As the day of the exam gets closer, Cheng Xue starts to get busier and busier.
She not only has to take care of the family's food and daily life, but also takes care of the renovated shop in the east of the city. She also has to check the pulse of Li Hui, Xiao Qinglin and Zhou Fei from time to time.
The three of them have also become self-disciplined. They exercise every morning and drink milk to improve their physical strength.
Xiao Qinglin couldn't care less about the shop in the east of the city. He was either studying or on the way to study every day.
There are so many people in the city, and many people are coming to Beijing to take the exam on a busy day, and they are entering the city one after another.
If they have a lot of money, they can stay in an inn at a high price. If they don't have a lot of money, they can only find a place by themselves and spend a few nights there. Those who are stubborn can go directly to the Yin Gate of Jingzhao Mansion to rest. Their idea is that the Yamen cannot just ignore it, indeed
Just as they thought, the yamen took care of it, but on March 3rd, the day when the exam officially started, many candidates assigned by the yamen were late.
I don’t know why I was late, and I don’t know how I was late. Anyway, everyone was beating their chests and feet at the gate of Gongyuan, crying and crying. But if you miss it, you will miss it, and there is no point in crying anymore.
Everyone understands that "being late" is not that simple, but without evidence, what can we do?
The local elders in the capital who come here all the year round to watch the auditions are accustomed to being late.
Some of them had good intentions, so they stepped forward to persuade them not to cry anymore, so as not to get into trouble. Those who listened and behaved collected their emotions, left the Gongyuan, and learned their lesson. Those who did not listen continued to make trouble until the Yamen were summoned and tied up.
Leave.
It is said that those who are tied away in this way will be deprived of their status as a "juren" and demoted to a scholar. If they are not convinced and continue to make trouble, they will be deprived of their status as a "scholar" and demoted to a child. Otherwise, they will be stripped of their status or even beheaded.
In short, if you dare to make trouble with the Yamen, you must be prepared to be punished.
"Madam, get in the car."
"Oh, okay." Cheng Xue responded and got into the carriage.
The carriage couldn't come in when sending Li Hui off, so Shunxi drove to a distant place. Cheng Xue naturally saw this scene because she was waiting for the carriage.
Not to mention how difficult it was to go to Beijing to take the exam, it was not easy to go from being naked to taking the exam. Now that I have lost my identity because of "crying", it is really a pity. Of course, she didn't think being late would be that simple, but
When you are unable to change, you must work hard to adapt, otherwise your personality will be in vain.
The carriage left Gongyuan and headed east of the city, spanning half of the capital, and it took more than half an hour.
This street is the oldest street in Beijing. All the shops on the street are bungalows, unlike the three-story pavilions on the main street. Each shop is large in area, and there is a large backyard behind the shop. It is said that it was just
It was built like this when it was first built, but it was not built like this later.
"Madam, we're here."
Shunxi said as she opened the car door and put the stool on.
The carriage can enter directly through the back door, so you can imagine how big the backyard is.
The beginning of March is a good time in Beijing, neither hot nor cold, so waiting for another half month will not work. There are five exams in total, each lasting three days. After each exam, you can rest for two days before continuing. It can be said that
Exams are taking place throughout March, and the battle is very long.
It happened that she could use this period to finish the business. If possible, it would be best to open it on March 28th, so that on the day of the temple fair on April 18th, she could make a lot of money by going around.
Go through the back door and come to the lobby. The lobby is in a mess.
The shop was a dowry of Xiao Qinglin's grandmother. Before the old lady passed away, she gave all the shops and houses to her eldest grandson. Now that she has taken them back, many places have to be demolished and rebuilt.
It has been dismantling for several days, and the progress is too slow.
When Manager Zhang saw her, he walked up to her and bowed with his hands in front of her——
"Second Boss, you are here."
She is the second boss, and Xiao Qinglin is the first boss. There is a difference in title.
Cheng Xue didn't care about this, glanced around and frowned and asked:
"How many days will it take to complete the demolition?"
"We can go back to our second boss's house in five days at the earliest. Our shop is too big."
The shop was square, not including the kitchen and just the front room, which was about 200 square meters. It was indeed time-consuming to dismantle it, but she couldn't wait for five days.
"No, it's too slow. Three days. If you can't finish it in three days, I'll replace you."
As soon as the workers heard the "substitution", they immediately started busy. The head foreman came directly and took the initiative to work late at night.
Manager Zhang didn't respond. After all, if something went wrong, it would be bad for Feng Shui. But Cheng Xue didn't care about that. What she wanted was to open the business as soon as possible and complete it as soon as possible.
"It's okay to be greedy. Let the brothers work hard. The candles will be prepared here. You should pay attention to safety at night. If it can be completed within three days, I will add one or two more to the salary."
There must be a brave man under a heavy reward.
When the foreman heard the price, he nodded and said:
"Don't worry, we will complete it within three days and will not delay your next work."
Manager Zhang didn't expect to be able to do this. He opened his mouth to deny it, but he didn't dare to say anything. He is in his thirties, a son of the Xiao family, and his brother works as a steward in a house on the main street. This time the uncle
There was a shortage of people to open a shop, so he came here. I thought I could make my own decisions and do things like my brother, but unexpectedly there was a "second boss" who was pressing me, and she was also a woman.
Even though the uncle obeyed her words, he really had complaints about her. It was really inappropriate for a woman to show up in public when she was not at home to take care of her husband and children. Now there is an extra cost of one tael. To the Xiao family, one tael is nothing, but
If he wants to excel, he must control his capital.
Alas, it’s too difficult.
Just when he was secretly swaying, Cheng Xue asked:
"Have the skewers and the stove been delivered? Have the red wickers I mentioned last time been polished?"
Manager Zhang came back to his senses, nodded and said:
"It's all ready, it's all ready. It was delivered this morning and is sitting in the kitchen. I will take you there."
No matter how unhappy he felt, he couldn't show it on his face. He had to endure the pressure of being a high-ranking official.
The back kitchen is empty, and there are things for the shop in the middle of the floor.
Cheng Xue took a few and looked at them. They were the same as what she wanted, and the red willow branches had been sharpened and polished, so they could be used for skewers.
"Have you found a clothing store?"
"Hui Er boss has already been found. The people at the shop on the main street have already measured the size, and they will be able to change it in half a month. Our recruitment notice was posted yesterday, and several people came to sign up. According to your instructions, three
Let them come over on the tenth day of the lunar month."
Cheng Xue raised the corners of her mouth when she heard this, played with the string of sticks in her hand, and nodded.
"Very good, I'll come over on the tenth day of the lunar month, and we'll watch people together. The kebab master's red contract has to be signed for ten years, don't forget this."
"Don't worry, I won't forget this. Did Mr. Li's tribute to the Courtyard go smoothly today?"
"It went well, I went with Brother Qinglin. I'm free these three days. I won't be able to come after the first game. I'll come back when the second game starts."
"Got it."
Cheng Xue looked at the space in the back kitchen and thought about how to use it. The skewers are not here, so she has to go to the backyard and pull a tarp to keep it from getting cold even in winter. But it suffers in summer, the smoky temperature is still high...