Although it is also in Changshengfang, the place where the Zhang family lives is quite remote.

The coachman inquired several times before finally arriving at the door in a roundabout way.

Jiao Shun, who was wearing official robes, got out of the car and took a brief look at the surrounding environment. He found that although the area was secluded, the houses and courtyards were quite elegant.

In particular, several red plum blossoms poked out from the partition wall. Although they were not yet in full bloom, they were dotted with many flower buds at random, and the crisp branches and young stamens were very refreshing.

It looks like it has been pruned deliberately.

Since Zhang Cheng lost his wife in his early years and his son was useless, this must have been his own doing.

And being able to have such leisurely and elegant feelings shows that he is a resilient person - most idlers will give up on themselves after being dismissed from office and have their homes confiscated - this also makes Jiao Shun look forward to this visit a little more.

He raised his chin slightly toward the courtyard door, and Shuan Zhu immediately knocked on the door knowingly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the slap landed on the door, the entire door panel, which looked relatively neat at first, fell to the ground with a snap!

Both the master and the servant were stunned.

However, Jiao Shun immediately thought that this must be Ni Er's handiwork, so he raised his voice and asked, "Is Mr. Zhang at home?"

For a long while, it was still quiet inside.

Jiao Shun hesitated for a moment, then simply stepped across the threshold and entered the main room, looking around all the way.

The layout of this yard is very similar to the old home of my family in Ningrong Lane, especially the vegetable patch under the west wall, which looks very friendly.

When we arrived at the door of the hall, we saw several pieces of furniture placed under the corridor, each of which was missing arms and legs. One chair was simply broken into pieces of wood.

Because of this foreshadowing.

When Jiao Shun entered the door and saw the half-empty living room, he didn't feel strange at all.

He looked around briefly, and his eyes fell on the flower stand on the east side. There was a large pile of fluffy newspaper clippings placed on it, which were messy and full of footprints, and several pages on the surface were torn to pieces.

Jiao Shun walked over and flipped through it, and found that it was basically all important government news in recent years, and many of them were specially bound in batches to form a clearer context.

Does this mean that he is worried about his master when he is far away from the world, or does it prove that he is unwilling to sink and dreams of making a comeback one day?

However, since Zhang Cheng has always been involved in government affairs, it must not be a big problem to reintegrate into the officialdom.

"grown ups!"

Just as he was watching, Shuan Zhu came out of the inner room, shook his head at him and said, "There is no one in there - it's almost dinner time and you haven't gone home yet. Could it be that you went to a restaurant?"

Jiao Shun rolled his eyes at him and said angrily: "Didn't you see that the creditors in this house are coming to the door? If he has spare money for a restaurant, how can he be smashed into such a mess?"

"That's the truth."

Shuan Zhu scratched his head suddenly and said doubtfully: "Then he..."

"Who are you? Why are you blocking the door of my house?!"

At this moment, he suddenly heard a sharp voice coming from outside. Jiao Shun's heart changed and he hurried out to greet him. He saw a tall and thin middle-aged man confronting the driver with a red face.

This man was dressed decently, but he was holding two steamed buns in his hands, with some pickles stuffed into the buns.

Perhaps because he mistook the coachman for a troublemaker, he unconsciously exerted force on his hands, causing the sauce in the bun to overflow and drip down his wrist.

After a brief observation, Jiao Bian stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "May I ask if it's in person to Mr. Zhang?"

When Zhang Cheng saw an official from the imperial court walking out of his home, he couldn't help but be startled for a moment, and then he hurriedly returned the greeting and said: "How dare you be called 'sir'? This is Zhang Cheng. I don't know that this sir..."

…”

Halfway through the sentence, his eyes glanced at the steamed bun in his hand, and he hid it behind his back in a hurry and embarrassment.

"My surname is Jiao Mingshun, and I am currently an official in the Ministry of Industry."

While Jiao Shun introduced himself, he turned his attention to the courtyard.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng hurriedly said: "Master Jiao, if you don't mind me, please come and talk to me at my humble residence."

