Chapter 96.2 – Come and play cards
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"Master Jiang." At this time, Shen Anxin also came over. He smiled towards Jiang Zhen and started to thank him. "Master Jiang, thank you for before. If it wasn't for you, my reputation . . ."
Feng Chenglin said that in public. Although it had some impact on Jiang Zhen, it wasn't big. But it would definitely make him unable to face people in the future.
"You're welcome. He was also talking about me that way," Jiang Zhen said.
"I still need to thank you, if it wasn't for Master Jiang, I would have been miserable," Shen Anxin said again; his gaze that fell on Jiang Zhen had even more degree of affection in it.
Zhao Jinge looked at Shen Anxin acting like this and suddenly felt that the oranges in his mouth were a bit too sour, not tasty at all. At the same time, he also felt a surge of panic.
Shen Anxin was really much better than him. Compared to He Qiusheng, he could at least work and earn money, and compared to Liu Qianqin and Zhao Lingxiao, his reputation was clean. But what about Shen Anxin? Shen Anxin was rich, educated, and better looking than him . . .
"In public, he can't do anything," Jiang Zhen said.
"But it still would make me look bad." Shen Anxin looked at Jiang Zhen and lowered his head, a blush on his face.
"If you want to be a man, don't be so squirmy," Jiang Zhen, after seeing this appearance of Shen Anxin, reminded him.
Although Shen Anxin's appearance wasn't feminine, his personality was somewhat sticky. He was different from Zhao Jinge in the end.
When Zhao Jinge's engagement was broken, he was only twelve or thirteen years old and was not as tall as today. When Zhao Fugui took him out to work for someone, he did not hesitate to pull up his trousers and clothes to plant rice seedlings in the paddy field . . .
At that time, there were idle men in the village who were teasing him, and boys of the same age who said that he would never be able to marry if he showed his body to others. But didn't he still work as usual?
Zhao Jinge always thought he should get married and when he was in trouble, he stuck to it. This Shen Anxin . . . couldn't he be a bit tougher? If someone yelled something, couldn't he scold back?
He was so weak and intent on feeling sorry for himself but still concerned about his reputation . . . It's no wonder the Feng family didn't take him seriously and coveted his family fortune. In fact, if he was more open-minded, not to mention that he was a ger, even if he was a woman, no one would dare to bully him.
Jiang Zhen also knew that Shen Anxin's character was like this, and it couldn't be changed, but he still kindly reminded him.
Shen Anxin's eyes reddened as he spoke. It would be nice if he was really a man, but he wasn't; he was a ger. He tried to behave like a man before, but now he just wanted to be someone's beloved ger. "I know . . . I will change . . ."
"Jinge, do you want to go there to observe the fishes?" When Jiang Zhen saw him like this, he became more and more unsure of what to say to him, so he just wanted to leave quickly.
Zhao Jinge nodded in a hurry; he was eager to take Jiang Zhen away from Shen Anxin.
Jiang Zhen smiled and was about to take Zhao Jinge to the pond. But at this time, Shen Anxin took a few steps forward and was about to pull on Jiang Zhen's clothes. "Master Jiang, wait."
Jiang Zhen subconsciously avoided Shen Anxin and frowned. "Young Master Shen, don't do such misleading actions in the future. My wife will be unhappy."
This action of Shen Anxin . . .
Any more and people would really start to think he had something with Shen Anxin!
Zhao Jinge should also be jealous, he might not even let sleep in the bed . . . Thinking like this, Jiang Zhen immediately looked at Zhao Jinge.
At this time, Zhao Jinge felt that orange in his mouth was sweet. Jiang Zhen's words made him very happy.
As for Jiang Zhen's worries . . . he worried too much. Zhao Jinge was now thinking that he should serve Jiang Zhen well, so Jiang Zhen wouldn't have the strength to look for someone else.
Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge happily went to watch the fish, leaving Shen Anxin standing in the same place, feeling somehow depressed.
When Feng Chenglin said dirty words to him earlier and Jiang Zhen stood up to him, he couldn't restrain his heart from beating violently. He knew that he liked Jiang Zhen.
Although they were not possible, it was fine to just say a few words to Jiang Zhen . . . However, Jiang Zhen did not have him in his eyes.
Shen Anxin couldn't say what he was feeling in his heart for a while; he felt sour and bitter.
This time, Jiang Zhen was just here to go through the motions. He got to know some people and let some people get to know him, but he didn't fight for that imperial merchant position.
After discovering this, those merchants became even more enthusiastic towards him.
Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge stayed in the Zheng family house for a long time. When they left, they didn't go out for several days, patronizing the training of his men at home.
These days, the capital was very lively.
Firstly, because the Ministry of Household Affairs had selected some royal merchants and, secondly, because a new thing had come out from the palace.
That new thing was called Gentlemen's Cards because the pattern of the card inside was derived from "plum, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums."
There were many ways to play, and it was the best way to pass the time. For a while, almost all the upper-class people in the capital were talking about it.
Zheng Yi asked the painter to draw a pair of exquisite cards, which were finished in a short time. Meanwhile, the cards in the Zheng family shops also sold very well.
Sometimes, the easiest thing to circulate was something used for playing.
For a while, almost everyone in the capital was talking about the cards. But when the Ministry of Household Affairs decided on the matter of imperial merchants, not many people paid much attention to it.
When Jiang Zhen took Zhao Jinge to a nearby shop to buy pen, ink, paper, and ink stone, he heard someone asking if there were any cards for sale in the shop.
"For now, only the shops of the Zheng family can sell the cards," the shopkeeper who packed things that Jiang Zhen bought answered.
"So . . . ," the man said, "there is no Zheng family shop nearby, you will need to go to a farther location."
When Jiang Zhen took Zhao Jinge to a teahouse to listen to people telling stories . . .
The storyteller in the teahouse, who was usually rewarded by talking about books, was actually explaining how the cards could be played. He was surrounded by many people who were listening to him in rapt attention.
Even when Jiang Zhen took Zhao Jinge for dinner, there were people playing cards next to them.
Jiang Zhen: ". . ." The popularity was higher than he expected . . .
No wonder the Zheng family would specifically send him a carriage . . . Unfortunately, underneath his hands, there was not even a single person who could drive a carriage.
In ancient times, where were the very rich and idle people? Without a doubt, they were in the capital.
It had been three hundred years since the Qi Dynasty had been established, and the number of noble sons and daughters in the capital was increasing every year. Not all of them were promising, so many of them just hung around all day long. However, they were the people who accepted the cards the fastest and popularized them in a very short period of time. For a while, many of them stopped wandering around and stayed at home to play cards every day.
"When we go back, let's play cards too." On his way back with his pen, ink, and paper, Jiang Zhen said to Zhao Jinge.
"Huh?" Zhao Jinge looked at Jiang Zhen, puzzled. Didn't Jiang Zhen always say that those who played around would lose their ambitions, so why did he bring up playing the cards? Of course, he wasn't very fond of it himself.
He was no match for Jiang Zhen in every way right now, and he was more willing to learn and practice Chinese characters than playing cards.
"Whoever loses at that time will take off a piece of his clothes," Jiang Zhen said again.
Zhao Jinge's face suddenly turned red; he had the feeling of "so it was like this" again. Jiang Zhen looked so decent, but he was not serious! And he. . . he even yearned for it.
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After Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge went home, they couldn't play cards immediately. They were stopped by Feng Jingyuan and Feng Chenglin, who were at the door of their house.
In fact, Feng Jingyuan wanted for a long time to find Jiang Zhen and apologize to him, but he could not find him anywhere.
He went to the dock to inquire about Jiang Zhen and learned that Jiang Zhen and Zheng Yi came together from the south of the Yangtze River and he lived in the Zheng family house for a while. After teaching his son a lesson, he began to look for Jiang Zhen, but only found Jiang Zhen's house that day. He immediately brought his son to come with him. After knocking on the door, he was told that Jiang Zhen was not at home, so he waited near the door.
Jiang Zhen made a fool of Feng Chenglin twice in a row, so he didn't want to come here. But after being forced by his father, he still came and he even had to squeeze a smile on his fat face.
The father and son were both a bit fat, so two chubby people were standing at the entrance of Jiang Zhen's house were like two door guard gods with the same smile on their face.
"Master Jiang, I am sorry. I am really sorry. My son was too reckless before and spoke disrespectfully to Master Jiang several times . . . Master Jiang, I've brought him here to make amends," Feng Jingyuan said with a smile and pointed to the things held by two servants beside him. "A small gesture of my respect."
Jiang Zhen had to go to the Zheng family banquet in order not to let the Feng family trouble him. But he didn't expect that, because of this, the Feng family would come to apologize to him and send him gifts.
"Master Jiang, this time, it's all my son's fault, so please be generous . . . ," Feng Jingyuan said again, his posture very low.
He came to apologize, so naturally, he should show sincerity. And . . . after his apology was done, he became acquainted with Jiang Zhen. He might even be able to get a bit of news about the Zheng family from Jiang Zhen . . .
At first, Feng Jingyuan also thought that this Jiang Zhen wanted to marry Shen Anxin, so he could take over the Shen family property. However, after seeing that Jiang Zhen was valued by Zheng Yi and he had not much contact with Shen Anxin, he realized he was wrong.
Since that was the case . . . if he had good talk with Jiang Zhen, the two sides might even be able to establish a relationship.
"I see," Jiang Zhen said. "I won't bother to care about that."
Feng Jingyuan was overjoyed. "Master Jiang, I set up a banquet at the Heavenly Fragrance House—"
"I'll take this gift, and I won't bother you or your son as long as he doesn't mess with me in the future!" Jiang Zhen interrupted the other party's words.
Since the gifts were already delivered to his door, Jiang Zhen certainly won't refuse to accept them. But for a banquet and such, let's forget about it.
"Somebody, move the stuff in," Jiang Zhen shouted towards his own house and said loudly, "He Chunsheng, come and see the guests off." There weren't many smart people under his hand, so He Chunsheng was considered ranked pretty high among them.
Feng Jingyuan was still thinking about pulling strings with Jiang Zhen. But who would have thought that Jiang Zhen would be so sharp and didn't even let him say a word? He was stunned for a moment.
At the same time, the door of the mansion that he had knocked on for a long time without reaction opened. Dozens of strong men came rushing out of the house.
Feng Jinyuan's heart jumped, and he subconsciously took a step back. Feng Chenglin even hid behind his father.
So many people came out of the mansion all at once! This Jiang Zhen has called so many people out, is he going to beat them?
"Boss, you're back!"
"Boss, what should we move?"
"Boss . . ."
. . .
Those people gathered around Jiang Zhen and talked nonstop.
"Just those things." Jiang Zhen pointed to the things that the two servants of the Feng family were holding.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone snatched the things from the Feng servants' hands.
Meanwhile, He Chunsheng also came out. With a glance, he saw Feng Jinyuan and Feng Chenglin; he naturally knew who Jiang Zhen wanted him to see off.
He Chunsheng was indeed quite smart and relatively clever, but he had never served as a servant before. He had no idea how the servants of other families would send their guests off. He was even training before, so his clothes were unbuttoned.
