kingnovel Chapter 269 Donate 1 stones of food
Chapter 269 Donate 1 stones of food
"Yao'er?"
Su Li gently touched Pei Yao, who was sitting next to her and still in a daze.
From the beginning, Pei Yao looked like she was worried about something, her face turning red and white. Based on Su Li's many years of experience in judging people, this was a sign of a young girl in love!
"Hmm? Sister-in-law, you called me?"
"Yeah. This smoked fish is good, try it."
Su Li picked up a piece of smoked fish with chopsticks and placed it in front of Pei Yao, but seeing that she was absent-minded, it was clear that she couldn't taste anything.
The atmosphere at the banquet was just right when Mrs. Qian suddenly stood up. She raised her wine glass and said:
"Ladies, thank you for your kindness in coming to the Qian Mansion to attend the Spring Banquet today. In fact, in addition to inviting you all to enjoy the spring, I also have a suggestion."
"What suggestions does Mrs. Qian have?" someone asked below.
Madam Qian's expression turned serious and she said:
"Today we are feasting here to enjoy the spring, and both the host and the guests are enjoying themselves. However, you all know that the war in the north is raging. The soldiers on the front fought bloody battles and slew the barbarians of Beimang, which brought us a peaceful life like this. We in the rear should also do our part."
"Therefore, I propose that at today's Spring Banquet, we donate money and food to the soldiers at the front."
As soon as these words were spoken, the banquet suddenly became quiet.
Those present today were all local gentry, either rich or noble, but for a moment they were somewhat reluctant to donate generously.
Several ladies' faces fell.
Not long ago, the prefectural government issued an order requiring every household to donate money and grain, but how could they be willing to do so? Furthermore, the masters of each household were known for their witty remarks, so the matter was repeatedly delayed.
Unexpectedly, the Qian family was waiting for them here! What the eldest uncle couldn't handle in the officialdom, he asked the second son's wife to help him in the backyard?
It seems that today's spring banquet is the Hongmen Banquet!
The Qian family has been planning this for a long time!
Seeing this, Su Li asked Song Zhi to help her get up. She stood leisurely beside the wine table and said:
"Madam Qian said it well! The soldiers at the front carried heavy burdens for us, which brought us peace and tranquility. I came from Shengjing and know that the situation in the north is very urgent. While we are drinking and gathering here, hundreds of people are dying in the north every moment."
"Madam Qian, I'm donating 10,000 dan of grain to the soldiers at the front."
There was an uproar on the field.
Ten thousand dan of grain! What kind of a big deal is this?
The ladies on the field all looked at Su Li with a look of re-examination in their eyes.
"it is good!"
Mrs. Qian clapped her hands and quickly walked to Su Li. She took her hand and said excitedly:
"My dear sister, I was right! Since you are so generous, I can't fall behind. So, my Qian family will donate 20,000 dan of grain."
There was another sound of people gasping for breath on the field.
Mrs. Qian clapped her hands, and a team of government officials ran in with weapons.
Mrs. Qian walked up to a lady and bent down:
"Madam Zhou, your family's dozen or so silk and satin shops must have made a lot of money last year. Madam Zhou, if you don't want to do business this year, I will take back all those silk and satin shops. It doesn't matter if they are empty."
The Zhou family runs a silk business, but all the shops belong to the Qian family. If the Qian family takes it back, what business will her family still have?
"I'll donate!" Madam Zhou raised her hand. "I don't have that much food. I'll donate money. Five hundred, no, five thousand, ten thousand taels."
Mrs. Zhou felt so painful that she wanted to cry.
But there is no other way. If I don’t cut the meat today, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave the Qian Mansion.
"Mrs. Zhou is so generous. I'll make a note of this. I'll report this to my uncle and ask him to take good care of your family in the officialdom."
Mrs. Qian's chubby face was full of smiles.
It was as if she was not the one who organized the Hongmen Banquet, and she was not forcing them to bleed or cut flesh, but was just chatting and laughing with each other about their children's marriages!
