Chapter 31
While repairing the Shangyong city wall, Wen Yi and Yao Wenjun also began to clear the road connecting the two places.
When they set out, Yao Wenjun and others had already widened the areas where large vehicles could not pass. Now they only needed to fill in the potholes that were prone to water accumulation on rainy days, and compact the areas near the city with gravel mixed with soil.
Although it is not as good as the brick and stone roads in the city, it is pretty good outside.
Sang Yu recorded the amount of money he had spent today, summarized it in a half-day table, and sighed.
Others may not know this, but as someone who handles these matters, he naturally knows that the daily expenditure is less than the daily income of the shop. Even so, Wen Yi is still worried and has even become more active in sending caravans.
You have to know that at this time, the cities that could barely maintain a balance between income and expenditure were all places of heavy exploitation, and even if there was labor, they would not be paid much, and it was rare to be able to just barely have enough food and clothing.
He put down the account books for this period, feeling a little confused.
The people in charge of the city had no idea about the private vaults. Rather than possessing more things themselves, they seemed more interested in managing the entire city as their mission.
Wen Yi was fine; he'd already concluded from the few words and phrases of those around him that this person wasn't an ordinary person. But Sang Yu knew Yao Wenjun's identity perfectly well, and it was incomprehensible that she'd overlooked all of this. She remembered how she'd always complained about people withholding grain and silver, using private funds to supplement their income. She'd definitely make up for it next time.
He Xuan saw Sang Yu's somewhat conflicted expression, smiled and said nothing.
This student is good at everything and handles things very carefully, but he also has to be a bit more serious. Nan Xun observes things he doesn't understand, gradually understanding and then pondering them. He, on the other hand, can't let go. If he can't get a convincing answer, he becomes preoccupied with everything he does.
"Sang Yu, please take care of these as well. I'm a little tired, so I'll go out for some fresh air first."
He Xuan placed a stack of things in front of Sang Yu's desk. His original confusion was interrupted by these words. He nodded subconsciously and began to deal with the things in his hands.
The best way to deal with this situation is to find something unrelated to do. After being busy for a long time, you will slowly figure it out.
After throwing those unimportant things to his students, He Xuanqing walked on the road with his head shaking, but he saw a lot of people gathered at the door of a shop not far away, and there were patrolling soldiers standing at the door to maintain order.
New shops opening up aren't uncommon, and people living in cities should be used to it. But this situation...
"That's about it. Starting tomorrow, you can bring your items here. If they pass inspection, we can buy them or sell them on consignment." A vendor was standing at the door of the newly opened store, explaining to the people who had gathered around.
He Xuan naturally didn't need to squeeze over to listen, as it was clearly written on the sign next to him.
Normally, we only buy rice, and the items sold by the caravans are mostly made in workshops and have little to do with individuals. But according to the instructions above, we can now buy or sell hand-woven rattan baskets and other products.
Originally, Wen Yi wanted to implement these measures to stimulate consumption later, but unfortunately Yao Wenjun was short of almost everything, and Wen Yi couldn't gather enough people for many things in a short time. It would be more convenient to purchase them directly.
It doesn’t matter if there are any extras, they can be used as containers for other goods. Given how popular those things are, there is no need to worry about not being able to sell them.
Regarding the purchase, the notice gave two options. One was to buy back the goods at a lower price, which was faster to pay and risk-free. The other was to have the caravan sell the goods on behalf of the seller. The price was definitely higher than the purchase, but the risk was also higher, and a certain percentage would need to be paid as a commission.
Although the caravans are now equipped with defensive measures, they are still occasionally surrounded by refugees and have to use some things to escape. After all, those people don't care about their own lives at all.
A group of people gathered here to discuss these things. After all, weaving wicker baskets or other things is something that almost everyone can do. They can weave to pass the time after dinner every day and can also earn some money. Why not do it?
Although life seems very stable now, everyone who has survived to this day in this era has a strong sense of crisis, probably like the later phobia of insufficient firepower, and is obsessed with hoarding "resources".
Of course, there is more than just this one. It also says that the caravan has started to provide letter delivery services, but each time it sets out, it only passes through a few places, and whether the letter can reach the person in question depends on luck.
This also touched the thoughts in the hearts of some people. Although their small family is here, everyone has friends and relatives. However, leaving their hometown to settle down at this time means that there is almost no chance to see them again in this life. They didn't expect that there would be this opportunity.
"Then... could you bring something with you?"
Someone asked a vendor standing nearby, and the vendor shook his head like a rattle, "We may not be able to find anyone yet. The adults also said that the things are easy to spoil, so it's hard to say."
What’s more important is that there is a shortage of transport capacity now, and the cost of transporting those goods is very high. We can only carry paper letters, but there is really no space to carry other things.
Seeing the man's gloomy expression, the vendor thought for a moment and added, "But don't be sad. We understand that everyone wants to take some good things back. After a while, maybe that place will become our territory. Are you worried about not being able to buy cheap and useful things?"
The news that several places in Shangyong had been captured had spread, and the relatives and neighbors who had been working in the workshop during this period also knew that those things were recently supplied to those places.
The person who was originally a little disappointed nodded, thinking that the money spent on delivering the message was enough to buy a lot of things, so there was no need to worry too much.