He Chunsheng, whose clothes were unkempt revealing a lean body full of muscles, arrived in front of Feng Jinyuan and his son, saying, "Master Feng, Young Master Feng, I'm here to see you off!"
Feng Jingyuan: ". . ." This person looked . . . like he was going to beat them up if they didn't want to leave!
In business, who didn't slander a person behind their back but still put on a smiling face in front of that person? What the hell was wrong with these people?
Feng Jingyuan still wanted to talk with Jiang Zhen; however, Jiang Zhen was surrounded by a group of men and had already gone inside. But the voices of his men was still drifting out.
"Boss, this is all there was. No need to have two people carry it . . ."
"Boss, who are those two? Why did they come to give gifts?"
"They waited for a while."
. . .
"Irrelevant people," Jiang Zhen said.
Feng Jingyuan could only take Feng Chenglin to leave in the end. After a few steps, he grabbed his son's hand and twisted the flesh on it. "You loser!"
Feng Chenglin was in great pain, but he did not dare to utter a word. Instead, he asked worriedly, " Dad, what does Jiang Zhen mean by that?"
"He wants to keep well water out of the river." Feng Jingyuan said, "If you hadn't provoked him before, he probably wouldn't even bother to pay attention to you!"
Feng Chenglin was also feeling regretful at that moment. What was he doing provoking Jiang Zhen? In the end, he didn't gain anything good from it . . .
"Although he doesn't care, the Zheng family must have had a bad impression of our Wanlong Merchant Firm." Feng Jingyuan frowned, he had wanted Jiang Zhen to put in a good word for him, but it seemed . . .
Feng Jingyuan left with Feng Chenglin feeling depressed, but Jiang Zhen checked the gift he received.
There were many kinds of gifts, all of which were valuable, including ginseng, deer antler, and other rare medicinal materials that Jiang Zhen did not know. There were also several kinds of jewelry and ten gold ingots.
This apology gift could be considered very heavy.
Looking at these gifts, Jiang Zhen was inevitably moved. He had already sold all the goods he had on hand, so he had more than hundred thousand taels of silver in his hand.
He was going to use this silver to buy goods to sell in the south of the Yangtze River. But he never thought about what kinds of goods he should take to the south of the Yangtze River. However, now that he saw these things, he had an idea. He could buy some of these furs he thought about before, as well as some herbs, spices, and jewelry. Although these things were expensive and one hundred thousand taels of silver might not be able to buy much. These goods could be sold at great price in the south of the Yangtze River. They could definitely make a lot of money when they were resold.
After Jiang Zhen thought about what to buy, he went to the treasury of the mansion and calculated his own property. After thinking about it, he simply called all his subordinates and gave them their silver rewards.
Previously, when he fought in that pirate's nest, Jiang Zhen gave fifty taels of silver to each person who went with him. However, those who were injured couldn't go with him, so he supplemented them with a bit of the silver Zheng Yi had given to the injured, except there were people who had silver in their hands, so this time, Jiang Zhen give them their wages and a part of the reward.
"Tomorrow, you can go shopping in the capital and buy something to bring home, but there is one thing you must pay attention to. You must not make trouble for me," Jiang Zhen said.
Jiang Zhen's subordinates all responded, even Liu Heitou, who had been dissatisfied with Jiang Zhen before becoming very obedient.
In the beginning, he was displeased with Jiang Zhen and didn't miss any chance to provoke him. But as Jiang Zhen became more and more powerful and the gap between them widened, he stopped looking for trouble with Jiang Zhen. He even quickly adapted to the identity of Jiang Zhen's subordinate and worked just as diligently as the others.
When Liu Heitou used to be a thug in Qiaotou village, he lived a good life and had a lot of money. But in the end, he was just an ordinary person who had never even left the countryside, but now? He came to the capital and even fought pirates on the way! He felt that his life had become meaningful.
After being robbed and beaten by Jiang Zhen, Liu Heitiu resigned himself to his fate. But after three months he was actually becoming more and more satisfied with his current life and was planning to make a career under Jiang Zhen.
In fact, Jiang Zhen didn't like Liu Heitou, but this person was now very obedient, so he naturally didn't want to lecture him.
This time, Jiang Zhen gave each of these people about 50 taels of silver, some of them received more, some less. But this silver was enough for these people to buy a lot of things in the capital and bring them back.
After being so busy and eating dinner it already became completely dark.
No matter whether it was Zhao Jinge or Jiang Zhen, they had been reading and practicing calligraphy every day all this time.
Jiang Zhen was now able to read books with traditional characters; however, he still often made mistakes when writing it. As for Zhao Jinge, he already learned hundreds of characters. At this moment, although it was dark, Jiang Zhen still took out the books and taught Zhao Jinge a few characters and then they practiced together.
Zhao Jinge looked at Jiang Zhen and was slightly disappointed. Jiang Zhen seemed to have forgotten what he had said before . . . However, although he was slightly disappointed, Zhao Jinge quickly practiced seriously.
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He has always been quick to focus when doing things, so when he began to learn he had forgotten about everything around him until Jiang Zhen took away his brush. "It's late."
"Oh." Zhao Jinge put down his brush and planned to go to bed. However, Jiang Zhen took out a deck of cards. "Come on. Let's play cards."
Zhao Jinge suddenly blushed.
In the next few days, Jiang Zhen's men went to visit the capital in batches and bought a lot of things. There were even several people who were cheated out of their money. But Jiang Zhen didn't care about any of this. He hadn't been going out and was either at home reading or teasing Zhao Jinge. Living leisurely but very fulfilling life.
Near his mansion, however, in the Shen family house, Shen Anxin had been having trouble sleeping and eating. He knew that he and Jiang Zhen wouldn't end up together, but he couldn't help thinking about Jiang Zhen all the time.
Jiang Zhen was so good to Zhao Jinge. If he were the one who married him . . . He was better than Zhao Jinge in every way, so Jiang Zhen would definitely treat him even better.
In just a few days, Shen Anxin had become haggard.
"Young Master, what's wrong with you?" Rumo asked curiously.
Shen Anxin looked at Rumo, feeling a little confused. His little servant also liked Jiang Zhen and even talked about it bluntly, but he was having a hard time. This person could not see anything at all.
"Nothing, Rumo. Let's go out for a walk," Shen Anxin said.
Shen Anxin didn't allow them to prepare the carriage for him as he walked out of the house with Rumo and then headed to Jiang Zhen's mansion.
When he arrived near Jiang Zhen mansion, his speed involuntarily slowed down, and it took him a long time to walk past the entrance of that mansion. But even then, he never saw Jiang Zhen.
Somewhat lost, Shen Anxin continued to walk forward, and after a while, he turned into an alley and finally turned to the back street of the house.
"Master, why did you come here?" Rumo was a little puzzled. There are streets around the houses in the capital. The street in front of them was very spacious while the street behind was very narrow. Sometimes, there could be even a weird smell if someone poured out the swill.
"I've never been here before, so I'm just walking around," Shen Anxin said.
After walking a few steps, he looked towards the back door of a mansion. It was Jiang Zhen's mansion.
Shen Anxin couldn't stay at the front gate of the house, but he could stay a little longer at the back door of a mansion.
Rumo was still a little confused, but seeing Shen Anxin's behavior, he came back to his senses. "Young Master . . ."
His young master was going to get married and have children. How could he, how could he . . .
"I'm just taking a look," Shen Anxin said. His mother was already talking with him about the marriage, so he was just looking.
After standing for a while, Shen Anxin was about to leave. But at that moment, the backyard door of Jiang Zhen mansion opened and a number of people came out from inside.
Among these people, the leaders were Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi.
These two followed the leaders of pirates before and had a bit of status. Although they adored weakness, loved easy-going life and hated hard work, they were not vicious. They even took care of other women and gers. In addition, they could read and had some knowledge. Many of the women and gers who Jiang Zhen rescued listened to them.
Of course, there are also those who didn't like them.
After Zhao Jinge locked all these people in the backyard and locked the door leading to the front yard, Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi were a bit angry at first but later accepted the reality.
In fact, they also knew that Jiang Zhen would never come to see them . . .
After letting go of their initial thoughts no longer wanting to become concubines of Jiang Zhen, they started living peacefully in the backyard.
Although Zhao Jinge locked them up, he didn't treat them badly. He would even bring them anything they wanted to eat if they asked. Later, Liu Qianqian, after gaining an inch, began to ask Zhao Jinge for rouge powder.
This time, Zhao Jinge didn't give it to them but told them that they could go out and buy it for themselves.
There's a reason why Zhao Jinge said that.
After Jiang Zhen saved these women and gers, he didn't take away their jewelry and silver, so they were actually pretty rich.
Before, he provided them with food because they worked for it. But now that they wanted rouge powder . . . they should pay for it themselves. Anyway he won't give it.
Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi just wanted to see his reaction, so they weren't surprised to get such a reply, so after complaining about Zhao Jinge's stinginess, they really went out to buy it by themselves.
Today, it was the second time they went out.
These who wanted to go out and buy some rouge powder were naturally young. So when they went out this time, there were dozens or so beautiful women and gers led by Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi.
Because they were going out shopping, they all put their best clothes and jewelry. They even dressed up by putting rouge on their lips, making them more beautiful than flowers.
They came out chattering from the back door and met Shen Anxin.
Shen Anxin looked at the house and then looked at these people again. He became a little confused. How could there be so many women in Jiang Zhen's house?
"Wait a minute." Shen Anxin stopped those people. "You came out of this house . . . What is your relationship with Jiang Zhen?" Why are these people living in Jiang Zhen's backyard? That's the backyard!
Zhao Jinge didn't notice that Shen Anxin was actually a ger, but Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi eyes were much better than his, especially after seeing a ger like Zhao Jinge.
They sized up Shen Anxin and could tell that he was a ger and could also see from his demeanor that he was interested in Jiang Zhen.
With a twinkle in her eyes, Liu Qianqian said, "What could our relationship be with Master Jiang when we come out of this backyard?"
"That's right, you're just asking, aren't you?" Zhao Lingxi also said.
"You and Jiang Zhen . . ." Shen Anxin couldn't continue halfway through his sentence, feeling uncomfortable.
"We are Jiang Zhen's people." Liu Qianqian smiled.
"How could . . . I haven't heard of you . . . ," Shen Anxin said.
Feeling that this person had contact with Jiang Zhen before . . . Zhao Lingxi immediately said, "Of course you haven't heard of us. Who would talk about the nameless women in his family?"
"That's right, our lord only takes Jinge with him when he goes out," Liu Qianqian helped out.
Shen Anxin became even more reluctant to believe it: "No . . . Isn't Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge's relationship very good?"
"They are affectionate, but Madam is very jealous, making the Lord lock us in the backyard . . ." Zhao Lingxi showed a piteous look.
"Lord obeys Madam in everything . . . Fortunately, they didn't throw us away," Liu Qianqian said again. "He just does not come to see us much, always letting us stay alone."
"In fact, although Madam likes to be jealous, he is very good to us, and there is no shortage of food and clothing. He even allows us to go out," Zhao Lingxi added.
The two of them, Liu Qian and Zhao Linxi spoke until Shen Anxin's face became white.
