In the 2nd year of the Northern Song Dynasty, in Kaifeng Prefecture, there was a staff member Zhang Shilian who opened a line shop. He was over 60 years old. After his wife died, he was alone and had no children around him. His family is rich, so he hired two supervisors to take charge of the business in the shop.
One day, Mr. Zhang was in a bad mood and said to the two supervisors: "I am so old and have no children. What's the use of asking for a hundred thousand wealth?"
Two supervisors suggested: "Why don't the official husband marry a wife and give birth to a son and half a daughter is also considered a feast!"
Zhang Man Wai heard this and thought to himself: Yes! He quickly sent someone to call matchmaker Zhang and matchmaker Li.
Zhang Yuanwai told the two matchmakers, "I don't have a son, so I want to marry a wife. Today I want to both of you to talk about marriage."
Zhang thought to himself: "This old man is so old, he still wants to talk about marriage. How old is he?" He was about to refuse.
matchmaker Li saw the thought of matchmaker Zhang, and quickly poked her, not letting her say it, and turned to tell Zhang Junwai: "This is easy."
Zhang Junwai thought for a while and said, "I have three conditions for finding a bride: first, outstanding talents and handsome appearance; second, it is equivalent to the portal; third, my family has a hundred thousand wealth, and the bride also has a hundred thousand dowry."
The two matchmakers couldn't help but feel funny when they heard this, but they still agreed randomly, "These are all easy." After saying that, they said goodbye and left.
On the way, matchmaker Zhang said to matchmaker Li: "If it is his marriage, you can get a hundred tens of coins. But what Zhang Yuanwai said is too unrelated. If someone has those three conditions, why don't he marry a young man? How could he be an old man with him? Is he an old baby?"
matchmaker Li smiled and said: "I know there is a person with outstanding appearance and equal to Zhang Yuanwai's portal."
matchmaker Zhang asked: "Who is it?"
matchmaker Li replied: "It is Lin, the young lady from Wang Wanhu's mansion. When she first married Wang Wanhu, she was very favored. Later, she lost her master's heart just because of one wrong sentence. Wang Wanhu was unwilling to keep her and would rather marry her for nothing. She had at least tens of thousands of dollars with her dowry, but she was too young and only in her twenties."
matchmaker Zhang said: "Don't worry about the young being too young, and he also thought the old being too old. This marriage should be without any problems, but she was afraid that Mr. Zhang would be afraid of this marriage. The young lady disagreed. We kept Zhang Yuanwai's age for 10 or 20 years, and the two sides were almost the same. "
Matchmaker Li nodded: "Tomorrow is a good day. I will go to the Zhang family to discuss the financial gifts with you first, and then go to Wang Wanhu's mansion to talk about it."
The next day, the two matchmakers gathered together and went to Zhang Yuanwai's house and said, "We have found the right person mentioned by Mr. Wai yesterday! The person looks good and is Wang Wanhu's mansion. There was a dowry of 100,000 yuan. Everything is good, I am afraid that the official is a young man. "
Zhang asked, "How much younger than me?"
Zhang matchmaker replied, "Thirty or forty years younger than the official is a man."
Zhang smiled on his face: "It doesn't matter, it depends on the help of both of you!"
Two matchmakers went to Wang Wanhu's mansion to say marriage, and it was also appropriate. In a blink of an eye, Mr. Zhang gave a betrothal gift, married the bride home, and got married. When Mr. Zhang saw that the bride was beautiful, he secretly cheered Lin and raised his veil. Seeing Mr. Wu's face was full of wrinkles and white hair, he couldn't help but complain. On the wedding night, Mr. Zhang liked it very much, but Lin was unhappy.
More than a month passed, and Zhang Yuanwai celebrated his 60th birthday. Only then did Lin realize that the two matchmakers had lied to her that her husband was not in his forties or fifties, but was in his sixties, and he couldn't help feeling even more sad.
One day, Mr. Zhang went out. Lin thought to himself, "A person like me has so many dowry, but he married an old white-bearded man." He couldn't help but sigh, very annoyed. The dowry maid Xiaohong said: "Why don't my wife go to the door to see the fun on the street?"
