Пейзаж похож на картину

Глава 12

"It's like this! I'd like to discuss something with you!"

"Go ahead and speak! I'm listening!"

"You're a grown man, you can't expect your father to support your wife for the rest of your life, can you?"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Han's face darkened, and he said, "Are you here to persuade me to take the imperial examination?" Ouyang Han loathed the path of officialdom. Years ago, he feigned illness partly because he feared his father would force him to take the examination and become an official. Now, Du Peiru's attempt to persuade him pained him deeply. The reason was that Du Peiru, like everyone else, placed great importance on a career in government, completely failing to understand his thoughts and feelings.

"Hey! Did I say you were going to take the imperial examinations?! Why do you look so constipated?!" Just by looking at him, you could tell he didn't want to be an official. Honestly! He could see right through Du Peiru. "I wanted you to find something to do, like going into business. Aren't you ashamed that a grown man like you is having your father support your wife? Even if you don't feel ashamed, I do!"

"You want me to go into business?" Ouyang Han asked, looking surprised. Since ancient times, people have valued agriculture over commerce and have discriminated against merchants. However, Du Peiru's advice to go into business instead of pursuing an official career showed that she understood his thoughts, which pleased him greatly.

"What? You don't want to go into business? What do you want to do then? But whatever you want to do, I will support you! As long as you can support your wife and children!"

"Children? You're pregnant?" Ouyang Han asked, jumping up from his chair in surprise.

"No! But there will be some in the future, won't there?"

"Oh!" Ouyang Han sat down in disappointment. "But will Father agree to me going into business?"

"No problem! I'll take care of this!" Du Peiru assured, patting her chest.

Ouyang Han looked at her with a suspicious gaze.

The wicked accuse the guilty first (4)

Du Peiru patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry! I'll handle it!"

"Dad, your wife has something to discuss with you!"

"What is it? Tell me!"

“During this time, Yufeng has developed some new medicines for my husband, and although his health has improved a lot, Yufeng says it might just be a temporary respite. These past few days, Ahan has been telling me all the time that he wants to go into business after he recovers. He says it's so shameful for a grown man like him to rely on his father to support himself and his wife! But I'm afraid, I'm afraid…” Du Peiru squeezed out two hot tears and her voice became somewhat choked as she said, “I'm afraid my husband won't have that chance. So I wanted to discuss it with my father and see if we could let Ahan fulfill this wish!”

After pondering for a moment, Ouyang Hai said, "Alright! Let him open a shop as you said, and I'll pay for it!"

"No! No! No! Father, Ahan has already planned it out. The money you gave Ahan the other day was already enough. Besides, Ahan invited Yufeng to open a shop together. Ahan also said that once the shop is opened, they should move out and shouldn't use Father's money anymore. But I think moving isn't necessary. We can just seal the door leading to the villa and open another door in the villa. That way, it'll be closer to the mansion, and it will be easier for Father to see him, so you won't worry about him so much. But we don't need to give the monthly allowance to the villa anymore. That's the same as dividing the family property, and it will put Ahan's mind at ease!"

"Hmm! Let's do it as you said, Shan'er! But what about the monthly allowance? Well! Tell him that until he earns money, his father will continue to give him a monthly allowance, and then stop it after he earns money. Also, don't seal the gate leading to the villa, just bolt it. That way, if anything happens, we'll have someone to help us."

"Yes! Shan'er understands!" Du Peiru nodded and said.

"And please take good care of him from now on, don't let him get tired. I'm so grateful to you for taking care of Han'er!" Ouyang Hai said with tears in his eyes.

"Shan'er knows!" Du Peiru said, pretending to wipe away tears. Du Peiru actually felt a little guilty for deceiving Ouyang Hai like this.

"Then go ahead! Han'er is waiting for you!" Ouyang Hai waved to Du Peiru and said.

"Wow! Our shop is finally open! From now on, money will flow in like a river. After opening the cloth shop, we should also open a textile mill, otherwise, if someone controls the supply, it will be easy for the shop to run out of stock; then we should open a pawnshop; and then a money exchange... Wow! We're rich! Ouch! That hurts! Han Yufeng, you jerk, why did you hit me on the head?"

"I'm waking you up so you stop daydreaming and scaring away business from our 'Yunni Cloth Shop'!"

"You..." Du Peiru was about to start cursing when she noticed a customer coming in. So she immediately went to serve the customer, since she was now a shop assistant.

"Madam, would you like to buy some fabric?" Du Peiru asked gently.

"Uh! I'm just browsing!" the plump lady replied casually, showing no intention of buying any fabric.

