Cao Mansion, front side courtyard, Zheng Hu’s residence.

The last time Cao Yong met Zheng Woxue was in the 49th year of Kangxi, and it was five or six years since he saw him.

Twenty-four, five-year-old woman, wearing 80% new silk jacket, her hair was tied up in a bun, she took off the youthfulness and a quiet smile on her face.

The moment she saw Cao Yong, she had already shortened and said, "I have met the young master."

Although Cao Yong had eliminated the slaves of the Zheng brothers and sisters as early as the 49th year of the Kangxi reign, she still maintained the old name.

Cao Yong's mind flashed through his mind that the Zheng brothers and sisters met for the first time in the dilapidated temple outside Jiangning City. It has been ten years since then.

In addition to Zheng Woxue, Zheng Woxue's husband Wang Quantai was also at Zheng Hu. Seeing Cao Yong come in, he also stood up to greet him and said, "Master Cao!"

Cao Yong reached out to help Wang Quantai, nodded at Zheng Woxue, and then said to Zheng Hu: "Since your sister and sister-in-law are here, why don't you tell me?"

Zheng Hu smiled and said, "The young man didn't expect that they would arrive now. He thought it would be March."

While talking, everyone sat down.

Since Zheng Woxue had seen Cao Yong, he did not stay in the hall for long and went to the inner room to talk to her sister-in-law Cao.

Wang Quantai is not a stranger. He is a partial branch of the Wang family in Rizhao and the cousin of Wang Lusheng, the head of the family. He is strong and has worked in Andongwei for many years. He went to Guangzhou a few years ago.

Cao Yong said: "We're back from Guangzhou. This time we came from Rizhao? Your uncle is fine. He didn't see him for two or three years, so he was so panicked."

Wang Quantai replied with a smile: "Rizhao, which came last winter, wanted to go to Beijing directly. My mother at home wanted to see her wife, so she went back to Rizhao first. My uncle had a good time. My aunt had a body and would be about to give birth in two months. My uncle only had a man and a woman, so this time I looked forward to another son. Every day, she was so happy that she was so angry that her sister Jingjing blamed her father for boys over girls, which made her apologize again. My uncle knew that I went to Beijing, and she also talked about Mr. Cao, and prepared a lot of things for her grandmother and the girls."

Although I had never seen Wang Lusheng several times, Cao Yong had a good impression of the Shandong man.

When Cao Yong heard that there was a happy event at his family, he was also happy and said, "No matter whether it is a plaque or a tiles, he wants to congratulate you. I just hope your uncle can get what he wants."

Cao Yong said casually, but Wang Quantai felt a little uncomfortable.

Just now, as Zheng Woxue greeted Cao Yong, it was nothing. When he mentioned his cousin, he remembered that Cao Yong had a peer relationship with his uncle.

If we talk about it from his uncle, would he call Cao Yong an uncle?

Thinking that he was in his thirties and Cao Yong was only in his early twenties, Wang Quantai couldn't help but swallow and vomit. After all, he had a different identity, so he should not make friends with this family. Just call him like this.

Wang Quantai was a sixth-rank military officer. The reason why he said he was sick and abandoned his official position was because he helped Cao Yong come forward to rectify the cooking pot in Yizhou.

Thinking of this, Cao Yong thought about it for a while and said, "I was tired of my brother Wang's future because of going to the ground in my early years, which really made me ashamed and uneasy. I don't know if my brother Wang is willing to come out of the mountain and I am willing to do my best."

When Wang Quantai heard this, he waved his hand and said, "Oh, Mr. Cao, I can't afford this title. My uncle knows what to kick, so just call me my name. It's that the matter of being an official, it's just a few people. I've already stopped thinking about it. Now that I'm here in the capital, I'll just rely on Mr. Cao's arrangements to give me some food."

Speaking of this, the brave and strong man felt uncomfortable on his face. In order to cover up this, he laughed twice.

Wang Quantai is a child of the Wang family. Although the wife he married has some relationship with the Cao family, he did not join the Cao family with his wife. There is another hidden secret in this.