After hearing this, Lin thought it was good, and he could just relax and went outside with Xiaohong to see it.
This velvet shop at the door of Yuanwai’s house has cabinet on both sides, and a purple silk curtain in it. Xiaohong lowered the curtain hook and lowered the curtain. There are two supervisors in the store, one is Li Qing, who is in his fifties and the other is Zhang Sheng, who is twenty-five or twenty-six. When the two saw Xiaohong put down the curtain, they asked her, "Why put down the curtain?"
Xiaohong said, "Madam is going to come out to see the street scene."
The two supervisors heard that the hostess was going to come out, so they hurried to the curtain to see. Lin first asked Manager Li: "How many years have you been in the official shop?"
Manager Li replied: "Li Qing has been here for more than 20 years."
"Does the official take care of you in normal times?"
"Too much care."
Lin asked Manager Zhang again, and he replied Answer: "Zhang Sheng's father worked in the official shop for more than 20 years. Later, when his father passed away, I started to follow the official shop for nearly ten years."
Lin asked, "Does the official take care of you?"
Zhang Sheng replied, "Take great care."
Lin said, "Two supervisors wait." After that, she went in for a while and came out to hand over the package to Manager Li.
Supervisor Li answered and thanked him quickly.
Lin turned his head and said to Manager Zhang, "I can't give it to him, don't give it to you!"
so he also handed Manager Zhang a pack of things. Manager Zhang also took it and thanked him.
Lin looked at it for a while and went in with Xiaohong. So both supervisors went to the door to greet the guests.
It turns out that Manager Li got one tael of silver, but Manager Zhang got one tael of gold. At that time, Director Zhang thought that Manager Li also received gold, and Director Li thought that both of them received silver.
That night, the accounts were settled, and the two supervisors handed over the account book and the silver to Mr. Zhang.
There is a rule in this shop that two supervisors must take turns to live in the shop. It happened to be Manager Zhang's turn that day. He lit a light in a small room outside the gate, sat for a while, and was about to go to bed. Suddenly I heard someone knocking on the door, and Director Zhang asked, "Who is it?"
The person outside said, "You open the door first, and I will tell you."
Director Zhang opened the door and let the people outside come in. I saw that it was a maid, Xiaohong next to Lin. Manager Zhang was shocked and asked hurriedly: "What's wrong with you coming so late?"
Xiaohong smiled: "It's not what I want to come by myself, it was the person who gave you something in the morning who asked me to come."
Manager Zhang said: "Madam gives me one or two gold, must have asked you to go back, right?"
Xiaohong He smiled again: "You don't know yet! Manager Li got one tael of silver, and you got one tael of gold. Now the lady asked me to bring you something."
She took a pack of clothes from her back and opened it and said, "These pieces are for you to wear, and there are also a few women's clothes for your mother." Xiaohong took out a fifty taels of silver from her sleeve, left them with the clothes, and then said goodbye. Zhang Sheng got so many things for no reason, and was very confused and didn't fall asleep for a whole night.
The next day, when I woke up early in the morning, Superintendent Zhang opened the store and started doing business. When Director Li arrived and handed over the shop to him, Zhang Sheng went home. When he saw his old mother, he took out his clothes and money to show her. The old mother asked, "Where did these things come from?"
Manager Zhang talked about Lin's gift of gold during the day and silver at night. After hearing this, the old mother sighed: "Son, the young lady gave you gold and asked someone to give you clothes and silver. What does this mean is that she is afraid she likes you! I am in my sixties now, and I have been guarding you since your father passed away. If something happens to you, who will I rely on? Don't go tomorrow. Stay away from right and wrong!"
Supervisor Zhang is a person who is a decent person and is very filial. When he heard his mother say this, he stopped going to the shop. When Mr. Zhang saw that he was not going, he asked someone to come and invite him. Manager Zhang did not show up, and the old mother came out and said that her son was sick and would go there later.
A few more days later, and Manager Li saw that he was not coming yet, so he came to call himself. The old mother still said that her son was sick and would go there later. Mr. Zhang also sent people to call him again and again, but the old mother just said that her son was not cured when he was sick.
