Sarah was hurt by Ye Zhou's reaction and decided that she would never turn into a bat in front of Ye Zhou again in her life.
Ye Zhou could only coax Sarah after she turned back to normal.
After all, he knew that his reaction just now would definitely not make people feel good.
But in his entire life, he had never seen a bat as big as Sarah. Small bats are cute, but one that big is not cute at all.
"Do you want to eat chili peppers? I'll get you a bag." Only then did Ye Zhou regret not knowing more about Sarah's preferences. "Or should I play Go with you?"
Sarah stood there, lowering her eyes and said sadly, "No, I know I'm ugly and scary."
Ye Zhou quickly said, "It's not ugly. How is it ugly? It's just a little... a little big."
Sarah looked up at Ye Zhou and said, "Then I will turn into a bat and you can hold me."
“…”
Ye Zhou gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, go ahead and change. I'm sure I won't even blink."
Regardless of whether this sentence was true or false, Sarah's expression eased immediately, and she smiled at Ye Zhou: "No need, boss, I actually always knew it."
Ye Zhou was a little confused again. He didn't understand what Sarah was saying. He asked, "What do you know?"
Sarah: "I know you're afraid of big bats."
Ye Zhou: “…”
I haven't seen any big bats along the way, how do you know?
But Sarah didn't continue: "Why don't I go find him at night? Anyway, no one will look up at the sky at night."
Although she was a little scary as a bat, in this place with no lights and dim candlelight, no one would notice her presence at night.
"Thank you for your hard work." Ye Zhou, "Observe him, but don't go to see him directly."
"I just want to know if he is here for me, and from the looks of him, he doesn't look like a slave."
There are many things that people can hide, but temperament is very difficult to hide. It is something in the bones. If you want to hide or eliminate it, the surrounding environment needs to undergo a drastic change and time should be allowed to change it.
The other person followed Wei Shang, bent over with his head down, and wore coarse cloth clothes, but even so, he still looked more like a "master" than Wei Shang.
If such a person was really a slave, Ye Zhou would doubt his own judgment.
After the two of them agreed, Sarah went outside to get a pack of turkey noodles to cook.
After eating, Sarah prepared to leave.
Linzi was like a dead city at night. Many people had used their money to buy food but not lamp oil.
Perhaps they were used to the darkness at night, so occasionally they could hear voices and footsteps in the house, but no fire was visible.
Sarah went out from the back, turned into a bat, flew to the roof, and then flew towards the inn where Wei Shang was staying.
The post inn was crowded with merchants from various countries. It was the first time that the inn owner had welcomed so many guests. He was so busy that he even hired more than ten waiters. The waiters, like the owner, were constantly running around the inn.
For ordinary people, there is nothing else to do at night except sleeping.
But in the post house where there was no shortage of lamp oil, merchants still sat in the lobby drinking wine, eating snacks, and chatting about their experiences in selling goods.
——As for the children of noble families and powerful envoys they brought with them, they have all gone to the mansions of the noble families of the Duke of Chen to stay temporarily, and will not be crowded in the inn with them.
"I returned to Wei State, and I didn't need to ask anyone to sell my goods. They were sold out as soon as I arrived in the capital." The merchant put down his wine glass and said proudly while being slightly tipsy, "Before, I had to ask people to sell my goods, but now, people come to ask me to sell my goods."
Other merchants echoed: "How did those powerful gentlemen look at us in the past? They all treated us as stink bugs! Now seeing those gentlemen competing to give me money, it feels so good! This is really great!"
"Come on! Have some wine!"
"The White Rabbit milk candy is still monopolized by Zhao Shang."
Zhao Shang proudly stood up and bowed to everyone, saying, "Thank you, thank you."
"But I see that supermarket has more than just food. Why doesn't the boss sell other things?" Someone put down his glass and said regretfully, "I wanted to go to the other side to take a look, but as soon as I got there, I was stopped by that cold-faced man."
