Chapter 224 Villagers?
Chen Lie said it was genuine, does Chu Qichang believe it?
I don't believe it at all!
A woman dressed in plain clothes but with an extraordinary demeanor and beautiful words, red wine and dried bean curd that had never been seen before, Li Qi, which Zheng had been showing off for decades as a treasure, was said to be the dowry recipe brought by Madam Zheng, and the novel and exquisite round cakes. Which of these things can be seen in the homes of ordinary wealthy families? Not to mention ordinary villagers?
The wine was a gift from an old friend many years ago, but could these recipes have been given by someone else? Or was it just a coincidence that someone sent these foods a few hours ago?
But Chu Qichang was not stupid. The Shen family brought so many people out of the mountains to become citizens of Da Qi, and they also helped the court to find people in the mountains. The two brothers even went to take the provincial school examination together. At least from this aspect, there was no problem with the Shen family, and they recognized Da Qi, which was very good.
As for the background of the Shen family, whether the wine was given by an old friend or the Shen family had a recipe, and the recipes of Li Qi, dried bean curd, and cakes, what did it have to do with him? Anyway, Chu Qichang didn't have that intention, nor did he have the ability to come up with these recipes. Why bother to delve into it?
It would be good if he had the ability. He doesn't even have time to make friends.
So after hearing Chen Lie's reassurance, Chu Qichang looked at him and patted Chen Lie on the shoulder: "Okay, let's have another drink!"
Now they are brothers.
The matter was forgotten while they were drinking and chatting. No one asked what they drank or ate today. Whatever Chen Lie said was the truth.
Putting this aside, this meal was a real pleasure. The dishes were novel, rich, and well-cooked. The cold rabbit paired with red wine was a real treat for a wine lover like Chu Qichang. Even if the Chu family was well off, how could they have eaten this before? Not to mention that in the past few years, even his family couldn't have everything they wanted to eat.
The food and wine were good, and the business was easy to talk about, so Chu Qichang quickly stated his purpose.
Just as Sang Luo expected, Chu Qichang came to congratulate just for the sake of convenience. He really wanted to find Chen Lie for something urgent, not for anything else, but because he was worried about the population issue.
"Brother Shen, I took a group of people to visit the counties below. It was desolate. All the fertile fields turned into wasteland. It was really heartbreaking to see, but there were too few people. Although the emperor has pacified various parties, many people who were previously stranded in the rebellion have returned to their hometowns. However, after several years of war, too many people died or fled to the mountains. Just say that several counties under our Shezhou are now in ruins. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have to be so anxious and rush to you as soon as I came back."
A sip of the mellow wine made him taste the sadness.
Chen Lie had already guessed his intention, but he didn't expect Chu Qichang to come so soon. He had planned to discuss with Chen Dashan tonight, but it was not easy to talk about it in front of Chu Qichang. He tapped his fingertips on the table twice. He had a future to pursue, at least a direction, and he didn't want Chen Dashan to miss a possible opportunity, so he said, "Master Chu, please wait a moment, because the Lu brothers who were with us before are not in the manor now. If we go out quickly, we will be short of manpower. I will go and ask if there are other people who can make room. I will be back in a moment."
He immediately asked Xu Wenqing to accompany Chu Wenqing to eat and called Chen Dashan out.
Chen Dashan was puzzled, but he didn't show it on his face. He just followed Chen Lie out. When they were far away, he asked curiously, "Where can we ask at this time?"
Each family in the village has to take care of its own farm affairs, so it is not easy to gather six people. If they really want to, maybe the Feng family can look for them, or even go to the neighboring village?
Chen Lie shook his head, looked in the direction of his kitchen, and whispered, "I'm not really looking for someone, I just want to ask you if you have any idea of getting a job in the state government office."
Chen Dashan was stunned: "Officials like Mr. Xing?"
Chen Lie nodded: "Yes, I have noticed that they are short of manpower and they need people right now, especially in the deep mountains, where it is impossible to find suitable candidates. Do you want to take this opportunity to make some plans for yourself? Do you want the right to use the mountain for 20 years or a job?"
Chen Dashan also realized that the state government needed their help, so what Chen Lie said might actually come true.
