Chapter 132 Chapter 132 The Overly Handsome Brother

The hemp paper of the Dayan Dynasty was made from jute, while Xuan paper was made from sandalwood bark.

In addition to these two things, people in the Dayan Dynasty did not know that ramie, hemp, etc. could also be used to make paper like jute. In addition, the papermaking process was not only time-consuming, but also complicated and tedious. These techniques were only mastered by a few wealthy families. As the saying goes, things are valuable because they are rare, so paper was also sold at a high price.

Of course, paper is still relatively cheap nowadays because the royal family has taken action. It is said that the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. Although the royal family has intervened in this industry, the rich families selling paper still produce according to quantity rather than demand. The rice paper produced by the royal family alone is still not enough. After all, sandalwood bark cannot be grown in a day or two.

Therefore, it can be said that the craft of papermaking was actually controlled by the royal family and two wealthy businessmen.

Knowing this, Qi Xiu Ze couldn't help but wipe his face and lower his voice, "Brother, you didn't steal the family's secret recipe, did you? This is different from other secret recipes. If this gets out, it might be a serious crime punishable by death."

Xu Yunfan waved his hand. "What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I steal someone's ancestral secret recipe? It's just papermaking, isn't it? I can do it myself. Why would I steal this skill? Who are you looking down on?"

"You can really do it?" Qi Xiu Ze couldn't believe it.

Xu Yunfan: "Why would I lie to you? But if you say so, I plan to sell bamboo paper in the early stage to build up the market and reputation. Later on, we will make other hemp papers and leather papers to sell."

Qi Xiu Ze was already confused. "Other hemp paper? What about parchment paper?"

Xu Yunfan briefly explained, "Hemp paper is made from ramie, hemp, and jute. Parchment paper is made from tree bark, such as paper mulberry and mulberry bark. The Xuan paper you use now is a type of parchment paper. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qi Xiu Ze: “…”

Is it important to understand or not? What’s important is that Xu Yunfan can make paper!

Did Xu Yunfan miss the point?

"Yunfan, don't joke with me. Can you really make paper?"

"Of course. Look at what you're saying. Would I ever lie to you about something like this?" Xu Yunfan pushed Qi Xiu Ze. "Tell me quickly, do you want to cooperate with me, or is it because of the royal family that we can't do this business?"

"able."

Qi Xiu Ze said affirmatively, "Yes, of course. If we can really make paper, the emperor won't blame us for stealing his business. On the contrary, he will be secretly happy."

If Xu Yunfan really can use so many things to make paper, then there will be more paper and the supply will exceed the demand, so won't the price of paper go down?

The price of paper has come down, so won’t more people be able to afford to read books?

Who would benefit most if more people read?

That’s naturally the emperor.

"Oh, the current emperor is still a wise ruler?" Xu Yunfan was relieved. What he feared most was meeting such a foolish and tyrannical emperor. It would be fine if he was just incompetent, but in this era when imperial power is supreme, he holds power and can kill you with just a word.

If the emperor is wise, how can he dismember and kill all the nine generations of his family just because he dislikes someone?

Qi Xiu Ze: "Of course. The emperor is very kind now. If he weren't, the other two wouldn't even think about doing business. So don't worry. Although this business will affect the interests of the other two, you don't have to worry. We, the imperial merchants, will take care of everything. Even if things don't work out, we still have the emperor."

It is precisely because the current emperor is so merciful that he spent a huge sum of money to buy the secret recipe for papermaking from two wealthy businessmen, but he did not forbid them from making paper.

As for the masters of the two wealthy businessmen, it is said that the reason why they knew this craft was that they were slaves in Lingguo in their early years, and were enslaved by their masters to make paper. Perhaps the people of Lingguo were too arrogant and thought that these slaves had been abandoned by the emperor of Dayan Dynasty and would never escape, so they did not guard against them. Later, Dayan Dynasty sent troops to attack Lingguo and rescued them. The two men made a fortune by relying on this craft and kept this method firmly in their hands.

By controlling the output of the product, the price of paper was raised to a sky-high level, making a fortune.

Later, the emperor spent a large sum of money to buy the secret recipe for papermaking from the two men, but he did not forbid the two families from making and selling paper.

But those two families were determined to do something. The emperor intended to lower the price of paper, but they refused. I don't know what made them so bold as to go against the emperor.

Of course, the emperor is no pushover. If he hadn't gone out, the two families would have become the richest people in the area long ago, and would not have ended up being just wealthy businessmen like they are now.

If Xu Yunfan could make paper, not to mention that the Qi family would have to respect him, even if he really took advantage of the interests of those two families, as long as the emperor was not stupid, he would know which side to stand on.

