Chapter 229 Scamming someone out of money?
Actually, Jiang Nuanzhi brought Xiao Er out today because she had neglected him on a regular basis.
Ping'er is the eldest child in the family, and his studies have always been a priority. Baozhu is the youngest sister and needs more care. Because the second child is the most sensible and the least troublesome, he inevitably receives less attention. Jiang Nuanzhi had actually been thinking about spending some time alone with him and taking him out to play.
Regarding the issue of buying people for the family, Jiang Nuanzhi originally thought that Xiao Er needed to guide her properly.
Ping'er and Xuan Ting were surrounded by servants when they were young, so there was nothing to tell them. They adapted to it.
Little Baozhu is still young, and she learns from the adults just by observing them.
As for Xiao Er, he doesn't remember anything from his childhood, and by the time he could remember anything else, his family had already fallen on hard times. With the influence of Xiao Hu's family, he's bound to be affected. However, it seems Jiang Nuanzhi is overthinking things. Clearly, Xiao Er is kind-hearted and straightforward; even if Jiang Nuanzhi didn't say anything, he probably would know what to do.
"Anuan, shall we go to Brother Lü's house now?"
After getting on the donkey cart, the waiter asked.
"Go buy some things first. Here, take this five hundred coins. Decide what gifts to buy for your family. Then go to your brother Lü's house." Jiang Nuanzhi said, smiling as she handed him five hundred coins.
"Ah! So much? Ah Nuan, I've never spent so much money before!" The waiter was somewhat surprised.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled at him and said, "Then let's give it a try today."
The waiter's eyes sparkled: "Really?!"
"certainly!"
As they talked, the two went to the market in the south of the city.
In summer, the number of stalls at the market more than doubles, and the goods are even more dazzling. There are not only various fruits and desserts, but also some livestock, such as chickens, ducks, geese, cats and dogs, and even cattle and sheep for sale.
The shop assistant seemed overwhelmed by the sights, stopping frequently at each stall to ask Jiang Nuanzhi a barrage of questions. Jiang Nuanzhi wasn't in a hurry, treating it like a practical lesson for her child, strolling around with him at a leisurely pace.
"Ah Nuan, can we buy it?"
Along the way, Xiao Er bought a lot of snacks and food, and also picked out shoes for everyone in the family. In the end, however, he couldn't take his eyes off the chicken and duck stall.
"Let's buy two more ducklings and two more goslings. When they grow up, they'll lay eggs, and we'll have more eggs than we can eat!"
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled at his excited expression and said, "Okay, you choose."
The two of them caught two ducks and two goslings and packed them up. Xiao Er had almost spent all his money, so he grabbed the basket and ran excitedly to the cart: "Anuan, let's go home. I can't wait to show everyone the gifts I bought."
Jiang Nuanzhi took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Silly boy, aren't you going to your brother Lü's house?"
The waiter scratched his head sheepishly: "Oh, I almost forgot."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "I also brought two hundred bottles of medicine today for your brother Lü and the others. After we deliver them, if you're in a hurry, we can go back early."
"Okay, no rush."
Before Jiang Nuanzhi went to Lü Shizhu, she also went to the blacksmith shop.
The best blacksmith shop in Liujiang County is this one in the south of the city.
You could hear the clanging of the blacksmith's hammer from afar outside the blacksmith's shop, and the iron bells hanging at the door jingled. Even before you got close, a wave of heat would rush out.
Jiang Nuanzhi left Xiao Er on the donkey cart to take care of the ducklings he had just bought, and then went inside.
The area around the blacksmith's shop was quite noisy, with few other places nearby. As soon as I stepped inside, a young blacksmith, who was busy at work, wiped the sweat from his brow and greeted me with a smile: "Madam Jiang, you've arrived? What are you buying this time?"
Jiang Nuanzhi bought her previous cookware here, and when she made an oven at home, she also had a special iron plate and wire mesh made from here, so she can be considered to have become a familiar face to him.
"Brother Shi, I have something I want to fight, it's a bit complicated. I wonder if Uncle Shi is available today?"
The young man was taken aback for a moment, then immediately laughed and said, "Yes, yes."
After saying that, he turned around and called out, "Father, come out here, a guest is looking for you."
"Hey, here I am."
A loud shout came from inside, and then a middle-aged man, shirtless and carrying a hammer, came out of the door.
"What is Madam Jiang going to make?"
People usually seek out Master Shi to make specific items; everyone knows that. His blacksmith shop has been open for many years, and Master Shi is quite famous throughout Liujiang County.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and took out two sheets of paper from her pocket: "Master Shi, look, can you print this out?"
When Master Shi saw Jiang Nuanzhi bring the blueprints, he paused for a moment, then immediately put down his hammer and carefully took them from her. After reading them, he frowned deeply: "Madam Jiang, what is this? I've never seen it before."
"This is a hand pump well. It's placed at the wellhead to draw water. Once this is made, water can be drawn directly from underground without the need for manual labor."
However, this pipe needs to be quite long, and there are many details, which I've drawn up on blueprints. Do you think it's possible to manufacture it?
“It can be made by beating, but it’s just an iron pipe and a few small parts, it’s not difficult. But, Madam Jiang, are you sure this thing is really useful? Such a long pipe is not cheap.”
After thinking it over, he still advised, "My lady, you mustn't waste your money."
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and said, "Master Shi, don't worry. As long as these items are made, they will be easy to use. Just keep making them."
Master Shi still frowned: "I looked at the measurement you marked, and... and... I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money to make it. Madam Jiang, are you sure you want this?"
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded: "Just give me your quote."
Master Shi looked at the blueprints again and again, repeatedly confirming the dimensions with Jiang Nuanzhi, before he frowned and hesitated, saying, "These two will cost at least eight taels of silver."
Jiang Nuanzhi naturally knew that iron was not cheap at this time, and some ironware was even more expensive than copper.
Especially in the desolate wilderness, where the temperature is low, blacksmithing is even more difficult, and once winter arrives, the blacksmithing business almost comes to a standstill.
Her tube was much longer and used more material, and it also contained many delicate little items, so it wasn't expensive. Jiang Nuanzhi immediately nodded: "Eight taels it is. But Master Shi, if there are any adjustments needed later, please help me adjust them."
Master Shi hadn't expected the deal to actually go through—eight taels of silver! His family couldn't even afford eight taels of silver a year's worth of food. He truly hadn't anticipated that his wife would spend eight taels of silver on these things.
He was taken aback for a moment, but after regaining his senses, he laughed and patted his chest, saying, "Of course, no problem."
Without saying a word, Jiang Nuanzhi gave them two taels of silver as a deposit, urging them to finish as soon as possible.
Jiang Nuanzhi wasn't actually worried about not doing it well. After all, the water pump well was quite simple. The iron parts were fine; the difficult part was the plastic gasket in the middle.
She considered that if all else failed, she could use some cowhide to sew a thicker one. If that still didn't work, she would have to refine fish bladder rubber herself. There really weren't any rubber trees in this desolate region.
Fortunately, there are only two wells, so the space needed is relatively small. Practicing with just two pieces of fish maw rubber shouldn't be a big problem. If all else fails, using a multi-layered sole should also work.
Regardless, using water this way is definitely much more convenient than fetching water before.
She then worked with Master Shi on some details, explaining to him which component each part connected to. She even provided him with paper to illustrate the connections more clearly. Only after Master Shi fully understood did Jiang Nuanzhi leave.
"Dad, are we really going to use this? Will it even work? Aren't you just trying to scam people out of their money?"
(End of this chapter)
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