Gu Qian frowned and looked at Li Huiyuan's retreating back, and suddenly said loudly: "Wait a minute!"
Li Hui stopped and stood.
Gu Qian walked over slowly and said in a deep voice: "I still feel that I can't let you mother and son leave like this. This seems to me to be unkind."
Li Hui bowed and said: "Why is Dong Weng doing this? I have no intention of blaming Dong Weng."
Gu Qian shook his head and said: "I never owe others favors, and I have never done anything in my life that makes me feel guilty or regretful. If you leave like this, wouldn't I owe you a favor? You helped my Gu family solve a big trouble, if
If it weren't for you to help me, these ten thousand acres of farmland would be withered now. Moreover, you have been wronged because of the decision I made, which makes me feel even more uneasy."
Li Hui was about to speak when Gu Qian waved his hand and said, "No need to say anything. I will never let you leave Wu County like this. Not only is this uncomfortable for me, but it is also for the sake of my Gu family. What happened before has been spread widely, if you
If I leave like this, outsiders will say that I am unkind to the Gu family for treating someone who has made great contributions to the Gu family. Although you don’t care, others may not think so. Li Hui, you want to make me feel uneasy. You want to trap me.
Is the Gu family unkind?"
"This..." Li Hui was speechless for a moment.
"Li Hui, I can see that you are an extraordinary person, and you may make great achievements in the future. However, it is actually unwise for you to leave the Gu family at this moment. It is not the best choice for others and yourself. In my Gu family, your ability
If you can use it, you can get better development and returns. But if you return to Danyang County, you may soon be lost among everyone, and you won't be able to use your skills." Gu Qian said.
Li Huidao: "Dong Weng, I have hands and feet. The world is so big, is there no place for me to stay?"
Gu Qian shook his head and said: "Young man, don't think that the sea and the sky will be brighter if you leave my Gu family. Today's world is not something you have the ability to achieve. There are as many talented people in the world as crucian carp crossing the river, but how many people are poor and have nothing to do in their lives.
No achievements. To get ahead, you need help, support, and opportunities. Staying in my Gu family is your best choice. Your mother is my Gu family, and she must also want you to stay here. I will go now
Discuss with your mother, I believe she will agree with what I say. I cannot let you make such a hasty decision."
What Gu Qian said was very sincere. Li Hui could see that he was a little different from the rest of the Gu family and had different ideas. His words were not only from his own standpoint, but also from the standpoint of others.
What he said. And what he said was the truth, without any cover-up.
"Maybe what Dong Weng said is right. Maybe I am naive." Li Hui said thoughtfully.
"So, are you willing to stay?" Gu Qian said with a smile.
Li Hui knew it was time to give up. If he was too pretentious, it would be counterproductive. So he bowed and said: "Thanks to Dong Weng for your respect, if I refuse again, it will be disrespectful. However, I have a request. I hope
Dong Weng can agree."
Gu Qian smiled and said: "What a request, but it doesn't hurt to say it."
Li Huidao: "Although I come from a humble background and live with my mother in the master's family, my mother and I are not slaves of the Gu family, nor are we vassals of the Gu family. Please tell others about this and clarify our identities."
Gu Qian chuckled and said: "Are you afraid that if you work with me, I will treat you as a slave? Do the Gu family also treat you as a slave? Don't worry, you mother and son are not slaves of my Gu family.
Qu. You are my guest, that’s it, right?"
Li Hui was overjoyed and bowed and said: "Thank you very much, Dong Weng. Li Hui must do his best and live up to Dong Weng's respect."
Li Hui's request may seem unnecessary, but it is actually extremely important to make this clear. It shows that Li Hui is a free person and is not bound by the Gu family. If he wants to leave, the Gu family has no right to stop him.
In the Jin Dynasty, once you become a slave, you have no personal freedom. Life and death are controlled by the master's family, and there is no guarantee. Li Hui neither wants to be pointed at the nose and scolded as a 'slave', nor does he want to be criticized for his life or death.
Manipulation. Compared with the opportunity to stay in the Gu family and the freedom of identity, Li Hui will definitely choose the latter.
"Okay, then it's settled. Get your clothes, put them on, and go back to report the good news to your mother. Starting tomorrow, you'll come to the South House. You'll be a long-term follower of me, see more, learn more, and do some things.
, come up with ideas, run errands, and do things for me. Or you can tell me that in addition to the method of diverting water, you also know some interesting methods." Gu Qian stroked his beard and said with a smile.
…
Li Hui returned home and told his mother and Chou Aunt about the incident. Although Gu Lanzhi and Chou Aunt were still frightened, after all, their son almost died not long ago and they were still a little worried.
But this is a good thing after all. Being able to follow Gu Qian, the owner of the South House, as a long-term follower is not a low status, and it also shows Gu Qian's trust and recognition of Li Hui. Not just anyone can follow Gu Qian as a personal follower.
.
Thinking that her son would have something decent to do in the future and that he would be liked by Gu Qian, Gu Lanzhi was still very happy.
Several good dishes were cooked that night, and the three people in the family quietly celebrated. Naturally, some advice was inevitable at the dinner table. Li Hui was told to be diligent and not lazy, to have a clear eye, to abide by the rules, to be strict with his mouth, and to be nice to others.
