Introduction: During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a salt merchant in Yangzhou, this person's surname was Wang, the family had huge assets, countless farmhouses, and a group of slaves in the family, which was a major local magnate. There was a seventy-year-old mother among the salt merchants, and the salt merchants were filial piety, so they specially selected a few clever and handsome servants to serve their mother's diet and living.
Among these maidens, there was a girl surnamed Wu, seventeen years old, the most intelligent and clever, and the most liked by the old lady. Although the old lady has children and daughters, she still loves this Wu girl very much, and it can be said that she regards Wu girl as her own granddaughter, not a maid.
Wu girl is a Hangzhou native, her parents are dead, there are only two idle rogue brothers, Wu girl not only can not get the help of her mother's family, but also have to take her own monthly money to provide for the expenses of the two brothers. Because of this, after getting the favor of the old lady, she was very touched and had a heartfelt respect for the old lady and the salt merchant.
A few years later, the old lady fell seriously ill, and the salt merchant invited countless doctors to see her mother, but due to the heavy illness and the old lady's age, the doctors were tired of surgery, and the salt merchants were sad. The old lady was enlightened, she knew that her time was short, but she was not sad. Before she died, she called her son to the bed and spoke to the salt merchant.
The old lady instructed the salt merchant and said, "Son, the mother knows that you are filial piety, but the longevity of a person cannot be forced, and you have done your best, not to mention that the mother is nearly eighty years old, which can be called longevity." Before my mother left, I had a wish that I had not yet made, and I wondered if you could promise me. The salt merchant listened to the tears, shook the old lady's hand, and said: "Mother's command, how dare the son not obey, you said." ”
The old lady said, "Our family is a big business, there are many people in the family, and the few ladies in my room are only less than twenty years old, and after my hundred years, it is not appropriate for you to keep them anymore." When the time comes, you send them back to their respective hometowns, let them go home and marry each other, live a good life, and don't be a maid here. The salt merchant listened and said, "Mother, my son listens to you." ”
The old lady listened to the relieved smile and said: "Good, good..." The old lady did not finish a word, suddenly bowed her head and did not speak, the salt merchant looked at it, the old lady had passed away for a long time. The salt merchant cried loudly and began to organize a solemn funeral for the old lady. After burying the old lady, the salt merchant gathered together a few servants who were waiting for her mother and said to them, "You are all servants in the old lady's room, and now the old lady is gone." Before she died, she specifically told me that she wanted you to go home and be a good girl with a husband and a son, and today you can leave. ”
Saying that, the salt merchant took out the deeds of sale of several of the beards, returned them to several people, and then gave each of them a hundred and two silver tickets as a road fare. A few of the ladies took the deed of sale, became free, and got the silver, remembering the old lady's goodness, and couldn't help but shed tears. They knelt down and bowed to the salt merchant, then got up and left.
When Aunt Wu also wanted to leave, the salt merchant stopped Miss Wu: "Don't go first, I don't have anything to say." The wu girl had to stay, and the salt merchant said to the wu girl: "You are the most clever of several people, and you are also the most loved by the old lady before she died, your family is not well, I will give you more silver to settle down." With that, the salt merchant gave Lady Wu two hundred taels of silver tickets.
Aunt Wu was already very moved, at this time, seeing that the salt merchant was so kind to herself, she couldn't help but cry with a sour nose, and the salt merchant said: "There is no unbroken feast in the world, you don't have to cry, I let the servants of the family send you home in a carriage." Touched to tears, She walked to the door, turned back sharply and fell to her knees, saying, "You are my reborn parents, you and the old lady's great kindness, the slave maid has no teeth to forget." After saying that, he reluctantly left.
After Miss Wu returned home, the two brothers learned that she had three hundred taels of silver in her body, and they all wanted to take it for themselves. So she forced Lady Wu to hand over three hundred taels of silver and then take it to gamble money, and as a result, she lost everything soon after. Wu girl was so angry that she wanted to commit suicide by throwing herself into the river, but after all, it was her brother, and in the end she still endured. Who knew that these two brothers were too much of a thing, and after there was no money, in order to get back the money, they actually cooperated to sell Wu Girl to a distant place, and this time Wu Girl was sold for two hundred taels of silver, and then disappeared.
A few years later, the salt merchant had an affair and went to Fujian by boat, but he did not expect to encounter a group of pirates blocking the road and robbing him halfway, and several guys on the salt merchant ship were controlled. The salt merchants were also tied up and herded into a small boat and taken to an island, saying that they were going to meet the pirate leader and the lady of the village.
The salt merchant lamented that his life was bitter, and he felt that this time the murder was more auspicious and less auspicious, and he might even lose his life. After arriving at the pirate's lair, dozens of pirates armed with knives and guns lined up in two rows, and the pirate leader and the lady of the press sat on the chair. Who knew that after seeing the salt merchant, Madame Zhaizhai hurriedly got up and said to the pirate leader, "This is the engong that I often mention to you." ”
The pirate leader was shocked to hear this, and together with Lady Zhaizhai, qi Qi knelt down in front of the salt merchant and said, "Meet Engong, the little ones do not know that it is Engong's ship, and there are many offenses, please forgive Engong." The salt merchant was very confused when he saw the pirate leader worshipping him. He fixed his eyes on it, only to find that the wife of the pirate leader was the same lady Wu who had been sent home by herself a few years ago.
The Wu girl and the pirate leader quickly untied the salt merchant, and then talked about the past after the separation. It turned out that after Miss Wu was robbed of silver by two rogue brothers, she was sold to the Distant Qinglou. Later, When Lady Wu was abused there, the leader of the pirates saw that Lady Wu was pitiful and spent a thousand taels of silver to redeem herself for Lady Wu, and in order to repay her, Lady Wu promised herself to become the pirate's lady of the village. Now, by chance, I met and reunited with the salt merchant, which is really no coincidence.
Wu and her husband set up a feast on the island to entertain the salt merchants, and the two learned that the salt merchants were in trouble and did not force them to stay. At the time of sending off, the pirate leader said to the salt merchant, "I wanted to give you a thousand taels of gold to repay your kindness for the reconstruction of the thorns, but you are rich and there is no shortage of silver." I will give you a flag, and you will plant it on the ship, and I will make you unimpeded at sea thereafter. The salt merchant took the lingqi, thanked him one after another, and then parted with tears from the husband and wife of The Wu girl. After the salt merchant boarded the ship, he planted the flag on the ship, and sure enough, the road was safe, and it seemed that the prestige of the pirate leader at sea was really extraordinary. (End of full text)
References: "Qing Ren Ren Hui", "Red Apricot Mountain House Observation and News Essay"