Chapter 172 Chapter 172 The Taste of Money

A wealthy family would arrange a maidservant for the young master after he became the master of a wealthy family. If these maidservants were lucky, they could become concubines in the future, at least they would have an identity. If Li Liu's shady relationship was discovered, the master would have to do everything to preserve his reputation, and his fate could be imagined.

Li Liu and his wife couldn't bear to see their child suffer such a fate, so they begged Li Liu to return to the village.

Now Li Liu has returned to the village, but what kind of life is he living?

They saw Li Liu's confusion and obsession, and were anxious, but they could do nothing about it.

Before Li Wei could go find Li Shan, Li Shan came back first.

When Qin Run returned to the village entrance in an ox cart, Aunt Liu was already waiting there. When she saw Qin Run coming back, she pulled him towards Li's house without saying a word.

On the way there, Qin Runcai learned from Aunt Liu that Xu Yunfan had started a fight with someone from the Li family.

Qin Run: “…”

It's good to have a husband who is not afraid of trouble, but this husband is too prone to causing trouble.

He just had a quarrel with Sun yesterday, and today he has a quarrel with Li. It seems that he will feel uncomfortable if he doesn't confront both of them, right?

Qin Run, who was afraid that Xu Yunfan would be bullied, sped up his pace. No matter what trouble Xu Yunfan caused, it was definitely not his fault. It must be someone else who provoked him.

Qin Run stood on Xu Yunfan's side without any principles, and he wanted to rush to help Xu Yunfan.

However, Xu Yunfan is good at doing things and he is also good at talking.

Li Shan pointed to the wounds on his body and swore that these injuries were caused by Li Liu and his adulterer. Li Liu found several aunts to testify for him, but there was a period of time when Li Liu had no available witnesses.

At this time, Li Liu remembered what Xu Yunfan had said. He said that if the problem could not be solved, he should come to him.

As soon as Xu Yunfan arrived, Li Shan pointed at him and said that he was Li Liu's adulterer. He beat him up because he discovered their affair. The matter would not be over until Xu Yunfan and Li Liu gave him an explanation.

adulterer?

Who are you insulting?

Xu Yunfan was so angry that he jumped up and down, pointing at Li Shan and starting to argue. Xu Yunfan didn't say much, but just shouted that he would report to the police, saying that he was going to participate in the imperial examination, and Li Shan dared to slander him and defame his reputation. This matter would definitely not end. He would report to the police and let the judge clear his name. Li Shan should be thrown into jail for slandering him like this.

The people on Li Shan's side were frightened. Some of them still said weakly, "Since you are not an adulterer, why are you looking for Li Liu? Everyone knows that you have always been at odds with our Li family. Why did you look for Li Liu? This is not..."

What should people do?

Naturally, it will cause misunderstandings, lead to excessive imagination, and make people think in wrong ways.

"I definitely won't associate with people like you from the Li family. After all, I find you all disgusting. How can Li Liu be the same? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? You are nothing, and you are worthy of being compared with Li Liu. I tell you the truth, I'm looking for Li Liu today because he has experience as a book boy. I am a teacher after all, and I just need someone to grind paper and serve me. I talked to him for a few words about this matter, but how come you say he is so dirty? Don't be so dirty yourself and look at people and things in a dirty way."

"Too much, too much." The Sun family member who came to join in the fun had no grudge against Xu Yunfan. After hearing what Xu Yunfan said, he was also very angry. Xu Yunfan just wanted to find a servant. Although he didn't understand why Xu Yunfan wanted to find a servant with a bad reputation like Li Liu, this should not be a reason to slander Xu Yunfan.

Xu Yunfan said again that Li Liu had experience and he didn't want to find someone who was too young, otherwise he would have to teach him, which would be time-consuming and laborious, and it would be useless to take him out. Li Liu was just right. Not only did he have experience, but his family was still here, so he had to do his best. To put it simply, he was easy to control.

Xu Yunfan's reason for looking for Li Liu was absolutely perfect and impeccable. Others who wanted to curry favor with Xu Yunfan suddenly turned into messengers of justice, pointing their guns at Li Shan and others.

