perfumer

Chapter 97 Looking for the Cheng Family

As soon as the news came out, the sky changed. Many wealthy households went bankrupt in an instant, several of them were hanged to death, and some ran away overnight with their money. Everyone in the capital panicked. But there are many of them who are helping workers in the shop. Now that the boss is down, they can't pay wages, so they can only drink the northwest wind, or there are some friends who owe some money. Now, for a Two silvers, how many friends and brothers have turned against each other, and I can't wait to kill people. To put it bluntly, the business of the coffin shop has been booming for a while, and people cry every day to order coffins.

Especially once the bank note is voided, the price of goods will go up crazy. We all know that firewood, rice, oil and salt were expensive before the Chinese New Year. At that time, a stone of rice was about [-] Wen. Cao has been talking about it for several days.

After Bai Xin learned about it, he couldn't care less about missing Cheng Wenren. He had to cheer up, liquidate the losses, and make plans for the future. It wasn't that he was locked at home and didn't go out before, Da Lang also often stared at the shop, and soon the Bai family knew about it, and it was gloomy for a while.

"Sanlang, tell mother the truth, how many bank notes do we have at home?" Cao's face was pale, and his lips trembled non-stop when he spoke.

Bai Xin had a bitter face, "Mom, there aren't many, so don't ask."

Cao's voice suddenly raised, "Tell me quickly."

Bai Xin was helpless, so he didn't say it, but his mother was even more worried, so she said: "It's really not much, our family only has a silver bill of 100 taels."

When Cao heard this, her body softened, her eyes darkened, and she almost fainted. Fortunately, Manniang supported her firmly and helped her to the chair. Cao sat on the chair and sighed, Manniang helped her. She followed her chest, and Cao said weakly: "What kind of evil did you do? After finally saving some money, it was instantly wiped out and turned into waste paper."

Cao felt that someone was gouging out her heart, and she burst into tears in pain. She wanted to tear those bank notes into pieces, but she couldn't bear it, imagining that the imperial court would announce that they could use them again tomorrow?

Bai Xin had expected this reaction from his mother, and what he said was not true. In fact, his family had 250 taels of silver bills, two of which were [-] taels, and one of [-] taels. When he exchanged the silver taels into bank notes, thinking of his actions at that time, Bai Xin wanted to chop off his hands. He had never heard of the court doing such a thing in his previous life. He was just like a robber, blatantly stealing money. He Also caught off guard.

Mrs. Cao has a headache whenever she encounters numbers, and she doesn't care about finances. She doesn't know how much money she has in her family, so she didn't doubt it when she heard her son say that it was only 100 taels. Now that she has earned all the money, her son can earn 100 taels a year, which is already a big deal in her heart.

In fact, apart from the 250 taels of silver bills, Bai Xin also has hundreds of taels of silver in his hands. Because he often deals with those peddlers, they have no money to exchange for silver bills, and the spices that Bai Xin sells are also small things. , is the expensive type, and one piece is only about two or three taels. In fact, compared with other merchants, his loss is already very small. In just a few days, several shops on this street have been closed ?

"Sanlang, what shall we do then? Seeing that the weather is getting hot, it's time to pay the rent, and we can't get the money out? Or, while you still have some, let's go back to the village and buy a few acres of land. Live a good life, you need to worry about doing business, and you will lose your life for a few years." Mrs. Cao knows that her son has some loose silver in his hand, and she estimates it is about a hundred taels of silver, which is enough for them to buy in the countryside. Tian Zhi Land.

When Mrs. Cao mentioned the rent, Bai Xin naturally thought of Cheng Wenren again, thinking that he had paid him rent for three years and kept it a secret from himself. However, as soon as the banknote is voided, the rich household will be hit harder. Bai Xin suddenly sat up from the chair, walked out in a hurry, and said as he walked: "Mom, I have something to do, I'll go out first." .”

He hurriedly walked down the street, and comforted himself, hearing Cheng Wenren mention that his eldest brother spent money to become an official, and hoped that his family would not be affected too much.

In less than a stick of incense, Bai Xin arrived at Cheng's silk and satin village. When he looked up, he saw that the door was closed. First, he walked around like headless flies, and then remembered that Wei Guanren, who rented his house, knew Cheng Wenren, and had lived in the capital for a long time, so he must know where the Cheng family lived.

He couldn't wait to turn his head around again. Although Wei Guanren's shop was also on Panlou Street, it was east and west of Cheng's silk and satin shop, in two directions.

I found Guanren Wei, and saw that his shop was in a state of depression, and Guanren Wei was even more haggard with a scruffy beard. Bai Xin crossed his hands and asked straight to the point, "Guanwei Wei, do you know where Cheng Wen lives? I want to go. Take a look at his house."

"Hey, his family lives on Ma Xing Street. When you go there, you can find out after a little inquiry." Wei Guanren wailed again and again, and glanced at Bai Xin, "The Cheng family will be over."

Bai Xin's heart rose to his throat, and he took a big step forward, "Why do you say that?"

"You also know that Cheng's family is in big business. His shops are scattered all over the capital, and they receive silk from southern silk merchants and sell it at sea. Who still carries silver taels when they travel all over the country? I'm afraid they've all been exchanged for silver notes. This silver note As soon as it was invalidated, the silk merchants and sailors who hadn't settled the bill before all came to his house to ask for the account, and there were expenses in various shops. The bank note was invalidated, but the tax remained the same. See that all the shops on this street are closed?" Wei Guan's heart is not bad, but now, when he said that other people's homes are worse than his, he couldn't help but feel better, and he couldn't help but gloated a little.

