Unlike autumn, when the reds and greens fade away, in the cold winter months, there are no other colors to enjoy except wintersweet.
When Wu Xian came, he saw Mrs. Mi from a distance smiling at her under the eaves. The peonies on her temples were so beautiful that they made her even more charming than flowers. He was originally curious about where to find peonies at this time of year, but when he took a closer look, he realized that this peony was very beautiful.
That peony.
Mrs. Mi Zi saw his eyes curious.
He smiled and said, "My wife rewarded me today."
Wu Xian was surprised: "You mean madam?"
Where did Madam get it?
After asking, I remembered that Wen Zhu came back from Heyin yesterday and said that he had brought some New Year gifts to the female relatives in the backyard. He had specially reported this to him. When asked what they were, Xu Jie only said that they were
"Flower", Wu Xian didn't pay much attention to it.
Now that I look at it, it looks exquisite.
It was very windy at the door, and it was no place to talk.
"Father!" The sleepy son got up when he heard the noise, trotted on his calves, and almost threw himself into his arms.
Wu Xian was very strict with his two legitimate sons and often treated them with high demands, but he was not so strict with his young bastard. He doted on him as much as he could. There were only a few years in his life when he could hold his son on his lap and sit down without restraint.
"Have you finished what Mr. taught you today?"
"After studying, father, do you want to teach your son to take the test?" The son replied in a sweet voice, with a bit of nervousness and apprehension on his face.
Wu Xian smiled and said, "Okay, let me test you."
It was said to be a test, but in fact it was just a few questions, and he could easily pass the test - after all, he was still young and had no real qualifications, so naturally Wu Xian's requirements for him were not too high.
It was cold inside the house, so Mrs. Mi asked her maid to fill the charcoal basin.
Wu Xian was inspired and said: "Previously, the annotation told me that every household in Heyin has a clay kang, which can be kept warm in the winter without burning charcoal. Although the charcoal fire can be used for heating, ordinary people cannot afford it. Every time
Winter is extremely difficult.”
Mrs. Mi is good at observing words and expressions.
Seeing that Wu Xian had grown taller, he smiled and asked, "Although I don't know what this earthen kang is, since it can keep you warm, you must have something to burn. Can the common people afford it?"
Wu Xian took a sip of the warm water she handed him and said, "It can be hay, straw or even animal manure."
"Isn't it easy to make an earthen bed?"
Wu Xian shook his head: "I heard it's very simple."
Mrs. Mizi then asked: "Then why don't you follow suit?"
Wu Xian said nothing.
It wasn't that he wasn't moved, or that he was so kind and soft-hearted that he couldn't pick up the sheep like Shen Tang, but all year round, he caught a bunch of leeks to cut and a lamb to pick up, and this old face felt a little embarrassed.
The outside world really thought that the two of them were "deeply in love"...
No matter how thick-skinned you are, you can't just take advantage of others.
the most important is--
He has to think about how to open this mouth!
He didn't say it, but Mrs. Mizi subtly read his mind - he only needed one step now.
"I am not like a wise man, I don't know a few words, and I don't understand those big principles. But when I was a child, my family was poor and I couldn't afford charcoal. I suffered from cold and exhaustion, and sores on my hands and feet. But I will never forget it... If this is the case,
Tukang can help poor people not be afraid of wind and snow, and I don't know how many innocent lives can be saved... Lord Shen has always been kind, if he knew that a good man was dedicated to serving the people, how could he not respond? "
It's definitely not okay to steal someone else's kang-building skills.
But you can "buy" it.
Either buy the "patent" for people to build the kang, or hire craftsmen who are good at this to build the kang and pay the workers.
Based on the "brotherly relationship" between Wu Xian and Shen Tang, the friendship price can still be obtained after careful discussion between the two parties.
Wu Xiandao: "This is very true."
He slapped his thigh and decided to write a letter to Shen Tang, using the excuse that "My beloved concubine, Mrs. Mi, had frostbite and couldn't stand the cold. However, the charcoal fire was choking and her health was not easy." He used it as a stepping stone to hire craftsmen with Shen Tang. The sky and the sea build a kang.
It would be best if you could buy this craft.
