Union

Chapter 191 Come to the door

Xi Shu is Yun Cheng's good friend.

The two played together since they were little, and their relationship was so close that they could share a pair of pants.

Unlike Yuncheng's impoverished family background, Xishu's family was relatively better off.

This is all because Xishu's father is a well-known scholar in the surrounding villages.

The old scholar failed to pass the county-level imperial examination, but that does not prevent him from being a scholar with some official rank.

Having achieved academic success, the old scholar opened a small private school at home, teaching children to read and write. Because his fees were not expensive, parents in the neighborhood who wanted their children to succeed gritted their teeth and sent them there.

Xi Shu's family was well-off, and once he had saved enough money, his father sent him to a proper academy in the county town to study.

In contrast, Xu Yuncheng's father was an irresponsible man, and his mother was single-mindedly devoted to embroidery to earn money, but her skills were only so-so, and she couldn't earn much money.

However, Xu Shaotian was ambitious and looked down on the old scholar's abilities. He felt that if his son wanted to study, he should go to the best private school, the best academy, and study under the best teacher, so that he could start from a high point.

With so many restrictions and everything having to be the best, it's impossible without money.

So Xu Shaotian set his sights on his adopted daughter, and finally made the drastic decision to sell Yunying to someone else.

……

After sending Xi Shu away, Yun Ying's mood visibly somber.

Gu Yuanxi deliberately tried to make her happy, and Yun Ying did smile politely, but the smile was so stiff that it made people feel sour.

Having no other choice, Gu Yuanxi dragged Chen Yanzhou over and asked him to cheer up his sister.

Chen Yanzhou was also a bit dramatic, but he couldn't bear to see Yun Ying so dejected, so he thought for a moment and changed the subject, saying, "I'm afraid I won't be able to return to Yun Gui County for a while. What about you? Are you not going back to Yun Gui County in the future?"

Yunying's attention was indeed diverted. She exclaimed, "Ah, if you're not going back to Yungui County... I should probably go back, I have so many businesses here."

Chen Yanzhou couldn't help but laugh when he heard the word "industry".

Yunying got annoyed. "Is it funny? Even though my stall is small, it makes money."

Under Yun Ying's stern gaze, Chen Yanzhou quickly shut his mouth. "Yes, yes, those businesses of yours are indeed profitable. If they're not handled properly, you'll suffer huge losses. So, how do you plan to handle those businesses?"

Yunying frowned; she hadn't decided yet.

The brocade porcelain business was definitely not going to continue. The key to that business was two things: the skill of firing porcelain and the painting skills of exiled officials.

The porcelain workers were easily bribed, and the exiled officials were also held captive by the government; she couldn't take them with her even if she wanted to.

If she wants to start from scratch, where will she find some painters with excellent painting skills?

In this era, as long as you have outstanding painting skills, you will never lack money; at the very least, you will have a good background and family connections, which will not allow you to do something as shameful as being a painter to earn money.

Finding painters is difficult enough, but the clay needed to fire brocade porcelain is not readily available everywhere.

Even if clay can be found, the cost of firing porcelain will likely increase, which will be very detrimental to the sales of colored porcelain.

The business of brocade porcelain is destined to be one where every day is less, especially for the weaving workshops.

The weaving workshop operated on a low-profit, high-volume model, and it was only through her management that the workshop was able to make money.

If she replaced the person with a big hand, she would not only lose money but also lose money; but if she replaced the person with a tight hand, people would not earn money and would lose the desire to consume and buy clothes, thus reducing consumption... This would contradict her original intention.

And then there's Qiu Ning. Qiu Ning had said before that she would follow her wherever she went. But the last time she went to look for Qiu Ning, it seemed that Qiu Ning's love life was in turmoil again.

Once a woman has a man she's attracted to and the idea of ​​settling down and having children comes to mind, many of her previous plans will change.

She wanted to take Qiu Ning with her, but she wasn't sure if Qiu Ning had changed her mind.

Yunying wanted to return to Yungui County, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to go back.

After all, Yun Gui County is far away and she is no longer the Yun Ying who had nowhere to go and could only be manipulated and controlled by others.

It’s very confusing.

Ugh.

After sighing, Yunying looked at Chen Yanzhou.

He's really willing to spend money.