Shen Anxin initially had a crush on Jiang Zhen because he found out that Jiang Zhen was good to Zhao Jinge, but it turned out that . . . this was all superficial? In fact, Jiang Zhen had many women and gers besides Zhao Jinge?
In fact, Shen Anxin's father was an infatuated one. He married his mother and gave birth to him. After that, his mother couldn't have any more children, but he refused to take any concubines and instead began to raise him as a son.
Because of this, Shen Anxin's living environment since childhood was extremely simple; he also envied his mother who was protected by his own father. Although he knew that many men had three wives and four concubines, he didn't take it very seriously, until now.
Shen Anxin almost turned around and ran.
Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi looked at each other and said together, "We really made a bargain for Zhao Jinge." They just helped Zhao Jinge kill a love rival.
However, this little young master who ran away was really confusing . . .
Looking at his clothes, you could tell that his home conditions must be pretty good. If it was like this, why did he still covet a man who already had a main wife?
If they are clean and rich at home, they would definitely not find a married man like Jiang Zhen to get married to!
After Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi scared away Shen Anxin, they went shopping. They didn't take this seriously or even talked to Zhao Jinge about it.
Well, they could speak to Zhao Jinge either. Zhao Jinge let others take care of them and observe. When they returned from shopping that day, they were assigned some work and had to work, so who would remember something like that?
Unknowingly, it had been a month since Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge had arrived in the capital, and by this time, all the people in the capital basically knew about cards and the name of the Zheng family's business.
Zheng Yi took Jiang Zhen's advice and printed his firm's name on the back of the ordinary cards.
After the cards became popular, Jiang Zhen was little worried if many people would be addicted to gambling, but he soon realized that he was overthinking it.
Those who wanted to gamble, even if they didn't have cards, still had many ways to gamble. Those who didn't want to . . . even if they bought cards, they would only play with their families.
Just like him, he never gambled with other people and only played with Zhao Jinge for taking off clothes.
Especially the common folks . . . Many of them didn't have time to live their own live so where would they find time to play this?
Even if they had cards, they would live their life as they always had. However, the upper class of this Daqi was praising the gentleman cards. All the benefits brought by the cards belonged to the Zheng family. Jiang Zhen was not surprised about it, and he didn't care. He was an ordinary citizen. Without the Zheng family, he wouldn't have been able to introduce them. Also, the Zheng family had already given him a lot of things and helped him a lot, which could be called kindness.
That day, Zheng Yi even made a personal visit. Telling him that the empress dowager had already been informed about the matter of stitching the wounds and had asked people in the hospital to test it out.
"My second uncle is going to talk about this method with some generals. Would you like to follow along to meet those generals?" After saying that, Zheng Yi asked again.
"No need. I don't know how to heal. This method was just thought of by chance. It would be shameful to go there, so I won't go." Jiang Zhen directly refused. He didn't intend to go to the army to develop his career, so there was no need for him to meet these people.
"Well . . . don't worry. I'll get you more rewards," Zheng Yi said.
Jiang Zhen wasn't suitable for the officialdom, and he also thought it was better for Jiang Zhen not to come forward.
For Jiang Zhen, all kinds of rewards were affordable, but it took time . . . to come out with a new medical method in the modern era, not to mention that this was ancient times.
"Master Zheng, when are you returning to the south of Yangze River?" Jiang Zhen suddenly asked.
In fact, the capital was very comfortable to live in, but Zhao Fugui and his wife were still in Hexi, and Zhao Jinge was obviously a bit homesick.
Zhao Jinge was already four months pregnant, so if they didn't go back by then, it would be more inconvenient to go back when his belly got bigger. Zhao Fugui and his wife would also definitely be worried after waiting for such a long time.
"Jiang Zhen, I'm not going to lie to you. I expected to stay in the capital for a year this time," Zheng Yi said.
He originally wanted Jiang Zhen to stay in the capital for a longer time to help him organize a high-quality gambling house, but now it seemed . . . it was not possible. Jiang Zhen did not want to stay in the capital anymore. Knowing that, Zheng Yi couldn't go back for the time being, Jiang Zhen proposed that he would go back first.
Naturally, Zheng Yi couldn't refuse. He sent two very experienced stewards of the Zheng family to help Jiang Zhen purchase goods and sent another thousand taels of silver to let Jiang Zhen go back first.
After staying in the capital for a month and a half, Jiang Zhen made all the preparations to go back and waited for the goods to be loaded onto the ship in a few days before he would go back.
It was at this time that he discovered an important event. Zhao Jinge's stomach had moved!
Jiang Zhen was making out with Zhao Jinge that day and, suddenly, felt Zhao Jinge's stomach moving, making him confused.
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Jiang Zhen's hand was on Zhao Jinge's stomach when his whole person froze.
Although he knew that Zhao Jinge was pregnant, and he was worried about the birth, he was always worried about Zhao Jinge and not the child in his belly. So while others would like to see their pregnant wife eat more to make up for the baby in her belly, he was not willing to let Zhao Jinge eat more, for fear that the child will be too big to give birth to.
He was also happy to have a child, but he was even more surprised when he noticed it. He didn't actually have much affection for the child who was nothing more than fertilized egg at the moment.
For example . . . if there was an accident and the child would need to be aborted, he would not feel distressed. He would feel more distressed for Zhao Jinge's body. After all, he had not really felt this child's existence yet. But at that moment, beneath his hands, there was a little life that moved.
The movement was faint, making Jiang Zhen worried, worried that if he pushed hard enough, that little life would be harmed.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Jinge looked at Jiang Zhen in puzzlement, wondering why Jiang Zhen suddenly didn't move anymore.
"It moved." Jiang Zhen pointed at Zhao Jinge's stomach.
"It seems that my stomach moved . . ." Zhao Jinge tried to recall, but he still didn't understand what happened to Jiang Zhen.
"The child moved," Jiang Zhen said.
Zhao Jinge was still confused.
Although he had always wanted a child, Zhao Jinge wasn't really prepared for it. He didn't know much about pregnancy and childbirth. At least, he didn't know that the baby would move in his stomach.
"Why is he moving when my belly can't be seen yet?" Zhao Jinge couldn't help but ask. Was everyone else like this too?
"I don't know," Jiang Zhen said. He knew that there would be some fetal movement when pregnant, but Zhao Jinge's belly, though it was a bit softer from not exercising these days, hadn't gotten any bigger yet. The baby was very, very small, so why was it moving?
The two of them stared at each other with big eyes, and the original intimacy could no longer be carried out.
Waking up early the next morning, Jiang Zhen took Zhao Jinge with him, planning to visit Dr. Hu.
The imperial hospital was busy studying the matter of stitching up wounds, and Dr. Hu couldn't interfere with it. But the Zheng family already told several generals about it, so he studied it with several military doctors who were staying at his house.
"In the past, we used bandages, which was very expensive. But this method only uses needles and threads, so we can save a lot of money."
"The wound can't get dirty. No wonder when we reused the bandages, those people became feverish."
"I'll make a note. In the future, in the place where the military doctors are staying, we need to specially allocate a few people to wash bandages and boil them."
. . .
That morning, everyone had gotten up early. When Jiang Zhen arrived, the military doctors' discussion had already started.
When Jiang Zhen heard this, he realized that the medical technology at this time seemed to be even worse than he thought. Those who were still alive after being wounded on the battlefield were definitely very lucky!
However, at this age, no one had used antibiotics, and their own immune system was much stronger than those in the modern times.
"Jiang Zhen, you're here! Is there something else you want to tell us?" When Dr. Hu saw Jiang Zhen, he immediately asked.
Those other military doctors also looked at Jiang Zhen without blinking their eyes.
"I've said everything I could," Jiang Zhen said.
After hearing those people's conversation, he actually kind of wished that he used to be a doctor, but in the end, he was not.
"Then why have you come here?" Dr. Hu looked at Jiang Zhen in puzzlement.
"I come here this time because I felt Zhao Jinge . . . His belly moved." Jiang Zhen was a little anxious.
Doctor Hu: ". . ." Which pregnant ger's belly won't move?
Before Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge left Dr. Hu, Zhao Jinge received another evaluation from him, that was, he was as strong as an ox. But even so, Jiang Zhen, who suddenly realized that there was an actual person inside Zhao Jinge's belly, inevitably became cautious again.
But because of this, they left three days later than they originally planned. Jiang Zhen felt that he hadn't prepared enough for the return trip.
During this period of time, Jiang Zhen felt the presence of his child several times. Although the movement was very weak, he did feel it. There was a baby in Zhao Jinge's belly. Jiang Zhen felt that all this was very magical. At the same time, he finally felt a little bit like a father, becoming too embarrassed to disturb the child in Zhao Jinge's belly . . .
While Jiang Zhen was thinking about this, Zhao Jinge was a little tangled. Jiang Zhen used to touch him all the time, seemingly in love with him, but now his hands were fixed on his stomach. He no longer wanted to be intimate with him. If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Zhen had been with him all day and cared for him so much, he would have wondered if Jiang Zhen didn't like him anymore.
The night, before he set off, Zhao Jinge gritted his teeth and grasped Jiang Zhen's key parts, touching them . . . Jiang Zhen suddenly forgot all about not disturbing the child in his belly, but his actions were much more careful than before. His Jinge was pregnant with his child.
Although Zheng Yi was not going back, the Zheng family's fleet of ships was going back. Originally, it would take a few more days for the fleet to leave the capital, but Jiang Zhen was leaving, but Zheng Yi sped up the cargo preparation. Allowing the Zheng family's fleet to leave with Jiang Zhen's fleet.
He felt that his fleet would be much safer if it traveled with Jiang Zhen's fleet.n
When Jiang Zhen left the capital, Zheng Yi made a special trip to see him off. In addition to Zheng Yi, Shen Anxin also came.
Jiang Zhen did not know many people because he stayed mostly at home, making Shen Anxin the person who he got to know the best. But even so, Shen Anxin, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, came to bid him farewell, making him surprised.
"Young Master Shen?" Jiang Zhen went up and greeted Shen Anxin in some surprise.
"Hearing that Master Jiang was leaving the capital, I came over to see you off." Shen Anxin looked at Jiang Zhen with a smile and beckoned his servants to give some special products from the capital.
This time, Shen Anxin's words and actions were the same as when Jiang Zhen first met him. Jiang Zhen looked at him and thanked him, and even Zhao Jinge became relieved seeing him like this. Although they were about to leave, it would be better if this man didn't miss Jiang Zhen.
After they spoke for a while, it was time to sail. Jiang Zhen said goodbye to Zheng Yi and Shen Anxin, and immediately, someone put the widened board between the ship and the river bank.
When Shen Anxin saw Zhao Jinge being escorted away by Jiang Zhen, he took a long breath before looking at Zheng Yi with a smile, saying, "Master Zheng."
Since he promised his father that he would carry forward the Shen family, he couldn't be afraid of this and that like before. He should seize every opportunity that comes his way . . .
Shen Anxin and Zheng Yi chatted with each other.
On the other side, Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge were sitting on the ship, slowly leaving the capital.
"Jiang Zhen, will you still come to capital in the future?" Zhao Jinge asked.
