The 26th year of Jiajing, Ming Dynasty.

The fifth day of the fifth month, the Dragon Boat Festival.

This should have been a good day for dragon boat racing and kites, but at this moment, the Ming Dynasty Chengxuan Zhengshi Ningbo Prefecture, the county town of Dinghai County, Ningbo Prefecture was a bleak scene.

There was no one on the street, and there was no trace of hawkers who were yelling at the top of their mouths. The city gates in the county were closed, and on both sides of the city gate were notices posted by the government: In order to prevent the Japanese pirates from robbing, the city of Dinghai County will be closed for ten days from now on. Men, women, young and old are not allowed to leave the city. Violators shall be punished as per the Japanese negotiations.

At this moment, in the Huachao Lane, the Xu Mansion, the mistress of the Xu family, Xu Chen, was walking in the flower hall, shaking his head from time to time and sighing.

"The Japanese pirates didn't come early and didn't come late, but they just came at this time. Isn't this a mess?" As she said that, she started coughing. Perhaps because she was too anxious and violent, she covered her chest with one hand, and hunched over and came to a chair with an official hat and sat down.

A young man wearing a light green Confucian robe next to her saw this and quickly stepped forward a few steps and sent a cup of hot tea to her respectfully.

"Mom, don't worry too much. These Japanese pirates are like a gust of wind, and they come and go quickly. The county masters are firm in the walls and clear the fields. Japanese pirates will not get any benefits and will leave in a few days."

Xu Chen took the teacup and took a sip, sighed, "I hope this is the case. The business can be pushed back, as long as the family is safe. Your father is still in Hangzhou Prefecture, and he can't come back now. Fortunately, Brother Qiu, you have grown up, otherwise you will be very worried. You should stay at home honestly in the near future, don't go out to the streets. Oh, by the way, you sent someone to take a leave of absence to Mr. Wu, and then said that you would make up for the schoolwork in the past few days when the Japanese pirates left. Then you will send this year's Shu Xiu to his hands. Mr. Wu is a great scholar and your master, so you must not neglect it."

It turned out that the Xu family was a famous luxury merchant in Ningbo Prefecture, mainly engaged in silk and grain business. The Xu family was very close to the big merchants in Hangzhou Prefecture, Huzhou Prefecture and other places. Not to mention Dinghai County, the Xu family accounted for at least half of the silk and grain business in Ningbo Prefecture. Not long ago, Xu Huaiyuan, the head of the Xu family, had just taken over a big order. He wanted to make a big profit, but he caught up with the Japanese plague. The goods he received were impossible to transport into Ningbo for sale, but the money had been paid, and the losses in the Xu family were borne by the Xu family. Xu Huaiyuan is now living in Hangzhou Prefecture like the year. If Dinghai County is really closed for ten days as the government said, but if it is closed for a month or two, the loss of the Xu family would be too great.

This young man is Xu Yan, the only son of Xu Huaiyuan. Because he was born in autumn, his nickname was Qiu Ge. Although Xu Yan was fifteen years old, the Xu family's grandmother still liked to call him his nickname in private.

Xu Yan nodded slightly when he heard this and replied in a harmonious voice: "I understand."

Xu Yan respectfully bowed to Xu Chen's family and then retreated.

After leaving the flower hall, Xu Yan walked along the Zhuanshou Lingering and passed through the two moon gates before coming to his yard.

As soon as they entered the yard, Shutong Shuangxi came up to welcome him.

"Young Master, has the madam figured it out?"

Shuangxi is about the same age as Xu Yan, but she is obviously very thin and dressed in a blue hood, as if she is about to fall down when the wind blows.

Xu Yan nodded slightly: "I have figured it out, but we still have to prevent problems before they happen."

Shuangxi scratched her head and said, "Aren't these Japanese pirates here to show off their power? What can I do to guard against?"

Xu Yan paused and said, "How long is the fruits, vegetables and vegetables in our family long enough to eat?"