"I asked, but the boss just said he didn't sell anything except food and drinks, and didn't tell me why."
"He bought so many things and built such a big house, why doesn't he sell it? Isn't he afraid of losing money?"
"You don't know how much he spent on collecting things, so how do you know he will lose money?"
"Maybe the jelly candies were made by his servants."
The merchants speculated where Ye Zhou's goods came from, but soon began to speculate where Ye Zhou came from.
"From his accent and appearance, he doesn't look like a Chen person."
"It must not be from Chen. How can a Chen person have such demeanor?"
Nowadays, there are only foreign merchants and waiters in the post station, and no one will refute them. Chen Guo's waiter was indignant but dared not say anything, for fear of being driven away and losing money.
"I think he looks like a Wei person, but his pronunciation is different."
"You said they look like people from Wei? I said they look like people from Zheng!"
"Nonsense! The people of Zheng are famous for being ugly. Among all the countries, the people of Zheng are the ugliest, with big, thick lips. When your king married his new bride, he even said that there were no beauties in Zheng."
"But speaking of it, when I came to Linzi this time, I found that the people were living better than before. They could actually afford the things I brought from Zhao State."
"Yes, yes, yes. Every time I came here before, I could only sell goods to the noble families. Ordinary people couldn't afford them."
“This is really new.”
"Speaking of which, I have something to tell you." The blue-clothed businessman said mysteriously, "I heard that the current Prime Minister of Chen State is the owner of the supermarket."
Everyone was shocked and exclaimed: "A businessman is the prime minister?!"
“This is something I’ve never heard of!”
"I think Lord Chen is a man with a broad mind!" Someone suddenly stood up and said indignantly, "It is said that we merchants have no country in our hearts, but ask yourselves, have you ever been a spy for your own king and got information? But if a scholar is a spy, he will be rewarded with a high position and a high rank after returning to his country. At the very least, he can get a reward."
"What about us? Being a spy is full of dangers. If we are not careful, our lives will be in danger. But if we get the news and return to our country, what can we get? The monarchs of various countries say that we merchants have no country, but they want to use us, but they don't give us any benefits!"
The blue-clothed businessman said: "I think Lord Chen is a good man. With such a broad mind, there is no need to worry about not being able to accomplish anything!"
The merchants were silent for a moment, and finally said, "I used to think that Lord Chen was weak, but I didn't expect that I underestimated him."
"Just for this reason alone, Lord Chen is better than his father."
"Better than his grandfather!"
After the merchants had a drink, Zhao Shang approached the blue-clothed merchant and invited him to his room. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Brother Wei, do you want to stay in Chen State?"
The blue-clad businessman, Wei Shang, narrowed his eyes.
Zhao Shang sighed and said, "Brother Wei, you don't have to hide it from me. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have invited you here."
Wei Shang did not hide it: "I do mean that."
"Although the State of Chen is small, its king is magnanimous. We merchants fear the most the rich and powerful. Once they speak, we can do nothing but wait for death."
"Although I love money, I also love my life. Besides, I may be able to make money if I stay in Chen State."
Zhao Shang: "Brother Wei has foresight."
Wei Shang added: "I met someone on the way here."
"It was this man who persuaded me to stay in Chen." Wei Shang sat on the chair with a smile on his face. "That man was worse than a slave at the time. His clothes were tattered and his bag was lost. He only said that he was a scholar and wanted to come to Linzi."
Zhao Shang became interested: "Oh? Where is this person?"
Wei Shang: "In the stable, I took him in, but he didn't want to be supported by me. He insisted on working beside me. He also didn't want me to give him a room, and he just slept in the stable with other servants."
Wei Shang smiled and said, "This man is quite courageous. I think he will be able to achieve great things in the future."
Zhao Shang was even more curious: "Then why did he stay with you when he came to Linzi?"