"I won't come back there for a few years." Jiang Zhen was sure that Zhao Jinge was going to give birth, and after that, the child would be too young to travel too far away. He didn't plan to go to faraway places in these few years.
It was better for him to open up his escort agency and train more manpower.
After hearing Jiang Zhen's words, Zhao Jinge became relieved, then he heard Jiang Zhen say again, "Jinge, when we return home this time, it can be considered returning home successful. Our parents will very, very happy."
In addition to learning characters, Jiang Zhen would read him some idle books, so he knew the meaning of returning home successful. He was glad. He and Jiang Zhen left home for four months. He was a little homesick, but what was going on with his parents?
Hexi Village
Zhao Fugui walked from the east end of the village to the west end of the village before opening his own house gate and walking in.
"Old man, what are you doing out again?" Zhao Liu asked while counting duck eggs.
"It's nothing. Just went out to wander around." Zhao Fugui said.
Zhao Liu glanced at her husband. "Still did not see Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge come back?"
Although Zhao Fugui didn't say anything, she knew that Zhao Fugui was going out to see if Zhao Jinge and Jiang Zhen returned.
"No." Zhao Fugui sat down, a little unhappy.
"We sold ducks again. Why haven't they come back yet?" Zhao Liu sighed. "How far is this capital city?"
"I don't know," Zhao Fugui said.
"I don't know if they encountered any danger along the way. Did they suffer . . ."
"Definitely not." Zhao Fugui was very sure.
"I also wanted to find a doctor to take care of Zhao Jinge. But they ran out as soon as they got married. If this goes on, when can we have grandchildren?" Zhao Liu said again.
"Wait a little longer."
"Can't you just say a few more words?" Zhao Liu looked at her man discontentedly.
"Didn't you say everything?" Before Zhao Fugui could say what he wanted to say, Zhao Liu already said it. She even said it more than once.
"You still dislike me for talking too much!" Zhao Liu glared at Zhao Fugui.
"No." Zhao Fugui said.
"Okay, clean up and eat. I fried your favorite eggs for you. You're too picky, aren't boiled eggs quite tasty too, but you still have to eat fried ones." Zhao Liu said.
Zhao Fugui didn't speak, just ate.
In the past when they didn't have anything to eat, the boiled eggs were indeed already delicious, but Jiang Zhen made them eat eggs every day. When they ate them, wouldn't they get tired of always eating boiled eggs?
Now that the Zhao family raised a lot of chickens and ducks, no matter if it was Zhao Liu or Zhao Fugui, they were still reluctant to kill the chickens and ducks to eat. Every day, they would just eat some eggs while, in accordance with Jiang Zhen's words, they would also eat fish and buy some meat when they had the chance.
They didn't know if it was because they were well-fed, but after four months, Zhao Fugui looked much younger. His face was dark and wrinkled before, but soon it had become fleshy, and the wrinkles couldn't be seen.
After taking a bite of scrambled eggs and taking another bite of white rice, Zhao Fugui couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect that when I become old, I would have such a good life."
Eating eggs every day, having money in his hand, and having so many chickens and ducks on the mountain . . . were something that Zhao Fugui didn't even dare to think about before.
"Yes . . ." Zhao Liu nodded. "It's just that Jiang Zhen and Jing still haven't come back, making me worried."
After dinner, Zhao Fugui and Zhao Liu went to rummage over the freshly harvested grain harvested this year and was drying outside. Then Zhao Fugui went out again.
Relying on his family's abundance of chicken and duck manure, there was no shortage of fertilizer. He planted grain in the drained paddy field this year. The yield of winter wheat wasn't high, but if he planted it the next year, their family would have flour.
Zhao Fugui went to the field and carefully worked.
The land bought by the Zhao family belonged to Jiang family before, so not far away, there was still the Jiang family land. In the land of the Jiang family, Butcher Jiang was also working.
The rice harvest of the Jiang family this year was not too good, so Butcher Jiang planted winter wheat as well.
The two of them worked in the field separately for almost an hour; they sat down on the ridge beside them to rest.
Wang Haisheng's youngest son, Wang Daniu, ran from a distance and gave Zhao Fugui a basket. "Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Zhao asked me to bring you tea."
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 98.2 – Finally Home
"Daniu is so good." People of Zhao Fugui's age liked children, so seeing Wang Daniu, he couldn't help but smile.
When he looked at the contents of the basket, he was happy. In the basket was a large teapot filled with black tea and a palm-sized cake.
The cakes made by people in Hexi were quite simple; they were sweet or salty with brown sugar in the sweet ones and salt in the salty ones. Most common people put salt in it.
The price of brown sugar was not cheaper than salt, and it took a lot of brown sugar to make it sweet, but only a little bit of salt . . . Zhao's cake was made with salt and green onion, making it taste almost like green onion bread.
It's estimated that when the water was heated, the cake was still hot, so Zhao Fugui drank a mouthful of tea and cake in satisfaction. Next to him, Butcher Jiang took a sip of the water he had brought, which had long since gone cold and sour.
In the past, it had always been him who had tea and something to eat. But now, his days were actually not even comparable to Zhao Fugui!
Zhao Fugui looked at Butcher Jiang, his mood quite complicated. In the past, Butcher Jiang looked very energetic, but since then, he looked much older . . . However, it was not easy for him to talk to them about the current situation of their two families . . .
They both rested for a while before silently going back to work.
The Zhao family did not have much land, and Zhao Fugui was used to working, so he wasn't worried that he would not be able to finish. Seeing that the time was almost up, he tidied up and went home.
His wife had cooked a meal and wouldn't eat until he went back early.
Zhao Fugui had left early, but Jiang Butcher remained in the field.
On one hand the work in the field was endless, but on the other hand, the house was in such a mess he didn't want to go back there.
Now, that his two daughters-in-law were pregnant and had stopped working, his sons could not be counted on them. Finally, all the work had fallen on their two oldest children and his youngest daughter, who was not yet married.
Thinking of these two sons, Butcher Jiang couldn't help but sigh. His youngest son found work in the county town, but it was said that all kinds of expenses were very high. He said he would bring money home, but he was not able to do it yet. While his second son . . .
At the beginning, he bought twenty silver worth of kelp and salted fish. Although he sold some in the village and later sold some on the street, he did not sell above his investing capital, and after the summer, some of the kelp and salted fishes had gone bad! So as not to waste it, their family recently ate only kelp and salted fishes every day, which made him feel sick when he smelled it.
But there was nothing he could do about it;; he could not waste so much food at home. No matter how much he didn't want to eat it, he still had to eat it.
Thinking of the things piled up at home and then thinking about his second son, Butcher Jiang felt depressed for a while.
In fact, if he just couldn't get his capital back, although Butcher Jiang felt sorry for the silver he still thought it was fine. At least, Jiang Chengwen only lost ten silver from the forty he had given him from money they got from selling land.
However . . . Jiang Chengwen, who failed to do business this time, was not reconciled and wanted to try it a second time. These days, he had been running outside the house all the time.
Butcher Jiang went home in a very bad mood, and as soon as he returned, he saw the village matchmaker, Mrs. He, come out of his house.
After entering the door, Butcher Jiang frowned and asked, "What is Matchmaker He doing here?"
"She came to ask about my little girl," old lady Jiang said.
Butcher Jiang was stunned and then remembered that it was about time for his little daughter to marry.
In the past, their family pampered Jiang Xiaomei. Although they also asked her to work, they only asked her to do some light work, but now. . .
In more than a half a year, Jiang Xiaomei's hands and face had become much thicker.
They could still talk about Jiang Xiaomei, but he didn't know if they still could talk about good people.
Butcher Jiang was worried when he saw his second son, Jiang Chengwen, coming from outside with a happy face.
When butcher Jiang saw his smiling face, he was furious. But old lady Jiang was, on the contrary, very happy, seeing her beloved second son return. She was overjoyed. "Chengwen, you've finally come back!"
"Father, Mother!" Jiang Chengwen called out and then he couldn't wait to say, "Mom, Dad, I found a good business outside this time. I will definitely make a lot of money!"
Butcher Jiang had little trust in this son at this time, so he said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
But old lady Jiang believed in her son. "Really?"
"Dad, you don't need to pretend anymore." Jiang Chengwen said, "They want to do big business, and that business could really make money. If I hadn't had a good relationship with them and they lacked capital, they wouldn't let me be involved at all!"
Jiang Chengwen talked a lot before finally saying, "By the way, I don't have enough money in my hand. Mother, please bring me some more!"
"Don't you have nearly thirty silver in your hand? Why is it not enough?" old lady Jiang asked.
"Stinky boy, don't make a fool of yourself. It's all a fraud!" Butcher Jiang frowned.
"Dad, they're all rich people, so how could they be scamming money?" Jiang Chengwen had his mind set, recognizing it as a good business that would make a lot of money.
The family was suddenly in an uproar again, and Butcher Jiang was so angry that he finally insisted that he would not give any money. After saying that, he immediately went back to his room and did not want to see Jiang Chengwen again.
Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge knew nothing about the things happening in Hexi. However, since they left the capital, they missed their hometown more and more, which made them eager to return home.
However, the speed of the fleet at this time . . .
No matter how anxious Jiang Zhen was, he could only go back slowly. Fortunately, they didn't encounter any trouble along the way. The only thing that made him entangled was . . . Zhao Jinge belly was getting bigger and bigger.
In the first four months, Zhao Jinge's belly could not be seen at all, but after four months, it gradually began to swell. The baby's movement also became more and more apparent. Jiang Zhen also realized more and more clearly that he really wanted to be a father.
When departing from the capital, figuring that they might not be able to eat vegetables on the way, Jiang Zhen had someone find dirt and wooden boxes and planted some green cabbage in it.
These two kinds of vegetables were easy to grow. Even if they were planted on ship, they would grow well. They were something that only Zhao Jinge could eat.
Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi stood at the bow of the ship and looked at the lush vegetables planted on the bow of the ship next to them. They were frowning, feeling depressed.
"Why is Zhao Jinge so lucky?" Liu Qianqian couldn't help but say.
"Yes, why is his life so good?" Zhao Lingxi could not help sighing. He and Liu Qianqian had a bad relationship and were constantly competing with each other before. However, since being rescued by Jiang Zhen, they were both rejected together, so their relationship grew closer and closer.
"I don't know what Jiang Zhen will ask us to do in the future," Liu Qianqian said again.
"After all, he will not sell our bodies." Zhao Lingxi knew that many of Jiang Zhen's subordinates were interested in them. However, when Jiang Zhen gave orders, those people did not dare to do anything to them.
As they were talking, they saw Zhao Jinge came near the planted vegetables on another ship.
Now that the weather was getting colder and colder, Zhao Jinge changed into thick clothes, so his belly could no longer be seen.
After looking at the vegetables planted on the bow, Zhao Jinge pulled some vegetables out and gave them to Cook Li, asking her to cook them.
"Why did her ladyship pick so many vegetables today?" Li looked at the vegetables in front of her and asked in some surprise.
"We are almost home, so it doesn't matter if we eat it all." Zhao Jinge stood up and said with a smile.