Maintain a good relationship. Especially Han Yong, the manager of Nanzhai, be sure not to offend him.
Li Hui smiled and nodded, agreeing one by one.
Early the next morning, Li Hui went to the South House to officially start work, and officially became the long-term attendant of Gu Qian, the owner of the South House of the Gu family in Wu County.
What Chang Sui has to do is actually very simple. Follow Gu Qian to inspect Gu's various properties, and do some daily tasks according to Gu Qian's requirements. Chat with Gu Qian in his spare time. As far as the content of the matter itself is concerned
, in fact, there is no difficulty.
Moreover, Gu Qian did not go out often. He spent a lot of time in the house. At this time, Li Hui was also staying in the South House. Except for the inner house after the second entry, he could not go to other places in the South House.
He can always hang out.
Although Li Hui is young, he is cheerful, has a good personality, and is well-informed, so he has become increasingly familiar with some of the servants in the South House. After a while, he became very familiar with them. Talk to them in his free time,
It was not too boring. At the same time, I also learned more about the situation of this era from their mouths.
It is said that the fastest way to get information is to get it from the people in the market. Although it may not be completely accurate, it is definitely the fastest. I do know a lot of gossip news inside and outside the Gu family and in Wujun City.
Due to Li Huisheng's handsomeness, his arrival also became a private topic among the maids in the South House. Several bold maids even began to flirt with him, which surprised Li Hui.
Li Hui soon figured out that the status of women in the Jin Dynasty was not as low as imagined. After all, Confucianism was not the mainstream in the Jin Dynasty, metaphysics was. The rules that bound women in Confucianism were not actually in the Jin Dynasty.
It is not completely applicable. The mainstream of society is openness and the pursuit of human freedom, which is also reflected in the tolerance of women. Women can remarry, actively pursue men, and can show their faces. It is not a big deal to see a handsome man being a nymphomaniac.
Perhaps it was from the beginning of the Jin Dynasty that the openness of the later Sui and Tang Dynasties was established.
Of course, these are just Li Hui's random thoughts and guesses.
Li Hui's life has also undergone earth-shaking changes. In addition to the change in his image in the eyes of others brought about by this decent and enviable job, the embarrassment at home has also been greatly alleviated.
Gu Qian did keep his word and gave Li Hui a very good treatment. The monthly salary of three buckets of rice plus three thousand yuan was enough for Li Hui's family of three. Although three thousand yuan was not a big amount, in Jin Dynasty, prices were soaring and money was not worth it at all.
In an era when money was valuable, one could not buy many things. But three bushels of rice per month was a real bargain. You must know that the monthly salary of a county official in the Jin Dynasty was only five bushels of rice.
Three buckets of rice, mixed with brown rice or some food such as taro, green beans and wild vegetables, is enough to keep Li Hui's family of three from worrying about starvation.
In addition, Gu Qian also rewarded some linen, clothes and other items. Money and rice were also paid in advance for a month.
Mother Gu Lanzhi and Chou Gu were worried. Their son suddenly became Gu Qian's long-term follower and received such a generous salary, which made them feel that this was a bit unrealistic. They always felt that there would be some trouble here. Li Hui understood their feelings.
In fact, he himself felt a little uneasy.
But since Gu Qian is willing to do this, he doesn't have to refuse. For Gu Qian, these things are just a drop in the bucket, but for him, this is the first step to achieve his goal of supporting his family. It is also the first step for him to gain a foothold.
step.
A few days after joining Nanzhai as an errand, Li Hui formulated his own fitness plan to strengthen his body.
Li Hui has always been worried that the small body possessed by him is too weak and cannot even protect himself if he encounters an attack. This is something Li Hui cannot accept.
Although Li Hui in later generations was not a fitness expert, he was also a person who liked to exercise, and his body was very strong. In addition, he had learned some boxing due to his interest, and it was impossible for one or two people to get close to him.
Here, in fact, a strong body is needed more than in later generations. You cannot be helpless, because the world you face is not a civilized and legal world, but a chaotic world where the weak and the strong eat.
What was even more unacceptable to Li Hui was that because of his handsome appearance, fair skin, and thin figure, he actually encountered an incredible conversation in the Wujun market one day.
A middle-aged man with a big belly came up to him and talked to him lewdly, saying that he liked him and hoped to "make friends" with him. Li Hui revealed that he was a man, but the man secretly laughed and said, "He
What I like is a man like him. As long as he is willing to be friends with him, he can reward him heavily and so on.
Li Hui was dumbfounded at the time, and suddenly realized how abnormal this era was. The prevalence of masculine styles was indeed not fake. This guy was openly hunting for women on the street, and he was looking for men, which shows the absurdity of this weird era.
Li Hui spent a lot of effort to get rid of this guy's entanglement. His small body was pulled by the man's sleeve and he couldn't pull it off. In the end, he was determined to report it to the official, and the man gave up angrily.
Li Hui felt that it was necessary for him to exercise his physique, so that if he encountered such a situation again, he could get rid of it if he was entangled.
Since his small frame could not withstand the stress for the time being, Li Hui decided to do the simplest and most practical exercise method first: running.
Running is a sport that does not require too much technical content, but can provide a good exercise effect. And it is very practical. At least you can run away when you encounter danger, and you will not be out of breath after running a few steps.