The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

The snow fell in fine pieces all night long, and the sound was a little different from the rain in spring.

The sound of rain was slightly crisp, and the drops fell to the ground, dancing like a spring flute in the hands of a shepherd boy.

The sound of snow is just the opposite. It is more like the sound of a low and melodious flute. It has the airy charm of sneaking into the night with the wind and leaving the jade tower empty.

When Chen Heng woke up, he impatiently got out of bed and came to the wooden window to enjoy the snow.

After learning that it would snow last night, he was looking forward to today's scenery.

The sky outside the window is a bit gray, and the clouds are hanging low, like a sky covering the world covered in silver. Looking around, the sky and the earth are all white, which makes people feel very comfortable physically and mentally.

The snow in the south of the Yangtze River is pretty and charming. Although it is not as wild and unrestrained as the north, it still has some unique charms.

It is said that people can be buried in the snow in the North after a whole night of snow. Chen Heng has never seen such a grand scene in his life, and he has to express his regret.

When he stood outside the window to watch, one or two men from the neighbor opposite were climbing on the roof to remove snow. Standing in the yard were his wife and child. The child was held by an adult, but he couldn't help but excitedly commanded his father to act.

Second brother, why didn't you call me when you woke up?

Xinda walked up behind him at some point, holding Sister Xue's cloak in his hand. He put his coat on Chen Heng and breathed, Are we going outside the city today, or are we reading at home?

With this kind of scenery, it's natural to go out to find friends and cook in the snow together by the fire. Chen Heng turned around and smiled, then continued, You will bring your books and I will bring some tea, and we will go to find them outside the city. ... While the two were talking, the voices of Chen Yin and Chen Qingyue came from below, Brother, brother, come down and play in the snow!

Chen Heng looked down and saw two figures in thick coats dancing with him on the white snowy landscape below. As the eldest brother, he was eager to see it, so he immediately agreed: Okay!

I hurried downstairs with Xinda and walked into the courtyard. I felt the snow reaching my ankles.

For children in Jiangnan, this kind of snow is enough to play.

Thank you God for your mercy.

The four of them worked together, first took the broom from the corner and swept the snow to one place, and then worked together to build a snowman and have a snowball fight. Needless to say, there is no need to say much about the fun in between.

Unfortunately, the four brothers had just played for a while when they were caught by Mr. Gu who came out of the kitchen. When the latter saw Chen Heng throwing a ball of snow into Chen Yin's face, he immediately became furious.

Chen Heng, what's the matter with you? Are you bullying your younger brother when we come together?

Chen Heng laughed loudly and did not defend who made the move first. He just shrugged at his old mother and ran towards the lobby of the house very smartly. Chen Qingyue and others ran away when they saw their eldest brother, so they followed suit.

Don't run, be careful of sweating. Mrs. Gu also had a headache for these energetic boys. After muttering to their backs, he held the breakfast in his hands and caught up with the children.

The round table for dining at home was built by Chen Gaishan and Chen Qi together, and it is large enough to accommodate everyone in the family.

After Chen Heng took his brothers to greet his grandfather, grandmother and other elders, he was greeted by his grandmother and sat down.

Why are you sweating? Mrs. Zhou was speechless and touched her eldest grandson's forehead with her hand, Wipe it with a sweat towel before going out.

Hey. Chen Heng responded with a smile.

Third Aunt, boys just want to jump around. Xinda Niang said.

She lived in Chen's house for some time. Before Chen Sande passed away, he left five hundred taels of silver to his wife. When she went to Yangzhou this time, she also brought some broken silver with her. It's just that the old Chen family refused to accept it, which made Xinda Niang a little embarrassed.

Regarding this junior, Zhou also knew that she was cautious behind her usual words.

As she matures with age, she turned to Xinda Niang and smiled cheerfully, It's also a good thing that Xinda came here. These two young boys get together, which really gives Heng'er a brother of the same age.

When Chen Heng and Xinda heard this, they looked at each other and smiled. Seeing Mrs. Gu coming in with soup noodles again, the two of them quickly followed their sister and stepped forward to help.

Chen Qingyue, a kid who was always clever and lazy, was reading a newspaper to his grandfather at the moment.

