The bear child of the Red Chamber, Jia Cong

At the beginning of the new year, a new shop opened on Suzaku Avenue. The signboard said "Qin's Cocoa Tea", and there was a smaller signboard below it, "Nanyang Java Country Cocoa Tea Special Chain Store".Jia Cong and Chen Ruijinte rushed to join the party on the first day, and they smiled as soon as they entered the door—the welcome guests pretended to be a pair of chubby Garfield cats.Jia Cong said in a low voice: "Liu Er's sister-in-law liked Garfield many years ago." The furnishings inside are simple and exotic, and the guys are all wearing exotic clothes. People in Beijing are very novel and interesting.There is a big sign in front of the counter, with recipes for cocoa tea of ​​various recipes written on it.There are some seats in the store, and customers can sit and drink, buy them back and cook them by themselves, and sell some snacks.It's just that the price is the same - expensive.Comparable to the most expensive tea.Anyway, there is no shortage of rich and noble families in Beijing, and it doesn't matter whether they are expensive or not.

People all over the world love to catch up with novelties, and they love to buy things that other people also love. Cocoa and tea have both.I heard from the waiter in the shop that within two hours of the opening day, the shop had already sold out the stock in one of the warehouses; seven days later, it had to close temporarily and wait for the goods, and this wait was another full five days.When the shop reopened, there was already a long queue outside.

Nanyang's military newspaper also came.According to Lin Daiyu's words, the fight was boring.They brought a lot of new bombs and improved hot-air balloons to the Malay Archipelago this trip, and all the soldiers replaced them with new breech-loading guns.After the war was over and there were still few immigrants, they stayed and resettled.In the name of Zhou Ji, he hired local people to build port roads, and clean up the remaining evils of the small country by the way.The matter of returning to China was never mentioned, and the letter that Situ Pan wanted to use Jarvis to send troops to North America had not yet reached Nanyang.

Jia Cong pondered, "I don't know how Mu's school is doing. Originally, her affairs were not urgent, but now she is a little anxious."

Chen Ruijin ate the cocoa tea and asked casually, "What's the hurry?"

Jia Cong said: "Her father was quite famous when he was in the Northwest. He was good at comforting people of all ethnic groups, and he also had many people who could be used under his command. I don't know how many people he will let Mu take away. Anyway, those people are not there now. The place to show their fists - the imperial court has left them idle for many years. Sister Lin and brother Yaoer are making bad faces at the moment, and they will kill if they don't agree with each other. If they don't wipe out the population like in Dongpu, they will make all kinds of troubles This kind of ethnic conflict. The King of Yan wants to call Brother Yaoer back to fight. It is best that the two of them come back after killing all the thorns in Malay. Give me another sweet date."

After hearing this, Chen Ruijin thought for a while: "Tomorrow, I'll go to Dongping Palace and ask her how her preparations are going."

"Ah."

When Chen Ruijin went to inquire the next day, the Prince of Dongping had prepared more than [-] capable officials for his daughter!In the past few months, Mu family has been studying this and that like a scientific examination exam.Her father just taught her casually at first, not wanting that Mrs. Mu could learn quickly and well, and could ask questions that her father couldn't answer for a while, Prince Dongping became interested.Jia Cong was amused for a long time when he heard about it: "All gentlemen in the world are the same."

Soon after the year, the Zhen Guo Mansion split up.Mrs. Niu tried her best to stop Niu Jiye from moving out. She panicked every day and took out her anger on her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Jiang.Fortunately, Master Liu, the magistrate of Huizhou, sent someone to bring his daughter's dowry. He thought that his daughter was not too young, and he wanted to get married before Niu Jicheng sent troops.The dowry list looked solid, and the Liu family promised to supply them with cocoa tea in the house in a few days, Mrs. Niu felt much more at ease.Stuff like fame is nothing when it comes to real money.Besides, as the days go by, who will remember?

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when the festival of lanterns took place, the capital was very lively, and Jia Cong was also going to go shopping with his girlfriend.The two were thinking about what to wear at night in the Lixiangyuan, when a servant came in and said, "There is a man outside the door, he looks like an ordinary person in the clothes he described, begging to see Miss Chen. The look on his face looks like he was frightened."

Chen Ruijin asked, "Did he say his name?"

"The man's surname is Pan. Both the third master and Miss Chen have been to his house." The boy said, "He said that Miss Chen wanted to take his daughter as his apprentice." Jia Cong and Chen Ruijin exchanged glances: that is Liu Mingyi's adoptive father Is Pan Xigui?What is he doing here?The boy added another sentence, "Empty hands without boxing ceremony."

Jia Cong hurriedly said: "Please come in quickly!" The people who came out of the palace would definitely not be less polite.I'm afraid something happened to their family.

After a while, Pan Xigui came in, his face was as ugly as gold paper.Chen Ruijin hurriedly asked, "But what happened to Mingyi?"

