Chapter 175 I Want to Help Him!

It has been sunny these past few days, and the rainy season in Yangzhou seems to be finally showing signs of stopping. Although it is autumn, the temperature is still very hot, but this does not affect Yangzhou people's interest in going out. On the street, people were coming and going, and the scene was lively.

The Xue family's carriage was waiting quietly at the intersection of Guilan Street, which was the shortcut to Qiupu Street in the west of the city. Baoqin and Chunyan were sitting in the car waiting, feeling a little bored. There are three carriages in the Xue family. Xue Ai and his wife share one, and Xue Biao has his own carriage.

It turns out that Bao Qin does not exist, but Xue Ai loves her daughter so much. He spent a lot of money to build a car specially for his daughter. Baoqin's carriage has a grand appearance and a comfortable and luxurious interior, making it suitable for traveling with her daughter's family.

But Baoqin chose Xue Biao's carriage today, and its shape was much inferior to her own. There are only some cushions, pillows and other items inside, which are far from exquisite and comfortable.

There is still a little while before the appointed time. Baoqin, who was still able to wait calmly, shook his paper fan. Today she wore a set of old-style men's clothing from the early Ming Dynasty, a black round-brimmed hat with a black gauze half-armor, and a red trousers lining. A set of clothes, fastened with a dark red belt, is pleasing to the eye.

This outfit shows off your skin color very well, and only those with fair skin can wear it. Coincidentally, Bao Qin's complexion happened to be as fair as pearls. Sitting with feet together in the car like this, he shook the paper fan, and his handsome young man's demeanor was immediately highlighted.

Chun Yan, who was lying on the wooden window looking outside, suddenly called to the young lady: "Miss, young lady. I saw the young master of the Chen family." She and the young lady waited for a long time, and finally it was this slow 'grandpa' Waiting is coming.

"Sit down quickly." Bao Qin held her forehead, feeling that her little maid dressed as a book girl still needed to be trained by her young master.

"Oh." Chunyan sat down obediently, but his eyes couldn't help but look at Baoqin. Her precious young master holds a fan in his left hand and a skewer in his right hand. The thing in hand is obviously a bit complicated.

This string is no ordinary string. It is a green Buddha bead bracelet. Holding it in your hand, it has the feeling of being icy and cool. But as the footsteps outside got closer and closer, Baoqin couldn't help but flick the beads with his fingers, his face calm as usual.

"Hello, Mr. Chen."

"Hello, Uncle Sun. There are a lot of people on the road. Please wait."

"Yes, yes. Please get in the car."

The servant's voice sounded outside, and the visitors also said hello. The voice was hoarse and low, and sounded a little strange. Baoqin heard her mother say that this is a stage that every man goes through, and her brother has also been troubled by it recently.

Due to the hot weather, the two small doors of the carriage were recently removed and replaced with a bamboo curtain to facilitate ventilation and cooling. When Chen Heng stepped forward to lift the curtain, the smile on his face trembled, and he blurted out: "Brother Xue..." and drifted into the car.

Baoqin smiled, held the right hand of the bead string, raised it to his lips, coughed lightly, and deliberately said in a low voice: "Brother Chen, please let Brother Xue wait."

The person made the appointment on his own. Wouldn't it be rude to back out now? Chen Heng complained to Xue Biao that he couldn't come, so he just didn't say anything. Why did he send sister Baoqin off in his own carriage?

"Brother Xue." Chen Heng took Baoqin's name and walked in, sitting close to the curtain. "I'm going to trouble you to accompany me today."

Baoqin shook the paper fan and replied with a chuckle: "Brother Chen, why are you so polite? I'm just trying my best. It's not a trouble, so don't worry about it, Brother Chen."

"It should, it should." Chen Heng leaned on the carriage, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up and widen, and finally couldn't help laughing out loud, "Okay, okay. Let's put these false gifts aside. Talking too much always feels too weird.”

"I thought Brother Chen, who writes richly and inkly, likes these red tapes." Bao Qin slightly raised his fan and covered it in front of his nose, revealing only a pair of bright eyes.

"It's wrong, wrong, younger brother of the Xue family, it's the elder who is wrong." Chen Heng quickly waved his hands to beg for mercy, and then brought out someone who was not present to take the blame, "Where is your brother? You can't come, why didn't you tell me."

"He went out to do something. Before leaving, he repeatedly told me not to miss the important things of the Chen family brother."

"Brother Xue is very righteous."

The driver of the car raised his whip, causing the carriage to sway slightly. The car roof hanging between the two swayed a little, but it did not affect their continued conversation.

"Then Brother Xue is not loyal?"

