eight small families under them. These eight small families have market merchants and transport merchants, and among them is a salt merchant named Sun, who presumably is the family of Fu Sun." Seeing that Pingan is still confused , Shi Niang had no choice but to point it out: "Are you confused? Didn't you say that your father was in charge of the salt transportation in Yangzhou, and was framed and imprisoned because he offended a salt merchant named Sun You? Could it be that the Sun family is not Sun Fu?" This Sun family!"

Ping An was taken aback.

Indeed, even if she knew the details of Sun Fu's name, she never thought about it.First of all, it is preconceived that Sun Fu is the villain in the original story who forced Shiniang to seduce Li Jia, and she has already been labeled and stereotyped by her subconsciously.Secondly, she is not the original owner Cheng Yuniang after all, even if she agreed to be the Cheng family's Zhao Xue, but the current stage of the plan is to support the family and stand up, and she didn't consider such a long-term at all, so that she didn't recognize the enemy when he came to her.

Ten Niang wasn't suspicious, she just thought she was too busy.

Ping An sighed, feeling indescribably sad: "So what if it's the Sun family?"

Not to mention that the Sun family tree has deep roots and has backers, even if it is only Sun Fu, she is nothing like a little girl.But Shi Niang's words reminded that Sun Fu left today bitterly, and he would definitely not let it go. If her details were found out one day, she might be in danger.

"I can't afford to offend you, so I have to hide and avoid the limelight for now. I think that Sun Fu won't stay in the capital for too long." Shiniang obviously also thought of the hidden crisis in the safe situation, and because she saw a lot of people coming and going to and from the capital in Chunguangyuan Merchants, you know their general behavior.It is expected that Sun Fu will not stay for long.

"Hiding..." Ping An frowned, suddenly thought of something, and hurriedly whispered to Ten Niang.

When Shi Niang heard it, she thought it was possible, and immediately arranged it.

The next day, the family of five packed up their clothes and money and left by car. Because the students in the alley went to the Imperial College during the day, those who went to work in each household went to work, and those who did business left early, and those who stayed at home They didn't have the style of squatting at the door of the house, so they walked quietly without anyone noticing.