Under the cover of night, in a remote and desolate place, you can see a very large house not far away. The door of the house is closed tightly, it is dark, and there are no lights at all. Two very shabby red lanterns hang high in front of the door.
The driver slowed down, pulled over, turned to me and whispered: "This is it. I don't know what you are doing here in the middle of the night. Anyway, be careful, I'm leaving."
After the driver finished speaking, he turned the car around and drove away. It looked like he didn't want to stay here any longer.
Looking closer, the gate is an old-fashioned courtyard gate from the Qing Dynasty. Looking up, you can see an ebony plaque with the words: "Baojia Guozhuang".
I knocked on the door twice.
"Is anyone home?"
After calling a few times and seeing no answer, I turned around and suddenly found a half-open door next to me. I looked around and saw no one around, so I slowly opened the small door and went in.
I have a bad habit that needs to be corrected. When I see an old house like this that no one lives in, I always want to go in and look through it to find some antiques to sell.
Entering through the small door, the space suddenly opens up.
The courtyard is very large, estimated to be thousands of square meters! There is an old elm tree in the courtyard. In addition, from west to east, there are a row of stone pillars of unknown purpose placed neatly against the courtyard wall.
There was an abandoned kennel in the corner. The top of the kennel was filled with all kinds of debris. I saw something that looked like a wood carving, so I walked over and rummaged through it.
It is a hollow wood carving of flowers and birds. This thing was a component on the beams of wealthy families in the past.
Just then, I heard movement behind me and turned around to look back.
Almost scared me!
In front of me is an old man wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket. The old man is hunched over and has wrinkles on his face. He is holding a walking stick in one hand and a lantern in the other. He is staring at me without blinking.
"Uncle, what are you doing? Why are you walking silently? You scared me to death!"
The old man's voice was hoarse. He leaned on his crutch and said, "It's so late. What do you do?"
I hurriedly threw away the wood carving I was holding and defended myself: "I was introduced by a friend to come to see the descendants of the Bao family Guozhuang. Are you right?"
The old man held the lantern and slowly shook his head and said, "So you are looking for my young lady. Come with me."
Just like that, I followed him, but as he continued, I stopped and cold sweat began to break out on my forehead.
This old man... was actually wearing a pair of pure white cotton shoes. Judging from the style of the heels, he was clearly a pair of longevity shoes.
"Why did you stop? Miss lives in the west wing."
I pointed at his feet.
The old man looked down and said with a grin: "It's getting cold, and Lao Han's feet can't stand the cold, so I put them on in advance. Didn't I scare you?"
I quickly said it was okay and followed him.
When they arrived at the west wing, the old man knocked on the door and called: "Miss, have you gone to bed? There is a guest looking for you."
Soon, the voice of the old lady came from the house, saying who is looking for me, please come in.
After entering the house, the old man lit a candle first, and then I saw an old lady with gray hair wearing a thick cotton coat, sitting on the kang smoking a cigarette.
The old lady was not as old as the old man, she was probably seventy years old. Although she was not young, she still seemed to have a graceful air in her brows. This kind of temperament was only possessed by young ladies from wealthy families in the past.
After talking with her, I learned that she was a direct descendant of the Bao family Guozhuang, and her name was Bao Fang.
Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. Why did I come here all night in a hurry?
Yesterday, I heard Lao Xiong mention the words "Baojia Guozhuang" for the first time, and I always felt a little familiar. Then I suddenly thought of it.
A month and a half ago, Boutou and I bought a large number of Kangding local county chronicles to read, and one of them mentioned Baojia Guozhuang.
It is recorded in the county annals that during the Qianlong period, the male owner of Guozhuang accidentally killed a merchant due to a conflict. The male owner was very filial. Because he was about to be arrested, he could no longer support the old man, so he kowtowed to the old man 999 times and cried.
: "Mom, the gift of childbirth! I can only repay you in the next life!" He kowtowed every time he said it, and he kowtowed for a day and a night.
Then the Yamen sentenced him to death, and he was punished with a life for a life, and he was beheaded after Qiu.
Later, this little incident spread to the capital for some reason. After hearing about it, Emperor Qianlong issued an edict: "In recognition of your filial piety, you are specially allowed to return home with your crime. After a hundred years, your loved ones will come to Beijing to be punished."
Three years later, the old man passed away, and the male owner of Baojia Guozhuang kept his word. He went to the capital and was beheaded.
Later, Emperor Qianlong admired this man's character and gave the Bao family an emerald cabbage tree, an imperial pension plaque made of sterling silver, and a sparrow painting hidden in the palace.
Jade cabbage, does it sound familiar?
Many people say there is only one. In Bay Island, this is wrong. We also have them in China. I have seen four of them.