Zhang Yuanwai didn't come no matter how he called him. He thought he wanted to go to another shop, so he no longer sent anyone to invite him.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it has been more than a month since Zhang Sheng was at home. Although he got a lot of things from the Lin family, he was not easy to deal with the silver and did not dare to sell his clothes. He gradually had no money to use it. When the old mother saw that her son was doing nothing, she asked him to pick up his old business and go out to sell velvet threads with a load, but she did not allow him to pass by Mr. Zhang's door.
In a blink of an eye, when it was the Lantern Festival, Zhang Sheng heard that the lights were placed in the Duanmen, so he told his mother that he would go there to see the lights. The old mother refused to let him: "Son, if you go to see the lights, you have to pass by Zhang Yuanwai's door, and you will definitely cause trouble."
Zhang Sheng insisted on going: "I will take another way, just don't pass by Zhang Yuanwai's door."
The old mother was still worried and must ask her son to find a companion to go with her. Zhang Sheng said: "I will go with Brother Wang."
Finally, the old mother told her son not to drink and to come back with Wang Er.
Zhang Sheng and Wang Er Ge came to the Duanmen to look at the lights. I saw that there were crowds and it was very lively. Brother Wang said, "There are too many people here, so why don't we have the strength to squeeze in? Why not go to another place? There are also lights there."
Zhang Sheng asked, "Where are going?"
Wang Erge replied, "There are also lights in front of Wang Wanhu's mansion for the people to watch!"
So, the two left the Duanmen and came to Wang Wanhu's mansion. Unexpectedly, it was also very lively and as crowded as Duanmen. Zhang Sheng and Wang Er Ge were squeezed apart by the crowd. Zhang Sheng complained secretly, thinking, "Why are you going back now? Before leaving, my mother told me to go back with Brother Wang. If I go back first, it would be better to say something; if Brother Wang goes back, my mother would worry about me."
So, she didn't have the heart to look at the lights and hurried back without taking a detour. Zhang Sheng was shocked when he walked past Mr. Zhang's outer door. It turned out that there was an official seal posted on the gate of Mr. Zhang’s house, and the front was very deserted.
Zhang Sheng slowly walked out of the alley, wondering while walking. At this time, a bright moon rose, illuminating it very brightly. Suddenly, someone caught up from behind and said, "Sir Zhang, someone please invite you."
Zhang Sheng looked back and saw that it was a waiter, thinking, "It must be Brother Wang waiting for me at the entrance of the alley."
So, he followed the waiter into the hotel, went up the stairs again, and came to a private room. I saw a woman sitting inside, her clothes were messy and her hair was fluffy.
The woman said, "Sir Zhang, I invited you."
Zhang Sheng took a look. Although he felt familiar, he could never remember who she was. The woman sighed: "Does Manager Zhang not recognize me? I am Mrs. Zhang! "
Zhang Sheng then reacted and asked quickly: " How is the little lady here?"
Lin replied: "Zhang Yuanwai was taken to the yamen for burning fake silver, and his life and death are still unknown. All the property and real estate have been blocked. Now, I have no choice but to come to you. See what I have treated you in the past In terms of love, please leave me at your house for a few days!"
Zhang Sheng heard this and shook his head, "No, my mother will definitely not agree, let alone avoid suspicion!"
After hearing this, Lin said, "Are you afraid that it is easy to invite God and send him to God? I am afraid that I will not leave, so you can spend money to come and see. I have a treasure here." While saying that, he took out a string of beads from his sleeve.
There are more than a hundred beads, as big as dove eggs, shining brightly. When Zhang Sheng saw it, he couldn't help but cheer. Lin said: "If you are willing to take me in at home, you can sell these beads one by one and you will definitely be able to live a good life.”
