Chapter 3001 Supporting Role
He was just a small traveling merchant. Although he had been traveling to Laizhou for many years, who would bother to ask who drew the blueprint of the ferry?
It would be great to know under which county magistrate the ferry was built.
but……
Cheng Jiulang's heart moved, and he quickly said: "Maybe someone knows."
"who?"
Cheng Jiulang said, "I have a friend from Qingzhou named Qian. Mr. Qian is a scholar who taught at the county school for two years and also worked as an official in Linzi County and the Qingzhou Governor's Office. He is not only talented but also well-informed. He might know things that small merchants like me don't."
Bai Shan raised an eyebrow and asked, "I wonder where he is working at the moment?"
Cheng Jiulang said calmly, "He's not suited to officialdom, so he's been unemployed at home. But I think if Lord Bai comes to invite him personally, he should be willing to go to Beihai County."
He said, "Master Bai is different from other masters. He used to praise you a lot."
Although Bai Shan didn't know whether what he said was true or not, he was indeed very happy, so he asked for Mr. Qian's address and wrote it down.
Bai Shan went downstairs to see Cheng Jiulang off again, hinting, "Today and tomorrow are holidays, so we're just going out for a walk, so we shouldn't bother the gentry and officials in Laizhou too much."
Cheng Jiulang understood and immediately said, "I understand, sir, don't worry, I won't reveal your identity."
Bai Shan expressed his satisfaction and invited him, "Next time you return to Qingzhou, you can take a detour to our Beihai County. The county will treat you to seafood."
Cheng Jiulang agreed with a smile and said goodbye.
Bai Shan watched him leave and turned to go upstairs.
Zhou Man and the others looked at him happily and asked, "Who are you going to meet next?"
He slumped down in his chair, shook his hands and said, "Gone. I'm very tired today and don't want to move."
Having said that, in the evening, he and Zhou Man, along with Daji and Xibing, went to the dock and mingled with the temporary workers who had just finished work or were still reluctantly waiting to be called. They asked them questions such as how much money they earned every day, the types of goods they transported, which family had the most ships coming and going, and which family was the most generous.
After the conversation, Bai Shan had given away all the malt sugar in his hand and it was getting dark. He stood up and stared at the ship still floating on the sea for a while, then turned around and took Zhou Man's hand and went back to the inn.
Bai Erlang and Mingda also came back from shopping. He said to Bai Shan, "We asked for you. The most common goods shipped out of Laizhou Ferry are porcelain and lacquerware, as well as cloth and fur."
"The fabrics we have are mostly linen and cotton. There's quite a bit of silk as well, but it's much less than these." Bai Erlang said, "Besides that, there's also gold and silver wares, wine, medicine, bronze mirrors, and all sorts of other things. In short, we have all sorts of goods. I asked about the prices, and many things are cheaper here than in Qingzhou. The shopkeepers said that even though it's only half an hour's journey from here to Laizhou City, the prices are so different that many people come out of the city specifically to buy things here."
"If they don't enter the city, they won't have to pay the city entry tax."
Bai Erlang asked, "Would you like to move the Beihai County Office to Longchi? That way we can collect more taxes?"
Zhou Man looked at him and said, "This is really hateful."
Bai Shan couldn't help laughing, and after looking at Zhou Man, he said, "I don't want to be hated for years like Master Fu."
Zhou Man defended himself, "I don't hold a grudge! I just... couldn't help but grumble a few words."
Bai Shan: "And then find a way to earn it back from the Fu family?"
Zhou Man: "...Don't talk nonsense, Sister Fu Er and I are good friends."
Bai Shan smiled and then said to Bai Erlang, "A country is rich only when its people are rich. The county government has no need to compete with merchants for a few cents in profit. And as you can see, things in this area are generally cheaper than in the city, so the profits given by the county government will eventually go back to the local people."
To put it bluntly, he set up the county government office in Longchi and collected their city entry tax. Wouldn't they add it to the price of goods?
Just like Manbao when she was a child, County Magistrate Fu collected her entry tax, and she turned around and raised the price of sugar to sell to Miss Fu Er, making double the profit from the Fu family. In the end, it was hard to tell who made a profit or loss.
So it would be better to relax a bit, make things convenient for them, and let the local people benefit from it.
Mingda glanced at Bai Erlang and saw that he looked like he was being taught a lesson, but it was clear that he hadn't taken it to heart. She knew he hadn't thought about it too deeply. She wanted to give him a warning, but then she realized that he wasn't going to be sent out to serve as an official, so she simply asked, "How is the book that the emperor asked you to write?"
Bai Erlang's body froze and he was speechless.
Zhou Man and Bai Shan immediately looked at him, "How is your writing going?"
Bai Erlang curled his lips and said unhappily, "I only wrote a little bit, but I'm not very satisfied with it. I've already discarded it as a manuscript."
Zhou Man stretched out his hand and said, "Let me see."
Bai Erlang refused, "I haven't even started writing yet, how can I show it to you?"
"Just look at the manuscript."
"No!" Bai Erlang refused firmly.
Zhou Man narrowed his eyes and said, "That's written for me, why don't you let me see it? Tell me, are you vilifying me?"
"I'm not!" he cried. "Am I that kind of person?"
Bai Erlang did not vilify Zhou Man, he just couldn't help but write it as it was, and then he didn't write it like a god.
He himself felt that his writing was not good. How could a god be so stingy, vengeful and greedy?
He looked at Zhou Man with some dissatisfaction and said, "This book is too difficult to write. I don't understand why Your Majesty wants me to write it."
Mingda: "You can write about Mr. Xiang so well. Manbao grew up with you. You know everything about her. You should be able to write about her even better."
Bai Erlang shook his head sadly and said, "No, it's even harder to write."
Bai Shan couldn't help but say, "Who asked you to write about her? His Majesty asked you to write about the gods, but he wanted to describe Taibai as Manbao."
Zhou Man: "Hey, isn't it mainly about me?"
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang said, "If you really can't write, just write whatever you want. Leave Taibai's image and I'll write it!"
Zhou Man glanced at him, then looked at Bai Erlang, "Aren't you going to write Taibai's Descent to the Earth?"
Bai Erlang looked at Bai Shan and said, "So Taibai can be written abbreviated?"
After getting Bai Shan's nod, he perked up and became happy. "Actually, the one I want to write about the most is Wen Quxing. Isn't Wen Quxing's descent to the mortal world to overcome tribulations more interesting than Taibai's descent to the mortal world to overcome tribulations?"
"In that case, I'm going to write freely. Taibai is just a minor supporting role. Well, in that case, you won't need to help me write it. Just a few strokes and it will be the image of Manbao, right? Simple, round face, white skin, lively, that's all. You can barely be considered gentle, traveling the world with a zither in your arms and a medicine box on your back."
Zhou Man: "...just a few words. Then why did you write about me? Taibai came down to earth just to show his face?"
See you at 7pm
(End of this chapter)
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