In order to travel fast, they did not frequently make a stop to replenish supplies. But every time they stopped, Jiang Zhen would buy some vegetables to plant. However, even though Jiang Zhen planted vegetables, he did not eat them himself but asked Zhao Jinge to eat more instead.
Jiang Zhen didn't eat any fresh chicken, but he kept it for him. Now that they would reach home in two days, he always let Jiang Zhen eat with him.
The meal that evening was so rich that Jiang Zhen glanced at Zhao Jinge and began to eat with a smile.
After dinner, they lay side by side on the bed with Jiang Zhen reading a book to Zhao Jinge. The book he read to Zhao Jinge was Qionglin Early Childhood School, a set of enlightenment books read by people in that era.
But what was embarrassing was that, as he read it, he couldn't explain some parts clearly . . . Fortunately, Zhao Jinge could not understand even more. If there were any problems, he could just muddle through it.
As for being fooled . . . He said that reading a hundred times had its own merits, and so he read it a few more times . . .
That was reasonable. Jiang Zhen had read too much, and he really had some interest in reading it out loud. Of course, that was also because there was nothing else to do on this ship except for reading.
After studying for a period of time, Jiang Zhen put the book down and began to touch Zhao Jinge's belly while speaking. In fact, in addition to reading it to Zhao Jinge, he also read to the child in Zhao Jinge's belly. Although he didn't know much about pregnancy, he had heard that pregnant women require prenatal education.
Since he couldn't play music for the child in Zhao Jinge's belly, he read books instead. His voice shouldn't be too bad. Maybe if he read it like this. . . he could also make the baby in Zhao Jinge's belly remember his father's voice before he was born.
Thinking in this way, Jiang Zhen touched the belly of Zhao Jinge again. "Son, I am your father. When you come out, I will take you for rides on a horse."
When he was in the capital, the Zheng family gave him a carriage and a horse. Jiang Zhen loaded them into the ship and brought them back to the south.
Zhao Jinge couldn't help smiling when he looked at Jiang Zhen like this.
Jiang Zhen told him that the child in his belly could hear the voices outside, so thinking this way, he was happy to see Jiang Zhen care so much about this child.
Two days later, the fleet arrived in Hecheng County and stopped at the Zheng family's private docks.
There are a lot of goods on board. In fact, it would be better to go to the Fucheng to sell the goods first, but whether it was Jiang Zhen or Zhao Jinge, they wanted to go home.
When ship was docked at the Zheng family's dock, Jiang Zhen, Zhao Jinge, and the men Jiang Zhen took to the capital all got off the boats. Jiang Zhen's carriage was also taken off the ship.
The depressed horse on the ship looked very happy after they landed.
"This time, we can take a carriage to return. The villagers will be very envious." Jiang Zhen looked at the carriage and turned back to Zhao Jinge.
Nowadays, having a carriage was rarer and showed one's capability more than having a BMW in modern times!
Jiang Zhen himself was not a person who liked to show off, but Zhao Liu absolutely liked to show off. If they went back in a horse-drawn carriage, they would certainly be able to give Zhao Liu a lot of face, so she would be able to show off in front of the neighbors.
"This carriage can't get to our village," Zhao Jinge said.
"What?" Jiang Zhen was puzzled.
"There's a bridge on the way to our village, and that bridge can't be crossed by this carriage," Zhao Jinge said.
After Zhao Jinge's words, Jiang Zhen remembered that there was such a thing. From Hecheng County to Hexi Village, you have to cross the river. There was a bridge on this river; it was a kind of stone arch bridge with steps, and such a bridge couldn't be crossed with a carriage . . .
It seemed impossible to drive a carriage back home. It seemed they would still need to take a small boat home . . .
Jiang Zhen and his men went up on the boat, and their group slowly headed towards Hexi.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 99.1 – Jiang Xiaomei ran away
Jiang Zhen came to this place less than a year ago, so he had not lived in Hexi for a long time. Even then, he did not have many good memories. Still, he missed Hexi a lot. After all, there was Zhao Fugui and Zhao Liu here, and he regarded them as family and his home.
Jinng Zhen's heart was like a compass—the closer he was to Hexi, the heavier his heart felt. He felt this way for no other reason than that . . . going to and returning from the capital this time, one of his men was dead.
Only one of his men had died, so he was much better than Zheng family's caravan, but a man was dead after all. That person . . . was the one he took outside with him. Jiang Zhen didn't want such an accident to happen, but he felt guilty in the end.
"Boss, why are you upset?" Jiang Ming asked in puzzlement.
Jiang Zhen didn't say anything; he only looked at the box beside him.
The dead villager was surnamed Li Yuan. He was only eighteen years old. After the Zheng family's fleet docked, Jiang Zhen brought the people to bury him and packed all his belongings in this chest.
Afterwards, the pension given by the Zheng family was also packed by Jiang Zhen, as well as part of silver he robbed from the pirates.
Now, in addition to his relics, this chest also had 300 silver in it. In addition, Jiang Zhen bought some things in the capital and put them in another box, which would also be given by him to Li Yuan's family.
Seeing Jiang Zhen do this, his subordinates also gave some things, and they were all placed in the box.
"Boss, the silver you gave is already a lot. Li Yuan's parents won't blame you," Jiang Ming said. Not to mention, Li Yuan's parents, even his own parents would not blame him after seeing so much silver.
"In the end, the person is gone," Jiang Zhen said.
He also knew that the pension he gave could already be considered to be a lot. When he originally chose people, he specifically did not choose people who were the only sons . . . In this place where human lives were worthless that even human trading was common, it was unlikely that anyone would blame him, but he was still not very comfortable at heart.
Jiang Ming and others became silent at this news. Yes, in the end this person was gone. The person who originally went to the capital with them was gone.
Although it was quite normal to have four children in the family these days, some people had six or seven children, and only three or four could be raised. However, this man died in front of them, so they didn't feel good in the end.
The boat slowly approached Hexi, and soon, everyone disembarked. Everyone's faces didn't look too good.
"Jiang Zhen! Jinge!" a voice suddenly called out, and Jiang Zhen raised his head to see Zhao Fugui standing by the river.
This person who had always been silent and seemed to have limited words and smiles was smiling broadly, revealing a mouthful of heavily worn teeth, most of which were blackened or yellowed.
However, he quickly closed his mouth and stopped smiling, only saying, "You guys are finally back. It's good you came back."
Zhao Fugui, ever since Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge went to the capital, liked to have something to do and wandered around the river and the road to the country town. Today he was wandering around again.
He was so happy to see Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge from afar, but the expressions on Jiang Zhen's face and the others made his heart thud. These people's faces did not look good; he was afraid that the journey to the capital was not a smooth one. However, it's okay. It didn't matter if it didn't go well, as long as they were back.
Zhao Fugui took a look and found that Jiang Zhen looked to be in good condition, and his son looked slightly fatter, so he finally put his mind at ease.
Then he saw something else, such as . . . these people were all empty-handed except for carrying two boxes.
Actually, when Jiang Zhen went home, he also wanted to bring more things with him, but he had a lot of people and couldn't find more boats for a while, so where could he put those things? If he were to go back and forth to fetch stuff, wasn't it better to bring his men back?
After taking a look at the big men holding big and small bags, Jiang Zhen simply asked those men to leave their things on the ship for the time being and to come back tomorrow to pick them up. He, of course, would do the same. So all of them who returned home only brought a small bag full of silver and nothing else, much less than all that they took with them from the capital.
Nowadays, who didn't bring something home from a long trip! Unless you've suffered outside and spent all your money and really didn't have anything to bring home . . .
Zhao Fugui was becoming more and more certain that Jiang Zhen's trip didn't go well. Having come up with such a conclusion, Zhao Fugui was not in a position to ask anything more. "Do you want me to help?"
"Dad, no need," Jiang Zhen said. He carried two bags with him and let Zhao Jinge get off the boat first.
His two bags were filled with gold and silver, as well as two set of clothes for Zhao Liushi and Zhao Fugui. These bags were a bit bigger than the others, so when he walked out, he carried them both.
Zhao Jinge had been taken good care of by Jiang Zhen, so when Jiang Zhen asked him to get off the boat first, he did just that. As soon as he got off the boat, he immediately went to Zhao Fugu.
"Dad."
"Nonsense." Zhao Fugui glared at his son. "How can you make Jiang Zhen carry all the bags? Don't you even know how to lend a hand?"
His son had become really more and more improper. How can he let his husband carry bags without taking some things himself?
When Jiang Zhen paid the fare, he saw his father-in-law scolding his wife, so he hurriedly went over: "Dad, Jinge is not feeling well."
"There's nothing wrong with him. I think he's very strong." Zhao Fugui looked at his son and found that his son showed a circle of fur. He couldn't help saying, "Jiang Zhen, don't give him all the good things. Even you just wear a cotton-padded jacket, so how can you let him wear leather?"
It took only less than a month to come back, so Zhao Jinge had been pregnant for over five months. In fact, his stomach was bulging a lot, but people couldn't see it because of his thick clothes, which made Zhao Fugui only think that he was wearing too much.
Jiang Zhen was about to tell his father-in-law that Zhao Jinge was pregnant, but Zhao Fugui looked around and whispered, "Besides, why are you back by boat? It cost a lot of money!" He didn't earn a lot going out but was wasting money by returning by boat?
Knowing that Zhao Fugui must have misunderstood, Jiang Zhen said, "Dad, we made a lot of money on this trip." In such a round trip, when the goods on hand were sold. Coupled with the ships and the house in the capital, his property was valued at more than 200,000 silver, so he was definitely a rich man. Many of them took a boat together, but it only cost a few copper coins. It really didn't cost much . . .
Although these days, silver was not as valuable as in previous dynasties, officials in the imperial court charged tens of thousands of silver for bribes, so his 200,000 was already quite a lot.
Zhao Fugui thought that Jiang Zhen loved spending money and didn't believe Jiang Zhen, who didn't even bring back a piece of pork this time, but he still gave Jiang Zhen's face. "Let's go back and talk."
Jiang Zhen nodded and thought it would be better to go back and then say it. Just then, someone suddenly rushed to them, shouting, "Zhao Fugui, something has happened, and old lady Jiang ran to your house!"
After the man shouted, he found that Jiang Zhen was also there and said, "Jiang Zhen, you are back! They will be fine when you get back."
Jiang Zhen knew that this man had a good relationship with the Zhao family. Now that this man said that old lady Jiang had gone to the Zhao family's house . . . What was going on?
With a frown, Jiang Zhen was about to go home. But after a few steps, he looked at He Qiusheng and others: "You . . . take these things to Li's house first."
Li Yuan was dead. He should go to the Li's house as soon as he was back, but something happened to Zhao Liu, so he needed to go there first.
"Don't worry, boss. We'll get it done," He Chunsheng immediately said.
Nodding towards He Chunsheng, Jiang Zhen immediately rushed towards the Zhao family house while asking the one who reported the news, "What's going on?"
"Jiang Chengwen was cheated of money. In order to raise money, old lady Jiang told Jiang Xiaomei but . . . It's not a good marriage, making Jiang Xiaomei run away, and the Jiang family ran to the Zhao family," the man said.
