Zhao Jun took the map and looked at it carefully.
"I know the roads in Ba County are difficult to travel, so that's why I'm here."
"Well, these nineteen counties are too many. Let's discuss the key ones first, starting with the most recent Chongji."
"Zhu County Magistrate, you should have visited this nearest county more often."
Zhao Jun pointed to the nearest county town on the map and asked.
"Yes, sir. Chongji is the county I go to the most. This county is the closest to the prefecture and the road is relatively easy to get to. We only need to cross a mountain to get there."
"But Chongji is all steep slopes, and the environment isn't suitable for growing peppercorns, so the county mainly raises chickens and ducks."
"But didn't the government distribute corn and sweet potato seeds last year? Originally, Ba County couldn't grow much corn or other crops, but corn grows very well in Chongji. Now the living standards of the people in Chongji are quite high."
Zhu Lin was talking while Xiao He was taking notes.
"What about Jingshan County, the farthest away?"
Zhao Jun asked again.
Zhu Lin's face suddenly showed some difficulty.
"In contrast to Chongji County, Jingshan County is the farthest county. To get to Jingshan from Ba County, you have to go through thousands of mountains and rivers. Almost no one from Jingshan County has ever walked to the prefecture."
"Also, the people of Jingshan County live in the most difficult conditions. They live in the deepest valleys, surrounded by mostly forests, so they can't grow any crops, not even Sichuan peppercorns."
"We usually make a living by hunting in the mountains, and then go to other counties that are slightly closer to us to exchange for things."
Now that we have talked about the farthest and the nearest, the next one is the largest Linjiao County.
Xiao He specially marked it out, so what can be said about this being the largest?
"Linjiao County is indeed the largest county in Ba County. Even though we are officially the seat of a prefecture, Linjiao County should actually be the real prefecture."
"Linjiao County is relatively flat, with no particularly high mountains around it. Most importantly, it's the largest pepper growing area in Ba County, and 70% of the pepper traded abroad comes from there."
"And what's more, that's where the Shi family is located."
This was the first time Zhu Lin mentioned a specific family.
"The Shi family? Is it a very powerful family?"
Zhao Jun was very interested in listening to him talk about the Shi family.
Zhu Lin was also very decisive, because as long as he came to Ba County, he would definitely know about the Shi family in the end.
"The Shi family is the most famous family in all of Ba County. They specialize in the peppercorn trade. Not only do they own large tracts of land to grow peppercorns themselves, they also accept peppercorns from all the surrounding counties."
"Some small towns don't have access to outside sales channels, so the Shi family will buy their peppercorns and offer a fair price. So, even though there are many families growing peppercorns in Ba County, almost 90% of them sell directly to the Shi family. They definitely make a profit from the price difference, but it's still a fair price."
"Then how did the Shi family transport it? I see that Linjiao County is basically located in the middle of Ba County. How did they transport the peppercorns to sell?"
Linjiao County is not very close to here, so the road must be difficult to travel on.
"Well, the Shi family has trained a special delivery team. They set up a sales point here in the prefecture and county. They send people up every two or three months, and merchants in Ba County come to pick it up directly."
Zhao Jun was silent for a moment and then nodded.
"This is basically the situation in these three counties. Do you need to know more about the situation in other counties?"
Zhu Lin asked.
"No need. The situation in Ba County is complicated. The three counties we talked about today are enough. Let us learn about it ourselves from now on."
The situation in these three counties alone is already very complicated, and if we add the remaining dozen or so counties, they will not be able to accept them all at once.
"Xiao He, what do you think we should do next?"
She glanced at Xiao He and already had a plan in mind.
"I think we should go to Linjiao County first and meet this Shi family member."
Xiao He took a look at what was written on the paper and quickly gave an answer.
"Yes, I also think we need to meet this Shi family first."
"Zhu Jun Shou, please make some arrangements. We are going to Linjiao County tomorrow. How long will the journey take?"
Zhu Lin answered quickly.
"It will take about five days to get there, mainly because we have to walk and climb mountains all the way, so it will take a long time."
"If you are leaving tomorrow, I can ask County Magistrate Su to take you there. He is most familiar with the roads in this subordinate county."
"Okay, let's do it this way. By the way, how much do you know about the Shi family? Tell us first."
Zhao Jun pulled Xiao He and they sat down again to listen to the story.
"I've had quite a few interactions with the Shi family. The head of the Shi family is the eldest brother, Shi Hong. He's a very cheerful and loyal person. He's open-minded and easygoing with everyone, so he has many friends. He's usually in charge of external affairs."
"The second-in-command is Shi Hong's younger brother Shi Gan. He knows the most about Sichuan peppercorns, so he's responsible for the cultivation, growth, and quality control of the Shi family's Sichuan peppercorns. The quality of the Sichuan peppercorns grown by the Shi family is always top-notch, and this is all thanks to him."
"The two brothers also have a younger sister named Shi Yu, who is very generous. She is the accountant of the Shi family and is responsible for all the expenses and income of Huajiao."
"The Shi family is mainly managed by these three brothers and sisters. I don't know anything about the others."
"Oh, by the way, the Shi family also has a special transport team they have trained. It's called the Three Stones Team. The leader is called Shi Tou. He is the Shi family member who travels in and out of the prefecture most frequently."
"As for the rest, I'm really not very clear."
"Thank you, Master Zhu. It's very detailed."
Zhao Jun kept these four people in mind, fearing that he would have to deal with them in the future.
"No, no, it's all my duty. Please go ahead and do your work. I'll go down and make arrangements for tomorrow's trip."
Zhu Lin said hello and then left.
Zhao Jun and Xiao He were still in the study sorting out the information they had just seen.
"How is it? How does it feel?"
Zhao Jun flipped through the paper full of Xiao He's records and asked.
"The situation in Berkshire Hathaway is still very complicated, especially this afternoon. It felt like I was listening to a very long explanation."
Indeed, they had come to the study after lunch, and it was almost evening now.
"Okay, just have a preliminary understanding, and then we can slowly get in touch with each other."
"By the way, where is Liu Ji?"
They listened to the boring class for the whole afternoon, but they never saw Liu Ji.
"He didn't come in when we came to the study. He said he was going to walk around the street for a while."
"Well, I certainly didn't expect him to hear that."
"Let's go back first. We have to start our journey again tomorrow. When Liu Ji comes back, please notify him."
After sitting for a whole afternoon, she felt very tired and left after stretching.
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