There was a tank of ice in the room, which lowered the temperature considerably, and Jing Zhe slept quite comfortably.
The next morning, he got up, found a small porcelain jar, filled it with ice, and wrapped it in a blanket.
Then he called Hanhan over.
Perhaps it was because he had eaten meat that Hanhan looked radiant, his usual simple-minded appearance completely gone.
"Young Master, shall we go down the mountain?"
This guy got a taste of success by following him, and he's even more enthusiastic about going down the mountain than he is.
"hold head high."
As he spoke, Jing Zhe handed the porcelain jar wrapped in a blanket to Hanhan and instructed him, "This is a treasure. Whether we can eat meat every day from now on depends on this. So please don't break it."
Upon hearing this, Hanhan's expression turned serious.
It seemed that the fate of the entire village rested on his shoulders, and he was under immense pressure.
"Also, we need to bring four or five strong and agile people down the mountain today."
"I!"
"I!"
"Me too!"
As soon as Jing Zhe finished speaking, several people rushed in from behind the door, with Fatty Ball leading the way.
Last night, the news that Jing Zhe brought Hanhan to Chunshui Tower spread throughout the village, and everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment towards Hanhan.
Every day he could wander around the city and at night he could go to brothels—even just looking and not going in would be good. Such a lucrative job shouldn't be left to just a simpleton.
Early in the morning, a group of people led by Fatty Qiu hid outside Jing Zhe's door to listen to what was going on. Just then, they heard Jing Zhe say that he was going to lead people down the mountain, and they immediately volunteered to rush out.
Jing Zhe glanced at them. The others were fine, but was Fatty Qiu sure he wasn't here to be funny?
"You think you're nimble-fingered?"
Fearing that Jing Zhe wouldn't take him down the mountain, Fatty jumped out, waved his arms and legs a couple of times, and said with a grin, "Young Chieftain, don't let my size fool you, I'm quite agile!"
"Yes, young chieftain, those who are not nimble-handed can't climb our Mangshan Mountain!"
Others chimed in.
Jing Zhe thought about it and realized that it made sense; these people made a living as bandits, so one couldn't question their professionalism.
But he didn't forget to kindly remind them, "Have you thought this through? Coming down the mountain with me is going to be very tiring!"
"What does it matter if it's tiring following the young chieftain?"
"We are most willing to do hard and heavy work. Just give the young chieftain any hard work you need."
Yes, yes!
Upon hearing that Jing Zhe planned to take them down the mountain, the group quickly patted their chests and spoke with righteous indignation.
Going shopping or visiting a brothel—if that's considered tiring, then we'll be exhausted to death!
"..."
Damn it, what a bunch of idiots!
Jing Zhe cursed inwardly.
...
The ice-making process using saltpeter has been successful, but Mangshan is high and far away. Using Mangshan as an ice-making site would not only waste too much time and manpower, but it would also be ridiculous if the ice melted on the way.
Therefore, Jing Zhe needs to buy a house in the city, with the backyard for making ice and processing products, and the front house as a storefront for selling goods.
So, taking the five simpletons down the mountain, Jing Zhe headed straight for the house of Goat Hu, who sold firecrackers.
Yesterday he mentioned a house, and Jing Zhe plans to go check it out.
When he opened the door and saw Jing Zhe, the man with the goatee's face lit up with joy. But when he saw that behind Jing Zhe, besides a simpleton, were four burly men who didn't look like good people at all, he panicked a little.
"Young master, you're up early today..."
The man with the goatee continued to sized up the group, ready to call for help at the slightest sign of trouble.
"I've been so worried about the house, how could I sleep? That's why I rushed over here, hoping to hear some good news from the manager!"
When Goatee heard that Jing Zhe had come about the house, he immediately perked up.
"Young master, you're in luck! I asked around yesterday, and my friend is heading south to Jiangling soon. He's planning to sell his old house. You can go take a look, and if you think it's suitable, just buy it!"
Jing Zhe nodded, "Then I'll trouble you, shopkeeper, to lead us to take a look. If the house is suitable, you'll certainly receive a reward!"
The man with the goatee was overjoyed. Without saying a word, he closed the door and led them toward the main street.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Jing Zhe and his group arrived at the house that the man with the goatee had mentioned.
The house is quite large, with a storefront facing the street. Although it's not brand new, it's well-maintained and can be used with a little renovation.
The backyard has three side rooms and a woodshed, which look rather old and dilapidated compared to the front.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that it had been vacant for many years.
But this didn't matter to Jing Zhe, since he planned to store saltpeter and make ice in the backyard, and he would feel it would be a waste if it were too new.
What satisfied him most was the location.
The house faces the main street in the center of Yongzhou City. It's less than a hundred steps ahead to Chunshui Tower, and right across from it is Lin Wenyao's watermelon shop. It's definitely a prime location with a great street view!
After taking a look around, Jing Zhe asked calmly, "Shopkeeper, how much silver would it cost to buy this house?"
While Jing Zhe was looking at the house, the man with the goatee kept a close eye on his expression. Based on his years of business experience, he could tell that Jing Zhe really liked the house.
If you like it, then things are easy!
His eyes darted around, and he said in a deep voice, "Young master, I told this friend before that this house would cost at least fifty taels!"
"Fifty taels?"
Why don't you just rob it?
"No, even if we rob them—"
Fatty was about to say something more when the others stopped him.
Jing Zhe didn't speak, but squinted at the goatee.
Even a fool could see that this house has been abandoned for many years and no one would pay attention to it normally. It's good enough that it has found a buyer. We can't just treat him as a sucker just because he likes it, can we?
"Forget it, let's not buy it, let's go."
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