Chapter 8: With extravagant expenditures, the family fortune gradually dwindles

The next morning, bright and early, Rui Sheng, who had had a quarrel the day before, still appeared in front of Xu Xun on time, though his words were considerably fewer. However, after their exercise and breakfast, when Xu Xun, dressed in fresh clothes, mentioned buying fabric to have a few short-sleeved shirts made, Rui Sheng immediately shook his head vigorously, saying, "No need to waste money; just buy a bolt of plain fabric, my mother taught me how to sew back in the day"

These two words made Ruisheng feel much more at ease. After counting on his fingers, he said earnestly: "There are still four guan of money, one ten-tael silver ingot, plus a little over three taels of loose silver, and last year's new treasure notes are probably around two hundred guan."

Hearing Rui Sheng's meticulous calculations, Xu Xun couldn't help but smile wryly to himself. Although he is now referred to as 'young master,' his current situation is far from comparable to his past as a wealthy heir, and it is even worse than during his most destitute times. With only a few people in the family, no matter how skillfully he maneuvers, he must pay the corresponding price. Although Jin Liu exerts effort in certain matters to secure a place to stay, binding people together requires mutual interests. If there is only harm and no benefit, wouldn't people jump overboard to save themselves when they see the ship sinking?

That Jin Liu is slick and shrewd; without money to grease the wheels, he is not very useful. However, Kuiren is wholeheartedly loyal!

It is generally rare for Jin Liu to accompany Xu and Tu Shuxun outside. Today, he is dressed very neatly. He wears a plain canvas short shirt and a pair of well-washed cloth shoes with a layered sole, and he has a small hat on his head. After approaching, he greets with a charming smile and immediately rolls up his sleeves halfway as if it were an instinctive action: "Young Master, we are..."

"Look at my poor memory, I actually forgot something important." Jin Liu seemed completely unaware that he had suddenly changed his way of referring to himself, his face filled with regret and shame. "It is said that the master and the third and fourth masters have discussed the distribution of the family estate's dividends, and everyone will share a portion, with an additional ten percent allocated to the sixth master. This news was likely intentionally leaked, which is why I was able to inquire about it. As for how much congratulatory gift to send, each family is being very secretive about it.

"Very well, I will leave the purchasing of fabric and the tailoring to you." Without further ado, Xu Xun handed over these trivial matters to Rui Sheng and turned to walk out. As he reached the door, he felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Rui Sheng standing there with a troubled expression. He smiled and asked, "What is it? Is there something else you need to remind me of?"

However, Xu Tiao's family background cannot be considered affluent, and the office he worked in was merely responsible for managing documents and other miscellaneous affairs. Within the entire Yingtian Prefecture, when it comes to benefits and influence, this is certainly not a top-tier position. Nevertheless, it is quite rare for someone from Nanjing to secure such a supervisory role locally. According to Jin Liu's speculation, this Mr. Xu Liu, who has a good reputation in Taiping, must have spent an unknown amount of money for this.

"It's nothing; where there is gain, there must be loss. Today, it's just a small amount of money. Under the circumstances, even a significant profit can be sacrificed if necessary." Seeing that Rui Sheng was still anxious and trying to persuade him further, Xu Xun yawned and said, "It's so late now; let's discuss this tomorrow. By the way, you've worked hard today. There's no reason to only reward you with six coins. You can take a couple of silver coins from the money box as a token of appreciation..."

Although these are different measurement figures, Xu Xun is no longer a newcomer to this place and likely has a rough idea in his mind. One or two taels of silver is said to be exchanged for one guan of money, but in the market, it is certainly worth more. Two hundred guan in banknotes is valued at around one or two taels of silver, give or take. By this calculation, the cash he has on hand amounts to at most twenty-some taels, equivalent to sixty shi of white rice. This is not a small amount, but it is certainly not a lot either. If there is someone to blame, it can only be attributed to a certain person from the past who was too extravagant; otherwise, he would not be in such a tight financial situation.

