After leaving Pang Gong's place, Zhou Jun returned to the concierge and saw Liu Zai standing outside the door, looking at the lakes and mountains, the egrets dancing in the air, and his poetry was flourishing.
Walking to Liu Zai's side, Zhou Jun invited him to go to the other garden to get together.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zai was so intoxicated by the beautiful scenery of Bachuan that he was not in a hurry to enter the garden. He just said to Zhou Jun: "Let's go and do your work on Tuesday. It's still early, so I plan to go to the front to have a look."
Zhou Jun knew that Liu Zai's heart was in the mountains and rivers, so he no longer forced him to do anything. He just called for the elder of the Fan family who was on duty in the concierge and told him that Liu Zai was an honored guest and he should accompany him carefully.
The eldest son of the Fan family agreed and led Liu Zai to Xiezhou in Bachuan.
Zhou Jun quickly turned around and walked quickly towards the inner garden.
When he arrived at the gate connecting the Zhongyuan and the Inner Garden, Zhou Jun saw a lock hanging on it and noisy voices coming from inside, and he couldn't help but feel doubtful.
He found the nearby patrolling Bu Qu and asked him to open the door. Zhou Jun stepped into the inner garden and was so shocked by the sight in front of him that he took a breath of cold air.
I saw hundreds of people, men and women, old and young, rushing between the buildings and courtyards of the inner garden.
Weeders were weeding, people were dredging, people were fishing, and boatmen were shouting slogans as they loaded cartloads of gravel and wood into small boats, and then drove out of the garden along the meandering stream in the inner garden.
Zhou Jun took two steps forward and saw a group of children running out of the grass playfully. Some were holding a vegetable snake in their hands, while others were holding two giant rats.
Seeing those children locking snakes and rats into bamboo cages and then getting into the grass in groups, Zhou Jun could not help but be surprised.
Entering the depths of the inner garden, Zhou Jun saw Kong You, dressed in commoner clothes, standing in the inner courtyard from a distance, holding a book in one hand and a writing brush in the other, talking to an old man.
Zhou Jun walked over and called Kong You's name.
The latter turned around after hearing the words, saw the person coming, walked over quickly, saluted, and said: "Erlang."
Zhou Jun looked at the busy people around him and asked Kong You: "Where do these people come from?"
Kong You turned around and gestured behind him. The old man he had been talking to before looked at Zhou Jun's official robes, hesitated for a moment, and finally came over.
Zhou Jun looked at the old man and saw that he was dressed as a farmer. He was not young, but his face was rosy and his body was strong.
Kong You introduced: "This is Mr. Zhou, the master of a certain family. He is not only the steward of this garden, but also an errand in the imperial city."
When the old man heard this, his body trembled, and he quickly bowed to Zhou Jun and sang.
Zhou Junxu helped the old man and looked at Kong You again.
Kong You added: "This person is the village chief and Guan Weng of Baqiao Village."
Zhou Jun smiled and nodded towards the old man.
Guan Weng plucked up the courage, bowed to Zhou Jun and said, "Guard Zhou, the harvest in Baqiao Village this year is probably not as good as in previous years. A lot of fields have been expropriated, and the river products are nowhere to be found."
"Eighty-nine households in the village had originally planned to tighten their belts and survive this year."
"Thanks to your kindness, this has given the villagers a way to survive. I would like to express my gratitude here!"
After talking about it, Guan Weng became so emotional that he almost burst into tears. He bent down and bowed to Zhou Jun.
Zhou Jun was startled and hurriedly helped him up.
After saying a few words of relief, Zhou Jun was filled with doubts and just glanced at Kong You beside him.
Kong You just smiled.
After Guan Weng left, Zhou Jun asked Kong You, "Bo Hong, what's going on?"
Kong You stretched out his hand to guide the way and said, "Erlang, let's talk as we walk."
Zhou Jun nodded and followed Kong You's footsteps.
Just listen to Kong You say: "Since taking over the errand of cleaning the inner garden, I have sorted out the things to be done first."
"The courtyard is overgrown with weeds, the creek is clogged with silt, the furniture is damaged and needs to be replaced, the courtyard walls are in disrepair, and snakes, rats and waterweed are rampant."
Zhou Jun sighed: "Everything is complicated and difficult."
Kong You: "Indeed. I have done some calculations, including weeding, fence maintenance, flower planting, pruning, dredging, carpentry, brickwork, and arrests. Each one is a huge expense, all added up.
The cost is staggering to hear.”
After Zhou Jun heard this, he looked at the busy Bachuan villagers and understood a little, and asked: "So, you paid these people to help clean up?"
Kong You smiled softly: "Erlang, please listen to me slowly."
"First of all, I wrote a charter about the setbacks of cleaning up the inner garden and reported it to Mr. Pang."
"With his approval, I let go and did the next thing."
