Chapter 113 Chapter 113 The Eve of the Autumn Examination.
When Chen Yan was secretly exerting his strength, Song Jiaoniang, who was busy packing food in Linzhiji Shop, looked up and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
To say he looked familiar, that person was none other than Sang Bai, whom he had met once before at the Lantern Festival banquet; to say he looked unfamiliar, Sang Bai's appearance at this moment was very different from that time.
The last time I saw her at the Lantern Festival banquet, Sang Bai was still wearing gorgeous clothes, and the hairpins on her head were full of jewels and dazzling. She looked even more wealthy than the wives of ordinary officials.
But only a few months had passed, and there was only a silver hairpin inserted diagonally in Sang Bai's neatly tied hair. A closer look showed that it was worn and dark, and even her clothes were half-worn.
You have to know that the male and female servants of wealthy families are the living signs of the master's reputation. Especially for a maid like Sang Bai, who served by the mistress's side, their behavior and even their clothing can reflect the master's family's foundation, dignity, and demeanor.
The huge gap of just a few months made Song Jiaoniang think that she had recognized the wrong person.
Just when she was secretly sighing that this man looked like Sang Bai, she and another maid actually walked into the shop and asked for two boxes of Zhuangyuan Cakes.
When she raised her eyes and met Song Jiaoniang's gaze, the flash of panic made Song Jiaoniang certain: the person in front of her was Sang Bai.
"Miss Sang Bai, do you know this lady?" Another maid noticed the glances between the two and asked curiously.
"No..." Sang Bai shook his head subconsciously.
"We are from the same hometown and used to live in the same place." Song Jiaoniang interrupted Sang Bai and answered frankly.
Ever since the Lantern Festival banquet, she has figured it out. There is no need to dwell on the past. Holding on to it will only hinder her from moving forward.
"So that's how it is, what a coincidence!"
"That's right. Bianjing is such a big city, it's not easy to see each other. It's been a year since we separated in Taiping Prefecture." Song Jiaoniang said calmly as she swiftly wrapped the champion cake and handed it over. "Are you buying this fruit? Do you have a husband in your family who's going to take the imperial examination?"
"Yes." The maid nodded. "Our second son is going to take part in the Autumn Examination, so we are here to pray for good luck."
"I wish your second son will be successful in the imperial examination!" After saying these auspicious words, Song Jiaoniang watched the two of them leave, and sighed softly at Sang Bai's back.
Seeing this, several shop assistants came over to talk. After hearing Song Jiaoniang say that the man was an old acquaintance and now looked like he was in trouble, one of them immediately patted his chest and said he would go and ask around.
As soon as the clerk left, the shop entered the lunch break time.
After a busy morning, Linzhi came out of the kitchen, stretched, sat down and rubbed his sore wrists.
Lin Sen also brought out a large stack of account books and sat at his desk to carefully check them. Now that the shop's business was booming, he had hired a group of clerks and managers to take charge of purchasing, and he was becoming more careful and cautious about the accounts. Fortunately, the clerks and managers he had hired so far were all honest and diligent.
Song Jiaoniang brought out a plate of fruit, which was filled with everything from winter dates produced in Dongyan, to kiwis produced in Pujiang, to fragrant pears from Xiliao, and pomegranates from Nanzhao, all fresh goods from all over the place.
"Why did Manager Jiang bring so much again?"
"That's right. I asked him to take some back, but he said there are not many people in the house, and Yan Ge falls asleep as soon as he gets busy. It would be a waste to keep it there. It would be better to send it to the shop. Maybe Yan Ge can eat more." Song Jiaoniang complained.
The Manager Jiang she and Linzhi mentioned was from Chen Yan's mansion. He had often sent some fruits and vegetables over in the past few months, saying that they were produced on his own farm.
Lin Sen wasn't stupid; he certainly didn't believe it. Putting aside other things, how could the Shen family's farm be located in Western Liao and Nanzhao? Why didn't you mention your family had 30,000 cavalry? He wanted to refuse, but Manager Jiang always abandoned his belongings and ran away. Chen Yan was even more shameless. When he asked him to take them back, he started to talk about the free food and drinks he'd spent at the shop. Lin Sen had no choice.
He picked up a pomegranate and peeled it slowly in a small bowl.
Song Jiaoniang grabbed a handful of peeled pomegranates and put them in her mouth. She couldn't help but ask, "Guess who I just met?"
"Who?" Lin Sen asked.
"Could it be Madam Hua?" Lin Zhi thought about it and made a guess.
She often heard Madam Yu and Song Jiaoniang mention Madam Hua, but Madam Hua later came to her senses. Perhaps she felt too ashamed to face people, so she even asked someone to send her money back. Madam Yu also got the news from others and then came to talk to Song Jiaoniang.
"No, no." Song Jiaoniang shook her head repeatedly, "It's Sang Bai!"
Lin Sen and Lin Zhi lost interest immediately and yawned at the same time. Lin Zhi rubbed her eyes and said, "I've been so tired these past few days."
"How about we close the shop and take a few days off after the Autumn Examination begins?" Lin Sen consoled his daughter, while also daydreaming: "Then we can go to Wazi to see a performance, or take a bus to Wenchang to soak in the hot springs. I heard there are all kinds of performances and delicious food there."
Seeing that the father and daughter had no interest in her topic, Song Jiaoniang became unhappy and quickly continued, "Sang Bai is wearing old clothes, even the hairpin on her head is old!"
After hearing this, the father and daughter revealed a look of surprise. Lin Zhi thought for a moment: "Didn't we meet Sang Bai at the Lantern Festival banquet? I remember she was dressed very well then. It's only been half a year..."