Zhang Sheng still shook his head: “Madam, I can’t make the decision on this matter, I have to agree with my mother. "
Lin said: "I will follow you, go and ask your mother, I will wait for a reply outside the door. "
Zhang Sheng had no choice but to take Lin home and asked her to wait outside the door first. He went in and told his mother about the past and subsequent events. The old man was soft-hearted and heard that the woman was in such a difficult situation, he kept saying, "It's so hard!" Where is the lady? ”
Zhang Sheng replied: “Just wait for news outside the door. "
The old mother quickly asked her son to invite Lin in and keep her. Lin handed the beads to Zhang Sheng and asked him to open a store. Zhang Sheng did not dare to touch the treasure, took out the fifty taels of silver, opened a store, and still did a velvet business.
Since he opened a shop and started a business, everyone has called it He was for Xiao Zhang. Lin came to entangle Zhang Sheng many times to have sex with him. But Zhang Sheng was as firm as iron, and was very respectful to her, and never had a relationship between men and women.
In a blink of an eye, Qingming Festival was here, and everyone in the city went to Jinmingchi for fun, and Zhang Sheng also went. When he came back in the evening, he heard someone called "Supervisor Zhang" behind him. Zhang Sheng thought to himself: "Now everyone calls me Xiao Zhang, who calls me Supervisor? "
Looking back, it turned out to be the old owner Zhang Yuanwai.
Zhang Yuanwai was disheveled and his clothes were messy, and he was very embarrassed. Zhang Sheng immediately asked him to sit down in the hotel private room and asked, "Why are you so embarrassed? "
Zhang Yuanwai sighed: "It shouldn't be married! The wife was originally from Wang Wanhu's mansion. On the first day of the first lunar month this year, she was watching the street scene in the curtain and saw a boy from Wanhu Mansion passing by, so she stopped and asked, "Is there anything wrong in the mansion recently?" ’The boy said: ‘There is nothing else in the mansion, but the string of big beads in ten thousand households have disappeared, and everyone in the mansion will be punished. ’”
” After hearing this, she was shocked. After the little boy returned, he told Wang Wanhu. After a while, Wang Wanhu sent twenty or thirty people to move her dowry and my furniture, and then arrested me to the yamen for questioning, and insisted that I hand over the one hundred single eight beads. I have never seen it before, how can I hand it over? So I was blocked by thirty thrones and was detained in prison. Two days ago, my wife hanged herself in the room and could not investigate the lawsuit again, so I was released. But the string of beads still have nowhere to go? "
After hearing this, Zhang Sheng thought to himself: "The little lady is clearly at my house, and the beads are there too!"
So, he drank some wine with Mr. Zhang and quickly said goodbye to go home.
Because he was very confused and didn't know if Lin was a ghost, so when he saw Lin, Zhang Sheng quickly panicked: "Madam, please spare Zhang Sheng's life! ”
Lin asked: “Why do you say that? "
Zhang Sheng said what Old Master Zhang said just now. Lin smiled and said, "I have shadows when I walk, and my clothes are stitched. How could I look like a ghost? He knew that I was with you, so he said this on purpose, so that you would not accept me. "
Zhang Sheng nodded, "You are right. "
A few days later, I heard outside say, "Someone is looking for a young official. ”
Zhang Sheng came out to greet him. Seeing that it was Zhang Yuanwai, he thought to himself: “It would be better to ask the young lady to come out now and see her husband, it will be clear if it is a human or a ghost. "
So, Zhang Sheng asked the maid to invite Lin out. But after the maid went in, he searched all the rooms, but did not find Lin, so he had to come out to report. Zhang Sheng then believed that Lin was really a ghost, so he told Lao Zhang about the previous incident one by one.
Lao Zhang asked, "Where are those beads? "
Zhang Sheng took it out from the room and sent it to Wang Wanhu's mansion with Da Zhang Yuanwai. Finally, Wang Wanhu exempted Lao Zhang Yuanwai from being guilty and returned the furniture to him.
After Lao Zhang Yuanwai returned home, he asked Taoist priest to perform a ritual and sacrificed Lin's memorial service. Because Lin had a heart for Zhang Sheng during his lifetime, he still followed him after his death.Zhang Sheng was sincere and honest, and never had any affair with her, so he did not suffer any disaster and had a good ending.
#Guangzhou headlines# #Qingyuan headlines#