"Secondly, I asked Duke Pang to order the slaves to enter the inner garden first, and move the valuable utensils and palace belongings to the central garden first, and find a safe place to preserve them."
"Again, a certain person asked Mr. Pang to lock the gate from the Zhongyuan to the Inner Garden, and no one was allowed to leave or enter."
"Finally, a certain person went to Baqiao Village, not far from Bachuan Villa, found Muramasa and asked him if he had a profitable business and would he be willing to do it?"
Zhou Jun heard this and said curiously: "A way to make money?"
Kong You led Zhou Jun into a courtyard in the inner garden.
Zhou Jun looked at it from a distance and saw that the inner courtyard was very elegantly built, but over time, it looked like an abandoned mansion.
Walking into the hall, Zhou Jun saw many villagers dismantling dilapidated tables, chairs and bed cabinets.
Sawdust and scraps were scattered all over the floor.
Seeing Kong You coming in, the villagers quickly stopped their work and all bowed to the former.
Kong You waved his hand, indicating for them to continue.
He took one piece of wood that had just been sawed and neatly stacked on the ground, brought it to Zhou Jun, and asked, "Does Erlang know this piece of wood?"
Zhou Jun looked at it and shook his head.
Kong You: "The inner garden was originally the residence of the palace family. Both the wood and the inlays are of the highest quality."
"The piece of wood I have in my hand is called Dalbergia rosewood. A single piece of wood was transported from the south. If it has both marrow lines and ghost lines, its value can be compared to an equal weight of gold."
Zhou Jun was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and quickly looked down again.
Kong You played with the wood in his hand and said: "The inner garden has not been taken care of for a long time, and the Dalbergia rosewood has not been covered with wax for many years. In addition, the water vapor in Bachuan River is humid, and the surface is rotten and full of cavities. The value has been reduced a lot. Naturally, wealthy people will look at it.
No more."
"But if you carefully plan the rotten wood outside, wrap it in tung oil, and make it into a small piece such as a paperweight, find a knowledgeable shop and negotiate a good price, you can get enough copper for a family for half a year.
Spend."
Kong You threw the piece of wood back to the villagers, then passed through the back hall, entered the compartment, and said to Zhou Jun: "In addition to the rosewood, there are also some red sour wood, silk tassels, ancient mirrors and other items. Although they are exquisite
It’s different, but if you handle it carefully, you can still sell it for some copper coins.”
Zhou Jun suddenly realized after hearing this, and finally understood Kong You's intention.
It turned out that Kong You negotiated with the villagers of Bachuan Village and asked them to help clean up the entire inner garden by taking scrap furniture as a reward.
Kong You left the yard again and took Zhou Jun to the lake in the inner garden. He pointed at the boats that kept going back and forth on the lake and said, "Look, Erlang, have you found anything?"
Zhou Jun looked around and saw the boatmen busy on the lake divided into two groups.
One group of people was using dustpans and shovels to clean the mud in the inner garden waters; another group of people was rowing a small boat filled with fish, shrimp and materials, heading towards the Bahe River.
Kong You said: "The inner lake of Bachuan Villa has winding streams like a net and pavilions like shuttles. They are connected to each other. The mouth of the lake is also connected to the Bahe River."
"It's just that it has been abandoned for a long time and is blocked by mud and aquatic plants."
"The villagers of Baqiao Village are originally fishermen and boatmen. If they want to go into the inner garden to collect materials, it is naturally more convenient to go by water than by land."
"Therefore, the work of clearing the silt and opening up the Quxi River is a logical first priority for them."
"Even if someone doesn't say anything, they will naturally do it."
When Zhou Jun heard this, he sighed.
This Kong Bohong, when it came to cleaning up the inner garden, asked the villagers of Baqiao Village to come and dismantle and take away the waste materials in the inner garden, truly complying with Pang Gong's previous words.
What a great helper I found.
Firstly, the workers who cleaned the courtyard were found without spending a penny; secondly, the old damaged furniture was dismantled and transported out of the garden; thirdly, the mud in Quxi and Hukou was removed, and the other
The interior of the garden now has direct access to the Bahe River; all around, the villagers of Baqiao Village are grateful and virtuous.
Kill four birds with one stone.
When Zhou Jun was sighing, Kong You added: "When the waterways and courtyards are all cleaned up, the village manager has said that they will also do the work of planting flowers, pruning branches and repairing the courtyard walls."
Zhou Jun was stunned.
It turned out to be killing five birds with one stone.
Kong You: "The only things left to do are to purchase new equipment and repair the interiors of the rooms in the hall."
"Now it seems that maybe I was a little more cautious when I said it was limited to one month."
Zhou Jun patted Kong You's arm and said, "We have guests tonight, why don't you come and join me at the table, Bo Hong?"
This chapter has been completed!