Chapter 157: Begging this Pei family man is really shameless...
Song Jin completely gave up on reforming her mother, just like modern parents are unable to convince their children to get married and have children early, so she just let her be happy.
So she changed the subject and talked about how she was living a good life in the government office and how Lord Ji treated her very well and attentively. Mrs. Chen immediately smiled.
"My daughter, you are blessed."
Song Jin gave up on Mrs. Chen, but did not give up on suppressing her father.
After having lunch together, she asked Zhang Hongan to get a sedan chair for her mother and sent her back to Guhuai Street alone, while she stayed to talk to Arong.
"Has my father given you any trouble recently?"
"Dad was fine, he just complained a bit because he was drunk, but he fell asleep soon after I sent him back to his room."
Song Jin became dissatisfied instantly. With such a hands-off manager, he might not even know that the shop had been moved away.
But on second thought, it seems that there is an advantage, for example, it would be very convenient for her to steal from the shop.
So she instructed Arong that from now on she could give her father wine whenever he wanted, as long as it did not affect the customers in the store, and if he had any doubts about business matters, he could ask her.
Also, give her father a fake account book.
Not being able to understand something is one thing, but it doesn't mean that he won't find someone to look at it for him in the future. It's always better to be on the safe side.
Finally, she said to A Rong, "My father sold himself into slavery when he was young, and even I don't know if there are any relatives in my family. I can't always go back to Master Ji, and you guys are nearby, so you should pay more attention to him in the future."
"My father has no son by his side now, and he is always thinking about him. In my opinion, it is better to have a son who is filial to his parents than to have a son who is his own. At worst, when he is old, he can give the shop to someone else, which will be a good thing for him, right?"
"Madam means..." When Arong heard about giving away the shop, his eyes immediately widened.
Song Jin smiled and made it clear: "If my father has no son, and those relatives are nowhere to be found, if we want to appoint an heir, I think you are a good choice."
"Of course, there is a prerequisite for everything. My father cannot have another son. Otherwise, even I can't be his master."
Song Jin entrusted the task of stopping Old Lu from taking a concubine and having a son to A Rong. As long as he didn't have a son, A Rong could inherit the Lu family restaurant, which would be much easier than Song Jin worrying about it every day.
A Rong is a smart man and naturally understands this principle. He has to be of the same mind as Song Jin in order to get the greatest benefit.
In addition, Song Jin asked him to work with Meng Qi to train a few assistants in the store, as she would need people when the stores opened in the future.
A Rong happily took the order and did it.
Song Jin returned to the government office after finishing his work. Du Juan helped him take off a heavy pearl hairpin, while Song Jin picked up a pair of pearl earrings and handed them over.
"You often stay in the government office. You are the head maid beside me anyway. You should be more respectable than them. Let's find a pearl flower seller to come in someday and pick some together."
Dujuan thanks you profusely.
"If you and Arong have children in the future, I will find a better academy for you. If they can be like my master in the future, then you will have someone to rely on."
Du Juan was a little shy after hearing this and said, "I dare not say that. Our master is one in a million. If I had a child, I would not dare to compare."
"Why wouldn't I dare to compete? You guys are doing well, and I'm also benefiting from it."
Du Juan smiled and said, "I don't dare to think about becoming a Jinshi. If it's a boy, I'll be satisfied if he can become a Xiucai."
"It will definitely work."
Life was peaceful for a few days, but winter was approaching, so Song Jin selected some cloth and invited a tailor to make new winter clothes for everyone in the house, even for the ones at the old house.
The sable fur coat on Ji Shubai looked a little old, so Song Jin thought about finding him a piece of good leather so that he could make him another coat this winter.
When she was busy, Zhang Hongan came in and said that a servant from the Pei family came to see her with a gift box and asked if she wanted to see him.
Song Jin suddenly realized that she only knew one person with the surname Pei.
I haven't seen her since the Lantern Festival, and she didn't even come to my wedding. Now when I hear the surname Pei, I feel worried.
"Let him in."
Not long after, a servant in blue came in holding a gold-painted gift box, and said respectfully that it was his sister who asked him to deliver a letter.
Song Jin didn't say much. He took the gift box and opened it. As expected, Miss Pei's name was written on the signature.
There wasn't much in the letter, but it was a little strange. It asked her to meet him privately at the old house and not to tell anyone else.
Song Jin found it strange. Not to mention that it was difficult for Miss Pei to go out by herself, since she must have been allowed by her family to go out, who was she guarding against?
Is Ji Shubai?
That's strange.
Song Jin felt strange, but still wrote a reply, saying that he would return to the old house alone in two days and they could talk.
After finishing all these, Song Jin slumped on the couch and thought to herself: Being the wife of a Tongzhi isn't an easy job after all.
Caitang and several other maids came in carrying clothes that had just been washed and were not yet completely dry.
"We have some free time today, let's fumigate these clothes."
Song Jin felt that as long as she was not forced to get up and work, they could do whatever they wanted.
So he watched a few maids call Zhang Hongan to come in, carry the incense burner, burn the spices, and set up the drying rack.
Pieces of half-dried clothes were laid out, and the rich scent of plum blossoms seeped out from the gaps. Song Jin felt drowsy from the smell and simply leaned on the low table and fell asleep.
I don’t know how long I slept. It was getting dark outside. When Ji Shubai returned to the room, Song Jin was still lying on the couch, covered with a thin quilt.
