In Beijing in October, the falling snowflakes are like catkins, dry and rough. If they were not white, they would be the same as sand.
The howling north wind was like blades, cutting people's faces in pain, so pedestrians wrapped themselves up tightly for fear of being blown down.
On the wide official road, donkey carts drove slowly, forming a long queue, heading towards the city of Beijing, which was dozens of miles away.
On the donkey cart, piles of honeycomb briquettes were piled up, and worn-out reed mats were covered on top to prevent snowflakes. It was like a huge mountain, making the donkey panting and spitting out hot air.
On both sides, a large amount of attractive black is exposed.
As the donkey cart jolted, some debris inevitably leaked from the bottom, leaving black ruts.
Each vehicle is equipped with a handlebar type, wearing a hat and waving a whip to keep the entire fleet in order.
"There are no potholes ahead!" Liu Laosan ran back from the front panting and said to the people driving the car:
"It's just the same, it's uphill—"
"Got it!" Liu Qi, the leader of the team, rubbed his temples, and with some embarrassment, took out a bunch of money from his belt and prepared to hand it to Liu Laosan.
He took it back halfway, feeling uneasy. He counted it again and made sure the number was correct before giving it to him.
Liu Laosan watched eagerly, then took the copper coins over and counted them again before putting them in his bag and running forward.
He is the sentry of the motorcade. Although he does not have to drive the vehicle, he inspects whether the road ahead is safe and takes care of chores along the way.
After running a few hundred steps, we came to an uphill slope.
This is Chenjialing, which has an uphill slope of about 300 steps and a downhill slope of 400 steps. Pedestrians can easily climb over it, and even horse-drawn carriages can climb over it with a strong effort.
Only a donkey cart with too heavy a load would be difficult to climb over without the help of manpower.
At this time, farmers and children near Chenjialing started a manpower business to help passing vehicles cross the ridge.
"Hey!" A strong man came over carrying a pole covered with hemp rope, rubbing his hands and wearing a shabby cotton coat: "Old rules?"
Liu Laosan said angrily: "Of course, do you still want to increase the price?"
"That's not necessarily true." The big man pointed to the ground and said, "When it snows for a while, the road will be more difficult to walk. The fare will definitely increase."
“You are regular customers, so it’s cheaper!”
Liu Laosan was furious, but he had no choice but to reluctantly take out a bunch of money from his bag:
"Five cents per person, two cents for a middle-aged man, and a total of one hundred cents. Just look at the arrangements. My ten cars must cross the ridge safely."
With that said, he deducted ten coins from one hundred coins and gave the rest to the big man.
The big man frowned and took the money decisively.
Then he got busy and about twenty people, both men and women, hurried toward the donkey cart below.
This group of villagers moved forward or behind, retreated or pulled. With a lot of effort, they brought all the donkey carts across the ridge in two quarters of an hour. Only a few pieces of briquettes fell down and were picked up by them.
After crossing the ridge, Liu Qi said unhappily: "Next time, watch carefully and move faster. These pieces of coal are worth more than ten coins!"
A piece of honeycomb briquette weighs one catty and eight taels, and its market price is three cents.
Liu Laosan could only agree. He understood that he was looking for a way to make up for the ten coins!
It's just that the loss is public property, so we can only pretend to be deaf and dumb.
The road was calm and the crowds on the official road were sparse. Although it had been two or three years, Liu Qi still felt as if he had lived in another world:
"These peaceful days are so wonderful!"
"That is, otherwise it would be the arrival of the Holy King!"
When Liu Laosan saw the city wall of Beijing in the distance, he also returned to the team and echoed: "The thieves are gone, the rebels are gone, and the taxes are reduced. This is a happy life..."
The convoy paid entry fees, two cents for each person and ten cents for the carriage and horse.
Exit from the left and enter from the right. No matter how wide the doorway is, you have to queue up to get in and out.
Soon, the convoy came to a courtyard facing the street, where a "coal" flag was flying, and people came with their families to buy coal.
This is a popular coal shop in recent years. It is found every one or two streets. Beijingers cannot live without coal in winter.
Of course, there are also firewood sold along the street, as long as the smell of smoke is not too strong, the price is cheaper anyway.
"Finally here!" The boy came out and was excited to see the donkey cart.
"The snow is getting heavier and heavier, and there are so many people shopping that the yard is completely collapsed."
Carloads of briquettes were unloaded, counted one by one, and moved to the yard for sale.
Soon, the money was settled.
The transportation fee and coal cost totaled thirty silver dollars.
Excluding the donkey chews eaten by people, the expenses on the road, and the money spent on buying coal, the net profit is ten silver dollars.
One round trip for half a month, each person can earn two silver dollars a month.
You can also make a lot of money by transporting some rare items from the capital and selling them along the way.
This is much better than digging for food in the ground.
During the ten-day break, Wang Fuzhi borrowed a carriage and planned to buy two hundred pieces of coal for the winter. However, thinking that his wife and children had just arrived in Beijing this autumn, he bought another two hundred pieces.
"Why did you buy so much?" His wife Tao, wearing a Jingchai sarong, held the hand of her eight-year-old son Wang Hao. The eldest son Wang Fu, who was 12 years old in front of her, looked at a cart of coal excitedly.
"Dad, what is this?"
“Winter in Beijing is tough, so it’s always good to buy more.”
Wang Euzhi smiled and then replied to his son: "This is briquettes."
"oh!"
At this time, the lively scene disturbed other people in the courtyard.
There are three families living in the small courtyard.
"Brother Wang, it seems I have to buy coal too."
Huang Zongxi walked out with his book and couldn't help laughing when he saw the sparse snow in the courtyard and the scattered firewood in the corner.
"Go quickly, Brother Huang, it's hard to buy coal."
Wang Fuzhi said softly.
He was quite fond of this young man.
"It just so happens that I can lend you your carriage, let's go together!"
Huang Zongxi smiled and glanced at the couple carrying coal.
"However, your family of four cannot have two stoves?"
"Ah? That's right!" The scar on Wang Fuzhi's face moved, and then he suddenly realized: "It seems that I have to accompany you."
Where coal is sold, stoves are also sold.
Many people just don't want to spend money on stoves, so they don't use briquettes.
An iron coal stove costs half a silver dollar, and non-middle-class families cannot afford it.
Living in the capital was not easy, but Wang Fuzhi was not stingy about it.
Although he held the position of Zhongshu in the cabinet, he was still a Hanlin official and received two salaries. With occasional financial support from his family, he could still maintain his position.
While the two were chatting and laughing, they passed by a bank and saw dozens of fastmen with knives on their waists filing in in a menacing manner.
Huang Zongxi couldn't bear his temper and asked the government officials for information. Finally, he could only ask a colleague to find out.
"Brother Wang, this bank lends money to people, and the interest rate is as high as 50%, and the interest is compounded on interest. After nine outings and thirteen returns, someone reported it and was investigated and punished by the county government."
Huang Zongxi sighed: "I heard that many officials in the capital were having a hard time, so they asked them to borrow money. As a result, the profits compounded, so they had to work as officials outside to get money and pay back the money."
"Some even want to send someone to be a master for no money..."
"How can a merchant be bold?"
Wang Fuzhi was shocked.
Since ancient times, the power of officials has been inviolable. Businessmen dare to encroach on the power of scholars. Isn't this courting death?
"Being driven by greed and trying to steal power with money is a recipe for death."
Huang Zongxi was also angry: "After all, this matter is also a scandal and can only be handled secretly by the county government, so we have not heard about it."