The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

But now it is said that Chang Yougui and Mrs. Chen met in the outer study, they couldn't help smiling and exchanging greetings, talking about the past and the present, and commenting on some anecdotes in the market.After three rounds of tea, Chang Yougui just mentioned the business, because he said: "The old man also knows. He is not talented, and now Yutai Commercial Co., Ltd. is in charge. Although I don't have much ability, our boss is a well-rounded man with a wealth of money from north to south. Characters. There is even a caravan going overseas under its banner. It travels three or four times a year, specializing in transporting tea, silk, and porcelain from the dynasty overseas, and selling back Western machinery, gadgets, and even Western medicine. Once we went there, we made a lot of profits. Not to mention, our boss is also a wonderful person with many good ties. Every year when the caravan travels, a few ships are reserved for the families of the nobles and nobles in the middle of the court. Today's weather It's warm, and it's a good day for caravan travel. It's a pity that our boss is dealing with confidential and important matters in Hangzhou, so we can't return. So he ordered me to contact you and take care of everything. So I thought of your house... "

When Chang Yougui said this in a fit of anger, he unconsciously looked at Mr. Chen with a smile, his tone was quite gentle, and he asked a little complacently, "I wonder if Mr. Chen is interested in participating?"

Hearing this, Mr. Chen knew that Chang Yougui wanted to give him a fortune.My heart is naturally moved.Who thinks silver is hot?But after thinking about it, I couldn't help but hesitated.Yin said: "I want my little friend to know that a poor family is not as good as those officials and officials. Although I am not a person in this industry, I also know that maritime business has always been profitable but also rich in capital. For example, expensive The owner’s line, I’m afraid it’s worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver per share...but we can’t.”

"Hey," Chang Yougui heard this, knowing that Mr. Chen had misunderstood, and quickly waved his hands to explain: "I didn't explain what I said--to say something that I am not afraid of the old man laughing at, although this caravan belongs to us, but If you talk about the few ships that the Dong family left for the lords of the court, let alone me, I am afraid that even the Dong family would not dare to be self-reliant. It was always the adults who discussed it on their own, and only informed us of a sentence. The reason is just It’s the next thing to do. We all know that for those people who increase their shares and reduce their shares, the consideration is not only the capital, but also their status and seniority. It’s very difficult. We have eaten Ambitious leopards are brave, dare to take food from the tiger's mouth?"

"What I mean...it's just that those of us who dealt with it, including those on the ship, go back and forth, so it's not easy to go to Baoshan empty-handed. So take this opportunity, save some shares and bring some people. It's also the boss. , The nobles eat meat, we follow the meaning of the soup. The owner also knows, but he just turned a blind eye. He is the most generous and charitable person, and he has always sympathized with the difficulties of our people."

So what Chang Yougui meant was to ask him if he would like to bring some things along with him and earn some change.

Mrs. Chen suddenly realized, smiled and praised: "Your owner is really good, no wonder the business is so big."

Now thank you Chang Yougui for always thinking about them.Hearing this, Chang Yougui hurriedly smiled and resigned modestly, only saying that he "knows the kindness and repays it", and also said that it was a coincidence, if it weren't for Chen Gui's uncle and nephew to be brave, "how could I make friends with your family?"

Everyone came and went with each other, but the more they talked, the more speculative they became.Chang Yougui took this opportunity to briefly talk about the management of merchant ships.

Mr. Chen also knows that the sea is very risky, and he often hears that there are storms at sea that overturn several ships, causing the business to lose everything.I have doubts in my heart, so it's not easy to ask, so I finally smiled and procrastinated: "I'm getting old, and I don't care about things now. It's just that some eat and play, and some play and play, and enjoy the rest of my life. Nowadays, the dog has the final say on all affairs at home. Can I discuss with him when he comes home?"

This is also what the title should mean.Chang Yougui naturally responded with a smile.He laughed again and said: "...not in a hurry, it will take more than a month to get everything done."

So the two men tacitly agreed not to say more.Instead, he changed his mouth to talk about the political situation of the government.Although that Chang Yougui is in charge of a commercial firm, he usually flatters the powerful and makes friends with the world, so his vision and knowledge are naturally good.Moreover, because of his status, he knows a lot about the private matters of the officials and dignitaries in Beijing. It is also beneficial for Mr. Chen to talk with him in detail.