Wang Quantai lost his father when he was young. He had an old lady in his family and had a few hectares of land at home. Although he was the eldest son, he went to the garrison to work in the early years, and his mother was raised by her brothers.

The two brothers had a deep relationship. Later, Wang Quantai delayed the marriage because his fiancée died of illness, and his brother got married earlier than him.

When he was in the garrison, Wang Quantai could get a limited salary every year, only a few dozen taels, but in addition to leaving some pocket money, most of them were handed over to his mother for collection.

In the past few years since he went to Guangzhou, he was a business in the Wang family and paid dividends every year, so the money he earned was quite considerable.

Three to four hundred taels a year, and three years later, there are more than one thousand taels.

The Wang clan was very strict, and Wang Quantai was not careful about wine and sex, and he had no expenses. All the money was brought back to Rizhao.

His brother used this money to buy a shop, but instead he renovated a decent family business and lived a wealthier life than before.

Zheng Hu went to Rizhao the next year and said that Wang Quantai’s family was in average because he mostly saw a wealthy family like the Cao family and the Wei Xin family.

A small landlord like the Wang family with a few hectares of land and a few shops is not really attracted to Zheng Hu's eyes. Even he himself has a net worth of tens of thousands.

Wang Quantai is a real person, so he didn't think too much about it. After all, he was his own brother there.

Although I have gained knowledge and made money, I am not able to adapt to the environment and have irregular diet, so I am not so good at home. After thinking about it, Wang Quantai decided to take his wife who had not passed the door back to Rizhao to get married.

He thought that he would still settle down in his hometown and serve as his mother, which would be considered as filial piety.

After sending his brother a letter, the reply there became strange. "Takeful" and "turning around" was nothing more than advising him to do things well in Guangzhou, which was also a way to repay his cousin's care for their brothers.

Wang Quantai didn't think about anything else at first, so he told him about taking Zheng Woxue back to get married.

My mother is old and as the eldest son, he can't continue to wander around. In that case, it would be too unfilial. Besides, there is no reason to do the major marriages and hiring matters by himself.

However, his brother's reply was no longer as "tlemn" as before, but directly said that the children were getting older and there were not many houses at home. Wang Quantai's house in his early years was lived by his son. If he had organized a marriage at home, wouldn't it be too crowded?

Perhaps his brother knew it was unreasonable. After all, there was no separation. Half of the family business was left by his father and grandfather, and half of it was bought by his brother for more than ten years.

Therefore, his brother talked about the marriage charter again, saying that when he got married, he used 20 taels of silver to hire him, compared with the example of his brother. Did the brother prepare for the 20 taels of silver this time?

Wang Quantai just looked stupid. He was the helmsman of the garrison who had been in the garrison for many years and was in the family business in Guangzhou. How could he be a confused person?

He just felt a chill in his heart, but he didn't know whether it was his brother's idea or his mother's idea.

In a letter to his cousin Wang Lusheng, he asked about his current situation.

I got the news that his brother had recently changed the mansion, but he also added a population. I bought a few servants, little girls, and also hired Mr. Xi.

No matter what, after all, there is a lifelong event in it, and there is no reason to marry a wife and not worship the ancestral hall. Therefore, Wang Lusheng still took Zheng Woxue back to Rizhao.

When she met Zheng Woxue, the Queen Mother was quite satisfied with the appearance of this daughter-in-law. When she asked about her background, she knew that she was from a merchant family, so the old lady's face looked a little bad.

The family, ancestors and fathers of Wang Quantai's family have all left the merchants and have been engaged in books. His father was still a scholar during his lifetime. His brothers have also passed the exam for scholars.

He is the wife his brother married and the daughter of a scholar.

Wang Quantai was in his thirties and only met a wife he wanted to marry. He was full of joy. He thought that my mother would only be happy for herself, but how could she think there was someone to choose here?

His mother faded to Zheng Woxue and pulled her son somewhere else. She advised him to extinguish this thought.

Although Wang Quantai went to Guangzhou to help his cousin manage his business for several years, he has been an official after all. It is not difficult to become an official again. If he doesn’t look for a serious daughter, why should he marry a business girl?