Wei Shang remembered something interesting, and waved his hand: "This man likes to play riddles. He said that if he has talent, he will be discovered. If he has no talent, he will go back home and continue farming."
Zhao Shang felt that this person had a problem with his brain, but he still said, "It seems that this person is really talented, so he can be so confident."
Wei Shang nodded: "He said that I treated him well and did not ask for anything in return, so he gave me some advice so that I could stay in Chen for a long time."
Zhao Shang wanted to continue asking, but Wei Shang realized that he had let the cat out of the bag. He stood up and bowed to Zhao Shang: "It's late, Brother Zhao, go to bed. I'll go back to my room first."
After Wei Shang finished speaking, he quickly left the room regardless of Zhao Shang's attempts to keep him.
Wei State and Chen State were somewhat similar in that both were small and weak countries, but Wei State was stronger than Chen State in one respect, which was that its land was barren.
Wei Shang found it funny when he thought about it. He didn't know since when the barrenness of the land became its strength.
The land of Wei State was barren and the people were in poverty, but that was why no big country had set its sights on Wei State. However, the people of Wei State were fleeing from Wei State. They would rather go to other countries. Even if they did not speak the same language or had different customs, they did not want to be Wei people anymore.
But what hurt Wei Shang the most was not the poverty of Wei, but the king of Wei.
The king of Wei was a fool - he was a good man who was weaker than the Marquis of Chen. He was bullied from the moment he came to the throne, by the aristocratic families and the royal family. Wei was already poor and was torn apart. The aristocratic families did not pay tribute, but the Marquis of Wei actually believed the other party's letter crying poor, and not only did he believe it, he also told the other party not to pay tribute for the next three years.
Therefore, the capital of Wei State, which was directly governed by the Duke of Wei, was actually the poorest city.
Wei Shang felt that the State of Wei was about to perish and that the king would not be able to remain king for long.
The last bit of affection he had for Weiguo faded away, and he decided to leave Weiguo and no longer be a Wei businessman.
He was originally thinking about which country he was going to, but he didn't expect to pick up a person on the road. At first he thought that this person was a slave who had escaped from some family. After all, this person was in tattered clothes, his face was covered with mud, the exposed skin was dirty and black, and he was walking barefoot on the road.
But he soon discovered that this man was definitely not a slave, or even a commoner.
Although he has an ordinary face, he is definitely not an ordinary person. He speaks in an orderly manner and is well-versed in the situations of various countries. Although he is very young, he is more knowledgeable than many elderly people.
But he also said that he had never left the place where he was born, and that he learned about various countries from businessmen and scholars.
This forced Wei Shang to respect him. After a long time, he asked this person which country would be better for him to go to if he wanted to leave Wei.
The man told him almost without hesitation: "Chen State, Chen State will be strong within ten years!"
Wei Shang didn't quite understand: "Chen State is weak. Although it now has a supermarket, it is just a business."
"Whether it's Lu or Zhao, if they really want to deal with Chen, Chen will have no power to fight back."
The man laughed and said, "Why fight back? Chen is sandwiched between two powers. Others think it is difficult, but I don't think it is a bad thing. Instead, it is an opportunity. Since Chen is weak, it must rely on the strong to become stronger. In the past, Zhao and Lu asked him for food, and he agreed to all of them. That's why we have the current situation."
"What if he only responds to one country?"
Wei Shang shook his head: "If we only respond to Zhao, Lu will be angry. Lu cannot defeat Zhao, but it can defeat Chen."
The man said, "No, no, sir, think about it. You are the Duke of Zhao, and Chen pays tribute to you. But Lu is here to attack you. If Lu defeats Chen, will you still have a share of Chen's grain?"
Wei Shang was stunned.
This person also said: "For a small country to survive, it needs to make use of both sides and use the strength of others to fight against the strong. If it relies on itself, it may not be strong in ten years, or even a hundred years."
"But I think that since Lord Chen is ambitious and has experts to help him, the State of Chen can become stronger."