Now let's not talk about the two, just say that Mrs. Feng led sister Wan and her daughter-in-law out of the hall, and led Mrs. Chang's family and her party into the upper room.After the two women's relatives met, the wife of the Chang family couldn't help laughing when she saw the second sister standing behind Chen, "How is the second girl? Last time I came to the door, I didn't think that the second girl was ill. We were afraid of disturbing the second sister." Girl, don't dare to see each other."

After finishing speaking, he ordered his daughter to come forward to salute again and thank the savior.

Although the eldest sister of the Chang family is only four years old, innocent and ignorant of world affairs, she also knows the second sister's kindness to her for saving her life, so she hurriedly went forward to perform the Wanfu ceremony, and said in her mouth: "Jin Xing thanked sister Grace for saving lives."

The second sister also hurriedly stepped forward to return the gift, and said with a smile: "I have seen my sister."

After seeing each other, the two sides returned to their seats.Mrs. Chen looked at Chang Jinxing carefully, and said with a smile: "I see that Miss Chang looks good this time, unlike the last time we met, her little face is pale and thin, and she always shows signs of fear. color."

Mrs. Chang's family couldn't help but let out a long sigh when she heard the words, because she said: "The child is inexperienced, I think he was frightened-let alone her child's family, she is an ordinary adult. I was frightened and injured, and it was inevitable that I would be frightened and afraid. These days are fine, but a few days ago, I had nightmares when I went to bed at night, crying and making noise. We were listening, and my heart was about to break."

After all, there was another sound of gratitude to Chen Fu.When everyone in the Chen family heard this, they couldn't help but think of the incident of the bandits arsoning in the middle of the night a few months ago, and they couldn't help but empathize with them and feel sympathy for them.

Feng Shi was at the side, afraid that the adults would say these words, and the children would be terrified at night when they heard it.He hurriedly said with a smile: "It's no fun for us adults to talk, and it's no fun for children to sit on the side. How about asking Sister Wan to take them to play in the back?"

When everyone heard the words, they all laughed and agreed.

Chen Wan hurriedly stood up, smiled and bowed to leave.Then he beckoned the eldest sister, the second sister and Chang Jinxing to leave through the back door.

Everyone bowed and left.Before You left, Chang Jinxing stuffed her hand into the second sister's very naturally, and the two younger sisters left holding hands.

The adults in the room saw each other and smiled at each other unconsciously.Feng Shiyou instructed: "You guys go and play, do whatever you like. I will order the little girl to deliver tea, fruit and snacks to Sister Wan's room. If you want anything else, just go. No way. It's better to be restrained."

All the sisters responded with a smile.Turn out of the upper room for a while, walk along the Chaoshou corridor, pass through the moon cave gate, and meander to Chen Wan's boudoir in the east courtyard.When passing by the garden, Chang Jinxing stopped because she was greedy for the flowers and plants in the garden.Seeing this, Chen Wan said with a smile: "The weather is just right. If you only talk in the house on such a good day, you will disappoint Shaoguang. If you ask the little girls to bring tea and fruit snacks to the garden, we will sit in the garden How about talking in the booth?"

Chang Jinxing was very kind after hearing this.But because I am a guest, I can't help but look at the eldest sister and the second sister helplessly.

The eldest sister and the second sister know the way of hospitality.What's more, they also felt that the room was stuffy, not as good as the outside, so they laughed.

Seeing this, Chen Wan couldn't help but turn around and tell the little girl who was following her a few words, the little girl complied, and immediately turned around and left.

When I came back for a while, there was a string of little girls behind me, all holding tea trays with melon and fruit snacks on them.Another two little maids held clean water towels and light brocade mattresses to sit on. They wiped the railings in the pavilion and the stone tables and benches, and laid them down again, before inviting the girls to sit down.

The eldest sister pulled Chang Jinxing and asked for pleasantries, "How old are you?" "Have you ever read a book?"...

For a while, he smiled and asked, "Why are you called Jin Xing'er?"

Chang Jinxing thought she was trying to agree to this sentence, and when she saw the elder sister asking, she also smiled and said: "Daddy said that the meaning of the word gold is very good. Businessmen like our family travel all over the world for a year. It’s just two words for gold and silver. When my mother was pregnant with me, she loved sour apricots very much, so she named me Jinxing.”