Li Liu, Liu Niang and others felt their hearts pounding. They thought they had to fight with Li Shan's family today, but Xu Yunfan made the villagers scold Li Shan's family with just a few words.

When Qin Run arrived, Xu Yunfan had already withdrawn from the main battlefield. His eyes lit up when he heard several villagers around him angrily cursing and listing Li Shan's shameful deeds.

Xu Yunfan's gossipy spirit was burning. He leaned lazily against the wall of Li Liu's house, adding fuel to the fire. "Wow, this guy is so shameless. He actually peeped at a girl taking a bath. He deserves a beating."

In the end, this "lively" event ended with Li Shan fainting from anger.

There was no more excitement to watch, so Xu Yunfan turned around and saw Qin Run, whose eyes were full of him. He immediately smiled and walked towards her quickly.

When Qin Run returned with him, Qin Run learned that Xiao Hengzhi had left at noon. Before leaving, he left something for the three Qin brothers, saying it was a gift.

Before going to the town this morning, Qin Run talked with Xiao Hengzhi. Xiao Hengzhi had adopted three adopted sons, two of whom were still so young. Xiao Hengzhi didn't want to die, but was also afraid of death. He left in a hurry at noon. Otherwise, he was worried that his greed would bring disaster to Qin Run and his two brothers. Before leaving, Xiao Hengzhi told Qin An that he would wait for the three brothers and their brother-in-law in the capital. Xiao Hengzhi also asked Qin An to tell Xu Yunfan to work harder and let them meet in the capital next year.

"Well, what next?" Qin Run asked calmly.

Xu Yunfan: "There's nothing more!"

Xu Yunfan realized it belatedly, "Run'er, are you angry?"

"Shouldn't I be angry?" Qin Run was really impressed by Xu Yunfan. This guy was too brave. Li Shan had a knife and he had a wooden stick. The difference in weapons was huge, but he dared to fight with others?

He is really not afraid of death.

Xu Yunfan shook Qin Run's hand, his tone soft and a bit coquettish, "Run'er, please don't be angry, okay? Don't you know my strength? I'm not stupid, I won't fight a battle without confidence. I know you are worried about me, worried about me, and distressed about me. I know all this, and precisely because I know you care about me, how could I bear to get hurt and make you sad?"

Who can get angry after hearing such coaxing words?

Qin Run immediately softened his heart. There was nothing he could do. He really gave in and was completely taken advantage of by Xu Yunfan, but he enjoyed it and was willing to do it.

"You are saying this in front of so many people today, are you serious?" Qin Run had never heard that Xu Yunfan wanted to hire a servant, but after Xu Yunfan said this today, he had to do it now, and it couldn't be fake.

Xu Yunfan nodded. "I had this idea before. I'm going to take the imperial examination in the future, and I need someone to run errands and handle some trivial matters for me. For example, someone who can help me pass messages to other students. It will be much easier for me if I have someone to help me."

Being a book boy is easy, but it is not.

Although Qin has many children or young men to choose from, as Xu Yunfan said, he will take part in the imperial examination in February next year. When he goes to the provincial capital to stay, he will bring a little servant with him. Will the servant take care of him or will he take care of the servant?

Young men like Qin Dayou are actually not suitable. Firstly, they are old enough to get married, and it is unrealistic for them to travel around with him or even settle down in the capital in the future. After all, the salary of a servant cannot allow him to provide a good living condition for his family.

Another reason is that Qin Dayu and his friends have never been out before, so when they arrive in a big place, they are bound to be nervous when encountering things.

Li Liu is different.

Not to mention that this person has experience, because of his sexual orientation and his situation in the village, taking him along is actually a win-win choice for both himself and Xu Yunfan.

"Li Liu is indeed a good person. He is a very good person. Although he is a man, he is a thoughtful person. I feel at ease letting him do things for you."

