80 Chapter 80
◎Jujube◎
Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiang family dinner.
The second brother, who had come back from a rare trip to reunite with his family, couldn't help but complain to Jiang Jingyun: "Fifth brother, is this cement business really profitable?"
I've been running around for almost three months, but I still don't make as much as I used to when I went out for a few days.
Moreover, the money was small, and the cargo was large and heavy, which was a thankless task. Every time they went out, the people below complained bitterly.
"Is there any progress on the sea transportation you mentioned before?" the second brother asked.
"Well, I have reported it to the court, but there is no news yet." Jiang Jingyun felt very embarrassed when talking about this.
In the heat of the moment, I persuaded my second brother and his wife to invest all their money. As a result, now, not only is there no way of making a fortune, but even the money invested is nowhere to be seen.
Just when he wanted to say a few words to comfort his second brother, he was interrupted by Uncle Jiang beside him before he could open his mouth: "What are you yelling about? Your brother said he can make money, so he definitely can. How can he lie to you!"
After the summer harvest, Jiang Jingyun sent someone back to Qing County, saying that he needed help, and brought the two elders of the Jiang family to live with them permanently.
Seeing his youngest son teasing his most promising nephew, Uncle Jiang was immediately displeased. He blew his beard and glared at him, saying, "You are afraid of heavy tasks and you cry and yell over a small matter. Besides, how heavy can cement be? You could even carry manure before, so why can't you just carry some cargo now?"
"Dad, these are two different things..." said the second brother Jiang in a low voice.
"I don't think there's any difference," Uncle Jiang glared at him, "Stop whining and just do what I tell you."
Brother Jiang felt aggrieved, but didn't want to talk.
Anyway, his father's butt has always been crooked, there is no point in refutation, and he might even get a beating.
The atmosphere between the father and son was cold, and they were about to quarrel. Jiang Jingyun hurriedly stepped out to smooth things over: "Uncle, this is not my fault, it was my lack of consideration that led to this situation."
After saying that, he turned around and assured Brother Jiang: "Don't worry, Brother Jiang, I will think of a way to solve this problem."
"How about this? We will mainly sell the previous goods and bring a few bags of cement as samples. If anyone wants to buy, they can pay a deposit and sign a contract. Then the customer can choose to pick up the goods themselves or pay for us to deliver them. As for the price difference between the two..." Jiang Jingyun glanced at his third brother unconsciously, and the meaning in his eyes was self-evident.
Under his eldest brother's scorching gaze, Jiang Jingfeng sighed and resigned himself to his fate: "I will calculate it tomorrow and hand it over to my second cousin."
"You are worthy of being my good brother. Come, you have worked hard with your brain, so eat some mooncakes to replenish your energy."
Jiang Jingyun was very satisfied with his younger brother's good sense. He smiled and stuffed a mooncake into Jiang Jingfeng's hand. Then he turned his gaze to his second brother, wanting to hear his opinion.
Although it was a delaying tactic, there was no better way for the time being, so Brother Jiang could only nod and agree, "This is the only way."
"Yeah, okay." Jiang Jingyun responded with a smile, and repeatedly assured, "Don't worry, second brother, even if the cement business fails, we will definitely find other ways. Anyway, we will never let you do business at a loss."
Looking at his fifth brother who made such a careful promise to him, Second Brother Jiang was a little stunned.
It’s no wonder that his father was angry with him. He seemed to have some kind of obsession before. He was completely obsessed with money and completely forgot his original intention.
After thinking about it, he joked: "Then I'm counting on you. If I lose all my capital in the end, I'll punish you by having you provide for my retirement in the future."
"No problem." Jiang Jingyun patted his chest, looking as if he had everything taken care of and there was no need to worry.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, someone interrupted him.
Jiang Jinglin leaned over and said bluntly, "Second cousin, my brother is unreliable. You might as well count on me. I will take care of you in your old age and I will definitely make you fat and white."
"Go to hell," Jiang Erge kicked him in the butt, "Don't think I can't hear you secretly calling me a pig again."
"It's unfair. I am clearly a filial son, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that." Jiang Jinglin cried out in grievance, covering his butt and running around the yard making mischief, making everyone laugh, and the atmosphere at home finally eased.
However, having said it, Jiang Jingyun had no intention of going back on his word.
Just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the old county magistrate was called in to ask, "How is the autumn sowing going?"
"It's fine. We just need to wait for the crops in the fields to grow steadily, then we can plant the fish fry." The old county magistrate replied happily. He had always been in charge of farming and was very familiar with the situation in Fu County.
Therefore, Jiang Jingyun would ask him directly about farming-related matters: "Logically speaking, the climate here is very suitable for growing mulberry trees, so why are there so few families raising silkworms in the county?"
"Your Excellency may not know that mulberry trees prefer warmth and water, and loose and fertile soil is even better. But such good land is not enough to grow crops, so how can we bear to use it to grow trees?" replied the old county magistrate.
There is one point he didn't mention, which is that the people are poor. After paying taxes and corvee labor, the little food left in their pockets is not enough to fill their stomachs, so how could they have any extra money for other things?
As for the rice field fish farming promoted by the county, the county government also acted as a guarantor, and then used grain to offset the harvest in exchange for a batch of fish fry.
Otherwise, this method cannot be implemented at all.