Jiang Zhen frowned when he heard that.
He didn't like old lady Jiang or Butcher Jiang, nor did he like Jiang Chengwen or Jiang Chengxiang. He had no feelings for his two sisters-in-law or that nephew, but for Jiang Xiaomei . . . She was the only one in the Jiang family he liked.
Although Jiang Xiaomei also liked to be lazy and wouldn't help him work, she never bullied Eldest Jiang, and if there was anything good to eat that old lady Jiang gave her, she would still leave a little for Eldest Jiang.
Jiang Zhen was using Eldest Jiang's body, so he also remembered the kindness that the eldest Jiang received. He did not repay the favor before, partly because he himself wasn't very capable at that time and partly because the Jiang family wasn't really particularly bad to Jiang Xiaomei.
He remembered that when old lady Jiang cooked eggs, she would specially give one to Jiang Xiaomei.
Unlike him, Jiang Xiaomei definitely didn't want to break ties with her parents, and old lady Jiang and Butcher Jiang treated her well. In such a situation, he didn't need to do much, waiting for the future when Jiang Xiaomei got married, so he could give her some money and keep a close eye on her mother-in-law's family, which would be enough.
Jiang Zhen had always thought that Butcher Jiang and old lady Jiang would find a good marriage for Jiang Xiaomei no matter what. At most, she would be given less dowry, but he never thought . . .
Jiang Zhen was in a hurry, but when he saw that Zhao Jinge looked even more anxious, he said, "Jinge, go slowly and be careful . . ."
Zhao Jinge didn't slow down, and Jiang Zhen shivered as he watched him run and he could only protect him carefully.
Seeing this, Zhao Fugui felt more and more that his son was too preposterous.
Meanwhile, at the Zhao family's side, things were already chaotic.
Old lady Jiang brought Jiang Chengwen, Butcher Jiang, and some people from the Jiang family to surround the Sun Xiaoshan and Zhao Liu. Then she looked at Zhao Liu aggressively. This matter of the Jiang family started a month ago.
A month ago, Jiang Chengwen suddenly came home and said that there was a big business that he could do and asked for money. At that time, old lady Jiang listened carefully to his introduction of this business, but Butcher Jiang didn't believe it and was not willing to give him money. After that, Jiang Chengwen asked for money almost every day. However, even though he cried and cried and even tried to hang himself, Butcher Jiang still had no money and was not willing to give him any.
In fact, at the end of the day, Butcher Jiang was still a bit moved by Jiang Chengwen's persistence. He thought that it must be a good business. The main reason why he insisted on not giving money was because he didn't have any. For someone his age, he would not sell things to engage in this "big business" thing.
Jiang Chengwen had been making trouble for many days, but finally, it subsided. Butcher Jiang took it as a sign that he had given up on this "big business" and advised him to do some other small business . . . such as selling food or something on the market.
If he made steamed buns, even if he couldn't sell them, he could eat them by himself so he would not lose a lot of money. But Jiang Chengwen despised this kind of business.
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Just like this, Jiang Chengwen was idling at home all day just like before.
Butcher Jiang did not take it seriously. But Jiang Chengwen became more anxious. Five days ago, after he returned home from the town, he broke down and cried.
It turned out that since Butcher Jiang was refusing to give money and Jiang Chengwen was reluctant to give up on this business, Jiang Chengwen actually ended up borrowing money to invest in that so-called business!
He borrowed 120 silver to raise it into the 150 silver with the thirty silver he had in his hand. Then those people who were reportedly traveling for ten days to buy precious medicinal materials from outside disappeared without a trace.
After waiting for a few days, Jiang Chengwen finally couldn't sit still. He went to those people's homes to look for them only to find that the buildings were already empty.
It turned out they rented this big house in the country town! The pharmacy they took him to also said that they didn't even know those two men at all.
Jiang Chengwen was devastated; he had been cheated out of 150 silver! Of that amount, 120 silver was borrowed from loan sharks!
Although Liu Heitou, the main moneylender, was accepted as Jiang Zhen's subordinate, in Hecheng County, Liu Heitou was not the only one doing such "business." But others were no more merciful than Liu Heitou.
Jiang Chengwen has agreed to borrow it for a month and then return 130 silver. But now, from where was he going to take out 130 silver? If he couldn't pay it back, the interest would grow as well as his debt. He might even get his hands and feet cut off in the future!
As soon as Jiang Chengwen got anxious, he went home and began to cry.
Butcher Jiang and old lady Jiang were so angry that they cursed those who cheated money and Butcher Jiang beat Jiang Chengwen. But after they finished, they still had to find a way to solve the problem.
No matter how unlikeable Jiang Chengwen was right then, he was still their son; they definitely needed to save Jiang Chengwen . . . Of course, at that point, there was no way for them to save him. Those people who lent money to Jiang Chengwen, if they couldn't get money, they would certainly come to them for it. Are they were . . . going to have to sell their land?
They sold their land last time, and right after, they needed to sell again . . . They would soon become poor people from being one of the rich in Hexi!
Butcher Jiang and old lady Jiang were both reluctant to sell their land, or at least they had to find a way to sell less of it. They thought about it and finally came up with one thing.
Wasn't Jiang Xiaomei being talked about by others? Jiang Xiaomei was sixteen years old. Someone has come to propose to her, but she still hadn't decided yet . . . Now, if they married her into a good family . . . maybe her bride price could cost forty, fifty silver or even more? This way, they would be able to sell less of the land!
After discussing it with Butcher Jiang, old lady Jiang thought it was feasible, but . . . For this who had decent face and a good family background and was able to afford a 40 to 50 silver dowry, who would be willing to marry Jiang Xiaomei? Such bride price was for a daughter of a scholar!
Moreover, there are many women who wanted to marry in such families. Some of these women or gers were cherished by their families, so they allowed the bride price to become part of dowry and go with the bride when marrying over!
Usually, for ordinary people, a bride price of twenty silver with some betrothal gifts was already good. If the bride's family were to give more dowry, or they really liked her a lot, they would be willing to give more. Forty or fifty silver was not something that ordinary people were willing to give.
The bride's parents who really wanted to receive this bride price, were not marrying their daughter but selling her. At the beginning, Zhao Liu's parents planned to sell her for 40 silver to a man who could be her father.
Because of that, it was impossible for Jiang Xiaomei to marry into a good family, especially . . . the Jiang couple still needed money. But sometimes thing just happen even if it's coincidence.
There was a family in the county town who had previously married a daughter-in-law, but she couldn't give birth to children, so they wanted to take a concubine for their son, and they were willing to pay fifty silver.
This family was not really rich, even worse than the former Jiang family. They wanted concubine because there was only one son in their family, and they also wanted another woman to help with the work. Therefore, they required that the woman should be able to have children and work.
That household reputation was no good. It was said that their daughter-in-law was pregnant with their son's child before, but because her husband beat her up, she lost the child and couldn't get pregnant anymore . . . such a family still wanted a concubine. Of course, most people were reluctant to marry their daughter over, so they could only buy one with 50 silver.
It wasn't that Butcher Jiang and old lady Jiang didn't know about these things, but they still agreed. Jiang Xiaomei refused, but they told her such things.
"That man beat his wife, but he won't necessarily beat you."
"Although you'll be a concubine, you will still be the one to give birth. When you give birth, everything in that family will be yours. Isn't it good?"
"Little girl, who else do you want to marry? If you can get married to a family like that, you will be happy!"
. . .
That was what the Jiang family said, but it was not the truth . . . Jiang Xiaomei inquired casually and heard even more information.
For example, although this family lived in the country town and run small shop selling soy sauce, they didn't make any money. The women in the family had to get up early and weave cloth from early morning to late night to sell for money.
For example, the son of that family beat his wife so badly, she was almost killed by him.
When Jiang Xiaomei married him, she would not only be a concubine, but she will need to kept working. . . Just thinking about it, Jiang Xiaomei was not happy. After that, the family came to their door to see Jiang Xiaomei. After seeing her, they on one hand agreed to pay the money; but on other, since she would be a concubine, there would be no need to hold a marriage.
Butcher Jiang and old lady Jiang made an agreement with them about Jiang Xiaomei, but as it turned out . . . that day, they couldn't even find Jiang Xiaomei.
Finally, they sought out the Zhao family.
"Zhao Liu, hurry up and hand over Jiang Xiaomei! If you don't hand her over, I won't be polite!" old lady Jiang said.
Zhao Liu's was a bit shocked. "I really don't know where Jiang Xiaomei is."
"How could you not know? Someone saw her coming towards you!" Old lady Jiang looked at Zhao Liu angrily.
"I really don't know. Anyway, why would I hide your daughter?" Zhao Liu only felt wronged. She had heard that the Jiang family had set such a marriage for Jiang Xiaomei, and she pitied her a little, even saying a few words to someone, but she definitely wasn't hiding Jiang Xiaomei.
With Jiang Zhen away, she didn't dare to offend anyone.
"Didn't you say we weren't good to Jiang Xiaomei before? Who is it if not you?" Old lady Jiang already hated Zhao Liu for some time, so she slapped her. "You're not a good person, you abducted my son and now tried to take my daughter away. You just can't see me live a good life, can't you?"
"Jiang family, how can you just hit someone?" Village Chief Jiang Ping rushed in and was startled.
"What's wrong with me beating her up? She wanted to hurt me! Why can't I just hit her?" Old lady Jiang cried, "My daughter is missing. She probably abducted her. Village Chief, you must make it right for me!"
"How could she have abducted her?" Jiang Ping said; however, his words were quickly drowned in the voices of the Jiang family members who came along with old lady Jiang.
"Someone saw Jiang Xiaomei coming here. If she didn't hide her, who would do it?"
"Zhao Liu's, you'll be fine if you hand over Jiang Xiaomei."
"Or let's search."
. . .
The life of the Zhao family was getting better and better, making many people in the village jealous. Jiang Zhen had been away for more than four months, and they did not know when he will come back or if he would even come back. So they came with the Jiang family to take advantage of it.
After hearing this, old lady Jiang had another idea. "Zhao Liu, you need to pay! If you got my daughter and ruined her marriage, you will need to repay money for me!"
"This . . . Why should I repay you money?" Zhao Liu covered her face. Sun Xiaoshan tried to protect her, but she was already shivering.
"I'm not leaving until you pay me money," old lady Jiang said again. At first, she didn't want Zhao Liu to pay her money, but the more she thought about it at the moment, the more she thought it was a good idea, making her eyes lit up.
"Nonsense! Jiang family, your daughter is not a child. She ran away by herself. Why should Zhao Liu pay you money?" Jiang Ping said. At the same time, more people from the village came.
These people were all close to the Zhao family or did not like the Jiang family, so they naturally criticized old lady Jiang.
"Jiang family, you not only sell your daughter but also come to blackmail!"
"Jiang family, you have gone too far."
"Why should Zhao Liu pay you money?"
"It's crazy to want money!"
. . .
The number of these people was much greater than those brought by old lady Jiang. When she saw these people, she knew that her request for money from the Zhao family was probably not going to work.