Pan Xigui sighed, "...No."

Jia Cong pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down and talk slowly." Pan Xigui didn't dare to sit down.Jia Cong laughed and said, "Didn't we sit at your house too?"

Pan Xigui timidly looked around, then carefully sat down on the edge of a chair.After hesitating for a moment, he said: "Just now, the people from Xiangyang Houfu have come to our house."

Jia Cong and Chen Ruijin looked at each other.They all thought that something happened to Liu Si and Qi Shi, but it wasn't!Chen Ruijin asked: "Is it because Zhuang'er injured Princess Lin'an?"

Pan Xigui shook his head: "That matter has long since disappeared. This time... the two of us are not at ease."

Chen Ruijin said: "Don't worry, let's start from the beginning. What are they here for?"

Pan Xigui said nervously, "I don't know..."

It turned out that yesterday morning, Qi's brother-in-law and sister-in-law suddenly came to recognize their relatives.After entering the door, she wiped her tears, saying that since she entered the palace, there has been no news, and the family is very worried.Later, I heard that the maid was dismissed from the palace, and I searched everywhere to no avail, so I finally found out that she was here, so I hurried over to see her.Seeing their family's dilapidation, they all felt sorry for them and blamed Qi for not coming back earlier.Then he scolded Pan Xigui with a dark face.

Pan Xigui knew that they were relatives of the Xiangyang Marquis Mansion, besides, he himself was really just an ordinary coachman, and he just listened obsequiously with his head bowed.At that time, Liu Mingyi heard that there were guests at her house, so she ran back bouncing around.When she entered the door, she heard guests scolding her father.Why is this little girl so afraid of people?He came up to stop Pan Xigui and pointed at his own uncle angrily: "Where did the savage come from, and he didn't even look at whose one-acre three-point land, how dare he act wild! A girl can throw you into the moat to feed you bastard!"

Qi Shi was angry and funny.Liu Mingyi was wild in nature, but Liu Xiaoqi made her more emboldened, and often went outside to listen to commentary, not too young for her age.Hastily scolded from the side: "Don't be rude." Pan Xigui also said: "This is a relative."

Liu Mingyi was not afraid of her old lady at all, and said arrogantly: "Father, mother, we don't want relatives who go to other people's houses to scold the streets during Chinese New Year."

Qi said: "Nonsense! This is your uncle and aunt!"

Liu Mingyi didn't believe it: "When did I have uncles and aunts? Did they jump out of a rock?"

Qi's elder brother hurriedly said: "My niece, I'm sure you are my uncle. Your mother never came home after leaving the palace. We didn't find out about your whereabouts until yesterday. Why don't you wake up early today to see you?" gone?"

Liu Mingyi sized him up a few times, and said, "Why doesn't my mother go home? Could it be that you have forgiven her before?" Qi's elder brother and sister-in-law were dumbfounded—how could such a young child know so many things?Liu Mingyi turned her head and said to her mother, "Uncle Yin Qi from the bookstore said that relatives whom I haven't seen for a long time came to the door for no reason, and most of them wanted to gain something. Do we have anything to gain for them?"

Qi scolded her again and again: "Nonsense. Don't go to Yin Qi if you have nothing to do, and listen to what stupid words he teaches you."

Although Liu Mingyi was a child with no taboos, Qi's elder brother and sister-in-law asked her to stop her for a few words, but she didn't have the face to say anything else, so she exchanged pleasantries and left.The Qi family sent them out of the alley, and turned around to ask Liu Mingyi who taught these words.Liu Mingyi said: "I see that Uncle Yin Qi's family always has relatives, so I thought why our family has no relatives? Brother Zhuang'er said, there must be relatives in my mother's family. Most likely it was because you didn't live there in the early years, and you don't want to talk to them now . " Thinking of the difficult days in the palace, Qi couldn't help crying.Liu Mingyi became more and more convinced that her uncle had wronged her mother.

Qi sighed.Her brother is not a cold person, and he treated her very well in his early years.When the Xiangyang Marquis Mansion wanted to take Qi's family to the palace, her father did not dare to offend the mansion, but her brother and mother refused, and her sister-in-law kept silent and only regarded herself as a shadow.Later, the Marquis of Xiangyang used power to press her, but her brother became more determined and refused to agree, and even clamored to sue the officials, saying that the Marquis of Xiangyang had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.At that time, Mrs. Qi thought that her brother could protect her from going to that shady place, so she shed several tears of joy.Unexpectedly, after only two days, her brother and mother hesitated after seeing the gift list sent by the Xiangyang Marquis Mansion.Three days later, Qi Jianhui, the uncle of the mansion, sent another gift list from his private house.Her parents, brother and sister-in-law immediately acted as if they were being patted by Huazi, they used thousands of excuses to persuade her to enter the palace in turn.I'm afraid she won't want to be a concubine if she is decent and dignified.Qi sat in front of the window all night, and the next day agreed to enter the palace for the daughter of the Hou family.