With the first proof, everything went much more smoothly afterwards.
Every household contributed money, and those without money offered something to pledge. Crucially, Mrs. Qian knew every household's financial situation intimately, so she knew exactly when a donation was insufficient. She would ask them to reconsider their donation until she was satisfied.
A unique spring banquet ended just like that.
After seeing off the ladies and daughters of each family, Madam Qian waved her hand and the runners of the Qian Mansion withdrew. Madam Qian handed a booklet to the leader.
"Take this booklet back and give it to your uncle. Have him collect money and grain from every household using the booklet."
"Yes! Second Madam, you really helped me a lot!"
The yamen runners withdrew with the booklet.
After everyone left, Mrs. Qian returned to the image of the smiling wealthy lady that Su Li had known. She took Su Li's hand affectionately and said:
"Sister, you've helped me a lot today. But don't worry, you don't have to pay for the 10,000 dan of grain. I'll pay for it."
Su Li smiled and said:
"Sister, I voluntarily donated this money and food to the front line. How can I ask you to pay for it? To be honest, although I am not as wealthy as your family, I do have quite a bit of property."
Hearing Su Li calling her sister, Mrs. Qian was touched.
She knew that although she had warmly called Su Li "sister" before, Su Li had always called her Madam Qian. Only after calling her "sister" did she truly treat her as her own.
Mrs. Qian's eyes sparkled with tears, and she said excitedly:
"Sister, I have to thank you. If it weren't for your concubine Lu helping me with the plan, I wouldn't have come up with this idea. One day, I will definitely bring a thank-you gift to the Banshan Tea House to thank you properly."
Su Li was really surprised to hear what Mrs. Qian said.
She didn't expect that Aunt Lu would be so righteous?
Before leaving, Madam Qian held Su Li's hand and hesitated to speak. After thinking for a while, she said:
"Sister, at the banquet today, I saw that your Pei Yao was very fond of me. I want you to ask her if she is willing to marry into my Qian family?"
"Sister, are you talking about your second son, Qian Jinru?"
Su Li got straight to the point.
Mrs. Qian was taken aback and immediately denied it:
"No, it's not him! Forget it, just pretend I never said that. However, I still want to advise you to keep Pei Yao away from my Erlang. He is not a good man!"
After saying goodbye to Mrs. Qian, he got on the carriage.
Songzhi said:
"I didn't expect Aunt Lu to be so kind. What is she planning?"
Su Li couldn't figure this out either.
I can't figure out this matter, but there is another thing that is imminent and right in front of us.
It was obvious that Pei Yao had set her sights on the second son of the Qian family.
But why did Madam Qian warn me not to get close to Qian Jinru? What was wrong with this Qian family's second son that made Madam Qian have such a prejudice against him?
I saw him today and he looked very impressive. He seemed to be in good shape.
"Please invite Third Aunt to come home tomorrow."
"it is good."
Room No. 1, Xiangfu Restaurant.
"We did a good job today."
The man in black robe expressed great admiration for Aunt Lu.
Aunt Lu lowered her head and closed her eyes:
"It was all your idea, sir. I was just helping you convey some words to Madam Qian. Now that the money and grain have been raised, what will you do next?"
"You don't have to worry about these things. You have a new mission."
"what?"
"The master sent a letter asking us to find a way to kill Pei Heng."
"!!!" Aunt Lu's eyes widened. "Sir, the teahouse is heavily guarded. Ever since the general lay down, Madam has been looking at him like he was her eyeball. How can I, how can I start?"
"I also know this is too difficult. For the time being, you should keep an eye on it and find an opportunity to test its strength. Once I'm busy and forget about the food and fodder issue, we can discuss it together."
"Yes."
As soon as Aunt Lu left, the man in black robe took off the cloak covering his head, revealing a handsome face.
Qian Jinru picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and looked into the distance through the window lattice.
There are countless layers of eaves.
Looking around, all you can see are the Qian family’s properties.
"The Qian family will be mine one day."