Yun Gui County was like his first child; the effort he poured into it left her speechless. He was truly carefree, letting go whenever he wanted.

It's important to know that Yungui County has terraced fields, the Xingtong Canal that he painstakingly built, artificial pearl cultivation, and the official school he painstakingly constructed...

Although all of this translates into political costs, helping him get promoted, if he waits a little longer, this accumulated experience will undoubtedly unleash even greater power. At that time, his political achievements will be more substantial, and he will likely have more options and better opportunities for advancement.

Of course, whether or not he gets promoted, and where he gets promoted, is not up to Chen Yanzhou to decide.

Everything depends on the emperor's will; no matter how much they ponder and plan, it's all in vain.

Thinking about all these things, Yunying stopped thinking about Yuncheng, and her mood visibly improved.

But when she set off for Lingshui County in the afternoon, her mood turned dejected again.

Seeing this, Gu Wangchen felt very bad.

He told his daughter, "You wait at the inn. I'll go to Lingshui County myself, confirm things, and then I'll come back."

Yunying shook her head. "Father, we're already here. I'd better come with you. I... I also want to ask him myself if he regretted selling me."

Upon hearing this, Gu Wangchen felt a lump in his throat.

Silly girl, what's the point of asking these questions now?

Even if Xu Shaotian regretted it, it wouldn't change anything. She was still sold to the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion after several transfers, and she still had to carefully make a living under someone else's control.

Gu Wangchen wiped his face. "Alright, since you want to go, let's go together. Get in the car and we'll set off now."

……

Baili County is neither far nor near Lingshui County, but it's impossible to get there in one day.

They traveled all afternoon and stopped at an inn in the evening. They got up early the next morning to continue their journey, and it wasn't until noon that they entered the city gate of Lingshui County.

After a day and a night, we finally arrived at our destination.

After they finished their meal, they all returned to their rooms to rest.

Just then, Uncle Qian went out and brought back the news they wanted to know.

Gu Wangchen listened to Uncle Qian's investigation with his daughter, and finally asked Yunying, "Should we go now, or wait a bit?" Yunying smiled gently, "Let's go now. I also want to find out as soon as possible whether I am your daughter or not."

Gu Wangchen patted her head, "Silly girl, even if your father's eyesight is failing, he would never mistake you for someone else."

"What if?"

"There is no such 'what if'."

The group went outside.

Because of the long distance, they had no choice but to ride horses and carriages again.

After walking for half an hour, the group finally reached the entrance of an alleyway in the residential area next to the city gate, after turning left and right.

The alley was too narrow for a carriage to pass, so the group dismounted and walked.

Uncle Qian led the way, Yun Ying followed a step behind her father, and Gu Yuanxi and Chen Yanzhou brought up the rear. The two whispered to each other from time to time, and it was unclear what they were saying.

Finally, Uncle Qian stopped in front of a red wooden door.

The gate was unremarkable, but both the gate and the surrounding wall were high enough to firmly keep the scene inside the courtyard hidden behind the wooden gate.

Uncle Qian asked the general, "Should we knock on the door now?"

But before Gu Wangchen could respond, a commotion broke out inside.

"Reading, reading, all you ever do is read. I'm calling you and you don't hear me? Are you deaf or stupid?"

Then a gentle female voice rang out, "You know he doesn't want to talk to you. Besides, aren't you always telling your son that he needs to study hard and improve his life, that you want to change our social standing? You sold everything to help him study. Now that he's studying hard, isn't that exactly what you wanted? What more could you want?"

"Keep your voice down. Are you afraid others won't know about this? I sold Yunying. You don't need to mention it. I know what I'm doing."

“You know perfectly well what’s going on, yet you still scold your son. You know perfectly well that he only ignores you because he resents you for selling Ying’er.”

"Then look at yourself! Why did I sell Yunying? Wasn't it for his own good? If it weren't for needing to raise money for this little brat's education, would I have sold Yunying? If I kept her, I could marry her off to a wealthy family in the countryside and make her a young mistress. Would I be short of money to support her then?"

The woman's voice trembled with tears, "Please stop talking. If Cheng'er hears this, he'll hate you the most. He'd rather never study or get ahead in his life than have you sell Ying'er. If you shout like this, the child will definitely..."

The woman didn't say what she was going to say next, but the sound of a door opening came from the next room.