The wicked accuse the guilty first (5)

"Madam, look at this piece of cloth. This is embroidery from the Jiangnan Textile Bureau. Look at the color and the craftsmanship; it's simply the finest of fabrics. How wonderful this cloth is! If you wore it, you'd look at least ten years younger. If you walked down the street wearing a dress made from this cloth, people would think you were a newlywed!" Du Peiru praised enthusiastically.

"Really?" The plump lady's eyes lit up.

"Of course it's true! If you don't believe me, you can buy one and try it. I guarantee everyone will praise your beauty!" Du Peiru wasn't afraid of slipping up and continued to persuade the plump lady with her silver tongue.

“Alright! Then I’ll buy one!” the plump lady said, having made up her mind.

"Then, Madam, would you like to buy another bolt of silk to make a new suit for your husband? Madam, think about it, if you and your husband go out together and your clothes look shabby, wouldn't that be embarrassing for you?"

"Hmm! You're absolutely right! Then help me pick out another bolt of cloth!" The plump lady wholeheartedly agreed with Du Peiru's words, and so she bought another bolt of cloth.

Du Peiru used her silver tongue to persuade many people who were originally just there to watch the spectacle to buy the fabric.

Ouyang Han looked at Du Peiru with a smile. Han Yufeng, on the other hand, went from surprise to admiration. This woman was truly remarkable! She could describe a piece of ordinary cloth as a masterpiece, unparalleled in the world.

Seeing how hard the proprietress was working and how she persuaded many customers to buy fabric, the shop assistants and owners followed suit, enthusiastically praising customers and getting them to buy fabric as well.

The first day's business turned out to be profitable, earning more than ten taels of silver.

"Wow! We made money! That's awesome!" Du Peiru shouted excitedly.

"Hmph! You're so happy about making such a small amount of money!" Han Yufeng said disdainfully.

“Hey! This is the first money we’ve ever made! This is called a great start! From now on, we’ll be rolling in money! Don’t you understand?” Du Peiru retorted.

"No matter how much it rolls, it won't roll much!" Han Yufeng retorted.

“What do you mean it won’t roll much? It’s more than ten taels a day, that’s more than three hundred taels a month, and almost four thousand taels a year! More than four thousand taels!” Du Peiru seemed to have already seen a huge pile of money placed in front of her, so she couldn’t help but giggle.

Upon seeing this, Han Yufeng cursed, "You greedy wretch! Just like your father!"

"What did you say? Say it again if you dare!" Du Peiru said, hands on her hips, raising her voice.

"Alright! Alright! Stop arguing! It's late now, we should go back!" Ouyang Han said, putting his arm around Du Peiru's waist and walking away.

At first, Du Peiru thought being the shopkeeper was fun, but after a few days she lost interest. So she handed over all the shop management to Ouyang Han and Han Yufeng, and only went to the shop to browse when she had nothing else to do.

On New Year's Eve, Ouyang Hai sent someone to invite Ouyang Han and his wife to have a reunion dinner.

In the evening, Ouyang Hai, Madam Zhao, Ouyang Han, Du Peiru, and Madam Zhao's son Ouyang Yu sat around the table for dinner.

Volume 8

The guilty party files a false accusation first (6)

While they were eating, Ouyang Hai said to Ouyang Han, "Han'er, I heard from Yu Feng that your illness has been cured, is that right?"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Han shuddered and answered "Yes," but in his heart he was secretly cursing Han Yufeng, wishing he could tear Han Yufeng to pieces.

"Now that you're cured, don't make a fuss about dividing the family property anymore. You and Shan'er can move back in! If you still want to live in the villa, that's fine too, just open that sealed door. You should also close your cloth shop! You should take the imperial examinations; your father is counting on you to inherit this family business!"

Before Ouyang Han could reply, Madam Zhao interjected, "Master, I think we should just let them be! You know Han'er doesn't want to be an official. Besides, you have more than just Han'er as a son; you also have Yu'er!"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Hai angrily interrupted Madam Zhao, saying, "Yu'er! Yu'er! How old is Yu'er? I'm old and I want my son to share the burden with me, is that not allowed? Han'er, tomorrow you will open the gate to that villa and close that cloth shop of yours. Then you will stay home and study hard to prepare for next year's imperial examination!"

"Father, can you let me do what I want to do?" Ouyang Han said, suppressing his anger.

“Let you do what you want to do? Tell me, in all these years, have I ever forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do?” Ouyang Hai said angrily.

Ouyang Han wanted to say that this marriage was forced upon him, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. After all, he was quite satisfied with the marriage at the moment.