It's funny to say that since the newspaper shop was founded, Lao Chen's family has been able to receive the latest newspapers every time.

Over time, the old Chen family also developed the habit of reading newspapers in the morning.

Grandpa, uncle. Chen Qingyue pointed to somewhere in the newspaper, It said that the government office is recruiting female embroidery workers in the west of the city. At least one or two and a half wages a month. The wages are divided according to skills. It’s higher.”

Although he said this to men, the female elders in the family were shocked when they heard it. Mrs. Gu just wiped her hands and sat down, then asked curiously: Yue'er, tell your aunt carefully. What else did the newspaper say? Is there a weaving workshop going to be opened in the west of the city?

Oh. Chen Qingyue turned over a page of the newspaper, Auntie, it said that a weaving workshop was going to be set up in the west of the city. It also said that old embroidery workers were invited to teach the skills and they were also hiring sericulture people. Ah, grandpa, this The wages of silkworm farmers are so high, four or five taels a month.

Chen Gaishan nodded and explained to his grandson with a smile, Raising silkworms is a hard job. You can only do it for a few months a year. Otherwise, why can it be sold so expensively?

Mrs. Zhou was very moved by what she heard. She took her two daughters-in-law and Xinda Niang together to discuss the situation of the weaving workshop.

During their conversation, Chen Heng received another piece of new information.

It turns out that about twenty or thirty years ago, there were several weaving workshops in Yangzhou, and many women in various counties relied on them to make a living.

However, these weaving workshops were all private operations, and women were not encouraged to leave their homes at that time. The husband takes care of all the wage transactions on his behalf, and it often happens that the shop owner and his husband cheat the money together.

It may be a little biased, but it has some reference value.

In the world more than 20 years ago, if a man was hardworking and willing to work, he would be successful. Although it was difficult, he could barely support his family.

As for those families that need women to come out to make money, the male head of the family is often good at hanging cards and often makes a living by doing so.

This statement is not absolute and should be regarded as a general rumor.

But there is no need to say what such a person would do with his wife's hard-earned money.

As time went by, women from various counties in Yangzhou no longer wanted to work in vain, and simply started playing cards together.

The reason why people in Yangzhou in later generations loved to play mahjong and were rich in mahjong masters has something to do with this.

What Ms. Zhou is most satisfied with about her two daughters-in-law is that they don’t like to hang tags.

It's just that although they are somewhat interested in the weaving workshop in the west of the city, they have learned from past mistakes and still have some hesitation in their hearts.

Chen Heng saw this and quietly gave his own suggestions. This matter was handled by the government itself, which was much more reliable than those private weaving workshops.

He believed in the wisdom of Wei Yinghong and Lin Ruhai and would not fail to take this into consideration. Nowadays, the government officials are making great efforts to regulate silk and embroidery in Yangzhou, with the idea of ​​​​doing a big job and benefiting the people, and will never let some rat shit spoil the major events in Yangzhou.

Now Chen Heng still has some say in the family. With the guarantee of her eldest grandson, Zhou asked Chen Qingyue about the date and location of the recruitment, and then decided to take her daughters-in-law out to have a look.

Chen Gaishan would not object to this, but he was a little worried. Now everyone in the family has their own things to do, so why did they leave this old man behind?

Then wouldn’t he become useless!

However, the family could not guess his little thoughts. Chen Qi and Chen Huaijin had breakfast and each led a few children out.

Chen Qi wants to take Chen Qing to the carpenter's shop. The business in the shop has been really good recently, and there are many homeless people and landlords. The owners of restaurants and inns come to buy some items.

Chen Huaijin accompanied Chen Heng and Xinda to the outside of the city. The three uncles and nephews stepped on the snowy trails and walked slowly in the white world.

When we arrived outside the city, the place was also very lively.

More children gathered around, chasing each other and playing.

He Youshan came to the camp early again and told the refugees The Legend of the Heroes of Shushan in the snow.

So far, there is actually no need for him to come. It's just that He Youshan is a righteous man. There are fewer other storytellers coming, so he is more diligent, which has attracted many of his fans to come outside the city to listen to the story.