Bai Xin's heart tightened, and he couldn't care less about greetings. He hurriedly said goodbye, and walked outside. After walking for a while, he remembered to call a Taiping car.

After a while, I arrived at Ma Xing Street, made some inquiries, and found out where the Cheng family was. When I came to the gate of Cheng's house, I couldn't see anything from the gate alone, but Bai Xin just felt desolate, and there was nothing left. popularity.

After he arrived, he didn't know what to do. The Cheng family didn't know him. Now that Cheng Wen's life and death were uncertain, if he went in and mentioned it, it would make the Cheng family even more sad. He found a corner, stood like this, and watched for an hour. , No one came out from inside, nor did anyone go in. Seeing that it was getting late, Bai Xin hailed a car and went back.

For several days in a row, he would go over to see it for a while, but never went in. Until one day, he saw a group of people coming outside, pulling furniture inside, as if they were moving house. Bai Xin felt strange, so he hurried over to inquire. Well, this house has long since changed owners, and the original owner moved away long ago.

Bai Xin grabbed someone anxiously and asked, "Then do you know where the Cheng family has moved?"

The man pulled back his sleeves impatiently, "I don't know where they moved? I just know that their house has paid off the debt owed to my officials."

Bai Xin was about to ask again, when he heard an old voice from behind, "But Mr. Bai?"

When Bai Xin turned his head, he saw an old man with a familiar face standing not far away. After thinking for a while, he remembered that this man was the shopkeeper of the Cheng family's silk and satin shop. Because he was wearing ordinary clothes today, he didn't recognize him for a while.

"Old sir." Bai Xin hastily greeted him.

"Hey." The old shopkeeper sighed, looking at the Cheng family's old house with cloudy eyes, he grew older all of a sudden, "I'll come back and have a look, I never thought I'd meet Mr. Bai."

"I heard that Cheng's family was hit. Cheng Wen is not here. I want to come over to see for him. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The old shopkeeper lamented that Bai Xin was a kind-hearted man. In this accident, many friends who were once close friends became strangers, and even became enemies.

When the two were talking, the people who moved house muttered, the old shopkeeper immediately grabbed Bai Xin's hand, took him away, and said in a low voice, "That's a servant of the Shibosi family, let's stop talking here. .”

Bai Xin and the old shopkeeper came to a remote place, and Bai Xin asked, "Where did the Cheng family move?"

The old shopkeeper was a little embarrassed, and after a pause, he said, "It was also this time that someone was scheming. The Cheng family went bankrupt this time. If it weren't for waiting for the second son to come back, we would have moved back to the countryside long ago. Now we are renting a house near Longjin Bridge." Live in a few houses."

When Bai Xin heard this, he was taken aback. The place was full of dragons and snakes, and the houses were very simple. When they first came to the capital, the shop housekeeper had recommended a house in Longjin Bridge. Bai Xin thought it was cheap, and worried that it would not Well, I didn't rent it. I rented it from Suzakumen. When I first started selling it, I passed by it, so I can see the chaos there.

Bai Xin still didn't believe that Cheng's family ended up in such a miserable state, so he hurriedly said, "Can you take me there to have a look?"

The old shopkeeper hesitated, nodded in agreement, and the two got into the car. The old shopkeeper was very silent along the way.

The carriage drove for two hours before arriving at the place. The place in front of me was crowded with people, blah, blah, noisier than the market. The alley was so narrow that even a donkey cart could not enter it. Things were piled up at the door, and the dark house looked crumbling.

The old shopkeeper took him inside, and after a while, he came to the place where the Cheng family was temporarily renting. Bai Xin understood why the Cheng family wanted to rent such a cheap house. Because his family had a large population, it would take seven months to rent a house. Eight rooms.

Cheng's father was dressed in civilian clothes, sitting on a simple stool, his eyes were still heavy, his back was straight, as if he would not admit defeat, Bai Xin felt a little sad when he saw it.

The old man looked at Bai Xin without a trace, and was secretly surprised when he heard his self-reported name, but he had always known that there was such a person, and he also knew that his son started to make progress because of him.

"Master Cheng, I think this place is really small. Why don't the younger generation make the decision and find another place?" Bai Xin also knew that what he said was bald, but he just wanted to help the Cheng family as much as possible.

The old man was on guard and was about to shake his head to refuse, Bai Xin hurriedly said: "To tell you the truth, Wenren was helpful to juniors before, but now I do this is really nothing, besides, when Cheng Wenren comes back, in case Cheng Wenren can't be found What about the family?"

Although Master Cheng still had a glimmer of hope that his son would come back safely, he had already decided in his heart that he was in danger. Now that he heard that there were people like him, he believed that they would come back. Intersection, thinking that I usually have a lot of friends in shopping malls, but at critical moments, they are not as good as such a young junior that my son made.

Bai Xin tried a few more words of persuasion, and the old man finally agreed. Since Cheng Wenren left, Bai Xin had never been so full of energy as today. He left in a hurry, already thinking about where it would be better to rent a house for the Cheng family.