Xu Yunfan nodded. "Okay, go back and tell your second brother about this and see what you think."

In response, Qi Xiu Ze said with a solemn oath: "Don't worry, you are my brother, and my future brother-in-law. I will never cheat you, no matter who I cheat. Don't worry, you will never suffer any loss in this business."

Xu Yunfan: “…”

Without even a clue, no, without even a clue, this kid started daydreaming.

After the matter was settled, Xu Yunfan had nothing to do in the academy, so he simply took a ox cart back to the village with Qin Run.

As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, they saw Aunt Fang standing at the entrance, looking towards them.

Seeing Xu Yunfan coming back, Aunt Fang was so happy that she didn't care that Xu Yunfan was also heading back to the village. She ran up to him and said, "Xu boy, you are finally back."

At this time, Aunt Fang should be working in the greenhouse. Could it be that no one is watching her and she is slacking off?

But this is not necessary. After all, if an employee slacks off in front of the boss, will he still want to work there?

Aunt Fang definitely wanted to do it, but she was too anxious and couldn't sit still for a moment, so she had to come to the village entrance and wait anxiously. She even thought that if Xu Yunfan didn't come back, she would run to the town to find him.

It's also her fault. She has been so happy recently. She has work to do every day and her only focus is on grinding two more buckets of sweet potatoes. She forgot about her niece's marriage.

Before, when Aunt Fang went back to her parents' home, she told her eldest brother that she knew someone who was very good at makeup, and that it would be a good idea to let this person do the work on her niece's wedding day.

This morning, her eldest brother came from the next village and asked her if she could ask a makeup artist to come over and do makeup for his daughter first. If possible, they would book the makeup artist tomorrow. If not, they would go to the town to hire another one.

There was no other way. Aunt Fang's niece was marrying a man from the town. The woman was married beautifully, and the man was satisfied. As parents, they were also happy, so spending the extra twenty cents was worth it.

Not every household in the village is poor. Some families love their daughters and are naturally willing to spend the money.

When Xu Yunfan learned that Aunt Fang came for this matter, he slapped his head. Oh my god, he has been busy recently. If Aunt Fang hadn't mentioned it, he would have forgotten about it.

It has to be said that whether in modern times or ancient times, the meaning of these "two days" is the same. It is not a precise concept of time, but only a vague expression of time.

Two days, it could be really two days, or it could be five or six days, or even ten days or half a month.

Therefore, when Aunt Fang said two days, Xu Yunfan didn't think it would be two days later, but he also didn't think it would take so long.

Even after so much time has passed, Xu Yunfan would never go back on his word.

Seeing that Aunt Fang was anxious, Xu Yunfan went home to get her makeup box and asked Sun Wu to drive the ox cart and set off.

It was impossible to let Xu Yunfan walk there. It would be a waste not to take the ox cart. What's more, Qin Run heard Aunt Fang say that they were going to the village closest to the town, so he wanted to visit his grandfather's house on the way. When Xu Yunfan went home to get something, he also went back and packed some food to take with him.

"Is that a relative of Xiao Qin's family?" It was the first time that Xu Yunfan saw Qin Run visiting other villages, so he was naturally curious.

Qin Run shook his head and smiled, "No, that's a grandfather I met in town. He's very kind to me. I haven't seen him go to town to sell fruit for a long time. I'm a little worried. You happened to be there today, and I wanted to go over and see him too."

When you are rich and powerful, many people want to add to your glory, but when you are down and out, there are very few people who can help you. This kind of love becomes very precious.

At this time, the people who are willing to help you are not doing so because they owe you anything, but simply out of sincerity.

Qin Run always remembered what his father had taught him: "When someone gives you a drop of water, you should repay them with a spring." Therefore, Qin Run never forgot his grandfather.

Xu Yunfan asked curiously, "Have I seen it before?"

After asking, Xu Yunfan said, "I don't think so. If I had seen it, I wouldn't have forgotten it."

"You haven't seen it, but you should still remember that when I first took you to town, I went to find this grandfather and borrowed a stool from him."

Speaking of this, Qin Run smiled softly, as if feeling lucky to have met such a good person. "I used to go to town to look for work, and sometimes I couldn't find any for a whole day. It was Grandpa Lan who saw that I was uncomfortable squatting, so every time he saw me, he would give me a stool to sit on. When it was windy or rainy, he would also let me hide under his shed."