Wei Shang couldn't help but ask, "So you said that the State of Chen will be strong within ten years?"
This person laughed loudly and said, "With me, you will be strong in ten years!"
Although this person's words were arrogant, Wei Shang didn't think he was bragging.
He was convinced by the man's words and decided to stay in Chen. If Chen could become strong, then his bet would be right.
If not, he can go to another country in ten years.
Anyway, he has already decided to leave his motherland, so it doesn't make much difference to him which country he goes to.
After leaving Zhao Shang's room, Wei Shang prepared to go to the stable to take a look. He was afraid that he had said something wrong just now, so it would be better to ask the scholar to avoid making a mistake and then not being able to make up for it.
The inn was quiet at this time, and the guys had all gone to rest. There was no light source except the moonlight. Wei Shang walked carefully into the yard, being extra careful when he stepped, for fear of being tripped by stones.
The stable was drafty everywhere. The horses were on one side and the servants slept on the other. They had no quilts, so sleeping here was only slightly more comfortable than sleeping directly on the ground.
But smelling the horse scent wasn't that comfortable.
Wei Shang was about to call the scholars out, but when he turned around, he suddenly saw a dark shadow on the stable shed.
His eyesight was not very good, but his intuition told him that the black shadow was a living creature.
Wei Shang squinted his eyes and looked over. Just when he thought that thing might be a big bird or something else, the black shadow suddenly moved.
A pair of huge "wings" spread out, scaring Wei Shang so much that he took a step back and sat down on the ground.
Wow, this is the first time in his life that he has seen such a big bat!
It must be a monster! A bat this big must be a monster!
Wei Shang's whole body was shaking. He always felt that the bat was looking at him. Its deep red pupils pierced into his eyes, making his neck feel as if it was being strangled by a pair of hands, making it impossible for him to make any sound.
But soon, the bat flew away.
Before leaving, she seemed to look at him, as if mocking him.
Wei Shang: “…”
·
"I think he has something." Sarah sat at the table, chewing chili peppers and said, "I heard him tell those who sleep in the stable that there must be a master in Chen State, and soon scholars from other countries who cannot make a name for themselves will rush to Chen State."
Sarah didn't quite understand: "Can't they be officials in their own country? Chen State is so small, what are they doing in Chen State?"
Ye Zhou explained to her: "They have no way to rise in their own country. Scholars who don't want to be officials are all from wealthy and powerful families. For more lower-class scholars, it costs a lot of money just to study. A wealthy family may be dragged down by a scholar."
"Only by becoming an official can they continue to maintain their current life and live a better life."
"What's more, most scholars have some ideals, such as making a weak country strong, using small means to achieve great things, and then becoming famous throughout the world."
"A great country is not short of scholars. The children trained by aristocratic families are enough. Moreover, compared with ordinary people, the children of aristocratic families are more trustworthy."
Sarah: "Why? Don't those noble families always go against their kings?"
Ye Zhou smiled and said, "But the power and wealth of the aristocratic families all come from the royal power. If they leave their motherland, they will have nothing, unless they abandon their family name and betray their ancestors. But once they do that, they will be despised and cursed by the world, and their children will probably never be reused again."
"Although the noble families oppose the monarchs, and even many monarchs will deal with the noble families, they are inseparable and are as close as lips and teeth."
Sarah understood: "Because only the children of noble families will never betray the king?"
Ye Zhou shook his head: "They won't leave their motherland."
"If they don't leave, it means that if they are not good for the country, it will not be good for them either."
"But." Ye Zhou took a sip of water, "What if the benefits and advantages are great enough? There will always be traitors in any era."
"And once they betray, their betrayal will be much greater than that of an ordinary scholar or official."
Sarah now understood: "That person's name is Zhao Xue, and he seems to be from Lu. However, although he is from Lu, he lives with his mother in the territory of Chen. He originally wanted to go to the capital of Lu, but finally came to Linzi."