What was even more unfortunate at that time was the person who pulled a red-eyed Jiang Xiaomei. "Xiaomei was hiding in the forest by the river, crying . . ."
Jiang Xiaomei was not in the Zhao family at all, and the place where she was found was far away from the Zhao family.
The villagers' eyes suddenly changed when they looked at old lady Jiang. Even people who came with her became embarrassed. They listened to what old lady Jiang said and decided that Jiang Xiaomei was indeed in the Zhao family, but it turned . . . Jiang Xiaomei was not there at all?
Old lady Jiang was stared at by so many people; she couldn't face it for a moment. But then she suddenly scolded Zhao Liu, "Zhao Liu's, don't be so proud of yourself even if your family is better off now. In the end, he is still my son! Your Jinge can't give birth to a child, so in the future, my son, who wants to pass his family name, will definitely need a concubine. You'll just help raise my grandson!"
. . .
"You're talking nonsense!" Zhao Liu wasn't mad about being slapped before, but right then she was really angry.
"Where did I talk nonsense? I'm telling the truth! Matchmaker He has said that your son can't give birth," old lady Jiang said.
Then not knowing who it was, someone suddenly shouted, "Jiang Zhen is back!"
Jiang Zhen is back? Old lady Jiang shivered and wanted to turn around and flee. However, Jiang Zhen pushed the crowd aside and already reached them.
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 100.1 – Buying Jiang Xiaomei
The reason why old lady Jiang dared to make trouble in the Zhao family house was because Jiang Zhen was not there. It had been more than four months since Jiang Zhen took his people to the capital and had not come back yet, so people in Hexi started to speculate and spread rumors, such as Jiang Zhen might not come back and so on.
This was the rumor old lady Jiang had told many people, hoping that it would come true. She was the most miserable one after seeing that Jiang Zhen was doing so well. How could a son she had given up, whom she despised, end up having such a good life?
Old lady Jiang hated Jiang Zhen and wished that he would die outside, but she was also afraid of him because he had taught her a lesson many times. Now, seeing that Jiang Zhen was pushing the crowd aside and coming towards her, he made her feel so scared that she wanted to turn around and run away.
Behind old lady Jiang, other members of the Jiang family responded in a similar way. They only dared to come make trouble when Jiang Zhen was away, but how could they continue now that Jiang Zhen coincidentally came back?
Many relatives and friends of the Jiang family were busy lowering their heads and wanted to hide among the villagers so that Jiang Zhen would not discover them. Jiang Chengwen and Butcher Jiang had no place to hide, so their expressions were full of guilt and fear.
"What were you talking about?" Jiang Zhen stepped forward and grabbed the clothes on old lady Jiang's chest and looked down at her with a cold expression.
He did not hear what the man had said before, but he heard the last few words, and when he got past the crowd, he saw the slap mark on Zhao Liu's face. To Jiang Zhen, Zhao Liu was much closer to him than that old lady Jiang. So right then he was really disgusted with this old lady.
"I . . ." Old lady Jiang was speechless for a moment.
People around her were very sympathetic toward old lady Jiang. How could she be so unlucky to speak ill of others and be caught red-handed?
Even if Zhao Jinge really couldn't have a baby, Jiang Zhen cared about Zhao Jinge very much, so even if it was true, it was intolerable for others to criticize!
"Jiang Zhen, do you have something to say?" village head Jiang Ping subconsciously advised and then kept looking behind Jiang Zhen.
Jiang Zhen came back, so his son should also be back, right? Where was his son? To be honest, he didn't want to fight here at all. He just wanted to go back and see his son . . .
"Jiang Zhen, your mother only said a few words of truth. It was all for your own good!"
Just then another person came forward; it was the second uncle of the Jiang family who stood up for Butcher Jiang and old lady Jiang but was beaten up by Jiang Zhen. The second uncle of the Jiang family had already changed his tone and did not dare to yell at Jiang Zhen nor order him to kneel down. However, he still relied on his old age to reason with Jiang Zhen and make some profit.
He felt that, as Jiang Zhen's elder, he should teach Jiang Zhen well . . . Not to mention that Jiang Zhen was very successful now, so it was better to let Jiang Zhen return to the Jiang family and not let him be taken advantage of by the Zhao family.
Not to mention the money Jiang Zhen made outside, just the chickens and ducks raised by the Zhao family alone—if only those chickens and ducks were raised by the Jiang family, wouldn't it be nice? He, as the second uncle, would receive filial piety at least.
As soon as the second uncle of the Jiang family uttered these words, the people present looked at him, and some people began to sympathize with him as well.
However, the second uncle of the Jiang family did not sympathize; he always felt that Jiang Zhen had taken the initiative to join the Zhao family to repay Zhao Jinge's kindness and to gamble with Butcher Jiang who did not want him . . .
"Just looking at Zhao Jinge's body, you can already tell that it will not be easy to have children. Everyone in the village knows it, so your mother was only telling the truth."
"Jiang Zhen, you still need to think of your own future. People always need children to inherit their families . . ."
Before the second uncle of the Jiang family could finish speaking, Zhao Liu rushed up and said, "You old bastard!" Zhao Liu, who had always been timid and could not scold people, was extremely ferocious at this moment, so the second uncle's face was scratched and four bloodstains were made.
Before, when she was unjustly accused and slapped by old lady Jiang, Zhao Liu only felt fear; however, what was said just now really stabbed her in the heart.
Even though Jiang Zhen married into their Zhao family, he was so capable that she and Zhao Fugui couldn't stop him if he wanted to find other women to give birth to his children. If Zhao Jinge could not give birth to his children, they should let him have children with someone else . . . In that case, how miserable would her Jinge be in the future? Just thinking about it made Zhao Liu sad, making her suddenly very fierce.
"What are you doing! I'm just telling the truth!" the second uncle of the Jiang family said hurriedly. "Oh, oh, oh!"
When his children saw this, they could only go up and stop Zhao Liu. "Zhao Liu, stop fighting . . ."
"You son of a bitch!" Zhao Fugui, who just squeezed into the crowd, saw this scene and was afraid that his wife would be beaten, so he hurried over to help Zhao Liu.
"Mother!" Zhao Jinge also ran over, because of the child in his belly, he arrived a little late and was now very confused about the situation.
"You old bastard, you old bastard! Who says my Jinge can't—" Zhao Liu stubbornly swallowed the last part of the sentence while almost choking up.
Seeing Zhao Liu like that, everyone began to sympathize with her again. It was useless for her to celebrate having a good life at the moment when, in the future, her position would be uncertain.
If Jiang Zhen was poor and incompetent, the Zhao family would naturally be able to hold on to him, but unfortunately, Jiang Zhen had the ability to leave the Zhao family in the future in order to have a child surnamed Jiang, and there was nothing the Zhao family could do to stop him. Everyone was thinking this way.
Seeing so much chaos, Zhao Jinge, who finally ran forward, was about to be squeezed out by the crowd.
"Zhao Jinge!" Jiang Zhen shouted, his expression ugly. Letting go of old lady Jiang, he hurriedly grabbed Zhao Jinge.
There was a sudden silence, and everyone looked at Jiang Zhen cautiously . . . Why did Jiang Zhen suddenly yell at Zhao Jinge? His expression looked so ugly.
Does he dislike Zhao Jinge?
Even Zhao Liu couldn't help thinking like that and looked at Jiang Zhen worriedly.
"Can't you be careful? You have a baby in your stomach!" Jiang Zhen said. Even if Zhao Jinge was in good health, he couldn't be troubled.
As soon as Jiang Zhen said this, the villagers were immediately subdued. What did they just hear? Zhao Jinge had a baby in his belly? Everyone looked at Zhao Jinge's stomach and found that . . . it was a little big.
"Mother, Jinge is pregnant. You can't be surprised. Stop hitting people and take care of him for now." Jiang Zhen pulled Zhao Liu back.
Zhao Liu was stunned. "Oh . . ."
It wasn't until that moment that Zhao Fugui came back to his senses and finally knew why Jiang Zhen didn't let his son carry anything. He obviously didn't make any money, but he still dressed his son in fur clothes.
He immediately said to Zhao Jinge, "What a shame! You're pregnant. Why are you running!"
He kept a straight face at first, but in the middle of his speech, his face no longer looked tense, and he couldn't help laughing as he looked at Zhao Jinge's belly.
The Hexi villagers suddenly became a little jealous of the Zhao family. How could the Zhao family be so lucky? What's more, Zhao Jinge was married for less than half a year, right? But his belly was already sticking out, so he should have become pregnant soon after he got married. Who said that Zhao Jinge could not have a baby? He was obviously very fertile.
Fortunately, Zhao Jinge didn't marry into the Li family at the beginning. Otherwise, they would have to support more children!
Zhao Fugui and Zhao Liu looked at Zhao Jinge, and Jiang Zhen looked directly at the village head Jiang Ping. "Village head, what on earth is going on today?"
Jiang Ping, who was busy looking for his son, was called on, so he said, "There are some things . . ." He explained the whole story in a concise and comprehensive way, but when he finished, he still couldn't find his son in the crowd.
"All right. Jiang family slandered my mother for hiding Jiang Xiaomiao and tried to attack her?" Jiang Zhen looked at the Jiang family with a sneer and directly slapped Jiang Chengwen and Chengxiang. "You have a lot of courage!"
Jiang Chengwen's and Jiang Chengxiang's faces became swollen from this slap, but this time, they did not dare to resist at all.
"It's a misunderstanding. You have the right to be angry, but your sister was already found, so we will go . . . ," Butcher Jiang said as he was going to leave with his family.
He didn't want to fight with Jiang Zhen. After all, every time there was a conflict, there was no benefit for him at all. Moreover, the people who came to "marry" Jiang Xiaomiao were coming, so he had to deal with this matter urgently.
"You want to go after this kind of misunderstanding? What you want is too simple!" Jiang Zhen sneered.
"What do you want?" Butcher Jiang asked.
"Didn't you say that we hid Jiang Xiaomei? Since you have already said so, I will feel sorry not to hide her in my house!" Jiang Zhen said and then immediately looked at Jiang Xiaomei. "Come here!"
Jiang Xiaomei became a little confused. Ever since she knew that her parents had arranged such a marriage, Jiang Xiaomei has been in great pain. She had always wanted to marry a good family and lead a good life; however, this time, not only could she not lead a good life, but she would also fall into a pit.
Of course, she was not willing to marry, but what could she do when her parents ordered the matchmaker to say that she agreed?
After crying for two days while waiting to be taken away . . . Jiang Xiaomei ran away from her home as soon as she could. But she didn't get very far, and she knew that this route would not work . . . She was a woman, so where could she go? If she were to become careless, she might even be sold to a dirty place! The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, so she ran to the woods by the river where she used to play as a child and cried. Until she was found, Jiang Xiaomei didn't know that her mother had gone to the Zhao family house to make trouble. She was a little embarrassed, so she came over in a hurry.