Sometimes, Qin Run couldn't find work in the morning, but was reluctant to spend a copper coin or two to buy food. He was hungry and cold in the winter, and his stomach was growling with hunger. It was Grandpa Lan who noticed his embarrassment, but considering the young man's face, he didn't say anything and just silently handed him two corn tortillas and a bowl of hot water.

Although a few tortillas are not worth much money, at that time, when you are hungry and cold, if someone can give you a bite of food and a sip of hot water, this kindness will be remembered in your heart and moved to tears.

When Aunt Fang heard what Qin Run said, she knew who he was talking about. "Brother Run, are you talking about Uncle Lan?"

Qin Run, who was holding a bag of food, had his eyes light up. "Yes, Aunt Fang must know him. By the way, Aunt Fang, didn't you go back some time ago? Did you see Grandpa Lan?"

Speaking of Grandpa Lan, Aunt Fang couldn't help but feel a little sorry. "I've seen him. I've visited him before, but he's old. Once, when he went to town to sell fruit, it rained heavily on his way back to the village. He couldn't run fast, so he got home in the rain. After that, your Grandpa Lan's cough never stopped. He even had a fever for a few days before, and his health was not as good as before. The Lan family thought... Fortunately, the fever eventually broke, but the old man couldn't eat and was drowsy all day. So, his son wouldn't let him go out."

"How could that be?" Qin Run was very surprised. When he met Grandpa Lan before, the old man was in good health. When he saw him borrowing a stool, he thought he was looking for work again, so he gave it to him without saying a word. He also asked him if he had eaten and said that he brought some delicious food today. He asked Qin Run to come over and have lunch with him if he couldn't find work at noon.

Grandpa Lan's family consists only of sons and grandsons. He doesn't even have a granddaughter, let alone a son.

Seeing Qin Run, a guy, out looking for work in the middle of winter, wearing only two patched cotton coats filled with reed fluff that were not warm and full of holes, and seeing his exposed toes that were red and covered with frostbite, he looked at the employer who came out looking for work with hope, and couldn't help feeling pity for him, so he took the initiative to talk to Qin Run.

After a few interactions, the old and the young got to know each other.

In the past two years, whenever Qin Run went to town, he would go to see Grandpa Lan, and the old man would always put on a face and ask Qin Run to take some fruits or something to eat, but Qin Run rarely did so.

Qin Run felt bad when he learned that Grandpa Lan was ill. "Yun Fan, I won't go with you later. I'll go see Grandpa Lan first. When you're done, come find me, okay?"

"Well, of course. Then you can wait for me at Grandpa Lan's house. I will come to you after I finish putting makeup on Aunt Fang's niece." Xu Yunfan patted Qin Run's hand, signaling him to rest assured and not to think too much.

When Qin Run arrived at the Lan family's door with his cane, the whole family had no idea who he was looking for. Lan Jinzhu, the eldest of the family, stepped forward and looked Qin Run up and down, confirming that he was not someone they knew. "Little brother, who are you? Who are you looking for in my house?"

Qin Run, standing at the door, was too embarrassed to look around. "Sorry to bother you, is Grandpa Lan home? I'm looking for Grandpa Lan."

"Who are you?" Lan Yinzhu suddenly clapped his hands. "I know. You are Run Ge'er, right?"

When his old man came back from selling fruit in town, he would often talk to them about a boy.

The old man said that the guy was very handsome, the most handsome guy he had ever seen in his decades of life.

This guy is not only tall and strong, but also handsome. It's just that his life is a bit hard. His family must be very poor. None of the clothes he wears are good.

Grandpa Lan was drafted into the army in his early years. After staying in the barracks for a long time, his aesthetic taste is different from that of others. Perhaps in the eyes of others, the tall and strong Qin Run is extremely ugly, but in the eyes of Grandpa Lan, and the eyes of the Lan family who are influenced by Grandpa Lan's aesthetic taste, the boy in front of them is indeed as their father said, an extremely handsome boy, and such a good-looking boy is rare in the surrounding area.

Knowing that it was the brother that their father often talked about who had come to visit, the Lan family was delighted and hurriedly welcomed him in. "Come in, come in quickly. I'm so sorry, I haven't seen you before and I didn't recognize you at first."

After Lan Yinzhu said something to Qin Run, he rushed into Grandpa Lan's room.

"I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly." Qin Run followed Lan Jinzhu awkwardly, leaning on his crutches. "I heard from Aunt Fang that Grandpa Lan wasn't feeling well, so I came to check on him. Is he resting?"

"No, I just woke up. Wait a minute. My second brother will go in and clean up first. Dad must have known you were coming today. He was very happy this morning." Lan Tiezhu was happy and waved to his wife to make a bowl of sugar water for Qin Run.