"Hmm... this is also a problem. Let me think about it carefully." Jiang Jingyun frowned, waved his hand to let someone go first, and he wrote and drew on the paper.
After a while, Jiang Jingyun, who was upset, crumpled the rice paper into a ball, threw it away, got up and walked out.
Many people in Fu County have seen the new magistrate. When they saw his carriage, the people stepped aside, bowed and saluted with a smile. Some of the bolder ones even invited Jiang Jingyun to their homes, which caused everyone to laugh.
Some laughed and scolded the man for his wild idea, while others suggested that he go to their own home instead. The scene was noisy, but everyone had a smile on their face, no longer seeing the sad and gloomy look of last year.
Looking at those smiling faces, my tense nerves seemed to be soothed a little.
In the carriage, Xiao Muyan gently held the pair of fair hands and said softly: "The people have seen what you have done, so there is no need to rush. We can take our time with the rest."
"Yeah." Jiang Jingyun replied sullenly.
"I heard that there is a maple forest in the suburbs. In autumn, the sky is filled with red clouds and the scenery is extremely beautiful. Shall we go there?" Xiao Muyan coaxed him in a low voice.
Seeing Jiang Jingyun nodded slightly in response, the carriage turned around and slowly headed out of the city.
In the maple forest in autumn, the red leaves are burning like fire, and specks of sunlight shine through the branches and leaves onto the ground, interweaving gold and red to form a roll of colorful brocade.
“If we can spin it, it will sell well.”
Unfortunately, we haven’t even produced the raw materials yet, let alone weaving them into cloth.
Jiang Jingyun smacked his lips regretfully and turned to look away.
"Huh?" He suddenly asked doubtfully, poking the person next to him uncertainly, "Is there a fruit tree on the mountain?"
Following the direction of Jiang Jingyun's finger, Xiao Muyan nodded with certainty at a glance, "Yes, it's a jujube tree. We also have it in our hometown."
"Oh." Jiang Jingyun suddenly realized. No wonder it looked familiar. It turned out to be a happy snack from his childhood.
Seeing him looking over there eagerly, Xiao Muyan laughed dumbly: "Want to eat?"
"It's just so-so," Jiang Jingyun denied stubbornly, "I just haven't eaten it for a long time, so I miss it a little."
"Oh," Xiao Muyan did not expose him, and said with a smile, "But I want to eat something, shall I go over and take a look?"
"Well... okay, since you want to go, I'll reluctantly accompany you." After saying that, Jiang Jingyun walked up the mountain with a happy expression. Seeing that Xiao Muyan didn't catch up, he turned around and urged him, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up."
"Coming." Xiao Muyan held back his laughter and followed closely.
The temperature in the mountains was a little cool, and the trees with lush branches and leaves were hung with bunches of plump fruits, but the ones at the lower ones had already been picked, so there were still some left on the hard-to-reach treetops.
Standing below and looking, the jujube tree appears even taller than the sky.
Jiang Jingyun shook his head regretfully: "This is too high, I can't reach it at all."
Just when he thought he was going to return home disappointed, he saw the man next to him take out a bow and arrow from behind, bend the bow, pull the string, aim at the top of the tree and shoot an arrow.
"Swoosh, whoosh...", the branches full of jujubes fell down in a series of sounds. Xiao Muyan smiled and handed him the ripe fruits, "Here, try it and see if it's sweet."
"Mmm, so sweet!"
The jujubes are seedless, with jujube flesh that is sweet and a little bitter, exactly the same as the taste in childhood memories. After Jiang Jingyun tasted a few, he handed the rest to Xiao Muyan's lips, smiling, "You try it too."
Xiao Muyan opened his mouth to take it, and when he got closer, he took the opportunity to steal a sip of its fragrance. After succeeding, he commented seriously: "Hmm, sweet."
Jiang Jingyun glared at him.
His eyes were soft and had no deterrent effect on Xiao Muyan. He only raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said in a good mood: "Since it tastes good, pick more and take it back."
After saying that, he raised the bow and arrow again.
When the two men went down the mountain, they had arms full of ripe jujubes.
Feeling refreshed and energetic, Jiang Jingyun said happily, "I just thought of another way to make money. I'll go back and study whether it's feasible."
"So amazing," Xiao Muyan chuckled, his tone was like coaxing a child, "Go ahead and try, our family still has some savings."
If it doesn't work out, he can still go out and do business to make money like his second brother.
Jiang Jingyun squinted at him and said, "Aren't you afraid that I will squander all our wealth?"
Don’t you see how your second brother is doing now? He has lost a lot of hair due to worrying all day, fearing that he will lose all his money.
Xiao Muyan followed his words and said, "Then I will go to the fields to farm, and you will do the laundry and cooking at home. How about we go back to the life of an ordinary farmer?"
"It sounds good," Jiang Jingyun nodded with satisfaction. "When we are older, we will find a farm in the countryside to live on, grow flowers and vegetables, and enjoy the pastoral life."
"Okay," Xiao Muyan looked at him lovingly, "I'll do as you say."
On this topic, Jiang Jingyun began to enthusiastically imagine his future retirement life.
The more planning, the more excitement.
In the end, he even wanted to just drop the responsibility and run away.
There is no way, cattle and horses always yearn for the grassland, and migrant workers always want to return to the countryside.
It's human nature.
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