Wang Quantai was stunned when he heard this, and he felt both funny and angry?

The Wang family is a maritime merchant and a pearl merchant. Now they are so picky about the identity of a merchant?

The old lady was still nagging. But the family rules did not require a concubine. Otherwise, the Zheng family’s daughter would be a concubine.

After hearing this, Wang Quantai changed his face.

Seeing that the eldest son was like this, the old lady stopped nagging, but said with some discomfort: "If you really want to marry, your mother won't stop you. If you are so old, you won't be like this. But you have to think about your brother, and he will also have to take the exam for fame and honor... You are too big, so why don't you split up..."

Wang Quantai laughed in anger. After going around in such a big circle, the key point was just the next sentence.

He smiled and said, "What Zhao Niang wants, what should this family be divided into?"

The old lady said, "You are a job for your cousin and don't live at home. This house is newly purchased by your second brother, so there is no need to divide it. Your father left six acres of land, and you brothers are evenly divided. Is this appropriate?"

The old lady asked seriously, but Wang Quantai couldn't open her mouth.

He went out to work as a businessman for more than ten years and earned at least a thousand and hundreds of taels of silver. His brother used this money to buy three or four hectares of land, two shops, and this new house.

Wang Quantai stayed by his side for only a few dozen taels of silver, and he didn't even have the money to marry a wife.

His mother said that she would help him save his wife's money and ask him to hand over all the money to his family. This is how to save money?

When the old lady saw that Wang Quantai didn't say anything, she smacked her lips and said, "You are only two people, and you have made more money. Be more polite and polite to your brothers. Your nephews are all studying, so you need money to buy pens and ink."

Wang Quantai was indifferent and didn't know what it felt.

Not only the old lady, but also his brothers are not as respectful as before. In the past, he was a sixth-rank official and his younger brother was a scholar. Now his younger brother is still a scholar, but he is the manager of the business for his cousin.

Wang Quantai still wanted to have sex with his mother, but thinking that the old man was old and he had not been by his side for many years, he really couldn't care about it.

He found a yuzi and took Zheng Woxue away from home and went to Wang Lusheng's place.

Wang Lusheng knew about this marriage in his early years. Speaking of his fellow Zheng family, the two families also had a lot of origin and had married in the previous dynasty.

Later, due to the change of dynasty, the court issued a ban on seas, and the pearl mining industry declined. Only then did the two families cut off contacts.

When Wang Lusheng saw Zheng Woxue, he was like a family member.

He also knew a little about Wang Quantai’s family affairs. He knew Wang Quantai’s difficulties, so he arranged the wedding.

Although Wang Quantai was heartbroken, it was not too many surprises. Otherwise, he would not have mentioned the entry into Beijing in his letter to Zheng Hu.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the old lady asked people to mention the separation.

Wang Quantai originally wanted to leave all the money for his mother to spend her retirement, but Wang Lusheng scolded him.

He is already a married man, how can he have no permanent property in the family? Besides, this is left by his father, and it is natural for the son to inherit his father's business.

After hearing this, Wang Quantai collected the three hectares of thin fields, but did not think about asking someone to take care of them. Instead, he sold them all.

After selling 800 taels of silver, Wang Quantai took out 300 taels of land and gave it to Wang Lusheng, which was considered as repaying the previous marriage. The other 500 taels were handed over to his wife for all the money.

Wang Lu was so angry that he wanted to beat him up with a stick.

Since ancient times, only prodigal sons have sold their ancestral property.

Wang Lusheng smiled bitterly. If he didn't sell the land, he would be afraid that the old lady and his brother would be uneasy.

He did not take the more than a thousand taels of silver to heart. He just thought it was to show his filial piety to my mother. But the old lady and his brother were guilty and tried it out every now and then to see if he had the intention to get the money back.

Since I don’t plan to stay here in the future, why do I still have the ground to do it?

It was the first day of the second month, on the old lady's birthday, Wang Lusheng took his wife to celebrate his mother's birthday, and set off for the capital.

Cao Yan's heart was a little bit strange.
To be continued...