"Ah? I'm asking this. But I guess ten days and half a month are definitely enough."

Xu Yan frowned and took a long time to let out a breath.

"That won't work. Go and tell the butler quickly to make up for the needs of at least one month."

"this......"

Shuangxi looked embarrassed and said, "Young Master, what are we going to buy so many fruits, vegetables and vegetables in one go? These things are not like grain. If you buy them after eating them, they are still fresh, right?"

Xu Yan shook his head and said, "If you don't go, then I'll go."

After saying that, he threw his robe and sleeves toward the cross-yard where the butler Xu Bin was.

Xu Bin's cross-yard is not far from Xu Yan's yard, and in a short while Xu Yan has already walked here.

Xu Bin was taking care of flowers and plants in the yard. When he saw his young master coming, he quickly put down his work and walked forward quickly.

"Young Master, why are you here in person? You can ask someone to call me?"

Xu Bin is short and has very small eyes. When she smiles, her eyes narrowed into a slit.

"It's important, I have to explain it to you in person."

Seeing his young master looking solemn, Xu Bin also curled his smile and looked at him as if he was listening attentively.

"Please speak for yourself, Master."

"How long is the fruits, vegetables and vegetables in the house to eat enough?"

Xu Bin was stunned when he heard this. Obviously, he didn't expect why this arrogant young master would care about these trivial matters.

After all, it is impossible for anyone to shorten the meal. Xu Yan is not shortened.

"Ah, ten days are definitely enough."

Xu Bin's eyes rolled and he replied very respectfully.

But this answer cannot satisfy Xu Yan.

“Too few.”

Xu Yan shook his head: "You can send people to buy more quickly, and at least ensure the stock in one month."

Xu Bin was extremely confused, but he still smiled and said, "Young Master, we have always prepared fruits and vegetables in our house for about ten days, and we will buy them after we are almost finished. This is the rule set by the master..."

When Xu Yan saw the butler take out his father to suppress him, he sneered in his heart.

"Why, is my young master so useless? Now that Japanese pirates are raging, the county magistrate has ordered the city to be closed. What if there is not enough food when the time comes? If you are worried about storage, you can buy more cabbage that can last."

After all, Xu Bin was just a housekeeper. Seeing that his young master was talking so heavily, he immediately smiled and said, "Look at what you said, isn't it just to store more fruits and vegetables? I'll do it now."

After saying that, Xu Bin bowed deeply to Xu Yan and wanted to turn around and leave.

"etc!"

"What are the instructions for the young master?"

"Check how much grain is still stored on the grain shop cabinet and report a number to me."

"I'll do it here."

Xu Yan looked at Xu Bin's back gradually fading away, and sighed.

The reason why he asked Xu Bin to prepare more fruits and vegetables was naturally not because of panic, but because he knew that the Japanese attack would last for nearly a month.

Of course, Xu Yan cannot predict the future. He was able to make such a judgment because his soul came from later generations at this moment.

The incident happened half a month ago. At that time, the young master of the Xu family suffered from a cold and had a high fever that did not subside, and he also fell into a coma.

Xu Chen hired several doctors to cure his son. But at this time, Xu Yan was no longer the Xu Yan he used to be. His soul came from a history professor who had the same name and surname as him in later generations.

This Xu Yan specializes in the history of the Jiajing Dynasty in the Ming Dynasty, especially in Ningbo's local prefecture and county agendas.

He once clearly remembered that the Dinghai County Chronicle clearly recorded that a major event occurred in May of the 26th year of Jiajing, and Japanese pirates ravaged the coast of Ningbo Prefecture for a month!

What he and Xu Chen said just now were of course some relief words, but when Xu Yan learned that there were insufficient fruits and vegetables at home, he couldn't sit still.

If you want to buy fruits and vegetables in the mansion after ten days, it will be a sky-high price. So no matter what, Xu Yan has to let Xu Bin save enough for a month to prevent problems before it happens.

......
Chapter completed!