"Same, same. Like brother, like brother. This is the Chengcheng family tradition."

Master Bao smiled, closed his fan, and beat his legs with both hands. The suspenseful atmosphere was finally relieved, and the two of them chatted casually until they reached Qiupu Street.

Most of them talked about Xue Biao's incident. In addition, Chen and Xue had met often when they were young, so it was not considered rude or disrespectful. When we got off the bus, "Brother Chen and Brother Xue" were already called out one after another.

Qiupu Street is very lively today. Ladies and ladies from various families all bring slaves and companions to play together. As a new commercial street, it mainly serves female customers, so their presence is naturally indispensable.

In time, this place may become another scenic spot in Yangzhou. After all, there are not a few men who come here to play and hang out. Fortunately, the government officials and officers and soldiers patrolled very intensively, so the security situation was very good.

This is Chen Heng's first time here, but Bao Qin has been here several times with her mother. In this case, Chen Heng would leave full power to Bao Qin to lead the introduction. Follow this young master obediently and be part of his entourage.

Chen Heng didn't say this, it was the waiters in the store who thought so. Chen Heng was dressed normally today and did not show off with scholar uniform. In addition, the Confucian scarf on his head made him look like a follower like Chun Yan compared with Bao Qin.

The three of them visited several shops before finding a tea shop in the middle of the street to sit down and rest. Chen Heng took advantage of his free time to focus on the women and young ladies walking on the street.

With his keen mind, he soon discovered that most of the people here were consciously going to some shops. There are also some shops where only a few people go.

This phenomenon was also noticed by Baoqin. She pointed with her fan and asked Chen Heng, "Is this the purpose of this trip, brother?"

"Yes." Chen Heng nodded. He noticed that these frequently visited stores were all exquisitely decorated and had an elegant appearance. Compared with them, some of the shops opened by government offices are indispensable for their countertops.

Qiupu Street is not all stores run by the government, there are also many jewelry vendors from the city setting up shop here. It can be seen from the previous appearance styles of the two that the former has deep pockets and unusual moves. The latter is more unpretentious and slightly different.

Is this the reason? Chen Heng was a little distressed. He couldn't stop the lady buying the goods from asking, so he was at a loss.

Bao Qin smiled and said, "Brother, don't panic, we'll find out after we go in and try."

She turned to look at Chun Yan, and the maid dressed as a book boy immediately leaned over and put her ear to her ears. The two of them whispered before Chunyan took the order and left.

When Chen Heng saw Bao Qin come up with an idea, he took over the important task of pouring water for him. After all, in the eyes of others, he is one of Master Bao's followers. After finishing his small chores, Chen Heng looked around on the street and waited for Chun Yan to return.

The store owners on Qiupu Street are really smart. It rained last time, and it was sunny again recently. Outside their shops, they all set up tents and roads. Long sheds were connected on both sides of the road to create a shady path for visiting ladies and young ladies to escape the summer heat.

In the middle, on the road that can be directly exposed to the sun, there are some small traders and hawkers walking around. The atmosphere of the market is coming. Chen Heng saw this and suddenly felt that he could get some resting chairs and place them all over the street in the future. His thoughts were endless and all he had to do was pass the time.

When Chun Yan came back, he had already collected his thoughts and watched the other party happily take out two pieces of jewelry made of similar materials.

Baoqin is the most proficient in such objects. She picked it up directly from the table and weighed it in her hands. Then he smiled and said: "It's pretty much the same. They all use enough ingredients."

"What about the style?" Chen Heng asked nervously. He was not good at it, so he asked Brother Xue for advice.

Baoqin looked at the objects in his hands for a while, and saw that the left hand was a peacock bead curtain, and the right hand was a gold and stone inlaid with jade. For a moment, he felt they were the same, so he just praised them both. After the young lady finished speaking, Chun Yan added: "Miss... ah, young master, you don't know."

She pointed at Bao Qin's left hand, "With the same materials, theirs sells this stuff cheaper." Chunyan first went to a private store, and then to a store opened by the government. The cheap thing she mentioned was purchased from the former.

Chen Heng reacted immediately and asked on the spot: "Is it much cheaper?"

"This one is worth one to two eight cents." Chun Yan pointed to Baoqin's right hand again, "This one is worth two to two cents."

Could it be a price war? Chen Heng thought subconsciously. Baoqin saw him thinking and vaguely guessed Chen Heng's thoughts. She knew in her heart that although her brother was smart, he didn't understand women's hearts well enough. In the shadow under the shed, he shook his head and said, "Brother, you can't just look at it from above."

