fake gentry

The next day, Xie Kun descended the mountain.

Xie Hong escorted Xie Shang to the crossroads, but Ge Hong, who was still asleep, did not come to see them off.

Before boarding the cart, Xie Kun stood in front of the oxcart, then turned around and glanced at Xie Hong, and then at Xie Shang standing behind Xie Hong.

Xie Shang stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes slightly red.

"Follow your brother closely."

After saying this, Xie Kun got into the oxcart, which slowly drove away.

Xie Hong watched the oxcart disappear before turning around and grinning at Xie Shang, revealing a row of neat white teeth: "Kid, you're in my hands now."

Xie Shang looked at Xie Hong with some fear: "What are you going to do, brother?"

"Hahaha."

Xie Hong ignored him and turned back to the villa.

The first thing Ge Hong did after waking up was to take a bath; he treated Xie Hong's villa as a bathhouse.

After breakfast, Ge Hong unceremoniously collected a large bundle of food and supplies, instructing his old servant to carry it back to his thatched hut, saying he would come again tomorrow.

Xie Hong was both amused and exasperated.

My appearance seems to have opened some kind of valve on Ge Xianweng.

Historical records show that Ge Hong was both a scholar and a warrior, pragmatic and truth-seeking, and also had few desires and was rarely influenced by external things.

Although the Ge family of Danyang was not a top-tier noble family, it had a very strong influence in Jiangdong. During the Eastern Wu period, it was a truly prestigious family. As a descendant of nobility, Ge Hong was somewhat self-conscious because his family had fallen into decline when he was young and he was of ordinary appearance. It wasn't until he met Xie Hong that he realized he had found a true kindred spirit.

He could sense that Xie Hong had an unusual respect for him, a respect that surpassed that for anyone else, including Xie Kun.

But that respect wasn't about being overly cautious; it was about genuinely treating him like a close elder.

Less than an hour after Ge Hong left, someone else came along the mountain path.

Ah Liu ran over: "My lord, my lord, another caravan is coming down the mountain, so many cars!"

Xie Hong led Xie Shang to the crossroads and saw a line of oxcarts on the mountain road. Each cart was pulled by two yellow oxen, and the carts were piled high with boxes and sacks. There were ten double-shafted oxcarts in total.

A soldier in his forties rode up on a fast horse, dismounted, and bowed deeply to Xie Hong: "Young Master Xie, I am Zhou Ping, the commander of the Prefectural Governor's Office. I have been sent by my master to deliver the apology gifts from the Luo and Zhang families. Please take a look."

As he spoke, Commander Qu took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Zhou Guang's father was a famous general, and naturally he had no shortage of troops under his command. This troop leader should be a close confidant of Zhou Guang.

Xie Hong took the bamboo slip and opened it. He saw a list densely packed on it, written in neat handwriting, which should be the work of a clerk in the prefecture.

The list alone contained fifty bolts of fine silk.

Then came one hundred bolts of fine linen, two boxes of celadon porcelain, several bowls, plates, jars, and pots, and three boxes of lacquerware tableware, all of which were vermilion lacquer plates, black lacquer bowls, and painted wine cups—each piece a treasure.

There were also thirty catties of tea, several bags of Poria cocos and Polygonatum sibiricum. In addition, there were four bolts of Shu brocade, wrapped separately in plain silk, and surprisingly, a large box of agarwood.

This is the most precious incense available at the time; even the emperor used this kind.

Incense was an essential item in the homes of the gentry. They usually used styrax, and the poorer families would even make their own incense. Agarwood was recognized as the top-grade and most precious incense at the time.

Of course, it was the last line of the list that Xie Hong was concerned about.

Thirteen catties of pure gold.

Xie Hong's gaze lingered on this line of text for a moment, then he looked up and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Chen. Tell Li to prepare a bowl of ice cream for this military commander."

Zhou Ping repeatedly said he dared not, then took a bundle off his back and presented it with both hands: "My master has ordered that this item must be personally delivered to you, sir."

Xie Hong took it and felt its weight.

Upon opening it, one finds a wooden box inside. After unlocking the latch, the lid is lifted.

Xie Shang's eyes widened in surprise.

The box contained neat rows of gold ingots, each about half the size of a palm, with fine ripples on the surface from the casting process; there were thirteen in total.

Xie Hong himself had never seen so much gold before, and his palms were slightly sweaty.

Without making a sound, he closed the box lid, said nothing, and handed it to Xie Shang.

Xie Shang...

"I have received the goods, Uncle Chen. Take this military commander to rest."