After one sentence, it is much smoother than the other words.

After finishing speaking, he smiled and said, "My family also has a little sister, who is only eleven months old this year, and her name is Kumquat—"

Before saying a word, the second sister smiled and said, "Needless to say, it must be when Ling Tang was pregnant with your little sister, he changed his taste and liked oranges?"

Chang Jinxing said with a smile: "Exactly. The second sister is so smart. It's strange that she is not afraid of bad people."

The sisters couldn't help but smile when they saw her innocent and naive manner.

Taking a short break to drink tea, Chang Jinxing is exactly the taste of children, always thinks the tea is bland, so he just took a sip and put it aside.Instead, I picked up two pieces of butter-fried noodles and ate them.

Chen Wan and the others don't like the taste of green tea very much, it's just for entertaining guests.Seeing the roses in full bloom in the garden, the second sister couldn't help but think of the dew of roses that told a big story in the book, and her heart moved slightly.

Chang Jinxing smiled and pointed to the half-picked rose bushes in the garden and asked, "Why are there so few flowers? My family has more."

When the sisters saw and asked, they unconsciously looked at each other and smiled.Chen Wan hurriedly opened her mouth and explained in detail yesterday how to pick flowers, how to steam and stack fragrant dew, and how to clean rouge paste.That Chang Jinxing was at the naughty and playful age, upon hearing this, she was really envious, she hurriedly tugged on Chen Wan's sleeve and shook it lightly, begging, "My dear sister, why don't you take me with you next time?"

Chen Wan looked at Chang Jinxing's eager eyes, and couldn't help being funny again.But he didn't dare to be self-confident, so he looked at the second sister.

The second sister also likes Chang Jinxing's personality, so she said with a smile: "If you like it, just come here often. Our sisters have fun in the boudoir, and there is fun every day."

Chang Jinxing was so overjoyed that she couldn't help but twisted another piece of soft cream roll and ate it all up.

The sisters talked and laughed again, and then a little girl from the upper room came to pass the meal.The sisters returned to the upper room with a smile.

Xin Ran finished his meal and had another round of tea before the members of the Chang family made their speeches.

In the evening when Chen Gui's house came, after dinner, Mrs. Chen signaled to Feng Shi to dismiss the younger generation at home, and Fang solemnly said exactly what Chang Yougui said in the study during the day.

After finishing talking, Chen Gui hadn't answered yet, and Chen Shi hurriedly said: "This is a good thing, why don't you want to. Don't you think that money is not enough?"

Chen Gui looked at the girl with a smile, and said: "My sister only saw the benefits. She didn't want us to receive his benefits for nothing, how can we repay him in the future? Manager Chang said it well, but the fleet is not his family after all. Yes, there is a layer of masters above him. Besides, there is no certainty in the world, if a merchant ship encounters storms and waves at sea, we are not going to fetch water from bamboo baskets?"

Yin said again: "We are no better than those officials. We lost tens of thousands of taels of silver without touching our roots. Let alone our family lost tens of thousands, we lost thousands of dollars. I'm afraid I can’t open the pot.”

When everyone heard the words, they realized that something was wrong.Chen also bowed his head and remained silent.

Chen Gui looked at the crowd, but said with a smile: "But what I mean is, it's better to agree. Just like what my sister said, who would think that money will bite your hand. If you worry about gains and losses all day long, it's meaningless after all."

After hearing this, Mrs. Chen smiled again: "That's exactly what it means. What the boss said just now is an old saying, which is not bad. It's just a good intention after all. It's not good if we reject it straight away. There is still a few thousand taels of silver in the family, it is a pity to leave it for nothing. It is better to send it to the regular management office. It is better to make a profit. If you lose it, the family still has a field shop, and the income for a year is enough For chewing."

When everyone heard the words, they took it for granted.

At the moment, we chatted about a cup of tea again, and the parties separated, and went back to the room to make arrangements without mentioning it.

Chen Gui has always been a vigorous and resolute person who does what he says.Feeling that Chang Yougui's proposal was good, he asked Feng to sort out the silver in the treasury, exchanged a total of 5000 taels of silver bills, and personally delivered them to Chang Yougui's residence on the holiday.Because he laughed and mentioned to Chang Yougui when he was free, he had to meet the owner of Yutai Trading Company.After all, it is the fleet of Yutai Commercial Bank that is responsible for this income.

