A heavy snowfall covered Shaxian County. Lu Lin sat at the doorway, watching through the window as Chen Xiaomai and Yuanbao built a snowman.
Chen Xiaomi walked up to Lu Lin and said, "The snow is quite heavy!"
Lu Lin nodded, "Yes!"
Shaxian is much colder than Linzhen. Although he has been here for several years, Lu Lin is still not used to it.
In the autumn, Lu Lin called on the villagers to make preparations for the cold and frost, so they should have no problem getting through the winter.
After several years of development, almost every household in Shaxian County has built a kang (heated brick bed). Even the poorest families have had their kangs built with government funding. Having a kang should make winters much more comfortable.
Lu Lin lay on the table and said, "I don't want to get out of bed in winter!"
Chen Xiaomi glanced at Lu Lin and said, "You don't want to get up in the summer either, and you don't want to get up in the spring or autumn either."
Lu Lin: "..." Laziness is human nature, isn't it? Getting up too early is just being idle.
Wheat rolled two huge snowballs, which were taller than a person when stacked together, and looked quite spectacular.
"What a magnificent snowman! This wheat is no ordinary person; even this snowman he built is different from ordinary people."
Yuanbao was shouting and yelling around the snowman. Lu Lin looked at Xiaomai and Yuanbao, who were having a great time, shook his head, and thought to himself: These two are really not afraid of the cold. Their physique is truly enviable.
Chongchong sat in the stroller, kicking his legs repeatedly, as if trying to get out and join them.
Lu Lin discovered that he was the only one in the family who was very afraid of the cold. With such a group of people around him, he seemed very weak, which was really troublesome.
Chen Xiaomi came over and took Chongchong out of the car. "Another year is about to pass!" Lu Lin nodded. The years really do go by quickly. In the blink of an eye, he has been in this world for more than eight years.
"I wonder what next year will be like," Chen Xiaomi said.
Lu Lin smiled and said, "Judging from the current trend, things should get better and better."
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "I hope so."
Chen Xiaomai walked up to Lu Lin and said, "Brother Lin, look at the snowman I built."
Lu Lin rubbed Chen Xiaomai's head and said, "Not bad, not bad, the snowman you built is very heroic."
Chen Xiaomai nodded and said, "The snowman I built is very tall, taller than you."
Lu Lin: "..." This brat Xiaomai is outrageous.
Wearing a tiger-head hat, Yuanbao hopped over and jumped into Lu Lin's arms.
Dad, let's go eat hot pot. Uncle's shop hasn't been doing well lately, let's go and boost its popularity.
Lu Lin: "..." If you want to eat and drink for free, just say so. Why come up with such a high-sounding reason? My son will probably be a shrewd businessman in the future.
Lu Lin took Chen Xiaomai and the others to a hot pot restaurant. Although it was snowing heavily outside, the hot pot restaurant was warm and cozy, with many customers drinking and chatting.
The staff in the store were very busy.
Lu Lin requested a private room and sat down. He placed Chongchong in the specially designed toddler chair.
The baby chairs in the store were specially made by Lu Lin based on the chairs he had seen in the store before. When the baby sits in the high baby chair, he can reach the table with a quick movement.
These seats are very popular and have already been promoted in Shaxian County.
After these seats were introduced, some people even brought their children to the restaurant just to experience them.
Chen Xiaomai ordered six small bottles of wine. Chongchong was very interested in the small ceramic wine bottles. When Lu Lin saw this, he emptied the wine from the wine pot and handed the small wine pot to Chongchong. Perhaps realizing that the wine pot was empty, he became somewhat embarrassed and angry and smashed the wine pot away.
Looking at Chongchong's arm strength, Lu Lin vaguely felt that this son was not to be trifled with. Chen Xiaomi ate hot pot, her eyes squinting happily, "This hot pot is so delicious." No matter how many times she ate it, Chen Xiaomi still looked intoxicated when she ate hot pot.
Time flies, and winter soon passed.
With the arrival of spring, Lu Lin welcomed a guest named Ji Chengkang.
"General Ji, it's been a long time." When the prince came before, Lu Lin and Ji Chengkang had more contact. Later, after winter came, they had less contact. It's been a while since they last saw each other.
Ji Chengkang smiled and said, "It's been a while. Young Master Chen's business is booming!" Lu Lin smiled and said, "Not at all, he's just doing a small business." Ji Chengkang smiled and said, "Young Master Chen is doing a small business; there aren't many people doing big businesses."
Ji Chengkang took out an envelope and said, "These are silver notes that Yun'an recently sent over for Young Master Chen."
Lu Lin asked with some surprise, "Can the story of Journey to the West still be sold now?" Lu Lin thought to himself: As expected of one of the Four Great Classical Novels, it is indeed popular. This one book can sell for so much money. If I make a few more stories, I should be able to earn even more money.
Ji Chengkang nodded and said, "Yes, it's been selling quite well."
The fact that this storybook could sell for so much money was somewhat beyond Ji Chengkang's expectations. He had spent a lot of time and effort negotiating with his superiors for a little military funding, but those scoundrels always managed to deduct his military expenses. In comparison, Yun An and Chen Xiaocai made a fortune just by selling a storybook, which made him both envious and ashamed!
"If I sell a few more stories, I'll be rich." If he sells a few more stories, he can just sit back and count his money.
Ji Chengkang glanced at Lu Lin and said helplessly, "Ordinary stories won't sell that many; they have to be novel enough."