There are few craftsmen, and no matter how skilled the craftsmanship is, it takes time, and the efficiency is too slow. It is better to let others learn it and then promote it on a large scale. Wu Xian sat and thought for a while, planning to sell the earthen kang to Shangnan and Yiru, and bring the two families together. Pull it down too.
The three companies will share the "patent fees" equally!
The abacus in Wu Xian's heart was crackling.
He had an idea in mind, and out of the corner of his eye he was attracted by the peonies in Mrs. Mi's hair. After asking, he found out that there were more than a dozen velvet flowers sent by Xu Jie, and the concubines in the backyard were all given two or three flowers. Most of them were wintersweet, black tea, and peonies. Only two.
Although the current hierarchy is not as strict as in the past, Mrs. Mi's status does not allow peonies to be worn on her hairpins, and she is not even allowed to use them as patterns on her clothes. The principal lady gave one to her, saying that it was a delicate color and looked good on her.
"What's wrong with this flower?"
"There's nothing wrong with it, it really matches your skin tone. Wear it in your own courtyard, and if you go out, wear it with something else, so as not to get gossiped about." Wu Xian tilted his hands relaxedly and changed the subject with a smile, " Brother Shen is also interesting, and he is so proficient in these gadgets... However, this is a trail after all. If you have this energy, you might as well recruit more troops... I don’t know how many years the current situation will be stable. I heard that people everywhere are being attacked by that gang. The homeless grass bandits cost half their lives... Brother Shen, isn't this a cause for concern?"
Shen Tang has a good reputation.
Shen Tang loves making money.
Or lead and rule the common people to make money.
The purpose of reclaiming wasteland is to provide the common people with enough food to eat, to raise pigs to provide the common people with extra income, to build houses and build kangs to provide the common people with a comfortable place to shelter from the wind and rain, and to protect them from the severe cold. Even in the slack time of farming, what kind of velvet flowers are there? It’s just to allow the people under the rule to make more small money...
As long as it is not for the purpose of accumulating wealth, recruiting soldiers, and strengthening himself, it is a good thing for Wu Xian.
After all, there is a neighbor who sharpens his knife all day long, is full of enthusiasm, and jumps up and down. He can't sleep well. A good little brother can't be stronger than him, nor can he be more noisy than him. This is just the right moment.
He was happy to see Shen Tang focus on the common people.
Mrs. Mizi was confused: "Why is it a trail?"
Wu Xian changed to a more comfortable sitting position: "It is not a good thing for a child to be pregnant with a rich man in a busy city. If Brother Shen was born in a prosperous era of peace and prosperity, he must be a parent-official who is loved and supported by the people wherever he goes. However, in today's world, .No matter how much money and food the common people under the rule of Shen Di have in their hands, if they encounter desperadoes who force their way into their homes, they will most likely end up losing both their money and their lives... Like those refugees before, many of them turned into bandits and robbed in order to survive. Other people’s money and food..."
Wu Xian chuckled and said quietly: "...Robbery is much faster than a little planning."
When Mrs. Mi Zi heard this, she subconsciously brewed up a sentence in her heart that made her sweat all over her body just thinking about it - Can that virtuous man rob others? Fortunately, the words rolled around on the tip of her tongue twice and she swallowed them back secretly. .
It was not that Wu Xian had not noticed the strange look on Mrs. Mi's face, and he could roughly guess what she was thinking.
"Then, let's put it this way - Mr. Shen doesn't even have the troops to deal with the desperadoes?" Mrs. Mi Zi patted her sleepy little son again and again, with an expression that seemed to be confused.
"To deal with ordinary desperadoes, of course." Wu Xian was worried that the fat boy would crush Mrs. Mi, so he helped her carry the child aside, and continued, "But desperadoes do not fight alone, but with thousands of troops. Where is Wanma?”
"……this?"
"It's not just Brother Shen, Tianhai is the same, I just wish I was still weak." Wu Xian's eyes were filled with worry, and he didn't know how long this peaceful life could last... would it be enough for him to live to see his children grow up and start a family?
Mrs. Mi Zi also fell silent.