"Can't you do one thing for your father?" Ouyang Hai said painfully.

“I’ll do anything except take the imperial examinations and become an official!” Ouyang Han said helplessly.

"No! The fabric shop can't be closed!" Du Peiru said firmly.

"Shan'er, you..." Ouyang Hai never expected that his gentle and virtuous wife would disagree with him.

"Father, this 'Yunni Cloth Shop' can't be closed! It contains the hard work of your wife, Ahan, and Yufeng. Your wife can't bear to let it close!" Du Peiru used the strategy of feigning distress and the tactic of "flooding Jinshan Temple" to gain sympathy.

Madam Zhao seized on the argument and said, "My lord, this cloth shop must be closed! How can a woman like you be allowed to show her face in public like this!"

"Father, please! This fabric shop is Ahan's hope, my life's work! Please don't let it close down!" Du Peiru pleaded.

"Fine! Fine! Do whatever you want!" Ouyang Hai said angrily, throwing down his chopsticks and leaving.

Du Peiru and Ouyang Han felt a surge of joy, thinking they had escaped a calamity, unaware that they were about to face an even greater disaster.

The next day, Ouyang Han and Du Peiru had the newly opened gate in the villa sealed off and the old gate reopened.

After returning home from the morning court session, Ouyang Hai's mind kept replaying his secret conversation with the emperor.

The wicked accuse the guilty first (7)

"Minister Ouyang, Princess Ping'an is going on a trip to Jiangnan. Select some officials of distinguished bearing and outstanding character to accompany her, preferably unmarried! Actually, while the princess's trip to Jiangnan is ostensibly for leisure, it's secretly a means to choose a husband for her. Minister Ouyang, you know that I've spoiled Ping'an rotten. I wanted to arrange a marriage for her, but she absolutely refused! She said she wants to find someone she likes, otherwise she won't marry! I had no choice but to come up with this plan! Let her get to know those officials more! You will be in charge of this matter!"

Since Du Peiru went against his wishes a few days ago, and with Madam Zhao stirring up trouble in Ouyang Hai's ear, Ouyang Hai's impression of Du Peiru had turned from good to bad! Moreover, Ouyang Hai had long felt that Du Peiru's status as a merchant's daughter was completely unworthy of his son. However, at the time, Ouyang Han was seriously ill and no one was willing to marry him, so they chose the greedy Li Fugui as their in-law. Now that such a good opportunity was available, how could he let it slip by? If Han'er became the prince consort, it would bring glory to the family! Besides, Princess Ping'an was a rare beauty; Han'er would surely fall for her! Ouyang Hai was determined to have Ouyang Han accompany the princess to Hangzhou!

"Han'er, the princess will be going to Hangzhou in a few days, and you will go with her!" Ouyang Hai said sternly.

“Father, I’ve been busy building the textile mill these days. I don’t have time, and besides, I’m not an official and I don’t know martial arts. Why would I go with you?”

“You have to go, whether you want to or not! Didn’t you say last time that you’d listen to me on everything except taking the imperial examinations and becoming an official?” Ouyang Hai said, using both soft and hard tactics.

Ouyang Han thought that Ouyang Hai only wanted to show him the power of an official, hoping to persuade him to change his mind and take the imperial examination. So he couldn't bear to disobey Ouyang Hai any longer and nodded in agreement.

"Husband, be careful on the road! It rains a lot in Jiangnan, so remember to bring an umbrella when you go out to avoid getting wet and catching a cold; also, you are not allowed to be tempted by the beauties in Hangzhou; you are not allowed to go to brothels; you are not allowed to hug other women..." Du Peiru listed a whole bunch of things that were forbidden.

Ouyang Han had no choice but to interrupt her, saying, "Wife, I know, I know! You must take good care of yourself at home. Don't kick off the covers at night, don't play so much that you forget to eat, and don't cause trouble..."

Ouyang Hai couldn't stand their mushy farewell talk, so he interrupted, "Alright! Alright! It's time to set off! Do you expect the princess to wait for you? Let's go!"

"Take care!" Ouyang Han said.

"Take good care of yourself!" Du Peiru said.

Ouyang Han mounted his horse, turning back every ten steps until he could no longer see his home before urging his horse forward.

Du Peiru stood at the doorway, watching Ouyang Han's figure gradually shrink, tears streaming down her face. Even after Ouyang Han's figure disappeared from sight, she remained lost in thought, gazing in the direction he had left.

Jin'er couldn't help but remind Du Peiru, "Miss, the young master has already left! Let's go back too!"

Du Peiru nodded, then took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, turned around and went back.

The wicked accuse the guilty first (8)