People at the bottom who have read books always have some enthusiasm for the rise and fall of the world and everyone is responsible for it. This simple and pure emotion made He Youshan very fascinated by the feeling of coming here to tell stories.

When Chen Heng arrived, conspicuous black smoke was rising from the fire in the porridge shop.

He checked around the area, and when he saw that everything was fine, he took Xinda into the greenhouse and pushed Jiang Yuanbai and Qian Dayou awake from their deep sleep.

Brother Qian, Brother Jiang, you two should go back to sleep first. Leave this place to me and Brother Xue.

Jiang Yuanbai rubbed his eyes and looked around, Brother Tad is not here yet. It doesn't matter. We'll wait with you.

Chen Heng nodded, and Xue Biao would arrive after a while at most. I took this opportunity to talk to two classmates about the situation in the camp last night. The three of them chatted for a while, and Qian Dayou handed the collected information to Chen Heng.

After the snow last night, several wooden houses and tents were not built firmly and snow leaked out and collapsed. Fortunately, the situation is not serious. Just contact the government office today to come over and make repairs.

By the time Xue Biao came over, the three of them had gathered together to make tea and talk. Xue Biao smiled, lifted up his robe and sat down together, and brought another better news.

Jing'an Daily has opened to Jiangsu and Hangzhou.

Chen Heng was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly asked what was going on.

It turns out that people who care about these refugees are not only Yangzhou people, but also people in other prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River.

Among them, the newspapers brought by people passing by from south to north became one of the few channels in Jiangnan, and this kind of official source of information was more reliable than the news passed down by word of mouth.

After going back and forth, people in other places gradually became accustomed to learning about Yangzhou's affairs through newspapers. In addition, newspapers occasionally published information about recruitment and shortage of materials. Businessmen who came from Suzhou and Hangzhou liked the timeliness of newspapers even more.

Since people in Jiangsu and Hangzhou have a strong interest in reading newspapers, it is just a matter of taking advantage of the trend to carry out the work.

From here we can see the difference between Yangzhou at this time and Suzhou and Hangzhou. Although these three cities are all famous cultural cities, Yangzhou is still better than the latter in terms of business.

Today's businessmen all know that if they want to make a lot of money and see the real rich people, they have to go to Yangzhou City to see them.

After Jiang Yuanbai and Qian Dayou went home to catch up on their sleep, Chen Heng and Xue Biao discussed the prospects of the newspaper shop. Now they are sitting on the siphon effect of Yangzhou, and with this refugee incident as an opportunity, they just happened to lay out the newspaper.

However, it is better not to put the cart before the horse. All the information is mainly from Yangzhou, and you can also participate in some local news, leaving something to eat for the local gentry and celebrities.

If they need it, we can also provide people to teach them how to run a newspaper, how to do layout and deal with the government. Chen Heng gave his own suggestions.

Why is this? Xue Biao is not a short-sighted person. He just thinks that these are his own experiences. It is a pity to teach others in vain.

Chen Heng's perspective was different from his. He picked up short pieces of firewood and wrote and drew on the ground beside the brazier. Now is the time to make a big cake. We can't eat the whole world by ourselves. Our so-called experience is just We go ahead.

Give others some time. They are local snakes and have the support of local people, so they can't take it away if they want. Since we want our uncle to be the leader of the association, we have to spare no effort to win over people's hearts.

There was nothing that Fat Donglai could do back then. The Xue family was just a small imperial businessman affiliated with him, and the second roommate didn’t even have this kind of prestige. He couldn’t regard himself as a dragon crossing the river, and he was still a local snake. Make good dealings.

This is not only an exchange of interests, but also the cultivation of one's own people. Use Yangzhou to govern Jiangsu and Hangzhou, use Suzhou and Hangzhou to govern Jiangnan, and use Jiangnan to govern the world.

This road on the commercial map has been traveled countless times by businessmen of later generations. Except for the change of the core location due to the current situation, the general area will not change.

The Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta are places that every ambitious businessman must visit once.

Only businesses that connect these two places can be qualified to be nationally famous.

The two people were discussing the future passionately, when a carriage drove leisurely from the city gate and stopped not far from the greenhouse.

