Chen Shuren was involuntarily surrounded by a group of girls into Chen Yuanyuan's boudoir.
He still didn't come back to his senses until he sat down in front of the mahogany coffee table and the maid poured tea.
From the beginning to the end, no one came forward to obstruct or question Chen Yuanyuan, not even Chen Yuanyuan’s adoptive mother Chen appeared. Obviously everyone in Lixiangyuan felt that it was natural for Chen Shuren to come to Chen Yuanyuan. After all, they had given a large amount of long-term reservations. of silver.
This situation made Shen Shuren slightly disappointed - he came here today mainly to inquire about the news and market conditions, not to find a woman to listen to music. If the madam is willing to show up, she will definitely have better information than her sister, and maybe she can inquire about it. Get twice the result with half the effort.
The boudoir is very large, and it looks like the place where the singing diva lives. The resting area and the area where guests listen to music are separated by embroidered curtains.
There is a Babu bed in the inner room, and a circle of tea tables and various silk and bamboo orchestral instruments in the outer room. There is also a large open space in the middle, which is covered with imported velvet carpets. It seems that it can be used for dancing anytime and anywhere.
Shen Shuren was in a daze, drinking tea unconsciously. Half of his delicate face was revealed behind the embroidered curtain, and he took a cautious look.
Then a delicate and delicate young girl came over holding a light velvet fan. With gratitude in her eyes, she sat down next to Shen Shuren and stretched out her hand to pinch his sleeve.
"Mr. Shen? You've lost weight. You must have suffered a lot since you haven't been here for more than half a month."
Chen Shuren observed calmly. After all, he was a time traveler and was already used to seeing beautiful women, so he would not be surprised.
Chen Yuanyuan is indeed a great beauty, but by the standards of the 21st century, she is not too good-looking.
However, she cannot hide the aura of a famous music actress. She is far from pure, but she is absolutely elegant, and her every move is well-mannered. She takes every step and becomes a lotus.
It feels like Miaoyu in the 1987 version of "Dream of Red Mansions". She has to be played by a top-notch Yue Opera/Kun Opera actress to have such a temperament - of course, if we look at appearance alone, Chen Yuanyuan is obviously better than the 1987 version. The actor in Jade is much more beautiful.
After being distracted for a short time, Shen Shuren quickly recovered his emotions and responded appropriately: "It's better to be thinner, and it will be less likely to suffer from heatstroke in the future."
When Chen Yuanyuan heard the word "heatstroke", she felt sour in her heart: "Master Shen said this, and the slave family felt even more guilty. Although the slave family did not witness what happened that day, the master suffered from heat stroke because of the slave family's business after all. There is nothing I can do to repay him. Fortunately, he is fine now."
Chen Yuanyuan's mood is very complicated. As a woman who has fallen into the acting industry, she is not shy even if she has not yet been groomed. Shen Shuren has a heart for her and is sincere in offering a big price to rescue her from the sea of misery. She wants to be generous. Express sincerity.
However, Shen Shuren couldn't get the money to redeem himself before. Apparently there was obstruction at home, so he had to carry it back because of heatstroke. So she had to be considerate of Mr. Shen's difficulties. He didn't say anything, and she didn't hint at it, so as not to hurt her face. They just looked at each other with caring eyes and remained silent.
On the other hand, those women who claim to be extremely talented and beautiful have more or less longing for their future destination. They have fantasized about meeting a husband who is both talented and beautiful, and the second most important thing is wealth, character, physical fitness and age.
Chen Yuanyuan still hopes to let nature take its course. If she is not destined to choose this fate, forget it, it will be my fate.
Chen Shuren still saw genuine concern in Chen Yuanyuan's eyes, and he roughly guessed the other person's mentality.
In this case, he took the initiative to make it clear: "My family is too strict with me, so I have to put it off for now. My family is no better than other families. My father doesn't expect me to study and become an official. He just wants to wait. After a few months, I donated money to become a prisoner, and then I spent some money to donate to an official position.
Once you have an official position, it will be much easier to negotiate a marriage with a famous family. My father would not agree to my taking concubines before I got married. If you just don't want to be forced by your mother, I will help you delay it for another year and a half. It doesn't matter if you carry it.
I have brought two thousand taels of silver today, and I can cover your theater for another half a year. I also made it clear that the reason my family is obstructing me is not because of the money, but because of my status."
Chen Shuren is not a stallion, but since he has returned to ancient times, he will not be ambiguous about the issue of men and women. It is better to be more straightforward.
As someone who will conquer the world and save the nation from danger in the future, the Three Palaces and Sixth Academy will be inevitable in the end. Why bother about accepting one or two more women?