Wu Xian was a big-hearted person, and he quickly came out of his emo mood. He looked at the flowers on Mrs. Mi's temples, pondered for a while, and asked: "I remember that in a few days, it will be the wintersweet banquet that Madam has prepared for a long time? Are you almost ready?"
My wife became seriously ill after winter.
Because she was low on energy, she took the initiative to ask Mrs. Mi Side to help take care of the backyard chores. However, such tasks as purchasing were still left to her dowry. Mrs. Mi Side went to Mrs. Zheng's yard to do business during the day. She There are only two peony velvet flowers on the temples, which probably means to win over Mrs. Mi Fang and at the same time bring hatred to her...
The winter plum feast is a fixed event every year.
Used to contact various families and consolidate relationships with each other.
On this day, the female relatives of each family will dress up and go out.
Mrs. Mi Side said: "Yes, everything is ready."
It was also her first time to deal with this matter, and she wanted to pay close attention to every link to ensure that there was no mistake, for fear of leaving someone with a basis for criticism. She had no family background, and the only person she could rely on was her husband Wu Xian.
Relying on heirs, pampering has a place to stand.
This is not what she wants, but the funny thing is that she can only rely on these to achieve a peaceful and safe life.
What's even more ridiculous is that her current situation is already what countless women struggling in the quagmire want.
Wu Xian carefully looked at her face and the dazzling delicate peony velvet flower on her temples.
Said: "Wear this to go to the wintersweet feast."
Mrs. Mi Zi's heart skipped a beat: "But didn't Xian Lang say before... this, this is very inappropriate..."
"Quan should be reciprocating his love. Why do you think Brother Shen gave Wen Zhu the idea to send the best velvet flowers to the backyard? Isn't it because he wanted you to excel at a banquet and attract all the female relatives to imitate him? ?In this case, Brother Shen’s wish will be fulfilled, and the market tax will be collected anyway... without any loss."
Mrs. Mi Side: "..."
She thought for a while and said, "It's still inappropriate."
"Why is it inappropriate?"
Mrs. Mi Side has always been smart and witty, biting her red lips: "I am honored as a virtuous man, and I am respectfully called 'Mrs. Side', but I am a concubine after all. What do you think of the wife wearing peonies at the wintersweet banquet?"
What do all the ladies think when they see this thing on their temples? Publicly, it will hinder Xianlang’s famous places; privately, not only will this velvet flower not please you, but it will also arouse the disgust of all the ladies..."
Wu Xian was silent for a long time after hearing this, and said regretfully: "It would be great if Madam had some sense from you..."
Mrs. Mi Zi did not dare to talk to her again.
Fortunately, Wu Xian didn't use the topic to continue talking. He was actually quite depressed recently. His wife had been in charge of the middle school for many years and kept the house in perfect order. Wu Xian loved and respected him, but there was only one thing that made him
Quite a bit of criticism.
The wife has close contact with her natal family, and outsiders can see that her brothers have evil intentions.
First, he incited Wu Xian's two legitimate sons to fight, and the two children were even more unkind to their brothers and sisters who were commoners in the family. It was also inextricably linked to the assassination of Wu Xian.
However, Madam Zheng took pity on the two natal brothers and showed extreme favoritism to them. As for the pair of natal brothers... they were relatively peaceful in the past two years, but recently they started to behave like monsters again. Madam Zheng always begged Wu Xian in roundabout ways.
He wanted to use Mrs. Mizi's beating to hint to the main wife, but Mrs. Mizuo refused to cooperate.
This matter can only be given up.
Mrs. Mi was careful and advised: "The virtuous man and his wife have a deep love. They are a rare example in the world. They are envied by all the female relatives. Is there anything that cannot be said openly?"
Wu Xian asked back: "Do you know which word your husband dislikes the most?"
"Which one?"
"L."
Mrs. Mi Side: "..."
Wu Xian turned over and said with a smile: "Everything in the world is about profit, and everything in the world is about profit. Even couples who have been married for many years will become strangers in front of the word 'profit'..."
He didn't blame the wife for not wanting to clear things up with her parents' family.
As a daughter of an aristocratic family, the instinct to make money for the family is engraved in her bones. Compared with a husband who has many wives and concubines, brothers who are related to him are naturally more reliable.