To tell the truth, Jiang Xiaomei really wanted to ask the Zhao family for help, but she felt that it was not feasible immediately after thinking about it. If Jiang Zhen was there, she could go to Jiang Zhen. Jiang Zhen would definitely save her, but the key was that Jiang Zhen was not there at the moment. There was only an old men and old lady in Zhao family, so it was useless for her to ask for help
Prev ChapterNext ChapterReport chapterChapter 100.2 – Buying Jiang Xiaomei
When Jiang Xiaomei went back, she was also very desperate. She thought that she was going to be taken as a concubine, so she didn't expect that, all of a sudden, just when she turned around, Jiang Zhen came back. It was just that Jiang Zhen looked ferocious . . . So Jiang Xiaomei was also a bit scared.
Jiang Xiaomei looked at Jiang Zhen carefully. When Jiang Zhen saw this, he said, "Why aren't you coming here! Hurry up or I'll sell you right away!"
Jiang Xiaomei hurriedly hid behind Jiang Zhen and stood beside Zhao Liu who smiled at her with red eyes.
"You . . . This is my daughter. Jiang Zhen, what do you want? You can't take my daughter!" old lady Jiang said in a hurry. The groom's family would be coming soon to pick her up!
There were some things that happened coincidentally; just as old lady Jiang was in a hurry, the other family arrived.
"What's the matter here? Where is Jiang Xiaomei?" a voice sounded, and then two strangers passed through the Hexi villagers and came over.
One of them was a sturdy woman in her fifties or sixties and another was a gentle-looking man in his thirties. They were the mother and son who came to buy Jiang Xiaomei.
This middle-aged woman had already met Jiang Xiaomei once before, and at that time, she looked at Jiang Xiaomei as if she was livestock, which made Jiang Xiaomei very afraid of her.
Seeing her now, Jiang Xiaomei immediately took a step back and hid behind Zhao Liu and looked at her in horror.
"Where is Jiang Xiaomei?" The woman looked at the commotion around her and frowned. "I heard she ran away? What does this mean? It's not like we have to have her. If she doesn't want to marry into our family, I can find another one right away!"
This family's surname was Liang, and the man who wanted to take concubine was called Liang Fufa while Liang Fufa's mother's maiden name was Hu, so everyone called her Liang Hu.
This Liang Hu came to see Jiang Xiaomei a few days ago. The Jiang family members were proud, and Jiang Xiaomei had been working all the time and, seeing that she could work, Liang Hu took fancy to her. When she first learned that old lady Jiang had three sons in the row, she became even more satisfied with Jiang Xiaomei.
But even so, she still felt that Jiang Xiaomei would be climbing up the social ladder with this deal. She was just a country girl but could become a concubine for her son, which should be considered a blessing from her previous life.
How nice was her son! If the other girl was not so disobedient, her son wouldn't have had to hit her at all!
"She didn't run. Isn't she still here?" Old lady Jiang immediately pointed to Jiang Xiaomei and called out to her, "Jiang Xiaomei, come here quickly!"
Jiang Xiaomei didn't want to go there.
"Jiang Zhen, tell Jiang Xiaomei to come over, or I'll report you to the county government! You are abducting and trafficking in human beings!" old lady Jiang said again.
Before Jiang Zhen spoke, Liang Fufa suddenly asked with a gloomy face, "Who is that man? Your daughter doesn't have a lover, does she?"
Liang Fufa's expression was ugly. Old lady Jiang was afraid that he would no longer want Jiang Xiaomei, so she said, "That is her own brother, my oldest son. How could my daughter have a lover—"
"That's good—" Before Liang Fufa finished speaking, Jiang Zhen directly slapped him on the face.
Jiang Zhen recognized the man. When he was wandering around the county town, he learned about a lot of things from Yang Jing, and some of these things were related to the man in front of him.
This Liang Fufa liked to beat women and even forbid his wife to say even one word about it to anyone . . . A man who actually hits a woman . . . was not even a man!
"You hit me!" Liang Fufa looked at Jiang Zhen incredulously.
As the young owner of a store in the county town, he had always looked down on people from the countryside, so he never imagined that he would be beaten up by someone when he came to buy a concubine.
But as he looked at him he saw something; this man's clothes were even better than the clothes he was wearing. Liang Fufa was confused when he received another slap on his face.
"Get lost!"
"Why do you tell me to get lost!" Liang Fufa was furious, but at that moment, He Chunsheng and others all came back.
These people all wore uniform clothes and were exposed to the wind and sun every day after going out, making them look very fierce. When they came over, they all shouted to Jiang Zhen, "Boss!"
"Get these two out of here!"
He Chunsheng took a step forward and grabbed Liang Fufa and carried him out. Seeing this, all the people of Hexi scattered, and even the elderly second uncle of the Jiang family ran away very fast . . . Only Jiang Ping, who saw his son, and Jiang Xiaomei remained.
Seeing that his son was fine, Jiang Ping breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard Jiang Zhen ask, "How is Li Yuan's family?"
"They didn't say anything." Wang Haisheng said.
The Li family was very sad, but when they went out, they met bandits. They really couldn't blame Jiang Zhen for such an accident . . . Although it was hard for them, they still accepted the reality.
"Well . . ." Jiang Zhen nodded.
"What happened to Li Yuan?" Zhao Fugui just remembered that all the people from Hexi came back with Jiang Zhen, but he didn't see Li Yuan with them.
"He's gone," Jiang Zhen said.
Zhao Fugui had been happy since he heard that his son would have a child, but soon his heart jumped when he heard this.
When Jiang Zhen went out this time, he lost one of his people? It was not profitable, and people died, this . . .
"Li Yuan is gone? What happened?" Zhao Liu was scared. Li Yuan was a child she saw growing up. How could he be gone now?
"We encountered pirates on the way. Li Yuan was stabbed and died . . . ," Jiang Zhen said.
Pirates? Zhao Fugui and Zhao Liu become even more worried. Their Jinge, who was pregnant with a child, had unexpectedly met with pirates . . .
"It's good that the people are all right. As long as they're all right," Zhao Fugui said again and again.
Zhao Liu also kept nodding. "Yes, it's good to come back safely. I left a big rooster and waited for you to come back to kill it. I'll go and kill it right now."
Neither Zhao Fugui nor Zhao Liu wanted to ask any more questions, so they hurriedly returned to their house while Jiang Ping was also in a heavy mood.
After glancing at his son, Jiang Ping said, "Come home with me."
"Mm-hmm," Jiang Ming responded. He used to think about going out all day long, but this time, after spending a lot of time outside, he was a little homesick. Recently, he had been seeing Jiang Zhen expressing his feelings for Zhao Jinge every day, so he blurted out, "Dad, I miss you!"
When Jiang Ping heard it, his heart soured. This son of his had always been very laid back, and he didn't expect him to say such a thing. How much must he have suffered outside!
Bringing his son home, Jiang Ping immediately said, "Son, you better not go out from now on."
"Why?" Jiang Ming asked. He still wanted to go out and do something great.
"Boy . . . going out can let you earn some money, but it is dangerous. What are you doing? Can't you just marry a wife and live a good life here?" Jiang Ping said.
His son had came back with a small baggage; he saw it. When the boy set out, they had prepared a lot of things for him, but now, he didn't bring back anything . . . Although his clothes looked new, it was likely just surface polish.
"Dad . . . ," Jiang Ming gave a helpless cry.
"Anyway, you can't go. If you can't tell Jiang Zhen, I'll help you," Jiang Ping said.
"Dad, look at this first." Jiang Ming put his small baggage on the table and untied it.
Whether it was Jiang Ping, Jiang Ming's mother, or sister-in-law, they all froze. This small baggage . . . was filled with silver; it was unbelievable! That is hundreds of silver, isn't it?
"Stinky boy, where did you get so much money?" Jiang Ping was startled.
"These are my wages and rewards! Dad, it used to be more, but I bought a lot of things for you in the capital and spent some of it," Jiang Ming said.
"Where are these things?" Jiang Ping asked subconsciously.
"There were too many things to fit on the boat," Jiang Ming said. "So we came back first."
". . ." Jiang Ping became silent. His son was able to earn so much money on this trip, so it was unreasonable now to stop his son from going out again.
The rest of Jiang Ping's family were also silent.
After a long period of silence at home, Jiang Ping said, "Li Yuan . . . Would you like to send his family some money? "
"Dad, I have already given five silver and some things," Jiang Ming said. "Boss gave 300 silver and bought some things, plus what we gave . . . What was taken before, added up to four hundred taels of silver."
Jiang Ping took a deep breath. He never smoked, but he really wanted to smoke now. He didn't want his son to take risks, but he knew he couldn't stop him now.
In Hexi Village, the Li family began to cry while others were more or less frightened. Of course, there were also some unusual situations.
As soon as He Chunsheng and He Xiasheng returned home, they began to look for their younger brother. "Qiusheng!"
"Brother!" He Qiusheng hurriedly went out of the house. "You are back!"
"Qiusheng, brother is back!" He Chunsheng said, "Qiusheng, brother has made money, so even if you don't want to get married in the future, I can support you!"
"Chunsheng, Chunsheng did you make money? Your father . . ." His mother also came out, and after hearing her son's words, she eagerly said this. She had not seen her husband for several months, but although her life was better without that man at home, there should always be a man in the family . . . After all, this man was Chunsheng's father!
"Mother, Li Yuan is dead!" He Chunsheng said. "We encountered bandits out there, and your son almost died. Do you want to use the money your son worked so hard for to pay off gambling debts?"
"Mother, didn't know. Chunsheng, are you all right?" His mother's eyes turned red as she was about to cry.
He Chunsheng looked at her like this, he didn't want to talk to her or even show off his money any more. Before, he had thought about whether or not to bring his father home, but at the moment, he thought that it would be better to forget it. In a few days, he would invite the people from the gambling house for a meal and let them keep an eye on his father.
In the Zhao family, Zhao Fugui and Zhao Liu were already busy cooking. The mud-walled house was cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter compared to those wooden houses. Although it was cold outside, the house was very warm, so Zhao Jinge took off his coat.
He was not actually fat, it was just that his belly was big. It was so obvious that Jiang Xiaomei, who followed him in, just glanced and whispered, "Sister-in-law."
"En," Zhao Jinge answered happily.
He wanted to bring some delicious food to Jiang Xiaomei, but he didn't bring anything with him. He was immediately embarrassed, and then he was eager to find something to entertain his sister-in-law.
Jiang Zhen suddenly became a little unhappy. Why would Zhao Jinge need to treat other women so well?
"Jinge, sit down!" Jiang Zhen said. Feeling that his tone was a little too fierce, he added, "You must be tired from coming back so fast. Why don't you go and have a rest? I will entertain Xiaomei."
"All right." Zhao Jinge nodded.
Jiang Zhen wanted to talk with Jiang Xiaomei alone, so he left them alone and went back to his room.
When Zhao Jinge left, Jiang Zhen looked at Jiang Xiaomei and said, "Xiaomei, what are your plans for the future?"
"I . . . I don't know." Jiang Xiaomei's eyes turned red.
Jiang Zhen could protect her for a while, but he could not protect her all her life. What will she do in the future? Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge also had to make a living, and she couldn't just live in other people's house . . . And . . . Jiang Zhen didn't seem to have made any money this time, so he certainly wouldn't raise her in vain
The author has something to say:
People: Jiang Zhen must not have made any money.
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