But now I can't buy Chen Yuanyuan, it's for the sake of great cause, and for the sake of running errands for Mr. Yang Ge - he previously deceived Zheng Hongkui, saying that an important reason why he couldn't go to Nanjing was that he was greedy for Chen Yuanyuan's beauty and couldn't bear to leave.
If Chen Yuanyuan is bought now, the strategy will not work. At least it will arouse more vigilance from the enemy, which is an extraneous problem.
Therefore, as long as he can buy it, he will definitely buy it. It will only take a few more months to delay. Everything is definitely under control.
On the other hand, buying Chen Yuanyuan directly will not be able to promote the case he needs to design, because he has been too high-profile before. Everyone knows that Mr. Shen, the richest man in Suzhou, wants to compete for Miss Chen. Others feel that they have insufficient financial resources. He didn't dare to rob him, and everyone backed down, so who else could he turn to for "legitimate defense"?
Therefore, another target must be selected. An outsider does not know that he has already set his sights on the target, and quietly starts to act like a pig to eat the tiger. This can provoke a fight and advance the case.
However, Chen Shuren's excuse further aroused Chen Yuanyuan's hope.
Although Shen Shuren is not perfect, he is willing to sacrifice for you and rescue you from the sea of misery. He has expressed his sincerity for this reason, and other conditions can be adjusted slowly.
Chen Yuanyuan gritted her teeth, pulled his sleeve and spoke plaintively: "What your family is worried about is just the issue of status? If that's the case... I don't need to take the status of concubine, or I can just be a maid for a year or two."
Chen Shuren didn't expect that Chen Yuanyuan was quite sincere, and he was a little touched in his heart. However, the great cause and strategy could not be interfered with. His thoughts turned to him, and he thought of a way, and said confidently:
"Since you are so sincere, I can't betray you. But right now I am recuperating from illness. I will be admitted to the Imperial College in a few months after I recover. It is better to keep a low profile these days. With these money, I will continue to work for a few months and wait. As soon as you enter the Imperial College, I will come to redeem you.
You know this and I know it, don’t ask why, just keep it in your heart. Anyway, before entering the Imperial College, I don’t want to draw attention to others. If you sincerely follow me, do everything I say. Maybe there will be a turn for the better by then. , so that you can leave with more dignity."
Chen Yuanyuan wanted to ask more questions, but seeing Shen Shuren's firm eyes, she decided to believe him.
When Shen Shuren saw that he had dealt with the other party, he immediately thought of a question:
"By the way, where's your mother? Since we agreed to renew your nightclub for another half a year, why not just hand over the money and sign the paperwork tonight so that you won't have to suffer here for the next six months. If she plans to break the contract, you can do it at any time. Send someone to inform me, and I will definitely protect you."
Shen Shuren wanted to take the opportunity to find the old madam Chen, and while giving him some money to renew the contract, he could also find out more about the market while the other party was in a good mood after receiving the money.
Chen Yuanyuan laughed when she heard this: "Mom was also in the courtyard tonight. She ran away when her sisters said you were coming. After you suffered a heat stroke a few days ago, she was very worried, lest Chief Shen would be angry with her. I sent people to destroy this Lixiangyuan. Now I’m still worried that you won’t calm down.”
Chen Shuren was stunned, it seemed that this was indeed the case.
I am still too civilized. If it were another wealthy family and the young master suffered a loss and was angry here, no matter what the whole story was, he would definitely come here to find a place.
Since Chen was not here, Shen Shuren was too lazy to beat around the bush anymore. He thought about it and decided to talk directly to Chen Yuanyuan about today's topic first.
"Yuanyuan, I won't let you down. Don't worry about that. However, I still have something to ask. I hope you can help me." Shen Shuren changed the subject in a very straight-forward manner.
Chen Yuanyuan heard what he said solemnly, and guessed that it was probably because he was afraid that she would be jealous, so she smiled and said: "As long as I can help, I will tell you everything."
Chen Shuren thought about his words: "You have been in the Liyuan industry for a long time. Have you heard of any good ladies from good families who had to join your industry due to circumstances?
I have no other intention. I just want to accumulate some virtue after a serious illness. I bought it to serve my stepmother and aunts. I will never favor her before I redeem you. I really have some secrets about this matter."
When Chen Yuanyuan heard this, her heart felt like a huge shock.
Mr. Shen actually asked her to introduce other sisters who were on the verge of falling off the edge? Where did this put her?
After a brief moment of sadness, she stared at Chen Shuren's eyes for a long time, and all she saw was a solemn and awe-inspiring look.
Chen Yuanyuan's heart moved: Mr. Shen had already suffered from a serious heat stroke, and he should repay his trust. Maybe there was something hidden.
She held back her shame and slowly asked Shen Shuren about his request. Shen Shuren also spoke very cautiously, and after a lot of probing, he finally clarified his needs.