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng knew that the other party had something to say, and immediately asked for advice. Seeing that he was seeking truth and knowledge, Bao Qin narrowed his eyes and said frankly, "There are only three melons and two dates that can come here to buy things. Brother, look..."

Bao Qin pointed to the mother and daughter in the distance who were holding an umbrella and were followed by two or three servants carrying goods. "For people like them, good-looking style and fine workmanship are the most important things."

Chen Heng nodded and continued to listen to Bao Qin's explanation.

"Although we have to shop around, the one with the best quality and the lowest price comes first. But if you go to several places to buy something like this, it would be impossible without someone's guidance behind you."

When Bao Qin said this, Chen Heng also understood. Now that we know that there is someone behind the scenes and it is not an unintentional act by the ladies, it will be easier to handle. Just go back and find a way to find out the reason slowly.

But who would have thought, Bao Qin suddenly said: "Brother, you might as well go back and wait a few more days. When my brother figures it out, I'll ask someone to tell you."

Why is this so embarrassing? Chen Heng didn't know if there was any risk involved. Just when he was about to shake his head and refuse, Bao Qin had already stood up and said, "Now that I have some free time, why don't I play with my younger brother? Just think of it as a gift of thanks."

When you see the other person, you don’t give yourself a chance to speak. Chen Heng could only smile and said: "You can go shopping as long as you want, it's just a matter of help..." He knew that he probably couldn't persuade the other party, so he simply said, "...you need to pay attention to safety. If anything happens, just ask someone first." People told me, I don’t want Brother Xue to settle the score with me.”

Baoqin turned around and stepped into the bright sunny day. The shadow of the brim of the hat cast on her face, the girl's red lips opened slightly, and laughter immediately followed, "He can't do it, and I... can't do it either."

Chen Heng smiled and fell silent. He knew the Xue family's generous nature and said no more. I just accompanied the other person and walked around Qiupu Street several times.

The three of them had a great time, and when they saw that it was almost time, they prepared to return the same way. On the way back, Chen Heng did not go with Bao Qin. He had other places to visit. The two said goodbye at the street corner, and Baoqin, who was satisfied, got into the carriage and left.

"Miss, I had a great time today."

Chunyan had already begun to pull off the scarf on her head and was about to change into her daughter's dress. In the past, when she went out with Bao Qin, she was always restrained by her wife or the nun in charge. There were very few opportunities to roam freely like today.

Baoqin's clothes are still in her room. He only took off the brim of his hat and put it on his seat. She flicked the prayer beads and said with a smile, "I also had a lot of fun shopping."

That's right, you can buy whatever you like. Master Chen and I are the ones who did the hard work. Chun Yan secretly laughed in her heart and only focused on braiding her hair.

Seeing that the maid was busy with her head down, Bao Qin subconsciously glanced at her. Through the gauzy wooden window, the distant back quickly disappeared into the sea of ​​people, making it difficult to see her.

In the swaying carriage, silence began to fall again.

The sky is full of sunset, still brilliant. The wheels passed by, kicking up a cloud of dust on the ground. The wind is rustling and the clouds are drifting.

It’s not a gentleman’s hand that makes the bamboo curtains move in the wind.

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On the way home, Chen Heng went to a rice shop and other places. He has nothing to do on weekdays, so he likes to record trivial things. It was a coincidence that Chen Hengcai was passing by the door of the store and saw a price increase sign hanging in the waiter.

Chen Heng went up to chat with the other party and learned that the harvest in Suzhou and Hangzhou was also poor this year, and there were very few grain ships coming and going on the docks. The heavy rain in the south of the Yangtze River affected more than just Yangzhou, and the subsequent effects also came like a tide.

The worried Chen Heng returned home. During dinner in the evening, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Gu really complained about the price of rice and vegetables at the table. Recently, some things have been rising at an outrageous rate.

Although Zhou and Gu both work on Qiupu Street, they have different divisions of labor and come into contact with different people. Mrs. Gu pulled Mrs. Zhou into a conversation, "Mom, you don't know. Several families in our house are worried about not being able to pay their wages this month. The men in their families all died on the way to escape... "

Mrs. Gu clicked her tongue a few times, probably feeling that it was unlucky to talk about this topic in front of the men in the family, so she simply kept silent. Ms. Zhou, however, kept nodding her head and said, "Who says it's not the case? This terrible thing has suddenly risen so fast. If they can no longer pay out money, their lives will be over. They will have to find another way to make a living immediately."

In today's Yangzhou, what serious path is left for the elderly, weak, women and children? ? ? Chen Heng's face darkened upon hearing this, and he even lost most of his mood for eating.

"I wonder when the prefect will get well? Let me tell you, all the officials in the government office are not as capable as Prefect Lin. When he is not sick, everyone's life is good!"