After leaving the palace, because she had nowhere to live, Qi also went back home, but didn't go in.When I arrived near the house, I heard the mother-in-law in their mansion chatting with others, saying that the family is in a difficult situation, and the wife was glad that the young lady went to the palace yesterday, saving a lot of dowry money.Qi stopped her steps immediately, remained silent for a moment, then turned and left.They never went back again, and their family never heard from Qi's family.After many years, I don't know how they found it.

Qi was puzzled.The capital is so big, and I usually don't go out of the door, how can her brother and sister-in-law find her?Also, why did you come here suddenly for no reason?

Because of this, she didn't sleep much last night.Unexpectedly, early this morning, two wives suddenly came to Xiangyang Marquis Mansion, and brought a carload of New Year gifts to their family.He insisted that Mrs. Qi is a girl from their house, and she entered the palace a few years ago, but now she can be regarded as finding Yunyun.Qi and Pan Xigui became more and more uneasy.

Pan Xigui has been in the palace for many years, so he is not a fool to be alive.There is no pie in the sky, and there must be a reason for every strange thing.It must not be a trivial matter to make the Xiangyang Hou Mansion stick to the door.The two of them, a coachman and an embroiderer, even if the mansion wants to do something, I'm afraid they won't be able to stop them.I have to go to the Falcon Bookstore at the entrance of Lao Lane again.He didn't want to owe favors to that family, because he remembered that Miss Chen of Rongguo Mansion said she wanted to take her daughter as an apprentice, and he heard Jia Cong's title of "Nezha from the Lower Realm", and Princess Jian'an had helped them, so he Came cheeky.

Chen Ruijin thought for a long time after hearing the words, then turned to ask Jia Cong: "Is there anything good about Mingyi's mother that the Xiangyang Marquis should take advantage of?"

Jia Cong spread his hands and said, "How would I know! She is just an ordinary embroiderer. Could someone have taken a fancy to what she embroiders?"

Chen Ruijin said: "Her job is really good, and it's not because there is no second job in the world. The skills of Yang Song's sister-in-law are probably higher than hers now. Besides, the price she sells is really cheap."

Jia Cong said: "Then I can't guess it. I'm afraid I have to go to Xiangyang Marquis Mansion to check."

Pan Xigui was so happy that he knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you nobleman! Sorry to trouble you nobleman!"

Jia Cong waved his hand and said, "Don't just kowtow to others. We really like Mingyi. If they plan on Mingyi's mother, Mingyi will be implicated." Pan Xigui smiled and got up, and bowed to thank .

Jia Cong looked at him, and suddenly said: "Do you think that elder brother of the owner of the bookstore next door is interested in the Qi family?" Pan Xigui's smile froze immediately.Jia Cong said, "The people in that family received a different education from ordinary people when they were young. They don't have many of the things that others take for granted. I see that he treats Qi mediocrely and has no intention of chasing her as his wife. He stays with you The proximity of the family is only for Mingyi."

Pan Xigui bowed his head for a moment, unwilling to say: "Mingyi is my daughter!"

Jia Cong said: "If you really want to rob him of your daughter, I'm afraid you won't be able to. He likes Mingyi as much as you do, he's your own father, and he's more capable than you." Pan Xigui's face turned as white as paper.Jia Cong said again, "Mr. Pan has been in the palace for many years, and he must have understood that no one in the world will help anyone without a reason. Falcon Bookstore will help your family because Mingyi's surname is Liu, and we will help you because we like Mingyi. It's not for the two of you. If you don't want to be robbed of your daughter by someone, unless you have some skills."

Pan Xigui smiled wryly, "I'm just an ordinary coachman, what can I do."

Jia Cong stood up and walked to him with his hands behind his back, saying: "People have infinite potential, it just depends on whether they are forced to do so. Mr. Pan can live in the palace and raise a little girl, it cannot be an incompetent person." ... Anyway, your family is not short of money now, right?"

Chen Ruijin said: "The business that Princess Jian'an and I have done with Mingyi's mother is enough for your family to live a relaxed and happy life."

Jia Cong said: "In the early years in the palace, what did you do?"

Pan Xigui said: "I do odd jobs in Yeting Palace."

"There is always a director."

Pan Xigui said in shame: "It's really just doing chores, I don't know any real godfather master."

Jia Cong wondered, "Can this also support Mingyi?"

Pan Xigui said: "I can talk, and I can please people from all walks of life. Besides, Mingyi doesn't hinder anyone."

Jia Cong became more and more surprised: "This kind of people can climb the best, but you didn't climb it?"

Pan Xigui lowered his head slightly: "What if an eunuch climbs up? The higher the place, the more dangerous it is."

Jia Cong nodded: "There is no ambition, but eloquence. This is also an unusual skill. If you are interested, I will introduce you to a job."