"You want to find a woman from a good family who is considering whether to sell into this industry, but is still struggling? It would be best if she has a net worth worth several thousand taels, or if her family is in ruins and the family property is in decline? It is best to buy one. Is there anyone else who is interested in this deal and wants to compete?"
Chen Yuanyuan felt a little dizzy after hearing this. She felt that there were too many conditions and it was difficult to sort them out. Maybe she really had to wait for her adoptive mother to find out?
However, Shen Shuren whispered so carefully that she felt more at ease.
Because she judged that Shen Lang would not be looking for women, otherwise he would not apply such screening conditions. She must be worthy of Shen Lang's trust. After tonight, she cannot say a word about this matter. Just treat it as rotten in your stomach and completely forget about it.
After completely uniting with Shen Shuren, Chen Yuanyuan's thinking became more open-minded. After the two of them secretly plotted together for half an hour, she actually came up with a clue.
"Mr. Shen, the Nu family has thought of a sister of the same age, only a few months younger than me. She was originally a local businessman in Kunshan, and her family owned an embroidery shop. However, the family was unfortunate. Her father died of illness four years ago, and there was no one left. After giving birth to a son, only an orphaned daughter and a widowed mother depended on each other.
Neither mother nor daughter could take part in outside affairs and did not know how to manage the business, so the business was gradually misappropriated by the shopkeeper and manager left behind by their father. Soon the family was in ruins and was in debt.
Two years ago, her mother was also worried and seriously ill. She couldn't afford the medicine, so she secretly found a way to get to know me. She learned musical instruments and singing from me for a while, and went to Nanjing to sing privately for a few months. My mother came back after raising enough money for the medicine.
But more than a year ago, her mother still fell seriously ill and died. Now she is staying at home alone to keep her mourning, but she has been deprived of her family. The remaining house and village are not even enough to pay off the debt.
She met me a while ago, and I asked her about her plans. She said that the manager left behind by her late father wanted to occupy her house and body, and promised to help her pay off foreign debts. She has never been filial to her mother, and she does not want to disgrace her family. , and refused to obey until death, and then persuaded the other party to show mercy.
She also discussed with me privately, saying that if she was dissatisfied with her filial piety and was forced by others, she would have to run away anonymously, pretend to be dead, and work as a singer and songwriter in other places to make a living. At least she would not be accused of being unfilial and dishonoring her family.
If you can agree to not touch her within a year and a half after buying her, and let her continue to live in the ancestral home and observe maternal filial piety, then it can be regarded as saving people from fire and water - maybe it is also God's will. It seems that the majority of the several thousand taels of foreign debt their family owes belongs to your Shen family. If you want to buy it, you don’t need to pay much money, just pay off the debt directly."
After Chen Yuanyuan finished speaking, she was filled with emotion in her heart.
This is not a coincidence, but the Shen family's business in Suzhou is really big. There are more than a hundred large-scale ships selling Su embroidery silk and Songjiang cotton to other places.
As long as any embroidery shop, weaving shop, or textile shop in the Susong area is not managed well and owes money for raw materials or advance payment, most of them will owe money to the Shen family.
After Shen Shuren listened carefully, the more he listened, the more he felt that this case was very suitable for him to operate: the other party has not been sold yet, but many people are already eyeing it, and maybe even secretly made up his mind, but due to the etiquette obstacle of "keeping filial piety", there is no Law "transfer".
Therefore, if Shen Shuren does not disclose his identity, pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger, and quietly cuts off the beard, the other party will most likely not be willing to accept it, which will lead to a fight. If Shen Shuren shows weakness again, it will be more likely to cause trouble. .
Finally, Shen Shuren also has a moral bottom line. He had several reluctant opportunities before, but never took action. The key is that he felt that the opponent he was fighting for was also a good person, not evil enough, and he really didn't want to bully the good.
But in this case, the opponent's competitor was a slave who cheated his mistress. When his employer died of illness, he made false accounts and emptied the employer's business, and bullied the orphans and widowed mothers. After watching his mistress die of illness, he still wanted to embezzle the property. Mistress.
Such a black-hearted guy was killed by Shen Shuren in legitimate defense without any moral scruples.
"Yuanyuan, you have really helped me a lot! Don't worry, I said I will never let you down. Just pretend that nothing happened. I will come to pick you up in a few months. These two thousand taels are also If I can protect you these few months, you will never be forced to do anything."
After Shen Shuren figured out the context, he solemnly thanked Chen Yuanyuan.
Chen Yuanyuan nodded silently, out of trust, and finally reported the answer: "My sister's name is Dong Bai, and she lives in the Dongjia Embroidery Village on the bank of Yangcheng Lake in the north of Kunshan City."