Chen Gaishan, who stayed at home every day, didn't care much about this matter. He has been taking care of most of Chen Qing's recent marriages. He immediately interrupted and said: "You have time to talk about this, why not think about Da Ya's wedding. There are only a few days left!!"

Yes, this is the biggest thing in the family. Mr. Gu and Mr. Zhou immediately asked Chen Gaishan about the details.

When Chen Heng finished eating and went upstairs, they were still discussing.

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August 24th, five days before Chen Qing's wedding. Many high-ranking ladies in Yangzhou suddenly went out together to visit Xue's house.

They were invited by Bao Qin this time, and they often interacted with each other. In addition, the Xue family became quite famous in Yangzhou because of the banquet last month. It also made more people aware of the existence of the Xue family in Yangzhou and their family’s personal connections.

Every family has the intention of making friends with the new rich people who have emerged in this way. A gathering like this is natural. It was an excuse to take a look at the Xue family's family background and see if the doorway for welcoming people and sending them off was appropriate. This was also the reason why everyone came to take a look.

Bao Qin got up very early today. Not only did she choose a fancy dress, but the jewelry she wore was also very expensive. The outfit specially made for him by Xue's mother had been hidden in the drawer, but today she took it out and put it on.

Chun Yan has not seen such a young lady for a long time. She is dressed in a light yellow and vermilion dress, and her head is full of pearls and emeralds, and her infinite charm has already arisen on her own.

This is the first time the Xue family has officially invited a big family in the city to visit them since Xue Biao became a scholar in high school, and the ones who came were their female relatives. Bao Qin's outfit also suited the occasion. No way, it's Sister Wei and Sister Lin who are coming, so she doesn't have to be so tired. It's a pity that they are not in Yangzhou now. Bao Qin knew that she could only go to the banquet alone.

"Miss, you are so...so beautiful." Chunyan covered her face with her hands in intoxication. Why did she follow such a beautiful lady.

"?" Bao Qin stood in front of the mirror, glanced at the silly maid, and said with a smile, "Talk too much."

"It's true." Chunyan thought that her lady didn't believe it, so she hurriedly walked around Baoqin holding the mirror, "Look, look at this hanging cloud bun, this hairpin, and tassels. Oh, miss, I read it in the book Those heavenly beauties are nothing more than that.”

"I know, I know." Bao Qin held the round fan, smiled and stretched out his hand, letting Chun Yan support him, "Let's go, let's go and treat the guests well."

"Okay."

When Baoqin came to the courtyard of the back house, as the nanny in charge led the ladies from each family to take their seats, everyone was shocked by Baoqin's beauty.

They knew Baoqin's outstanding appearance, but when they met at other people's houses, Baoqin only dressed in plain clothes. This was the first time they saw her with such a magnificent aura that was as gorgeous as the queen of flowers.

"When I just came in, I thought I saw the fairy Chang'e, who had fallen to the mortal world."

Some people made fun of Baoqin. These were kind jokes, but there were also people who were secretly sarcastic. This is how a party is. There are many people invited today, so there are inevitably some good and bad words.

Baoqin smiled and accepted all the good and bad words. She also led everyone to sit down and commented on the autumn scenery in the courtyard. The scene was very lively. When the snacks and tea were served, everyone had already started talking.

The topic of girls' home is inseparable from gold and silver jewelry. The attentive guests could not help but notice the slightly monotonous gold and jade hairpin on Baoqin's head.

Among all the precious hair accessories, its monotony is so conspicuous and special. The workmanship was originally quite exquisite, but it was far inferior to the one made by Xue's mother.

Everyone asked Baoqin to take it off. When she saw the name of the workshop engraved on the foot of the hairpin, she smiled and said, "Good sister, why did you go to this shop to buy things?"

"Oh? What's wrong? Is there anything wrong with it?" Baoqin looked puzzled and explained, "I just went out to visit Qiupu Street a few days ago. I saw that it was made of sufficient materials and of good quality, so I bought it."

The young ladies among the guests laughed softly. This was where Baoqin was not as good as them. These people have lived in Yangzhou for several generations. Some news is not for outsiders like the Xue family to know.

"Sister Bao, don't you know that things in these shops are not available recently."

"Why is that?" Baoqin pretended to be surprised and said sincerely, "Please tell me, sisters. If I violate other people's taboos for no reason, wouldn't it make our Xue family look rude and arrogant?"

The person who spoke didn't want to answer. Some people thought Baoqin was too prominent today, so they wanted to show off their family's wealth to shake up the situation, and said: "It's because these refugees are ignorant and have taken away our family's wealth. Now the big families in the city are tacitly not buying the things they make."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Baoqin was surprised and sighed, complaining, "Sisters, you still treat me as an outsider."