Several figures got off the car. Chen Heng and Xue Biao looked sideways. The people approaching Bai Xue Shang turned out to be Bao Qin and Ying Lian.

…………

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It is said that after Baoqin came to the academy that day, he invited Yinglian to go shopping. Chen Heng had done this for her. After the last meeting at the academy, Chen Heng asked Bao Qin to take Ying Lian out to buy some clothes.

Jia Yucun did not object to this matter. After all, he was a middle-aged man. Although he had friendship with the Zhen family, they were not related by blood after all. Yinglian looked like a girl who was past her prime, so he didn't know what kind of criticism he would get when he took her out.

He simply gave Baoqin some money and asked her to buy more clothes for her niece.

The Xue family has been in business for generations, and their family tradition is open-minded, which makes Baoqin unable to travel freely. Baoqin only regarded it as a trivial matter and took Zhen Yinglian out early as the elder brother of the Chen family personally asked him to do so.

The two of them, escorted by their maids and servants, spent half a day in the city.

It's the New Year's Eve recently, and there are already a lot of businessmen traveling to and from Yangzhou, and stimulated by the refugees, more business travelers than in previous years have come to the city with all kinds of novelty things to sell.

Zhen Yinglian has never been out much in her life and is very interested in the scenery and objects on the road. The two of them initially wore gauze scarves, but they felt a little inconvenient while shopping.

Bao Qin's courage was so courageous that no one dared to underestimate him. He took Ying Lian directly to the men's clothing store along the street. I bought two sets of men's clothes and changed into them according to each other's body shapes. Then I threw away my scarf and walked around Yangzhou hand in hand.

Dressed in this way, the two outstanding-looking girls became handsome young men again. Passers-by passing by in a hurry on the road will take a curious look, but they will not pay attention and take a second look. They just treat them as meeting a pair of rabbits with deep feelings.

The two girls went shopping and played with toys from all over the place. Baoqin was also a knowledgeable person, and he could easily pick out the allusions to common objects. He could tell what things were from which dynasties, and he could tell them clearly and clearly.

What Yinglian, who had just escaped from prison, lacked was such a considerate and knowledgable playmate, and the two of them had a great time playing together. We ate from the east street to the west entrance, and opened a table at Yangji Restaurant at noon. We stood on the attic on the second floor and admired the surrounding snow scenery.

They ate happily and did not forget the two people outside the city.

After the meal, the two of them ordered some snacks from the restaurant and put them in food boxes to bring to Chen Heng and Xue Biao.

Baoqin pulled Yinglian into her carriage. As soon as the carriage moved, Yinglian, who was looking around behind the curtain, suddenly turned back with a blushing face.

Sister, what's wrong? Bao Qin, a caring person, noticed Ying Lian's strange look and asked quickly.

Zhen Yinglian was still a bit thin-skinned, but seeing Bao Qin playing with her for half a day today, and speaking and doing things in a gentle manner, she couldn't help but trust her in her heart, so she had to lean over to reach her sister's ear and timidly said: Sister, My... straps are loose.

Baoqin blinked first, but didn't react yet. Then he came to his senses and laughed in a low voice, Sister, don't panic, I'll tell Chun Yan to get on the board.

The space of the carriage was very spacious, and the three girls were sitting there. There was room for a coffee table in the carriage, and two quilts were placed behind it.

This carriage was personally ordered by Xue Ai for Bao Qin. Chun Yan was naturally very familiar with the things inside. After hearing the lady's instructions, she took out the wooden board from under the mezzanine of the seats on both sides and inserted it along the groove of the wooden curtain.

The carriage door was also locked, and a curtain was hung down to cover it, forming an absolutely enclosed private space. The two girls then moved the coffee table and moved Zhen Yinglian to sit in the center.

The three of them are all girls, so there is no need to avoid it at this time. Acting in a hurry, they quickly took off each other's coats with Yinglian, and saw that the leucorrhea tied to the chest had broken free from the knot and was hanging down naturally.

They worked together to untie the loops of leucorrhea and were about to re-wrap it. Chun Yan, a silly girl, didn’t know what she drank and went crazy, so she muttered: “It’s so big!”

These words made Baoqin and Yinglian blush with embarrassment.