He Xuan quietly left the crowd, but found that there was a figure beside him who walked without making any sound.
If he had not seen this man before, he would have almost called the soldiers next to him over.
Song Jin didn't actually mean to scare the old man, but he was used to walking lightly. He supported He Xuan apologetically.
"Sorry, it was really careless."
He Xuan waved his hands. He wasn't at the stage where he needed help. But it was a little strange that Song Jin appeared here alone.
Seeing his doubt, Song Jin smiled and said, "I just came here to see what's going on. I didn't expect to see you here."
She had just returned from the parade grounds and had gone over to take a look at the notice. When she was about to go back, she met He Xuan, who was traveling the same way as her and both lived near the city.
She was actually a little curious about this famous teacher who was obviously famous but always forgotten by many people. However, he usually sat in the hall helping with some things, so there was not much chance to chat with him.
Putting aside other things, just the fact that he was willing to risk being criticized by a group of people in order to keep Yao Wenjun, Song Jin found this person interesting.
"If there is anything, why not move to the restaurant in front?" He Xuan saw that this person seemed to have something to say. Now it was time for afternoon tea, so it would not be a bad idea to go over there.
Song Jin nodded, and the two of them walked not far away.
There weren't many people in the shop at this time, so He Xuan and Song Jin chose a seat by the window. From here, they could see the trees with new leaves on the roadside not far away. It was really a nice place.
The shopkeeper served a bowl of light tea. Song Jin selected a few dim sum that he had tasted recently and found delicious. He Xuan nodded, and the food was brought up soon.
"Would you like to try it? It's actually quite good." Song Jin picked up a small piece of pastry. It seemed to have some chopped dried fruits in it, giving it a subtle sweetness. It was a very good snack at this time of year. Of course, the appearance was much rougher than those eaten by the truly noble, but the dense texture made up for this shortcoming.
He Xuan naturally did not refuse, as tea could dilute the taste left in his mouth very well.
"Of course I'm willing to try it, but now it seems that you're unwilling to do so?" He Xuan noticed the man's hesitant look and spoke with a double entendre.
"Of course I am willing, but..." Song Jin understood the meaning of this sentence, but he was still a little hesitant.
It's not that she felt it was not good to be here. In fact, she had accepted and was willing to contribute to the development of Pingyi during this period of time. But even though she hung around in front of that group of people from time to time, Wen Yi never had the intention of recruiting her. Plus, they were not familiar with each other, which made her suspect that this person had other plans.
He Xuan noticed Song Jin's concerns and shook his head. "Wen Yi, you may not know, but you should know something about Wen Jun's personality. Perhaps until everyone around them takes action, they may not realize the problem."
It cannot be said that Song Jin's method is wrong, it can only be said that Wen Yi and Yao Wenjun do not have that kind of brains, and others cannot arbitrarily recruit them without their knowledge, so this old man can only find an opportunity to talk about it.
Song Jin put down the bowl hesitantly, with a look of disbelief in his eyes.
"If you don't believe me, just follow me there and you'll know."
*
Wen Yi saw Song Jin and He Xuan walk in one after another, nodded and said nothing.
Although the two had no previous interactions, Nanxun had mentioned to her a few days ago that this person went there every day, so it made sense that he knew Nanxun's teacher. Wen Yi had been extremely busy lately with the needs of the new cities, requiring frequent transfers of personnel from various locations and adjustments to the ratio of resource extraction and utilization.
Just as I finally squeezed out some time to catch my breath, I heard Song Jin ask:
"I don't know, do you need my help?" Song Jin felt a little awkward when he said this. In the past, most books recorded answers like "That's what I wish for", but this was the first time he came up by himself.
But when he saw Wen Yi look up with a hint of surprise, his expression unchanged from the day they first met, his initial uneasiness vanished. He hadn't expected what He Xuan said to be true, and he had quickly secured his place and blended right in.
This was completely different from the previous casual help. When He Xuan saw the change in Song Jin's expression, he felt inexplicably happy.
Wen Yi continued with her work, then suddenly looked up in Song Jin's direction, sensing something was amiss. Yao Wenjun had clearly sent so many letters, and even if she had rejected half of them, the number of people who could have come to her shouldn't have been limited to just the kittens in front of her.
Of course there are others.
Yao Wenjun detained friends passing by in several cities to help. It was not that she deliberately prevented people from passing through, but the originally designated territory had expanded again, and the manpower was naturally not enough. She could only use whoever she caught first and deal with the others later.
Speaking of which, this is inseparable from Wen Yi.
Their original plan was to first capture and consolidate the three cities of Shangyong, using them as a springboard for further expansion once they were built. Unexpectedly, some of the letters sent by the caravan to deliver supplies ended up in the hands of people in several small towns north of Shangyong.
The people in those places are much more fierce than those here. I don't know who started it, but a group of people took advantage of the dead of night to tie up a group of drunkards, and then sent people to Shangyong to look for General Yao.
Yao Wenjun was somewhat shocked to see these people surrendering. He really didn't know what kind of letter could have such serious consequences. Normally, even if someone had the intention of colluding with the outside world, they would have to plan carefully before proceeding.
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