The Guild Hall was originally intended to provide accommodation for Chongqing Prefecture candidates who came to Beijing to take the exams and Chongqing Prefecture candidate officials who came to Beijing to fill vacancies. It was a place where Chongqing Prefectural officials in Beijing could communicate with each other, hold group visits, and relieve crises.

If the guild hall can raise money, it will also be Chongqing Shilin's money. Anyone who dares to blatantly greedy this money will not be tolerated by Chongqing Shilin!

Han Xiufeng didn't want to have a home that he couldn't return to, and he didn't want his relatives back home in Ba County to be stabbed in the back by Mr. Gu and other gentry. He didn't know how to be blatantly greedy and didn't dare to be blatantly greedy. He just wanted to take this opportunity to earn some living expenses in the capital, so he didn't

He agreed to Qian Junchen's request to borrow money, but didn't refuse it at all. Instead, he excused himself to ask for a group visit to raise money. But Qian Junchen saw hope, and ran out to inquire about it without even bothering to eat midnight snacks.

As soon as he left, Mr. Fei pulled Han Xiufeng to the west room, closed the door and said, "Zhixing, I can help you talk to Mr. Ji, but I can't just go there!"

"Second Master, what do you want to say?" Han Xiufeng sat down and asked.

"Master Ji's annual salary and lumi add up to just over one hundred taels. A small family can survive on twenty or thirty taels a year, but for Master Ji, more than one hundred taels is not enough to make ends meet. The whole family's income

Food, clothing, housing, transportation, the exchange of favors on the scene, rewards from servants, all of them are eagerly counting on that little salary."

Mr. Fei sighed softly and continued: "Especially the human relations with his colleagues, not to mention weddings, funerals, weddings and weddings, just the literary and wine gatherings held every now and then by his elegant friends. The Flower Chao Festival, Shang Si

Festivals, Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Su Shi’s birthday, Ouyang Xiu’s birthday, irregular summer gatherings, winter cold-relieving gatherings, farewell ancestral banquets in the pavilion, occasional outings, and drinking and feasting at every gathering.

Poetry, this literary, wine and romantic affair all have heavy expenses!”

Han Xiufeng subconsciously asked: "Second Master, you always say that Master Ji is short of money?"

"More than that, in order to survive, he can only rely on pawns and loans. He borrowed more money than Qian Junchen." Mr. Fei put away the books on the old desk and said with a wry smile: "Every new year is about paying off old debts.

, when borrowing new debts, he often wrote poems to express his feelings, saying: All the money I have is gone, and I write new coupons to buy next year. He also said: I withdraw my pen like flying and delete the old debt, and next year the coupons will be renewed again."

Han Xiufeng murmured: "I knew he lived a poor life, but I didn't expect him to be so embarrassed."

"He borrowed money every year to make ends meet, and he was already in debt!" Fei Erye sighed and said helplessly: "From the time he was elected to the Hanlin Academy to the present, he has moved twice. He originally lived in Guancaiyuan, and then rented Guancaiyuan.

He couldn't afford the rising price, so he had to move to the northern half of the alley."

"Second Master, I understand what you mean. You can always tell Master Ji that if you can raise money from this group visit, you can ask him to write an "Introduction to Fundraising for the Construction of the Chongqing Guild Hall" and erect a stone monument to thank you.

I'll wait for you, senior." Han Xiufeng paused and then said, "Don't worry, the money will certainly be abundant."

Mr. Fei Erye smiled and said, "With your words, I can talk to him more easily."

"Excuse me, I have to make you run all the time in such a cold weather."

"Yes, I'm ashamed to say that I have accomplished nothing in taking care of the club all these years." Fei Erye picked up Mr. Gu's letter and sighed: "Zhixing, what Mr. Gu said is true. You are indeed upright and open-minded, and you really cherish Zidun."

Hometown friendship!”

"Don't say that. If it weren't for Master Gu's support, I, Han Zhixing, wouldn't be where I am today. Besides, I will still need support from you, Master Ji and other senior fellow villagers in the future."

"Okay, okay, we are all one family, and one family does not speak the same language."

…

After finishing the supper, Mr. Fei went to see Mr. Ji with a lantern.

There was light snow falling outside. Han Xiufeng was worried about his age and asked Da Tou to accompany him.

Du Sanguan, who was not a bad person, washed his feet and went to bed after a midnight snack. Pan Er and Han Xiufeng packed up the dishes and went back to the main room to light candles and settle accounts.

"Fourth brother, things in the capital are much more expensive than our Ba County. A liter of brown rice costs twenty-six cents, a pound of noodles costs twenty cents, and a person can eat at least twenty cents a month.

A pound of grain, just eating grain alone costs 600 coins a month!"

Pan Er recorded today's expenses in his account book, then raised his head and said: "Soybean oil costs 80 cents per catty, and peanut oil is even more expensive. Fish costs 48 cents per catty, pork costs 55 cents per catty, and eggs cost two cents each.

It costs forty or fifty cents per pound. The only cheap ones seem to be cabbage, and ten cents can buy a bunch..."

"Living in the capital is not easy!" Han Xiufeng sighed.

Pan Er looked back behind him, closed the account book and asked: "Fourth brother, you told Master Er and Master Qian this afternoon that we will also hold a banquet for the New Year. How many people will be invited, how much will it cost, and how much money will be earned back?"

?"

Han Xiufeng thought to himself that this was what he was worried about. No wonder he hesitated while eating supper. He couldn't help but asked with a smile: "Brother Pan, your family runs a pawn shop. If several officials invite your father to have a drink,

Among them is Mr. Hanlin, will your father go?"

Pan Er said without hesitation: "If Master Hanlin invites you to have a drink, I don't know how happy my father will be. He will definitely go."

"That's it. This time we not only invite Mr. Ji and Mr. Wang, but also the fellow villagers who are doing business in the capital. They usually want to curry favor with the officials, but I will personally come to deliver the invitation. They will definitely follow your father's instructions.

You will still feel that you have face, and you will definitely come."

Han Xiufeng smiled and continued: "But this wine is not free. If I want to have a good time with Mr. Ji and the others, the family will have to pay at least one hundred taels. It is not impossible to ask the official to write a letter, but you have to pay more.

Mr. Ji is a member of the Hanlin Academy, and a calligraphy painting is worth a hundred taels. Mr. Wang and Mr. Qian’s calligraphy are also worth fifty taels."

"Where's the name of the candidate?" Pan Er couldn't help laughing.

"Second Master Fei's calligraphy is twenty-five taels, and the general seal of the provincial hall is guaranteed. We can't take care of this hall in vain. We can help our gentlemen from Chongqing Prefecture sell some calligraphy during the Chinese New Year, and help them make some profit."

“I’ve earned this money so I don’t have to give it to them!”

"The words written in the guild hall belong to the guild hall, and the money earned also belongs to the guild hall. This is the rule. The gentlemen are embarrassed to ask for it, but we can't give it nothing."

"How to give and how much to give?" Pan Er asked eagerly.

Han Xiufeng muttered: "If we can really raise a few hundred taels, we can lend some money to Mr. Qian, and Mr. Ji and Mr. Wang will give some refinancing fees. Anyway, half of it will be left to repair the guild hall."

Pan Er is so shrewd, how could he not know what Han Xiufeng was planning, he chuckled and said: "Yes, yes, the guild hall is so dilapidated that it needs to be repaired. The roof needs to be repaired, the walls need to be painted, and tables, chairs and benches need to be added, both inside and outside.
Chapter completed!