What a joke to the sisters. Yinglian blushed and turned her head away, but couldn't help but use her jade arms to protect the hill. But her size is exaggerated, and her waist is slender. This move made the hills look whiter and more eye-catching.

Bao Qin looked really shy and couldn't help but look away. She felt very flustered in her heart. Will she become like this in the future?

It's really hard to figure out why this is happening.

Sister, please release your hands, and I'll tie the belt for you. Bao Qin felt her face heat up.

Okay. Yinglian nodded and let go of her hand, causing ripples in the water again.

After working so quietly, I finished putting on my clothes. The three girls all felt that what they had just experienced was a bit surprising. Baoqin apologized to Yinglian: Sister, it's not mine. If I hadn't pulled you to wear men's clothes...

Yinglian has a pure mind. She has never been bound by ethics and has not thought too much about this matter. She only felt that her sister's apology made her a little embarrassed to respond, Nothing, I am very happy to be with my sister.

Chunyan's brain circuit was somewhat different from the other two. After she removed the wooden board, she was still shocked by the scene in her mind. She looked down at her own innate shortcomings and couldn't help but feel a little distressed. We are all human beings, how can we be different from each other? Life.

After arriving outside the city, the carriage waiting for them to get off came to Chen Heng and others. The two brothers saw a few red faces.

Is it because I didn't wear enough clothes and caught a cold? Chen Heng was a little curious.

Xue Biao also worriedly took her sister's hand, tested the temperature on her forehead, and then said: It's okay. Don't forget to drink a cup of ginger tea after you go back to ward off the cold.

Okay. Baoqin couldn't explain what was going on in the carriage, so he just lowered his head and responded.

Chen Heng looked at the figure standing in front of him, looked him up and down, and said with a smile: Your outfit is quite interesting.

Yinglian blushed and nodded. She couldn't say anything. She just liked watching Chen Heng talk and watch him wandering in front of her.

She thought about her words for a long time before asking: Are there any fireworks today?

Don't make trouble, that thing costs money. Chen Heng regarded her as his classmate in his previous life, smiled and scolded her indifferently, and asked, How did you think of coming here? Are you looking for Xiaohu and the others? ?”

No. Zhen Yinglian shook her head and said softly and boldly, I want to see you.

When had Xue Biao ever heard such bold remarks? Everyone was stunned.

No, what kind of world is this? The girls from Yangzhou City are already so bold.

The family tradition of the Xue family was becoming more enlightened, and Baoqin had never experienced anything like this before. Her heart was pounding wildly.

Chen Heng was also frightened and turned to look at the innocent girl. After thinking for a long time, I had to treat her as an unintentional mistake.

After all, he knew that Yinglian was lucky enough to be able to grow up safely due to her living environment over the years, and some of her natural actions were helpless.

Then take a nice stroll when you come. There is also excitement outside the city.

Chen Heng took advantage of the situation and changed the topic. His actions were so generous and natural that others would not doubt Miss Zhen's statement and would only regard it as a joke between friends.

Zhen Yinglian nodded in confusion. As the saying goes, it is natural to be evil. Seeing the girl's innocence, Xue Biao realized that he was overthinking.

The four of them discussed for a while, and after eating the snacks they brought, Xue Biao accompanied them and took them to a stage outside the city to listen to music.

Nowadays, few of the famous theater troupes in the city come here, and those who are still willing to come are the new ones, using this place to give roles to the actors in the class.

I don’t know whose music the song I sang today came from.

What a beautiful Chanjuan.

What a fairy.

One smile, three smiles.

Laughing like a lotus flower.

Xiaoyue Lao.

How long will he hold the red thread and form an alliance with the two of them?

The music floats melodiously in the white sky and earth, so much that one can hear the expectation for spring in it.

This man's heart is always greedy. The first snow of winter has just arrived, and he is already looking forward to spring in Jiangnan.

By next year's willow shoots, a few lotus flowers will bloom on the south bank of the Yangtze River under the spring breeze.

Brothers, I am awesome. I'll just give you six thousand words, hahahahahaha, don't report me, I just want to see the bottom line of the website. The children are about to grow up, and there are some descriptions that you can't hide from even if you want.