It's because your Xue family came late and didn't integrate into our circle. Some people thought about it in their hearts, but they all comforted Baoqin on the surface. After several comforts, Baoqin asked who was behind this.

The person who spoke earlier said, "You are just a little ignorant and don't know much." As she said this, Baoqin also listened with a smile, only to hear the other party continue to show off, "Those discounted stores can take the bill to find someone to reimburse for every item they sell. Tell me, who else in Yangzhou has such financial resources?"

"That's the case. Thank you for your advice, sister." Baoqin smiled and nodded. She has always been smart and has a very good vision. How could she not figure out the identity of the person.

Seeing this, the man's face was very happy. Not many people here know about this secret. Only people like them who have close contact with the other party can get some information. For a while, everyone cast a special look at her.

There is no need to go into too much detail about the subsequent gatherings, but this gathering is over. Baoqin didn't know how she got the title of "Yangzhou's No. 1 Beauty", which was unexpected.

It's just that this word was passed around, and I don't know who added a sentence with ulterior motives in front, and it became "the most beautiful woman in Yangzhou in ten years". With this, I don't know who is disgusted.

It's a pity, it's a pity.

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August 30th is the wedding date of the eldest sister Chen Qing. The Chen family has been busy since last night. The red silk wedding characters are naturally indispensable, and the dowry that will be carried out in a while is even more scattered and orderly.

This is the time to earn face for the eldest sister. Chen Heng naturally has to change into a brand new scholar's clothes, and even the jade pendant that Baoqin gave before is worn on his waist. What he did was just to hope that the relatives of the Hu family could see himself becoming a scholar, and be more careful with his eldest sister in the future.

The Chen family doesn't have many acquaintances in Yangzhou, and even fewer female relatives can be invited. Feng rarely brought Yinglian to hide in Chen Qing's boudoir to help. The most unexpected thing is that Baoqin also came here with her father and brother to help the Chen family.

Among them, Baoqin will be the female guest of the bride, and she can make things difficult for the groom. However, Chen Heng didn't know about these arrangements. He and his father had to take care of the neighbors who came to support the scene.

When the Hu family's wedding procession came with gongs and drums, the second son of the Hu family got off his horse and it was time to stop the bride. Chen Heng's talent is naturally needless to say, and he also knows what kind of character this eldest brother-in-law is. Just a few not-so-difficult congratulatory questions will be considered a pass.

The difficulties of the male guests are not on him, there is still Baoqin behind him. Chen Heng smiled secretly and stepped aside, letting the wedding procession enter directly. The latter really suffered a little when Baoqin took it out.

Fortunately, everyone just used poems to do questions, and didn't make any embarrassment. The male side invited a lot of real talents to help, and Baoqin didn't deliberately make things difficult, and all the questions she asked were festive and appropriate.

When the auspicious time was almost, one after another urging poems to get ready sounded, and Chen Heng should also carry his sister out. He was now in great shape and had considerable strength, so it was no problem for him to carry Chen Qing on his back.

But this section of the journey was a different experience.

Feeling his sister's tears dripping on his back, Chen Heng said to Chen Qing as he stepped out of the door: "Sister, no matter what happens in the future, I will always be your support, as will my parents, grandparents and grandma."

Chen Qing, wearing a veil, choked up and said: "I know, sister understands. Brother, sister is also very happy to have you."

On this day, other words can no longer be said. Seeing that everyone around was in high spirits, Chen Heng couldn't help but shout loudly: "Welcome the bride to the sedan chair."

Vocal music played loudly, gongs and drums were loud. The Hu family also gave the Chen family enough face, and the long wedding procession and various specifications were all done with great effort.

Although the old Chen family was not as good as them, they also took out all the money in the family. Whether it was Chen Qi, Chen Huaijin, or Chen Heng, he took out all his savings to buy for his sister, adding a lot of expensive dowry. Doing this is considered a good start for the first daughter of the Chen family to get married. Neighbors all felt that they looked down on the Chen family.

Such a mighty procession, all the way back to the Hu family, naturally attracted the attention of passers-by.

There is no need to say more about what happened afterwards.

After the banquet at the Hu family, Chen Heng returned to his room, taking the news that Baoqin had told him today to dispel his worries about his eldest sister's marriage.

I am so awesome, I didn't need to change a single word after writing this chapter. By the way, at the end of the third volume, Li Zhi's age was changed to 45 years old. I forgot if there was a chapter that mentioned this before, so I would like to inform you.