If the Zhao family were to be targeted by Chu Zhongji, the only thing missing from the Zhao family's survival was that he dug up their rat hole.
Even more surprisingly, while the Zhao family went to the storeroom to get something, the old man took the opportunity to sneak into the Zhao family's storeroom.
The Zhao family felt deeply that the person who had come to their home was a thief.
"I never expected that Brother Zhao would have such a fine item at home. Do you know how much this wine costs?"
Each year, only a few jars of wine are presented as tribute from foreign lands.
The ladies in each palace received their share, and even Lady Huang had very little left. It was last year that the heir of the Duke of Huguo somehow obtained this good stuff.
It costs over a thousand taels per catty, and people line up to buy it every day.
Even if it's expensive, you can't buy it even if you have money. The young master only sells five catties a day.
I never expected you to have such a large jar of it. It must weigh over twenty kilograms.
Today, I, Old Chu, am in for a treat! Hahaha…
Zhao Qianci was clearly a refined man, and everyone wanted to beat this old guy up.
"Yes, you are indeed in luck. You said this wine costs more than 1,000 taels of silver per catty. My family has 20 catties. How many catties would you like to buy, Grand Minister of Agriculture?"
"Hiccup, hiccup, no, Brother Zhao, I'm a guest in your house. It wouldn't be too much for you to treat me to some good wine, would it?"
Why are you bringing up money? That's not very friendly.
After hearing Zhao Qianci's words, the Grand Minister of Agriculture began to act like a rogue.
Zhao Qianci smiled and said, "Grand Minister of Agriculture, as you know, our Zhao family is a small household. At most, we have two food stalls and a few dozen acres of land."
With this small fortune, my family has to support nearly a hundred people, and that's not all...
Adults may not know this, but the Qingmiao Orphanage in Qingyang County was also funded by my family.
There are hundreds, almost a thousand, of orphans and disabled widows living there.
These daily expenses are like water flowing away. How can we afford to spend so extravagantly on such expensive things?
We acquired this by chance, thinking it wasn't anything special, but we never imagined it would be so valuable.
Since it's valuable, why not sell it and use the money to support those poor children? Wouldn't that be more meaningful?
Zhao Qianci spoke with righteous indignation, as if the wine was truly obtained by chance and he knew nothing about its specific price.
Chu Zhongji now wanted to slap himself a few times. He should have just opened the mud seal and drunk a bowl of it directly.
Why bother saying this thing is valuable?
Now I can't even bring myself to eat it. It costs over a thousand taels a pound, and if I take one bite, several hundred taels will be gone.
Although I can afford to drink it, I can't bear to part with it.
The reason Zhao Qianci asked the Grand Minister of Agriculture for money was, frankly, because it was just too much trouble.
Ever since that old rascal came, the family has been working themselves to the bone every day. And this guy is like a bandit; he'll covet anything good in the house.
This is hardly a second-rank official's mansion; it's more like the second-ranking king of the mountain.
Chu Zhongji was at a loss. Looking at the wine poured into the bowl, he didn't know whether to drink it or not, but he was also suffering from the craving for it.
After all, he was a second-rank official, so Zhao Qianci still had to give him some face.
"My lord, since this bowl of wine has been poured out, Lord Chu should drink it."
However, I have another favor to ask, and I hope Lord Chu can help me with it.
Chu Zhongji immediately became alarmed. Although he had been pretending to be crazy at the Zhao family's house these past few days, the Zhao family members were not stupid.
Even if seeds of new crop varieties like corn, winter melon, and tomatoes were found at the Zhao family's house, these were all crops already planted in the Zhao family's fields.
In other words, it is permissible for people to know.
As for the rest, nothing was found.
At most, the Zhao family's wooden house was more exquisitely built and more comfortable to live in.
The indoor bathroom is particularly exquisite, but otherwise there's nothing special about it.
As for the food, aside from the good meal they had on the first day the imperial decree was delivered, the other dishes consisted mainly of meat: chicken, duck, goose, and fish.
However, the taste was much better than in ordinary restaurants. But there's no way I'll ever again have that delicious braised pork or stir-fried pork slices.
After thinking for a moment, he put down the wine bowl he was holding.
"Brother Zhao, just say it. Anything that I, Lao Chu, can do, I will definitely do for you."
This is Chu Zhongji's way of being tactful; he only does what he can.
Zhao Qianci was naturally not stupid.
"Haha, Lord Chu is overthinking it. Your humble request is certainly something Lord Chu can accomplish."
The master just said this wine is worth a thousand catties. Why don't you, Lord Chu, help sell it?
With this large sum of money, the children in my orphanage can get two more sets of clothes and eat meat twice a month.
The children were so pitiful. When they first entered the orphanage, they were all skin and bones, and few of them had any intact clothes on their bodies.
The clothes were tattered and worn out.
I figured that since I had taken the children in, I should make sure they had a good life.
I don't know who leaked the address of the orphanage, but recently a lot of children have come to the orphanage.
They all came from the surrounding counties.
The children survived by eating grass roots and tree bark along the way, and when they entered our orphanage, they were barely alive.
One orphanage is still too few; it cannot accommodate so many children.
Therefore, he humbly considered that if he could sell this wine, it would not only provide enough food, drink, and clothing for the children in the orphanage, but also...
If there is any left over, another orphanage can be built in another place.
He humbly expressed his hope that he could do his bit, helping as many children as he could. "Sigh..."
The long sigh went straight into Chu Zhongji's heart, almost moving him to tears.
“Brother Zhao, you really are a great philanthropist. Alright, I agree to this.”
After saying that, Chu Zhongji stood up, went out for a walk, and came back with a man in black following behind him.
After entering, the man clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Qianci, picked up the jar on the table, and quickly left the main hall of the Zhao family.
Zhao Qianci had become able to ignore the man in black.
Ever since that old rascal Chu Zhongji moved into our house, everyone in the family has put away any things that shouldn't be there.
For example, all the glass mirrors used by women were locked up, and the bronze mirrors that were left outside were put away.
Previously, the family ate only refined rice and flour stored in Zhao Qingyan's space.
Since the Grand Minister of Agriculture arrived, the Zhao family, from top to bottom, has been eating rice and grains bought from the town.
However, in Zhao Qingyan's eyes, the so-called refined rice sold in town was similar to the fried rice of later generations.
Brown rice is only slightly better than unhulled rice. Anyway, it tastes terrible.
Since Zhao Qingyan arrived with Chu Zhongji, she has stopped using a basin for meals and is now eating from a small bowl.
I only eat a small half-bowl of rice at each meal, or even less, just so I don't have to suffer for my throat.
After the meal, they ran back to their space for an extra meal.
Anyway, she had plenty of takeout food stored up in her space from her past life. Besides, since the space expanded, she was already able to cook in it.
So it's okay even if you don't get enough to eat outside every day.
At first, her family thought she was sick. When they found out she just didn't like the food, they were both amused and exasperated.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com