Chang Yougui also knew that although Chen Gui was not a big official, but because of some occasions, he really caught the eyes of the nobles, and became very popular in the past few days.

Chang Yougui thinks that his master likes to make friends with this kind of capable people the most, and now he has another set of flattering words, and he even said with a smile: "Our boss has also been friends with Mr. Chen for a long time. It's just that he is doing business in the south recently. , just don’t have time to come back. If the master comes back, he will definitely visit your residence.”

Chen Gui smiled and said: "You and I have known each other for a long time, and because of this occasion, we always call them so heretics, which is obviously born. My name is Ruzhang, so you can just call me Ruzhang."

"This is not good, this is not good," Chang Yougui waved his hands and shook his head, saying in multiple voices.

After all, it's the difference between officials and businessmen. Even if Chen Gui intends to compromise, Chang Yougui dare not be abrupt.After thinking about it, he suggested with an apologetic smile, "Why don't I call you Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen can just call me Yougui."

Chen Gui smiled and didn't force it.The two chatted for a while, before Chen Gui made his speech.

When I got home, I felt that the summer was warm, and the silk shirt I was wearing was already sweaty after all the tossing, and it was very uncomfortable to stick to my body.

Chen Gui changed his clothes while calling for water.I saw his first wife, Mrs. Feng, holding a small tea tray with black lacquer filled with golden begonias gracefully.On the plate was a blue and white porcelain official kiln covered bowl, which contained half a bowl of rouge-like juice. When I approached it, I felt a sweet fragrance.

Chen Gui couldn't help wondering, because he asked: "What is this thing, it's not like wine, sour plum soup, or rouge, but it looks good."

Feng Shi then smiled and let it go, because he said: "Try it first, what do you think? I'll tell you later."

Chen Gui just smiled.He happened to be walking outside, so he didn't say much at the moment.Reached out to take the gaiwan and drank it down.All of a sudden, I felt a smoothness in my heart and a cool head.He blurted out and praised: "It's so fun."

After that, he smiled again: "What is this? Is there anything else? Let's have another bowl."

Feng said with a smile: "Second sister made it. She said it was called rose dew. Boil the dried rose petals in a casserole, then add rock sugar, and mix the boiled juice with sweet-scented osmanthus. , sealed in the little porcelain man and used well water. When you want to eat, scoop out half a cup and mix it with water, eat a bowl, not to mention the sweetness in your mouth, and even your heart is refreshed."

After finishing speaking, he beckoned to the little girl who was waiting on the side, and ordered: "Bring another bowl to the master."

The little girl bowed and left with a tea tray and a covered bowl.

Chen Gui smiled and said: "What a second girl, I have never seen anyone in our family who wants to enjoy it like this. It's hard for her to figure it out."

After a pause, he said thoughtfully: "I heard that there is fresh dew outside. It is exquisite and fragrant. It is packed in a small Western glass bottle. Then a small bottle the size of a palm is precious. Wait. When you want to eat it, just scoop out a teaspoon and mix it with a bowl of water. I don’t know how it compares to the rose water from my second sister.”

Feng Shi laughed and said: "You are too willing to think too much. It's just a kid's plaything, how can it compare to something advanced."

When Chen Gui heard this, he also laughed.Still said: "No matter how you say it, it's a good thing. I really didn't expect that the second sister would have such a talent."

Because when it comes to this, it is necessary to mention the homework of the girls at home.Chen Gui still had lingering fears about some of Mr. Wu's actions, and kept telling Feng Shi, "Just look at it, you are not afraid of reading and writing, don't be like that female gentleman."

Feng Shi laughed and said, "You need to remind me of this, we have already guarded against it."

Immediately, Mrs. Chen proposed Mr. Wu to teach them to read the account books, and Mrs. Feng taught them about housekeeping.

Chen Gui has always only paid attention to Chen Rong's learning and improvement, so it's okay to hear that.

The husband and wife talked and laughed again, and then they heard a sudden noise outside.Can't help but stop.When I got up to look, it turned out that Mrs. Chen rushed over with her two sisters in a hurry.He was still yelling and cursing endlessly.