The woman rushed out and grabbed her son who was about to leave, saying, "Cheng'er, where are you going? It's getting late, and you're dressed so lightly. You'll catch a cold if you go out."

A rough, hoarse male voice said in a suppressed tone, "Mother, I'm fine. I'm going out to borrow a book from a classmate. Don't worry, Mother, I'm not cold. I'll be right back."

The boy gently pried his mother's hand away, then walked to the door with his head down and reached out to pull the gate.

A woman's pleading voice came from the courtyard, "It's getting dark. Cheng'er, what book do you want to read? You can ask your classmates at the academy to borrow it tomorrow."

The man's furious voice rang out again, "Ignore him, tell him to get lost. That little brat! I've done all sorts of evil things for him. He's taken advantage of me, and he still has the nerve to act tough with me. He's really spoiled rotten..."

With a creak, the door was pulled open.

"You little brat, if you dare step out of this courtyard today, we'll sever all ties between us. From now on, don't even mention that you're my biological son; I'll pretend I never had you. Why aren't you leaving? If you've got the guts, then get out of here..."

The boy's figure stood frozen in front of the door, the view outside appearing and disappearing in the distance.

The woman was short and didn't see the figure blocked by her tall son. She only saw her son standing motionless at the door and thought he had changed his mind, so she hurriedly ran over, grabbed her son, and tried to give him a way out.

But when I got closer, I saw the scene slightly obscured by my thin son.

Someone was standing at their door.

Puzzled, the woman pulled her son aside and looked outside with a questioning gaze, "Who are you...?"

She didn't ask the rest of the question. Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she began to tremble uncontrollably as if she had suffered a serious illness.

"Oriole, oriole..."

As soon as the woman spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

The boy beside her also had red eyes, biting his lip, and his hands clenched into fists.

He stared intently at the girl outside the door, his tone incredulous yet resolute.

"Sister, sister! Sister, is that you? Sister, where have you been? I've been looking for you for so long." Xu Yuncheng staggered to Yunying's side, wanting to reach out and grab his sister's arm to confirm whether the woman in front of him was real or not. But as soon as he reached out, his arm was restrained by a strong wrist.

Gu Wangchen pushed the boy's hand back, "Your older sister isn't here."

Xu Yuncheng shook his head repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

"No, no way. This is my older sister, I can't mistake her. Sister, it's me, Yuncheng. Don't you recognize me? I'm the younger brother you raised."

As Xu Yuncheng spoke, he suddenly knelt down on the ground, grabbed Yunying's legs, and burst into tears.

Xu Shaotian was eventually summoned, and he first cursed, "What are you two up to? Why aren't you home? What are you doing standing at the door?"

"Xu Yuncheng, who are you kneeling to? Your father is right behind you, he's not dead yet, you don't need to kowtow to him..."

Xu Shaotian didn't say what he was going to say next, because he also recognized Yun Ying standing at the door at a glance.

Yunying was a beauty from a young age, with a pretty and well-proportioned appearance.

Privately, he had secretly rejoiced more than once, feeling that taking this girl in was the right decision.

After adopting this girl, he had a son and a daughter in succession. He not only held his head high in the village, but also received many marriage proposals because of his daughter's outstanding appearance. He was very proud.

He thought to himself that this girl would definitely bring him a lot of money in the future.

Sure enough, this girl really did bring him a fortune.

Although this great fortune and that great fortune are completely different concepts, it doesn't matter. As long as the money is in hand, whether it's a dowry from the in-laws or money obtained by selling a daughter makes little difference.

Xu Shaotian didn't think it was a big deal, and he never regretted selling Yunying.

Although his wife's constant crying and his son's tantrums after selling Yunying annoyed him, these were no big deal. After all, the woman had been sold and his son had been sent to school.

As long as the goal is achieved, that's good; the process is not important.

Xu Shaotian knew he had done something wrong by selling Yunying, but he had never dreamed of her in all these years. He never imagined that one day this child would come looking for him.

But Xu Shaotian wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was quite shrewd.

Therefore, when he saw Yunying overcome all difficulties to reach him, accompanied by several extremely wealthy people, Xu Shaotian cursed inwardly: Damn it, is this cheap daughter here to seek revenge?

(End of this chapter)