As they were talking, the clerk who had gone to inquire over there returned and said, "Those two ladies have returned to Mao'er Hutong. The neighbors over there say they just moved there."
After a pause, the clerk added cautiously, "I also heard that the family was originally from the Bo family. When they first moved in, there were so many people that they couldn't even fit them into the two courtyards. For several days in a row, they had brokers coming to their house and taking many people away."
"No way? What happened?" Lin Sen took a breath, his eyes full of disbelief.
"That's not all." Song Jiaoniang stuffed two fragrant pears into the waiter's hand and told him to go to the backyard to rest before continuing, "The maid who came with Sang Bai said that her son, Erlang, will also be participating in this year's Autumn Examination, and she came here specifically to buy cakes for good luck!"
"Autumn Examination?" Lin Zhi was stunned.
"Mr. Liang Er?" Lin Sen was also shocked. The husbands of the eldest and fourth sisters of the Xi family were the sons of the Bo's Mansion. As the descendants of the Bo's Mansion, although they were not able to inherit the family business like their eldest brother, but with the status of the Bo's Mansion, the eldest sister had already entered the Imperial College to study when she got married.
All in all, it has been about five or six years.
Lin Sen was incredulous: "This, Liang Erlang hasn't entered the official career in all these years? And isn't he a student of the Imperial Academy? Why is he taking the imperial examination again?"
"I'm afraid he has never passed the examination and doesn't like the official positions that are granted through recommendation!" Song Jiaoniang guessed. This was not an uncommon thing. They heard a lot of it when they listened to the gossip of the diners.
The official positions that ordinary people are eager to get are seen as something that rich kids can pick and choose at will, which makes people feel complicated.
"Something's happened at the Bo Mansion now..."
"I don't know what happened?"
"He even moved out of the house. Could it be that he lost his title as well?"
The family of three was talking among themselves, wondering whether they should go out and ask around on the street, when Chen Yan pushed the door open and walked in. Three pairs of eyes lit up instantly, and Chen Yan felt a chill in his spine. But when he heard their questions, he felt relieved: He had left the Dali Temple now, and if they asked about the details of other cases, he really didn't know, but he did know something about the Liang Bo Mansion case.
"Old Master Liang was dismissed from office, and even his title was stripped. Now, his family are all commoners." Chen Yan first answered the questions about the Earl's Mansion, then talked about Liang Erlang with a strange expression: "He really didn't pass the examination, but he retained his student status at the Imperial College. Now he needs to pass the imperial examination to enter the officialdom."
Lin Sen hesitated to speak, and finally managed to utter a sentence after a long while: "Can someone who failed the civil service examination pass the imperial examination?"
Chen Yan smiled and made no comment.
Song Jiaoniang rolled her eyes at him and sighed, "It's such a pity for Fourth Sister. With her status as the prefect's daughter, she could have found a decent marriage even without becoming a second wife. But now, life is tough. Even Sang Bai, the dowry, is so poorly dressed. I'm afraid she must have sold a lot of her dowry."
Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang sighed a few more times for their fourth sister and Sang Bai. Meanwhile, their third sister, Xi Shiwei, who had accompanied her husband to the capital for the imperial examination, lifted the curtain and stared in amazement at the sealed door of the mansion. It took her a while to come to her senses, her eyes filled with disbelief. "What the hell is going on?!"
Clearly, before my rebirth, the Liang Bo Mansion where my fourth sister lived was stable! How come, after my rebirth, the Liang Bo Mansion collapsed first?
"Madam, let's send someone to ask first." Mr. Guo, who followed out, had a worried look on his face, secretly sighing that his wife was unreliable.
Before leaving, he said he wanted to contact his brother-in-law first, but his wife said she had sent a letter to her sister, asking them to come directly to Bian Jing.
Now look, such a huge mansion is sealed off!
Mr. Guo muttered to himself for a moment, then began to worry about where to stay. "Should we find an inn first? I can ask around tomorrow."
The third sister was already at a loss, but she nodded quickly after hearing this: "Master, you are right. Let's find a place to stay first."
However, with the Autumn Examination approaching, the inns in Bianjing were already in short supply. After checking several inns, none of them had rooms available. They had no choice but to lower their requirements until they finally found a small, run-down inn.
The room in this inn is pitifully small. After putting in the bed, table and chairs, there is not even enough space to put down boxes or cages. And yet it costs five hundred coins a night!
Mr. Guo, Third Sister, and the servants, plus the cost of setting up the donkey cart, the total cost for the day was 1,800 coins, which made Third Sister's face turn pale with pain.
"Sir, Madam, how many days will you stay?"
"Ten days." Mr. Guo said.
But before the innkeeper could respond, the third sister's face changed. "Ten days? Let's just book two days. When we find the fourth sister and her husband's house, we'll move in with them. Why let them make such dirty money?"
When the innkeeper heard what the third sister said, he just smiled. After all, the autumn examination was just around the corner, and the housing prices were only rising every day. In the end, he would have no place to live, so he was not the one to worry about.
He asked kindly, "That's a three-day order."
Mr. Guo frowned and said, "Ten days."
Without waiting for the third sister to say anything, he said coldly, "Your fourth sister's husband's family has suffered a disaster and has moved out of the uncle's mansion. I'm afraid they are too busy to take care of themselves, so how can they have the energy to deal with us?"
Furthermore, he had to ask someone to find out what exactly Liang Bofu had done wrong before making any plans.
Even Mr. Guo had no hope. He should stay away from things that could make the emperor so angry that he would be stripped of his title and dismissed from office. How could he get close to them?
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