Chapter 2836 Purpose
Cheng Jiulang didn't say anything. The Cheng family was just a small business. They couldn't even manage their own lives, so how could they have the time to worry about these big shots?
But he certainly couldn't say that to the person opposite him, so he asked with a smile, "Sir, are you still not planning to enter the government?"
The man opposite shook his head and sighed, "Although His Majesty got angry and sent a group of people away last year, Qingzhou has been in a state of stagnation for a long time. It is extremely difficult to change it. I am just a minor scholar, and I can only start as a clerk if I want to get promoted in Qingzhou. If I want to rise in the officialdom in Qingzhou, I have to go along with the corrupt officials. If I want to stay out of trouble, I can't enter the Qingzhou officialdom."
Cheng Jiulang was startled and quickly whispered, "Mr. Qian, please be careful with your words."
Mr. Qian didn't want to be cautious at all. He drank another glass of wine and said, "Don't look at the distant past. Just look at the food now and you will know. The old man of the Shang family has been ill since the beginning of the year. How did he get sick? It was all because of anger."
"I don't know if I can survive this summer."
Cheng Jiulang: ...Why did the topic suddenly become scary?
But the conversation in the large private room upstairs was becoming increasingly harmonious. After the food arrived, Madam Lu finally found an opportunity to talk to Zhou Man. She attentively and considerately introduced the dishes to Zhou Man, saying with a smile, "We are near the sea in Qingzhou, so some of our fish are not found in the Central Plains. The fish we are making today is fish caught from the sea. Sir Zhou, you can try it. It is very fresh and tender."
The fish was steamed, but it was covered with a layer of shredded ginger, shredded radish and two kinds of shredded vegetables that Manbao could not see. There was a sauce-colored soup under the plate. Manbao picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks. It looked very tender. She dipped it in the soup and put it in her mouth. The meat was tender and melted in her mouth. The most wonderful thing was that there was no earthy smell of ordinary river fish at all. It was just steamed with few ingredients, which could maximize the freshness of the fish itself.
Manbao nodded slightly and said happily, "It's delicious."
She asked excitedly, "Are there fish like this in Beihai County?"
Keke's data has become more active.
County Magistrate Lu's eyes flickered, and he nodded immediately, "Of course there is. Yidu County only has a small corner close to the sea, but Beihai County has an extremely long and deep coastline. The fish we eat now are bought from fishermen in Beihai County."
Bai Shan was also moved when he heard this and asked, "Are there many people in Beihai County who make a living by fishing?"
County Magistrate Lu smiled and said, "Not a lot, but not a small amount either. I don't remember exactly how many there were."
"Are all the fish caught by the fishermen sent to Qingzhou City?"
There was nothing to hide now. County Magistrate Lu also wanted to take this opportunity to befriend Bai Shan, so he said, "Not entirely. Some of the good fish will be sent here, and some will be consumed in the county town. Most of the ordinary fish will be dried into fish. Lord Bai, have you heard of salted fish?"
Bai Shan nodded.
County Magistrate Lu smiled and said, "The herdsmen in the north, especially on the grasslands, love our salted fish. We can sell some in the Central Plains, but it has a strong smell and is unpleasant, so the price is not high. If we transport salted fish, we can't transport other goods, so few merchants are willing to do this business."
Bai Shan smiled and said, "County Magistrate Lu just said that salted fish is very popular in the north. Since there is profit, there should be merchants who will do it. As long as something is valuable, no matter how it tastes, there will be people who will do everything they can to make it."
County Magistrate Lu was pleasantly surprised by Bai Shan's words. Before he could say anything, Cao, the recorder sitting on the other side, said, "That's true. It's just that County Magistrate Bai, having just arrived, didn't know that those merchants are very cunning. When they first had no capital, they tricked the fishermen into catching large quantities of fish and sold them dried fish at a low price. But after making enough money after one or two trips, they don't want to continue this business anymore. Humph, they dislike the strong smell of salted fish and want to switch to other businesses."
"So coastal fishermen are full one year and hungry two. Even in the year they make the most money, the price per unit is kept very low. They rely entirely on catching large quantities of fish to make a profit. When they make enough money, they switch to other businesses without any notice. The fishermen are unaware of this and continue to catch large quantities of fish, drying them in the sun and waiting for people to collect them. But when the time comes, the people never come, and they end up with all the salted fish they have."
Cao Lushi became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and couldn't help but slam his hand on the table. He said, "These fishermen are foolish, truly foolish and miserable. When no one comes, they wait patiently, sometimes for a year, sometimes two, sometimes three years, for a few merchants to arrive with large quantities of salted fish. But they can't predict whether people will come next year, or how much salted fish they'll collect if they do, so they can only work hard fishing every day. When people come, if there are many merchants, they'll sell a fish for ten or twenty wen. If there are few merchants and they want more, they'll start fighting over it, selling it for two or three wen, no matter how much it costs."
Bai Shan saw that although he called people stupid, his eyes were a little red.
Cao Lushi looked at County Magistrate Lu with admiration and emotion and said, "The situation has only eased slightly since County Magistrate Lu came. He set a minimum price for the merchants who came to buy the fish, and then talked to them. Finally, they signed a contract. They can buy salted fish in Beihai County, but they can't pay less than the minimum price. If they don't do this business in the future, they will have to find merchants to take over."
"This way, the fishermen in Beihai County have had a better life in the past two years."
County Magistrate Lu waited until he finished speaking before quickly saying, "No, no, this is what I should do. As a county magistrate, my duty is to work for the well-being of the people."
Bai Shan and Zhou Man confirmed that County Magistrate Lu was actually the idol of Cao Lushi.
Bai Shan immediately raised his glass and said, "Even if I'm just doing my job, this glass should be toasted to County Magistrate Lu."
Manbao also immediately raised his glass, "Yes, to County Magistrate Lu."
Cao Lushi even stood up with his glass full of wine, raised it and said, "Master Lu, I have wanted to toast you for a long time..."
Everyone present raised their glasses to compliment County Magistrate Lu.
Even though County Magistrate Lu was sober enough, he was still blushing and very proud of the flattery. Fortunately, he still remembered the protagonist and purpose of today. After drinking the wine, he quickly poured another glass of wine to toast Bai Shan, and then to Zhou Man.
With tears in his eyes, he said to Zhou Man, "We have heard of Mr. Zhou's deeds even in Qingzhou. You are an excellent doctor, and you have strongly advocated the establishment of a local medical office to benefit the poor people. You are truly a great doctor. This toast is in your honor."
Manbao always felt that he was first praising and then criticizing, but he still raised his glass and drank.
As expected, after drinking this cup, the conversation got down to business. County Magistrate Lu said with a smile, "Lord Zhou, where would you like to build the medical office? Qingzhou has seven counties, all of which fall under the jurisdiction of your medical office. Although the governor hasn't arrived yet, if you ask, we can still fight for it on your behalf."
Before Zhou Man could say anything, County Magistrate Duan laughed and said, "Your Excellency, your question is in vain. Since County Magistrate Bai is here, the medical office will naturally be built in Beihai County."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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