Zhou Ping breathed a sigh of relief, bowed deeply again, and then turned to follow Chen San.

Zhou Guang sent people to unload the goods from the truck. The boxes and sacks were moved into the open space in the villa and neatly stacked in several rows.

Ah Heng ran out, stood aside in a daze for a while, then turned to Ah Ling and called out, "Ah Ling, come and see! It's all silk! The finest silk!"

She reached out to touch it but then pulled back, looking very cautious.

The Dong family was poor, and fine linen was the best fabric they could afford. She and A-Ling could only afford a new set of fine linen clothes during the New Year.

As for silk?

Does a handkerchief count?

Ah Heng has a silk handkerchief, which was a birthday gift from her parents when she was ten years old. She still can't bear to use it.

Ah Ling ran out, glanced at the mountain of silk fabrics, and then her eyes widened so much that she couldn't look away.

Xie Hong smiled and said to Aheng, "Do you like it? You two and Li Shi will each receive a bolt of silk. A Ling, you have ten days to make a silk garment for everyone."

Ah Ling was dumbfounded.

Ah Heng glanced at him quickly, then shrank back, covering her mouth and almost bursting into tears.

After making a bowl of ice cream, Li came out and overheard Xie Hong's words. She immediately stepped forward, curtsied, and said, "My lord, you mustn't accept this reward."

At that time, a bolt of ordinary silk was worth several thousand coins, while a bolt of high-quality silk could sell for as much as ten thousand coins, which is equivalent to one tael of gold.

The Li family's entire annual income amounted to only one bolt of high-quality silk.

Xie Hong glared at him: "Take it if I tell you to. Everyone will also get a bolt of cloth."

Xie Hong asked Aheng to summon Chen San. Chen San was with Zhou Ping when he heard Aheng calling him. He immediately apologized and rushed over.

"Uncle Chen, these things are yours. Give each of the prefect's men a reward of two hundred coins."

After giving his instructions, Xie Hong nodded to Xie Shang and turned to leave.

Xie Shang was slightly taken aback, but then he understood and followed after them, clutching the box tightly in his arms.

"Brother, you must hide this much gold well."

Xie Hong snorted: "Look at your naive and unsophisticated appearance, is the Xie family really so poor?"

Xie Shang gave a bitter smile: "When my grandfather led the family south, he had no wealth. The Xie family was poor. The rich lands of Jiangzuo had long been occupied by the Gu and Lu families. The Xie family had no ready-made land, and unlike the Langya Wang family, they did not have land directly granted by the emperor. They could only ask for land and houses in Kuaiji."

Xie Hong suddenly realized.

That's right. In their early years, the Xie family could only live and operate in seclusion in the Dongshan area of ​​Kuaiji. It wasn't until around the time Xie An entered officialdom that the family's manor business gradually developed and expanded.

"My father is a carefree person, and it is all thanks to my brother's hard work that we can support him."

Xie Hong immediately looked at Xie Shang with new respect.

Good guy.

You're only fourteen.

How did you manage to become famous at the age of eight, be loved by a group of celebrities, and still support your family?

What the hell was I doing when I was fourteen?

"Sparse and unrestrained" means earning little money and spending it recklessly.

Uncle, how could you actually take advantage of your younger sibling?

Historically, Xie Kun passed away the following year. Wen Qiao, the Prefect of Danyang, came to pay his respects. Xie Shang wept bitterly at the funeral. Afterwards, he wiped away his tears and talked with Wen Qiao. His behavior and speech far exceeded those of an ordinary child. From then on, Wen Qiao protected him all the way to success.

It turns out there are advantages to taking charge of the household early on.

He was well-educated, good-looking, charming, musically gifted, eloquent, and, damn well, a good homemaker.

Aren't you the main character?

Xie Hong was envious.

"Since the clan is so poor, why didn't Uncle keep these things for himself and instead sent them to me?"

Xie Shang looked at Xie Hong in surprise: "This is a gift from the Luo family to apologize to my brother. How can it be included in the clan?"

Xie Hong sighed, reached for the box, took out three gold ingots and stuffed them into Xie Shang's hand: "Take this, it's for you, you can't refuse. Also, arrange for someone to send ten bolts of silk, twenty bolts of cloth, one bolt of Shu brocade, and two catties of agarwood to Nanchang tomorrow."

Before Xie Shang could speak, Xie Hong, carrying the box, turned and walked into the study.

It hurts.

Xie Shang watched his retreating figure and slowly lowered his head.