The seven of them were so drunk that day that they lay down on the mats in the living room and fell asleep.
Chen Mu was still awake, so he helped them get a few quilts from Liu Yuanqi overnight to cover them up. The weather was cold in early spring, and it was easy to catch cold without covering them with quilts.
That night, it began to rain in Zhuo County. The spring rain was as precious as oil. The patter of rain hit the bamboo house, making a crackling sound.
The next morning, when everyone got up, they still felt a little dizzy. The high strength of the strong alcohol was really on their heads.
"This quilt..."
Everyone touched the quilts on their bodies and looked at each other, wondering who had covered them.
At this time, Chen Mu came in with hot soup and said with a smile: "Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, brother Gongsun and brother Deran, get up early and have a bowl of soup."
"Fourth brother, did you cover us with quilts?"
Liu Bei got up from the mat.
Chen Mu placed the hot soup on the table and responded: "Well, I saw that my brothers drank too much last night, so I was afraid that you would catch cold."
"Wuhu."
Jian Yong stretched out and came out of the room. He smelled the aroma of hot soup and opened his eyes wide: "There is still soup to drink. Zigui is so considerate. It just warms the stomach."
After that, he went to get the soup without any rules. Everyone knew about his virtues and didn't care.
Gongsun Zan was quite moved.
This is how making friends with people works. If both parties feel comfortable, then they can become friends. If both of them feel uncomfortable, they will naturally not be able to communicate with each other.
After drinking the hot soup, Liu Bei finally came to his senses. He breathed a long sigh of relief, shook his head and said, "Although Fourth Brother's wine is good, you can't drink it often. I only drank three or four bowls last night, and I felt that
He's unconscious."
"If this wine can be sold."
Gongsun Zan's heart moved.
Chen Mu said with a smile: "Brother Gongsun, if you like this wine, I will give you the recipe."
Gongsun Zan was surprised and delighted, and said: "How...how can this be done?"
"Eh."
Chen Mu replied nonchalantly: "Brother Gongsun has been my eldest brother's friend for many years, so he is also our brother. There is no harm between brothers."
How to exchange a distilled liquor recipe for the help of a tool man in the future capture of Jizhou is a good deal.
Liu Bei smiled and patted Gongsun Zan on the shoulder: "Bogui, why are you and my brother so polite?"
"Xuande..."
Gongsun Zan was deeply moved. He was a smart man and saw the commercial value of this wine.
It's cold in the north. Wuheng and Xianbei both live in the grasslands outside the Great Wall. It's fine in the summer, but in winter it's dozens of degrees below zero and freezing to death in the ice and snow.
Therefore, the Hu people in the north have a great demand for wine. Many wealthy people in Youzhou made their fortune by trading with the Hu people. They used grain, wine, water, weapons, and the Hu people to buy horses and sheep skins and sell them from south to north.
If this high-altitude wine can be sold to barbarians, I am afraid that I will soon be able to monopolize Youzhou's alcohol trading industry in a short period of time. It will not be a problem to become the richest man in Youzhou within three to five years.
But he could see it, how could Liu Bei not see it. He was engaged in business activities when weaving mats and selling shoes. He had been in business in his early years and had a business acumen.
Liu Bei gave himself the wine recipe so generously. This was giving him the opportunity to become the richest man in Youzhou. How could Gongsun Zan not be moved?
Good brothers for many years!
Gongsun Zan sighed in his heart, it would be worthwhile to have such a brother in life and death.
"[Bayi Chinese Website www.x81zw.me] County Zun."
At this moment, someone outside the house suddenly shouted: "There is official business in the county."
Gongsun Zan went out. It had rained last night and the road was a little muddy. Outside, there were thieves from the county, Cao Li, looking for him. Maybe something happened.
"Bogui, let me see you off."
Liu Bei also followed.
Gongsun Zan scratched his head and said, "I actually wanted to send him away. Xuande just came back. I should stay with you for two more days."
Liu Bei said with a smile: "The county is busy with official business, how can I delay Bogui's time. I happen to have to go to the county to visit, so I will accompany you on the way."
"Oh well."
Since Liu Bei said so, Gongsun Zan did not insist.
Guan, Zhang and Chen came out and followed them.
The five men mounted their horses and ran towards Zhuoxian.
Arriving at the gate of Zhuoxian County, Gongsun Zan returned to the county office, while Liu Guan, Zhang Chen and others were wandering around the county town.
After not coming back for a year, Zhang Fei lamented repeatedly. Although things were not changed, Zhuo County had also undergone some changes. Some old faces had gone, but some new ones had appeared.
"Master Zhang, are you back?"