"I think so too. When I told you this, I thought you would disagree. After all, Li Liu..." Xu Yunfan didn't mind. To him, there was no difference between a boy and a man. He himself was gay, so why should he look at other gays with tinted glasses?

Besides, what's wrong with being gay?

They are all human beings, but their sexual orientation is different from most people. So, is this illegal?

Xu Yunfan didn't mind, but there was no guarantee that Qin Run wouldn't think too much about it. According to Xu Yunfan's observation, the villagers didn't seem to be very accepting of Long Yang's kindness.

Qin Run shook his head. "Why would I disagree? Li Liu just fell in love with a man like him. It's not an unforgivable thing. Didn't you say that some feelings have nothing to do with gender?"

"That's what I said." Xu Yunfan smiled muffledly. In fact, what he wanted to say was, isn't Qin Run worried that he will be interested in Li Liu like other men?

But Qin Run's relaxed mood is really contagious. Xu Yunfan is happy. He doesn't feel that Qin Run doesn't care about him. On the contrary, he feels Qin Run's trust in him.

Xu Yunfan likes this kind of relationship that makes people feel relaxed, happy and joyful, rather than tired and exhausted. Xu Yunfan took Qin Run's hand in his and asked, "Did your business trip to the county town go smoothly today?"

"It went smoothly. With Gu Xiaosan here, things that should have taken several days to complete were all resolved today." Qin Run thought that nothing could be smoother than this. It was so smooth that he was like the leader inspecting the work that Xu Yunfan often talked about. He only needed to give suggestions to his subordinates and did not have to do everything himself. He did not even need to find a broker.

Gu Xiaosan, who had met him once before, had asked other younger brothers to guard the county gate. As soon as he entered the city, Gu Xiaosan came.

Upon learning that Qin Run wanted to rent a shop, Gu Xiaosan, who was an insider at Jin Manlou, immediately took Qin Run to see the shop.

With Gu Xiaosan following, the shop owners of other shops learned that Qin Run was going to sell food, and none of them dared to come up and say anything.

Although Zhang Jing cooperated with Xu Yunfan, it was true that the emergence of mahjong did make his gambling house popular. There were many customers coming upstairs to play every day, and Jin Manlou made a fortune just by selling alcohol. Even so, Qin Run's trivial matter did not require him to personally take the trouble. With Gu Xiaosan at his beck and call, any discerning person should know who was behind this guy.

Qin Run rented a shop on the same day. The shop was not far from Jin Manlou. Both were located in the bustling center and had the best customer flow. Gu Xiaosan patted his chest and took the initiative to take over the decoration of the shop.

As for how to decorate the shop, Qin Run had no idea at first. The drawings were all given by Xu Yunfan. In addition to the popular food sold in the Yunrun shop in Qinghe Town, another reason why it can attract customers to come in and sit in the store is nothing more than the low-key yet elegant and luxurious environment in their store.

I heard from customers who have entered the store that even if they don’t eat anything and just sit there, the comfortable and cozy environment is enough to make them linger.

Later, Xu Yunfan gave Qin Run several books and taught him every night. Over time, Qin Run naturally had his own ideas about the store decoration style.

Nowadays, in terms of doing business, some aspects, such as the network of contacts, still need Xu Yunfan's help, but in other things, Qin Run is already able to handle it on his own.

In just a few months, Qin Run's growth is shocking enough.

Xu Yunfan was happy but also sad about this. Qin Run had grown up, which was certainly a good thing. After all, who didn't want a lover who was as capable as himself?

However, some growth often requires great effort and sweat.

Xu Yunfan didn't want Qin Run to push him too hard. He looked at the people around him and softened his voice. "Run'er, are you tired? There's no need to rush these things. You can take your time. I don't want you to be tired. Even if I don't open so many stores, I can still support the family. It's not that I don't agree with you running around all day. I'm just afraid that you'll be tired. You're not alone now. You have a husband. You don't have to handle anything by yourself. You still have me. I'll support this family with you."