He helped Song Jin tighten the quilt, and Song Jin woke up with a start. When he opened his eyes, Ji Shubai's figure was vaguely visible in the dim room.
"Why did you sleep so long? You won't be able to sleep at night."
Song Jin was still not awake, his head resting on Ji Shubai's stomach, his arms around her waist.
"I don't know."
Ji Shubai helped to straighten her drooping hair: "Don't sleep now, have dinner with me."
Song Jin rubbed his face against his belly. The touch of clothes was not as good as skin, and neither was silk.
Seeing her acting like a scoundrel, Ji Shubai started to chuckle, causing his stomach to heave up and down. Song Jin lay on top of him, with his head bobbing.
"Don't laugh."
Song Jin told him not to laugh, but she couldn't help laughing. She asked Ji Shubai to pull her up and ordered someone to add a cloak for her. Then she took people to eat.
At the dinner table, Song Jin did not mention Miss Pei. The two of them chatted and laughed as usual.
When the day came, Song Jin found an excuse to leave the government office and went straight to the Ji family's old house.
When they arrived, Miss Pei had not arrived yet, so she asked Dujuan to go to the kitchen to prepare two snacks. She sat in the living room and recalled the past events in the courtyard, feeling a little emotional.
When she first met Miss Pei, she regarded her as a fairy and wanted to empty her stomach to bring her joy, but in the end, the two of them ended up like this. She didn't know if it would be awkward when they met later.
But if she wants to see me, I will never break my promise.
At noon, there was a knock on the door outside the yard. The doorman asked and was told that it was Miss Pei, so he opened the door and welcomed her in.
The sedan chair landed in the courtyard, and Song Jin stood in the hall waiting for her to come out.
It was the wet nurse who led Miss Pei out.
She had lost some weight, and there was a hint of sadness between her eyebrows. When she saw Song Jin, she was not as happy as before. Instead, her eyes were evasive. She walked over, bowed, and said "Bye, Yoo Jin".
Song Jin felt more and more sad, wondering how such a bright and beautiful girl could become a sad lady. However, he still had a smile on his face. He invited her to sit in the living room and ordered people to serve tea and snacks.
"I remember you used to love the snacks I made. I asked the kitchen to make some today. Please try and see if it suits your taste."
Miss Pei smiled bitterly and moved the small spoon in the pudding bowl, but did not eat it.
"Are you worried about something?" Song Jin's voice became much softer. She used to be noisy, but now she seems like a caring older sister.
Miss Pei put down the spoon, raised her eyebrows slightly, looked at Song Jin, then turned her head away, becoming even more embarrassed to speak.
Song Jin is most afraid of meeting sensitive girls. He cannot rush them or talk to them. He has to be patient and guide them slowly.
"If you don't like it, why don't we go for a walk in the garden?"
The only thing worth seeing in the garden in late autumn is the red maple leaves. Song Jin took her hand and said, "This autumn garden is not as beautiful as the spring one. The last time we met here was in the summer. I remember you went to the lake to pick lotus flowers. I was scared and worried that you would fall into the lake."
Speaking of the past, Miss Pei finally smiled a little: "I remember it."
"There," Song Jin pointed to the stone table in the garden, "When we met for the second time, I told you a story there and made you some popcorn. Do you remember?"
"The ones I remember are different from others, clean and sweet."
Finally, there was more to say.
Song Jin then brought up the matter of marriage again. She guessed that the girl was looking for her because of Ji Shubai, otherwise it wouldn't be so difficult to bring it up. She just didn't know what exactly she was asking for.
"After I got married, I moved to the government office. There are so many ladies coming and going, and I no longer have the freedom I used to have. How about you? How are you these days?"
Miss Pei paused. She had not left the house since the Lantern Festival. If her parents had not asked her to come and ask for help, she would not have been able to leave the house today.
"I'm...fine."
Song Jin gave a bitter smile. The little girl's face was the hardest to pull. Her strong self-esteem prevented her from begging the person who used to make her happy.
Thinking of this, she no longer forced it and pulled the person to chat in the yard, as if she had forgotten that she had come to see her for something.
After hesitating for about an incense stick of time, Song Jin said that her legs and feet were tired and she wanted to go back to the hall to have tea. Only then did Miss Pei hold her hand, frowned, and spoke haltingly.
Her brother Pei Lang failed in the imperial examination, and her parents didn't want him to suffer any more, so they wanted to ask Ji Shubai if they could arrange a position for his brother. It didn't have to be in the government office, but anywhere in the county or the garrison would do.
Suzhou is a wealthy place in the country. Even if it is just a county government, it is much better than other places.
The county magistrate is not a high-ranking official, but he is the father and mother of the people. To put it bluntly, he can almost decide life and death in front of the people. Even if he is not a county magistrate, he can be a county magistrate or something like that. With an official position, it will be much easier for his family to start other businesses.
Just like Song Jin, with Ji Shubai behind her, she is bolder in everything she does than before.
It is said that there were many cases of selling official positions in the Ming Dynasty, but not all official positions can be sold, and not everything can be given just because Ji Shubai says so. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to let Ji Shubai handle this matter?
Song Jin became a little angry, not because he was angry at Miss Pei for making this request, but because his brother would obviously benefit from this matter, but he asked a shameless little girl to get something for nothing.
This man from the Pei family is really shameless.
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