Ye Zhou nodded: "I will go find him tomorrow."
Sarah: "Why don't you go there yourself? Why don't you let him come to you?"
"If he wants to come to Chen State to find a job, he should definitely come to our house himself." Sarah was not happy. "You go? Who is he?"
Ye Zhou was amused by Sarah's attitude: "This time is different from our time."
"Okay, see if you want to take those things with you. We'll leave when you've packed them up." Ye Zhou, "Go back and go to bed early."
Sarah nodded: "By the way, where is Zou Ming?"
Ye Zhou: "I have something for him to do."
Sarah frowned, "What is it?"
She didn't finish her question - what was it that he could do that I couldn't?
Ye Zhou: "It's just a small matter."
Ye Zhou rubbed Qingmingxue: "I'm a little tired."
Hearing Ye Zhou say he was tired, Sarah didn't ask any more questions. She said sympathetically, "I don't have anything to take with me. Let's go back."
As she spoke, she put on her cloak and hat.
Although she always goes out at night, she is still fully armed in order not to scare people.
Sarah didn't care whether she would scare people or scare them to death, but she knew Ye Zhou cared, so even if Ye Zhou didn't say anything, she would do everything she should do.
Ye Zhou stood up, turned off the computer, and checked the places in the supermarket that might have safety hazards. After confirming that everything was correct, he left the supermarket with Sarah Cao'er and the others.
·
Zou Ming climbed over the wall and entered a residence in the east of the city. As soon as he entered, he saw a man kneeling on the corridor looking at him.
As if he had known that Zou Ming would come, the other party nodded to Zou Ming and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, my dear."
Zou Ming was not surprised. He walked towards the other party and knelt down opposite the man.
Neither of them spoke. The man picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Zou Ming. In front of them was a piece of glutinous rice cake, one for each. It was unclear whether to describe it as exquisite or stingy.
Zou Ming: "Is your master asleep?"
The man, Baiyu's brother, nodded: "The road was bumpy, and he went to bed early recently."
Zou Ming: "Ye... The boss asked me to tell you something. He will prepare what you want. Can you give him what he wants?"
The milk brother groaned for a moment and said, "As long as I see the things, the agreement between him and me will stand, and I will pay nothing less."
My brother suddenly asked, "The supermarket owner is not very old, right?"
Zou Ming looked at his grandfather.
Brother Nai waved his hand: "Don't get me wrong, I am different from Baiyu."
Speaking of white fish, Zou Ming's brows slowly frowned.
The milk brother immediately said, "He definitely doesn't have that kind of thought towards the boss. He just admires the beauty but never has the idea of taking her for himself. My dear, don't worry about it. He is a member of the Bai family. If he really behaves absurdly, you don't need to. The Bai family will teach him."
Zou Ming: "I hope you go to see our boss later, and he won't have to go."
The brother smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Although I'm his brother, I'm just a servant after all."
Zou Ming: "I don't think you look like a servant."
Brother Nai didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "The Bai family is in trouble now. The king has trusted the aristocratic families. Not only has the Bai family not made any progress, but they have also lost three cities. There is a lack of talented people. Otherwise, how could Bai Yu and I come out together?"
Zou Ming did not respond. He had no interest in the intrigues among these noble families. He only said, "The boss is waiting for your good news."
He looked into his brother's eyes: "Don't let him down."
It was the first time that Zou Ming looked Nai Xiong in the eye, but before he had time to feel flattered, he was frightened by Zou Ming's gaze and shuddered.
The eyes staring at him at this moment did not seem like human eyes.
More like a wild beast, a lion or a tiger.
He had no power to resist such a beast, and if the other party was determined to kill him, he would have nowhere to escape.
The nurse lowered his head and said softly, "Please rest assured, my dear, I will never break my promise. If I break my promise, you can take my head."
He heard the other party say "hmm".
I finally let go of the worry in my heart.
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