He lowered his eyes in hesitation.
It was a job, and it was in a provincial government office. He was very tempted. He knew what was happening in the Great Qi Dynasty. In the past, high-ranking officials could pass down their jobs to their descendants.
Chen Dashan did not agree immediately. After hesitating for a moment, he asked Chen Lie, "Can I ask how your sister-in-law plans to use the mountain land?"
Shen Lie didn't expect him to ask this at this time, and raised his eyebrows: "Are you planning to run the mountain?"
Chen Dashan scratched his head, "I don't know how to run a business, but my sister-in-law should know how to run a business, right? It's good to work in the government office, but you know I can't read a few words, and I don't really want to learn that. I see that Mr. Xing's group can write and calculate, so can you ask my sister-in-law for me, is it cost-effective to get more than a hundred acres of mountain land?"
Chen Lie was speechless, "Since we're out now, let's go together and ask for yourself."
…
After hearing Chen Dashan's intention, Sang Luo said, "You can't make a fortune from managing more than a hundred acres of mountain land, but you can get a small fortune. However, there are risks. Planting things depends on the weather, and raising things is afraid of diseases. There is no such thing as a guaranteed profit."
Chen Dashan didn't know what kind of wealth Sang Luo's small wealth was, so he asked: "Is it richer than being a police official?"
Zhou Ge also looked at Sangluo.
Sang Luo smiled at the couple and nodded, "If you don't run into the risks I mentioned earlier, you will be much richer than the clerks."
Chen Dashan was happy: "That's it, no need to be stable, how many things in this world are stable?"
He turned around and said to Shen Lie: "I still want the mountain land, and it has to be the one that suits me."
Then he said to Sang Luo, "Sister-in-law, I won't say anything irrelevant about the relationship between our two families. Please give me some advice on how to manage our mountain land, or what to do with the tofu paste in the future. I see that you know a lot of things, don't all these require raw materials? We can grow whatever you need, and when you need it, we can sell it to you at a lower price than outside."
When they were in Shili Village, which was so poor and far away from the county town, Sang Luo was able to start a business with several family members. It didn't make sense for her to be idle at home now that they were living at the gate of Shezhou City.
Zhou Ge's eyes lit up. The villagers knew something about the Chen, Lu, and Shi families doing business with Sang Luo, so he nodded and said, "Yes, Luo, you can lead us. We can just supply you with food."
Of course Sang Luo had to do business, she had already taken root in this time and space. Chen Lie had his own pursuits, and she naturally had her own focus. She nodded, but did not boast, only saying: "I am also groping in the dark. If you really want to learn, you can come and see and ask at any time."
The matter is settled.
Chen Lie and Chen Dashan did not delay any longer and hurried back. When Chu Qichang saw them coming back, he hurriedly asked, "How is it?"
Chen Lie smiled and said, "The farm is busy with farm work, and we are still short of one or two people. We can go to the mountains to ask around tomorrow. Lord Chu has only heard others call me Master, but he doesn't know that when we took refuge in the mountains, we had two martial arts masters. Dashan was the other martial arts master. He is no less skilled than me in martial arts, and he is also familiar with the mountains and forests. His maternal grandfather was originally a hunter, and I learned some things in the mountains and forests from him."
Push Chen Dashan out.
Chu Qichang was very excited when he heard this, and Xu Wenqing also agreed on the side, talking about how his master Chen used a long stick to perfection. Fortunately, he knew that the person sitting in front of him was a court official, so he did not mention the bow and arrow and sword skills.
The men started chatting at the table, and it was quite lively. Especially since Chu Qichuang had basically achieved the purpose of coming here today, and there was good wine and delicious food, so they were in a more hearty mood. Sang Luo and the others had finished their meals, and they were still drinking here.
Chu Qichang is also half a warrior. Although he is a half-baked person who mainly studies literature and cannot compare with the skills of Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, he is not one of those people who can only hold a pen.
The four practitioners sat together, and they were good eaters. They ate all the food and wine for nine people, and Chu Qichang had to hold on to the wall to leave. If the city gates would not be closed at 12:00, he would not have been willing to leave after finishing the cold rabbit and the small jar of red wine.