"Old Zhang, long time no see."
"Yide!"
Zhang Fei was a powerful man in Zhuo County for generations. He sold pork on the street and many people knew him.
Seeing him come back, people with different connections and status said hello one after another.
As mentioned before, powerful people can also be called adults, so the common people with lower status call Zhang Fei an adult.
Those with higher status would call him Lao Zhang, and those with closer relationships would call him Yide.
Zhang Fei responded one by one, with a look of reminiscence on his face.
I sold my ancestral property back then and left home to fight. Now I finally have the day to come back. I don’t know when I will be able to return home in rich clothes and buy back the ancestral property I sold.
Seeing that he was slightly depressed, Liu Bei patted his shoulder and comforted him: "Yide, are you homesick?"
Zhang Fei sighed and said: "My parents died early, and there are no close relatives in the clan. I don't miss my family much. I just think of my ancestral property being sold by me, and I feel a little sorry for my ancestors."
"what is this."
Chen Mu smiled and said: "When I return to Jinan, I have a hundred ways to accumulate money. When the time comes, the third brother will buy back the ancestral property."
"All right."
Zhang Fei thought that he could buy back his ancestral property in the future, and it seemed promising, and he was full of motivation.
The four of them were walking along the street and saw someone waiting at the door of the Zhang family's house from a distance.
"this is not......"
Liu Bei's eyes widened. Those two people were Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping.
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were about forty years old, tall and thin, wearing long robes and standing at the door waiting quietly.
Seeing that it was the two of them, the four of them dismounted and went to meet them.
"Xuande."
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping bowed their hands.
Liu Bei asked in surprise: "Why are you here?"
Zhang Shiping said with a smile: "When I heard that Xuande has returned, the two of us naturally wanted to welcome him."
"But......"
"Please come in."
Before he could speak, Su Shuang waved his hand inside, gesturing for the four of them to enter.
Liu, Guan, and Zhang were all confused. Only Chen Mu vaguely guessed something and glanced at the two of them in surprise.
I didn't expect that they had such a precise investment vision and actually bought the Zhang family's ancestral home in advance. They were probably trying to imitate Lü Buwei's example.
After entering the door, Zhang Fei looked at the old house where he had lived for many years, feeling filled with emotion.
After my parents left, although there were many servants in the house, I always felt that something was missing in the house and it was not as lively as before.
It's just that I sold my ancestral property to build a career. It's not hard to let go. I simply feel that I'm unfilial and haven't retained my ancestral property.
But at this moment, Zhang Shiping took out a stack of land deeds, handed them to Zhang Fei and said with a smile: "General Zhang, the property returns to its original owner."
"this......"
Zhang Fei's eyes widened in disbelief.
Liu Bei was also a little confused.
Only Chen Mu, who had quick eyes and quick hands, helped Zhang Fei take the land deed, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you both."
"Fourth brother, this is my family..."
What else did Liu Bei want to say?
Chen Mu smiled and responded: "This is someone else's wish. When we raised troops from Zhuoxian County, it was you two who supported us. Your kindness and righteousness will be borne in mind. Now my eldest brother is the Prime Minister of Jinan.
Prefect, if you two come to Jinan to do business in the future, my eldest brother will give you my full support and provide you with convenience."
Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were horse merchants in the Zhongshan Kingdom. Their purpose of doing this was also very simple. Firstly, they wanted to curry favor with Liu Bei, an emerging powerful man. Secondly, if Liu Bei continued to be promoted, they would be able to get policy support from the government and continue to expand their business.
Hearing Chen Mu's words, he was overjoyed and said, "Then leave everything to Xuande."
Liu Bei muttered in his heart, but since Chen Mu must have his reasons for doing this, he did not insist in the end and let Zhang Fei accept the land deed.
Chen Mu had already made plans.
As an economics major, he deeply understands the importance of business. If a country wants to be strong and prosperous, it must develop its economy, so supporting business is inevitable.
In ancient times, many dynasties focused on agriculture and suppressed commerce, and eventually perished due to repeated land annexations. Only in the Song Dynasty, land annexations were equally serious, but the country was very wealthy. The reason was the vigorous development of commerce.
As an economics talent, how could Chen Mu continue to follow the old path of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business, which only wanted to maintain stability and not develop?
Therefore, drastic reform of business in the future is imperative.
Several people entered the hall of the house.
Zhang Fei pointed to a mat not far away and laughed and said: "Hahaha, eldest brother, second brother and fourth brother, do you remember? This is where we discussed whether to stay in Youzhou to fight against the Yellow Turbans, or to go to Jizhou to follow General Lu.