"I'm not tired, Yunfan, you don't have to worry about these things, just do what you like. I said, if you stay, I will love you, pamper you, and treat you well for the rest of my life." Qin Run looked away imperceptibly at Xu Yunfan's gentle and addictive eyes. It was too terrible. They had been together for such a long time, but every time he met Xu Yunfan's eyes, he would still be defeated, his heart was completely out of control, and his soul was about to be sucked away.

It's too dangerous.

Qin Run thought that what he was doing now was much easier than working in the fields. "I want to earn more money so that we don't have to be so tight on money when we get to the capital."

Xu Yunfan was speechless for a long time.

He was so lucky to meet Qin Run.

It turns out that Qin Run worked so hard to prepare for his future trip to Beijing. To round it off, it was all for him.

Xu Yunfan has never been to Beijing, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how scary the housing prices are in places like Beijing.

Paper had not yet been invented, and although the candle business they were doing with Qi merchants was profitable, their current expenses were also high.

He hasn't paid Xie Baizhou and the others for the money he used to buy dozens of cows. What about the construction of the paper mill and oil press, hiring people to dig charcoal kilns and chop firewood, the workers' monthly wages, etc.? Which one doesn't cost money?

Xu Yunfan could shamelessly owe Xie Baizhou and the others the money, but he could not delay paying Qin's wages, and had to pay them on time every month.

The villagers only saw how many workers Xu Yunfan hired, how many cows he bought, how he opened a canteen and a shop, and hired people to build something else. Everyone thought he made a lot of money, but they didn't see how much money Xu Yunfan spent on other things while making money.

Before, Xu Yunfan sighed that the villagers would never have thought that he was a boss who looked glamorous, had a horse to ride when he went out, and usually went to the town in an ox cart, but he owed a huge sum of nearly a thousand taels of silver.

Given his current situation, if he went to the capital, he would probably have to leave before he could even rent a house for a month on his own.

Xu Yunfan looked up at the sky and became worried. It seemed that making money was indeed urgent.

The weather has cooled down, and his charcoal is now on the market.

"I asked someone to burn charcoal before. Run'er, how do you want to sell it? Do you have any suggestions? How should I set the price?" Xu Yunfan knew that charcoal was expensive, but he had not deliberately inquired about how expensive it was and how the price would increase in winter, so he naturally had no idea.

The reason why Xu Yunfan wanted to burn charcoal before was just to be self-sufficient and use the charcoal to keep the food warm in the cafeteria. However, after the charcoal was burned, Qin Run was so happy that he couldn't sleep all night. The next day, he called Qin Dayou and several others who were responsible for burning the charcoal to give them some instructions.

For this reason, Xu Yunfan even teased Qin Run, but Qin Run said that there were not many families in Dayan Dynasty who could burn charcoal, and those charcoals like gold thread charcoal and silver frost charcoal were ridiculously expensive.

Like silver frost charcoal, it is expensive, and anyone with money can buy it. It is actually used by the royal family and the emperor to bestow it on high-ranking officials. It is exclusively for imperial use.

It would be strange if such a thing specially made for the emperor could be cheap. After all, if it was too cheap, how could the emperor afford it?

Xu Yunfan suddenly saw business opportunities and smelled the scent of money.

There is no way, there is really no way. It is difficult for people with great abilities not to get rich.

Xu Yunfan, who was obsessed with charcoal burning, asked Sun Wu to take him back to the village after class and lunch every day. After tinkering with it for half a month, he finally made the silver frost charcoal.

Because of the confidentiality agreement, no one else knew about Xu Yunfan making charcoal except Qin Da and several other men and Qin Run.

Qin Run was so happy for several days about making the silver frost charcoal that every time he was about to fall asleep, he would laugh and wake up again just thinking about it.

Several times when Xu Yunfan was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard a soft laugh from behind him, which scared him so much that his scalp went numb. After being scared several times, Xu Yunfan was so angry that he directly suppressed it with "force" and "tortured" Qin Run with his absolute advantage as a man.

If Xu Yunfan hadn't mentioned it, Qin Run might have really forgotten about the hundreds of bags of charcoal placed in the greenhouse.