When it comes to rewards from the emperor, this kind of thing would not be written in the county annals in ancient times. I conclude that this matter is true.
I didn't hide it, so I went straight to the point and asked the old lady if she still had these three things. If she still had them, I would be willing to spend a lot of money to buy them.
After listening to my words, a smile appeared on the wrinkled face of the old lady. She pointed at the house with her pipe pot and said: "Young man, my place will be demolished in the first two years. I don't agree, so they cut it off for me."
Dian, look around, I don’t even have any decent furniture here, and all the furniture that can be sold has been sold out a long time ago. Where are those few things left? Who asked you to come here and ask?"
I said sincerely: "Auntie, I was sent here by an antique dealer named Xiong. He took away a human head jar from your house the year before last. I wonder if you still remember it?"
The old lady turned her head, looked at the old man leaning on crutches and asked: "Jiawa, you sold it, right?"
The old man immediately said respectfully: "Miss, I sold that jar for ninety yuan. I used the money to buy a bag of rice and a barrel of oil."
"Ah? Uncle, it turns out you only sold that jar for ninety yuan?"
The old man nodded and said yes.
I shook my head, thinking that this old bear was dishonest. The price he sold to dad was 3,000, but he said he paid 2,800 for it, and still only made 200.
At this time, the lady stood up, and the old man who was called Jiawa was about to step forward to help. The old lady waved her hand: "Jiawa, you are too old to walk, so don't think about serving me all the time."
"Young man, we haven't had a guest in Guozhuang for a long time. I'll take you to visit. If you like some old items, just tell me. The price is cheap."
I said yes.
When I came to the courtyard with a lantern, the old lady pointed to the row of stone piers and said to me: "These stone piers are used to tie horses. A few decades ago, our Guozhuang was very lively, with Tibetan and Han merchants living there."
There are a lot of them, and I often receive some candies.”
From her description, I could vaguely imagine how lively the Guozhuang compound was back then. Then I curiously asked: "Madam, what are those bags piled in the corner for?"
"What did you mean?"
"That's not a cloth bag, it's a cowhide bag," the old lady seemed to have a bright eye, and she described to me: "In the past, Guozhuang did three kinds of business. One was to provide food and accommodation in inns, and the other was to help Tibetan merchants sew tea bags.
The third is to introduce the business between the two parties and get a commission."
The old lady said slowly: "These bags are the tea bags left over from that time. Tibetan merchants used to drive horses, and the horses carried Tibetan tea bricks. The tea bricks were made of bamboo and rattan. If the tea bags were not put on them, they would be turned over.
When crossing mountains and ridges, the canes will scratch the horse's back."
The old lady glanced at the old man and introduced: "His name is Jia Wa. He has been a child laborer bought by our Guozhuang to help sew tea bags since he was a child. He has served me for most of his life."
"Young man, please don't call me auntie. Call me Ajia. Everyone used to call me that."
As far as I know, "Ajia" is not a personal name, but a title. The hostesses in charge of the 48 Guozhuang in Kangding are all called Ajia.
These female Ajias are very powerful and very capable. They can manage the huge Guozhuang industry chain in an orderly manner. Ajias often keep their word at home.
Those Tibetan businessmen, after moving into Guozhuang, would try their best to please the Ajias and ask for their help in selling the local specialties they brought to Han merchants. This kind of business could not be concluded in one or two negotiations and often required many interviews. Ajias wanted both sides.
To help, neither Han merchants can get a big advantage, nor Tibetan merchants suffer too much, so it all relies on the Ajias to talk in both directions, which is a test of interpersonal skills.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the annual net profit of a large pot restaurant could reach 800,000 yuan. What was the concept of 800,000 yuan at that time? A courtyard house in Beijing only cost a few hundred yuan!
Some people are curious and ask, why does the male owner of Guozhuang not care about the family business?
I really don't care.
Because these men must always accompany the chieftain king and serve him, similar to the nature of servants, they are called "service tributes".
For example, if the chieftain fell in love with a little girl from a certain pot shop, he would say: "Wang Sigong, I have fallen in love with this girl from your family and asked her to serve me for two days."
In feudal society, there are different levels, and the latter often dare not refuse.
After thinking about it, I felt that it was not appropriate to call her Ajia directly, so I called her Ajia's mother-in-law.
"The carving of this stone lion is very good. It seems to be from the Ming Dynasty."
"Young man, if you like it, take it. Just give me a hundred yuan."
It's too cheap, but I can't carry it.
Moreover, I am a drunkard and don't care about drinking. What I want are their family's ancestral treasures, jade cabbage, Yuci pension brand, and sparrow picture.
The old lady said that these treasures have been sold long ago, but I don't believe it.
My intuition tells me that there must be something good hidden in her home.