"
Liu Bei showed a nostalgic look and said: "Yes, at that time, my fourth brother's words gave me a sudden enlightenment and made me see the sun."
Guan Yu also smiled and said: "It is here that the four of us are bound to each other for life and death and make an oath."
Well, Zhang Fei and I have been saying "me too".
Chen Mu cursed in his heart and said, "Unknowingly, a year has passed. I wonder how the Taoyuan is doing?"
Zhang Fei slapped his forehead: "Yes, my manor."
Zhang Shiping smiled and said: "Don't worry, General Zhang, I often send people to take care of it. It is spring in February now, and the cross-stitched flowers will be in full bloom soon."
"Let's go and have a look."
Zhang Fei was so excited that he took Liu Bei's hand and headed towards Taoyuan.
The land owned by powerful people in the Eastern Han Dynasty was generally divided into three types: one was the large houses in the city, the other was the manors outside the city, and the third was the fields scattered throughout the county.
Taoyuan is Zhang Fei's manor, located just outside the city.
The six people rode over and saw that the door of the manor was wide open. Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang's servants were already waiting at the door. Before they even got close, the fragrance of peach blossoms overflowing came to them.
It's mid-February now, and the peach trees will have to wait until early March to bloom. Although they haven't bloomed yet, the branches and leaves are already green, and the flowers are in bud.
The six people walked in, the breeze blew, the warm sunshine fell, and the peach branches and leaves swayed gently in the wind.
In the endless sea of peach trees, you can faintly see the open space in the center.
"I'm back, my peach garden."
Zhang Fei opened his arms and stood under the peach tree, looking up at the sky.
Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Chen Mu followed behind, and all three of them could feel Zhang Fei's excitement.
I still remember that at this time last year, the four brothers were engaged in military training here. After recruiting local warriors in Zhuoxian County, they held several banquets in Taoyuan. The banquet was lively with singing, drinking, and dancing.
Although many people are now buried in other places, the memories of the past are still vivid in our minds. Looking back on them, people always feel excited and excited.
Chen Mu said loudly: "Now that we have returned to Taoyuan, how can we not drink, sing and dance?"
"right."
Liu Bei's eyes lit up, he looked at Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang and said, "You two, do you have drums, harp and wine?"
Su Shuang said with a smile: "Already prepared."
He said and clapped his hands.
The servants carried vats of wine, two drums, a guqin and several straw mats, and placed them in the open space in the center of the peach garden.
The breeze blows, the peach leaves swirl and fall, the half-open and half-closed petals flutter in the wind, and a faint fragrance overflows from the stamens.
"Second brother, third brother and fourth brother, do you still remember what we said together when we were sworn brothers in Taoyuan that year?"
Liu Bei closed his eyes and stood in front of the drum, recalling the heroic ambitions made by everyone during the expedition last year.
"Remember!"
The three of them responded in unison.
"Boom!"
Liu Bei hit the drum and shouted loudly: "We are sworn brothers in Taoyuan, and we are discussing military affairs to support the country."
"Buzz!"
Guan Yu brandished his sword and made a crisp sound: "Beautiful scenery is easy to say goodbye to, but time is even harder to retain."
"Ding!"
Zhang Fei struck the bronze bell and murmured: "With the ambition to serve the country, the flying horse gallops forward."
"bass!"
Chen Mu played the guqin lightly and sang loudly: "A general who dies in a hundred battles will make history last forever."
In an instant, it was like a silver vase being broken, water slurry bursting out, and the cavalry protruding with swords and guns.
The sound of drums, bells, piano and even the vigorous sound of sword dancing suddenly collided together, erupting into a fierce collision.
The horse's hooves are flying with dust and changing color, and the cold wind is whistling around the long pole.
The intensive sound of drums and bells, mixed with the sound of the piano, has a slightly chilling air, like the vast sea water constantly washing the coast, with endless waves rushing in again and again.
After several consecutive high-pitched rhythms, the rapid drumming gradually slowed down, the bells drifted leisurely, and the piano solo sounded like regret, like mourning, and like the end.
After the high is the low.
The drum beats softly, like a hero in his twilight years.
The bells ring mournfully, as if they are getting old.
the river is long and tempestuous, it was like a hero.
The garden full of peach blossoms swayed in the wind, their petals flying.
Guan Yu danced to the end, as if exhausted, he stood tall with his sword in his hand and slowly fell down.
The drums ceased, the bells ceased, and the swords and spears ceased.
"bass!"
With the last shrill sound of the piano, the song ended.
The lingering sound goes away with the wind.
The dusk song stops slowly.
In the evening, the sun sets, and the gorgeous sunset covers the night sky.