Lu Lin: "..." Novelty isn't the problem. In his previous life, when he was running the shop, he read a lot of novels and knew a lot of bizarre stories. Just a few of them would be enough to broaden the horizons of the people in this place.
"General Ji, is there something you need from me?" Lu Lin asked.
Ji Chengkang gave a wry smile and said, "I was so busy chatting that I almost forgot about the important matter. I mainly came to tell you about the Liao Kingdom..."
Lu Lin's eyes widened, and he said excitedly, "The Liao Kingdom is going to have another war."
Seeing Lu Lin's sudden change in expression, Ji Chengkang said helplessly, "No."
Lu Lin suddenly realized he had lost his composure, and somewhat embarrassedly composed himself, saying in a serious tone, "It's good that there's no war. Once the war starts, the first to suffer will be the common people!"
Ji Chengkang smiled to himself, thinking: Although Lu Lin is incredibly talented and has countless ideas in his head, he seems to be a bit afraid of death. But there's nothing that can be done about it, since there aren't many people in this world who aren't afraid of death.
Lu Lin and Ji Chengkang talked for a while, and then Lu Lin happily saw the man off.
Chen Xiaomi came out and said, "General Ji has left. Did he come here for something?"
Lu Lin smiled and said, "He came on important business, but it's a good one."
"Great news!" Chen Xiaomi exclaimed, delighted. "What great news is it?"
Lu Lin, resting his chin on his hand, said, "Is the Liao Kingdom about to establish diplomatic relations with our country?"
Chen Xiaomi asked with some surprise, "Is that so?" Several years have passed since the previous war. After the truce, the two countries have remained in a state of stalemate. If the two countries establish diplomatic relations, it is possible to resume trade.
"Is the message ready?" Chen Xiaomi asked.
"What General Ji said can't be just empty talk, can it?" Lu Lin said.
“You’ve arrived. You’ll probably be busy lately. Lu Lin said he’s going to build some special tourist attractions,” Chen Xiaomi said.
Chen Xiaocai frowned and said, "Why bother with all that? No one's coming even if we set this up!"
Chen Xiaomi shook her head and said, "This foreign country intends to negotiate peace and reopen trade between the two countries. They have sent envoys to our country. According to General Ji, some foreign nobles may come over soon. The cattle, horses, and sheep from that foreign country are all good things. Once the trade route is reopened, there will be too many profitable businesses. I'm afraid many people will come over, and the situation here will become more chaotic. The horses from that foreign country are very popular in the capital. Some good quality horses can even be sold for nearly a hundred taels of silver."
Chen Xiaocai said excitedly, "Is that so? Then we'd better hurry."
Chen Xiaocai has been managing a street in Shaxian recently and doesn't have any new projects in hand.
The street they opened up earlier is generating a very stable income, which is more than enough to make ends meet. However, with nothing to do, Chen Xiaocai is feeling a bit bored.
Chen Xiaomi said with some excitement, "Originally, there wasn't much profit to be made in Shaxian County, but it might soon become a hot commodity that everyone is vying for."
Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: When I bought Shaxian back then, I was just greedy for cheap prices. However, if the trade route is reopened, it will probably be a rare opportunity.
Chen Xiaocai said excitedly, "In that case, wouldn't we be making a huge profit?"
If the trade routes reopen, the value of those shops in Shaxian County should increase dramatically in an instant.
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Yes! Your brother Lin allocated you a few plots of land before the news spreads completely. You can build another commercial street and seize the opportunity."
Chen Xiaocai blinked and said, "Is there really such a good thing?"
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Judging from General Ji's words, it seems that after the Prince returned to the capital, he did a lot of publicity for Sha County. Some wealthy young men from the capital may come here soon."
Chen Xiaocai was startled by Chen Xiaomi's words, "No way, a rich young master from Kyoto would come all the way here just for a bite to eat?"
"For a bite to eat, of course not. However, if we establish diplomatic relations with the Liao Kingdom, all sorts of things will arise. The imperial court will likely send people to handle it, and there will probably be quite a few people wanting to come. If this matter is handled well, it will be a great achievement," Chen Xiaomi said.
Chen Xiaocai blinked, vaguely sensing that a big business deal was coming.
Chen Xiaomi glanced at Chen Xiaocai and said, "Go and get ready."
Lu Lin is now an official, and there are many things that are inconvenient for him to do himself. However, he can still use his power to make things easier for Chen Xiaolai.
Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "Great! I heard that someone has dug out a hot spring in the mountains. Maybe we can build that hot spring hotel that Brother Lin mentioned."
Chen Xiaomi asked excitedly, "Is the hot spring real or fake?"
Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "It should be true."
It's said to be a place where some mountain people bathe in the winter. However, because it's quite remote, no one paid attention to it. Some time ago, Brother Lin offered a reward for finding a hot spring, and that's when someone reported it.
Chen Xiaomi rolled her eyes and thought to herself: This warm spring water is magical, but it's just hot water and it doesn't fill you up. If it were him, he wouldn't care either.
Chen Xiaomi said somewhat dejectedly, "Is it a bit off-center? Developing it like this won't be easy!"
Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "Yes! I'll go talk to Brother Lin about it; it might be a big project."
Chen Xiaocai ran excitedly towards the county government office. For Chen Xiaocai, money was just a number now. What interested him was being able to use the money in his hands to create some strange and wonderful things. A shop on Shaxian Street was very popular, and Chen Xiaocai himself felt proud of it.
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