Of course, since he brought gifts, Sang Luo didn't let him go back empty-handed. She gave him a small jar of cold rabbit and asked him to carry it back in a net bag.
Chen Lie, Chen Dashan and Xu Wenqing accompanied them all the way out of the village until they reached the official road leading to the gate of Shezhou City, where they were stopped by Chu Qichang.
When Chu Qichang left the city, he was carrying a briefcase, and when he returned, he was carrying a pottery jar. His face was beaming with joy. How could he not be so happy!
When he got back to the Chu family, Mrs. Chu smelled alcohol on him and said, "Who are you? You were so anxious to take the provincial exam that you had to rush to send all the paper and ink in your house to congratulate him. You didn't even have time to change out of your muddy official uniform?"
He was also curious: "Why is there still a smell of alcohol? Where can you find alcohol now? Are you going to the Lin family or the Wang family?"
"What Lin family or Wang family? I went to the Shen family, the lucky general I mentioned!" Chu Qichang said with a smile, and handed the net bag in his hand to his wife: "This is a good thing, a return gift from the Shen family. It can be kept for a few days in this weather. You can taste it with your parents and children at noon tomorrow."
As soon as Mrs. Chu heard the word "Fujiang", she knew who her husband was talking about. The reason why they were having fun these days was not only because a group of mountain people came out on their own, but also because they helped to bring a lot of people out.
She looked at the earthenware jar wrapped in the hemp net in her hand. It was indeed the kind commonly used by rural families. She was quite curious: "Are the villagers who were admitted to the state school the ones you said helped you bring people out? There are actually educated families among the villagers?"
"Folk?" Chu Qichang glanced at his wife and laughed, "I was wrong this time. This is not an ordinary villager."
Mrs. Chu wanted to ask more, but Chu Qichang refused to say more. He just thought to himself that he had never seen that wine before and it was a very big deal. Moreover, Chen Lie said there was only that small jar, so regardless of whether it was true or not, the matter could not be mentioned again.
As for Li Qi, it is easy to involve Zheng family, so I won’t mention him.
It's the yam that Xu Wenqing mentioned that can be artificially cultivated... Chu Qichuang took the hot towel brought by the servant and covered his face, enjoying the comfort of the hot compress for a moment. After taking off the towel, he wiped his hands and smiled. He was able to make another contribution to the governor.
Of course, he was not greedy for the credit, as it was not his responsibility as a military officer, and he could not report it to the governor. However, if he mentioned it to the chief secretary, he would definitely win the favor of both the chief secretary and the governor.
Shezhou is mountainous, and things that can be grown in large quantities on the mountains have a large harvest, can be stored for a long time, and can be used as dishes or as staple food to satisfy hunger. How could the Chief Secretary and the Governor not pay attention to it? Moreover, the people who grew this thing are from Daxingzhuang, whom the Governor had just asked about this afternoon.
Why did Chu Qichang hurriedly prepare a gift to the Shen family? It was not just what he said. Of course, he did not specifically ask the chief secretary about the admission of the Shen brothers to the state school. Instead, he had just returned to the state office and reported to the governor about the resettlement of refugees in various counties. Then he heard the governor casually ask him about Daxingzhuang. When he heard the chief secretary say that several people from Daxingzhuang had been admitted to the state school, he borrowed the list and took a look. Only then did he know that the two brothers of the Shen family had been admitted to the state school together.
Shen Lie's identity changed from a mountain villager at first, to a villager with strong martial arts skills, to a villager who was proficient in both civil and military affairs, step by step, and finally he became a villager who was proficient in both civil and military affairs and was noticed by the governor, who might be able to serve as an official in the court after graduation.
Can this be the same?
That's why Chu Qichang hurried home to prepare gifts, and filled a basket with paper and ink from his home as a gift to the Shen family.
Now, the situation is even more different. Apart from all the previous things, the Shen family now has a mysterious identity and the possibility that they have a distinguished background.
Since the governor already has a good impression of Daxing Manor, why not do Daxing Manor and Chen Lie a favor? If one wants to pursue a career in politics, is there a better way than to get the attention of a governor of a state?
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