Qing Yao

Chapter 131 Having connections makes things easier

Ten thousand taels of silver, whether calculated based on the price of rice or the weight of metal in later times, would only amount to a few million banknotes.

Although 10,000 taels of silver could buy several large courtyards in the capital and dozens of houses in Yangzhou at that time, Zhao An felt that housing prices were not suitable as a reference for the value of silver.

If we take housing prices as a reference, a courtyard house in the second ring road of Beijing in later generations would easily cost hundreds of millions of yuan. Does that mean that 10,000 taels of silver is worth billions?

It was clearly not worth it, so he was used to using grain prices to calculate how much of the banknotes he used in his previous life could "exchange" for silver.

Regardless of the quantity of grain production, the price of grain has remained relatively stable in any era, except for natural disasters and man-made calamities.

The conversion result is roughly correct.

He spends millions at a time; in Zhao An's previous life, he would definitely have been a "big shot" with a net worth of hundreds of millions.

A "good guy" gives a few million as a wedding gift when he gets married, which isn't much.

Anyway, the money came from the old man.

When the most loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty gets married, the old master should at least give some money.

Besides, this money is for the Ding family. What's the difference between giving it to the Ding family and giving it to your own family?

Once the eldest granddaughter marries into the family and the wedding is over, the two families become one.

Heaven and Earth, what's there to argue about?

We can always borrow it again later.

The problem was that the prospective father-in-law and his wife had never seen so much money before. Just like in a TV drama, the couple forgot their lines and stood there dumbfounded, staring at the young, promising, and domineering CEO Zhao, not knowing what to say.

No matter how anxious the director is, it's no use.

Old Ding, unfazed by such incidents, stepped in to smooth things over for his son and daughter-in-law: "Take it, Xiao Zhao isn't an outsider."

Ok?
Upon hearing "Little Zhao," Zhao An subconsciously glanced at the county magistrate, thinking to himself, "If you're going to call me that, then we'll have to call each other by our own names from now on."

The mother-in-law received the banknotes, and while she didn't beam with joy, her gaze towards her son-in-law was noticeably more affectionate.

It's true that the more I look at it, the more pleasing it becomes; the more pleasing it becomes, the more I like it; and the more I like it, the more I want to look at it.

As for where a professor at a prefectural school would get ten thousand taels of silver, that was not something the mother-in-law was considering.

Even if he did think of it, it's because the son-in-law is capable.

That's just how officialdom is.

My father-in-law has embezzled far more than this amount over the years.

The more greedy someone is, the more capable they are!
If you're not corrupt, what kind of official are you?

I might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.

"Father, Mother, I toast you!"

The prospective son-in-law was very good at handling things, unlike other prospective sons-in-law who were uncomfortable and reserved when they came to visit. First, they didn't drink alcohol, and then they could only drink a little. In any case, Zhao An was very open and uninhibited.

To what extent did things get to this point? Well, the prospective father-in-law was helped away by his prospective mother-in-law; if he drank any more, he would definitely be passed out on the table. The two uncles-in-law were also slurring their words and staggering as they walked.

Old Ding, the father-in-law, wasn't much better; he almost became sworn brothers with his grandson-in-law.

How come you can drink so much?

A slightly dizzy old Ding couldn't believe that he, a seasoned veteran of the officialdom, couldn't outdrink Zhao An, a mere novice.

Zhao An dared not claim that he was a warrior tested by alcohol in his past life, and only said with a smile: "Grandpa, your grandson-in-law is a natural drinker. As the old saying goes, deep feelings, down it in one gulp; shallow feelings, just a sip. Grandpa, if you accept me as your grandson-in-law, let's drink this bowl together!"

Thankfully, the Ding family had all dispersed, otherwise Zhao An, the prospective son-in-law, would definitely have been thrown out.

What the hell!
After a few drinks, you lose all sense of direction. You're on friendly terms with your great-grandfather-in-law, but how do you get along with your father-in-law?
In short, Zhao An won over the older members of the Ding family with his unique personal charm; whether the younger ones were won over that day is unknown.

I only found out the next day.

They were conquered.

Old Ding sent someone to deliver his granddaughter's birth date and time, and also asked Zhao An for his birth date and time, presumably to combine them and calculate an auspicious date and time.

Zhao An also agreed to buy another house for Ding's eldest granddaughter, who is also his legal wife, to live in.

Since Zhao An had no parents, the Ding family arranged everything for the wedding. They could ask for whatever dowry they wanted, and the Ding family would return a small amount at the wedding.

This matter was not kept from Chunlan, but when she heard that he had married the granddaughter of the county magistrate, she immediately felt inferior and became melancholy.

She clearly felt that she, a village woman and a widow who had been married, was inferior to the granddaughter of the county magistrate.

Moreover, judging from this arrangement, she is clearly a concubine, not a wife.

This made the young lady, who was always called "Madam" by the servants of the Zhao family, feel a little sad, as if she had been standing on the crest of the tide and suddenly fallen.

"Don't overthink it. I said I would take care of you and your child, and I will take care of you to the end. You have everything she has. As her husband, I will definitely treat you equally. I won't forget you, my old flame, just because I have someone new."

After pulling the young woman into his arms, Zhao An naturally touched her belly and said, "You two, from now on, you have to compete to see who can give me a son first."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the young woman seemed to be provoked by something, and she squatted down like the woman in the picture book, biting Zhao An before he could react.

The storm came fiercely, spraying Zhao An's face like a floodgate being burst.

The wind and rain were strong, and so was the sound of reading aloud.

With a "plop," a huge hailstone struck the young woman.

Although the young woman was very tired, she refused to put her legs down.

Zhao An looked at it strangely, but then he understood what was going on and chuckled to himself.

The young woman blushed at Zhao An's laughter and turned her head away, not wanting to talk to him.

"Friendship first, competition second, just let things take their course."

Zhao An was very pleased to see this and wanted to tell his wife not to overwork herself, but she didn't respond, so he had no choice but to let her be.

If an outsider were to enter the house now, the scene would be truly inappropriate.

After a long while, the young woman asked with a hint of resentment, "Now that you've married, what am I to you?"

"You are my wife too."

Zhao An chuckled and playfully pinched the young woman's nose. "What's wrong? Are you jealous? Didn't you tell me to find another woman?"

"I didn't ask you to marry the magistrate's granddaughter."

The young lady's words were so plaintive, coupled with her pitiful, experienced expression. If it weren't for the fear of bringing the child she had painstakingly slipped into the room out, Zhao An would definitely have dreamt of returning to his hometown again.

"I'm doing this for our future. If you have Lord Ding's help, your husband will have many things to handle in the future."

Zhao An smiled, got dressed, and told his wife to rest at home. He then took the asset certificate and went directly to Hengli Money Exchange.

There's no need for Teacher Lou to be present in person; the procedures have already been simplified for the parties involved.

Manager Shi tacitly locked the pile of asset certificates into the bank's "safe," and then took out the loan documents he had prepared in advance for Professor Zhao to review.

Zhao An flipped through it, then stamped it with Teacher Lou's small seal and signed it on Teacher Lou's behalf.

The entire process was incredibly efficient, taking less than half an incense stick's time from start to finish.

(End of this chapter)