After Jin Liu's lengthy discourse, Xu Xun merely offered the succinct phrase "hetushu.com". However, his actions were far more generous than his words, as he directly had Rui Sheng reward Jin Liu with a full tael of silver. Indeed, holding the heavy tael of silver, Jin Liu suddenly slapped his forehead at the door and turned back.

It is easy for the young master to say. The monthly expenses at home, along with the monthly payments for Jin Liu Ge and Jin Liu Sao, amount to around four to five taels of silver. However, since I have taken charge of the finances, the amount you have spent, young master, has already exceeded one hundred taels. The remaining ten or so taels of silver would barely suffice to last until the end of the year, but we also need to prepare a gift for the Fourth Master. With such lavish spending from you, how are we going to manage our lives in the second half of the year

This time, Xu Xun nodded thoughtfully, but instructed Rui Sheng to send Jin Liu out through the second door, then locked it. Although there was no clock and he had not gone out to check the ancient copper drip in the room, he knew it was already quite late. Even though he had taken off his shoes and sat on the bed, there was not a trace of drowsiness. While he was pondering, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps, and before long, Rui Sheng returned.

However, compared to the last time he gave a reward to Sister Liu, when his face was full of discomfort, his expression now was evidently even worse. Therefore, Xu Xun merely glanced at him and said with a smile, "As the old saying goes, money spent will return; do not feel too pained."

Understood and the book is understood

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind by his ear. Turning his head, he was surprised to see Ruisheng storming out of the room, visibly angry. After a moment of stunned silence, he couldn't help but chuckle softly and lay back down, resting his head on his hands

Go to the Shen family in Taipingli

As for those adults mentioned last time by the younger ones, several deputy managers will be present, and it is said that the fifth young master of the Da Yin family is preparing to come and enjoy the spectacle. Therefore, even if the second and third Yins do not attend, the younger generation must be there. The banquet will be held at Kuiyuan Tower on Gongyuan Street, which was originally a place for scholars to celebrate their success. However, the sixth master is fond of elegance, particularly appreciating fine writing materials, famous calligraphy, and paintings. Naturally, if he were to praise the good words and phrases of the young members of the clan, it would be a matter of pride. It is said that the elder master has made it known that your presence would be embarrassing, so you were not considered in the invitation.

Originally, Xu Liuye Xu Qiao, who has recently been promoted to the position of an official in the Experience Department, did not stand out in his youth due to his connections to a collateral branch of the clan. Although he later passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai, he only left his childhood studies at the age of twenty-six, which was far inferior compared to his predecessors. However, he passed the provincial examination twice and became a Jinshi, subsequently taking on the role of a chief clerk step by step, and then securing a position as a director in the Experience Department of the Ying Tian Prefecture. This recent promotion to the position of a librarian has allowed him to shed the label of being unremarkable. In a society that places great emphasis on the origins of the imperial examination, his achievement of reaching this level after only nine years in office, despite his non-traditional background, is already quite impressive.

Therefore, he raised his hand to signal Ruisheng to sit down, and then spoke: "How much money do we have left?"

"How could I dare to advise the young master..." Rui Sheng muttered gloomily, then continued, "In any case, the young master should be more cautious. Jin Liu Ge is not a trustworthy person; who knows what he used to deceive the young master? The young master should not believe everything he says"

I see.

With this realization, he initially intended to conceal half of the information while revealing the other half. However, upon seeing the benefits, he immediately abandoned that clever plan. He almost spoke incessantly, laying bare the information he had painstakingly gathered over the past few days.

Xu Xun couldn't help but doubt whether this young boy, who was so fond of nagging at such a young age, was truly a man. After agreeing repeatedly, he immediately stepped out of the threshold. It was already early March, and while Jiangnan claimed that spring was warm and flowers were blooming, the early morning still felt somewhat chilly. Xu Xun leisurely arrived at the second gate, only to see Jin Liu already peering and waiting in the courtyard outside. At that moment, the approaching figure dashed forward at an astonishing speed.

Well, you have inquired quite thoroughly. After returning, make sure to rest early; you have worked hard today. Tomorrow morning, accompany me on an outing.