The two of them exchanged a few words of humility before walking side by side to the living room of the main room.

Zhang Cheng quietly placed the wotou on the flower bed and covered it with a handkerchief. Then he breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and said with a wry smile: "My family is in dire straits, and we don't even have tea for the guests. I'm asking you to atone for your sins - but

I don’t know why you’re here, sir?”

"I heard that Mr. Zhang once worked as the head of the village in Huangzhuang and was very proficient in writing and accounting. That's why Mr. Jiao came to the house specially and wanted to hire Mr. Zhang as a secret friend and counselor of the Yamen."

"this……"

Zhang Cheng was stunned again when he heard this, and asked doubtfully: "There are many people in Beijing who specialize in this field, and Zhang has never had any fame, so how did you find me here?"

"Mr. Zhang should have probably heard about me."

Jiao Shun said, pointing to the newspaper clippings on the flower stand, and added: "Because Jiao was born a slave and relied on his craftsmanship to become an official, he was quite shameful among scholars. He wanted to find a serious master.

It’s extremely difficult.”

"It turns out that the distinguished driver is Rong Guofu..."

Zhang Hua couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise, but luckily he stopped talking in time.

Then he fell into deep thought.

Although Zhang Hua did not come from a serious imperial examination background, he also knew what kind of attitude scholars would adopt towards aliens like Jiao Shun.

Therefore, there is no doubt as to why Jiao Shun found his head.

But the problem is that if he really becomes Jiao Shun's master, his future career will most likely be tied to Jiao Shun. However, he is currently being suppressed by the scholar group, so the risks involved are really too great.

If something goes wrong, you may be implicated!

But to say rejection...

Zhang Hua clenched his sleeves, feeling the stickiness in his hands and the pungent smell of pickles, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Now, due to the debt owed by their son, both father and son are running out of food, but how can they have any room to refuse?

At that moment, he stopped being pretentious, stood up and gave a deep salute and said: "Thank you for your favor, how dare Zhang Cheng disobey!"

Jiao Shun was overjoyed and quickly exchanged a gift: "Okay, okay, Jiao will rely on Mr. Zhang from now on!"

After consultation, the two settled on a monthly salary of twenty taels, and coupled with the "custom" of the New Year's Day, they had an income of three hundred taels a year.

This is considered to be an above-average level among the secretaries of the sixth and seventh grade Beijing officials. It is considered a high salary for hiring a novice like Zhang Cheng.

It was also agreed that he would take office the day after tomorrow. Jiao Shun left fifty taels of silver, which was regarded as an advance payment of two months' salary to Zhang Cheng, and then left with his kind greetings.

But after Jiao Shun left.

Zhang Cheng held fifty taels of silver in his hands and stood stunned in front of the door for a long time. He then raised the door panel to partially cover it, and then returned to the house.

In the main hall, he was stunned for a while, then suddenly ran to the flower stand, opened the veil, picked up the pickles, and threw them into the yard.

It’s past, it’s all past!

After being stuck for so many days, I finally saw a way out!

He stood in front of the door, thinking about how to help Jiao Shun gain a foothold in the Ministry of Industry in the future, and at the same time thinking about his son's future.

His mother-in-law and her daughter remarried to You's family. He had actually known about it for a long time, but he had been embarrassed to contact her because of the family's financial difficulties.

Now that his fortune has finally turned around, when he accumulates some wealth, it’s time to mention the marriage - it’s better to let his son get married early and have more control over him than to have him fool around at home all day long!

Furthermore...

I heard that the eldest daughter of the You family actually married into the Ningguo Mansion and worked as a house filler for the lord. With this connection in the future, she might be able to help her son find a future.

Just as his mind was filled with thoughts of his son getting married and starting a family, he suddenly heard a "bang" outside the door, and the door panel was pushed down again.

Then a frivolous voice exclaimed: "Dad, why did our courtyard door fall down?!"
Chapter completed!