He gently patted the back of Mrs. Mi's hand.
He closed his eyes and said, "That's good for you."
On the day of the wintersweet feast, the velvet flowers stole the show.
It also brought a huge wave of sales.
Ladies from various houses rushed to inquire.
Shen Tang also added many labels and advertising slogans to these velvet flowers, such as "handmade by famous artists", "carved after several months", "flowers that never wither", "lasting beauty", "the best
Flowers deserve the best of you”…
Xu Jie: "..."
Isn’t this a scam???
Shen Jun spoke eloquently.
"This is called marketing. There is a lot of knowledge. Besides - I really want to shout about how good these flowers are and how cheap they are. Why would these noble ladies put cheap flowers on their hair? Wenzhu is still young and expensive.
Only then are they worthy of their status!"
Xu Jie: "..."
Isn’t this really taking someone for granted?
In the end, he still followed Shen Tang's wishes and quoted the price as high as possible. He thought that few wrongdoers would fall for it, but within a day, a whole scroll was filled with orders. Some were for wearing by himself, and some were for giving gifts. , but without exception, everyone wanted many styles...
Isn't this faster than robbery?
Seeing that his wife wanted to join in the fun, he became even more angry and said, "I'll bring you whatever you want..."
Don't fall into this trap!
Being slaughtered for nothing!
After looking at the list, he asked again: "So many?"
The lady said angrily: "Of course there are many, don't you look at how many relatives and women in the clan... they all come to me to ask me to do something, how can this thing not be done? It won't be possible if I miss one!"
Xu Jie gritted his teeth and almost came up with the idea of reselling. It's not that he couldn't afford the money. Where is the cost of the velvet flower materials, no matter how expensive they are, they are not as expensive as gold, silver, pearls and jade. But as a businessman, he hates losing money the most. Money wasted!
This is worse than cutting his flesh.
After the New Year, he went to Heyin to purchase goods and discuss building earthen kangs on behalf of Wu Xian. Shen Tang generously sent out a skilled "craftsman" and asked him to help sell bamboo paper - yes, her papermaking workshop Finally the qualified finished product is out!
However, the output is limited, which is not enough for her to produce two 10,000-copy albums a year, and the papermaking technology still needs to be improved!
Shen Tang asked Xu Jie to inquire about the bamboo paper market, so that he could continue research and development if he had more money!
Xu Jie: "..."
Shen Jun hasn’t given up on making picture albums yet.
He also has a papermaking workshop under his name.
The supply exceeds demand every year. The Xu family can eat all of Shen Tang's batch of bamboo paper without having to go out to run business. Xu Jie stayed in Heyin for a few days, and when the first batch of velvet flowers is collected, he can take the velvet flowers with him. Return to Tianhai with the Kang builders.
until--
Wu Xian looked at the leading Kang builder and almost spit out a mouthful of tea. He choked for a few times before he calmed down.
With a speechless and tangled expression, he looked at the muscular man in front of him who had become quite darkened: "Ahem, cough, cough - if I remember correctly, you, aren't you a subordinate officer of the Dayi Account?"
The subordinate officer nodded: "That's exactly what I bid."
Wu Xian: "..."
Xu Jie lowered his head, not daring to look at his boss's face.
"...Then, why did you go to make the bed?"
Subordinate officer: "..."
This matter is difficult to describe.
He swore that he had never had this kind of hobby a year ago, but when he couldn't help but work, there was always a group of people from Heyin whom he knew very well. They would say "Soldier is working hard" and "Soldier is resting" with words of admiration and admiration. Staring at him intently.
he……
He was so shameful that he lost himself in the compliments and admiration. When he came back to his senses, his kang-building skills were exquisite. One person could make an earthen kang in half an hour, ensuring it was strong and durable, taking into account the appearance. and heating...
The subordinate officials were upset and introspective.
But Shen Jun followed closely to subsidize wages.
The compliments and adoration continued to seduce.
The subordinate officer looked at the increasingly plump private treasury and fell into some kind of contemplation - it seems, maybe, probably, a brave warrior can support his family without fighting on the battlefield?
Are you having a good day?
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
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