The next day, early morning.
Stalls during the early morning hours are the most valuable, and hawkers often work early in the morning to grab a favorable position so that they can attract more business during the morning market.
There was a constant stream of people coming and going on the streets. Smoke was rising from several breakfast shops, and white steam was rising from them. There were a few tables and long benches. Customers ordered bowls of soy milk and buns, pancakes or fried dough sticks, and the food was very delicious.
A young man in blue clothes was strolling along the morning market when an old man selling pears on the side of the road called out, "Please try my pears. They're all grown in my own fields. They're juicy, sweet, and delicious. They're good value for money, and I'll never cheat you."
Zhang Ling squatted down and picked a big fat pear. He took a bite and his mouth was full of juice. The crystal clear and sweet pear flavor lingered in his mouth, quenching his thirst and relieving his greasiness.
An exclamation of praise: It is indeed a good pear!
The other party smiled smugly and said, "You look unfamiliar, so you're not from here, are you? The pears from Shunjiang County are renowned and are a local specialty! If you like them, I'll give you a few to give to your relatives and friends. My son lives there, so you can come by anytime you want to buy some pears."
The old man pointed to a certain place. He saw a young man in blue clothes with an extraordinary appearance and a noble air. He raised his hand, picked up a few pears and put them into a bag to give as gifts, thinking that maybe a big business would come to him one day.
Zhang Ling waved his hand and said, "Old man, your pears are so crisp, sweet, and juicy. How can I eat such good pears for free? Count the total price of these pears. I'll buy them all and take them home for the elders to taste."
When the old man heard this, his wrinkled face blossomed like a daisy. He said, "Okay!" and quickly took out a sack to pack the pears.
At the right time, a young man herding cattle appeared not far away on the street. He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, skinny, and his thin clothes were washed white, with patches of holes on them. He looked very shabby, but his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat handsome.
"Jiro is back!"
"Erlang, try my freshly baked braised pork!"
"Erlang, bring some vegetables back!"
Neighbors, vendors and peddlers on the street were all polite and friendly to the young cowherd, and showed spontaneous and sincere enthusiasm.
"Please wait a moment."
The old man selling pears apologized, put a few big round pears in a small bag, and sent it to the young man herding cattle.
"Erlang, you promised to taste my pears today, you can't go back on your word!"
…
After a while, the old man returned empty-handed. It seemed that he was not only not sad about giving away the things for free, but was also very happy.
Zhang Ling raised his eyes to look at the cowherd and asked the old man: Why are the people on the street, whether they are peddlers or vendors, so enthusiastic about him?
The old man shook his head and sighed, "These are all trivial matters. It's better not to mention them. Once they are mentioned, it makes me feel disheartened."
oh!
Got a story to tell?
Zhang Ling suddenly became interested and simply sat cross-legged on the ground: "Would you mind telling me about it?"
"For this matter, I have to start from the Gu Mansion!"
Gu Mansion?
Isn’t this the wealthy family I saw when I passed by the Jubao Lion last night?
The young man in blue thought about it for a moment and decided that the pears he bought this time were worth buying.
He loves to listen to storytelling.
The old man selling pears told the story while packing pears into a sack.
"If we were to ask which wealthy family in Shunjiang County is the most generous and charitable, it would definitely be the Gu family!"
"Several generations have been engaged in business, honest and reliable, with a full reputation. The master treats everyone, no matter who they are, no matter how poor they are, they will always be kind and amiable, and give a few taels of silver. In the past two hundred years in Shunjiang County, which family has not been helped and rescued?
Fifty years ago, Shunjiang County governed nine cities. Three of them were overrun by earth dragons, resulting in countless casualties. The Gu family spent all their wealth to help the victims, and the head of the family and his wife personally helped the people.
I don’t know if it was because of overwork this time that I developed a chronic illness and have been childless ever since.
The master and mistress of the Gu Mansion had been childless. As they grew older and their health declined, they adopted a godson from among their neighbors and renamed him Gu Dalang, intending to continue the family line. Unexpectedly, seven or eight years later, they gave birth to another son, a baby boy, who is none other than Erlang, the guest just saw!
"Although the master had Erlang, he also doted on Dalang and never showed any favoritism. To outsiders, the two brothers respected and supported each other, and were filial and respectful to each other."
The young man in blue sat quietly beside and listened, and immediately understood a lot.
The young man who was herding cattle just now was called Gu Erlang?
Or was he the legitimate son of the former main line of the Gu family?
Zhang Ling couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, why are you so destitute?"
The old man selling pears looked around, tilted his head, and lowered his voice, "Ten years ago, something strange happened in the Gu family. Gu Dalang took over the Gu family business, and Erlang was sent by his brother and sister-in-law to herd cattle in the cowshed!"
Zhang Ling understood and then asked, "Could it be because of this that the neighbors felt pity for Gu Erlang and helped him?"
"You may not know this, but Erlang has inherited the character of his master, who is kind and generous, and has been helping the people. When he was young, he followed his father around to observe the sufferings of the people.
He was frugal and self-disciplined, and even saved his annual pillow money to give to the older people in the city without children. When he was thirteen or fourteen years old, he took over half of the Gu family's foundation, and assigned more work to poor families. He provided them with two full meals a day, a generous monthly salary, and dividends at the end of the year. Who among the people in Shunjiang County didn't like Erlang of the Gu family?
Even I, an old man, almost died because I had no money to treat my illness, but was helped by Erlang and invited a doctor to treat me, so I am still alive today.
It's a pity that Gu Dalang didn't remember the old friendship. After the master and mistress died, he set up a scheme to rob the Gu family of their fortune. He was greedy and money-minded. Since he took over the management, the workers for the Gu family have had their monthly wages deducted under various pretexts, their working hours extended, their meals stale, and they have to work from dawn to dusk, and are either beaten or scolded..."
The young man in blue finished eating the pear in his hand and had a clear understanding of "Da Lang" and "Er Lang" of the Gu family.
Hearing about the misery of the hard labor, one can't help but say, "Isn't it said that we get up earlier than chickens, work harder than cows, eat worse than pigs, sleep later than dogs, and live a life more miserable than mice?"
Upon hearing this, the old pear seller smiled bitterly and said, "Your summary is indeed very insightful!"
Zhang Ling then asked, "Gu Erlang is a kindhearted man, always willing to do good, and the only legitimate descendant of the Gu family. How could he be kicked out by the profit-seeking and disloyal Gu Dalang? Isn't there an elder in the vast Gu family who supports Gu Erlang?"
"You've hit the nail on the head, my dear. Ten years ago, the elders of the Gu family all opposed Gu Dalang's succession to the head of the family, saying that the main family had been so kind to them, how could they be so ungrateful and forget their loyalty when it came to personal gain?"
"I thought that with the opposition from the clan elders, Erlang would be the head of the Gu family, but who would have thought... Alas!"
The old man selling pears seemed to have some concerns when he said this and found it difficult to continue.
Zhang Ling lowered his head and said, "The old man can just tell me quietly. Don't worry, no one will know!"
The old man pondered for a moment, looking around nervously, and suddenly whispered in the young man's ear, "This Gu Dalang is a registered disciple of Li Tianshi! Not only the Gu family, but the entire Shunjiang County must obey Li Tianshi's orders."
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