Chapter 32: Jia Yun
"Okay, okay!" The old lady asked Jia Cong to come forward. "Your grandson has made great progress. You have won the first place twice in a row. I will wait for you to bring me a small three yuan!"
Among the people below, Jia She was in a trance, Jia Zheng was stroking his beard and smiling, the two ladies had different expressions, and all the sisters were happy!
However, Baoyu was not there! This must be because of the farce last time, the old lady had deliberately ordered it, otherwise, how could such a scene be without Baoyu?
Compared with the last time, Jia Cong's status in everyone's mind is obviously much higher this time.
If he was just pretending to be happy last time, then this time Jia Cong's status has changed fundamentally.
If you pass the provincial examination, you will be a scholar!
Although there are unpleasant words like "sour scholar", the scholar has truly escaped from the lowest level of white people and can be called a master or a wealthy man.
After becoming a scholar, you can ride in a sedan chair when you go out and you can take concubines according to the rules!
Don't think that everyone can take concubines in this era. Although some wealthy people also take concubines, this is just because the government turns a blind eye. If you want to cause trouble, this is one of the crimes! According to regulations, only people with status can take concubines, and the number of concubines is also fixed.
However, officials would not target their colleagues for such trivial matters. After all, who doesn't have a few dirt spots on their body?
In addition, the most important thing is tax exemption!
This may seem simple, but as long as one becomes a juren, many wealthy businessmen or big landowners will come to him and register their properties under his name.
In this way, the scholars increased their income, the wealthy businessmen paid less taxes, but the imperial court was the only one that suffered a loss!
This is why, even if one was originally poor and powerless, once one passed the imperial examination, there were few poor people left. Moreover, one could become a prominent family in the local area.
The crowd was busy for a long time before everyone dispersed!
Jia Cong went to the back street to buy some gifts and went to Wei Qi's house to express his gratitude. Only then did he calm down.
After a few days, Jia Cong found some free time and headed towards the back street. This time, Jia Cong did not come to buy anything, but to find someone he could trust.
Now he had enough maids to take care of him in his room, but they were women after all, and it was inconvenient for them to go out on the streets. And the mansion did not assign him a servant, so he could only find one himself.
Jia Cong already had a target for who he was looking for, and that person was Jia Yun, a member of a branch of the Jia family.
Jia Yun is smart, steady, and even more rare is his loyalty. In the book, his mother is seriously ill, and in order to find a job to earn some money, he even acknowledges Baoyu as his father. When the Jia family is raided, he takes the risk to visit Baoyu in prison. He is a rare capable person in the two mansions.
He had already asked about Jia Yun's residence, and after walking through two alleys, he stopped in front of a small courtyard.
He knocked gently on the door, and after a while, he heard footsteps. The courtyard door opened, and Jia Yun was stunned for a moment before he hurriedly bowed, "It turns out to be Uncle Cong, nephew Jia Yun greets you!"
Although the two had never met each other many times, they had met each other at important events such as ancestor worship. In addition, Jia Cong had gradually emerged in the past year, so Jia Yun naturally recognized Jia Cong.
"How is Fifth Sister-in-law these days?"
"Thanks to Uncle Cong, my mother is fine, but she is not feeling well, so she cannot come out to greet you. I am sorry to make you laugh!"
"It's me who should visit Fifth Sister-in-law!"
When he entered the hall, he found that Jia Yun's mother had just fallen asleep. Jia Cong had not entered the inner room, but was sitting in the hall.
This small hall was similar to his previous courtyard, but a little narrower. Jia Yun poured half a bowl of warm water and brought it to Jia Cong , with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.
Jia Cong didn't care. What had he not experienced in his previous life?
After taking two sips, Jia Cong asked, "I wonder if Yun'er has a job now?"
Jia Yun shook his head and said in a low voice, "I was originally going to the East Palace to look for a job with the clan leader and Master Xiao Rong, but we don't need any help for the time being!"
Jia Cong nodded without commenting, "I am short of a servant. It's nothing special, but I need some shopping and miscellaneous chores. I wonder if Yun'er is willing to do it?"
Hearing this, Jia Yun stood up in surprise. His family was very poor, and he had long been looking forward to a job. How could he not know that the East Palace was shirking its responsibilities? He had also wanted to ask the housekeepers of the two palaces for a job, but without a few taels of silver as a tribute, who would care about him?
But I never thought that Jia Cong would come to me on his own initiative today.
Although Jia Cong is not the direct master of the mansion, he is now the first in two cases and will surely be a respectable figure in the future. It is not a concession for him to follow Jia Cong and serve him , but a great blessing from heaven.
"Yun'er thanks Uncle San!" Jia Yun bowed and saluted. "Although Yun'er is not very capable, my mother taught me to be loyal and diligent since I was young. If I can serve Uncle San, Yun'er will not let him down."
Jia Cong smiled and helped Jia Yun up. "We are all of the same blood, no need to be so polite! We uncle and nephew don't need to sign any contract, just a gentleman's agreement. Two taels of silver per month, and I will withdraw the rest of the money you need in advance!"
"On weekdays, I usually study at home, and you can stay at home to take care of my fifth sister-in-law. If there is anything, I will ask the servants in the mansion or the maids in my room to find you!"
"Thank you, Third Uncle!" Jia Yun was delighted. Two taels of silver a month was enough for the mother and son to eat and live. If they went out to do odd jobs, it would be hard work , but it would only be a few dozen or a hundred yuan a day. Now this job not only paid more, but it was also more respectable. It couldn't be better.
"This ten taels of silver can be used to pay your five-month salary. As for the rest, we uncle and nephew can discuss it later! I can't stay for long, so I'm leaving now. You can bring your fifth sister-in-law to my place someday to get acquainted with me, so we can get closer!"
Even until Jia Cong's figure disappeared, Jia Yun still couldn't come back to his senses. Looking at the small silver ingot in his hand, he almost thought he was dreaming.
I closed the door in a daze, but heard my mother's voice inside the room.
"Yun'er, is there someone coming?"
Jia Yun entered the room and joyfully helped his mother sit up.
"Look, mother!"
The woman looked at the silver ingot in Jia Yun's hand, her face changed, and she immediately asked, "Where did you get the money? Didn't I teach you not to do sneaky things? Although your family is poor, you must have great ambitions! Send it back quickly, and I will go with you to apologize!"
"Mother!" Jia Yun hurriedly told the whole story.
After hearing this, the woman came back to her senses after a while. "I have heard before that there is a Wenquxing in the West Mansion. He is not only very good at studying, but also very kind to others. I never thought that my son would catch the eye of that nobleman."
